PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING
Simon Brooks, Principal
Welcome to our Community
Students, staff, parents & caregivers, and everybody in our AISM community - welcome to AISM 2023!
What a wonderful year we had in 2022 - the year of ‘Thinking for Learning’, and of our school blossoming into life post-COVID. This year promises to go from strength to strength as we build on our successes of 2022 and continue marching forward. It is wonderful to see our student numbers swelling as more and more children and young people join us to experience the AISM difference.
I began 2023 by welcoming a full Auditorium of new students and families to our school. The experience of welcoming new members as they join our community always presents a wonderful opportunity to capture in a nutshell what makes our school so very special, so in a nutshell, here is the essence of what I said…
AISM is a very special place. We are a strong, supportive, caring and diverse community bound together by our connections to Australian values and a rich, rigorous and expansive Australian Education.
We believe that learning is about more than just outstanding academic success (more on this later) - we believe in building intellectual and moral character, so that our young people are prepared to thrive in the real world as lifelong learners who love learning for the sake of learning.
We believe in nurturing our learners as they develop key ‘dispositions’, or habits of mind; we enable them to become curious, creative, healthily-sceptical, open-minded, analytical young people who are good listeners, connection-makers and leaders.
We also value a culture of care at our school… we help our students learn to care for themselves, physically, emotionally and intellectually. We encourage them to learn to care for others and for the world of which we are all a part. Our school’s Care:Mvmt (Care Movement) represents one of the ways in which we advance this agenda.
HSC Results 2022
In 2022, AISM once again achieved the best examination results in the school’s history, cementing our status as an incredibly high-achieving academic institution.
Amongst the many headlines, the following are particularly noteworthy:
- AISM ranked in the top 100 HSC Schools for a second year in a row, up two spots to 96 in 2022 from 98 in 2021. This is a particularly impressive achievement as many of the schools in the top-100 in New South Wales are academically selective schools.
- 50% of our HSC results are in the top two bands (Band 6 and Band 5), exceeding 2021’s benchmark.
- Nichole Ong was announced as the top overall student in the world for HSC Society and Culture. Amazing work, congratulations Nichole!
- Xueyi Chee was announced as the fifth overall student in the world for the subject of HSC Mathematics Extension 1. More amazing work, well done Xueyi!
- Sixteen AISM students have been published on the Distinguished Achiever list and the Sydney Morning Herald's Honour Roll, for having achieved the highest possible grade band in one or more subjects.
Congratulations to all of our HSC cohort for 2022 for your hard work and effort. We wish you all the best as you go on to flourish in the next stage of your lives!
Welcome New Teachers!
I am absolutely delighted to welcome several new teaching colleagues to AISM for 2023. I know that everybody in our community will offer them a very warm welcome. Please allow me to introduce…
Ms. Siti Nor Ashikin Binti Hasnan
(Junior School EAL & Learning Support Teacher)
Ms. Uma Mageswary Krishnan
(Junior School Assistant Teacher - Foundation)
Ms. Charlotte McNarn
(Junior School Teacher - Foundation and Coordinator of Student Learning)
Ms. Meghan McTaggart
(Junior School Y2 Teacher)
Mr. Nicholas Oliver
(Junior School Y4 Teacher)
Ms. Danica Dawes
(Middle and Senior School English and Humanities Teacher
Ms. Malini A/P Nageswaran
(Middle and Senior School Mathematics Teacher)
Ms. Debora Putri
(Whole School Head of Diverse Educational Needs)
Mr. Azizul Azry Bin Mohd Ali
(Design and Technology Technical Assistant)
Ms. Lahlitaa Supramaniam
(Temporary Teacher in the Middle and Senior School)
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Michelle Chaplin, Head of Junior School
“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.”
– Malala Yousafzai
Week 1 - an exciting 3 days - we have accomplished so much already! Our campus has come to life with the joy and excitement of a new year of learning, meeting new friends, reconnecting with peers and getting to know all about 2023 at AISM. Our students have quickly come to know the routines of a new year level or for some a new school - and have enjoyed their first few days. It has been a joy to see the connections between teachers and students and indeed to be a part of that joy in the mornings as students leap from the car, greet us in the breezeway and hustle to class.
A very warm welcome to our new families and I am sure our community / class reps will be in contact to ensure you have a smooth start as part of our community. Please don't hesitate to be in contact should you have any questions or concerns - michellec@aism.edu.my
Our running theme for the year is ‘Thinking in Action' and already I have heard from our student leaders their thoughts for different events throughout the year and ways to do things! Year 4 and 5 will be learning all about leadership as they put forward their Expressions of interest for House Captains and the Think Tank and across the whole school we will be on the hunt for our new SRC Representatives.
AISM is all about Academics - all about the Whole Child and all about each student being the best they can be - in the words of an adventurer
"I'm not going to school just for the academics. I wanted to share ideas, and to be around people who are passionate about learning."
– Emma Watson
MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL
Welcome to our MSS students and families for another great year of learning in 2023!
We began our year in style with a jam-packed Day 1, with most students off timetable for the day and engaged in a variety of activities.
One of these activities was called ‘The Portal’ - an opportunity for all students to reflect on what our school does well, and what it might do even better going forward. We look forward to reviewing the many ideas they generated in order to help us continue to design a rich and challenging experience of schooling going forward.
All students also participated in an hour long session with me to explore the idea of ‘Slow Looking’. Sometimes, the experience of being at school on a day-to-day basis can feel like a rushed and jam-packed experience, moving from lesson to lesson with so much to learn. However, research by educators such as Shari Tishman from the Harvard Graduate School of Education shows that it is when we slow down to look closely and consider in depth that meaningful learning takes place. In this session, I worked with students to look slowly and carefully at an eighteenth-century artwork. Students then went on to write collaborative word-pile poems in order to represent their observations creatively.
World Scholar’s Cup
AISM is excited to announce that in 2023 the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) will be returning and we are on the hunt for a new generation of Scholaroos!
WSC is an academic olympiad where teams of three compete in a series of events including debate, essay writing and multiple choice quizzes on a range of topics that encourages students to explore diverse and interesting ideas. Teams compete in Regional and Global rounds, joining thousands of scholars from all around the world.
WSC is a big part of AISM tradition, with our ‘Scholaroos’ winning many trophies and medals over the years. We are delighted to return to this extremely rewarding program in 2023.
We would like to encourage interested students in Years 7-11 to become part of our Scholaroo squad! WSC Tryouts will take place on Friday 3rd February at 1:40pm on the steps of the oval. Please note that successful students will be enrolled in the WSC CCA which will run on Tuesdays.
Students who wish to book their place in the WSC Tryouts can do so by completing this short Google Form.
You can find out more about WSC by watching this video
Week 2:
Monday 30th, 9am - PTC Morning Tea to welcome new parents - we look forward to seeing you there
Friday 3rd, 2pm - Lion Dance to celebrate CNY!
Week 3:
Monday 6th - MSS Parent Information Session - details to be advised
Friday 10th - MSS Honours Assembly and Leadership Induction - details to be advised
WHOLE SCHOOL
Mark Atkins, His Stories and His Music
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience the music of Mark Atkins, one of Australia’s finest didgeridoo players, live in Malaysia for the first time.
A descendent of Western Australia’s Yamitji people and of Irish/Australian heritage, Atkins draws on his rich and diverse background to offer an eclectic mix of original and new compositions featuring didgeridoo and guitar 🎶
“… you almost feel that you are sitting round a fire listening to his stories, stories told in music and in voice.” Australian Stage Online
WORKSHOP DETAILS
(didgeridoo players of all levels welcomed)
DATE & TIME: 15 Feb (Wed) @ 6pm
FEE: Free of charge (limited slots)
SHOW DETAILS
Presented by klpac, in collaboration with the Australian High Commission in Malaysia
DATE & TIME: 14 Feb (Tue) @ 8pm
VENUE: Pentas 2
FEE: RM84: Regular | RM100: Patron of the Arts will be acknowledged on klpac website | RM64: Student / Disabled / Seniors 60 / TAS Card Members*
*WhatsApp school details (name, designation, phone and e-mail) to get promo code
PROMOTIONS
Early Bird Promo
RM64 (ends 31 Jan @ 11:59 pm)
Eslite Malaysia
Enjoy 5% (White Cardholders) & 10 % (Black Cardholders) off normal-priced tickets (not applicable with other promo)
WhatsApp us at +6018 227 7212 with pic of your Eslite card for promo code.
ENQUIRY: WhatsApp +6018 227 7212
Sport and CCAs Update
Ivan Yoong, Whole School CCA/ Sport Coordinator
Semester 1 CCA Update
Open for preview - Wednesday 1 February onwards
CCAs registration on Engage Portal - from Friday 3 February 7:00pm until Monday 6 February 7:00pm CCA Guidelines - Registration
CCAs commence - Monday 13 February
CCAs conclude - Thursday 15 June
Note: Creche Sibling Games CCA is unavailable for Monday.
Save the date
MSS Swimming Carnival
Thursday 9 March @ AISM
MSS Sports Trainings - Recommencing in Week 2
Monday - U14 Boys & Girls Soccer Training on the Field
- Boys & Girls Basketball Training in the Gym
Wednesday - 14 & above Boys Soccer Training on the Field
Thursday- 14 & above Girls Soccer Training on the Field
JS Sports Trainings - Recommencing in Week 2
Monday - U11 Boys & Girls Basketball in the Gym
Tuesday - U11 Boys and Girls Football Training on the Field
Thursday - O11 Girls Netball in the Gym
Barracuda Training
Commence date: Tuesday 7 February
Last day of training: Thursday 22 February
Note: Kindly contact Coach Ivan [ ivany@aism.edu.my ] regarding enrolment for Barracuda.
