PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

Simon Brooks, Principal

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”

- John Dewey

It’s School Camp season at AISM! Next week our students from Year 6 to Year 10 head off to a variety of exciting destinations both in Malaysia and overseas. In Week 10 it is the turn of our Junior School students too!

There are so many benefits for our students that come from attending school camps. Here are just a few…

1- Connecting with Nature: We live in a world where it is easy to spend most of our time absorbed in an artificial and electronic world. The allure of the mobile phone can be hard to resist and many young people (and adults!) spend hours every day on TikTok, Instagram and other forms of social media. I worry about the effect that too much screen time has on the minds of our children and young people. As human beings, we are products of the land, the earth and the environment. It is incredibly important for our wellbeing to retain our connection with our physical world. School camps allow us to nurture this connection. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, we learn to appreciate and explore the outdoors, fostering a sense of environmental stewardship and promoting physical activity and well-being. We are reminded of who we are, what we value and our place in the larger world around us.

2- Social Interaction and Bonding: Camps bring students together in a different social setting, promoting teamwork and cooperation. They provide an opportunity for our students to interact and build relationships with one another in an entirely different way to day-to-day school like. Through shared experiences and challenges, students develop friendships and a sense of belonging. Students also come to see their teachers in different and enriching ways, learning more about them as human beings and as role models. As much as camps provide us with an opportunity to reconnect with nature, they also provide us with an opportunity to reconnect with one another.

3 - Cultural and Global Awareness: Whether in Malaysia or overseas, school camps often expose students to different regions, countries, traditions and routines, promoting acceptance, empathy, and national & global awareness. They broaden students' horizons and encourage them to embrace diversity.

4 - Break from Routine: School camps offer a break from the regular school routine, providing students with a refreshing change of pace. This break can reduce stress, rejuvenate students' minds, and increase motivation, engagement and achievement when they return to their regular academic activities.

5 - Character Building: School camps often include character-building activities and challenges that encourage students to push their limits, face fears, and develop resilience. As Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky wrote, ‘Children grow into the intellectual life around them’. At AISM, our goal is for students to become more curious, more creative and more empathetic, to become better listeners who embrace challenge, learn from mistakes, relish feedback and develop their independence. Camp provides numerous opportunities for our students to try on these dispositions for size. Personal growth is the inevitable consequence!

My best wishes go out to all of our students and teachers for a happy, safe and enriching camp experience!

Mandarin Teach Meet

Ms Hor Kai Lin, Middle & Senior School Chinese Teacher

On Friday, Ms. Hor Kai Lin, the AISM Chinese teacher was invited to participate in a Mandarin Teach Meet at Garden International School Malaysia (GIS). The event brought together approximately 40 Mandarin teachers from international schools in the Klang Valley region. It was the first meeting held since the Covid-19 pandemic, and the teachers were enthusiastic about reconnecting. Throughout the event, the teachers got acquainted with each other and exchanged various teaching ideas and experiences. The program was divided into different sections based on teaching groups. Ms. Hor Kai Lin was one of the presenters, sharing teaching resources and experiences in the secondary foreign language sections. Following the presentations, the teachers interacted across different groups.

Year 11 Advanced English

Shu Yie Ng, Year 11 Advanced English Student

The Intelligence Lottery

This is for you.

Wendy absent-mindedly ran her hands over her swelling belly to calm her rabid nerves and remind herself of her purpose here.

“Comrades, welcome to Sunsei’s 64th annual Intelligence Lottery! This year, we have received 3051 entries - our most overwhelming record yet to date. Thank you all for participating!” At the podium, Wěi - Sunsei’s beloved event host - delivered his renowned dazzling smile to the audience.

The crowd erupted into a deafening ovation while Wendy felt her stomach lurch upon hearing the number of entries. That’s almost twice as much as last year! Wendy subconsciously looked towards her husband, Andrew. She wasn’t surprised to see her undoubtedly stricken expression mirrored on his weathered face.

You see, amongst the 3051 entries, only one belonged to the Chins. The same, however, can not be said for the hundreds of other couples present at the venue. Due to the steep prices for the Lottery entries, most, if not all, of the couples participating were of wealthy backgrounds. After all, the chances of winning a high intelligence level are exceptionally slim if you do not submit multiple entries. And the only way to do so is if you can afford it. The Chins could not.

Despite their assiduous efforts to save, they could only afford a single entry. For years, the Chins had scrimped and forewent the little luxuries they owned, including everyday necessities - all in the hopes of securing a bright future for their unborn child. The last thing they wanted was for their child to live through the same conditions as they did - limited access to proper education, difficulty securing job opportunities or not even being granted entry to certain places. They refused to resign to the fact that their child would be destined for a life of mediocrity.

Unsure if she was doing it to reassure herself or her husband, perhaps both, Wendy reached out to intertwine their fingers. The small gesture alone instantly made her stand slightly taller. They were in this together.

“Without further ado, let us commence! As always, may Fú be always by your side!” With that, Wěi turned towards a large glass bowl that contained thousands of folded white cards. Silence descended over the crowd like a curtain falling.

Holding bated breaths, the audience watched as Wěi reached into the bowl with languid, deliberate movements. The tension in the air was palpable as his hand disappeared into the sea of cards, searching for the one that would seal a child’s fate. He took his time, stirring the cards around, feeling their weight and texture as he moved his fingers through them. The crowd was on edge, barely blinking as they watched his every move.

Finally, Wěi’s hand closed around a card. He withdrew it slowly, holding it up for all to see. It was slightly crumpled and worn, its edges frayed with age. Wěi held it out momentarily, letting the suspense build before he finally unfolded the card.

“The chosen child for this year’s highest intelligence level belongs to…” he started. His booming voice reverberated across the hushed square.

The crowd elicited a collective gasp as they waited for him to finish. Wendy felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Were it not for the firm grasp of her husband, she was bound to have fallen over.

“The Chin family!”

A beat passed.

Wendy’s world spun. Did I hear him correctly? Was Fú finally by our side? She looked at Andrew for confirmation, finding him just as stunned as she was. Wendy felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as the reality of what had just happened hit her like a truck. They won! Their unborn child had won the highest intelligence level in the Lottery. What a dream come true!

Again, she looked at her husband, who was still staring at Wěi in disbelief. Hand-in-hand, they made their way towards the stage as the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Through the flurry, Wendy could vaguely make out faces ranging from jealousy to disbelief, rage, and disgust. But it didn’t matter. They won.

Once more on stage, Wendy felt her heart jumping erratically as they approached the flamboyant host, the winning card still in his hand.

“Congratulations,” he commended, smile widening twice its original size as he saw the couple approach. “You must be in seventh heaven.”

Wendy could only nod. The ability to speak seemed to be beyond her at that moment. Andrew retrieved the card from Wěi and held it against the light, examining it closely.

“I can not believe it,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Breaking the couple from their stupor, Wěi gestured to the side of the stage where a group of people in crisp suits stood waiting. “Mr and Mrs Chin, if you kindly follow me, we’ll take care of the paperwork and get your child registered.”

Wendy and Andrew nodded, still in awe. As they were led by Wěi offstage, Wendy felt herself feeling lighter than she had ever been since her belly started growing. We did it! Our child’s future is going to be so bright.

Ecstatic, the Chins left the Lottery, eager to begin their new life as parents to a highly intelligent child.

* * * * * *

Over the next few weeks, Wendy and Andrew were wrapped in a whirlwind of constant activity. They met with educational advisors, enrolled their child in the top schools in Sunsei, and even set up a trust fund for their future.

Sure enough, when their child was born, it was clear that they had won the Lottery. From the moment he entered the world, it was apparent that Míng (Wendy and Andrew felt like they owed it to the Lottery for their son’s invaluable gift) was extraordinary.

It wasn’t long before they saw the fruits of their labour come to life.

As a child, Míng was always curious and intelligent. He possessed a hunger for learning that never seemed to be satisfied, no matter Wendy and Andrew’s countless attempts at explaining. Due to their limited educational background, the questions Míng asked were, more often than not, over their heads. At only 18 months, he could already converse with his parents at an adult level; At four, he could read high-level books fast and well; At six, he was completing algebra questions meant for high schoolers.

There was no doubt that Míng was a prodigy. At school, he excelled in every academic field. Science, maths, languages, humanities… everything felt like a breeze to him. Míng swept through test after test with flying colours. Soon enough, he was recognised as one of the generation’s brightest minds. At just the age of ten, Míng already had innumerable job offers awaiting his adulthood.

Wendy and Andrew couldn’t be happier.

* * * * * *

As Míng entered adolescence, Wendy started to notice a shift.

He had started spending more and more time in his room, claiming that he was “studying”... sometimes even missing mealtimes with the family. Wendy was worried, but she also believed her son knew what he was doing, so let him be. Another thing she noticed was that Míng had been significantly less talkative and inquisitive than he used to be during the occasional times he emerged from his room. She tried bringing this matter up to Andrew, but he simply told her, “there was nothing to worry about” and that she was overthinking again.

Maybe I am.

* * * * * *

Once, Wendy came to pick Míng up from school, but it seemed like he was conversing with his classmates. However, as Wendy observed longer, it seemed like that wasn’t the case at all!

Míng stood awkwardly to the side of the assemblage, seemingly unsure of how to contribute to the conversation. In addition to shifting from foot to foot, eyes darting around as if searching for a way out, Míng flat-out struggled to maintain eye contact with any of his peers and didn’t stop fidgeting nervously with his hands.

Wendy could not lie. It was painful to watch the interaction, but she told herself, surely that’s normal behaviour of a teenager! It’s just a part of growing up. And so the moment was swept behind her mind.

* * * * * *

One day, Míng burst out of his room, face streaked with plain distress. Wendy and Andrew didn’t need to be told that something was terribly wrong.

“What is it, son? Did you get a bad grade?” Andrew queried. At the same time, Wendy asked, “Are you not satisfied with your current tutor?”

Míng’s face morphed into fury, “Please stop! I just want to be free from all this!”

In a state of delirium, Wendy and Andrew said nothing.

Exasperated, Míng could only say under his breath, “You guys will never understand…”

Before Wendy or Andrew could protest, Míng walked out the front door, not before slamming it. The house shivered on its wooden piles.

* * * * * *

It’s been 6 days since Míng announced his departure. Wendy was frenzied with a turmoil of emotions - worry, anger, confusion, disappointment - one of them was sure to be the death of her. As an attempt to cope, she turned to cleaning.

As soon as she was up, she would start sweeping the floors and then mopping them. But it wasn’t enough, so she would get down on all fours to scrub at the already speckless floor. After that, she would polish the glassware, even though they’d barely ever been used. Then she turned her attention to washing the toilet, folding the laundry, wiping down the shelves and any other surface she could lay her hands on. The thing was, the Chin household wasn’t that large, so there really wasn’t much for Wendy to do. But that didn’t stop her. She would just repeat it all again till the point of physical exhaustion and sleep came to comfort her.

During one of these crazed episodes, Wendy happened to come across a drawing that had somehow found its way under the fridge. This drawing, clearly done by a child, was of a stick figure in a space suit standing on the moon. Ah, Wendy remembers now.

* * * * * *

Upon reaching home, six-year-old Míng excitedly exclaimed, “Māmā! Bàba! Look what I drew at school today!” He proudly displayed his crayon drawing of an astronaut on the moon to his parents.

“That’s pretty cool! What is it for?” Wendy asked, barely looking up from her cooking.

“Lăoshī asked us to draw what we wanted to be in the future,” Míng replied.

Wendy expressed her doubts, “Oh? Then how come you drew an astronaut? Wouldn’t a doctor or a lawyer be better instead?”

Míng’s dejection was evident as he responded, “Oh… I guess,” but neither Wendy nor Andrew noticed at that time. Just as quickly, Míng asked hopefully, “Can we stick it on the fridge anyway?”

“Míng, you know very well the fridge is only for the things you need to memorise: Snell’s Law, the Fibonacci sequence, 101 ways to answer well in a job interview - those things. Surely you don’t need to memorise a drawing, do you?” chuckling, Andrew ruffled his son’s hair affectionately, trying to lighten the mood.

* * * * * *

Without realising it, Wendy had become tearful at the memory.

How could we have been this blind?! He was just a child! Even now, he is still a child! How did we miss the blatantly obvious signs that our son was struggling?

At that moment, all instances of them pressuring Míng to study or brushing off his interests came to mind. As if opening the floodgates, they came pouring into Wendy’s field of vision, clear as day, despite being blurred by a thick screen of tears.

Like a much-needed wake-up call, Wendy realised that they had been so focused on giving their child the gift of intelligence that they had neglected other essential aspects of his development, forgetting that emotional intelligence and empathy were just as important as academic prowess.

Wendy wondered how life would've been different if they had just raised Míng like an ordinary child instead of a production line machine that spends its lifetime churning out results - never stopping. Her regret was overwhelming, but amid her pain, she vowed to learn from her mistakes and be a better parent. She promised to change.

Come home, Míng. We’ll do better.

Sports & CCA

Whole School CCA & Sports Coordinator

Last Saturday, AISM was delighted to host Football Australia and the Australian High Commission for an amazing soccer clinic for our students at AISM. As part of the build up to the Fifa Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023, we were honoured to host Servet Uzunlar and Emma Ilijoski, two top draw Australian athletes who delivered a high quality clinic for our enthusiastic young footballers.

It was an action-packed morning filled with enormous amounts of fun and learning! Our thanks go to Mr Jason Moynihan from the Australian High Commision for his efforts in coordinating this unforgettable event. We were also honoured by the presence of the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, His Excellency Dr Justin Lee, who stayed to watch the entire clinic and support our students.

We would like to thank everyone involved in this amazing and prestigious event for AISM.

Guests of Honour

  • Dr Justin Lee - Australian High Commissioner
  • Servet Uzunlar - Former Matildas player and coach
  • Emma Ilijoski - Current player with Canberra United / Junior Matilda

Click here for more photos.

Save The Date

Semester 2 CCA Update

  • CCAs open for registration - From 7.00pm Saturday, 3 June until 12.00pm Tuesday 6 June
  • CCAs commence - Monday, 24 July
  • CCAs conclude - Thursday, 23 November

Note: Creche & Sibling Games CCA is unavailable on Mondays.

KL Big Sing

Mrs. Nicki Taylor, Music Teacher

The Kuala Lumpur Big Sing certainly lived up to its name! With over 500 singers from 16 different schools in Malaysia joining on stage to sing together, it was an experience that doesn’t come by often. Hosted by BSKL, our AISM choir of students from Years 3-6 represented our school so admirably by memorising a programme of eight songs that were performed with the massed choir and also a solo performance of Scales and Arpeggios from The Aristocats. As only one of four schools who presented a solo choir item, our students had to overcome their nerves at performing not only in front of a very large audience, but also in front of 500 choir peers at the event.

The AISM choir will be open to all singers from Years 3-10 next semester on Tuesdays during CCA and performance opportunities will include Awards Ceremonies, Christmas events and special events at school. We hope to have some new members join our group and experience the joy of singing!

AISM Guitar & Woodwind Tutor

Performing Arts Faculty

Albert Loo started playing the classical guitar at the age of 9, as far as he remembers at least! Unfortunately, there was no social media to keep track of these things. Not even the internet existed back then. He cut his teeth on the guitar in a very different musical environment in Malaysia 40 years ago. Back then, 9 out of 10 guitarists were good guitarists. That other one was outstanding. As a child back then, there were not as many things to do compared to today, so the guitar became an obsession that he continuously worked at for hours on end.

During his teens, he signed up for a course in music composition and harmony with a local music producer. He then began to play in bands. "We used to go to the record shop to record songs onto a cassette tape. We transcribed music by repeatedly playing back and rewinding the tape. It was a tedious process to learn songs, especially difficult guitar solos. The tape may get worn out or even eaten by the cassette player. Thankfully, Youtube has sorted that out in today’s environment!"

The Internet arrived in his 20s and Albert began to explore the keyboard. He found the freely available CC Chang's Fundamentals of Piano Practice Book.

There is a lot to learn from this book. A big part of it focuses on efficient practice techniques that can be applied across all instruments.

In his 30s, Albert took up the Saxophone. He was curious after hearing someone mention that a Saxophonist's brain is wired differently. Soon, he found out what it meant. “The notes that one chooses to play on the saxophone has to be meaningful and has to be given a certain amount of thought. You have to think of the phrasing. It does not sound good just running up and down the scale. The wind instrument is as close as you can get to imitating a singer on an instrument.” This thought process is helpful to any instrumentalist looking to improve their phrasing and musicality.

Albert got into music education and began using his experiences of performing, recording and composing to deliver lessons that are practical in real on stage situations. His knowledge in guitar, piano, saxophone, flute and clarinet gives him a different perspective on how to approach an instrument, and his students will learn techniques and musical fundamentals and concepts that will not only be applicable to the guitar, but across all instrumental playing.

Sign up with Albert to learn these secrets. He teaches ukulele, guitar, bass, saxophone, flute and clarinet.

Videos:

PTC Eco-School 2023 Survey

Mr Simon Matheson, Head of Science Faculty

“School Sustainability means being kind to your campus environment and not depleting natural resources around school grounds. Schools around the country are making sustainability a top priority with district-wide committees and daily efforts to tackle everything from air quality to consumption and waste."

– Horton, J.

weareteachers.com, 7 Smart Ways to Be More Sustainable on School Grounds, April 1, 2022

Below is the link to the short survey form:

PTC ECO-SCHOOL 2023 SURVEY

Thank you to all the parents and guardians who have responded already. Please complete the survey, using your AISM email address before Friday, 16 June 2023.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has"

– Margaret Mead

Thank you so much and have a great week ahead!

ICAS ASSESSMENT

ICAS will return to AISM this year. We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS. This fantastic assessment program allows students to challenge themselves and be recognised for their academic efforts. The assessment is now fully online and sitting dates will commence in Term 3. If you are interested in registering your child please find the information for ICAS dates and fees on the link below and register early. You can also learn more by visiting eats.com.my. Registration will be closed on 2 June 2023.

CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE