KLISS PRIMARY SWIM MEET 2014 - A TIS Parents' Association supported event

Saturday, November 22, 2014

The day started bright (well, not quite bright yet for those who were here super duper early!) and early for participants, parent supporters and staff of the much anticipated event hosted by Tenby International School, Setia Eco Park...

the KLISS (Kuala Lumpur International School Sport) PRIMARY SWIM MEET 2014!

This year, the participating schools were ISP (The International School @ParkCity), BSKL (British School Kuala Lumpur), Nexus (Nexus International School, Putrajaya) and Tenby International School! 

The KLISS Primary Swim Meet kickstarted with bone-chilling-water swim warm-ups, followed by a welcome speech by Kenneth Lim. The whistle blew and they were off to a good start...!

Some of the events were keenly contested by the schools and you could hear loud and enthusiastic cheers from the crowd; each parent cheering for their own child or school! It was indeed exciting! 

The Swim Meet culminated in medal and trophy presentations for the participants. 

In overall standings, ISP took home the gold trophy, BSKL the silver, and Tenby...bronze! 

Well done to all swimmers and winners!

Food and Beverage was a TIS Parents' Association supported event. We had Sid's BBQ, dishing up Hot Dogs and Gourmet Cheeseburgers. A special thank you to Sid's for their support and contribution of sales to our PA fund! We also invited Royal Post (the mobile coffee truck) to cater to the caffeine-addicts and chocoholics in us! Sweet treats were in store for fans of home-baked cakes, courtesy of mums who spent Friday night toiling in their kitchens! A very warm thank you for your generosity and time today! Proceeds of sales go to the PA fund. 

We hope everyone had a fantastic time at the event today...we sure did! :-)

Swimmers at their early-morning warm-up session

Prepping-up for our gastronomic needs!

...and the crowd has started!

PA and friends, hard at work!

Lovely home-baked goods!

Swimming for their medals!

Mr Andrew Auster and Ms Jane Kuok at the events medal presentation.

Medal and trophy presentation for overall standings.

TIS Mums... thank you for the support!!!

Visiting Author, Alan Gibbons at school

TIS Parents’ Association commissioned student Keisha Wee of 7E to carry out the following Q & A interview with Alan Gibbons.... Thank you Keisha!

KLISS PRIMARY SWIM MEET 2014

Come Saturday, 22 November 2014, Tenby International School Setia Eco Park will once again host the KLISS Primary Swim Meet.
Come lend your support and cheer the young swimmers onto victory! 





Food and refreshments (TIS Parents' Association initiated) will be on sale outside the MPH, just a short walk across from the swimming pool.





This year, we have Sid's grilled-on-site Hot Dogs and
Gourmet Cheese Burgers.
Sounds yummy just thinking about it!

Not enticed to forgo your weekend sleep-in yet?

How about fresh gourmet coffee from barista-on-wheels ROYAL POST?

KL's first mobile cafe will be in the school grounds to take care of your early morning caffeine fix! Track down the truck...you can't miss it!

And let's not forget the lovely parents who have generously volunteered to bake some delicious cakes and treats for sale. Home-baked with love & goodness...can't get any better than that! 

Event is open to public; so come one, come all! See you there...! 

~Julia Oh

Tenby SEP Schools' Library Visiting Author - Allan Gibbons

~ Posted by Elizabeth Wong

Tenby SEP Schools' Visiting Author - Korky Paul

~ Posted by Elizabeth Wong

Scholastic Book Collection (November, 2014)

The Scholastic books collection day is on Friday 7^th November, 2014.

Scholastic Representatives will take charge of the collection.

Orders can be collected at the Cafeteria just below the library from 10.30 hrs to 16.00 hrs.

Parents may collect it after school hours. 

Teachers and students are advised to collect it on the said time.

~ Posted by Elizabeth Wong

Staying on Top of Children's Social Networking Ecosystem

As we move at lightning speed to delve deeper into the Digital Age, there is a growing concern on how social networking might negatively impact our children. Do not undermine the power of social networking websites. They can be highly influential. 

According to U.S. data, "Children are the fastest growing population of victims of Internet crime, but only 52% of parents moderately supervise Internet use, while an unsettling 20% do not supervise at all."

In a U.K. survey, "A child's social media development begins at aged nine; first accesses YouTube, and begins to use mobile and/or laptop. At 10, they experiment the use of Internet slang (e.g. "BRB", "YOLO") and instant messaging. At 11, when the greatest proportion of internet activity takes place, they are likely to first upload an image or video of themselves, post a nasty comment online and set up a fake social media profile! At 12, children will venture into Twitter and Whatsapp, and message someone online they haven't met in real life. When children reach their social maturity at aged 13, they will try SnapChat and Ask FM, and perhaps try sexting for the first time! I do suspect Asian youths are generally digitally-connected at a comparatively younger age; as consumers in Asia use social media far more than their Western counterparts.

With the advent of technology, so come the accompanying dangers of social networking security threats. Social media has removed the barriers between a child's public and private self, leaving him / her vulnerable and exposed to content, people or situations that may be potentially out of their depth and which they're not emotionally prepared for. Parents must exercise diligence in their supervision, and persistently interact with their children on the technology they embrace:-

• Know the sites your children visit.
• Know the chat lingo.
• Maintain an open dialogue with your children. Nothing can replace one-on-one communication. Encourage sharing of both good and bad online experiences.
• Educate the children on potential social networking and internet dangers, i.e. False identities, internet predators, information posted online isn't always private. Alert them to risks about compulsive online sharing and giving out personal information to strangers.
• Establish internet safety rules and boundaries.

Here are 15 next-generation apps and sites (is Facebook still the favourite digital hangout?) that parents should acclimatise themselves to:-

Twitter
Instagram
SnapchatTumblr
Google+
Vine
Wanelo
Kik Messenger
Ooovoo
Ask.fm
Yik Yak
WhatsApp
Omegle
Yo.
Whisper

For the social networking "dummies", further reading is recommended to put us on the right track of what's currently trendy. Let's hope this will help bridge the Information Age divide between the parents and our teens...
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/15-sites-and-apps-kids-are-heading-to-beyond-facebook

Parents, let's stay computer savvy so we can better guide our children on being SAFE and socially RESPONSIBLE internet users! 

Article written by Julia Oh

Primary "The Golden Rules"

Extract from Parents Bulletin 37

The Golden Rules 

The Golden Rules were designed by former teacher, now educational consultant, Jenny Mosley. Jenny has devised several programmes to improve behaviour and self-esteem, such as Golden Time and Circle Time. All of these programmes teach children and teachers about respect for self and others, reciprocal appreciation and allowing enough emotional space for children to flourish, while maintaining firm boundaries. 

There are just 6 Golden Rules and note the positive way in which they are worded: 

• Do be gentle 
• Do be kind and helpful 
• Do work hard 
• Do listen to people 
• Do look after property 
• Do be honest 

Although only six simple rules, they actually address almost every type of behaviour common in primary schools. The rules can be categorised into six areas: 

• Respect For Physical Safety – We Are Gentle 
• Respect For Emotional Safety – We Are Kind 
• Respect For Self – We Work Hard 
• Respect For Others – We Listen 
• Respect For The Environment – We Look After Things 
• Respect For The Truth – We Are Honest 

Once these rules are embedded in a school, Jenny believes that children truly access the deeper, more complex, universal values such as tolerance, justice, compassion and fairness. This is why the Golden Rules are displayed and applied in all TIS Primary classrooms. We even have a giant poster in the Servery which our incredible Parents Association bought for us last year. 

By following the Golden Rules, the younger children can earn Golden Time, a special time at the end of the week when they can choose some favourite activities. Each day, children are guided to reflect on their behavioural choices. If they have followed the Golden Rules for the day, they keep their Golden Time. If they have chosen to break a Golden Rule, they lose 5 minutes of their Golden Time and are asked to sit and reflect for those 5 minutes during the session. 

By using their ‘Managing Distractions’ learning muscle and choosing to follow the Golden Rules, lesson time will be spent learning and play times will be happy and safe. Of course, children will always push to see how far they can go but thrive once they know where the boundaries are. 

As a parent you can really help your child to do well in every aspect of school life, and this is no different: A few ideas on how you can support Golden Time are listed below: 

• Discuss with your child how Golden Time operates in their class 
• Advise your child how you want him/her to behave in school 
• Discuss with your child his/her “good days” and any “bad days” 
• Be positive about the importance of Golden Time and encourage your child to do his/her best 
• Discuss our school rules with your child and explain why they are sensible and fair rules for one and all 

School-wide Malaysia Day Celebration on September 19th, 2014

Tenby Schools Eco Park celebrated Malaysia Day in a befittingly grand way this year on September 19th. Organised by SST, this event began with a colourful parade of all the primary students wearing Malaysian traditional costumes. Witnessing this reminded us of how beautifully culturally rich our country is. The children then gathered in the assembly hall to watch special cultural performances staged by our very own SST students, ranging from Dikir Barat to classical music presentation to traditional dances which were brilliantly executed. A nicely done video clip showing the formation of the Malaysia coalition was also prepared and screened for the audience. The show ended with a rousing and heartwarming singing of the "Jalur Gemilang" song, complete with the proud waving of hundreds of the Malaysia flag throughout the hall. What a glorious end to the Malaysia Day celebration at Tenby SEP!

Many thanks to the students, parents, teachers, staff of both TIS and SST who helped make this event a memorable one. And special thanks to the Principal of SST Pn Lee for pulling everything together and making this day possible. May our children feel the pride of being Malaysian and strive towards the betterment of their beloved tanahair.

After the showcase, the SST PA committee organised a free Malaysian food-tasting buffet for the students. A number of parents contributed local delicacies including local kuihs, nasi lemak and keropok udang to name a few. Needless to say, the entire lot was duly walloped by the children! Thank you to those who brought something to the table! You made many children very delighted that day, especially when they found out the food was free! All in all, a wonderful celebration and a wonderful day. Till next year!

* Singing the closing song "Jalur Gemilang". The hope, pride and joy was palpable. 

* Free Malaysian food-tasting organized by the SST PA Committee.

Calling for Parents’ Association Nominations 2014/15 – TIS Representatives

It is the time of year for TIS to gather nominations for parent volunteers to join the School’s PA Committee. 

The Parents Association work closely with the School and community to further the Tenby Vision of ‘A United World at Peace – Through Education’. The role of the PA is to provide support for school events, activities, fund raising, trips and interschool competitions. 

For more details of the role of the PA Committee, please refer to the PA Noticeboard in the Foyer or through this link.

Objectives and Role of TIS Parents' Association

TIS will be looking for a minimum of two parent representatives from: 

• Early Years (Nursery & Reception
• Key Stage 1 (Year 1 & 2)
• Key Stage 2 (Year 3 - 6)
• Key Stage 3 (Year 7 - 9)
• Key Stage 4 (Year 12 & 13)

If you are interested in becoming a Committee Member, please submit your nomination via e-mail: ecoparkPA-TIS@tenby.edu.my by 12 noon Thursday 18th September so that we can publish nominees in next week’s Parents’ Bulletin. 

The following details will need to be provided for all nominations: 

Name 
Which classes are your child(ren) in? 
Passport size photograph 

Voting will then be open from Monday 22nd September to Friday 26th September. Details of how this will work will be given out in next week’s Parents’ Bulletin. 

Welcome Back to Academic Year 2014/15

Dear Parents..

Welcome back to the new academic year 2014/15.

Just some quick pointers on how to best start your 'year' in catching up with everything that's going on around the school.

1. Parents & Students Handbook for TIS  2014/15 edition

http://www.tenby.edu.my/photo/pdf/Guidance_for_Parents_Students-TIS_2014-2015.pdf

2. School Calendar.
This is a good source of getting an overview of what's coming up. If you use google, you can sync up this calendar to your google calendar.

http://www.tenby.edu.my/setia-eco-park/calendar

3. Weekly Parents Bulletin 
(published every Friday after 5pm or Saturday  and will contain reminders for the week ahead)

http://www.tenby.edu.my/setia-eco-park/parents-bulletin

4. Termly Newsletter
(highlights key events and activities of the school)

http://www.tenby.edu.my/setia-eco-park/newsletters

5. School Twitter

SST - @TenbySEP_SST  TIS Secondary School - @TenbySEPTISsec  TIS Primary School - @TenbySEP_TISpri  Tenby CCA & Tenby Eagles: @TenbyCCAEAGLES

6. School Library Website
http://tenbysep.wix.com/librarysep

Warm regards
Elizabeth Wong
TIS PA Co-Chair 2013/14

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

INTERNATIONAL DAY 2014

Friday, 20 June 2014

TENBY CELEBRATES DIVERSITY WITH INTERNATIONAL DAY

An annual event in Tenby Schools, International Day is a wonderful opportunity to open up windows of perspective into different cultures around the world. It is a day to celebrate our values of harmony and international-mindedness across the primary schools.

It has been a really busy week with teachers, students and parents scrambling frantically to dress up their classrooms to transform them into different countries. After all that meritorious effort, it was finally THE day to kick back and enjoy, albeit only for 1 hour;  and to soak in the myriad of cultural colours and savour the plethora of foods from around the world. A much more structured event this year, children entertained visitors from other classes and introduced them to their chosen countries, in between specialist classes. Yes, there was no let up in learning, even on International Day, and specialist classes went on as normal.

As a parent of a child in Year 6E, I was privileged to witness first hand, the amount of effort the students, teacher and supportive parents put in, into International Day preparations. In Kenya, where people were divided by poverty, united by football; children find pleasure in making their own balls out of recycled plastic bags, newspapers and strings. Students had fun creating their own makeshift footballs and kicking them around! More importantly, the message was clear that Kenyans possess the resilience and ingenuity to overcome challenging environments, admirable traits indeed.

International Day is a fun and engaging way to:-

Wear your country's national costume!

Watch the parade of nations!

Enjoy cultural performances!

Sample foods from around the world!

Just immerse yourselves into the festivities and celebrate the wonderful cultural diversity! I am already looking forward to an even better International Day next year!

The parade was a feast for the eyes...what a kaleidoscope of colours!
Campus principal, Andrew Auster shows how it's done, in a blazing red mop top!

6E was transformed into Magical Kenya with abundant wildlife and overhanging vines. 

6T was a burst of colours and flavours!

You have to admire the handiwork that went into the creation of Spain. Look at the "mosaics!"

Enchanting!

I was amazed at the sheer creativity and artistry of Egypt...wonderful!

Trumpet-blaring and lots of fun going on in here...!!!

Mesmerizing decorations and generous food sampling in virtually every class you stepped into. Kudos to the teachers, students and parents for the splendid set-ups!

Photographs courtesy of Amelia Hooi, Toni Colbron and Julia Oh

Article by Julia Oh

PARENTS vs TEACHERS FOOTBALL MATCH

PARENTS THRASHED 6-1 IN MAIDEN FOOTBALL MATCH!

Thursday, 19 June 2014, 4:00 p.m.

The day where history was made! It was Tenby's maiden friendly football match...parents vs teachers. Timely too, as it was football season. Football. It is a game that at some point, anoints almost every child in the country, and captivates many others around the world.

It was a hot, slightly hazy day but spirits were high. The teachers looked mean and mighty in black! Parents team, dressed in white jersey and black shorts looked like they were ready to play top-flight football. Looks can be deceiving, it is often said and I guess, to some extent, this was true in our case! 

Warming-up before the game

Peeeeeet!!! The referee's (Surprise! Surprise! It was Mr Andrew Auster, our sporting sportsman!) whistle blew to signal the start of the game and they were off! Barely 20 minutes into the first half, the parents' team had to call in a few students to replace some of their players' aching limbs! The teachers proved to be the fitter and stronger team and they emerged winners. Despite Year 6 student, Navjoth (as stand-in for the parents) scoring a goal, it was too late! We were thrashed 6-1!

Errr, round "table" discussion, eh, parents?

One for the album...Premier League in the making?

Game in progress!

Well, it was obvious we were nowhere near World Cup standard but it was all in good, clean fun! And I'm sure with more training, there will be greater things to come! I will be looking forward to more spectator sports between the school and parents, or even between the children and their teachers. Yes, spectator only, because I don't fancy getting my face cosmetically bruised by a flying ball!

Article and photographs by Julia Oh