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To all in the Uplands Community,

This week I am privileged to be attending

the IB Heads Conference in The Hague,

Netherlands. This annual event draws

School Leaders from across the world

together to participate in workshops,

forums and lectures on a wide range of

topics of mutual interest to IB Schools’

leaders.

With the IB 5 Year Review and CIS Accreditation process underway

at Uplands I have been targeting my choice of sessions to those

that can support the leadership in the areas of technology, school

governance, strategic planning, school culture and educational

innovation.

In addition to being able to work with top educational researchers

and specialists it is also a great opportunity to share our current

practices with other schools as well as learning how other schools

approach similar issues. It is a period of nonstop learning for all

attending the event as well as an affirmation that as a school we

are developing in the right direction.

In addition to all these activities, the ability to meet other

Principals and Head teachers, create new networks, acquire

contacts and resources that will be useful for our school, students

and staff, is an invaluable extra to what is a very powerful and

informative event.

I look forward to reflecting with the Uplands Leadership teams on some of the “Big Ideas” that are being discussed here in The Hague.

Yours sincerely,

Matthew Bristow

Principal

Contents Message from the Principal Secondary News Primary School News English Department Science News International Award CAS Action UPTA News Upcoming Events

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Thank you for your cooperation with the closure of the school at the end of last week. It is never an easy decision; we always put the Health & Safety of students and staff first; however this time it was taken out of our hands by the Ministry of Education. I attended a meeting in KL on Tuesday with other Heads of International Schools where there was a lot more talk about the haze situation and how it is affecting the international schools. I am sure Mr Bristow will update you more upon his return from the Netherlands. From all accounts it was great turn out for the Parent Teacher Consultations on Tuesday. Thank you to all of the parents who made the time to speak with your child’s teachers. These are extremely valuable conversations which should help with their academic progress. The USC (Uplands School Council) is hosting their disco tonight between 7:00pm and 10:00pm in the Sports Hall. Gates open at 7:00pm and no one will be allowed in after 7:30pm sharp. Please ensure all students are picked up promptly at 10:00pm. This week all secondary students should have received a letter in regards to The Annual USC Prom, which will be at the E&O Hotel on Friday 11th December. Can you please ensure all students wishing to go return their forms to their tutor by the mentioned date. I would like to thank the USC, led by Aniqah Faris and Kim Dong Joo, who have been working tirelessly to organise these events for the student body. A reminder that this year we will be hosting the annual Senior Public Speaking & Elocution Competition outside school hours, in hope to enable more parents to attend this great showcase of our talented students. Please do come along on Tuesday evening between 7:00pm and 8:00pm in the MPH and watch our students perform. It is extremely important that all students wear the correct uniform and follow the guidelines, as outlined in the student diary. Some students are starting to push the boundaries so can I please ask that you ensure that your child is wearing the correct uniform when they leave home in the morning. Next week I will be attending the Phuket Football 7’s and I will therefore be away on Thursday and Friday. Have a great weekend Craig Skinner Head of Secondary Craig.skinner@uplands.org

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Wonderful! A complete week including sport, swimming, CCAs, class trips and events!

Primary Halloween Party: A fabulous time was had by all who attended our party last evening.

Amazing food, fun games and dancing aplenty! The children, staff and parents really did an

outstanding job in creating fantastic, spooky, original costumes. A special thank you to UPTA,

Class Parent Reps, parents, staff and Prefects for your support in contributing to a successful

party. Today most of us are feeling rather weary.

Primary Assembly: Year 3 children will host our primary Assembly on Monday, 2 November,

beginning at 2:00pm in the foyer. Parents are invited to attend.

ALI BABA and the BONGO BANDITS

Presented by Years 5 and 6

The International School of Penang (Uplands)

Stage 1, Penangpac, Straits Quay

Friday, 13th November

7:00pm

The year 5 & 6 children and teachers have been working really hard in preparation for Friday,

13th November. ALI BABA and the BONGO BANDITS is a show not to be missed.

Tickets are almost sold out! The Primary Office has limited tickets available and a few tickets are

available online.

http://www.ticketpro.com.my/jnp/theatre/1710721-penangpac-alibaba.html

Alison Nicholson

Head of Primary

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The Egg Drop Challenge What was the challenge? The challenge was called the egg drop challenge. It is when you make a device and tried to make sure the egg does not crack when you drop it from the third floor. What did you invent and how? I used five sponges to secure the egg and made a parachute. First, I glued the five sponges together. Next, I put a lot of cotton in the sponges. After that, I got some cardboard and put it on top of the sponges. Then, I made the parachute and glued it to the cardboard. Finally I made a flap in the cardboard for the egg. Then I wrapped the egg around with some cotton and put it inside my device. I had fun. Result (What happened?) My egg did not crack at all so I was so happy. I knew it would work. However I was still a little worried to see if my experiment would be successful. Conclusion (Why did this happen?) I think it worked because it had a safe landing, and with all that cotton and sponge it worked well. I also think because it was a good device. I definitely had fun and my classmates enjoyed it too. Sofia Cano Year 5i

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Year 13 Group 4 project The Group 4 project is a requirement for all Year 13 students. It is a collaborative activity where students from the Sciences and Design Technology work together on a scientific or technological topic, allowing for concepts and perceptions from across the disciplines to be shared. The aim is to help develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge. The project can be practically or theoretically based. The Group 4 project encourages students to appreciate the environmental, social and ethical implications of science and technology. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary cooperation and the processes involved in scientific investigation, rather than the products of such an investigation. The topic chosen at Uplands this year was: Patterns and Symmetry Students developed a range of interesting investigations, including: Asymmetrical boats Blood spatter pattern analysis Symmetry in logos Shapes of tears Patterns from a Chladni Plate Changes in building design over time Michael White Head of Faculty Science

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International Award: Leadership and Teamwork Activity On Monday, International Award students braved a raging piranha infested river to learn about

themselves and how to work as a team.

Okay! The raging river and the piranhas were imaginary. But the lessons learned were real.

This activity, the same as offered by well-known professional leadership and team-building

consultancy companies, was a tremendous challenge for our students. It tested their abilities to

work together as a team. And it forced some to step forward to become leaders. Under controlled

and safe conditions, students managed stress, group communications, cooperation, resource

management, real consequences, adaptation and objectives focus issues. All of these will apply

directly to future IA expeditions, activities and requirements. As well, all IA students seemed to

have a lot of fun.

Luckily, everyone survived! We will have a follow-up activity later in the year to see if we can

surmount this challenge, and others like it.

Many thanks to Mr. Lee and our Uplands maintenance staff for helping create and assemble the

necessary equipment!

Please keep your eyes open for future IA activity announcements.

Andrew MacLachlan

International Award Advisor

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UPLANDS PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

Our Coffee morning for this November 19th has now been POSTPONED to THURSDAY 19th November.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. It will still be at the PARK ROYAL Hotel in Batu

Ferringhi between 8.30am to 10.30am. If you have any queries please let us know, otherwise please

RSVP to coffee@upta.my if you can attend this event.

Thank you to all our Volunteers and Class Reps helping yesterday and today with the Primary and Secondary School Halloween Discos’. We are also pleased to announce that UPTA members have been given a 20% Discount on SIGI’s HALLOWEEN TREAT on October 31st between 7-10pm, with free drinks for both adults and children, Seafood Buffet Dinner, Entertainment and Other Promotions, normally priced at 138RM per Adult, with discount it is 110.40RM, and Children under 11 accompanied by 1 adult to be free of charge. If you have any further queries please contact community@upta.my or the Golden Sands directly.

For a full list of vendors in our programme please refer to our Facebook page and notice board in school.

If there are any vendors you would like us to approach to extend our list of community suppliers, please

email community@upta.my

We are also pleased to announce we can confirm our XMAS FAIR for DECEMBER 5th to be held at the

school between 4-8pm. Highlights will include Xmas Market, Car Boot Sale, Xmas Tree Decorating,

Carols by Moonlight, Lots of Games, and an array of Food and drink. Details to follow next week .

For a full list of social and sports clubs with their contact details that UPTA runs for Parent, Teacher and

Staff members please refer to our Facebook page or email activities@upta.my

If you are interested in the UPTA, its Committee and what we do, or require any general help about life

in PENANG, splease email committee@upta.my

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Reception – Year 3 – “The Way Back Home”

performance, PPAC, Straits Quay (am) Friday, 30 October 2015

Sharing Assembly hosted by Year 3 – 2:00pm Monday, 2 November 2015

Year 4 visit – Dance Studio Thursday, 5 November 2015

Year 5 visit – BBRAUN, Bayan Lepas – 8:50am – 1:30pm Thursday, 5 November 2015

Sharing Assembly hosted by Reception/Year 1 – 2:00pm Monday, 9 November 2015

Deepavali – School Closed Tuesday 10 November 2015

U15 FOBISIA Games – Dulwich College Suzhou Thursday 12 to Saturday 14

November 2015

Year 5/6 Production – PenangPAC Theatre, Straits Quay Friday 13 November 2015

Sharing Assembly hosted by Year 6 – 2:00pm Monday, 23 November 2015

An Introduction to the IB PYP – for parents new to

Uplands Primary – 7:00pm Tuesday 24th November

Whole School Christmas Concert – 6:30pm Wednesday 16th December

Term 1 ends at 12.00 noon Friday 18 December 2015

Boarding House closes at 12.00 noon Saturday 19 December 2015

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Orientation Day for all new students – morning Monday 11 January 2016

Boarding House re-opens at 2.30 pm Monday 11 January 2016

Term 2 starts for all students – 8.00 am Tuesday 12 Jasnuary 2016

FOR FULL INFORMATION PLEASE SEE SCHOOL CALENDAR

http://online.uplands.org/calendar/SitePages/Home.aspx