Issue 5 - Australian International School Malaysia

Issue 5 Week 9A 25th March 2011 For internal circulation only
AISM NEWSLETTER
The Fortnightly Community Newsletter of the Australian International School Malaysia
Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
Principals’ Message
Diary
Our featured story in this week’s newsletter
speaks volumes about the way our students
have embraced our collective mission to be
the very best we can in all of our personal and
collective school endeavours. This story tells of
the great success of our World Scholars team
in the South East Asia regional competition
on the weekend. More than 300 students
competed with our team standing out in the
crowd as a major force. 10 teams from AISM
competed and all made the world finals. Along
the way students collected 19 medals and 3
trophies and were awarded the title of best
foreign country team.
The team has adopted the name of the
Scholaroos and thanks to a donation from
AUSTRADE have a team uniform. They looked
good and competed with purpose.
On Tuesday, I noticed a few of our Scholaroos
playing in our Girls Under 15 Touch Football
team that defeated a team from the
International School of Kuala Lumpur. On
Wednesday they were again doing their
personal best and competing hard for their
sports house in our school Cross Country.
Our Parent Association Annual General Meeting
was attended by more than 40 parents with
the election of the Executive Committee
being completed in record time thanks to the
enthusiasm and commitment to our school
shown by those present at the meeting.
This week we finalised our application to
enter into an 18 month process to attain
accreditation with the Council of International
Schools (CIS). Our aim is to obtain this
internationally endorsed badge of quality and
to use the process to examine our practice
with the view to continuous improvement.
This is part of our journey to place our school
in the group of elite schools around the world
that are accredited by CIS.
David Kilpatrick, Principal
Wendy Gardiner, Assistant Principal
Friday, 25th March 2011
• Bronze International Award Overnight
Camp
• Nursery Rhyme Character Parade, 8.50am,
AISM Auditorium
Saturday, 26th March 2011
• Triathlon Under 7 - Open, Nexus
International School, Putrajaya, Gates open
for registration at 7.15am
• U10, U12 & U14 Soccer vs Cempaka
International School, 9.00am, AISM
• U15 Netball vs Cempaka International
School, 9.00am, AISM
• Panther Pride Track and Field, 9.00am,
Panasonic Stadium, Shah Alam
• AUSKICK Training, 10.30am–mid day,
AISM
Monday, 28th March 2011
• Futurewise Careers Testing
• Class Parent Meeting, 2.20pm
Wednesday, 30th March 2011
• Middle School Assembly, 9.00pm, AISM
Auditorium
• Junior School Assembly, 2.20pm, AISM
Auditorium
• Year 6 IRP Presentation, 4.30pm–5.30pm,
AISM Auditorium
Saturday, 2nd April 2011
• Under 9 Boys Soccer Inter-School
Competition, 8.00am, Nexus International
School
• Under 11 Girls Basketball Inter-School
Competition, 8.00am, French International
School
• Under 15 Rugby vs LFKL, French
International School, time to be announced
later
Australian International School Malaysia, No 22, Jalan Anggerik, The Mines Resort City, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Phone: (603) 8943 0622, Fax: (603) 8948 4522, Email: admin@aism.edu.my, Website: www.aism.edu.my
25th March 2011 Page 1
© 2011 Australian International School Malaysia

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
From the Senior School
The Australian Education system
At a recent enrolment interview I was asked
by the Father of the prospective enrolment
“Why should I send my son to the Australian
International School rather than one of the other
International Schools in KL? That was easy I
thought; We are the best!
Whilst I may have thought that, my response
was much more structured. I believe that there
are two main reasons why AISM should be the
school of choice for families. The first and most
important relates back to something that I
eluded in my article in the last newsletter and
that is the education of the whole person. The
world of now and the future is and will be very
different to the one that I grew up in. Being
able to memorise vast amounts of information
and recall them at will is a largely irrelevant skill
today! Students need to be able to communicate,
to problem solve and to work in teams. The
strict confines of the old fashioned classroom do
not always promote such skills. In many cases
it is the experiences outside the classroom that
mould for success. This is why our philosophy is
so purposefully balanced across academics and
other activities.
The second reason that I gave had to do with
destinations of our graduating students. Greater
than 95% of our students head off to University
and of those, the greater majority head to
Australia. Why? Go on-line and type into your
search engine Top Universities. Whilst USA tops
the list with Harvard and Yale, Australia has
eight universities in the top 200. Not bad for
a population similar to Malaysia. Because the
family that asked the question was Korean I
then looked at the Asia Pacific region.
http://www.arwu.org/AsiaPacific2010.jsp
Japan fairs well but Australia has 2 Universities
in the top 5 and 7 in the top 25. In comparison
Korea’s top University comes in at equal 10th.
AISM not only allows direct entry into Australian
Universities, but the HSC is an internationally
recognised credential that also allows articulation
into Universities in other countries. As well
as Australia, graduating AISM students have
successfully entered universities in Korea, UK,
USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and of course
Malaysia.
I would be very interested to hear from parents
about their reasons for entrusting AISM with the
education of their family.
Ian Martineau, Head of Senior School
Student Achievements
Talented Artist
If you have visited the fourth
floor reception area recently, you
may have noticed a new piece of
artwork adorning the wall. This
beautiful work is a product of
Year 10 student Jit Haw Lim. Jit
produced the pastel work in his
elective Visual Arts class. You may have noticed
other student artworks appearing around the
school over the course of this term. Certainly
plenty of talent out there.
Don’t tangle with Rishi!
Another Year 10 student, Rishi
Dhanoa, has been excelling
in a very different area. Rishi
represents Selangor in pistol
shooting. Last week he made the
eight hour journey to Terengganu
to compete in the National
Shooting Championships.
Competing in the U’15 10m Air Pistol event,
Rishi scored 545 from a possible 600 easily
winning the Gold Medal. This makes Rishi the
top U’15 shooter in Malaysia. This achievement
is made even more remarkable in that Rishi
only started shooting four months ago. Bring
on the London Olympics.
Mr B’s Careers Corner
Rochester Institute of Technology and
Lim Kok Wing University of Creative
Technology Visits AISM
We have had a number of universities visit
AISM in the past few weeks. We had a visit from
the Rochester Institute of Technology on 7th
March and spoke to a number of Senior School
students. RIT is based in New York State, but
has a beautiful new campus in Dubai. They offer
degree courses in Management, Information
Technology and Engineering. They impressed
the students with the range of courses on offer
as well as the palatial accommodation on offer
to undergraduates at the Dubai campus!
We have also had a visit from the Limkokwing
University of Creative Technology. They are
based in Putrajaya but have new campuses
around the world including the United Kingdom
and Cambodia. They have invited our Senior
School photography students to a campus tour
and workshop at the end of March. Mr Ellis and
myself are looking forward to taking some of
our AISM community to visit this dynamic and
fascinating campus.
Chris Broadbent
Careers and Higher Education
Page 2 25th March 2011

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
From the Middle School
Have you ever heard the term, “participation
is the key to success”? This last fortnight
has seen once again, evidence of a growth in
participation by students in the Middle School.
Students have recited, sung, danced their way
through the poetry slam and pushed their
bodies to the limit in the House Cross Country
Competition.
Whilst we may not all become authors or in
fact long distance runners we can confidently
believe that each and everyone of our students
is an integral part of the community and their
involvement is important however big or small.
On an academic note the progress reports will be
coming home in Week 10. This is an ideal time to
review organisational and homework structures
to support academic results reflective of a
student’s ability. Regardless of whatever level of
ability, there is always room for improvement.
Camp week is fast approaching and therefore
I would recommend going through the list of
equipment required for camp in preparation for
Week 11.
I personally look forward to participating in the
Year 7 camp and making further connections
with the Year 7 cohort.
Kylie Booker,
Head of Middle School
Year 7 Impressionist Landscape
project with Professional Artist,
Sally Proud
Year 7 recently spent
Wednesday 9th March
morning, at Gita Bayu
doing preliminary
studies for their
‘ I m p r e s s i o n i s t
Landscape’ project.
Our thanks and
appreciation to Mr.
Max Duursma, parent
of Roeland, who
helped to supervise
the students and to
Enrica Langridge
for arranging access
to Gita Bayu. The
students had an
enjoyable morning
and produced some
very promising pieces
of artwork.
Pat Goonting & Gail Robertson
They were joined
by Sally Proud, a
professional artist,
who gave the students
tips on capturing
texture and analysing
colour.
Year 6 Integrated Research Project Presentation on Wednesday
30th March
Next Wednesday 30th March from 4.30pm - 5.30pm, the Year 6 students will be showcasing their
Term 1, IRP work to the AISM community.
In Term 1, students have been researching famous people and discoveries. The evening will see
students dressed up as a famous person and they will only be too pleased to answer any questions
that you may have about the life, times and discoveries of the people they are representing.
Please come along to make this a great night for our Year 6 students. A real celebration of their Term
1 work.
Gary Agg,
Coordinator Middle School
25th March 2011 Page 3

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
From the Junior School
Lost property is a bit of a concern at the moment and
I would like to remind everyone to make sure that all
articles of clothing and lunch containers are clearly
labelled so that they can be returned to the children.
After lunch everyday, named items in the lost property
boxes are returned to students, but there are many
un-named items left uncollected in the lost property
boxes. Each Friday afternoon we will be displaying
the lost property out on the tables near the swimming
pool for parents and children to check. Any items left
uncollected at the end of the term will be donated to a
local charity.
Last week, Mr. Ellis judged our entries for the Junior
School Art Competition for 2011 and he was very
impressed with all of the entries. The winners of this
year’s competition will be announced at our assembly
in week 10, the 30th of March. This year our winning
entries will be framed and placed around the Junior
School. The Art Competition and all of our competitions
are aimed at recognising the many and varied talents
our children possess.
Damian Baynes,
Head of Junior School
Message From Health Services
Head lice
Please make sure that when your
child comes to school their hair is
neatly tied back if their hair is long.
Boys hair should also be neat and
tidy. This is for the health and safety
of all the students at the school.
Long hair makes it easier to get head
lice .Also long hair can get caught on
sharp objects. It can also cause bad eyesight due to
the hair covering the face.
International School Nurse Association
This year the International School Nurse Conference
will be held in Malaysia at the Mines Wellness Hotel
from 24th March to the 26th March. The School
Nurse from AISM, GIS and ISKL are organising this
event. The topic this year will be Wellness Enhances
Learning .This is certainly true for every student as
without health it makes learning more difficult in the
classroom. Without enough sleep, a student will find it
impossible to concentrate in class. Most headaches in
school are usually because the student leaves home
without breakfast and not drinking enough water.
Denise Mcfarlane, School Nurse
Junior School Announcements
• Information about assisting
your child with reading and
comprehending texts was sent
home last week.
• Assembly on the 30th of March at
2.20pm with 2G class items and
presentations of Art Competition
winners.
• Junior School Progress Reports
will be sent home with students
on the last day of term.
JUNIOR SCHOOL PERFORMING
ARTS
As our first term comes quickly to a close,
the Junior School has some exciting
performance opportunities ahead of it.
ANZAC Day Dawn Service, 25th April
We look forward to the ANZAC Day dawn
service at the Cheras Cemetery on 25
April.
Junior School Music Afternoon, 13th
May
The Junior School Music Afternoon will
be held in Week 3 on Friday 13th May at
2pm. This is an afternoon concert where
students who have been studying with
our music tutors have an opportunity
to perform for their friends, family and
classmates. The Young Voices Choir will
also debut some special songs.
Next term will see every junior class in
preparation for the Choral Festival (Wed,
15th June). Enjoy your holidays as we
anticipate an exciting and busy term 2.
Susan Bal-Short,
Junior Performing Arts Teacher
Japanese Earthquake/
Tsunami appeal
Thank you to everyone who contributed
to the Japanese Earthquake / Tsunami
appeal. RM 3591.25 has been sent to
the appeal being coordinated by the
Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur
Wendy Gardiner
Page 4 25th March 2011

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
Performing Arts News
Sound of Music Tickets
The response to the ticket offer for the ‘SOUND OF
MUSIC’ performance at the KL Convention Centre
on Thursday 23rd June was amazing. One hundred
and thirty two tickets were sold. The tickets have
been ordered and once they have arrived at the
school they will be distributed to you.
Senior Music Students Attend Open Rehearsal
of Malaysian Philharmonic
Last week Mr. McCormick accompanied Senior
Music students to an open rehearsal of the
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. It is fantastic
that our students have had the opportunity to see
this world-class orchestra in rehearsal. Thank you
Mr. McCormick for organising this excursion. It is
an invaluable experience for music students to see
and hear professional musicians at work.
remind students that it is very important that
you attend all rehearsals of your performance
ensembles. In Term 2 the Senior Vocal Ensemble
and AISM Young Voices will be performing at
important public events and it is vital that the
students are well prepared.
The Senior School Production this year is well
under way. This year the production is one that
I have written and has been influenced by the
work that the students experienced last year
at the COMPLICITE workshop program. There
will be intensive weekend rehearsals for this
production in Term 2.
Mr. Jon Suffolk,
Coordinator Performances and Events
Preparation is Key to Our Success
As we approach the end of the Term I would like to
Beginner Band practicing this week.
Auskick at AISM
Last Saturday marked the return
of Auskick to AISM. A number of
AISM students enjoyed learning
and practicing their Australian
Rules Football skills on Saturday
morning. They participated in
a number of different drills and
games designed to improve their
understanding and skills in Aussie
Rules.
Interested students are invited to
join in the fun again this Saturday
26th. More details are as follows:
Event: AUSKICK
Date: Sat, 26th March
Time: 10.30 am – mid day
Students will need to wear
appropriate sporting attire, bring
a hat, drink bottle and sunscreen.
Hope to see even more out on the
field this week.
Damian Pietsch
AISM Badminton Academy in full swing!
The AISM Badminton Academy is
officially off the ground after the
two introductory Free Clinics were
held earlier this term. Students have
already completed their third training
session last week.Enjoyment is high
and badminton skills are improving. Students have also
come to Wednesday and Friday mornings practice sessions
from 7.45am to 8.30am.
gym.
Badminton Academy will continue in
Term 2. If your child is not in the
academy in Term 1 but would like to
join in Term 2, please contact me.
There are still a limited number of
places left.
Saufi Kasim, Teacher
The good news is that the fee has
been renegotiated and is now lower
than previously quoted. The new fee
is RM30.00 per session (2-hour per
session). All lessons start at 4.00pm
and finish at 6.00pm in the school
25th March 2011 Page 5

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
2011 AISM Cross Country Carnival
As the clock struck 8:00am, the early
morning quietness across Bluwater
Estate was suddenly broken by the
sounds of excitement, team spirit
and enjoyment of healthy house
competition as our students, parents
and staff came together to celebrate our annual
Cross Country Carnival.
Wednesday 23rd March,
was a day of hard fought
competition, friendly
House rivalry, fun runs
with friends and for some
the joy of just finishing the
distance. The four colours of Sauvage (Green),
Thorpe (Blue), Rafter (Red) and Freeman
(Yellow) made a wonderful spectacle as they
covered the playing field cheering and chanting
for their respective teams.
As each race was run
and points were tallied, it
became apparent that this
was going to be a close
competition and no one
team was guaranteed the
position of number one house until the final
race. It was great to see parents and staff also
competing on the tough, soggy track, with Clare
Leetham (Parent) and Ian Martineau (Staff)
sharing the bragging rights.
The age winners were
applauded as they came
to the podium to receive
their medallions from Mr
Kilpatrick, then it was
time to crown the winning
House. Surprise and excitement began to grow
on the faces of all athletes as the scores were
revealed with only two points separating the top
two houses. The tides have started to turn as
Freeman took out their first
carnival for many years
just edging out Thorpe.
The House Captains where
overwhelmed as they came
to receive their Trophy.
Congratulations must
also go to all competitors
who finished in top 5
positions as they qualify
to represent the school at
the International Schools
Association Kuala Lumpur
(ISAKL) Cross Country Championships in Term
3. We will be working hard towards sending a
competitive team to this competition. Many
students have been training several mornings a
week leading up to this event and will continue
through to the ISAKL
Championships.
This year was the
first for sponsors
coming on board and
a big thanks goes to
Allied Pickfords who
provided shade tents and bottled water for all
students during and after their races. Once
again we are always grateful for all the staff and
the many parents and students who assisted in
setting up, officiating and helped with directing
the younger students, who sometimes lose
their way. It is the
community spirit shown
by the whole school
that is highlighted at
these events.
Final House Points
Freeman
Thorpe
Sauvage
Rafter
377 points
375 points
312 points
305 points
2011 Age Champions
Age Girls Boys
Prep Aneesha Pollock Joshua Mather
Kindy Julie Shin Alec Rae
7 years Alana Gallagher Aedan
Andrews
8 years Nalina Paijens Thomas
Leetham
9 years Lucy Choi and Jack Leetham
Lauren Gallagher
10 years Tamika Baynes Isa Kasim
11 years Roisin Cahir Christian
Bartley
12 years Lynnette Too Guillaume
Massenet
13 years Mady Pietsch Geremy
Mansukhani
14 years Rhiannon Firth Santiago Da
Costa
15 years Shannikah
Doherty
Rony Khong
16 years Brenna
Maconaghie
Mitchell
Booker
17+ years Haruka Moriyama Robin
Massenet
Phil Wilkins, Sports Coordinator
Page 6 25th March 2011

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
Barracuda Swimmers In High Form
The Barracudas swimmers have
made a fabulous start to the new
year. This year the squad has 65
energetic students, which is a
significant increase from 2010. So
far the swimmers have been training
with lots of enthusiasm and have set
some promising goals for 2011.
The main focus this term has been,
working on endurance and technique
in preparation for the Quadrangular meet which will
take place in
term 2.
This year the Barracudas
have added an additional
training session on Thursday
afternoons from 3:20-
4:20pm. All squad swimmers
are invited to join.
With a number of swimming carnivals on the 2011
calendar the Barracudas will continue to train hard
this year.
year.
All of the coaches are
looking forward to training
the squad and grooming
them to be medalists at
the International Schools
Association Kuala Lumpur
(ISAKL) carnival which will
take place at the end of the
Barracudas Head Coach JX said “I am very happy with
the progress of our Barracudas swimmers as they are
showing improvement and hopefully they can keep
it up for ISAKL which is the major meet that we are
all looking forward to. We won 2 golds last year and
hopefully we will achieve better result this year.
Eric, the new assistant coach (who is the former
Malaysia top backstroker) is very excited to be working
with the squad and is looking forward to bringing out
the best of swimmers who are under his charge. “I
am very happy that the Barracudas have so many
talented swimmers but there are still things to work
on”.
It’s great to see the coaches in the pool instructing
and challenging the students so often.
Last week JB, the previous assistant coach came back
to visit the squad. JB is a national record holder and
he also represented Malaysia in the Commonwealth
Games and Asian Games in 2010. JB had to leave
Barracudas to concentrate on his swimming career.
Whilst back at AISM, he jumped in the pool with JX
and Eric and raced against the squad. The coaches
managed to win, which they all hope will motivate
Barracudas swimmers to train even harder!
Keep up the good work swimmers. It is great to see
such strong commitment and dedication.
Please note there will be no Barracudas
sessions in week 11.
Here are what some of the squad members have to
say....
Sam Leetham “It’s been a good start to the new
year, the squad is training hard and we are looking
forward to the upcoming Quad’s carnival!”
Alana Miller-Foote “Swim squad has been an
enjoyable yet challenging experience this year for
me.”
Sophie Rotax “The Barracudas coaches are the best
in the world!!!!”
Hannah Orford and Tamika Baynes “Barracudas, we
LOVE it”
Harriet Fearon, Junior School Sport Coordinator
JX Chan, Barracudas Head Coach
U 15’s Netball - AISM vs Kolej Tunku
Jaafar
On Thursday, 17th March, the under
15 netball team set off to Kolej
Tunku Jaafar (KTJ) for a friendly
game of netball.
Upon arrival, we did some warm
ups and had a team talk. It was to
be our first match together as the
new team, and I know I was a bit
nervous about it! We had been doing lots of training
over the past few weeks, working on fitness and
skill, and we were eager to test them out.
In the first quarter, we got off to a
bit of a bumpy start. A lot of our
passes were off and we weren’t
getting in front of our players to
receive the ball. However, we came
off wanting to improve and in the
next half that showed in our game.
We knew some of their tactics, and
we knew now that the tall players
could catch our lobs.
In the end, we evened out the score at 10 all. We
found that some of the KTJ girls could be aggressive,
and they pushed us around a lot, but this is part of
the game we need to get used to. I think it would
be good to play them again in the future so we can
show our improved skills.
It was a great start
to our netball season,
and I think we all
worked so well as a
team! We can’t wait
for our next match!!!
GO AISM! Thanks Ms
Kasie, our coach, for
the awesome hair
ties, team spirit and yummy Freddo Frogs.
Emma McLaughlin, 9W
25th March 2011 Page 7

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
AISM Participates in Alice Smith’s
Soccer Tournament
On Saturday 19th March, twelve
of our U’11 boys and eight of our
U’11 girls competed in a 7-a-side
soccer tournament at the Alice Smith
School. All students played well
and demonstrated determination
and good skills, whilst having a good
time. Throughout the tournament
both teams became more confident
and developed some good team work. Both teams
played 4 games each.
Thank you to all those parents who
came along to cheer the students on,
your support is much appreciated.
The post game pizza was fabulous
and delicious treat for all.
Soccer Squad
Boys - Ghazi (captain) Danial (Vice
Captain 1), Yan Chang (Vice Captain
2), Maiku, Javier, Ken Ji, Adam,
Joshua T, Isa, Kaveen, Leonaka and
Luke.
Girls – Kimberley (Captain), Khadija
(Vice Captain 1), Gemma (Vice
Captain 2) Sophia, Cassandra, Nadia,
Roisin and Syahirah.
Well done to all of these students.
Harriet Fearon, Saufi Kasim and
Nasyarul Sapingi
“On Saturday 19th March we went to the Alice Smith
School for a soccer tournament. Our AISM Boys
soccer team was made up of 12 students. First we
played ISKL, then KLASS, Nexus and then SCIPS. It
was really fun sliding in the mud! I want to thank Mr
Kasim, Miss Fearon and Mr Nasyarul.”
Ghazi 4W (Team captain)
“On Saturday 19th March the U’11 boys and girls
participated in an exciting soccer tournament at the
Alice Smith School. Our team played against GIS,
TENBY, MKIS and KLASS. Even though we did not
make the finals we had lots of fun! We especially
enjoyed the pizza- thank you to the generous parents.
We would also like to thank Cikgu Kasim, Miss Fearon
and Mr Nasyarul for organising this fun event for
us. I encourage all the U’11 girls to join our next
tournament.”
Kimberley 5W ( Team Captain)
Under 15 Touch vs ISKL
On Tuesday 22nd March, AISM Touch launched its
first Girls Touch game on our newly marked field.
Three teams from the International School of Kuala
Lumpur visited for some friendly touch games as a
warm up to the upcoming touch season. The girls
had been training for a number of weeks and were
excited about the games ahead. Captain, Emily Firth
had the girls pumped and ready to play.
The fields were heavy from
rain during that day and it
was obvious conditions were
going to be tough. The girls
played well in their first game
and on many occasions came
close to scoring. By half time
both teams were locked together at 1 - 1, through
a great try by Deborah Tan. Some great runs, top
class ball movement and tight defence provided the
parents with some exciting passages of play. Many of
these girls were only new to the game, however, as
they progressed further into the game improvement
was obvious. Unfortunately, ISKL scored two late
tries to win 3 – 1.
The second game saw a
completely different AISM
skill level as we scored first
to lead 1 – 0 after some
magical deception by Angie
Richards. This was then
followed by some incredible
defence by all the girls to keep ISKL scoreless. Late
in the game the score was put beyond doubt as
some hard driving by the middle players set up a
movement to send the ball wide for Arlene Hassan
to score in the corner. A great result for their first
hit out.
It was great to play this
game at home in front of
a crowd and thanks to all
the parents, teachers and
students who showed their
support.
The students will have many opportunities next term
with a number of games and tournaments scheduled.
It was a proud moment to watch the excitement of
the girls after their games and the spirit in which
they played.
Kasie Wilkins, Touch Coach
Page 8 25th March 2011

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
Parent’s Association Annual General
Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the AISM Parent’s
Association meeting was held on Friday 11th March. It
was great to see a large group of parents attending this
meeting.
The meeting started with a round-up of what’s happening
in the construction site from Wendy and what new things
are happening around the school in general from Dave. All
the information they presented has since been published in
the last newsletter as well as a separate booklet pertaining
only to the construction. Please check the school website
or grab a copy of these publications from the office (or
check your kids’ school bags!).
The meeting then moved onto the main business of the
day – electing a new PA executive for 2011. The crowd
went quiet but we got the job done.
The executive members for 2011 are:
President: Leanne Robertson
Vice-President: Noor’aza Greatorex
Secretary: Kerrie Maconaghie
Treasurer: Chris Lambert
Parent Representative: Rhonda Kortum
Parent Representative: Annette Pearsall
Let me introduce the team:
Leanne Robertson
I’m Leanne. I have three very sporty
kids – Dominic (8G), Chloe (6G) and
Adam (1G), who keep me running
around to many school events. We
have now been at the school for
three years. I work as a part-time
physiotherapist amongst all the other
things. We’re very excited about the
new construction and look forward to
the completion – hope we’re still here! I look forward to
working with many parents and families this year. I can be
contacted via e-mail: leanne.robertson@yahoo.com
Noor’aza Greatorex
Hi, my name is Noor’aza and I would
like to introduce myself to you. I
was born in Taiping but I have spent
the majority of my life living in, or
around the Kajang area. During my
working life I have been involved
in the Food and Beverage Industry
but today I am a full time mother
to Syamel Craig who is a member
of 3W. I enjoy reading and cooking and have taken an
active role in the school parent association since Syamel
joined AISM 3 years ago. I’m thrilled at being appointed
Vice President of the Parent Committee and excited with
the program that we have planned for the 2011 academic
year.
Chris Lambert
Hi, I’m an Englishman born in
Yorkshire more than half a century
ago! My academic background is
Food Technology, and I’ve spent over
25 years in Food, Pharmaceutical
and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer
Goods) manufacturing. When I took
early retirement I was Supply Chain Director for
the Indian Sub-continent with Glaxo SmithKline.
My wife Leya and I have 2 children at AISM.
Mickyla in year 8, and James in year 4. My
favourite sports are rugby union, cricket and
soccer. I am very much looking forward to the
challenge of being Treasurer of the PA, and
thank you all for the confidence shown in me.
Chris
Kerrie Maconaghie
Hi I’m Kerrie Maconaghie
- Parent Association
Secretary for this year.
We have been in KL
since 2004, so this is my
daughter Brenna’s 8th
year at AISM. As you can
imagine we have seen
huge changes in the
school. I look forward too catching up with many
of you some time during the year.
Rhonda Kortum
Rhonda Kortum, mother of
three, two of whom have
graduated from AISM
and are now studying in
Australia. We have been at
the school for five years.
Originally from Melbourne,
Australia. I volunteer with
the Myanmar Refugees &
am always there to help with fundraising. I love
to cook and always make some delish Lebanese
food for International day.
Annette Pearsall
My name is Annette
Pearsall. Warren and I
moved from Sydney, along
with our children Nathan
and Nicole, in July 2008.
We quickly settled into life
at Gita Bayu. I have been
a part of school activities
in some way or another for
a long time and look forward to taking on this
position for 2011.
We all look forward to another fun and exciting
year at AISM.
We will aim to keep you informed about what
is happening in the PA via this newsletter and
we always welcome people to our meetings.
The meetings are your forum to get your voice
heard.
By the time you’re reading this, we will have
held our first event for the year - the bake stall
at the cross-country morning. Hopefully, it was
a great success! Thank-you to all those people
who donated items to be sold on the morning
and gave up some of their time to help out on
the stall.
Leanne Robertson,
Parent Association President
25th March 2011 Page 9

FEATURE ARTICLE
Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
AISM Awarded Best Foreign School & Wins 19 medals in the World
Scholar’s Cup 2011,South-East Asian Regional (March 19th – 20th)
Your ‘Scholaroos’ have just returned from their first competition of the 2011.
Over the weekend (18th-21st March) 30 of AISM’s best and brightest competed
in the South-East Asian Regional Round in Singapore. This is our 3rd year
at the competition and in 2011 we sent by far our largest contingent to the
competition. The students have been in training all term to prepare for the
event and this showed in the stunning results that they returned.
On the squad level, the entire group qualified for the World Finals that will be
held in June. The students compete in teams of three, in four different events,
across six different subjects: it’s like the academic Olympics. Their results in
these events combine to make a team total score. Only the top half of the
teams from each regional round qualify for the world finals. Having all 10 of our
teams qualify therefore is an awesome result, particularly when you consider
the top four schools at last year’s world finals were all from Singapore!
The Scholaroos also turned-out some tremendous results at the individual
and team levels and we received an unprecedented number of medals and
awards. Perhaps the biggest honour for AISM was that we swept the pool in the
best foreign schools categories. The team of Shannikah, Ashwen and Vighnaa
won the award for best team from a foreign (non-Singaporean) school in the
Junior Division and the team of Farmehr, Joanne and Fergus won the award
for best team from a foreign school in the Senior Division. In turn Ashwen and
Eliza Verluis won the best student overall from a foreign school, in the Junior and Senior divisions
respectively.
Batrisiya became the first AISM student ever to be selected in
the debate showcase, an evening event that features the best 6
debaters in the competition competing in front of a auditorium
audience. Farmehr and Ashwen were also medalled for their
cross-examination of the debate showcase participants. Batrisiya
backed up her showcase performance with a 6th place overall
medal in the debating competition. She was joined by her teammates,
Thung Xuan and Martin who won the medals for 7th and 8th place respectively.
It was no surprise therefore that this team also went on the win 4th place overall in
the team debate competition. Medals were also won by Ashwen and Eliza Chew in the Essay writing
completion, winning 9th and 10th place.
Besides this, the students and teachers involved spent time bonding together
(shopping and eating as well as going to Universal Studios) and displaying our
school pride to the whole of Singapore (singing the school song on Orchid Road,
during the lunch break and ultimately at the Awards Ceremony).
NOW its time to start getting ready to
take on the world in the World Finals in
June, which this year, will be held on our
home turf- Malaysia!
James E.R. Unsworth J.P. (Qual.),
WSC Coach
Thanks to AUSTRADE, the Parents Association and the Middle and Senior
Schools, as well as the parents of the students involved for their sponsorship
and kind support. Thanks also to Ms Gail Robertson for helping to train the
students and Mrs Sandi Clarke for her assistance in chaperoning. Lastly,
thanks to all of the students for their hard efforts (so far).
Page 10 25th March 2011

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
Information Resource Centre News
AISM Poetry Week
Celebrating Forests for People
• The Chocolate Cafe organised by
Year 12 was a huge success.
• Washington Chao, 3W raised
money by reciting poems to his friends.
A poem about Facebook
Just six clicks away, from five thousand “friends.”
No clue what today is, or what’s on CNN.
Glued to the screen, like some kind of affliction.
Welcome to Facebook, the world’s latest addiction.
by Unknown
Displays
World Water Day ( March 21st)
AISM Poetry Slams
This week the students have really
enjoyed performing as well as being
very enthusiastic audiences. Bryan
de Vries & Henry Baynes from
Middle School performed a very
entertaining science related rap.
Raez from Year 12 created &
performed his own amazing
rap which was very well
received by the audience.
Money in the hat donations
for these acts will go to The
Matilda Project.
Intelligent Investments Ltd.
Sponsors AISM Sport Uniforms
Thank you to Simon Cooks
and Intelligent Investments
Ltd. who have donated
RM 12,000 a year towards
School Sport.
In 2011, this donation will be used to purchase 100
athletics singlets and 80 soccer uniforms and to
cover costs for our school Triathlon event.
World Water Day theme for 2011 is Water for Cities.
THE IRC display includes this theme written in 13
languages.
Book Donations
Thank you to the Read family for all the excellent
books.
Denise Miller, IRC Coordinator
Yearbook Apology
Apologies to Guillaume Massenet who won
the Cross Country for the year11 boys in 2010.
We apologise for the misprint and congratulate
Guillaume! - Joanna Nicholson
We are very proud to have
Simon and Intelligent
Investments
Ltd.
supporting our school.
Recycle for Ringgit bin Has Been
Relocated to School’s Front Gate
The Recycle for Ringgit bin has now been moved out
from the construction area.
It is now located right near the front gate, so it is very
convenient for dropping unwanted items (clothing,
shoes, bags, belts and linen) into. The good news is
that the bin was nearly full before it was moved which
means we should get a good amount of ringgits for
the Parent Association! - Leanne Robertson
Stamps Collection Drive
Don’t know what to do with your used stamps?
The children of Asrama Desa Pukak, Sabah (Matilda Project) are
collecting stamps from all over the world. The stamps will be the window
to the world around them as they do not have television transmission
in their hostel.
You can help them by clearing your old mail and leave the used stamps in boxes provided
outside the gym and main office area. Thank you.
Magdalene Tan, Shadow Teacher 2G (on behalf of the children in Asrama Desa Pukak)
25th March 2011 Page 11

Main Senior Middle Junior P.Arts / Sport Sport Parent Assoc.
Others
AISM Rough Runners
Adventure Running is back at AISM
Read the following information carefully and collect one of these notes from the front
office. Return the permission/registration note with your money either attached to
the note or in an envelope to the correct mail slot in the front office. Registration
closes Wednesday 30th March 2011.
Date of run: Friday 1st April 2011
Time: Meet in the canteen at 4:00pm
Venue: MARDI, part of UPM. We will leave as a convoy from school at 4:15pm.
Cost: RM5 per runner. We will have access to toilets and showers at the venue.
Basic Rules
1. All runners over the age of 14 must run with a partner of the same age or older.
2. Runners who are 13 and under must have an adult running with them.
3. Maximum of 4 runners per group.
4. Groups are to follow a paper trail which will be white paper.
5. A wrong trail will be marked by yellow paper after 20-30 meters, if you start
seeing yellow paper go back the way you came.
6. There will be a long and short trail. The long trail will be approximately. 6-8km
and the short trail will be approximately. half this distance.
7. Runners must stay with their partner/group for the entire run.
8. Each runner must carry at least 500ml of water.
For any questions or queries contact Mr. Andrew Colbey at andrewcolbey@aism.edu.
my.
...................................................................................................................
I ______________________ being the parent/guardian of __________________
Give permission for my son/daughter to participate in the Adventure Run at MARDI
on the 1st of April 2011.
Name _________________________ Partner/s _________________________
Adult (if under 14) ____________________.
Page 12 25th March 2011