Issue 11 - Australian International School Malaysia

Issue 11 Week 1A 20th July 2012 For internal circulation only
AISM NEWSLETTER
The Fortnightly Community Newsletter of the Australian International School Malaysia
Main Schools Performing Arts Others
Principal’s Message
On Monday and Tuesday of this week,
teachers undertook professional
development and planning to further
improve student learning. Our teachers
place priority on designing and delivering
learning experiences that challenge each
and every individual at their appropriate
level. As you might imagine this is an
extremely difficult task to achieve and
requires a great deal of time in planning, evaluating
and developing new ways of teaching. Students learn
in a variety of ways. The challenge that our teachers
are embracing is how to best design classroom learning
activities to meet the needs of our diverse learners.
Staff Professional Learning Days
In order to assist the on-going development of quality
teaching, we have engaged Dr Jane Jarvis from Flinders
University. Dr Jane will play a key role in coaching staff
in furthering their skills and approaches to provide
differentiated learning experiences within the ‘normal’
classroom environments, extending all learners and
value adding over and above the normal expectation.
Peter Westwood from Hong Kong English Education
Foundation Schools, an expert in Inquiry Based Learning,
worked with staff in furthering their skills in approaches
in this area. This approach leads to students developing
skills as critical thinkers, problem solvers and innovators.
These are some of the skills that we see as important for
21st century leaders.
Sandi Clark, our own ESL teacher, has recently qualified
to be a trainer to deliver a program that assists teachers
to modify classroom learning activities to suit the needs
of students whose first language is not English. We
currently have 13 teachers undertaking this training.
All teachers undertook further training in using ICT to
improve student learning. In addition to this, we also
worked with Tiffany Roos from the Australian Independent
School Associates NSW. She has been engaged as a
consultant to advise us on our Implementation of the
Australian Curriculum. The implementation will be a
gradual process over the next 3 - 5 years period. During
this period, we will be building on what is taught and
how it is taught, as we deliver on our school purpose of
‘Developing Leaders for the Global Community’.
Your child’s teachers work hard to ensure that we deliver
an education experience tailored to meet individual needs.
Our success stories from this approach are numerous.
This week in our newsletter, we highlight the recent
success of our World Scholars team at the World
Finals.
David Kilpatrick, Principal
Welcome New Staff
• Luna Deller - Commences as our new teacher of
Spanish and French. Luna from the UK is here with
her husband and two young children.
• Stephanie Tai - Commences as our Prep/
Kindergarten teacher. Stephanie holds a Degree in
Early Childhood Education and a Masters Degree
in Special Education from University of Melbourne
with her previous teaching being in early childhood
settings in Australia.
• Victoria Robertson - Joins as Marketing
Executive. Victoria has worked in advertising and
marketing roles in KL on a variety of projects over
several years and brings a wealth of experience to
her new role at AISM.
• Christina Wong - Assumes the role of Finance
Executive, replacing Jessica. Works in the area of
fees collection.
• Nalini Balakrisna - Takes over Priscilla’s role
as Receptionist, whilst Priscilla takes on the acting
role of Principal’s Personal Assistant. (Dionne is on
maternity leave)
Diary
Monday, 23rd July 2012
• Read-A-Thon Starts
• Co-Curricular Program Starts
Tuesday, 24th July 2012
• International Competitions and Assessments for
Schools (ICAS) Maths Exam
Friday, 27th July 2012
– Saturday, 28th July 2012
• Year 8 Outdoor Education Camp
Monday, 30th July, 2012
- Friday, 3rd August 2012
• Year 9 Careers Interviews
Friday, 3rd August 2012
• Junior School Assembly, 2.20pm, Auditorium
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
20th July 2012 Page 1
© 2012 Australian International School Malaysia

Main Schools Performing Arts Others
Senior School News
International Competitions and Assessments for
Schools (ICAS) Tests, Thursday 24th July
With the Computer Skills, Science and English tests now
completed, only the Mathematics test remains. This will
take place on Tuesday, 24th July. Students who have
registered to sit for this test have been given a reminder
letter to take home. Full details and venue will be provided
before the test.
Council of International Schools (CIS) Accreditation
As many of you will know, AISM is currently undertaking an
accreditation process through The Council of International
Schools (CIS). There are a number of reasons for choosing
CIS as our accrediting body:
• The rigorous but supportive process involved in
accreditation ensures that only the best schools can
obtain their seal of approval.
• The nature of the process is one of self-reflection leading
to improvement.
• It involves the whole school community and so, requires
engagement and input from parents, students, staff and
the governing bodies.
• The process is ongoing.
In October last year, we were visited by a team from CIS
to determine our readiness to undertake the two year,
self-study process. The team recognized that the school
is in ‘good shape’ and more than ready to undertake the
next stage of the process.
We have set ourselves a goal to have our main visit in late
2013 and have constructed a timeline based on this endpoint.
It is important that we stick to that timeline and
consult widely across our school community.
Part 1 of the process has two main stages:
• The School Profile – collection of materials that
describe how the school operates.
• Opinion Surveys – These gather opinions from
different segments of the school community (students,
faculty and support staff, parents and members of the
governing body).
The opinion surveys form the basis for the second part of
the process which is the self-study proper. (This survey
will replace the previous survey undertaken by Taylors).
This involves the formation of different committees to
review the practices and procedures of the school and
how they align these practices with the CIS standards
and the school’s Mission and Vision. As with the survey,
committees will include representatives from different
parts of the school community.
The purpose of this article is to introduce families to the
CIS process and to give advanced notice of the upcoming
survey and the opportunities to join committees. Full
details regarding the survey and committees will be
sent out under separate cover. We believe that the CIS
accreditation process is extremely valuable in moving the
school forward. We look forward to your support.
Ian Martineau, Head of Senior School
Middle School News
Welcome back to Term 3 and Semester 2 in the Middle
School. First of all I would like to welcome our 12 new
students and their families to the Middle School and our
AISM community. We look forward to getting to know all
of our new students and their families throughout the
term. I would also like to acknowledge a new teacher to
our Middle and Senior School, Mrs Luna Deller who will
be teaching French and Spanish. Term 3 is an exciting
term with the Swimming Carnival, Science and Music
Showcase as well as the China Tour in Week 10. We also
have International Day, ICAS competitions and Book
Week. There are many rich and exciting experiences for
the students and I will be encouraging our Middle School
students to participate and contribute to these events as
much as they can.
I would also like congratulate the students involved in
the World Scholars’ Cup. Their commitment to the World
Scholars’ Cup was certainly rewarded with outstanding
results. These students were recognized at our combined
Middle and Senior School Assembly today.
Kylie Booker, Head of Middle School
Junior School News
Welcome back everyone. It was fantastic to see everyone
so refreshed and eager to start the new term. We have
quite a number of new students in Junior School this
term and I trust we can all make the effort to make them
feel welcome and a part of the school community.
At the beginning of the term, the teachers spent two
days attending workshops here at school. The main
focus for the Junior School was Inquiry Learning and
Differentiation. Inquiry learning is an approach to teaching
and learning that has the children asking questions for
learning, investigating, researching and presenting their
learning. It is an approach that has the students taking
a more leading role in their learning.They are essentially
learning to learn and taking more responsibility for their
learning. For a student to be truly successful in the future
they need to know how to learn, how to ask questions,
how to research and how to respond to questions. Inquiry
Learning in the Junior classrooms is all about setting our
students on the path for greater learning success in the
future.
The other main focus of the workshops was differentiation.
Differentiation is about teaching to the individuals in the
class, recognizing the needs of all students and ensuring
each of the students is making appropriate progress.
We have previously done a number of workshops on
this and will continue to make this a main focus in the
Junior School as it is of paramount importance that each
individual achieves at his or her maximum potential. You
should be hearing a lot more about these focus areas of
our Junior School in the future.
This term, we have our Annual Junior School Production
and we are in the midst of creating something very new
and exciting this year. It will be something to really look
forward to.
Damian Baynes, Head of Junior School
Page 2 20th July 2012

Main Schools Performing Arts Others
Performing Arts News
Welcome back to Semester 2. There will
be many performances and events over
the coming months that will showcase
student talent and involvement in the
community.
Making Meaning On Screen
Workshops
I invited Mr. Colin Schumacher to return to AISM this year
to present his “Making Meaning On Screen” Workshops. This
week the Year 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 Drama students and some
staff learned techniques for creating narrative videos and
using a camera in a sophisticated manner to produce short
film. It has been a pleasure to have Colin here to share his
expertise.
HSC Drama
In Term 3, the Year 12 Drama students will be preparing
their group performance and Individual Projects for the
examinations which will be held in Singapore on the 6th or
7th September. I would like to encourage them to continue
to challenge themselves to reach their potential. The
students will showcase these performances and projects
on Wednesday, 29th August in the Theatre, commencing at
5.30pm.
International Day
This year, International Day will be held on Thursday, 30th
August. This is the day before Merdeka Day and will be a
great way to start your Merdeka celebrations. There will be
performances, workshops and activities for students and
parents to be involved in and I would encourage you to put
this important day in your diaries. It has always been one of
the highlights of our school’s events calendar. There will be
more information in the coming weeks.
Jon Suffolk,
Coordinator Performances and Events
From the Music Room
AISM Music Academy
Instrumental lessons
will continue as it did
last term. If you wish
to enrol in lessons this
term, please complete
an application form.
These forms can be
found on Studywiz or on
the website under ‘Calendar and Events’.
Lessons offered are piano, guitar, flute,
saxophone, clarinet, bass guitar, violin,
viola and cello. Fees are due by the end of
week 3 and invoices will be sent out this
week. Please let us know if you wish to
discontinue lessons.
Orchestra – Vietnam Tour
Students involved in the Orchestra have
received an Expression of Interest note
regarding the tour of the AISM Orchestra
and Music groups to the Australian
International School Saigon on November
7th to 11th. Please return this expression
of interest by the end of Term 3 Week 1. If
you did not receive a letter, please see Mr
McCormick.
Music Showcase Concert
The annual Music Showcase Concert will
take place this term in week 9. This will
include items from individuals and small
groups. Auditions for inclusion in this
concert will take place in week 5.
Questions
Email me at malcolmmccormick@aism.
edu.my.
Malcolm McCormick, Music Teacher
Junior Music Notes
Welcome back to the Production term! Parents are asked to take note that this year’s Junior School
Production will be an evening performance. We hope to present to you an unusual site-specific
concert using light, sound, movement and dance. No costumes will be required to be made, however,
your classroom teachers will be asking for all your used plastic bottles, shopping bags and cardboard
boxes. Each class will be working with a local Artist-in-Residence, Ms. Lisa Foo to prepare some grand
and exciting installations and props. Please keep the date, Wednesday, 5th September (week 8) free
and please note the time, 7.00pm - 8.00pm.
The new MPO Season Programme for 2012/2013 is now available. I will be highlighting the children’s
concerts in the near future. Have a great term everyone!
Susan Bal-Short, Junior Performing Arts Teacher
20th July 2012 Page 3

Main Schools Performing Arts Others
Reflection from the Assistant Principal
Last weekend, AISM participated in the Private
and International Schools Education Fair at Mid
Valley. The majority of International Schools in
KL and around were represented, and potential
“customers” were able to find out about what we
offered.
The most common question that I was asked was
“what makes the Australian School different from
any of the other schools represented here” A good
question, but one that is not easy to answer as
the differences depend on which system we are
comparing ourselves to.
However, some of the philosophies that set us apart
are:-
• Our teaching approach is one that quite clearly
develops independent learning capabilities.
Students in an Australian curriculum “learn how to
learn”. This sets them up for success in life and
tertiary education because they are independent
thinkers who can take responsibility for learning.
Research shows that people with these attributes
are more successful at university.
• Skill development is complemented by real life
application of learning. One very basic example
is that in our curriculum, young children don’t just
learn their times tables by rote, but they learn the
concept of what it means to multiply and how this
relates to real life situations.
• At the senior end of the school, whilst our Higher
School Certificate is of an equivalent academic
standard to, say the British A levels, our students
can undertake five or six subjects. This leaves more
options open for future pathways and entrance into
a wider variety of university courses. We believe
that this is a positive thing as many 16 year olds
are still uncertain of what they would like to focus
the rest of their lives on.
• We believe in educating “the whole child”. Our
students are challenged academically, but are
equally strongly encouraged to participate in a
variety of activities and particularly, to step outside
their comfort zone to try new and challenging
activities. An important aspect of this is developing
confidence and the ability to think and speak about
their ideas in front of an audience.
Evidence of the above are seen in many ways. The
fantastic Senior School Production at the end of last
term and our success at the World Scholars Cup
Finals, being just two examples.
Wendy Gardiner, Assistant Principal
MATILDA EXPEDITION 2012
Our Service Learning
Group is off to Sabah
to work in our Matilda
Project at the Asrama
Desa Pukak hostel
in week 5 and would
like to ask for any last
minute donations.
We have limited luggage allowance but if you
have any of the following, we would be happy
to deliver them to the 30 students and Dora,
their house mother.
Toothpaste/
toothbrushes, soap /
face towel, coloured
pencils, postage
stamps, clothing
for 5-11 year olds,
other good ideas
(eg; skipping ropes),
board games / colouring-in books, playing
cards, hair clippers, seeds (flowers or vegies,
trowel), colourful posters (educational or
decorative).
We will collect it from the box in Junior School
Office.
Many Thanks.
Alex MClaws, Tom Tranter, Sabah Team and
Service Learning Committee.
Sheila Martineau
Co-Curricular News
Activities will start next week on Monday, July
23rd. Students are requested to check your
enrolment with your homeroom teacher. If you
would like to amend your enrolment, please
send an email to ccp@aism.edu.my. You
can still sign up for activities using the online
forms on the school website. Thank you!
Steve Warren,
Co-Curricular Program Coordinator
Page 4 20th July 2012

Main Schools Performing Arts Others
AISM Wins World Debate Champion
With the sporting Olympics just around the corner, the academic Olympics have
just occurred and a Malaysian team did extremely well. From the 21st to the 24th,
June 2012, the Australian International School Malaysia (AISM), was represented by
its Scholaroos team at the World Scholars’ Cup World Finals, held in Bangkok. The
AISM Scholaroos were made of 36 students.
AISM has a history of ‘punching above its weight’ in this global competition and went
into this event as reigning Malaysian Champions, after winning the Malaysian Round
in March, 2012. The Scholaroos did not disappoint, achieving their best ever results
at a Global Round and maintaining their position as Malaysia’s pre-eminent team.
This year, more than 1000 competitors came from more than 100 schools, located across more than 20 countries,
containing greater than 50 nationalities. Each of the 340 teams of three had qualified by finishing in the top 20 teams in
their division, at their own regional round. This was truly a collection of the best and brightest students from around the
globe. The tournament featured four competitions: Debating, Essay Writing, Multiple Choice Test and Team Quiz. These
competitions tested the students in six different subject areas, which they studied before attending the tournament:
Science, English, History, the Arts, Current Affairs and the Post-Modern Metropolis.
The AISM Scholaroos shone across all of these competitions. Resulting from the multiplechoice
test, medals are awarded to the top scoring individuals, finishing in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and
4th. The Scholaroos managed to gain a medal in each of the six subjects tested! Eleanor
Cooper won 4th place medals in History, Literature and the Post-Modern Metropolis, Eliza
Chew won 4th place medals in Current Affair and the Arts and Ashwen Parthiban won
Bronze in Science! These performances were amazing and emphasised AISM’s strength in
this competition.
In the debate competition, the teams faced three rounds of debate against teams from
around the world. A new high was reached by the Scholaroos this year. Each year the top six debaters are selected to
perform in a public Debate Showcase, in front of a live theatre audience. AISM students have twice received this honour
in the past, at the South-East Asian Regional Round in 2011 and at the Regional Round in 2012. This was topped in
June 2012, with the selection of Emma McLaughlin to the Debate Showcase at the World Finals, acknowledging her as
one of the top six debaters in the global tournament. In the Debate Showcase event, Emma performed exceptionally
well and received a rapturous standing ovation from the audience.
At the final awards ceremony, four major individual awards were presented, best overall in the multiple-choice test,
best debater, best essay writer and best student overall. The Scholaroos anxiously awaited the result of the debating,
knowing that Emma was in contention for an honour as she had been selected to the debate showcase. Our hopes
were exceeded and our prayers answered, when Emma McLaughlin was awarded the Gold Medal for debating! This not
only represents the first Gold Medal won by an AISM student at the World Finals, but also places her as World Debate
Champion for her age group. This is an amazing honour!
The achievements of the 2012 Scholaroos were capped in the final presentation
of the night, which crowned the top ten teams overall. These top ten teams have
qualified to represent the World Scholars’ Cup at a Tournament of Champions
at Yale University, where they will compete against the top ten teams from
the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD). Among the 340 teams, the
top ten teams were awarded this privilege based upon the combined score
of their participation in all of the World Finals events. We were therefore
extremely thrilled when the team of Emma McLaughlin, Eleanor Cooper and
Eliza Chew were announced as the seventh placed team overall and booked
their tickets to Yale and the Tournament of Champions. In addition, after the
tournament, a small number of teams were also awarded a ‘wildcard’ position at the Tournament of Champions and we
were again thrilled when a second AISM Scholaroos team (Rehhahn Tudball, Dashveen Jose & Thung Xuan Lim) and
another student, Cassandra Tan, were awarded a wildcard entry to the Tournament of Champions at Yale!
We are also honoured by the support of the parents of the students involved (many of whom
travelled to Bangkok). A big thank you to the Middle and Senior sub-Schools, the Australian High
Commission Malaysia through AUSTRADE, Coaches Chris and Anna Broadbent and the AISM
Parents Association, without whom these achievements would not have been possible.
An excellent 2012 Scholar’s Cup Season was achieved by the AISM Scholaroos Malaysian
Champions, 56 honours at the Malaysian Round, including best team in both the Senior and Junior
Divisions, ten honours at the World Finals, a medal in every subject, World Debate Champion,
two teams and one individual off to Yale for the Tournament of Champions and one VERY happy
and proud coach.
James Unsworth, WSC Coach
20th July 2012 Page 5

Main Schools Performing Arts Others
Welcome New Students
AISM would like to give a very warm welcome to the following new students joining us this term.
No Surname First Name Tutor Group Nationality Previous School
1 Chiam Jo Ey (Joey) YrP3 Malaysian Smart Reader, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
2 Deller Florence YrP3 British Leapfrogs Pre-School (United Kingdom)
3 Wolf Jule Marie YrP5 German St.Antonius Kindergarten (Germany)
4 Suyadi Erna Febriani
YrP5 Indonesian Seri Mulia Saujana School (Brunei)
(Mohammad
Shariff)
(Jasmine)
5 Lewis Lachlan James YrP5 Australian Our Lady of Victories (Australia)
6 Aphane Amogelang
YrP6 South African Malebe Creche (South Africa)
Fortune
7 Rankin Grace Bella YrKW Australian Woodvale Primary School (Australia)
8 Van Reenen Anna Cecilia
YrKW Australian Little Alberts, Victoria (Australia)
(Anlia)
9 Aphane Kopano YrKW South African Molemo Primary School (South Africa)
10 Konoer Sasha YrKG Malaysian Kindicare, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
11 Sigalingging Felia Exaudi YrKG Indonesian Australian International School
(Indonesia)
12 Van Reenen Gert Theunis
Yr2W Australian St Joseph’s Primary, Victoria (Australia)
(Tinus)
13 Lewis Ellie Jane Yr2W Australian Sacre Coeur (Australia)
14 Smith Jarrod Aston Yr2G Australian Camden Public School (Australia)
15 Wolf Louisa Yr2G German Primary School Haiderbach (Germany)
16 Martinez Joselito Antonio
Yr3W Filipino Ateneo De Manila University (Philippines)
(TJ)
17 Rankin Nathan Daniel Yr4G Australian Woodvale Primary School (Australia)
18 McIntosh Cameron Peter Yr5W Australian Oberthur Primary School (Australia)
19 Lu Chiu Heng (Johen) Yr5G Australian Chinese Taipei School, (Malaysia)
20 Kim HwanSu (Jimmy) Yr5W Korean QSI International School (Malta)
21 Brown Christopher Paul Yr6W Australian Torrens Primary School (Australia)
22 Sritharan Sandhaya Yr6W Sri Lankan Mont Kiara International School, Kuala
Lumpur (Malaysia)
23 Kim MyungSu (Arnold) Yr6W Korean QSI International School (Malta)
24 Brown Katherine Mary Yr6G Australian Torrens Primary School (Australia)
25 Martinez Fernando Ricardo Yr6G Filipino Ateneo De Manila University (Philippines)
26 Wijaya Maria Livia Putri Yr7W Indonesian Australian International School
(Indonesia)
27 Sritharan Kavya Yr7G Sri Lankan Mont Kiara International School, Kuala
Lumpur (Malaysia)
28 Thorp William Collis
Yr8W Australian Cathedral College Wangaratta (Australia)
Kingsley
29 Jansen Samantha Yr8W South African Point High School (South Africa)
30 Khong Atrina Wei Lun Yr9G Malaysian Cempaka International Ladies College
(Malaysia)
31 Jansen Robyn-Lee Yr9W South African Point High School (South Africa)
32 Turner Brooke Emily Yr10W Australian Canberra High School (Australia)
33 Thorp Georgina Elizabeth Yr10G Australian Cathedral College Wangaratta (Australia)
34 Mohd Shukri Muhammad Naufal Yr10G Malaysian Yongsan International School, Seoul
(Korea)
Principal and Staff of AISM
Page 6 20th July 2012