Merry Christmas!

Before we leave for the holidays, I would like to wish all our Year 11 students and their families a very Merry Christmas. I look forward to working with you all in the new year and to going on to achieve even more successes in 2015..

Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to four of our Year 11 students who are moving on to new adventures: Shuin Hui Lee, Samantha Little, Isabel Bien and Hazuki Sakamoto. I am sure you will all join me in wishing them the best of luck and happiness in their future endeavours.

Merry Christmas!

Positive Education

In today's Positive Education session, students attended a revision class of their choice to help them prepare for the mock examinations after Christmas. From English to Business Studies and Chemistry to name but a few subjects, students had the opportunity to receive some last hints and tips on how best to prepare for the exams. Having visited the sessions and talking to students and staff, it was clear that this was a rewarding experience for the students that will better equip them with the skills they need to succeed in January. See the photos below for an insight into the study sessions.

MUFTI Madness!

Another year, another round of MUFTI madness!

Being new to garden International School this year, I was excited to see what all the hype was about; I certainly was not disappointed. From emotional videos of the charities we were supporting to giant inflatable water slides and 'dunk the teacher' tanks, this year's MUFTI Day was certainly a memorable event.

Alongside taking part in the fun activities, helping to compere the event and generally helping to manage the day,  a huge number of our Year 11 Leaders helped to support the Primary students and ensure that they had a fantastic experience.

For a flavour of the day, please see the photos below!

Stop the Traffik

Last Sunday morning, a number of our Year 11 students joined schools from all over Kuala Lumpur to take part in the Stop the Traffik Campaign. In short, this was a 24 hour run to raise awareness of human trafficking. The students worked in teams and one member of each team had to be running at all times for 24 hours! Our students were absolutely fantastic and persevered to ensure they rose to the challenge.  Despite the tiredness and aching legs, students had an amazing experience and managed to draw attention to an extremely important cause. A massive well done to all those involved, you were a credit to the year group!

Mock Examinations: January 5th-January 16th

Finally, the long-awaited mock exam timetable has been released (please see link below). On Wednesday, the Year 11s were eager to get their hands on the timetables to see when they will be sitting their exams for each subject after Christmas.

Year 11 Mock Examination Timetable

This was followed on wednesday by a year group assembly in which the students were advised on how best to prepare for these important examinations. The key message of the assembly was BE PREPARED! Start now to avoid unnecessary stress, and to ensure you achieve your potential.

The top tips for success were:

In school:

1. Excellent attendance- ensure you are in every class leading up to the mock examinations
2. Effort- maximum effort is required if you are to reach your potential
3. Revision classes- make the most of these opportunities to pick your teachers' brains about anything you are unsure of, or to revise key components of the exam
4. Study skills- ensure you find a study skill strategy that works for you. Just reading over notes is not an effective form of revision: try mind-mapping, generating questions, cue cards to name but a few.

At Home:

1. Plot your exams on a revision calendar
2. Start to put together your revision schedule NOW
3. Set a specific time to study a specific subject each day
4. Ensure you have a designated study space that is quiet and free from distractions, including your phone- yes, that's right, no phone for the whole of the study session!
5. Have a clear learning intention that you would like to achieve at the end of each study session

So, with that said, all that remains is for me to wish you all the best of luck with your preparation!

Work Experience Placements

As the end of the first term draws ever closer, our Year 11 students should be thinking seriously about arranging the work experience placements that they will carry after the completion of the final IGCSE examinations in June.

Work Experience dates:
Tuesday, June 16th- Thursday, June 25th

Work Experience is a compulsory and important part of our students' education, helping them to gain valuable experience before they start planning their future career paths. To help our students manage organising their placement, we have set some deadlines in place to ensure that all students are clear about each step of the process. Please see the most immediate deadlines below:

December 1st: To have secured Work Experience placement and completed the google form document (link below)

Work Experience Form

Good luck with the job hunt!  

Outstanding students

It's great to see examples of outstanding work from our Year 11 students and to be able to share it with the Year 11 community. This week, Amanda Rozhan in 11L shares her excellent art work and research. You may also notice the model- it's our very own Layla Duckett in 11M! 

Positive Education

Students made a thoughtful, positive start to the term in this week's Positive Education session on Thursday which focused on empathy.

Students took part in a number of activities, including swapping shoes (yes, literally!) with one another to help them imagine what is it like to see through the eyes of another. Much fun was had by all- see the photos of 11S's shoe swap below- but more importantly, some valuable skills were learned which will help our students to continue to develop into responsible, caring global citizens.

The final day!

So a busy week finally comes to an end. It has been a fantastic experience with the week concluding with the students setting up their e-portfolios, receiving an invaluable talk from our Higher Education Advisor, Mrs. O'Reilly, and of course, a tasty lunch!

We'll done to everyone involved, a massive thank you to all the staff and outside agencies who worked so hard to make the week such a success...we hope everyone has an enjoyable and restful, well-earned break.

See you next half-term!

Alumni Thursday

Today, students enjoyed a host of guest speakers, ranging from federal officers and doctors to fashion designers and actors. Students were informed about the roles and responsibilities of a range of professions, and the steps the professionals took to get to where they are today. And, of course, they had lots of fun- see the pictures of the students dressing up as officers of the law and Daniel from 11L being handcuffed! All in a day's work...

Highlights of the day?

Proving they have growth mindsets, 11K push themselves out of their comfort zones and exhibit their dancing skills- great moves! Definitely one of my highlights.

Camp Week- Wednesday

Yet another great day for the year 11s who reversed roles today: GISW got to spend a day in the life of a sixth form student whilst KLMP JUMP!ed into action with the Empowerment Programme. Again, it was great to see the students immerse themselves in these new experiences and make the most of the activities on offer. Please see below for an insight into what they got up to...

11 KLMP rise to the JUMP! challenge

Embarking upon their taster sessions, GISW were experimenting in a whole host of subjects, such as experimenting in Physics, reflecting in Psychology and making explosions in Chemistry!!! See for yourself...

A growth mindset?

Want to see what a growth mindset looks like? Take a look at 11S doing 'the pony'. In this activity, students were taught the importance of having a growth mindset when embarking upon a new activity. After completing the activity, students reflected on on whether they approached the game with an open-mind, determined to make the best of it, or whether they held back and did not give it 100% effort. See the results for yourself; I have to warn you- it's truly hilarious!

Want to see Year 11 build their own country...?

In Economics, Year 11 students were busy beavering away developing their own countries with Mr Solomons. For access to the lesson and how the students go on, please follow the following link:

Year 11 Economics Taster Lesson

Tuesday's Taster Sessions

'Opportunity Costs', Liberal views of education and Ted Hughes- just a small selection of what our Year 11 students were studying in the tester sessions in Economics, Sociology and English today. Students were fully engaged and eager to participate and contribute to the activities; it looks like they are going to enjoy the sixth form!

Year 11 Camp Week

Year 11 Camp Week got off to a bang this morning with 11G,I,S and W JUMP!ing straight into action, and 11K,L,M and P tasting what the sixth form has to offer.

Those doing JUMP! were considering 'empowerment' in this morning's sessions and were all actively engaged in a whole host of activities. The students taking part in the 'taster' sessions got a glimpse of life in the sixth form, and were kept on their toes with some challenging, motivating lessons in subjects such as Art, Drama, Economics and Pychology.

See the pictures below for a sneak preview of the JUMP! activities...

Camp Week- last minute questions

So, Camp Week is fast approaching, and we are very excited about the array of activities on offer. Please find below a list f questions and answers you may find useful:

What should I wear?
Students must wear school uniform for the duration of Camp Week EXCEPT when they are taking part in the JUMP! Programme. On this day, they should wear their PE kit.

What should I bring?
Most equipment will be provided for you, but please bring some writing equipment to each activity.

Where will I eat?
The canteen will be open as normal. We will also be providing a celebratory lunch on Friday afternoon.

Where do I go for each of the activities?
Please see the timetable on the previous post which details where each session will take place.

If you have any further questions, please ask your form tutor or myself.

I look forward to seeing you in the activities next week!

Year 11 Camp Week Activities

Year 11: Camp Week

Activities and roomings

During Camp Week, Year 11 students will be taking part in a whole host of engaging, educational activities that will help to prepare them for the year ahead and beyond. From an empowering JUMP! Programme to Taster Days and talks from various professionals, students will surely find the week valuable and rewarding.

Please find the overview and roomings for Camp Week below. More exciting information to follow...

	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri
Registration:	7.40-50am Form rooms as normal	7.40-50am Form rooms as normal	7.40-50am Form rooms as normal	7.40-8.20am 11G-F11 11I- F13 11S-F9 11K-F3 11L-F6 11M-F5 11P-F12 11W-F8	7.40 Please see roomings below
Activities and roomings	Lessons as normal	GISW- JUMP! 11G- G4 & G5 11I- G7 & G8 11S- G11 & G12 11W- G15 & G16 KLMP- Taster sessions	KLMP- JUMP! 11K- G4 & G5 11L- G7 & G8 11M- G11 & G12 11P- G15 & G16 GISW- Taster sessions	Alumni/ speeches Various rooms- to be published as a separate document	Careers and Higher Education 11G-S2 11I- S3 11S-S4 11K-S6 11L-S7 11P-S8 11W-S9 11M- will be split between the 7 form groups Celebration lunch- Sixth Form Area

Reflections and Target Setting

Over the last few weeks, Year 11 students have been reflecting upon their performance in Year 10, and setting targets for improvement. They have been considering how to set targets that are SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-related

With a clear focus on how to improve, combined with maximum effort, we are confident that we can achieve our targets this year. For a sneak preview of the work we have been doing during afternoon registration, please see the pictures of 11S working hard below.