Collins Big Cat Writing Competition 2023 🦁✍️

It was great to welcome Sara Hirsch to our school last week and have her launch this year's FOBISIA poetry competition with Key Stage 2 (Years 3 - 6). Has her visit inspired your child to write more? Are you looking for an activity for them over the Easter break? If so here's another writing competition our Primary Students can enter! The Collins Big Cat Writing Competition..

The KL Coding Cup 🏆

The KL Coding Cup hosted at The Alice Smith School on 11th March 2023 was a resounding success, with about 200 participants from 7 different schools. The 4 hour event aims to provide an exciting platform for young coders to showcase their skills and help foster a spirit of healthy competition and camaraderie among participants.

Designed to cater to coders of all levels, the..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Poet Sara Hirsch visits Alice Smith

We had the great pleasure of welcoming poet Sara Hirsch to our school last week. Sara is a British-born poet, director and educator and international Poetry Slam champion. She travelled all the way from her home in New Zealand to come and meet our students.

Year 5 and 6 were treated to poetry writing workshops with Sara. After starting off with a poetry performance, Sara then..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Key Stage 3 Creators - The Island Project 2023

Every year we encourage Year 8 to become the architects of their dream islands which they are tasked to bring to life and then promote to their year group. You name it, they've created it. We have been welcomed to islands bringing computer games to life, offering luxury resorts with 4 seasons in one day, enabling 100% eco-friendly tourism, empowering visitors to revisit..

Pi Day 2023 (14.3.23) celebrations!

Founded in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw, Pi Day is observed annually on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant figures of π. To celebrate Pi Day 2023 (14.3.23) we held two events for our wonderful Year 7 students.

At lunchtime the students were judged on their pie making skills. These home-baked goods were scored on appearance and taste. 

1. 1st place: Viki -..

🎵 FOBISIA Choral Festival 2023 – Bangkok

🎵 On Wednesday 8th March 2023, ten very excited music students gathered in the music department to make their way to one of the first FOBISIA music events to be held since restrictions lifted from the Pandemic. And what a fantastic time they had!We made our way to Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School to meet with over 200 students from 9 other schools, all..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Model United Nations - SEASAC 2023

Model United Nations is a role play debate forum simulating the debate procedures of the United Nations, following either Harvard (HMUN) or The Hague (MUN) rules of procedure. On 23rd March, 13 students from the Model United Nations Club set off to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, for the SEASAC 2023 MUN Conference. The three day event was hosted by Saigon South International School and..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Amazing Art in Year 2

Our Year 2 students have been thoroughly enjoying learning within their Art curriculum this year. Our team of Year 2 teachers and teaching assistants have been really impressed with the skills and creativity demonstrated by the students too.

The students learning this term has centred around textiles and collage, challenging them to learn and apply skills and techniques whilst..

The HandleBards visit!

Last Wednesday 1st March, EP welcomed UK theatre company, The HandleBards for a brilliant performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The famous play is studied by our IGCSE English Literature students so all KS4 students were lucky enough to enjoy the energetic, imaginative and hilarious interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic. They were joined by the A Level Drama and..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Experiment As Learning - Inaugural Science Fair

Hypothesising, exploring, experimenting, designing, researching and evaluating are all important aspects of learning and thinking. They can lead to discovery, understanding, growth and innovation. As we prepare for our inaugural EP Science Fair, which will take place on Tuesday 28th February, Science Prefects Wei Er Loke (Year 12) and Yvaine Ziling Low (Year 9), describe the..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Our Eco Team

We are talking about all things eco! It is an exciting time at our JB campus as we set out to focus upon all things eco! Our school’s enthusiastic Eco-Warriors have started working hard to create positive, sustainable changes to our campus and make our school a much more environmentally friendly place to be. 

Congratulations to our Maths Teams 🏆🏅💪

This week we have not one but two success stories from the Maths teams with both Primary and Secondary students demonstrating their mathematical flair!

Year 5 AIMS Maths Challenge 2023

Last week two teams of Year 5 Mathematicians headed to the AIMS competition at St. Christopher's School (SCIPS) in Penang.

Both teams performed really well throughout the competition, staying..

How Does Alice Smith School Encourage Community Spirit?

As the first and the oldest British international school in Malaysia, the Alice Smith School has a long history of community service. For over 70 years, our efforts to help others has helped shape and sustain the future of Alice Smith as a very successful, not-for-profit educational institution since its humble beginnings in 1946. As a result, community service and helping..

🌈✨Lighting Design by Jamie

As well as a feast of creativity happening on stage this week, as we open our EP Production The Wizard of Oz, audience members should also keep their eyes open for the innovation being operated backstage and in the tech box 🔥🎤🌈✨.

Alongside the 60+ performers in the show, we also have a dedicated and talented group of designers and technicians operating pyrotechnics,..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Learning about ‘Animals including Humans’

Learning here at the Primary Campus is in full swing as our students dig deep into a whole range of learning across the school. Recently I have been inspired by so many Year 4 students visiting my office to share with me their learning about Animals including Humans. 

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Restorative Approaches at EP

Learning is a multi-layered experience: through immersion in a learning environment, our own experiences and interactions we acquire knowledge and skills, which develop into competencies and dispositions. Some of this learning relates to specific ‘subject’ areas, some - arguably the most important - relates to our growth of self and how we understand and navigate the world. We..

Guiding young people through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Part II)

The conversation continues with Dr. Shanton Chang, Professor of Information Behaviour and Information Systems at the School of Computing and Information Systems, and Associate Dean at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, from the University of Melbourne. Dr. Shanton has extensive experience in international education having been involved in recruitment,..

Sophie wins recognition in the COBIS Art Competition

We are delighted to hear that Sophie Lei (Year 11) has come first runner up in the Key Stage 4 section of the COBIS (Council of British International Schools) Art competition. Run in partnership with Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), students were invited to produce a piece of art based on the theme, 'Who am I?'. The competition received close to 670 entries from students in..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Year 5 Drama

Good morrow thou sugared, softly-sprighted wafer-cake!

This term Year 5 have been exploring the Shakespearean comedy Twelfth Night. Alongside their reading lessons, the play has been brought to life through a series of drama workshops.

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Connected Through Learning

Last month, The PE and Sport faculty hosted the prestigious FOBISIA PE and Sport Conference. The event was a major success, bringing together over 150 PE and sport professionals from across South East Asia to share best practice and learn from some of the world's leading experts in the field. The conference provided a platform for attendees to network, exchange ideas and gain..

Guiding young people through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Part I)

We had the pleasure of having a conversation with Dr. Shanton Chang, Professor of Information Behaviour and Information Systems at the School of Computing and Information Systems, and Associate Dean at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, from the University of Melbourne. Dr. Shanton has extensive experience in international education having been involved in..

How Service Learning Can Benefit Your Child

Some would argue that examination results are the most important outcome of a child’s schooling, giving them the best possible opportunity to get into university. In many ways this is true, but we believe that learning goes way beyond subjects and grades.

Service learning can be a great tool to provide a strong foundation for children’s development and life beyond school.

Are you ready for Oz? 🌈👠

The countdown has begun to EP’s musical production, The Wizard of Oz which opens on 21st February. 🌈👠

For those of you who have not been involved in a school production before, here’s what the final few weeks will look like for the team:

Actors are rehearsing for 12 hours over the course of a week finalising blocking, becoming completely ‘off-script’, taking care of their..

What's the Difference between Selective and Non-Selective Schools?

For many parents, selecting a school for their child can be a minefield – international or not? Academically-led, or vocational? Boarding or day school? One of these choices is selective versus non-selective schools. But what is the difference, and which one is better for your child? 

What is a selective school?

Selective schools are schools that offer their places based on a..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Year 6 Challenge New Skill Presentations

From trampolining to Chinese calligraphy, ice-skating to cooking with eggs, self-defence to coding, the skills demonstrated by our Year 6 Challenge students in their recent New Skill presentations were many and varied.

The Year 6 Challenge is often compared to a junior version of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. It is a demanding yet enjoyable series of..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: The COBIS Poetry Competition

Our students have dazzled us again this year with 40 of them submitting poems to the English department for the COBIS Poetry Competition which is a brilliant opportunity for them to express their thoughts and feelings, hone their skills and showcase their talent. In this week’s Secondary Blog, Assistant Head of Department for English, Anna Phillips, introduces and shares poems..

Camp Beaumont is back at Alice Smith!

Camp Beaumont, the United Kingdom’s most established multi-activity day camp provider are back again in Kuala Lumpur, creating inspiring adventures throughout the school holidays at the Alice Smith School. With over 50 camps in the UK, and 11 across Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, Camp Beaumont’s much-loved, confidence-boosting experiences encourage 3 to 11 year..

Building for the Future - the KLASS Hub

If you have visited the Secondary Campus this term, you will have noticed a startling change: the canteen is no more, we have several new food and beverage outlets and there is a very distinctive green hoarding snaking its way through the campus. The KLASS Hub is well and truly underway. In this week’s Secondary Blog, our Vice Principal for Community and Enrichment, Stefan..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Year 6 Challenge Award

Yet again our Year 6 students have demonstrated their amazing spirit and kindness within our Year 6 Challenge Award.

This week I was incredibly impressed reading the poster displays they have made to showcase their community projects. Some students dedicated time to a community project of their choice whilst other students chose to raise awareness of a local charity or..

Adventures in the Wilderness

In this week’s Secondary Blog, our Enrichment Leader, David Morris, gives us an insider’s view of the recent Silver Duke of Edinburgh International Award practice expedition. During the expedition, our Year 11 students were tested by weather, terrain and exertion, overcoming each of these by drawing on their resilience and some serious Alice Smith team spirit! Over to you, Mr..

Alice Smith School Wins International Marketing Award

We are delighted to announce that Alice Smith School won a Bronze at the InspirED School Marketers Brilliance Award for our Inbound Marketing Social Media campaign entry.

The Brilliance Awards is the only international competition that recognises excellence in private and independent school marketing and communications. The Awards are sponsored by InspirED School Marketers,..

6 ways to help your child develop early reading skills

The World Literacy Foundation suggests that 'Parents should encourage early reading habits in their children because a learned child can have a bright future and make an impact on society as they grow.' They cite 7 benefits of early reading:

1. Brain development
2. Early vocabulary development
3. Improved reading 
4. Better writing
5. Better communication
6. Creating a hobby
7. Professional..

Simple Malay for Expats: Learning the Local Language in Kuala Lumpur

As a first-time expat in Malaysia, it’s important to learn basic phrases in the local language to feel closer to the community and have the opportunity to interact with those around you in a respectful way. 

Learning the local language can help you broaden your knowledge, learn something new and better understand the culture. 

Below you’ll discover 10 basic Malay phrases to..

Eight Ways To Help Your Child Revise

Exam season can be stressful and nerve-wracking for children and for their parents. You might find yourself struggling to help your child through their exams, or feel like you could be doing more to help. Here are some tips on how you can better support your child through their exams and help them with their revision.

1. Give them a dedicated study space at home A dedicated..

Congratulations! Our First International Philanthropy Award

The Alice Smith School Foundation wrapped up the year on a high note with the CASE Circle of Excellence Award, having won a Bronze Award in the category of targeted campaigns and appeals (COVID-related) for the #BuildKindness - Support the Urban Poor fundraising campaign, benefitting Kechara Soup Kitchen Malaysia. Alice Smith is the only school to receive recognition in this..

🎄Looking for something to do this festive break?

As the end of term arrives on Friday we are thinking about the holidays! We asked our Parent Ambassadors what they will be up to. Now the MCOs are a distance memory and travel is freely available many are taking the opportunity to visit places near and far, with our Parent Ambassadors heading to the UK, Dubai and more locally Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Cambodia. Safe..

Discover The Future Careers Fair

We are excited to announce that The Alice Smith School is an official sponsor of Millie’s Spring 2023 “Discover The Future Careers Fair”. Millie has been supporting Alice Smith over the past few years, and as we began a partnership this summer we are proud to join them for this event next year. 

About the event

Millie’s Spring 2023 “Discover The Future Careers Fair” is an..

Parent Workshop with Early Years Expert, Jan Dubiel

Our parent workshops are designed to help support your role at home as well as our role at school and we are delighted to share with you our next exciting Parent Workshop with Early Years Expert, Jan Dubiel.

Guest: Jan DubielTheme: Learning in the Early Years

Date: Wednesday, 11th January 2023Time: 8am - 9amVenue: Primary Campus School Hall, Jalan Bellamy

Save the date and..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: SEASAC Football and Volleyball

Over the last few weeks, the PE and Sports team have returned to action in the very prestigious SEASAC competitions. Competing in separate football and volleyball competitions, 46 of our Under 18 boys and girls travelled to Singapore in early November to face some of the toughest competition from around South East Asia. In this week’s Secondary Blog, our Head of Sport, Warren..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Amazing Term of Music

Music Moments

We have had the most amazing term of Music Moments culminating today with incredible performances from our Year 1 children. Students have had the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience of their fellow performers, children from across their year group as well as their parents.

For some of our students, this has been the first time they have ever..

Early Years: Alice & Smith - Benefits of Learning Music

Did you know that music is one of the few activities that uses both the logical and creative sides of the brain? Music has the ability to strengthen the connection between the body and brain to work together as a team.

Music and movement comes naturally to children of all ages. Even infants will bounce, sway, smile or wave their hands along to their favourite tunes. It is..

The 'Is it Cake?' House Challenge  🍰🎂

One of the many great activities to choose from on House Day last week was a new event, the 'Is it cake?' edible sculpture challenge! 🍰🎂 Representatives from our four Houses, Scott, Fleming, Muir and Fairfield were challenged with this simple project brief: Create an edible sculpture of everyday objects.

They had to 

1. Produce a sculpture of a man-made object or food based..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Learning Displays

The Reggio Emilia approach suggests there are three teachers involved in the child’s learning; the teacher, their parents and the learning environment. Often the learning environment is referred to as the third teacher. The work of Helen Street also emphasises the importance of the physical and social environment in supporting wellbeing. Here at JB we are very intentional..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Make-Up Artists-in-Residence at EP

In this week’s Secondary Blog, our Head of Creative and Expressive Arts, Holly Sullivan, takes us into the world of make-up artistry and shares how our students are increasingly stepping into this highly technical and creative field.

Make-up artistry has seen a massive growth in interest in recent years. Through the explosion of transformation videos on social media and the..

Primary Weekly Highlight: The Boy at the Back of the Class

One of the major highlights recently within our reading curriculum has been a core text with a very relatable theme. Our Year 4 students and teachers have been reading the novel ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’.

The Boy at the Back of the Class is the story of a group of classmates who, through their empathy and bravery, make a massive impact on Ahmet, a boy who has come to..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: In Celebration of the Humanities

In this week’s Secondary Blog, our two Senior Humanities Prefects, Zi Xuan Lee and Bhargav Ghantala, describe the events and rationale behind our recent Humanities Week. Both are passionate in championing the importance of studying the Humanities.

This year’s Humanities Week was a great success; we saw students from every year group show their passion for the Humanities and..

A Conversation with ... David Bott

The latest guest in our “A Conversation with” series will be David Bott, an author and expert in applied wellbeing science. Our Head of School, Sian May, will be talking with David on Tuesday 6th December and we invite you to join in the conversation. This session will focus on the 5 psychological needs of our children and how we can meet these needs to have the greatest..

Primary Weekly Highlight: We are Scientists!

In Year 3, the students have been working hard as scientists this term. The children started the year learning about rocks and more recently have moved on to a biology focus studying animals including humans. The first lesson taught the children that humans are not plants because we cannot make our own food! The children were then fascinated to learn that humans are animals..

🎉 Congratulations to our Outstanding Learners!

🎉🙌 Congratulations to our students who have received Pearsons Outstanding Learners Awards for their achievements in last year's A Level and (I)GCSE examinations. We would like to congratulate;

Highest Mark in the World:

Eugene: (I)GCSE Mathematics. Mr. Philip Welch, Head of Mathematics and Computing Faculty said, "Eugene is an incredibly able mathematician, who excels with..

Primary Weekly Highlight: The Beauty of Poetry in Year 4

Learning about poetry has so many benefits. Firstly it widens children’s reading horizons. It also gives them an opportunity to explore vocabulary and language, encourages them to create and can inspire them to write. The creativity gives our students space to experiment with words and performing poetry allows them to learn about voice, pitch and volume.

Recently our Year 4..