A Conversation with... Prakash Ravindran, Clinical Psychologist

Following our first event when we hosted Dr Gerard Calnin, we have invited Prakash Ravindran, a Clinical Psychologist from Kuala Lumpur to join our next parent conversation. Prakash leads Oasis Place’s Social Thinking and Malaysia Day Camp and also plans and facilitates social communication sessions across age groups. Prakash is registered with the Malaysia Society of Clinical..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Remembrance Day

As Remembrance Day approaches on Friday November 11th, many people around the world will wear a poppy as a symbol of remembrance and hope. Should you wish to wear a poppy, then you will find them in Reception, together with the accompanying charity donation box.

The poppy is a well-known and well-established symbol, one that carries a wealth of history and meaning with it...

Primary Weekly Highlight: Learning About Food and Nutrition

This term in Years 5 and 6, students have been learning about food and nutrition and have really enjoyed it! They have been exploring nutrition as well as foods and diets from different cultures. They have learned new culinary skills and techniques and whilst applying them have been evaluating, modifying and improving their work.

Year 5 students are currently in the midst of..

Early Years: Alice & Smith Develop Skills Through Juicing

Who doesn’t love a freshly squeezed glass of juice to cool down? This is a great activity to do with your child who will get so much more from it than a healthy refreshing juice.

When you get the fruit and juicer out, ask your child 'What do you think we are going to do?' and 'What could we do?'. This questioning will develop your child’s communication and language skills...

Primary Weekly Highlight: Deepavali Celebration Day

We had a wonderful final day of half term at JB today as we celebrated Deepavali. Children and staff brought so much vibrancy and colour to our day by wearing their traditional Deepavali outfits. 

In class children learned about the history behind Deepavali and were introduced to some Deepavali traditions. Children explored the symbolism of the spiritual victory of light over..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Setting the Standard for Sustainability

In this week’s Secondary Blog, EP Senior Community Prefect, Keith Poon shares some fantastic and ‘hot off the press’ news with you regarding our Eco Schools status. He has also taken the opportunity to spread the word about the great sustainability steps that we are making at EP.

So far this term, students have been doing a variety of things to promote and practice..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Future Doctors: KLASS Medics at EP

A career in medicine is both an exciting and a daunting prospect. In a competitive and demanding field, how can our young people prepare themselves for the training required, as well as the application process to enter programmes of study? In this week’s Secondary Blog, biologist and Vice Principal for Our Staff, Nicola Howard, shares insights into the valuable forum created..

Primary Weekly Highlight: ECAs and Sports in Full Flow

Amongst the many joyous happenings at JB, this term has been the return of a full and comprehensive ECA and Sports programme. Not only have we re-established a fantastic programme but we have actually enhanced it to levels beyond where it was pre-pandemic.

Our students are thriving in a wealth of opportunities across a wide range of activities throughout our campus before and..

Our Very First Science Fair!🔬

We're really excited to hear we are going to be holding our first ever KLASS Science Fair! Over to Helen, one of our Year 11 Science Prefects to tell us more...

"On the 28th of February 2023, Alice Smith will be holding our very first science fair in which students are qualified to participate and present their own research topic which may include the following subjects:..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Year 6 Student Leaders

“Having spent 7 years at Alice Smith (JB,) I would like to contribute back to the school community and being a House Leader is one good way to do so.” Nate, Year 6.

We believe that our students need to experience responsibility in order to help them play an active role as good citizens. This term, our Year 6 students had the opportunity to apply for a student leadership..

Leading on Leadership: The Changing Shape of Student Leadership at EP

Last Friday, over 100 student leaders across all year groups gathered together to share their learning, passion and experience around leadership. In doing so, their conversations and activities were led by their leadership peers - our Head Students and Senior Prefects. This spiral of vertical learning, modelling and creating demonstrated during this day sits at the heart of..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: Sport for All

Following last week’s deep dive into the world of Drama at KLASS, including the team’s recent shortlisting in this year’s International School Awards, we shift our focus this week to our PE and Sport Department. OurDirector of Sport, Danny Hodnett, has pulled together a snapshot of the diverse and rich programme in place for our students this year, including some event..

Primary Weekly Highlight: Outdoor Learning

There are seven areas of learning within the Early Years, three of which are called Prime Areas. These are communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Here at JB, our commitment to learning through play is very much influenced by how important these prime areas are and the vital role that play has in developing them in each..

The University Journey - An Insightful Alumni Sharing

We welcome guest writer Zhongyi Ho from Year 13 to tell us more about the KLASSics Alumni Sharing event last week.

"It is always exciting for alumni to visit and share their experiences - and this first KLASSics Konfidential sharing session with Zhi Yan, Lee and Valerie Ho is no exception. Zhi Yan, Lee (KLASS 2018-2020) is a third year BA Chemical Engineering via Natural..

Early Years: Alice & Smith Early Years PE Lessons

The Physical Education (PE) department is passionate and dedicated to our provision for Early Years children and feel that your child’s experiences in their PE lessons build the foundations for happy, healthy and active lives. We deliver a programme which has been carefully considered for our Alice Smith students using Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS).

Your child will..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: A Dramatic Start to the Year!

It really has been an extraordinary three weeks for our EP Drama Department. Embracing the freedom of movement and interaction provided by the removal of Covid SOPs, our students have been involved in the auditions and casting for this year’s EP Production - The Wizard of Oz, and they have immersed themselves in the 3-day devised theatre residency led by the..

Primary Weekly Highlights: Our Multilingual Learners

Diversity is a major strength of our school community and can be seen in so many different ways. One of these is the range of languages spoken by parents, students and staff. At JB we feel fortunate to have so many multilingual members of our community and in particular our aim is to nurture our multilingual students.

Hamish Chalmers, a leading researcher in the field of..

A Conversation with...

Throughout the term our Head of School, Ms. Sian May, hosts 'A Conversation with..’ where she talks with a network of experts on a range of topics. These sessions are aimed to educate parents, and the wider KLASS community, on the opportunities and challenges young people, educators and schools face today and in the future.

The first session on the theme of Highly Effective..

Inspiring Day With Swimming Sensation, Ben Proud

What a privilege to host alumnus Ben Proud on campus! Ben was a student from Reception to Year 11 when he left to pursue a career in elite swimming. Since then, Ben has gone on to win 3 x World gold medals, 5 x European gold medals and recently 5 x Commonwealth gold medals. Here's a recap of our amazing day at both campuses.

Free Preschool Taster Sessions

Is your child 3 years old? Are you curious about how Preschool could help their development? At Alice Smith Preschool your child will learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outdoors. Learning is fun!

But don't take our word for it! We are currently able to offer free taster sessions for three..

Celebrating our diversity! Brazil

The celebration of our very international student body continues today the 7th September, with our recognition of the Independence Day of Brazil.On the 7th September 1822, a declaration of independence from Portugal was made by Pedro di Alcantara, the son of the Portuguese King. The day is also referred to as ‘Sete de Setembro’, 'Dia da Independência' or 'Dia da Pátria'.Brazil..

The Role of the Council of Governors 2022

Every strategic decision made by Council is guided by our vision for the Alice Smith School: To lead the pursuit of excellence in learning through nurturing, inspiring and enriching the lives and characters of young people. And, as a not-for-profit school, all our resources are focused on our students’ success and wellbeing. Our role as the Council of Governors is to function..

Primary Weekly Highlights: Amazing Start to the New School Year

We could not have wished for a better start to the new school year. The JB Campus has had the most wonderful atmosphere all week as we welcomed back our staff, parents and students. New families and staff have settled in very well and our students have been incredibly happy.

Settling In

I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting classrooms this week speaking to students about their..

Secondary Weekly Highlight: A fairytale summer

I wonder how many of you have come across the fairytale about the Elves and the Shoemaker? The story was a favourite of mine when I was younger - it tells of a struggling shoemaker and his wife who woke up one morning to find that their meagre scraps of leather had turned into the most beautiful pair of shoes. This happened night after night until they discovered that..

Developing 21st Century Skills

Early Years: Alice & Smith wash the windows!

Our students love playing with water and they like doing things that grown ups do too. So when our Reception Classes washed the windows it was tremendous fun!

They experimented with how hard they needed to squeeze..

Why Parents Should Care About Professional Development for Teachers

“Highly effective teachers are able to produce much greater gains in student achievement than their less effective counterparts.”

Pamela D. Tucker and James H. Stronge, Linking Teacher Evaluation and Student Learning

Simply put, the better the teacher, the more likely students are to succeed. The studies quoted in the book above illustrate not only that quality teachers..

Part 3: Questions to ask when choosing an international school

Here is our final instalment of questions to ask when choosing an international school for your child. You can read the first instalment of this series here, and the second instalment here.

1. What is their staff turnover?

High staff turnover is a key issue for any business in any industry - including education. According to research, the average tenure of an international..

Part 2: Questions to ask when choosing an international school

Here are the next sets of important questions to ask when choosing an international school for your child. You can read the first instalment of this series here.  

1. What extra-curriculars do they offer?

Most schools offer extra-curricular activities alongside their traditional core subjects – whether they are international schools or normal schools. Extra-curricular..

Part 1: Questions to ask when choosing an international school

As a parent searching for schooling, considering an international school for your child is a good idea. With rising demand for international schooling, particularly in East and South-East Asia, according to ISC Research, forecasts suggest that international schools will host almost 7m pupils by 2023. This can make your job of picking a school difficult and you may not know..

Why should I pay for my child to play?

The play based approach is core to our Early Years philosophy here at Alice Smith. Our teachers provide support and challenge as our children learn through play. This creates a highly personalised and tailored environment, which is appropriately challenging for each individual child.

Our aim is to ensure high levels of emotional wellbeing and involvement. This is..

Head of School Message: Thank you

So after 12 terrific years, my time at Alice Smith comes to a close. It has been wonderful to finish this academic year in such a positive way, with events and activities reconnecting us as a community and bringing us together including Awards Celebrations and Founder’s Day on July 4. 

Thank you

Thank you for supporting our 75th anniversary celebrations this year. The recent ..

Primary Weekly Highlights: Thank you!

Appreciation and Gratitude at the End of the School Year

Our final weeks at JB for this school year have been so memorable. The students have had a range of exciting events including sports days, house events, day trips, a biathlon, Founders Day and various trips to EP.

This week we had our first in person assemblies for a very long time. Our Year 6 Leavers Assembly involved..

Rebecca wins COBIS Music Award

Earlier this term we were delighted to hear that Rebecca Lim, one of our talented Musicians had won the COBIS Music Award. We've been following Rebecca's successes on the blog over the past year; she is already our Senior Young Musician of the Year 2022, passed the Malaysian section in the Osaka Music Competition and placed in the Lyrical Flute Legends Competition.

In this..

Celebrating our Diversity! USA

The final celebration of the diversity of our student body for this academic year is the Independence Day of the United States on 4th July. 

Fourth of July is a federal holiday, commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the US on 4th July 1776.The Second Continental Congress declared that the 13 American colonies were no longer subject to King George III of the Kingdom..

Primary Weekly Highlights: Reconnecting Our Community Through PE and Sport

We have just completed the most amazing week of PE and Sport activities at our JB campus. This began last Saturday with our Primary School Biathlon. Around 175 students from Years 2-6 competed in a swim/run event with three different distances to choose from. The effort, resilience and sheer determination on show from the children was so impressive. Our parents attended in..

Head of School Message: A Wonderful Finish!

It is wonderful to finish this academic year in such a positive way, reconnecting as a community and celebrating the achievements of our students. Both campuses have been filled with activity this past week.

Congratulations to our graduating Year 13 Class of 2022. They graduated in style this week with many successes and achievements despite an incredibly challenging two year..

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (International Award) Expedition

Outdoor Adventure and so much more: Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (International Award) Expedition

Throughout the last two years of living in these unprecedented times, Alice Smith has adapted to continue to deliver the Duke of Edinburgh International Award as uninterrupted as possible. However, what has been sorely missing was the ability to go out on the Adventurous Journey..

Head of School Message: Celebrations!

There is much to celebrate as we complete the last weeks of the school year. The level of activity on both campuses has been terrific and we are excited about what is still to come, including the graduation of your Year 13 students next Tuesday afternoon.The 75th Anniversary Diamond 💎 Gala Ball on Saturday was a terrific evening, with outstanding performances highlighting the..

Primary Weekly Highlights: Primary Art

It has certainly been a busy year in the KLASS Primary Art Room! You need only walk along the JB Campus where the Diamond Jubilee Art Celebration is currently being exhibited to see the wide range of artistic skills that our talented JB artists have on display. 

The students have enjoyed learning a variety of print-making techniques – ranging from monoprints in Year 3 to..

Celebrating Key Stage 3: transition and competition

Our Key Stage 3 students have had a wonderfully busy few weeks: sporting fixtures, competitions, swim galas and Year 9’s transition into Key Stage 4 day, to name but a few of the beyond the classroom events that have taken place. Our Head of Geography, Mark Williams, and Key Stage 3 Leader, Jane Stewart-Williams, would like to share two of these moments with you in this week’s..

Early Years: Alice & Smith make their own perfume

Our students had a wonderful time making perfume and, although they didn’t realise it, they were working on their core skills for maths and literacy, developing their fine motor skills and using their imaginations at the same time! 

Like all good projects, let's start with an..

It's Onion Day!

The onion, also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.

There are 27 different types of onion, green, purple, yellow or white.

Health Benefits of Onions

Onions are healthy, whether they are eaten raw or cooked and have a plethora of benefits to our health.

5 tips to help you in raising global citizens

The importance of raising your children as global citizens cannot be emphasized enough, but what are some ways to actually do so? Even when your children are young and you make the decision to help them become globally aware, how do you achieve this goal?

Below we outline five tips to help you in raising global citizens. 

1. Read, and Then Read Some More

Reading provides..

75th Diamond Gala Ball: Silent Auction

In conjunction with our 75th Anniversary Diamond 💎 Gala Ball on Saturday we are launching an online silent auction to raise funds for The Alice Smith School Endowment Fund. The auction ends on at 10.00pm on Tuesday, 21st June 2022. You can view all the items and bid HERE but let's take a closer look at some of the categories and fabulous items on offer.

Astounding Artworks

..

Power, Ambition, Guilt and Madness: Our Leading Lords and Ladies and their Monologues

Every year, the Year 9 students of the English department tackle one of their most demanding challenges in Key Stage 3: their 'Macbeth' monologues. This task requires students to analyse various Shakespearean monologues, have an in-depth understanding of the emotional development of their chosen character, write creatively using a wide range of techniques and then deliver..

Primary Weekly Highlights: Reading Developments at JB

Here at JB we are committed to being an evidence informed school. This means that we examine the best available research and evidence, we consider our context including our students and setting and we reflect using our own experience and expertise when making decisions around learning. 

We have spent the last 18 months reviewing our curriculum with a view to becoming more..

Model United Nations: Beyond Debating

In this week’s Secondary Blog, I am delighted that our Year 8 student, Sachdev, has prepared a thoughtful and impassioned account of his thoughts and experience on participating in Model United Nations (MUN), including the recent MUN SEASAC Conference. Not sure what MUN is? Well, keep reading…  

"I first started participating in the Model United Nations Extra Curricular..

75th Diamond 💎 Gala Ball: Live Auction items

One of the highlights of the 75th Diamond 💎 Gala Ball will be the live auction with amazing items, auctioned off by our Head of School, Mr Roger Schultz. Attendees can support our various activities on the evening to raise funds for our Endowment Fund and the work of the Foundation, helping to sustain our not-for-profit school as a regional and world leader in education for..

How an International School Education Creates Global Citizens

It is widely argued that to become a successful leader in their future career, students must possess a strong sense of global awareness. Global citizens are those who look for ways they can help, work with others, and stand up and use their voice for the betterment of the world. Those who fight for universal equality and sustainability. 

At Alice Smith School, we strive to..