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KLASS Library Publishes Student EPQs
The Alice Smith School has offered the EPQ to Sixth Form students since 2009. It was initially a compulsory component for Sixth Form students but has more recently become optional. With universities now giving greater recognition of this qualification in entry offers, we are seeing a strong take up by our students.
Our results for EPQ have risen to a very high level with 54%..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Launch of New and Exciting Units of Learning 📖
Recently the students have begun some new learning units at JB. This is always an exciting time for students as they discover what they will learn about through the steps of learning within their unit and the end goal.
Year 5 teachers have launched a brilliant unit focused on learning all about the Aztec Civilisation. The students had to develop their teamwork skills on..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Drawing and Early Representation ✏️〰🖼
Drawing is a crucial activity during kindergarten years. It is a way for a child to express their understanding of the world around them. Drawing allows children to make meaning and freely express their ideas, thoughts and feelings. Children usually have a natural urge to draw and here at JB, we ensure our learning environments support this.
Across our kindergarten years,..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Our Teachers
World Teacher Day was celebrated this week and I would like to thank all parents and students for showing their appreciation to their teachers in different ways. This day has made me reflect on how outstanding our teachers are here at JB.Our teachers are some of the most caring and committed people I have ever worked with. I was reminded of this recently, when we came together..
read moreReturning to School Safely
Finally our last few year groups are heading back onto campus. For many of these students it is the first time they have been into school since May having finished the last academic year, and started this one, with online classes.
It is great to see the students connecting with each other and their teachers in way that isn't possible on 'Zoom' or other virtual platforms but it..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Our Students Return!
Yesterday was a special day. Our students across the kindergarten years returned and brought our campus back to life. Classrooms were full of happy and joyful children who embraced being back at school and brought smiles to everyone at JB.
I was so impressed with how instantly comfortable and settled our children were as they separated from their parents and strolled into..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: International Dot Day
ART ROOM BLOG
This week in the virtual Art Room, we have been celebrating International DOT Day! Dot Day is based on the book, The Dot, by Peter Reynolds which tells the story of a child called Vashti who resists creating art until her teacher empowers her to discover what a talented artist she really is! It is also a story of how even the youngest of us can ‘Make their Mark’..
read moreSecondary Weekly Highlights: Unveiling our EP Eco Code!
As we celebrate Alice Smith School’s 75 years of history in Malaysia, now, more than ever, we must look to the future and ensure our community has the knowledge, skills and passion necessary to act in the defence of our planet. We must lead by example and demonstrate sustainable practices in all we do. In this week’s Secondary Blog, our Enrichment Leader and Associate Vice..
Primary Weekly Highlights: Our Students
As I reflect upon the first two weeks of this school year, it is our students who are foremost in my mind. Our students have yet again demonstrated incredible levels of resilience and strength in the face of some major challenges.
They have had to cope with a change of year group including new teachers and classmates while continuing to learn virtually. Speaking with our..
Secondary Weekly Highlights: Rise and Shine!
As we conclude the second week of our new school year, it is wonderful to see and hear of the opportunities and experiences our students are enjoying and preparing for. In this week’s KLASS Blog, our ECA Coordinator and House Leader, Danny Hodnett, is excited to share two such enrichment opportunities with you:
With every new start to a school year, Alice Smith never fails to..
read moreSecondary Weekly Highlights: Connecting and Reconnecting
It has been such a joyful week of connecting and reconnecting: students with teachers, students with students, teachers with teachers, teachers with parents, parents with parents. Learning has well and truly begun and so have the social interactions, debate, enthusiasm, discussion and creating that make up such an important part of that learning experience. It was wonderful to..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Learning has begun at JB!
Students have made an amazing start to their year in this first week at JB. Our students in Preschool have shown such enthusiasm for their learning and adapted brilliantly to online learning with their teachers. Across Year 1 and Reception, children have engaged in a range of activities getting to know each other, their teachers and sharing information about themselves.
From..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Our Students
Our students have been extraordinary this school year. Faced with so much change and challenge, they have continued to amaze me with their resilience and fortitude.
As Principal, I have been shared into countless examples of our students showing kindness and humility throughout the school year. Students have engaged in service to others through awareness raising, charity..
read moreWi-Fi Upgrade and SSO - FAQs
Our IT team will be working throughout the summer to upgrade our Wi-Fi on both campuses and move us towards a Single Sign On (SSO) for school systems. The FAQs below give some more detail on this but if your question isn't answered you can also email our IT team directly who will be happy to help.
Is there anything else I need to know?
The iSAMS system will be offline between..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Community
As we approach the end of a very challenging school year, I have been reflecting on my experiences as Primary Principal at Alice Smith. One aspect of our school has continually demonstrated its strength and importance; our community. I believe it is our community that has played a significant role in supporting us all through this testing year.
Here at JB we have strived to..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Turtles 🐢
Our learning here at JB is always purposeful. We plan and teach units of learning through our cross curricular approach which are a combination of knowledge and skill building aimed at deepening student understanding. Our recent unit on turtles 🐢 in Year 2 was an example of all that is great about our approach.
The unit comprised a brilliant balance of knowledge acquisition..
read morePrimary Weekly Highlights: Music Matters!🎼📻🎶
Despite the ongoing challenges we are facing on a global scale, music making has continued to enhance the lives of many, including those within our school community.
The positive impact that music in its many forms has on wellbeing is widely documented. Whether participating or listening, music is associated with improved mood, reduced anxiety, lower levels of depression,..
read moreSix ways to help your child develop early maths skills
At Alice Smith we know how important developing early skills are. Here's six ways you can help your preschooler to develop early maths skills and build important foundations for later number work:- Counting: Understanding numbers will help children in all areas of maths. When children hear adults counting, using numbers and talking about quantity it develops their..
Cross-Curricular Learning in Action: The Hook
For their new topic our Year 6's were treated to inspirational messages from two very special guests connected with their new cross-curricular unit - Professor Peter Frankopan and Joanna Lumley OBE FRGS.
In Key Stage 2 our Primary curriculum approach uses flexible, well planned cross-curricular units to encourage students to make sense of their learning by creating links..
read moreThe School Library in the age of Virtual Learning
In this week's blog our Head of Libraries, Rob George, looks at the how Alice Smith School library has responded to the challenges of the pandemic.
"Like all aspects of educational provision the school library has not been spared from significant challenges as Covid 19 forced a rapid transition to virtual learning. We pride ourselves on having an amazing library that..
read moreConstruction Play in Early Years
Parent Workshops and Learning Power
During a 'normal' term we are delighted to offer parents a wide range of workshops to help support their role at home as well as our role at school. These workshops run most weeks during 'normal' term time and cover a wide range of subjects.
Some workshops will be age and year group specific, such 'Transition Meetings' for Year 6 parents or 'Early Reading' for Reception..
read moreRebecca takes 2nd place in Oxbridge Society Humanities Competition
It may be the summer holidays but we are still very excited to hear the news that Rebecca (Year 10) has been awarded 2nd place in the Humanities category of the Academic Exploration Competition held by the Oxbridge Society of Malaysia.
The competition, which was open to students up to Year 13, was held over six weeks in April and May and students had to write an essay of..
read moreSpotlight on Sociology
What is Sociology?
Sociology is a wide-ranging field that encompasses many aspects of society and develops students' awareness of the world around them. It is the study of society, people and their behaviour. Sociologists examine theories of society, look at evidence and collect research to establish whether theories are correct. We also hope to use this research practically..
read moreFOBISIA Story Winners: Years 5 and 6
Congratulations to Year 5 and 6 winners of the FOBISIA (the Federation of British International Schools in Asia) short story competition Sizhe, overall winner from Dulwich College, Singapore and runners up Roselyn, from International School at Desa Park City, Kuala Lumpur and Harriet from Dover Court, Singapore.
The response this year was overwhelming! With over twenty..
read moreA Look at Studying A Levels in Malaysia
A Levels are an internationally recognised pre-university programme with high academic standards. They are exam-based and require in-depth knowledge of the chosen subject matter are equivalent to other pre-university programmes such as Australian Matriculation, Canadian Pre-University (CPU) and the Malaysian STPM.
Though they are known to be challenging, students with this..
read moreWhat is the Pastoral Care Award
Every year, the International School Awards recognise excellence in teaching and learning at schools around the world.
This awards ceremony was established by ISC Research, the world's leading provider in international school data. A school that receives such awards sets the benchmark for others to reach, setting them apart as high quality institutions in the community.
One..
read moreHow Alice Smith Ensures a Quality British Education
Ensuring their children have a quality education is a concern for any parent.
International schools that offer an internationally recognised curriculum bestow your children with the educational foundation they need to succeed in any post secondary institution they choose, preparing them for a future that meets their highest potential.At Alice Smith, we ensure your children..
read moreLife of a Distance Learning Teacher in Kuala Lumpur
Alice Smith School faculty have been working hard to ensure we are providing our quality learning and teaching online.
Innovating in our delivery methods to ensure learning continues for all our students. With the MCO extended into Term 3 it will be a little longer before we get back onto campus but learning will continue across the school.
Read on to see how distance..
read moreLearn to Think, Think to Learn
‘IDK’, if you didn’t know, is a feature of text-speak that has now planted itself firmly into modern parlance as a rapid, shorthand response to a difficult question - ‘I don’t know’.
When we ask Year 7 students what they think is happening when a raw egg appears to ‘cook’ in the presence of a mysterious chemical at room temperature there is no expectation that they will..
read moreFoundation Stage: How Children Learn in a Play Based Environment
When a baby is born, they have billions of brain cells and through stimulation, those cells connect to form synapses. Stimulation comes in the form of play, exploration, human interaction etc.
“Brain activity and synapse formation are at their highest when a child is deeply engrossed in something which fascinates, challenges and makes them happy.”Anna Ephgrave, Early Years'..
read moreEight ways to help your child revise
Absolute Magic- Ross Welford Visiting Author
Earlier this term we had the pleasure of hosting award winning author Ross Welford at our Primary Campus and he was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! Not only did he delight with his amazing piano skills, but his magic tricks during his Year 6 and Year 4 assemblies were real WOW moments. Ross entertained the students whilst discussing how he became a writer and how he engaged with books as a..
read moreWhat is the Extended Project Qualification or 'EPQ'?
The Extended Project Qualification, or ‘EPQ’, is an exciting standalone qualification that encourages students to develop vital skills necessary in Higher Education. Taken in year 12 or 13 students choose whatever topic they like as long as it doesn’t overlap with their A Level course content and many use the opportunity to explore a personal passion or interest. Students..
read moreSTEM: Strategies that help students dream and innovate
Examinations and their Boards
The UK school exam system can be very confusing to parents, even if they are from the UK and experienced it as a student themselves. As educators, we are commonly asked by international parents, ‘Is Cambridge board better than AQA?’ or ‘Edexcel is harder than AQA, right?’These sincere questions reflect a misunderstanding of UK examination boards. The idea is easily held by..
read moreA Masterclass in Stage Make Up!
The inaugural Inter-House Stage Make Up Competition took place on Friday as a new strand of the House Day. Students from our four houses, Fairfield, Fleming, Muir and Scott competed to create stage make-up designs using the theme of Halloween as inspiration.
The day started with our fantastic student facilitators Mia, India, Pamela and Liyuan giving a Master Class in how to..
read more'Protect' short story competition
What are you protecting? Someone? Something? Maybe a secret... 'Protect' is the theme of this year's FOBISIA (the Federation of British International Schools in Asia) short story competition. Open to students in years 3 to 13 in any of the 68 FOBISIA member schools the competition encourages creative writing. Full details can be found here.
We're excited that this years..
read moreInnovating The Next Generation
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are the core components of STEM and are subjects crucial for our future. The earlier we can introduce STEM to students, the greater the opportunity for the next generation to innovate and ultimately have an impact on the planet.
One student who has made such an impact at Alice Smith is Krishna Ghantala. Krishna who is..
read moreLearn2Master Languages
Our Learn2Master initiative is a unique programme developed by the team at Alice Smith School to effectively teach modern foreign languages (MFL). Our Head of MFL, Stefan Rodic, describes the programme:
"Learn2Master is based on the Swedish concept of LAGOM (balance). We promote a balanced dialogue between student and teacher that centres on two specifics; the ‘Learning..
read moreBritish International Schools Malaysia | Alice Smith 2019 IGCSE Grades
At Alice Smith, our academic results are consistently excellent and place us among the best British international schools in the world.
In 2019, Alice Smith students celebrate another exceptional set of examination results with 66% of all (I)GCSE grades at A* or A (grades 9-7) and 52% of all A level grades at A* or A.
At (I)GCSE almost a third of all students achieved..
read moreInnovative Learning Environments | Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur
The layout of a classroom hadn’t changed in a very long time. The earliest classroom can be traced back to Sumerian society in 3,000 BC and the rows of seats are clearly identifiable. It’s a layout many of us will recognise.
Schools in the 21st-century are different though, providing a positive environment for innovative learning and teaching to take place. They should be..
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