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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

31 May 2016 Issue 49

The most exciting news in May for all of us in AHIS would be the 5-Star Rating Award presented by the Johore Education Department for our overall excellent achievement in various aspects of education management and administration. The recognition undoubtedly would motivate us to strive for continual improvement and excellent achievements at all times. In May, we held a series of exciting and meaningful activities for students, teachers, parents and members of AH community. We had our first Book Character Day on 3rd May 2016. The students came in as various familiar book characters that transformed the school environment into a fairy tale land. Teacher’s Day was held on 16th May 2016, and was hosted by the students to show their appreciation and gratitude to their teachers for their guidance and contributions. The most awaited International and Family Day 2016 was held on 28th May 2016. The school was in full carnival spirit the whole day. The responses from the students, parents and members of Parent Support Group were fantastic, not forgetting the visit from the honoured guests H.E. Mr. Rajpad Singh, the Consul-General of Singapore in Johor Bahru, H.E. Mr. Taufiqur Rijal, the Consul-General of Indonesia in Johor Bahru and his wife Puan Nur Anisah. Year 6 students and their teachers went on an exciting graduation trip to Penang, Ipoh and Malacca on 12 – 15 May 2016. They enjoyed themselves by sharing memorable moments along the way, and by learning in detail the interesting stories about all the places of interest they visited. I wish to thank all parties who gave us the support and cooperation to make all activities a great success.

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5-Star Rating Award

Austin Heights International School is happy and proud to share the good news that we have been awarded

with a 5-Star Ranking for excellent standards in Management and Administration of a Private Education

Institution by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. Under the Ministry of Education SKIPS Programme,

evaluation is conducted on private education institutions to determine their standards in management and

administration which cover a broad aspect of criteria. Ratings of 1-Star to 5-Stars are allocated to each

private institution being evaluated. Among the items that are considered in the judging process are

Establishment & Registration, Efficient School Management, Academic and Co-Curriculum Achievement

especially the Innovative ICT adoption besides 12 other integral items.

The fact that Austin Heights International School has achieved this special recognition by the Ministry of

Education in six years since its inception in 2011, is by itself a laudable accomplishment. This achievement

is the outcome of the dedication and co-operation of all academic and administrative staffs of the School.

Despite this achievement we will continue to strive harder for greater heights.

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International Day and Family Day

Austin Heights International School’s 4th International Day Cum Family Day held on 28 May 2016

was enthusiastically supported by a large turnout, among them were our honoured guests H.E. Mr. Rajpad

Singh, the Consul-General of Singapore in Johor Bahru, H.E. Mr. Taufiqur Rijal, the Consul-General of

Indonesia in Johor Bahru and his wife Puan Nur Anisa, besides the school Chairman, Dato’ Steve Chong,

parents and students.

Visitors and guests were entertained to cultural performances and viewed Cultural & Customs booths set

up by students and teachers from 28 countries. There were also food preparation demonstrations, food

stalls and games stations which further enhanced the friendly atmosphere.

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WINNERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOTHS ACCORDING TO THE CATEGORIES

1. THE MOST INFORMATIVE INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : KAZAKHSTAN & UZBEKISTAN 2. THE MOST INNOVATIVE INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : SINGAPORE 3. THE MOST THEMATIC INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : INDIA 4. THE MOST WELL-DOCUMENTED INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : RUSSIA 5. THE MOST INTERACTIVE INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : MALAYSIA 6. THE MOST ATTRACTIVE INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : INDONESIA 7. THE MOST RESOURCEFUL INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 8. THE MOST OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL BOOTH : MALAYSIA

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Teacher’s Day Celebration

Teacher’s Day was celebrated on 16th May with a special assembly held in the hall. Dato Steve Chong and

Mr Lui Lai Nam thanked all the teachers and praised them for their hard work and achievements over the

year, which included excellent exam results and two Top of the World IGCSE Awards. Dato Steve Chong

and Datin Low Peck Tim then presented Mr. Lui with the SKIPS certificate for achieving a 5-star rating in

Management and Administration of a Private Education Institution by the Ministry of Education. This award

is a huge achievement for both the teachers and management staff who have all contributed to the success

of the school.

Mason Lee and Lee Deng Jiun delivered heartfelt speeches on behalf of the Prefects Board, in which they

thanked their teachers for inspiring and guiding them to achieve their true potential. After the speeches,

two Drama Club emcees- Kishen Naidu and Rene Cheng- took over hosting the ceremony. They led a

group of students in reading out beautiful and meaningful poems of praise and appreciation written for their

teachers. The wonderful celebration closed with a cake-cutting ceremony, and presentation of roses to the

teachers by the Student Council Members and Prefects. The teachers were later treated to a sumptuous

high tea and movie screening at Austin Hills Golf Resort. Our teachers felt truly appreciated on this special

day, and the gratitude shown by their students reminded them of why they love their profession; teachers

do not merely teach a syllabus, they touch lives.

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Book Character Day

The school held its inaugural Book Character Day on Tuesday, 3rd May. This event was organised to further

boost reading interest among its students by encouraging them to dress up as a character from their

favourite book (not just a character from a movie or cartoon they have watched). Although it was the

school’s first attempt in organising this fun-filled event, it was well-received by some enthusiastic readers

who came to the school with their distinctive designed costumes such as Harry Potter, Snow White, Mad

Hatter, Little Red Riding Hood and many more. Some teachers also dressed up to encourage as well as

promote the excitement of reading. In a nutshell, it was a good start for the students to not only read the

books but also “walk out” of the settings and meet the audience.

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Year 6 Graduation Trip

Seventy Year 6 students and four teachers went on an exciting

heritage trip to Penang, Ipoh and Malacca in May. There were many

opportunities to meet new people, share stories with one another

and to show care and concern as they travelled from one state to

the other, it goes without saying that taking selfies became almost

part of the menu during mealtimes.

Visiting the various cultural sites was a rewarding experience as

well. The two able tour guides helped the students to look at history

with fresh eyes and rediscover its beauty and significance in their

classroom lessons. Being there in person helped them to appreciate

the intrinsic value of places of history whilst gaining an awareness

of its impact in the world today.

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Star of the Month

The following students have been nominated as the Star of the Month.

KEY DATES FOR THE TERM

May

Yap Wai Kit (8U)

- Good attitude and responsible student

Wong Yuan Jie (5S)

- Helpful & responsible student

Date Event

6 June 2016 Public & School Holiday (Agong's Birthday)

9 June 2016 Pre-School Graduation Trip to UK Farm

11 June 2016 IGCSE Ends

18 June 2016 Public & School Holiday (Awal Ramadhan)

12 June 2016 Year 11 Prom Night

24 June 2016 Year 11 Graduation Ceremony

22- 26 June 2016 AHIS Year End Exam (Primary & Secondary : Y7 -Y9)

23 – 30 June 2016 AHIS Year End Exam (Y10)