Contents

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Message from The Principal

To all in the Uplands Community,

Secondary School News

Year 10 & 11 News

Drama Department

The 60th Anniversary is getting closer and the

preparations are gaining momentum. Please
read the UPTA section of this newsletter to see
what they will be doing to support the
celebrations.

Uplands Roar

Primary & Secondary ECA

Primary School News

5-8

UPTA

9 11

Upcoming Events

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You will soon be contacted by the class representatives

asking for support as well, as they will be preparing a
range of activities and events for the Anniversary Party
on Sunday 15th March!
This week we were delighted to welcome several visitors
to the school. Mr. Paul Rennie, the Deputy High
Commissioner, visited the school today. It was Mr.
Rennies first visit to Penang and to Uplands School.
We also had a visit from an Ex Uplander who was at the
school between 1957 60. Mrs Marje Pirie is on holiday
in Batu Ferringhi and thought that Uplands had been
closed years before until a local resident guided them to
our door yesterday morning.
We hope Mrs. Pirie will be the first of many alumni to
return to Penang in the coming weeks!
Yours sincerely,

Mr. Paul Rennie

Deputy High Commissioner

Matthew Bristow
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All Year 11 & 13 students will receive a full academic report next Tuesday, 10 February. Please ensure you
sit down and discuss this with your child. It is extremely important to do this to ensure that you are both
aware of the progress before the important external examinations which start in May.
A reminder that Year 11 & 13 Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, 12th March, between
4:00pm and 7:00pm in the Block F MPH, which is equally important for you and your child to attend. You
would have received an email on Monday in regards to the online booking process.
Please note the following in regards to this:
Access to the online booking system OPENED at 12:00pm on Monday 2nd February 2015
Access to the online booking system will CLOSE at 17:00pm on Wednesday 11th February 2015 after
this time you will not be able to make or change any appointments.
Booking slots are for 5 minutes only. If you require more time please consult the teacher and agree on a
mutual time to meet again.
Please be punctual to all of your appointments and leave sufficient time between meetings. Each teacher
will only have the designated time slot to meet with you. Should you be late, the teacher is unlikely to be
able to see you unless he/she happens to be free at that time. Please do not surpass your allocated time
as this will interfere with other parents and their schedules.
It is important that your child attends these interviews to hear the feedback from their teachers
Have a great weekend

Craig Skinner
Head of Secondary
craig.skinner@uplands.org
Follow us on Twitter: @UplandsSecSch

Thank you to all the Year 10 students who have now handed their work experience forms in. Over the
next few weeks, I will be confirming the many different opportunities that are available to our students
and advertising them as appropriate. Where there is a considerable amount of interest for placements
within the same field (i.e. Medicine), students may be interviewed to see who will be offered a place.
Students will be given plenty of notice for any interviews that are required and will also be offered the
opportunity to practice their interview technique.
The Year 11s will be issued with their reports next week and there is an opportunity for you to discuss
your childs progress with their teachers. Please ensure you make an appointment with any teachers you
require to speak to and if 5 minutes will not be long enough, please feel free to make an additional
appointment for a different day.
Uplands are hosting a weekend of seniors sport on Saturday and Sunday with teams from both KL and
Penang participating. I wish all the students who are participating the best of luck.
Iain Driscoll
Head of Year 10 & 11

IGCSE Drama Performance

On Tuesday 10th February, the Year 11 IGCSE Drama students will be performing their first
examination piece. There are 4 groups and each one has devised a 15 minute piece of drama from
a stimulus. Please come along to F208 at 4.50pm if you are able to come and support the students.
They tend to perform better in their exam in front of a live audience and your attendance would
be greatly appreciated. Two pieces have been created from a piece of music by Ludovico Einaudi
and two pieces are from theatre genres, Satire and Absurdist respectively. The exam will be
finished by 6.45pm.
Thank you,
Suki Atherton
Head of Drama

Basketball was the focus this week as we had 3 teams in action; the U13 boys and girls and the senior
boys. Dalat were the opposition for all the teams and I am pleased to inform you that the U13 girls and
the Senior boys won their games 30 6 and 41 39 respectively. For match reports, please visit the
Uplands Roar website.
Iain Driscoll
Head of Secondary PE

Swim ECA Cancellations

There will be no Swim ECA in the morning and afternoon next week from Wednesday 11th to
Friday 13th February for both Primary and Secondary due to MSSPP Swim Meet.
Coach Ben
PE Department

Our Year 5 students had a fabulous trip to Kuala Lumpur last week. Check out some of the
photos included in this edition.
This week, 16 swimmers travelled to the Penang Japanese School for a swim meet where our
Uplands students performed superbly in all events. It is likely some new Uplands swim records
have been set! Well done!
Next week, Primary children will begin recording project 1 of their contributions to the Schools
60th Anniversary. Project 2 will be filmed during the first week of March. If you notice your child
singing and dancing in front of the mirror it is for a good cause and all will be revealed in the
middle of March!
On Thursday the Reception children will take part in a yoga class outside of school to learn about
breathing techniques to manage emotions and to experience some yoga poses.
Primary Sharing Assembly: Our next Primary Sharing Assembly will happen on Monday, 9
February with Year 3 children hosting. The assembly begins at 2:00pm in the foyer and parents
are welcome to join us.
Chinese New Year Celebrations: On Monday members of the UPTA and parent helpers will be
decorating the ground floor in celebration of the New Chinese Year. Some of these decorations
have been made by the Primary children. On Friday, 13 February, we would like all Primary
children to come to school wearing traditional Chinese dress or be dressed in red and gold
colours. At 12:30pm there will be a Lion Dance performance on the ground floor for students,
staff and parents. For our Reception children we hope parents will stay to see the Lion Dance
before taking their children home.
Year 5 & 6 Production: To commemorate our 60th Birthday, Year 5 and 6 are proud to present
their musical production, "ROBIN AND THE SHERWOOD HOODIES". Make sure you get your
tickets as soon as possible. Tickets are available from Ms Karthini in the Primary office. No
reserved seating. Flyer designed by Chelsea Choo.
Alison Nicholson
Head of Primary
Follow us on Twitter: @uplandsprisch

Year 5 Petronas
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Year 5 Science Centre

Year 5 Kidzania

Year 5 Islamic Museum

Year 5 Kuala Lumpur Trip

We have lots in store for students, staff, and parents alike this coming week. Please read on
for important dates and descriptions of exciting events.
February Coffee Morning:
The next UPTA Coffee Morning will be held on Tuesday, 10th February at Tiffins Restaurant in
the PARKROYAL Hotel from 8:30 to 10:30. Please RSVP to uplandspta@yahoo.com if you are
able to attend. Lets all wear red, gold, or a special Chinese outfit in the spirit of Chinese New
Year!
Chinese New Year Events:
Decorating Uplands
On Monday, 9th February from 8:30-2:00, UPTA volunteers will be transforming the school for
Chinese New Year. Email uplandspta@yahoo.com if you would like to be a part of the magic!
Any decorations you have to contribute will also be appreciated and put to good use. Please bring
them along with you on Monday, or drop them off in the front office.
Calligraphy Master and Mini Markets
On Monday, 9th February from 1:00-3:00 in the front foyer, renowned Chinese calligraphy artist
Master Tan will be at Uplands demonstrating his talent by special invitation from the UPTA Craft
Group. Watch as he creates beautiful works of calligraphy, which can be customised and brought
home for a modest donation to the UPTA. At the same time, the Uplands China Parents Group
will be holding a Chinese New Year Mini Market, followed by a second Chinese New Year Mini
Market on Friday, 13th February from 11:30-3:30. Parents are welcome at all of the above.
Lion Dance Performance
On Friday, 13th February at 12:30, there will be a professional Lion Dance Performance to help
Uplands usher in luck along with the Year of the Goat as per tradition. Parents are invited to enjoy
the show.
Surprise for Students
All students will be given a special Chinese New Year surprise to take home on Friday the 13 th.
Watch for it, parents!
And in case you missed it...
Yesterdays China Country Lunch was a huge success. Along with the scrumptious feast arriving
dish by delicious dish to the opulently decorated round banquet tables, seemingly endlessly, there
was a variety of thoughtfully planned entertainment for our thorough enjoyment. For instance,
guests were treated to a calligraphy demonstration and explanations of the meanings and
significance of the words and phrases produced, and several lucky attendees brought home one of
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these works of art. To everyones delight, there were also performances of three different
traditional Chinese musical instruments and Chinese opera singing by talented Uplands parents,
which elicited calls of encore from the group. Enthusiastic volunteers then took the very rare
opportunity that was offered to pluck out their own tunes on the string instruments, to resounding
applause. And as if all of that werent enough, there were gifts to be given, games to be played,
and prizes to be won throughout the event. How many animals of the Chinese Zodiac can you
name? Have some fun with the kids and ask them if they know their signs. Mine are a dog, a pig,
an ox, a rabbit, a dragon, and a horse, and my husband and I are a couple of monkeys. (No wonder
it feels like we live in a zoo sometimes.) Thank you so much to everyone who supported the China
Country Lunch with their attendance and high spirits. And a huge Thank You to China Country
Rep Xisi Zhang and her team of enthusiastic Uplands parents who shared their talents with the
group and supported the smooth running of this very well organized event.
Uplands 60th Birthday Party:
We now have confirmation from our France, Malaysia, Japan and USA Country Reps that they
will be running fantastic food stands at the Uplands 60th Birthday Party on Sunday, 15th March.
Thats the spirit! If you are a Country Rep, or if youre not but youd like to whip up something
delicious to sell at your own food stand, please email uplandspta@yahoo.com as soon as possible.
We need at least 10 food stands and many more hands to prepare and sell food to the 2000 hungry
people that are expected to attend this grand celebration. Our school is counting on us big time,
so lets show everyone that thats how we like to do things at Uplands. We also need volunteers
to take turns selling drinks and sorbet for an hour or so. And if you really want to have some fun
at this party, sign up as a group or with your own family to perform a song or dance from your
homeland. If you can dress the part, thats better still. Its your time to shine! The kids will love
it.
Committee Positions and AGM:
The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson positions on the UPTA Committee are available. We are
also looking for volunteers to join the Committee for a fresh term starting in March. If you are
interested in increasing your hands-on involvement at Uplands as a core member of the UPTA,
now is the perfect opportunity. Please contact uplandspta@yahoo.com for details. The date of
the Annual General Meeting will be announced soon.
Your UPTA Committee hopes you enjoyed the Thaipusam holiday this past Tuesday. Now get
ready to ring in Chinese New Year at Uplands back by popular demand!
Kind Regards,
Roslyn Wirth,
UPTA Secretary

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Uplands O15 Football & Basketball Invitational

Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 February

Year 3 to 6 Sports Morning

Thursday 12 February

Mid Term Break at 2.40 pm

Friday 13 February 2015

Boarding House closes at 12.00 noon

Saturday 14 February 2015

Boarding House re-opens at 2.30 pm

Sunday 22 February 2015

School re-opens

Monday 23 February 2015

Uplands Anniversary Party

Sunday 15th March 2015

Term 2 ends at 12.00 noon

Thursday 2 April 2015

Boarding House closes at 12.00 noon

Friday 3 April 2015

Boarding House re-opens at 2.30 pm

Sunday 19 April 2015

Term 3 starts

Monday 20 April 2015

School closed Labour Day

Friday 1 May 2015

Term 3 ends at 12.00 noon

Friday 19 June 2015

Boarding House closes at 12.00 noon

Saturday 20 June 2015

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