Choral Speaking is alive and well!!!

It was refreshing to watch the eight teams pit against each other in the recently concluded Kluang District 2017 Choral Speaking Competition. SM Sains Sembrong secured second place overall and the Best Conductor Award- congrats to Nash, Azhar and Azie for training them. They did well and I knew they would get a placing.  I oversaw the briefing for adjudicators and dabbled as the MC for the closing ceremony haha...what's the Malay proverb...tiada rotan akar pun berguna? Suddenly, in the midst of the closing ceremony the VIP arrived and Radhi was cutely signalling me to notice him and luckily I did. Thank you to Mr. Nasarudin Ahmad (PPD Kluang Co- Academic Officer) for making it despite having to be in three different events on the same day.

Thanks to all adjudicators, Madam Sarojini who was chief adjudicator (SMK Canossian Convent), Madam Rukumani (SMK Seri Kota Paloh), Mdm Nurul Fiza (SMK Taman Sri Kluang), Mr. Nafis (SMK SEDARA) and Ms Sheimah Nallasamy (SMK Kahang)

Congrats to all in the English Panel for making this a success! Tiring but fulfilling day :)
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

Team SASEM -ist runner up and Best Conductor

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Kluang NILAM Awards and endless meetings!

Where was I a few days ago? Was in PPD Kluang handing over the sponsored trophy to winners of NILAM. Although our rep Tharanisha got second place, we are proud of her! I did my small part by contributing the challenge trophies for English (primary and secondary). Felt really good to be able to do that :) May the Kluang rep do exceptionally well at the state level...was wondering if last year's winner was his brother...thought they look similar :)

Hope everyone's doing great in school. Me? Alhamdulillah although four weeks on feels like four months already haha! Seriously, school is different now and I wonder if what we are so busy doing now contribute to results or competency. My school is crazily and insanely busy with meetings every week. One wonders wether one needs to have meetings every week. Some meetings are just so pathetic. Only because one has to show in black and white that meetings have been conducted! There was a meeting just to discuss what to give to parents who donated for our recent parenthon! Lucky me wasn't there but pity those poor souls! I don't blame them for showing sour faces. To be honest, it is not so much that teachers hate their afternoons taken away but it is about making that time worthwhile. Believe me we have a lot in our hands so afternoons are much needed to grade papers, key in all the online apps etc. If ever an afternoon is needed please make it worth our while. Yes, I know you can call teachers in the afternoons but let's discuss something that benefits education. This seemingly insane situation will not subside for I believe next week we will have more meetings!

Cheer up peeps!

Happy teaching!

Winner from SJM

Thara with her winnings!

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Our English Board this week!

Thanks to Roshni and Intan for always helping me in doing up our board. The board is situated in front of the library for easy access ;)

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Learning Beyond The Four Walls

My latest article in the STAR. Happy teaching peeps :)

 



Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Our English Board this week

Our English board this week! Thanks to Roshni, Thara and the gang :) There's nothing like maintaining the English environment in school...little things that hopefully will go a long way!

Those who can Do Those who can do more TEACH

English Board- a simple thing to do!

Our board in SASEM this week :) Simpe yet effective as it it strategically located. Thanks to Roshni , Fatina and the gang for doing this up :) *E for English needs to be capitalised though.

Those who can Do Those who can do more TEACH

D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) Programme and Public-speaking

Date: Tuesdays (English Day)

Time: 7.00-7.25 a.m.

And so...the English Panel finally decided to run D.E.A.R this year in alternately months. We will be alternating it with public-speaking. It's the 3rd year of our public-speaking programme and we should be proud of it. Last year alone, my three classes had nine performances which included public-speaking and sketches and a song thrown in by 4 Abu Hanifah. We were flexible last year as to the type of performance as long it encouraged the use of English. This year, the panel had decided to stick to two: D.E.A.R and public-speaking. To me it does not matter if it is not a new programme. What's important is to do something for the children and to give the programme a new lease of life. To those who have never done this before ought to give it a try.

All you need to prepare is a story or any other suitable texts to be read silently for about 10 minutes. Invite teachers who come to the hall to also participate. Silence really mean silence. How frequently does a student read in English in your school? Not much I would say hence the need for D.E.A.R. Reading is an almost forgotten habit noawadays. Students read their textbooks or reference books more than a good story for example. I really hope the students will gain something from this programme and will support the English teachers.

TAKE ACTION!

Those who can Do Those who can do more TEACH

First Aid Training by JPAM

Thanks to JPAM Kluang especially to En Hadi for sending 5 officers to demonstrate first aid to PBSM members in Sasem. I wasn't too happy with the attendance though. It's not easy to get these officers to come and I had to miss the session too due to a meeting. Am beginning to like PBSM although my experience with PBSM is next to nothing :) What I should've done was to combine all the uniformed bodies that day. Well, better planning next time and hope JPAM will still oblige...Thanks to Azie for handling the session.

The Thinking Teacher

Congrats! Iwana (2 Qayyim)

Iwana Haidah Mohd Hamdan from 2 Qayyim made SASEM proud by winning 4th place in the recently concluded District Level Public-Speaking Competition in SMK Jalan Mengkibol, Kluang. Despite this being her first attempt and being only in Form 2, she managed to get a placing from a total of 26 participating schools. I had two auditions prior to the competition to make sure I made the right decision. And I know she will come back stronger next year :) Congrats!

  

 

The title of my speech today is...

congrats!! proud of you!

The Thinking Teacher

Gold Medal for SASEM : Fully Residential Schools International Symposium (FRSIS) 2012

Date: 26-31 March 2012
Venue: Mozac, Melaka

SASEM won a gold medal in FRSIS 2nd conference!  23 schools were awarded gold medals and SASEM is in the pool. The conference showcased 63 local and 32 international presentations in line with the theme "Global Culture Generates World Unity". Foreign participants came from Indonesia, Laos, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, Czech Republic, Italy, Thailand and Brunei. The host for this year is SM Sains Muzaffar Syah @MOZAC in Air Keroh, Melaka. Congrats to Bindiya (4 Bukhari) and not forgetting her teammates, Azwan, Tarmizi and Izzati for winning the gold medal. We are proud of you!  Congrats to Rozila and Azhar and thanks for all your help. This was a classic example of teamwork amongst teachers in the panel.

To be honest, I wasn't confident that we would win anything. This was because 95% of the other presenters touched on very serious matters such as 'Culture through history', 'Breaking barriers, widening horizons' and being a newbie, I only wanted the students to be exposed to SBP programmes and take this as their training ground so we will come back stronger next year :) I must say though, that in comparison, our presentation was different in that we touched on how food unites Malaysians besides sports and how we can promote our food globally. I felt that some of the presenters sounded older than they were...talking about 'xenophobia' and the likes. I'm glad ours was simple. Although Bindiya was a little nervous (lacking sleep), she did well. Will upload photo of team as soon as it's available :) Well-done! Sleeping on the double-decker in the dorm seems worth it now albeit for one night :) Congrats to MOZAC for a well-organised symposium. And oh! meeting and listening Tun Mahathir Mohamad (our former prime minister) was more than a bonus- it was a gift from God...

This was our abstract: 

 

Great Food Great Nation:

Celebrating Diversity

Bindiya a/p Arasu

SM Sains Sembrong, 86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

 rahmahs@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Food is the other thing besides sports that unite people. We are proud of our food, which is part of our diverse culture. It is more than a commodity that we consume every day. It has a role of uniting people instead of differentiating people. In a culturally rich country such as Malaysia, food is something that all of us enjoy, although in different ways.  It reflects the unique ‘faces’ and culture of the races associated with the food. Globalisation also means that the world has become smaller and information spreads at the push of a button. Because of this, people around the world have become more adventurous with food. Hence promoting local delicacies to the international arena can be made faster and simpler. This is not only profitable for businesses but also instils a sense of pride among Malaysians when our own delightful delicacies go global. In this paper I will talk about the variety of food that reflects the diverse races in Malaysia and how food can play a role in uniting people from all walks of life. I will also recommend ways in which local delicacies can be promoted worldwide as a way of promoting Malaysia’s ethnic and diverse cultures.

Keywords: food, local, unity, globalisation, culture

the delegates from 63 residential schools

Wang Dan (a teacher from Nanyang Girls' High School, S'pore) and I

Our dear Tun Mahathir delivering his keynote address..

Tun Mahathir fielding some questions from students...

School reps from left: izzati, tarmizi, bindiya and norazwan

one for the album :)

The Thinking Teacher

Friday's Date With PS

Date: 24th February 2012 (Friday)

Venue: Khalifah Hall

Time: 7.00-7.20 a.m

Our first public-speaking programme was carried out last Friday. It was well-conducted by Nurul Syafawani (4 Al Ghazali and President of ELS) and Izzati (4 As Syafie and Treasurer) from the English Language Society. Thanks girls! The principal agreed that it will be held once a fortnight alternately with the 'Tazkirah" programme by Persatuan Agama Islam. Mr Adnan, our HEM was in the hall early in the morning to help organise the students. 

The principal, Mr Mohd Noh Mohd Yusof, was given the honour of selecting the first lucky five names 

from a box. Students' names were cut and jumbled up in a box to be picked only on the day itself. This way, everyone had to be prepared. (Thanks Rozilla, the Head of the English Panel, for the colourful and attractive names) Since this was our first session, the speakers were really NERVOUS... And despite the two weeks given to all students,  I was disappointed that the most of them were not well-prepared and were too dependent on the their texts. In my review, I emphasised that they have to be well-prepared for the next session. Notes are encouraged but please, no public reading! I know that there are many of you Sasemians who are talented and can give a good speech. You can also volunteer if you want to. Just submit your names to me and I will fix the week for your turn.

The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step...

Four students were interviewed by Azhar (great job thanks!) and these were their comments:

Student A (From 4 girl) 

Students were not prepared. Since this is the launching, it's not very good. I hope they will be better prepared in the next session.

Student B (Form 4 boy)

This programme is very good to make us brave to speak in front of an audience. I think the speakers did ok today but I hope they will be better prepared the next session.

Student C (Form 4 boy)

This programme will heighten our confidence level and gives us the chance to improve our writing, grammar, vocabulary and speaking ability

Student D (Form 2 girl)

I learn to prepare for something new. I never had public speaking before. I can improve my English and communication. They were a bit nervous and not prepared but I think it's ok as this is our first session.

Thanks to Azhar for taping the session and to all teachers in the English panel for their enthusiasm and support. Many thanks to all other teachers who came to the session too (Mr Adnan, HEM, Head of Languages, Cik Mariana, GPK Koku, Mr Siddiq, both counselors and others). Let's hope for a more vibrant session a fortnight from now :)

Fully Residential Schools International Symposium (FRSIS) 2012

I wanted so much to be involved in internationalisation programmes with students but my previous school did not have such programmes. This was one of the reasons why I'm now in my new school.  Surprisingly, the opportunity presented itself recently. A friend promised to put in a word for me to be a part of a similar programme in the state but am still waiting for any news till now. Hence, this was a pleasant surprise indeed.

Background of FRSIS 
(courtesy MOZAC)

 

FRS International Symposium or Fully Residential Schools International Symposium is a program organized by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. This program is in line with the vision of the Fully Residential Schools (FRS) of Malaysia in producing World Class Leaders.

This program was first successfully held from 9th - 14th September 2011 in Johor, Malaysia. The participants were students aged 16 to 19 years old from all residential schools in Malaysia and other countries such as India, Japan, Singapore, Italy, Korea and Thailand. The program is seen to be able to highlight the quality of students' leadership in organizing international programs. This is evidenced by the active involvement of students in the working committee and in the activities of the program.

In addition, Fully Residential Schools' International Symposium provides an opportunity to more students, especially RS students and students from other countries in general to participate in an international program that allows them to interact, think globally and apply the knowledge gained from the program which has close reference to the country's cultural norms as it is the basic principle of the program.


Objectives 

• Polish talents and leadership skills among students based on the proposed theme which is Global Culture Generates World Unity.
• Facilitate potential national leaders to respect the culture and heritage of a nation because it is a prerequisite for a harmonious development of society and nation.
• Promote awareness and understanding among students that culture and heritage are interrelated and should be respected, preserved and kept in the progress of the race because that aspect is the identity of a nation. 

Aim

The main goal of Fully Residential Schools' International symposium is to produce world-class leaders. Therefore, this programme has created space and opportunities for students to exchange ideas, experiences and sharing knowledge to train oneself as a leader by applying the skills of effective communication, management, public-speaking, leadership, social ethics and protocols, creative thinking and others.

IMPORTANT DATES

Online Registration Due ate    : 10/02/2012

Abstract Submission Due date  : 17/02/2012

Full Paper Submission  Due date  : 02/03/2012

Payment : USD 100/group ( 4 students+ 1 escort teacher)

Payment Due date : 02/03/2012

The main theme is Global Culture Generates World Unity. However, innovative contributions that do not fit into these areas will also be considered since they might be of benefit to symposium attendees. Acceptance will be based primarily on originality, significance and quality of contribution.

Sub-themes for this symposium include, but are not limited to: 

• Cultural GlobalisationCultural Diversity
• Cultural Preservation
• Culture and Language
• Culture and Economy
• Cultural Awareness and Respect
• Youth and Culture
• Socialisation of Culture
• Arts and Culture
• Food and Unity

Rozila and I auditioned the candidates and we were pleased to see enthusiastic students trying their best to vie for the four seats available. More than 30 students came for the audition. Congratulations to the four students selected :

1.  WAN NAZIRA EDORA WAN KAMARULBAHARIN (4 AlKhawarizmi)
2.  IZZATI NORAZMI (4 As Syafie)
3.  MUHAMMAD HAFIZ ABDULLAH WAHAB (Al Farabi)
4.  MUHAMMAD NURAZWAN RAHIM (Al Bukhari)

Let's hope Sasemians will do us proud :)
 

For more information, go to http://frsis.mozac.edu.my/

The Thinking Teacher

English Slot: If You don't Use It, You Lose It, Form 4 Orientation

Date: 7th Feb 2012 (Tuesday)
Time: 8.00-10.30 a.m

Venue: Khalifah Hall, SASEM

A beautiful morning greeted students and teachers in Sasem today. Despite it being a public holiday, all English teachers, Rozila, Syamsul, Azhar and I conducted a two-and-half hour session with all Form 4 students in Khalifah Hall. For starters, I did a session called "Mingle" to break the ice with the accompaniment of 'Moves like Jagger' on the blaring CD. Although the group consisted of 156 students, they carried out the activity wonderfully using English to greet their friends. The second session, 'My Story', was handled by Rozila and Azhar and students had to opportunity to show their creativity with newspapers. Finally, Saymsul handled the 'Vocabulary Balloons' session for the last half hour. I did a brief summation of the whole morning's event and hope that students have benefited from it. Thanks to all teachers and students for their commitment, not forgetting my video man, Rasyad (son) for capturing the moment. Way to go English panel :)

The Thinking Teacher

ELDSS Teacher's Day Project

In a bid to instill a sense of appreciation for their teachers in conjunction with Teacher's Day, the ELDSS initiated the sale of doughnuts and cupcakes on the special day. Permission was given and orders were taken two weeks before. Three types of doughnuts and two types of cupcakes were on the order list. The committee worked very hard to make sure everything went according to plan. I would like to thank all the ELDSS committee members for their commitment in carrying out our project successfully particularly to Wan Er (President), Priya (Vice-President), Susu (Secretary), Amalia (Fm5 rep), Farah Yasmin, Yoges (Treasure) and everyone else who helped. Bravo girls!!  Am proud of you! In addition thanks to Mrs Nuraszlin (ELDSS advisor afternoon session) and her committee members for helping. I certainly hope we achieved our objectives. The whole affair was fun and we made a tidy sum too for the ELDSS fund :) I wanted to upload a slideshow as they are many pretty picts but the connection is super slow tonight.  Will see to it later. Well-done to one and all!

Valerie handing dedications to the teacher concerned

Are these mine? :)

Spoil yourself today teachers!

Wan Er, ELDSS President..a very capable young lady!

~the thinking teacher~

SM Agama State Level Ihtifal Ilmi 2011

Date: 8-9th April 2011
Venue: SM Agama Kerajaan Negeri Johor

I was the Chief Adjudicator for the English debates amongst Agama schools in the state for two days. Hafiz (SMK Belitong) and Azlinda Abbas (Maahad Johor) were fellow adjucators. It was a marathon as we had to adjudicate seven debates altogether. However, all of us survived unscathed :) During my comments session I highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of both teams and congratulated the organiser for its effort. It was heartening to see the speakers trying their best and making use of English as much as they could.  The finals was a Kluang affair. Congratulations to SM Agama Kerajaan Negeri Johor, Kluang who emerged the winner and to Aiman Anwar for being the 'Best Speaker'. Congratulations to Madrasah Arabiah Kluang too for being the runner-up.

Azlinda, me and Hafiz

The Winners- SM Agama Kerajaan Negeri Johor

Runner up- Madrasah Arabiah Kluang

Children's Short Story Competition, Teacher's Day 2011

Date: 16 Feb 2011 (Wed)
Venue: SMK Tinggi Kluang

I was requested by the PPD Kluang to give  a talk on what makes a good story to a group of primary and secondary teachers in the district. This was an effort to encourage more participation from Kluang for the 'Pertandingan Menulis Cerita Kanak-Kanak Sempena Hari guru 2011'.

En Anuar (PPD Anti Dadah Officer, explaining the JKD co curricular programme...

Well done Yellow House!

I'm so proud of you girls..congrats for winning the x-country!!! congrats to the captain (see you can do it) and Pn Maheswary as the house mistress!!!

Let's not stop here girls..go for the BIG one on Sports Day :)

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English Month- Merdeka Message Competition

Congrats to those who took part in the Merdeka Message Competition in conjunction with the English Month and National Day celebrations. You have a lot of talent girls and keep it up!

Ist Place- Lee Sook Chin (4S2)

2nd place- Kwan Pei Ni

The selected work

Third Place- Lam Yoke Lin

Afternoon session- Ist Kong Inn Ye

Selected students' works