Dear Parents & Students,
Public Holiday
Please note that Monday, 1 August is a public holiday. There will be no ECAs for the month of August with effect from Tuesday, 2 August. We will notify you before the ECAs are to resume. Please arrange for your transporters to pick up your children early as the office will be closed by 4pm at the latest for the month of August.
School Security Regulations
In the light of recent developments both at the school and in other parts of Johor State – most specifically the dreadful hostage situation that occurred in a school in Muar – the staff and management of Sri Ara schools have recently conducted a review of our safety and security procedures.
Everyone at Sri Ara is proud of its reputation and our ability to run a fairly relaxed establishment. At the same time however, we cannot afford to ignore events taking place in the real world. The safety of our students is always at the forefront of the mind of every staff member, and we cannot take chances in this respect.
As a result of our review, we will be tightening security, introducing changes in several phases.
We are asking for the support of all parents and friends of the school in implementing these changes.
We do appreciate that these developments may cause some parents a small degree of inconvenience, but given that we are doing this to make sure that your children remain safe whilst they are in school, we are hopeful that we can count on your support.
The first tranche of changes will be implemented with effect from (and including) Monday, 8 August 2011.
Between 8.00am and 8.15am, there will be a 15 minute period of ‘grace’ where access to the school will be free as it is now. After 8.15am however, the new rules will be applied and the gate will be locked.
Similarly, from Monday to Thursday, the school gates will open from 3.00pm. If however your child is participating in an ECA, please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before they are due to finish in an effort to keep possible congestion to a minimum.
On Fridays, the gates will open at 2.45pm as school ends at 3.00pm.
At all other times, every visitor to the school must enter through the front gate only. Access to the school from any other point of entry for anyone except teachers, students and other recognized staff members is strictly prohibited.
All visitors must report to the guardhouse and collect a security pass.
Visitors must report to the guardhouse and collect a security pass.
Visitors must also collect a security form from the guard house which is to be taken to the school office where it will be countersigned by a member of staff. It is no longer permissible for anyone to go straight to a classroom or anywhere else on the school premises without seeking permission from a member of the school staff in advance.
The pass that is issued must be visible at all times when a visitor is on the school premises during normal school hours, excepting the 15 minute ‘grace’ period previously stipulated.
These rules apply to both break and lunchtime and they apply to everyone who is not a member of the staff or a student at the school.
Given that we are doing this for the benefit of your children, we hope that we can count on 100% of your support to make Sri Ara schools a safer and more secure school.
Exclusive Premiere Invitation To ‘Cars 2′
Soroptimist International is a UN supported charitable foundation that funds and runs two schools for refugees in Johor. They are planning a series of fund raising events over the next few months and have asked us to help.
As part of the fund raising efforts, there is an exclusive premiere of the latest Disney Pixar movie ‘Cars 2′, the sequel to the smash hit ‘Cars’ on 20 August. The movie does not go on general release until 25 August, but we’ve a limited number of tickets for the premiere hosted by the Cineleisure complex in City Square.
The tickets are RM35 per person, with proceeds used to help fund the continuing education of 120 refugee children here in Johor.
We would love to see as many students and parents at the premiere.
S Cowan, VP, International School
