Examinations and Deepavali Holidays

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Dear Parents & Students,

PMR Examination

The PMR examination will start from Tuesday, 4 October until Monday, 10 October as scheduled by the Examination Board, Ministry of Education. The exam will be held at SMK Dato Jaafar (SDJ), Jalan Yahya Al-Datar, 80300 Johor Bahru.
Parents will have to send the students direct to SDJ where the teacher in charge will be waiting by the guard house. Please pick up your children from SDJ to go home after the exam is over everyday.
Please make sure that your children are in their proper school attire with hair neat and trimmed and bring along their identity cards.

IGCSE Examination

IGCSE will commence from Wednesday, 12 October to Tuesday, 18 November. The examination timetables have been given to the students and exams will be carried out strictly in accordance with the Cambridge International Examinations.

Final Year Examination

The final year examination will be held as follows:

Section Level Dates
Swasta Secondary Form 4 12-21 October
Form 1 & 2 17-21 October
International Secondary Year 10 13-21 October
Year 9 17-21 October
Year 7 & 8 18-21 October
Swasta Primary Primary 1 to 5 18-21 October
International Primary Year 5 & 6 18-21 October
Year 1 to 4 19-21 October

REMINDER TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS (PMR & IGCSE)

The exam timetables have been given to the students and they hae been briefed on the rules and regulations whilst taking their exams. Kindly note the times for the various subjects and we appreciate your cooperation in making sure that your children reach there on time for the examination. We will not be responsible for any refusal of entry into the examination hall by the school’s administrators or exam invigilators, should the candidates not adhere to the rules and regulations as laid out by the School Examination Centre.

Deepavali Holidays

Deepavali falls on Wednesday, 26 October. The school will be closed for a week from Monday to Friday. 24 to October as holidays for Deepavali, in uniformity with government and private schools.

On behalf of all the staff at Sri Ara, I would like to wish all Hindu teachers, parents and students a Happy Deepavali.

Fatimah Osman, Administration

Newsletter on 15th September 2011

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Dear Parents & Students,

Hari Malaysia

Friday, 16 September is ‘Hari Malaysia’ and is a public holiday for all.

Examinations

We would like to inform of the following examinations:

EXAMINATIONS DATES VENUE
UPSR 13-15 September Sri Ara, Block 23
PMR 4-11 October Sek. Dato Jaffar
IGCSE 11 Oct – 18 Nov Sri Ara, Block 11
SPM 14 Nov – 14 Dec Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar
Final Year Exams 11-21 October (Secondary) Designated Exam Halls
18-21 October (Primary)

ECA

There will be no ECA for the rest of the year except for Taekwondo. Swimming lessons will resume as normal except during exam weeks. ECA periods will be replaced by concert practices. Please look out for further notice on concert practices.

YAP HANZHEN’S ART EXHIBITION

Yap Hanzhen’s Art exhibition entitled, “Of Obedience, Solitude & Beauty” will be held on Saturday, 17 September from 4-9 pm at the Leisure Farm, Gelang Patah. Come and give your support. The Mid Autumn Lantern Event will also be on between 8-9 pm.
Well done, Hanzhen!

Fatimah Osman, Administration

Hari Raya Holidays and SPM and IGCSE trial exams

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Just a quick reminder for all students and pupils, the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive holiday starts this week. As a consequence, the school is on holiday from Friday 26th August to Monday 5th September inclusive.

School will reconvene as normal on Tuesday 6th September at 8am.

The students who are taking SPM and IGCSE trial exams should take particular note of return date, as the exams will begin as soon as we come back. Every student who is taking these exams should have been given an exam timetable, so please consult it to confirm the exact dates and times.

Wishing all “Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf Zahir & Batin”.

Art Exhibition and Premiere of ‘Car 2′

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Malaysian Premiere of ‘Cars 2′

Just a quick reminder that there is to be a Charity Premier of the latest Disney/Pixar blockbuster ‘Cars 2′ to be held at the Cineleisure complex at City Square on Saturday, 20th August at 11 pm. This is a full 5 days before the movie goes on general release in Malaysia, so it is bound to be a great occasion.

The school has managed to get hold of just 20 tickets for this exclusive screening to be sold on a first come first serve basis. Each tickets is RM35 and the proceeds support the terrific work of Soroptimist International, a UNESCO recognized International Women’s Organization that runs two schools for refugees right here in Johor.

Even though it is the fasting month, we would love to see you there or if not, we hope that we can count on your support. Tickets are available in the school office from today, Tuesday 16th August.

Art Exhibition/Display

We are very proud to announce that Hanzhen Yap from International Year 7 is staging two exhibitions of his own art work in the coming weeks. As we understand it, the first Display/Exhibition is primarily intended for dinner guests, but the second solo display is open to everyone by appointment.

Please make a note in your diary, because everyone at the school is very keen to support one of our own!

The details are as follow:

1. Art Exhibition/Display

Organiser:         Kiwanis Club of Taman Sentosa and Kiwanis Careheart Centre
Date:                   Sat 20th August 2011
Time:                  6.30pm
Venue:                Pekin Sutera Reception Hall
Duration:           One night only
- in conjunction with Kiwanis Charity Dinner for Autism Awareness
- proceeds will go to charity in support of autism awareness

2. Solo Art Exhibition

Organiser:         Leisure Farm Corporation
Opening Date:  Sat 17th September2011
Time:                  not confirmed yet, likely whole day
Venue:                Leisure Farm Gallery
Duration:           One month
- in conjunction with the moon cake festival.
- open to residents but visitiors (with appointment) are also welcome.

Newsletter on 28th July 2011

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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

Disney Channel MY SCHOOL ROCKS! Competition in Johor

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One of our team from Secondary Section at Disney Channel MY SCHOOL ROCKS! 2011 Dance Competition.

Primary teams didn’t win any prize but they bravely performed with full of smiles on their faces in front of many audiences and judges on the stage! Well done to the secondary team for your BEST CONCEPT AWARD! and all of you Araisns for dancing and supporting!

Testimonial from parent

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It was 5 years ago when we moved to Johor Bahru from Kuala Lumpur. My daughter started her schooling at the Garden International School in KL. The Garden school has a long history with a good reputation and has more than 1,200 pupils. My daughter was very happy to go to school every day and as parents we were satisfied with their organization.

When we choose Sri Ara International School as her new school at her Year 5, we had a good impression about the school environment and staff but we had some disappointment for the differences of class size and facilities.

However, despite our worries, she started to change for the better in a very short period.

After a few months, a mother of her classmate in KL who knows my daughter well for three years mentioned to me how impressed to see my daughter’s English level is increased.

From that moment, it didn’t take us so long to realize that her character started change as well.

At Garden, she was a happy child but never tried to express herself to others. She was encouraged to put her hands up three times in one class but she was too shy to do so.

At Sri Ara, as they have small number in a class, she is constantly asked questions directly and when she answers, not only the teacher but classmates listen to her and they also reply.

After all, I believe that this dynamic made her confident, good with communication skills which automatically increased her English level as she speaks more.

Nowadays, I hear sometimes she goes to office to make some complains when she feels something need to be discussed. This really makes me wonder if she could do this if we were in KL for all these years.

With friends, teachers and office staff, Sri Ara helped my daughter to be confident and active in many ways. She is really comfortable and happy to be there.

Mrs. Ota
2011

Testimonial from parent

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This is my daughter’s 6th year and the 3rd year for my son at Sri Ara International School. When we start sending my daughter to this school, there were not many choices for non Malaysian children in Johor Bahru.

In the last few years, we have seeing more new schools coming into town. Some parents decided to shift their children to new school from here as their facilities are all new & modern, they looks organized and most parents believe that more children in class enhances their ability of education and communication skill.

What I hear from some of those parents and children recently… They are missing so much of the things that they enjoyed in Sri Ara, a school that has something very special to offer…

This ‘something’ is the thing that binds us to this school.

When you first visit Sri Ara, you will be impressed by the large garden surrounding the charming, old world buildings. Within these buildings, there are always lots of activities taking place such as Cultural day, Tele-match (sports day) and Teachers day.

This is one of the beauties of Sri Ara, I think. The environment and ethos of the school plus their constant program of interesting extra curricular activities, such as Taekwondo, Dragon dance club, Team building motivation camp, SRC’s activities such as fundraising will encourage your child to become more sociable and cheerful.

Whilst they are not perfect, they still have a lot of charm. To start with, class sizes are small – 5 or 7 kids is the norm – so all students are guaranteed personal attention. Compare this with other International schools here where 20-30 in a class is common. And it is obvious to see how this small class size is working well for my children’s academic level.

To conclude, I believe that Sri Ara offers considerably more than most other International schools. By going beyond normal classroom learning, and trying to teach the children social skills, co-ordination, the good habits of concentration and caring and respect for others, I believe that the school is doing an excellent job of preparing the children properly for a full and rounded future.

Mrs. Cowan

2011

Newsletter on 6th July 2011

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Dear Parents & Students,

Disney Channel Dance Competition

This is to inform parents whose children are participating in the dance competition, the auditions will be as follows:

Primary – Registration time @ 7.30 AM

  1. Team No. 3 (Team Leader: Saki)
    Performance Time: 8.30 AM
  2. Team No. 13 (Team Leader: Alana)
    Performance Time: 9.30 AM

Secondary – Registration time @ 9.45 AM

  1. Team No. 1 (Team Leader: Long Shang)
    Performance Time: 11 AM

Please make your way to the MAWAR (Majilis Wanita Johor) hall at Jalan Thompson near JARO. Participants have to be there on time in your dance costume and bring a copy of the MyKad (for Secondary students), passport (for the international students) and birth certificate (for primary students). See you there and good luck!

Southern Equinox

There have been reports of intense radiation for the next few days due to the position of the sun directly above the equator. We would like to caution everyone if you are planning to spend time outdoors, do cover yourselves such as wearing a hat or long sleeves shirt.

Newsletter on 4th July 2011

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Dear Parents & Students,

Parent-Teachers’ Day

This is to remind you that the Parent-Teachers’ Day is taking place this Saturday, 9 July. Parents may come any time between 9 am to 12 noon to discuss your children’s studies with the respective teachers.

The meeting will be conducted at the following venue:

International School

  • Primary: No. 23
  • Secondary: No. 23

Malaysian Private School

  • Primary: No. 29
  • Secondary: No. 13 Hall

(A Layout Plan is enclosed.)

For parking, we suggest that parents coming for the International School and Malaysian Primary School, please park at building No. 23 whilst parents coming for the Malaysian Secondary School, please park at building No. 13.

Parents, you are invited for some refreshments in the Art Room. We look forward to seeing you here!

School Telematch Day

The School Telematch Day is next Friday, 15 July. Students are to be in their House colours; Azure (blue), Cadmium (yellow) or Vermillion (red) to support their teams. The telematch will end at 12 noon. Kindly arrange for the transport to have them picked up at 12.15 pm.

Fatimah, Administration