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MSHS
Written by Mr. Alex Nenes
Dear MSHS Community,
I’d like to start this week’s MSHS updates with a HUGE THANK YOU to all parents, students, and community members who participated in the celebration of SWA 15th anniversary. The family day was a tremendous success. The weather was perfect for most of the time, which allowed for outdoor activities and games. On top of that, we had the honour to receive several alumni during the day. 4 alumni from the very first graduating class at SWA (Class of 2012) participated in the event. We also had alumni from the classes of 2015 and 2021.
Moving forward, we are very excited with the World Robotics Olympiad which will be held in Germany in the month of November. SWA will be represented by students Ayden and Yu Ju from Grade 10 along with Jessica from Grade 9. Good luck to our SWA Roboknights!
On another note, MSHS students are in their final week of assessment and will start their semester exam revision next week, from November 14th to the 18th, with semester exams taking place from November 21st and onwards. This year students will have the opportunity to experience a full suite of exams and this way acclimatise to being given new information and able to recall facts and figures as well as to enhance critical thinking, evaluation, and analysis. An exam is a major factor in learning and it provides students the chance to learn the lesson of patience, discipline, and leadership through their examination sessions. By sitting for exams students develop thinking, logic, and quick decision-making skills.
MYP UPDATE
Written by Mr. Haoken
Dear MYP Parents & Guardians,
Our MYP Programme embraces key elements of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) as well as external assessments of CAIE. Together with our BEST Pathways, SWA's Grades 6 to 10 programme combines age-appropriate approaches, a focus on ATL skills development and academic rigour, ensuring that our students are prepared for success.
Please see the notices and reminders for the coming weeks of Term 2:
Summative assessment tasks are posted on Managebac. Teachers clarify the expectations for each summative task with direct reference to the subject assessment criteria, (A, B, C, D). All teachers will provide a minimum of 5 days notice in advance informing students of summative assessments. Assignment feedback will be key to encouraging our students' development. Teachers provide an overall guidance comment within the Managebac platform and return all markings within the 7 days turnaround period. Please feel free to contact us if you encounter any issues.
MYP Semester 1 Examinations will take place as follows:
Grades 6 - 8: November 21st - 25th, 2022 from 7:20 - 12:15 (exam leave dismissal)
Grade 9: November 21st - 25th, 2018 from 7:20 - 12:30 (exam leave dismissal)
Grade 10: November 23rd - December 1st, 2022 from 7:20 AM - 3:30 PM
Revision in all classes will take place the week before each examination session begins and no summative assessments are allowed during this period devoted to revision.
All G6 – 9 examinations are summative of material in both Terms 1 and 2 in all subjects while Grade 10 exams are 'full mock exams' summative over all of Grade 9 and first 2 terms of Grade 10.
Exam leave forms will be distributed the week before revision week and require students to have satisfactory academic performance, attendance and service as action and personal project progress in order to qualify.
Semester 1 Examinations timetables will be shared via infoflash.
EX and CAS will not be held during the revision and examinations weeks.
The Grade 10 personal project provides an opportunity for students to undertake an independent and age-appropriate exploration into an area of personal interest. Through the process of inquiry, action, and reflection, students are encouraged to demonstrate and strengthen their approaches to learning (ATL) skills. Grade 10 students received their Objective A (Planning) written feedback and submitted their Objective B (Applying Skills) for supervisor feedback. By February 1st, 2023, Students should be able to complete three elements:
Product or outcome—evidence of tangible or intangible results: what the student was aiming to achieve or create
Process journal—ideas, criteria, developments, challenges, plans, research, possible solutions, and progress reports
PP report—an account of the project and its impact, on a structure that follows the assessment criteria. The report includes a bibliography and evidence from the process journal that documents students’ development and achievements.
Please check Managebac regularly and contact us if you are having any trouble logging into the website.
DP UPDATE
Written by Ms. Andrea
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Written by Mr. Benjamin
GRADE 9 CHEMISTRY - Identification of Unknown Compounds
Grade 9 students learnt various skills to identify unknown chemicals such as gas tests utilised lime water for carbon dioxide, used heat to identify hydrated compounds by water vapour presence, identified ions using various precipitation methods, observed colours of precipitate formation for transition metal ions and displacement method to determine halides. Students worked in groups during formative assessments but they are required to determine the identity of different compounds individually during summative assessment.
Grade 9 students recorded observation data via laptops while performing tests for ion identification.
Patricia and Zachary used precipitation techniques to determine the identity of ions. Jessica, En Nie, Audric, Aradhya, and Kent used heat to determine the identity of the compound.
GRADE 10 CHEMISTRY - Extraction of Caffeine From Coffee and Tea Leaves
Grade 10 students extracted caffeine from tea leaves and coffee for their experimental project under the unit of organic chemistry. Students applied several skills required by organic chemists to achieve success in the extraction process. Some of the skills include separation technique using two immiscible liquids commonly referred to as solvent extraction method, sublimation of caffeine to separate from other organic compounds, crystallisation of caffeine in ice bath and dehydration to remove water using anhydrous sodium sulfite.
GRADE 11 CHEMISTRY - Gravimetric Analysis and Back Titration
Grade 11 students performed several experiments that were part of the requirement by International Baccalaureate to ensure they have sufficient scientific process skills and laboratory hands-on skills to handle their personally-led inquiry-based investigations at the end of the academic year also referred to as internal assessment(IA) and extended essay(EE). Some of the experiments include determination of the empirical formula of magnesium oxide and acid-base titration to determine the concentration of unknown compounds.
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
Written by Mr. Lukas
The Art of Plenary Activities
Plenary activities in class are as important as the main lesson itself. The starter/plenary activities are good for creating classroom discussions as well as a great hook to get students interested at the start of the lesson. In class, it will usually take around 5 minutes, but this important moment actually provides a lot of advantages:
Ask question: The teacher presents interesting questions about content or concepts at the beginning of the class.
Review earlier session: The teacher asks the students to brainstorm about the previous topics and class discussion.
Revisit prior knowledge: The teacher asks questions, provides short examples, and asks for elaborations in order to make students think about the previous topic.
Active class discussion: As the students do their activity, they will discuss the topics related to the activity. This will strengthen their abilities in the particular content.
Grade 9 students are having a group plenary activity on topic “Surds” using a tarsia puzzle. This kind of plenary activity is applicable for all levels as the difficulty level is adjustable.
Grade 11 students are having a group plenary activity on a mini guided exploration about “Introduction of Functions”. This activity allows them to brainstorm about the previous topics and encourages them to have active class discussion among their peers.
THE INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY QUIZ 2022
On the 21st of October 2022, some of the Grade 7 to Grade 12 chemistry students participated in The International Chemistry Quiz 2022 organised by Royal Chemical Institute of Australia (RACI). There were a total of 16 participants. The purpose of the quiz is to promote interest in chemistry and promote understanding on the role of chemists in our society.
The International Chemistry Quiz 2022 took place in DT8450 Chemistry lab on the 21st of October
GRADE 7 DIGITAL DESIGN
Written by Mr. Rajesh
Unit one of the Digital Design course was focused more towards the ways computer systems work. This included Graphical User Interface (GUI) and Command Line Interface (CLI). Students also learned about the Disk Operating System (DOS) commands. Unit two is focused around the development of logical skills in solving problems using computer programs. Developing coding skills at this age would benefit the students in many ways. It would ensure that students have access to the creative, fast-paced world that relies on machine connections. Students can apply these skills to so many different industries and disciplines. Students that want a creative job can delve into 3D animation, web design, or even branding. Students with a drive for research can join AI initiatives and build research pipelines for scientists. For them to develop logical thinking skills, we used flowcharts to understand the flow of control from one part of the program to another. Students are expected to learn more complex concepts involving looping statements, and arrays. The concepts learned at this stage will not only help the students in their Digital Design course but will also prepare them for the IGCSE Examinations in Grade 10.
GRADE 9 DIGITAL DESIGN/COMPUTER SCIENCE
The Grade 9 students are currently learning the ways to solve problems using computer coding, and this requires developing their analytical and logical skills. The focus during this term will be to learn about the nested conditional statements, different types of iterations, e.g. while and for, array operations including searching and sorting and the related pseudocode and flowcharts. The two year’s Computer Science course introduces students to the foundational concepts of computer science and challenges them to explore how computing and technology can impact the world. Besides coding, the students will also be covering additional topics with a deeper focus on concepts such as how the internet works and the societal impacts of computer science.
One of the new tools that we used during the digital design classes was Apple Classroom. Classroom is a powerful app for iPad and Mac that helps guide learning, share work, and manage student devices. It supports both shared and one-to-one environments. Out of many different benefits that this app offers, the one we used extensively was to share student work on a projector without them moving from their seats.
GRADE 11 COMPUTER SCIENCE
Grade 11 students were introduced to object oriented programming and they learned the concepts of classes and objects. While the logical aptitude required to solve a real world problem using coding remains the same, there is a difference in the approaches to solving the problem. With the use of object oriented approach, the students will be able to learn the skills that are not only important from their IB examinations point of view but also to train them for higher studies in the field of computer science. In addition to this, the students covered Topic 1-System Fundamentals. This topic has great significance from the internal assessment’s point of view as the concepts learned in this chapter will be helpful in meeting the Criterion B requirements of the IA.
GRADE 12 COMPUTER SCIENCE
Grade 12 students are currently doing advanced data structure to apply the Object Oriented Concepts (OOPs) in coding. They learned about advanced data structures including linked lists, queues, and binary search trees. Besides this, the students are also working on their IA as they are currently in the development stage. The syllabus for Computer Science HL and SL course will be over in Term 2 and the focus will then be on revision of the course in accordance with IB Diploma exam requirements.
GRADE 7 SCIENCE
Written by Mr. Rahul
Grade 7 has been exploring the topic 7 & 8 from stage 8 of their biology textbook. They have read about different food habits, have researched on how they can create a balanced diet menu for their hypothetical restaurant. They got to appreciate the fact how a balanced diet can create an environment where people get sick less often. They even made a presentation on 10 deadly diseases.
GRADE 8 PRODUCT DESIGN
Written by Mr. Rahul
Product design class has been working on their toy rocket-model for which they will also be creating a showcase box. After becoming comfortable in creating design briefs, design specifications, working with online tools like tinkercad/sketchup, they have been trying handson to create specific models (theme space travel) to become familiar with the use of cardboards, ice-cream sticks, and other basic materials to create prototypes for different products.
GRADE 9 PHYSICS
Written by Mr. Rahul
Grade 9 has been exploring their subject topics by working on different activities (simulations and hands-on) as Confusius says “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand “. They have been keen and motivated to participate in various class activities. They have realised the power of collaboration and work together in harmony. Regular discussions are part of our classroom learning where peers help each other. For one of their class activities to understand the conservation of momentum & energy concepts they even created the Newton’s cradle with the help of ice-cream sticks and marbles available in the MYP science-design lab.
GRADE 10 PHYSICS
Written by Mr. Rahul
Grade 10 has been nearing their end of syllabus and this puts them in a more responsible situation where they have to take care of things understood well so far and the areas they have to work upon. They have been very engaging for a while where they worked upon multiple tasks ranging from creating interactive presentations and working on google forms to answering questions as they try to understand concepts via PheT simulations.
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
GRADE 6
Written by Jay Knight
Have you ever been bullied? How about being a victim of peer-pressure? Moved to a new country and tried to assimilate into the culture? In term 2, ELA Grade 6 has been learning and sharing about these exact themes. As they weave their way through the classic graphic novel, “Anya’s Ghost” they are seeing how a young Russian immigrant in America copes with typical teenage struggles, as she also tries to become the American definition of “cool” and “pretty”. In addition to unpacking all these issues in the story, they also have joined forces to illustrate their own graphic novel, as well as create, direct and act out short episodes of peer-pressure. Covering an array of topics in their performances, they now have deeper empathy and understanding for the main character, Anya, and also a greater awareness of the ramifications and sting of bullying and peer-pressure.
GRADES 7 AND 9
Written by Kevin Blissett
ELA learners in MYP 2 and 4 are fully engaged in literature study and analysis, and have just completed their first summative assessment of the term, which evaluated their ability to identify themes in the works, which they were required to support with text and images to demonstrate understanding. The two works we are enjoying are American Born Chinese for Grade 7 and Ana’s Story for Grade 9.
GRADE 11
In the Diploma Programme, our Grade 11 English Language and Literature students have been busily preparing for a mini-Individual Oral (IO), a preparatory step toward preparing for the IO later in the course. In this case, students have to perform orally a sophisticated analysis of an extract from our current novel Americanah which relates to a Global Issue of their choice. This analysis should prepare them well for further analysis in the semester exams later this month.
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
Written by Mr Lukas
The Art of Plenary Activities
Plenary activities in class are as important as the main lesson itself. The starter/plenary activities are good for creating classroom discussions as well as a great hook to get students interested at the start of the lesson. In class, it will usually take around 5 minutes, but this important moment actually provides a lot of advantages:
Ask question: The teacher presents interesting questions about content or concepts at the beginning of the class.
Review earlier session: The teacher asks the students to brainstorm about the previous topics and class discussion.
Revisit prior knowledge: The teacher asks questions, provides short examples, and asks for elaborations in order to make students think about the previous topic.
Active class discussion: As the students do their activity, they will discuss the topics related to the activity. This will strengthen their abilities in the particular content.
Grade 9 students are having a group plenary activity on topic “Surds” using a tarsia puzzle. This kind of plenary activity is applicable for all levels as the difficulty level is adjustable.
Grade 11 students are having a group plenary activity on a mini guided exploration about “Introduction of Functions”. This activity allows them to brainstorm about the previous topics and encourages them to have active class discussion among their peers.
I&S DEPARTMENT
Written by Aleksandar Marchev
GRADE 9 ENTERPRISE
How business opportunities arise?
Last week the Grade 9 Enterprise students were exploring the intriguing question of how business opportunities arise. In line with their current Unit on “Business opportunities, responsibilities and risk” they completed a formative assessment on identifying what trends and development in JABOTEDABEK (Jakarta metropolitan area) give rise to business opportunities. This task was meant to support them in starting their own enterprise and mimics what companies and enterprises do to evaluate gaps in the market due to changing preferences and demographics of the population in an area. The students were split into 3 groups and after conducting their research they presented their findings in class.
Overall the students enjoyed the assignment and most importantly were able to make connections between theory and practice and understood better how they should approach their Enterprise coursework to make it more meaningful and impactful for a wider audience.
INDONESIAN DEPARTMENT
Written by Ms. Evi
Learning vocabulary is the most important aspect for students in learning the language. The G7 ILA students learnt and explored the Zheng He building by identifying at least 50 things around the ZH building in Bahasa. Then, they had to manually write their new vocabulary on a piece of paper. The winner was the one who wrote the most vocabulary. It is a fun way to teach new vocabulary to ILA students. Moreover, this teaching technique is also expected to add a new outdoor learning experience for students. In addition to the outdoor learning experience, students were also given a task to find the Indonesian story book in the library. They wrote the review of their chosen book as well as summarised their chosen story book. Here are some of the practices in which our learners are doing their best.
CHINESE DEPARTMENT
Written by Ms. Yuan
The G12 students are working on their IA preparation related Sharing the Planet. In order to reflect on what we can do for the earth and reduce our mental stress, students took break time in Chinese class and walked through our SWA campus. They got the sunshine and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of our school which helped them to charge and had a better performance in the class.
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Written by Mr. Freddy
All the MYP Music students from Grade 6 until Grade 10 were so excited in preparing their Halloween performance since the beginning of October 2022. Starting from our G7 MYP2 students who practiced the song “Creepy Carousel” in kolintang ensemble settings. The G6 MYP1 students collaborated with G8 MYP3 students practiced the song “Alice” also in the ensemble settings combining the kolintang with the djembes and hulusi instruments. The Grade 9 and 10 choir students practiced the song “Hide and Seek” featuring Maxi from Grade 8 with his solo “Do Not Stand”. All of them performed their Halloween project performances in the Halloween Assembly on 31 October 2022 that was organised by STUCO.
Not only the MYP Music students, but also 1Take Dance Club, Timbre Music students, and the High School Band also participated in the Halloween performances that livened up the event. Even though most of the performances were creepy and scary fitting to the theme, students learned a lot through this project. They had fun and got a chance to express their creativity in a unique setting of Halloween theme. At the same time, they have developed more performing arts skills with confidence and a higher level of collaborative and aesthetic communication skills. Through the art of performance and theatre, Timbre club were trying to convey the message on the importance and impact of mental health. During the evaluation session in Timbre’s meeting, students shared a discussion on the song they performed from the perspective of the songwriter and interpreted it as an art expression to develop their music appreciation skills. Below are the recording videos of their performances. Please check it out.
G7 Ensemble.mp4G6-8.mp4Maxi ft. G9-10.mp4Timbre & 1 take.mp4Dance cover by 1 take.mp4Joshua, Ben, Woojun, Patricia.mp4VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT
Written by Mr. Alan
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!” William Shakespeare
On October 31st, SWA celebrated the Halloween festival. From Grade 7 & Grade 8 visual art students come out with their most haunted and scary character illustrations. Grade 9 & Grade 10 visual art students help up with the painting works on the props such as the wicked tree, thousand eyes ball, bloody mary, scary clown spirits of faces, silent hills and rest in peace tombstones. Here are some snapshots of the making and display of the props.
“SWA, embracing the future, embracing Asia. Happy 15th Anniversary!”
I was given an honour to design and create a SWA 15th Anniversary installation and to put it over on the peace garden amphitheatre. G12 student, Zheng Ban, helped me with the painting work. This SWA installation will be placed in the Arts Building Lobby beside the big wall banner. I encourage everyone if you see the SWA installation do go over make some greeting wishes and drop the wishing note into the ‘mail slot’ and here are some snapshots.
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