MS HS NEWS

MSHS UPDATE

Written by Mr. Alex Nenes

And then…

…in the blink of an eye…

…the first semester of this academic year is coming to an end. I’d like to thank all parents for the support provided, congratulate the students for their hard work and perseverance, the faculty for their care and dedication, the office staff and all our community members for a successful and mostly normal semester.

The Semester 1 exams ended last week after a very successful full suite, on-site exam session, which closes the full assessment cycle for semester 1 of 22-23. I’d like to commend the excellent work of our Coordinators: Ms. Andrea (Diploma Coordinator), Mr. Haoken (MYP Coordinator) and Ms. Rhea (IGCSE Coordinator) for their leadership and guidance leading the examination process. A special thanks to our MSHS Admin, Ms. Erica and Ms. Chatrine for their tireless and unconditional support. Of course, I’d like to give a super thumbs up to all MSHS faculty for their dedication and flexibility in the preparation of the papers, invigilation, and marking.

We are now a few days away from several exciting activities, not only in MSHS, but in the whole school. Stay alert and mark your calendars for the Hour of Code/Computing Day, MSHS STUCO Sports Day, Holiday Concert, and Parent Teacher Conferences. I can’t find the words to express my gratitude to all our community for the fantastic first semester we are about to close. I would like to wish Good luck to our students who are going this week to Sekolah Kami for a visit in order to interact with their students and develop a better understanding of their needs and how our SA and CAS initiatives can provide them a better experience in school and relieve some of their needs. SWA has partnered with Sekolah Kami for a number of years and we are very proud of our students for being caring, knowledgeable young citizens who care about the wellbeing of others. A special thanks to Ms. Elma, CAS Coordinator for her hard work, dedication and excellent guidance to our students. On the same note, let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for a great performance of SWA Spike, our Volleyball Club in their first participation in a tournament at Global Jaya. Good luck to our athletes and their coach, Mr. Greg.

EDUTECH ASIA 2022 - SINGAPORE

This year the EDUTech Asia, a traditional event that gathers thousands of EdTech professionals, educators, companies and educational institutions in one of the largest conferences and exhibitions for educators and EdTech providers took place in Singapore on November 8 to 10, 2022. This year’s edition counted with 350 speakers across 7 stages covering K-12, Higher Ed, classroom technology, digital curriculum and digital leadership as well as 200 of the world's leading education technology players and a further 150 EdTech startups showcasing the latest EdTech solutions. SWA was present in the 2019 edition of the EDUTech Asia, occasion when SWA was awarded a silver medal in Best STEM initiative category. This year, Mr. Alex, SWA MSHS Co-Principal participated as a guest speaker. His presentation was about change management and digital transformation in education. The title of Mr. Alex’s presentation was “Change Management: It is about the people, not the tech.” and focused on the need to keep in mind that in education, the difference is made by how educators use the technology. Mr. Yohan and Ms. Yessica from the SWA IT Department participated in the event in the search for innovative solutions and partnerships to continue the development of our school.

MSHS INTERNATIONAL DAY

Written by Mr. Alex Nenes

The International Day Celebration in MSHS was a great success. This year’s theme was “A Journey Across Asia” in which each homeroom was randomly assigned one Asian country: Indonesia, Thailand, China, Philippines, India, Japan, and South Korea. The teachers and students decorated the display area in the Gajah Mada Piazza with images, artefacts and objects that represent the country they were assigned. The Exhibition included an international potluck lunch in which it was possible to share culinary delicacies from several countries. The flag parade and the stage performances in the Theatre added great joy to the event.

Congratulations to all MSHS students, teachers and parents for the beautiful and really well organised event.

Homeroom displays:

Event Pictures:

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 Grade 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:

1. Congratulations to all students in completing their Semester 1 Examinations. Students will be working on a variety of activities and celebrations in the coming weeks, including reviewing and reflecting on their performance over the semester and goal-setting for Semester 2.

2. PTC Booking start from Monday (12 Dec.) and Report Cards will be issued on Thursday (15 Dec.)

3. Students will complete 'Hour of Code' activities this coming Wednesday (13 December 2022) including Google, Code.org, Code.HS, Panoramic 360 Hackathon, and e-sports challenges. Hour of Code (link) is an international event focusing attention on the importance of coding as a key skill of the future.

4. Interdisciplinary Unit Update

One of the key features of the MYP is its emphasis on interdisciplinary teaching and learning. MYP 1 - 5 will be starting their IDUs at the beginning of Term3, Below are the unit titles by grade level

• Grade 6 "Utopias"

• Grade 7 "My Green School/ Sustainable School"

• Grade 8 "Financial Planning - Money Math"

• Grade 9 "Adventures in Cartography"

• Grade 10 "Raising awareness regarding global issues linked to the use of antibiotics through the production of accessible video clips"

5. 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 completed their Objective A - Planning during August and September 2022 and progressed into their Objective B - Applying Skills. 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.

6. Please check Managebac regularly and contact us if you are having any trouble logging into the website.

7. The First Day of Semester 2 is Wednesday, January 4th, 2023.

Thank you and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have concerns, questions or feedback on any MYP matter.

The extended essay (often called the EE) is one of the three core components besides ToK and CAS in the IB Diploma Programme. It is a research based paper comprising 4000 word structured essays. On December 7th and 8th, 2022, our DP1 students began officially launching the EE through the Dragon's Den presentation. They are currently working on their pitches, and by the middle of January, they ought to be completely prepared to begin their extended essays. You'll enjoy the variety of fascinating research questions and topics we have. It is a pitch intended to be completed independently and then delivered to the supervisors so that students can receive feedback on their ideas, delivery, clarity of research questions, understanding of their own EEs, and the direction they intend to take in the upcoming six months. Students are prepared to present their ideas and topics related to the subject that they wish to explore for the extended essays.

DP EXAMS
Written by Ms. Bozzetti

Being successful on any exam not only involves preparation and utilization of resources, it is also indirectly linked to the candidate's confidence level. Having confidence helps dispel test anxiety caused by fear and uncertainty of the subject material. The more prepared candidates are, the more confident they become. DP grade 12 students face their full examination set during the semester exams under the final IBDP exams conditions while grade 11 experience for the first time the protocols and demands of the exams room required by the IB Diploma Programme. These exams test the technical aspect of the subject as well as the practical. Preparing early increases subject interpretation and the likelihood of success. Here at SWA he engages in practice aiming to achieve the highest goals possible in a sustainable manner and providing students with the best education that will develop skills that can be carried throughout life.

MSHS HOLIDAY CHARITY CONCERT 2022

Written by Timbre, Mr. Freddy, and Ms. Elma

It’s that time of the year again, the long-awaited MSHS Holiday Celebration 2022 is coming! We would like to invite all the SWA Community to come and join us on this year's Charity Concert and Holiday Celebration that will be held on the Thursday, 15th of December 2022.

Timbre with all the Music and Art students have prepared a series of performances, fashion show, arts exhibition, and of course our very own Christmas themed drama which we hold every year. The drama was written and directed by Chelsea, Jason, and Matthew P from Timbre with some original songs. Not only will we celebrate this wonderful season with the SWA community, but our special guests from Sekolah Kami will joyfully join us in this year’s celebration making it a uniquely memorable Chrismas Celebration as we await the “Chrismas Odyssey” as we explore the youth of hope.

In accordance with the IB statement and SWA’s strive to develop inquiring and caring young people, this year we are combining the Holiday Celebration with World Children’s Day and the adopting the theme “Youth of Hope”. Working together with all CAS/SA Groups, we focus on the impactful activities that our students have initiated to benefit various communities and to help provide solutions to global youth issues.

Timbre Musical Drama "Chrismas Odyssey: The Youth of Hope":

Aaron, a dying old man has but one wish, to relive his fond memories of Christmas in the past. His grandson makes a time machine to help him travel back in time and re-experience those glorious days. Our voyage through time starts again with a little boy, innocent and filled with joy. As he journeys the path of age and finds new love, the once bleak canvas of life starts brimming with color and light again. Will this dying last wish finally be granted? Join us in this fantastical tale of triumph and sorrow!

For the Charity Concert, we would like to invite all MSHS Community to contribute in our donation program for this year. All the donations will be sent to the children in Sekolah Kami in Bekasi, and it will be very useful for them. Below is some arrangement that we can suggest to all grades in MSHS, but we are also open for any kind of donation for the kids. All the donations can be put on the table that we will provide at SWA Lobby from 8 December to 14 December 2022.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
Written by Ms. Aleksandra

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery - Grade 8 English Language Acquisition

We wrote a letter to an alien, and then a letter to the pilot; we made a poster, a timeline and Venn’s diagram, and we analysed the most interesting quotes. We enjoyed reading the novella (however some of us cannot for sure state how long it took them to read it), as well as talking about the little prince and his rose, the meaning of thorns, and the friendship between the pilot and the little prince, the significance of creativity and choosing the right profession. We talked about the hidden meaning in the character of a geographer who writes down the facts but has never seen a mountain or a river, the character of a businessman who counts his wealth in stars that he cannot possess, a drunkard who drinks to forget that he drinks, etc. All these characters represent different perspectives of human nature. We don’t want to reveal too much. Just be encouraged to read the Little Prince and discover new worlds.

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Written by Mr. Ciaran

Grade 7 Science

Students reflected on their preparation for the semester exams, and also gave constructive feedback on the difficulty level of the question paper. Good thing is that everybody has given their best shot, and they are open to improvements in the semester ahead. In the class they are now exploring chemistry, where they are learning about various compounds like oxides, hydroxides, sulfates, carbonates and chlorides. This week they will work in groups and will try to create very informative posters to be put on the wall in their Science lab.

Grade 8 Digital Design

This has been a varied term for students in Grade 8 Digital Design. The focus in Grade 8 is on providing students with the opportunity to continue to explore the design cycle, whilst helping them develop skills required to pursue Computer Science in Grades 9 and 10. Earlier in the year the class explored Encryption, creating challenging encryption treasure hunt activities for their classmates. They then learnt how to use Python to decrypt and encrypt messages. Building upon this knowledge, the students applied their knowledge to the Design Cycle, collaboratively writing and coding Text-based Role Playing games, for specific clients, such as their teachers or friends.

Students have realised the importance of effective collaboration and communication- since if the script is changed after coding has started, it can be very challenging to re-write the program. It has also helped students to appreciate the importance of selecting the right client, since a client who is invested in the product will always provide more meaningful feedback. More recently, students have explored databases, and completed a practical task which required them to construct a database and run queries. Students learnt the importance of using Structured Query Language correctly, since just like Python, the correct syntax must always be used in order for queries to function as required. Most pleasingly, the class attained great results in their Digital Design Semester exam. It has been terrific to see how far they have come.

Grade 9 Physics
Written by Mr. Rahul

Grade 9 students have tried to figure out their weak portion from the syllabus, have given extensive feedback on the difficulty level of the semester exam paper. In the class we have already started a new topic “Force and Energy” which we are trying to explore via PheT simulations and classroom discussions. I must say that the energy of G9 students have been special throughout the semester and we expect the same enthusiasm in the coming term as well.

I&S DEPARTMENT

Written by Ms. Aleksandra

Greece - Grade 9 Thinking Skills

The idea was to present a culture that greatly contributed to the development of philosophical thought - Plato, Aristotle, Socrates; as well as literature, education, etc. For Greeks education of the human mind goes together with education of heart and soul (logos, pathos, ethos). One of the most famous quotes that was the slogan of the education system in Greece is ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’, therefore there is the word ‘gymnasium’ which has two meanings - a school with a very strict academic programme, and a place to do physical exercises. We enjoyed learning the steps of sirtaki, a traditional Greek dance with very complicated steps; but we did that and we are glad the audience liked it. This is how we prepared and what we learned during our preparations.

These are different stages of the preparations:

CHINESE DEPARTMENT

Written by Mr. Xia

中国古代人使用的竹简上面也有页码吗？

在课堂上，Grade 9 CLL 学生读了一篇关于中国古代人把文字刻在竹片或者竹简上，然后把竹片用绳子穿起来，做成册的阅读理解。

下课以后，学生对于这种竹册是否也使用页码，产生了浓厚的兴趣，并自己进行探究，写出了探究成果文章，

虽然文章看起来还不是非常成熟，但这种好奇心和探究精神，是非常符合我们IB 学习者培养目标的，也是应该受到大力鼓励的。

Are there any page numbers on slips of bamboo for writing used by ancient Chinese people?

In our Grade 9 Chinese LL class, we read an article about the ancient Chinese people carved words on bamboo pieces, and then put the bamboo pieces together with ropes to make a bamboo book. After class, the students En Ni and Jasmine had a great interest in whether such books also used page numbers, and made their own research, then wrote a research paper. Compared with professional academic papers, although the research achievement does not seem to be very standard, this kind of curiosity and inquiry spirit is very consistent with our IB learner profiles objectives and should be strongly encouraged.

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

International Mathematics Paper Structure Investigations

Written by Mr. Emerson

Paper 2 is the only non-calculator paper of International Mathematics. Given 15 questions, Grade 9 students were tasked to explain how non-calculator questions are to be answered. Students also gave their reflections on how they can further improve their mathematical skills when preparing for this non-calculator paper.

Moreover, as Grade 10 students prepare for IGCSE, they were tasked to investigate the structure of IGCSE International Mathematics Paper 6. They interviewed a Grade 11 student who sat for the International Mathematics last May 2022. Through the interview, their goal was to understand the structure of Paper 6 and how to prepare for it.

INDONESIAN DEPARTMENT

Presentasi Budaya Indonesia

Written by Mr. Ahmad

As part of the activity for the Individual Oral Presentation (IOP), Grade 12 Indonesian B students made presentations about Indonesian culture. Students conducted live oral presentations to present their research related to "Pencak Silat", "Angklung", and other Indonesian cultural heritage. This is very crucial because in IOP Indonesian B, students must be able to present one aspect of culture in the life of Indonesian language and society.

Students practised to ensure the vocabulary used is appropriate to the task, and varied, including the use of idiomatic expressions. In addition, students also made it a habit so that pronunciation and intonation are easy to understand and help to convey meaning. Furthermore, during the presentation, Jonathan, Vacya, Selma, and Ivan provided both descriptions and personal interpretations relating to the stimulus of Indonesian culture.

KOREAN DEPARTMENT

Written by Mr. Lee CY(李 忠燁)

During the first semester in 2022, Korean grade 7 consisted of two students. One had not taken Korean language lessons, but had read a lot of works written in Korean at home, so Korean level was at a high level. However, the other students had no Korean classes or Korean works at all, so the Korean was at a low level. The challenge of the grade 7 Korean class was how to teach the two students with differentiation. Classes were held twice a week for 2 hours, divided into 1 hour each student, and each student had a different class.

At first, it was difficult to set the direction of the class, but as a result of the class with patience, it was able to improve the ability to use the Korean language to some extent. In addition, as a result of conducting supporting classes for one hour a week, it helped to fill in the missing parts. In the second semester, we plan to improve the Korean language skills of the two students to the same level by taking more supporting classes.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Written by Mr. Freddy

As the Holiday Concert is coming soon, all the MYP Music students were working extremely busy on their very limited preparation time after the exam week. All the Grades 6 and 7 is preparing an ensemble with our own arrangement Christmas Overture for the Charity Concert opening. The Grade 6 will play the wind melody part while the Grade 7 students will do the accompaniment with the tuned percussions. They also work together with the Strings club and some of the Grade 8 students for this Overture performance. While the whole Grade 8 is singing together for the drama’s finale part that prepared by Timbre Music club. The Grades 9 and 10 is preparing the choir performance that will be the part of the drama performance too. Please come and join this charity concert on December 15th,2022 at 12:50 to share the joy during this Holiday season.

Grade 9 Visual Art students were helping Ms. Aleksandra Strahinic working on the paintwork of a water gallon turned into a unique masterpiece artwork. What do you think, pretty cool wasn’t it?