Dear parents and friends of MIS,
This week I have been able to report on more new experiences for our students. Many have competed for the first time in new sports, including Table Tennis and Touch Rugby. The school even recorded its first victory in inter-school sports competition Touch Rugby. The boarding houses are very lively at weekends with a variety of activities on offer. This week the students had the opportunity to engage in the piano masterclass, making pizzas and a visit to Window of the World.
I feel we are now on the home-straight of this term, with just two full school weeks remaining. It is going to be a very busy time with many activities packed into this, beginning with the inaugural Winter Christmas Market on Saturday. I look forward to seeing many of you there for this special occasion.
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Kimi in Year 2 took on extra lines at the last minute for the circus assembly, as a classmate was absent. However, they were all AMAZING!
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St. Andrew was one of Jesus Christ's twelve apostles. Some of his bones are said to have been brought to what is now St. Andrews in Fife during the 4th century. Since medieval times the X-shaped saltire cross upon which St. Andrew was supposedly crucified has been the Scottish national symbol.
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Masterclass in piano with Professor BingBing Li, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
MIS aspires to offer the very best possible learning experiences to young people. To that end, in the performing arts, we have created a link with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, one of Europe’s finest conservatoires. Part of this arrangement includes receiving visits from professors of Music and Drama for masterclasses. Thus, MIS students can receive world-class, university-level tuition in the performing arts throughout their time at school, in addition to regular guidance from exceptionally well qualified teachers. We are glad also to be able to invite students at other schools in the region to benefit from the masterclasses.
On Saturday 24 November, we welcomed Professor BingBing Li to Castle Hall, where she gave a truly inspirational masterclass to our young pianists. Everyone who attended left MIS greatly enriched and a better musician than they had been when they arrived that morning. It was an opportunity for us to meet an internationally renowned concert pianist and to get to know students and parents from other local schools. We all enjoyed lunch on the 8th floor, then our young pianists showed off what they had learnt from BingBing during a short recital at the end.
Identified as a ‘star of the future’ in a Chinese national competition at the age of 8, BingBing Li had performed in many of China’s most famous venues before she entered her teens. She left China to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she graduated with distinction.
Since then, she has performed in many of the British capital’s top venues such as the Wigmore Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall and has picked up many accolades in the industry. BingBing has taught at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester (my old school!), at the Royal Northern College of Music and now at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. You can find out more about her by visiting her website www.bingbinglipianist.com
My thanks to my colleagues in the music department for their support, to Mr Ang for his photography and especially to our administrator Mr Richard Deng, who did so much behind the scenes to help make this idea a reality.
We hope to host a professor in another instrument soon– watch this space!
Mr John Wright
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Ms Gabby Hilton (Piano Teacher), Mr Jon Ang (Juniors Music Teacher), Mr Richard Deng (Performing Arts Administrator), Professor Bingbing Li, Mr John Wright (Director of Performing Arts), Ms Wanyi Liang (RCS postgraduate), Mr Chris Lynn (Head of School)
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Touch Rugby
Monday 21st November was the date of the first MIS Touch Rugby match. The opposition was QSI, a team that had already been playing Touch Rugby for a couple of years. MIS are relatively new to the sport but after being introduced to it for the last 7 weeks in PE lessons and through intense and expert training sessions from Mr Yates, Mr Smith and our Year 12 coach Sam Smith, our students were well prepared to take it to the next level and compete against another school.
Despite this only being a friendly, both our boys’ and girls’ teams did not disappoint as they provided us with a thriller of a competition, showing great respect, teamwork, determination, honesty and resilience; the 5 values that underpin MIS sport and PE.
First up were the boys’ team who got off to a nervy start, as they made a few errors that gave away possession early in the game. Despite showing great strength in defence, QSI eventually scored 2 tries by working the ball out wide. The introduction of Henny soon settled MIS nerves as he helped to organise the team in both attack and defence. Bill and James were able to gain valuable ground through simple crash balls. This made space for MIS to work the ball wide for Jinming and Thomas to use their pace. Through some well worked tries, the score at half time was MIS 4-5 QSI. The second half was very evenly matched with both sides showing great organisation, which created little space for early tries. However, as the match went on and legs began to tire, QSI scored a late flurry of tries which left the score at 7-5. An excellent performance by both teams and many positives to take away for our boys’ team who, once again, showed great potential.
After watching the boys’ game and cheering them on throughout, the girls were able to develop their understanding of the game further. Our coaches had identified areas that we may be able exploit and the girls put this in place straight from the beginning. The speed at which MIS girls worked the ball from the restart was particularly impressive as Mya was able to play the ball from the floor to attacking runs from Aimee and Mackenzie who were always moving forward and looking after the ball. This created lots of space for our faster players to exploit which eventually led to an excellent try as Jenni got the ball deep in her own half and beat 3 players before finding a gap and scoring. This was excellent play by the whole team, particularly Jenni who is slowly beginning to understand just how valuable her speed is. It wasn’t long before QSI equalised after some slick passing out on the wings. Both teams went in at half time with the score at 1-1. MIS dominated most of the second half and it wasn’t long before Mya scored a great try after working a quick restart that caught the opposition unaware. However, with only one try being the difference, it proved to be a nervous end to the match. Mackenzie made an excellent run from her own half and scored what she thought was a try, only for the placement of the ball to be ruled incorrect. Fortunately the final whistle came and MIS girls team won 2-1.
These were the first Touch Rugby matches that our teams have competed in. However, the students showed great understanding and knowledge about how to play. What was more impressive was the organisation and communication skills that were showcased, something that we have been working hard on across all sports. This is another sign of the great progress that our students and the teams are constantly making each time they play.
Mr Nowak
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Science Slams
On Wednesday 13 brave students presented their Science Slams to a panel of judges and an audience of Juniors and Seniors students. Presenters from Years 6-12 talked about diverse scientific topics from black holes to human body systems. Edinburgh's team was crowned the winner with a talk on volcanoes which included a live eruption. In second and third place were Lomond for their presentations on yawning and the brain and Nevis respectively. The judges scored students on their scientific knowledge and presentation skills and were very impressed with how confidently and enthusiastically the students spoke.
Ms Murray
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Mary Maloney on trial!
Year 8 students have been studying ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ by Roald Dahl. After finishing the story they had the task of acting as a defense lawyer for the key character in the story, Mary Maloney. They prepared their arguments and we transformed the classroom into a court. After having a trial run on Friday, each student was sent their individual video so that they could watch themselves and consider how to improve their presentations. Their hard work over the weekend paid off, as all had improved their speeches and once again took to the classroom court to defend Mary Maloney for the crime in the short story (but we really don’t want to give away what happened so why not have a read to find out what it was that she did?)
Ms Steans
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Table Tennis
On Tuesday 27th November the MIS Table Tennis team had their first taste of the sport competitively. The tournament consisted of 9 eventful rounds of high quality table tennis against SCIE. For many of the players in the team it was their first ever Table Tennis fixture, everyone played to a high standard. It was a fast paced event with a mixture of wins and losses. However, overall MIS were beaten by a very experienced SCIE team.
As this fixture was the first of many more to come I am very excited to see what is on the horizon of the up and coming MIS Table Tennis Team.
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Junior Assembly
I was fortunate enough this week to catch Year 2 rehearsing for a circus themed Assembly. It was impressive to see so many clowns, magicians and other performers all learning their parts. There was even a rabbit getting pulled out of a hat.
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Chinese Language Lessons
This week it is my turn to share a short story that took place in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 last Saturday evening. For some reasons I had to give up my Korean-made bicycle that had been with me for more than eight years. I still feel a deep sadness!
Mr Cheung
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生离死别的伤痛，莫过于离开多年心爱的人和物。
上周末由于私人事务缘故，临时要跑新加坡一趟，顺便看看能否把锁在自行车停车位多月，美观轻盈的韩国制爱驹Lespo自行车拿回深圳。
本来之前已经向有关方面问清楚，自行车不用拆就能托运。千辛万苦把爱驹送到机场后，航空公司却要求把整台车拆开包装好才能上飞机。我手上没工具，离起飞时间也不多，最后只有含泪把爱驹留在机场。过边防的时候还隐约听到爱驹对我凄厉的呼喊！目送一只曾经跟我驰骋于济州岛大地和新加坡绿荫之间的爱驹离我而去，心里还在隐隐作疼！
岁月在爱驹身上留下了无数的痕迹：灰色有异味的污垢；略微生锈的齿轮。。。但并没有丝毫减少我对爱驹之情！
还依稀记得，在夕阳西下的韩国济州岛，爱驹跟我驰骋于海港一起看日落。大雪纷飞的冬日值班后，骑着爱驹从学生宿舍披星戴月回家。偶尔还跟爱驹细诉说着生活上的辛酸！我也记得，于热带的新加坡，爱驹与我穿梭于新加坡林荫大道间，沿着实龙岗河(Serangoon River) 河边小径飞驰到北部，隔着柔佛海峡 (Johor Strait) 远眺着椰林树影的马来西亚。
可惜当我把爱驹跟我之间的情谊说给航空公司的女职员说的时候，她竟然微微翘起了嘴角，拒绝了我的要求。当时曾经考虑在航空公司柜台前跪下，哀求他们不要拆散咱们俩，希望他们能网开一面。我跟女地勤哀求说：爱驹向往中国的大地，让她奔上到中国的道路好吗？她后来这样回应：瘸腿的马是不能跑的；就算勉强付运，自行车肯定会变得遍体鳞伤，何苦呢？泪，已经从眼眶掉下来了！在离境大堂还掀起一阵轰动！就这样，爱驹安躺在第六号门旁，安静地看着主人远去，等待着堆填区的呼唤。
珍惜眼前人和物！
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Flute Taster Session
Earlier this week, all Year 5 and 6 students were given a taster session on the flute, led by our resident flute teacher, Ms Vivi. She started off with a quick introduction of the instrument and performed a few pieces across different genres to demonstrate its versatility. Following which, all students were given the opportunity to try the flute for themselves, learning the basics of forming the correct embouchure required to play the flute. This taster session piqued our students’ interest in the flute and other woodwind instruments. We are thankful to Ms Vivi for taking time out of her teaching schedule to do this.
Learning an instrument carries enormous benefits which positively impact a learner across the curriculum. If your child has expressed interest in signing up for one-to-one instrumental lessons, you may register them by scanning the embedded QR code or get in touch with Mr Richard Deng, our peripatetic teaching coordinator, at richard.deng@merchiston.cn.
Mr Ang
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More amazing art murals
Once again Ms McLaughlin and Ms Wen Si have been busy creating murals around the school. This week they created silhouettes of a sprinter leaving the starting blocks alongside the school running track
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Year 6 French students have been making some Arts and Crafts in French lessons. They also made some Christmas' wreaths for the Winter Christmas Market.
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Boarders outings
The boarders had a lot fun last Saturday during their cooking lesson. Chef Marco taught them how to make pizza. They made the dough, rolled the pastry and added all the toppings. After a good hour of efforts, they all managed to bake fantastic pizzas which they certainly enjoyed afterwards. The boarders were also taught how to make mince pies. These will be sold at the Outreach stall during the MIS Winter Christmas Market.
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On Sunday, 19 boarders left MIS to visit “Window of the World” theme park in Shenzhen. Despite the constant rain, the students very quickly took the opportunity to explore a theme park that is full of replicas of sites from all over the world. All the continents are well represented in a park that features stunning replicas of the world’s greatest wonders, historical heritage and famous scenic sites. The park is dominated by a 108 metre tall Eiffel Tower.
Ms Powell
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Healthy Eating Week
This week has been Healthy Eating Week at MIS. Throughout the school day, the Food Committee and Eco-council have been encouraging everyone at MIS to talk and think about how we can ensure we eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet is essential to a productive and enjoyable day; as such, it seems appropriate to focus on fueling the body and brain in week 8 of a10 week half term!
In addition to thinking about nutrition, through colourful and strategically placed posters, students and staff have been talking and thinking about food waste. Juniors students have created beautiful posters reading ‘Taste it, don’t waste it!’ and ‘Finish it, don’t bin it!’, which have been displayed above the food waste bin in the school canteen. Throughout the year MIS aims to reduce its food waste, as part of our campaign to be the first Green Flag international school in China.
During lunchtimes academic and catering staff have encouraged students to eat more fruit and vegetables. Around the canteen there are posters guiding students on how much of their plate each food group should take up. At times it can be hard to encourage young people to eat a varied diet with large portions of fruit and vegetables; however, the Clan Juice Off video, which premiered in the atrium this Wednesday, hopefully reminded them that eating your ‘5 a day’ can be a lot of fun.
Ms Gordon
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Congratulations to both Edinburgh and Nevis who were joint winners of last week's Word of the Week competition. This week's word is 'Commence'.
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Ms Tania Garay
This week we will be saying “adios” to our Spanish teaching assistant, Ms Tania Garay. She does hope to return to MIS later in the school year. The students have affectionately called her Ms Natania. I have asked her close friend Ms Jackson to write a piece for this week’s MISsive about Ms Tania.
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Hello, no time for
What kids are on 'The List?
I’ve not got a plan for teaching this
But I’m sure you’ll get the gist
Today we’re rehearsing “El Dia delos Muertos”
No don’t sit down just yet
Take a seat with Harry
he needs support and attention
That group will be lazy
So if you could keep an eye?
Watch the language doesn’t get too bad,
In case the head walks by.
Are you all right with “Buenosdias and Adios”?
Good, 'cos when you’ve got a moment
I think Pedro and Matt are planning a fight
Can you make sure they don’t go.
And Pablo’s been excluded
Can you write this work for him?
And when you finished all of that
Check for planners and the Spanish homework
Oh & can you take the register
I’ve got to catch the SMT
I've heard Tomas has taken a load of paper
And is planning to print “Don Quijote”
I’m doing some important work
You don’t have that do you?!
Hang on, can’t read this writing
What’s the answer to number 2?
Teaching assistant - what a job
Yes we take it in our stride.
How would we the teachers manage?
We'd probably go and hide!
Ms Tania has helped me a lot. She was a life saver. She used a brilliant technique to make spelling much easier. She could show our students that all words follow a pattern in Spanish. Because of her, our students can learn spelling and write long words with no mistakes. I thank her for all the good things she has done. I respect her, not only for being a super helping hand but more for being the kind, loving person she is.
Tania, our students and I wish you the best in your endeavors and we hope we see you again next term.
Un abrazo y un adios.
Ms Natalia Jackson – Spanish Teacher.
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On that note I shall conclude this week.
Many thanks,
Philip McParland
Teacher of Geography
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Dates for Your Diaries
| Friday 30 November – 15.30 |
MIS Outreach Bake Sale |
| Friday 30 November – 15.30 |
MISPA Second Hand Sale |
| Friday 30 November – 16.00 |
Parent Presentation Phonics |
| Saturday 1 December – 17.00 |
MIS Christmas Winter Market |
| Friday 7 December – 14.30 |
Parent Forum - Peer on Peer Abuse |
| Monday 10 December – 16.00 |
Festival of Carols |
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