FRIDAY FLYER-Issue 123
15 Sep 2022
Headmaster's Welcome
Welcome to edition 123 of Epsom’s Friday Flyer!
We open with a welcome, not from our Headmaster, but our Prefects, who contribute in no small part to shaping our college – our ethos and culture.
Here is their address from today’s assembly…
Happy Reading and Happy Friday!
The Prefects – Our Values
Epsom is a special place to live and learn.
We are sometimes asked, “Why would I choose Epsom for my education? What sets Epsom apart?’. The answer is simple. It is its culture and we are all guardians of this culture where we are kind, ambitious, inquisitive and find joy in what we do.
I would say our journey so far as prefects has been an enlightening experience. I learnt that we are here to explore our opportunities, to make mistakes and share our crazy ideas. While communicating and sharing laughter, our focus is our peers, our community.
What can we do to make things better for you?
When times get tough, we like to remind ourselves of our core values as Prefects. I would like to share a few with you now.
- Kindness
I have talked to many teachers and many new students during my life here at Epsom, and I would say that one of the most notable things about our school is how kind everyone is. We greet each other in hallways, look out for one another… and we bond and share memories together, regardless of where we come from, what year we are in or our (at times opposing) views.
I find joy in learning more about other people. I know I can walk up to students in younger years or previously older years, and not be judged. This warmth, and as some would say “Epsom Spirit” is one of my favorite things about this school.
As prefects, we strive to look out for everyone.
Kindness can be shared by any one of you whenever you choose.
- Badmouthing
Gossip spreads, and so when dealing with issues and problems, we like to take everything with a pinch of salt. We like to give people the benefit of the doubt and approach situations from a professional point of view. Some people don’t understand how crucial this is, it is especially important when working in a large group or indeed in any group.
We have to know we can trust and respect one another and be able to rely on each other for support.
- Encouraging Laughter
One of the great things about having a larger prefect team is that you are surrounded by your friends. Remember, a school is where we learn to grow, but we can still enjoy being our childish selves during the process. Through friendly exchanges and laughter, we learn to trust each other and genuinely enjoy working together.
- There is ‘do’ or ‘do not’, but there is also ‘try’
Taking the first step in anything can be frightening. We share ideas with each other and we try to make the most of our opportunities here at Epsom. Things don’t always work out, but the most important thing is that we try our best to make things better for ourselves and for the people around us. Contribution is a choice, and for any action you take, ask yourself this one question, ‘what is my objective’? ‘Do I want to make things worse for others, or better’
Reach Out
But to reach out does not only mean creating events or developing projects, you can reach out on a daily basis, by talking to people you never thought you would before or asking a teacher what they did during their holiday. These small interactions can make your life at Epsom so much more memorable. I really hope you embrace these opportunities.
With that being said, I hope that if any one of you have ANYTHING you ever need, you will reach out to us.
Best wishes,
Keia and the Prefect Team 🙂
Deputy Heads of College
Internships at Epsom:
We are very fortunate that our Governors fully support the work of our school. One of the ways that they support us is by reaching out to their contacts in various sectors to be able to provide internships for our senior students. These sectors range from Law to Medicine, Fintech to Aviation…Read on to see how Afiq and Keia in Year 13 found their internships…
Hi, I am Afiq, and I participated in an internship program during the summer break. My personal interest is engineering, so I was placed under ADE (Asia Digital Engineering). For safety reasons, we were not able to enter the hangar and work on the aircraft itself, so I was placed in RedChain, which is the logistics and warehouse area of the company. Here, all the aircraft parts are stored. I was placed with other trainees from aviation schools. In the first week of my internship, my group was in charge of receiving the aircraft parts. Our job was to inspect all the components and parts that were delivered from all around the world. I learned that for all the parts in an aircraft, they need a certificate from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa), European Union Aviation Safety Agency (FAA), or Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) . Even a screw will need a certificate from this governing body. Some of the parts that I managed to inspect were engine mounts that cost around $27,000, the paint of the plane and more. In the second week, they moved me into the inventory. I learned how different parts are stored, like the paint and liquid, which are stored in different buildings to separate from the rest of the parts because they may represent a fire hazard. My favourite part of the internship was that we enjoyed 2 presentations per week. The presenters were the Allstars that have worked at AirAsia for more than 5 years and they shared their experiences. All of us were so happy to see Tony Fernandes on the second to last day of work. I would recommend that all students take full advantage of the internship opportunities available as this really opens one’s eyes and broadens horizons.
My name is Keia, and my experience was a little different. I was based in RedQ and worked in the Human Resources Department to help develop the AirAsia Allstars (employees) social media account to attract younger employees.
We met Tony Fernandes, and I almost fainted. I wish I was kidding. The people in charge took a lot of care to make sure I was well settled in and enjoying my role. It was really convenient that there was a medical centre in RedQ and their care and consideration was all that they had promised life at AirAsia would be like.
I travelled from KL Sentral every day by train/bus to KLIA2. I loved experiencing that independence, and I had a blast working with my friends. RedQ was connected to KLIA2 and they were often flexible with their working hours, which allowed me to eat with my friends in the morning.
They really emphasised how much they valued the perspective of youngsters at all professional levels. People could walk up to the CEO, take lifts with pilots; there was not a strictly implied hierarchy, which gave us opportunities for creative output and helped us feel at home from the outset.
We were given the freedom to speak our minds and provide feedback on anything, which they actually took into consideration and made an impact on a couple of aspects of the company.
We got to explore each other’s work departments, take the buggy, lie in napping pods, spend time with dogs in DogQ, and best of all, we got to use the slide! Many of us still keep in touch with our supervisors even now. Everyone was so kind and welcoming, and I am so glad that I was afforded this opportunity.
Propert House
Propert Aspiring to be a “Well Oiled Machine”
The idiom “a well oiled machine” refers to a system that is operating effectively and efficiently and I like to think that when Propert is at its best it fits the concept perfectly. In the three weeks since the beginning of term we have seen students and staff in Propert House work together to make the House a welcoming and happy environment where all the talents of our students and staff are recognised and appreciated.
We often recognise outstanding students for their individual achievements, but it is clear that in Propert House there are many students working together to make living in Propert a supportive and happy place.
When I think back over the last three weeks I find it easy to think of examples of Propert House working effectively to ensure the community we live in is settling into a new school year positively. Our Head of House, Garrison, organised a Year 10 pool tournament on the first Public Holiday of the term to help our new Year 10 students settle into the House, feel at ease in their surroundings and allow them to get to know new people. Many of our older students have been called upon to help with translation for new students in Propert House, and even Carr House, to help explain what is happening in the House and school. During prep times in the evenings students have been helping each other with homework and explaining concepts to help others understand new information studied at school. Of course, the biggest Propert House win was the House Football against Granville, where our Y10/11 team won 2-0 and our Y12/13 team won 1-0. It was clear that the tradition of sporting achievement remains strong amongst the boys and they worked relentlessly as a team to keep the pressure on Granville and eventually score some excellent goals. Although there were few goals scored it was exciting to watch the teams work together, support each other and keep persevering until the end to ensure a win for Propert House. The tradition of Propert House as the football winners remains intact, thank goodness. I now look forward to seeing what Propert can produce in the House Music Competition.
So, when I reflect back on the first 3 weeks of term I think what a busy start to the year, but I also understand that the students and staff in Propert House have all worked together to create a positive start. Propert may not yet be the perfect ‘well oiled machine”, but certainly all the parts are there and what makes Propert work so well are the people that live and work within it. Propert House aspires to be supportive, fair, respectful and accepting. We show appreciation for each individual in the house and what we can achieve when we work together.
CCA's
Beautiful Batik by Coco
Co- Curriculars at Epsom:
Batik design activities on Sunday
I tried the Batik design activity that was organised by Miss Seti with my friends Hanon, Chae Won, Doyeon and Chloe on Sunday, 11th September 2022. I designed a flower and it was a really fun experience being able to learn more about Malaysian culture. In my opinion, it is very important for one to know other cultures, moreover one should have the curiosity to want to know about other cultures. It was a relaxing activity and I would like to do it again sometime!
Cocomo (Y9 Crawfurd)
Jane Rouson, Head of Prep
Why do we need Joy in our lives?
If you spend enough time with me you will hear me talking about Joy. I spend a lot of time thinking about what it means and how it differs from happiness.
If we look at the character, Joy from the movie ‘Inside Out”; she represents contentment.
Is Joy simply contentment or should it be more than that?
Happiness is an emotion we experience based on external factors whereas joy is internal positivity connected to hope.
If we expect and chase euphoric moments of happiness without building a foundation of experiencing joy, the lows will always outweigh the highs.
So let Pixar’s Joy be our role-model and accept inner contentment and allow ourselves to experience joy.
If you are invited to participate in an activity, do not say “What’s the point?” Instead say “Why not?”.
Three reasons to open your heart to joy:
Joy makes us resilient.
Research shows that positive emotions broaden our mindset and make us better at bouncing back.
Joy makes us resistant.
The more tools and language related to positivity that surrounds you, the better you are equipped to deal or even ignore negative experiences.
Joy makes us healthy
Several studies on laughter have shown that when we laugh, opioids are released in our brain. These endorphins calm the body and relieve pain.
In addition to all this science, laughter can also increase the quality of our relationships, which keeps us both emotionally and physically healthier by just being around people.
So what are you waiting for? Make joy your priority!
We have seen a great start to the academic year in the Prep School. We have made so many new friends since last year and so much learning has taken place already!
Reading and writing in Mandarin and English, swimming, art and maths are just some of the amazing things we do in the Early Years class!
In year 1 and 2 we have been making the most of the amazing learning spaces at Epsom as well as developing our independence.
In year 3, the children have learned the importance of Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day.
I recently learned an extremely joyous fact about our year 4 class: the children in that class come from eight different countries. What a wonderful way to become a global citizen, spending time with friends!
In year 5, Mr Brown has been teaching the children about forces and the children created parachutes to see the effects of air resistance first hand.
In Year 6, Mrs Whitney uses ‘Talk for Writing’ as a way to internalise the language structures needed to write through ‘talking the text’.
Here is a video of the class having internalised a model text – a set of instructions.
A big thank you to all the prep parents for their support and kindness during my first three weeks as Head of Prep. I know we will work together really well in order to make the children’s learning journey an amazing one. Happy Malaysia Day!
Jane Rouson – Head of Prep
Special Events - Prefects
SCHOLARSHIP AT EPSOM – WHERE LEARNING NEVER STOPS…
Apart from studying in a classroom with a specific syllabus, extracurricular activities are essential and students should get involved! From our first-hand experience, we understand how vital these involvements are to our skill set. As we have set out to help academic societies, we, the Academic Prefects, organised a two-days society fair, where all societies were invited to participate. The aim was to expand their outreach to the whole school community, especially the new students that have just joined us. There were over 12 societies that participated in this fair. We are proud that our academic societies provide everyone in the school with a marvellous platform to further their academic interests, which range from Science (ScienZ Society) to Business & Economics (BSE Society) and current affairs, such as Gender Issues (Violet Society) and Mental Health (Comfort Society).
Throughout the fair, we are thrilled that, from both the societies and the students, we received excellent feedback. They found this fair to be beneficial for them, especially to enable them to adapt and integrate into the academic and social aspects of school. We’ve observed that they usually manage to do that a lot faster when they engage themselves more in school activities, like societies. Lots of interest was shown in better understanding the role of the societies in school, many students enquired about the upcoming events, some applied for membership, and some even applied to be on the Board of Directors! It seems like the new students are ready to impact upon our school positively. The societies were also glad that they were given this opportunity to present themselves and that they were able to discover many new students with a burning interest in exploring their academics further with the team. We are also glad that now, students are more aware of the academic events happening around the school, especially those hosted by our societies.
Our academic societies provide the students with a great platform to explore their interests, as well as discuss current affairs.
We couldn’t be more grateful that we’ve started the academic year with such a tremendous bang; stay tuned for more information on our future events!
Cheers,
Academic Prefects 2022/23