FRIDAY FLYER-Issue 136
12 Jan 2023
Headmaster's Welcome
Happy Friday Dear Reader!
Welcome to the latest edition of our Epsom Friday Flyer.
This week started with an assembly that was inspired by the book WONDER by R.J. Palacio.
This wonderful work was gifted to me as part of the Epsom Secret Santa and I thoroughly enjoyed every word – it was a truly delightful read – thought provoking, inspiring and authentic. Indeed, I have recommended this book to all of the Senior Leadership Team and have made sure that it is available in our Library!
WONDER is the tale of a little boy, Auggie, whose face is disfigured as a result of a congenital condition that required multiple surgeries. The book’s main message is clear in one of the precepts that Auggie’s teacher puts up on the class board at the start of term:
This precept resonates with us at Epsom where we seek to foster a culture and ethos where kindness is key and every child feels recognised, valued and celebrated as an individual.
With reference to WONDER, we discussed the meaning of BENEVOLENCE and what it means to be KIND…
This wonderful work was gifted to me as part of the Epsom Secret Santa and I thoroughly enjoyed every word – it was a truly delightful read – thought provoking, inspiring and authentic. Indeed, I have recommended this book to all of the Senior Leadership Team and have made sure that it is available in our Library!
WONDER is the tale of a little boy, Auggie, whose face is disfigured as a result of a congenital condition that required multiple surgeries. The book’s main message is clear in one of the precepts that Auggie’s teacher puts up on the class board at the start of term:
This precept resonates with us at Epsom where we seek to foster a culture and ethos where kindness is key and every child feels recognised, valued and celebrated as an individual.
With reference to WONDER, we discussed the meaning of BENEVOLENCE and what it means to be KIND…
In a world where everyone is kind, everyone benefits.
And we considered whether it is more important to be right than to be kind…
Finally we looked at KINDNESS within LEADERSHIP:
Kindness may be a characteristic of leadership. How a person wields their power is a true test of their character.
Reading WONDER over the winter break sparked many interesting discussions and made me reflect again on the power of literature and reading.
With this in mind I would like to share with you our Epsom Reading Ladders:
Year 5
Year 6
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10/11
Year 12
Year 13
Enrichment
We hope that students will enjoy our suggested reading and rise to the challenge of as many of these titles as possible.
On the theme of reading, I hope that you enjoy the articles to follow in issue 135 of our Epsom Friday Flyer..
So…make yourself comfortable, sit back, relax…
Happy Reading and…
Happy Friday!
Mr Matthew Brown,
Headmaster,
A Message from our Head of Sixth Form
2023: A year full of opportunities in Epsom Sixth Form
Welcoming new students in the Sixth Form
To date it has been a short but very productive half-term for our students in Sixth Form. We had the great pleasure of welcoming a number of new students from the UK, Australia, Russia, China and Malaysia. Our well-being prefects, Shinnosuke and Chantelle, were on hand to coordinate an extremely helpful induction programme for all the newcomers so they may feel welcome into the Epsom community and find their way around the site. The hospitality of our Sixth Formers was very much appreciated and gratefully received by our new students. And likewise, our Sixth Form team was very impressed with how well the students have adapted to a new environment, subjects and, for some, a new country. We are very happy to welcome all of our new students throughout the entire school and hope they have a very enjoyable and educational experience here at Epsom.
Appointment of prefects
This month, our Year 12 students are given the opportunity to apply for prefect roles. During their first KS5 assembly of 2023, the current prefect team shared with Year 12 their first-hand experience of fulfilling the role for just over a year now. Being a prefect is a rewarding role that provides our students with opportunities and challenges that help them realise their vision, lead and support their fellow peers. Students selected are chosen to represent the student community at different levels and lead not only the Sixth Form but the whole school in six key areas: Academic, Social, Service, Wellbeing, International and Admissions.
Similar to a real job, applicants go through a rigorous selection process. The first step is for students to submit their CV and application letter to explain why they are the best candidate for the position. All applications are reviewed, and those selected for an interview do so with SLT and the student body. The positions, therefore, are an important part of our Sixth Form and help to keep all the students involved and supportive of the Epsom community. A new team is expected to be announced in February, which will allow a smooth transition for the teams and their respective projects.
Prefects represent the best of Epsom and are involved in many areas as well as being responsible for setting high standards in the Sixth Form and the school. It is a unique opportunity for our students to explore the many opportunities and challenges of a leadership position in terms of communications, teamwork and vision.
Epsom Live Talk: CEO Visit
This half term, we are hosting an Epsom Live Talk with Mr Farid Yunus, CEO of RedOne Network. The live talks provide great opportunities for our students to learn more about different industries, how they may evolve in the future and understand the job opportunities in a specific field.
Later this term, we are preparing to host more live talks covering the following industries: hospitality, aeronautics, science, medicine, social media and more. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome any of our readers, parents and students, to let us know if they have any recommendations for guest speakers who could inspire and inform our students. We would love to hear from you!
University Application
Our university application events continued in January with support sessions for our Year 13 students who are finalising their UK application and Year 12 students who are about to start this process supported by our Sixth Form team and our Head of Higher Education. University events in January also included one-to-one events from our university partners for our students to receive individualised advice and feedback on their cover letters, choice of courses and universities. This was also complemented by an introduction to several university courses, such as an introduction to engineering and science courses, with a live presentation from the University of Bristol.
‘Enjoy the happiness of today with hopes of tomorrow.’ Chinese Proverb
Wishing you a year full of Happiness and Prosperity. Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Mr Phil Pedro
Assistant Head – Sixth Form
A Message from our Head of Mathematics
Epsom Mathematics Society
January 2023 represents the launch of the Mathematics Society, led by Leo Poon (Year 12 Granville). The Maths Society send this message to all students and parents:
“Happy New Year!
In this new term for our year, we would like to introduce you to our new academic society, the Maths Society! Here, our main objective is undeniably to spread the joy of mathematics. This society is going to be a place where all math-lovers within our Epsom community can come together to celebrate their love and interest for math. We have many things lined up for the academic year ahead of us; such as math competitions, lunchtime math sessions and many more. We hope to have sparked your interest and hope to see you there!”
The Society is open to all year groups and will be led by students, but supported by the teachers in the Maths Department.
Oxbridge Admissions Tests Preparation
One of the 5 CCAs run by the Maths Department this term helps to prepare students for university admissions tests, particularly at Oxford and Cambridge. Mr Baloyo guides the students through some challenging math problems, which prepares them for study beyond Maths and Further Maths A Level and pushes them to improve their problem solving skills.
The photo on the left shows Leo Poon (Year 12 Granville), Yuren Qu (Year 12 Granville) and Zhi Yu Chua (Year 13 Granville) completing a STEP Paper, the Cambridge University admissions test.
Other math CCAs run by the department this term include:
Year 11 Intervention (Thursday – Ms Van Der Linde)
Year 12 Intervention (Thursday – Mr Ali)
Year 13 Intervention (Wednesday – Mr Baloyo)
Year 12 and 13FM Intervention (Thursday – Mr Ian Taye)
In addition, for Year 7-10 there is a Wednesday lunchtime support session, run by Ms Archibald which is open to all students.
Kangaroo Math Competition
In the first week after the half term break for Chinese New Year, students in all year groups will have the opportunity to enter the first round of a competition called ‘Kangaroo Math’. It is the world’s largest math competition, with more than 4 million participants from 96 countries in 2022. Round one is an internal competition at Epsom, taking place in lesson time. The top performing students will then be prepared over the next few months, ensuring they are ready for the official competition in May.
Students can use their Dr Frost homework platform to practice for the competition, and should ask their teachers if they are unsure of where to find practice questions.
Ms Olivia Archibald,
Head of Mathematics.
Epsom Eco Committee
Dear Reader,
Water wastage is a serious issue that we can all work together to address and overcome.
As the Eco-Committee, we are committed to minimising water waste in Epsom and we believe that everyone has a role to play in this effort. That’s why we are taking the first step to tackle this issue by reaching out to you for your help.
We have prepared a survey to assess your water usage efficiency and to identify other areas where water is being wasted in Epsom. Please fill in this form! You can also access the survey by scanning the QR code on the Eco Committee notice board on the 2nd floor.
If you have any questions or ideas on how we can improve our water management efforts, please don’t hesitate to let us know 🙂
Warm regards,
Epsom Eco Committee
Epsom Music Department
Lots to look forward to…
Christmas is traditionally a very busy time in the Music Department and this year was no exception. High student involvement has been my priority with music this year, and in the few weeks before the end of last term, every student and staff member was involved in at least one of the Christmas music events! As well as the traditional Prep School and Senior School Christmas concerts, we took the Prep School choir to KLIA and IOI City Mall to sing Christmas songs; the Christian Fellowship sang carols in assembly and at the Friends of Epsom Christmas gathering; and the end of term Christmas Dinner featured both the staff choir and the whole school singing in a joyous mood. The last two Friday Flyers feature photos and reflections on these wonderful events.
Looking forward, we have a very busy term ahead with a number of different musical events. The first event is the Sunset Serenade on 8th February which will feature some of our best musicians performing as the sun sets. Highlights include the Year 11 GCSE students performing the pieces they have chosen for their coursework and the new Senior String Ensemble playing Spring from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
The Sunset Serenade forms the first of a run of events after the break for Chinese New Year, including the Valentine’s Day Open Mic Night, ABRSM Exams, Senior Strings with FIVERA at the Chow Kit, and the Lunchtime Live Concert.
The final concert of term will be the return of the popular Night at the Movies concert. This concert features many of the school’s ensembles and a number of soloists performing music from film soundtracks whilst clips from the films are played on the big screen. Popcorn and a red carpet add to the ambience of the evening and the Oscars photo booth will give students the chance to take their picture at the Movies. This year, in addition to the music, drama students will be acting out scenes from some of the films featured. Whilst we may not be able to bring in the T-Rex from Jurassic Park, look out for some famous scenes from the films we are featuring.
Many of the students featured in the concerts have Instrumental and Vocal lessons at school with our team of Visiting Music Teachers. If you would like to find out more about having lessons at school, please contact music@epsomcollege.edu.my
I warmly welcome you all to come and watch the concerts I have described above. The link here to the Music Department Calendar gives all of the details of events taking place in Term 2.
Mr Russell Crann
Director of Music
Marvellous Music
Selangor Symphony Youth Orchestra End of Year Concert
Anna Ruth, Year 7 Crawfurd, wowed the crowd with her musical talents recently at the Selangor Symphony Youth Orchestra End of Year Concert.
We are delighted to share some of the photos with you taken by the official photographer of the event!
Academic Socs and Prefect Updates
Epsom Awards
Hello everyone, and Happy Friday!
This term, we are launching the Epsom Awards – a prize dedicated to the holistic development of sixth-formers at Epsom. The award comprises four components – Academic, Service, Global Mindedness and Extended Learning. Each element is integral to student life in our sixth form and fosters skills that are key to student success.
Community Service makes up a significant part of the activities at Epsom. Throughout our past endeavours, we’ve enjoyed sustainability-related activities, donation drives and much more. Therefore, we’ve included Service as a component of the Epsom Awards in recognition of these initiatives. Other than Service, our international community is what makes Epsom unique. Epsom’s diversity leads us to include Global Mindedness as an aspect of the award. It is vital to ensure and promote cultural awareness as well as a global outlook. Hence, we’ve included Global Mindedness to encourage and reward those already fostering an open mindset and an international approach.
It is undeniable that academics are the bedrock of student life at Epsom, and rightfully so. Hence the academic portion of the award. However, learning is not limited to the classroom – a significant amount occurs beyond the classroom walls. Education exceeds academia; it also involves the soft skills that our community fosters. To encourage that, we’ve included extended learning as a part of this scheme.
The Epsom Award has three tiers – Bronze, Silver and Gold. Applications open in Term 3, and the prize will be awarded at the end of the academic year.
We hope that this award will be beneficial to all sixth-formers, and we look forward to your applications.
Warmest regards,
Cebelle,
Year 13 Rosebery – Academic Prefect
Photo Opportunity
Dear All,
We hope that everyone is doing well and is having a good return to school.
As previously mentioned in our sixth form assembly, The Epsom Magazine Society is creating a section in our next issue where photos from your holidays will be featured in the school magazine.
We are looking for Epsomians to submit pictures they have taken while on holiday.
Any landscape photos will be accepted – whether it be endless hills of the countryside or the bustling night scene of the city – all submissions are welcome and will stand a chance to be published in one of our issues.
You can submit your best photos here. A general description of your photos is not needed but would be greatly appreciated.
The deadline for submissions will be on the 30th of January
If you do have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to admiring what your camera captures around the world!
Best wishes,
The Epsom Magazine Society
By Epsomians, For Epsomians
Epsom College in Malaysia
Instagram: @theepsommonthly
Visit us at Epsom Magazine
Epsom Scienz Soc
Food Preservatives – How do they actually work? Why do we need them?
Host: Xin Ling, Year 12 Rosebery
Date: Wednesday, January 11th 2023
Time: 12:55 – 1:15 pm
Venue: Grayling Center
This interactive session required ‘audience participation’ and collective conversation. Here are some links for your further information:
1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/food-preservative
2) https://www.verywellhealth.com/eat-it-with-a-grain-of-salt-1958878
Check out our informative Website made by our members!
Follow us on our Instagram too for our session summaries and further updates!
The Comfort Soc
The Dangers of Doomscrolling!
This session, hosted by Vash and Elliot from Year 12, discussed one side effect of being chronically online; the weird l’appel du vide experienced while engaging with any media that presents itself as visibly depressing, and our desire to engage with it.
And, hey, for those of you new to the school, we hope you enjoyed this opportunity to see what else goes on outside of lessons!
(…and, maybe, um, if you like what either Magazine or Comfort Society does… maybe you can consider joining ? Hehe :3 )
We hope the first full week back at Epsom College treated you with respect and kindness.
Warm hugs,
– The Comfort Crew 🤎
ECiM Comfort Society
(Poster credits: Tengku Maya Sari @ ECiM Magazine Society)
1st Malaysia Finswimming Championship
Congratulations to Nurfatiha
Nurfatiha Ritta, Year 8 Crawfurd, participated in the 1st Malaysia Finswimming Championship inter-state on 7th-8th January 2023 at Paroi Aquatic Centre, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. This opportunity was launched by our Deputy Sports & Youth Minister YB Tuan Adam Adli.
We are delighted to inform you that Nurfatiha won the Silver Medal for 50M BIFIN in the 12-14 years old girls category.
For more information on Finswimming, click HERE
Propert House
A Message from Mr Fowler, HMM
Propert Friday Flyer
This term has started extremely well, and we welcomed four new students into the House in Year 12. They have managed to settle in quickly and the welcoming and friendly nature of our Year 12 students has been exemplary. The impressive refurbishment of the House has meant that the junior rooms are looking clean and fresh as are the communal areas.
In Propert we have also added a new member of staff, an evening Pastoral Care Assistant, Farina. The boys in the House have made her feel very welcome and she has already got to know most of the boys and is trying hard to get them to keep their rooms tidy! We also welcome our new Sports Centre manager Danial whose presence means that the facilities are now available for a longer period of time in the evenings and on Saturdays.
Year 11 and 13 Boys are in the throes of mock examinations and the atmosphere in the House has been impressively calm and workmanlike. Evening prep sessions have been well utilised as have the hours afterwards and before bedtime. Hopefully the results of these exams will represent positive reinforcement for hard work.
The House Drama is the focus for this term as far as the House competitions are concerned and a number of the Drama students are busy planning and writing the script for the performance in March. The success in House Music, Football and Volleyball will be hard to follow but the boys are certainly trying their best!
The House is now looking forward to the end of the exams and the Chinese New Year break.
We wish you a relaxing and enjoyable time with your sons from all of the staff in Propert.
Mr Nick Fowler,
Housemaster, Propert House & Head of Boarding.
Mouratoglou Tennis Programme
The Davis Cup, Seoul Korea
Mouratoglou Tennis Programme at Epsom
Davis Cup Trip, Seoul Korea
31 January – 6 February 2023
The Mouratoglou Tennis Programme at Epsom is delighted to have been invited by the Belgium tennis team to spectate and learn during their training sessions and matches during the Davis Cup in Seoul Korea. It will be a wonderful experience for MTP’s student-athletes to have a firsthand experience of seeing professional tennis athletes train and compete.
English Mandarin Immersion Programme
Great Gains…
Before we sign off we want to share an update on Epsom’s English Mandarin Immersion Programme (EMIP)
Our EMIP students are making excellent progress as you can see from THIS video.
It is wonderful to see them gain confidence in their new language skills and we celebrate this success with them.
Kudos to our EMIP team and best wishes for a lovely weekend from us all at Epsom 🙂