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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Happiness is to be in school!

July is a month packed with many courses and meetings for most principals. I have already attended 3 long courses and I still have one and a half more course to go! Today I returned to school after my ICT course to attend the PIBG Committe meeting at 5pm. In the short time I was in school today from 4.30 pm to 8 pm, so many things make me happy just to be in school .

First, as I was getting out of my car and struggling with my many bags, a tall young student approached me. Initially, I thought she wanted to ask me a question but her question was " Can I help you?" She then proceeded to help me carry my bags, laptop and all. This was such a lovely greeting for me since I had been away from school for a week! If I am not mistaken, her name is Tan Yen Hui from Form 1 but if I get her name wrong, please leave a comment on my post. I got to know she was there near the car porch because she was on her probation prefect duty. I really like the way she was helpful and how she allowed her helpfulness to give her courage and overcome her shyness. Girls, you must emulate Tan Yen Hui. Often we want to help others but we are too shy. Let your helpfulness give you courage.

Secondly, when I had settled in the office and had finished signing some documents, Datin Cheam my PK Koko excitedly showed me the plaque our afternoon girls had just won for being champions in the Inter-School Choral Speaking Competition (Klang Valley)  in KDU today. Bravo! Congratulations to the teachers Pn Siti Syaheedah and Pn Siti Hasrina and the wonderful girls who make the school proud ! Keep up the good work! Teachers, thank you for your hard work in training and grooming our students to be champs! We also won RM 700 together with the plaque.Champions --Yes!!!




Datin Cheam posing with the plaque
 on behalf of the teachers and students.



Then I popped out into the office after signing the documents. Imagaine my surprise when another young Malay student approached me and hugged me saying -" Rindu, cikgu, lama tak jumpa cikgu " I enjoyed being missed. Who wouldn't?

I decided to just go walk around the classes and the hall for a quick round before the meeting started, more because I missed the students and teachers rather than because of duty. I always enjoyed seeing students learn in and ou of class. Teachers were all teaching in the classes I observed. Happiness!

Then something melodious caught my ear. I heard the sound of sweet piano playing. My first thought was "Oh maybe the girls are having choir practice and someone brought the keyboard to school." So I walked to the hall and saw a group of girls gathered around our very very old piano. When the girls saw me approaching them, the pianist stopped playing and the other girls were a little apprehensive. The reason was they were they were also probation prefects on duty. I invited the pianist - a young Indian girl to resume playing. She played " My heart will go on"( from the show Titanic) beautifully. I loved the way she coaxed the beautiful melody out of our very very old piano with so many missing keys. One of the items on my wish list for Convent Sentul  is to repair and restore this old piano. Even when I continued on my rounds away from the hall, I heard the beautiful music. May beautiful music always fill our school and our hearts!

More pleasant surprises. Datin showed me the boxes of books Ms Navam  had personally donated towards the needy students of the school.







Beneath the many books in the boxes, I saw beautiful hard cover books. Ms Navam's  instructions were very clear. "These books are to be given to the needy students.These books are not from the alumni, they are from my personal collection." For your information, Ms Navam is an ex-teacher of SMK Convent Sentul and also a very important and crucial person in the Alumni and the Board of Governors. She is still very active despite having retired for so many years and her love for Convent Sentul is very strong evident and inspiring.

Thank you Ms Navam for your gift to the students. For those of you who do not know Ms Navam, she is a legend!.  I first heard about Ms Navam from Marina Chin, an  ex-student of SMK Convent Sentul.       The story went something like this. Marina had only about RM 25/- on her but the running shoes cost       RM 49/-. Ms Navam and another teacher topped up the balance needed and bought Marina her first pair of running shoes. Marina's running shoes have set her on the running track to success! She represented Malaysia on many occasions and bought glory to Malaysia ( and to Convent Sentul and to Martha's house) Today Marina Chin  is the principal of the National Sports School in Bukit Jalil . I know her career started with Ms Navam's gift. So students and teachers, emulate Ms Navam and leave a rich legacy!

I was shown two newspaper cuttings - one from the Star Metro and the other from Sin Chew Jit Poh of our students posing with the awning Suntrack had installed for us.





We had a very fruitful and pleasant PIBG meeting where PIBG pledged help for the many requests of the school. Thank you PIBG.

 So many pleasant things happened for such a short time spent in school. So worthwhile!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The ICT Mountain is to be climbed.

I am currently at a three-day ICT course for school principals in KL. Here at the course as I listen to the lecturers, I realize there is a huge ICT mountain and  great potential for growth in schools systems using ICT. Listening to Mr Wong of MBS KL share, I realize he is somewhere near the peak of the ICT mountain while suddenly I realize I am probrably at the base of the ICT mountian. Sigh...! and I thought I knew something about ICT.













However I also realize there are many HMs who haven't even touched base yet and still many HMs who have yet to see the mountain peak. Haha!







So, I want to encourage all associated with Convent Sentul to continue on their magic carpet ride and rise up in their journey to the mountain peak and not to think they have arrived.






We all still have a long way to go and the ICT mountain peak actually keeps growing higher ( unlike other static mountain peaks )  when new innovations are developed . So keep on going and don't ever give up halfway.


Now some motivational videos. The message from my heart. If this guy can succeed, all of us  can succeed. Don't ever give up.You become stronger in the face of adversity.


<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wOlTdkYXuzE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Another video - this one about Michael Jordan

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/woOu_4l3lio" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Saturday, July 9, 2011

A whole new world!

For some strange unfathomable reason, the strains of the song A whole new world from Aladdin on a magic carpet comes to my mind. Why? As I ponder, I know the answer. Our 11 brand new computers have opened a whole new world to our students. Some parts of the song goes like this…


I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view …..

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky


 
That’s what the new computers have done for the students. It has opened their eyes to see something, over, sideways and under. And as they see the screen, the whole new world open up to them. The unbelievable sights they see and hear set them on a journey where they soar, tumble and freewheeling through endless diamond skies and unlimited possibilities in their future!


Smiling faces and bright eyes savor everything on the screen.



You should listen to the girls’ comments when they first set their eyes on the brand new computers.  For us??? You mean this is for us ? Flat screens! Awesome!  Ooh! Just look at that … brand new computers. This is really, really beyond our wildest imaginations and expectations! Cool!”  The expression on their faces is priceless! Their thumbs automatically point up! Thumbs up!

The students pay RM 10/- per head each year. There is no way from that RM 10/- that we can ever get these units of new computers. The new computers were made available by the generous donations of the friends of the Board of Governors. The drive to solicit funds for the Computer Lab was spearheaded by Mr. Lee Geok Ai, the Chairman of our Board of Governors. Mr Lee rallied much support for the bulk of the funds. Thank you, Mr Lee for your pioneering leadership which has opened a whole new world for us.

On behalf of SMK Convent Sentul, I want to officially thank the many generous individuals and companies that have been moved to help us open a whole new world for our students through the computers. Thank you for believing in us even though you do not know us personally. Your generosity has inspired the students! I know your investment in the school will bear much fruit. Thank you!!!



Apart from those in the list above, Omni Resources gave us a huge discount off the wiring charges. In fact, their discount was bigger than their actual charges. Thank you, Jeremy and Omni Resources for the discount and for making the wiring to be so neat and discreet.


We also want to thank Mr. Lee’s secretary, Ms Lee Foong Lian, who cheerfully and willingly helped us coordinate the letters, receipts, cheques and financial records via uncountable phone calls, emails and faxes.  As of 9 July 2011, sponsors for  23 units have pledged their support. The Board of  Governors is working towards getting sponsors for a target of 30 units, The best is yet to come!!


Do you know why the students are so thrilled? Do you know how old our old computers actually are? A little short of being archaic, literally. See our old CPU with the inventory number inscribed ever so faithfully denoting the year they were bought. The new computers are so fast compared to our archaic computers from the year 2002.


Our old computers were purchased in 2002.






Smiling as we learn together. Thank you Mr Tiew of
Edu Networks Sdn Bhd for your expert advice in setting up the
lab really neatly.
 

The small circle shows the student in open mouthed wonder.
The big circle shows 1Malaysia hands teaching and learning together.

   

The happy expression on this Malay girl's face is priceless!
 


The donors are placed on each computer. We will put on
more permanent fixtures to honour the donors.


Thank you for helping the princesses in SMK Convent Sentul on their magic carpet ride and seeing a whole new world open up to them.

I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?

I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view