INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME, IBDP

Issue 1

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme IBDP

March Issue
THE IBDP JULY 2012 INTAKE MEET THE TEAM!

Experience in International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)

by Quek Siew Yean & Hoh Jingyi

Stepping into TCSH and joining the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has changed our lives in more ways than one can imagine. The IBDP is demanding, rigorous, challenging but one word changes it all- FUN. We cannot emphasise enough the excitement and adrenaline rush that comes with working as a team, pushing beyond boundaries and creating moments with peers and teachers alike. The IBDP is not just any Pre-U programme and it is definitely not for the faint hearted! The IBDP curriculum is designed to keep you mentally, emotionally and physically balanced. The subjects are divided into 6 groups: Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature Group 2: Language Acquisition Group 3: Individuals and Societies Group 4: Experimental Sciences Group 5: Mathematics and Computer Science Group 6: The Arts All IB students are required to be competent in two languages: a native language and a foreign language. In TCSH, our native language is English Literature where we have an interesting blend of literature texts, dramas and graphic novels to analyse. As a

foreign language, French was chosen because its ancient characteristics provide basic roots and elegance that is parallel with the English language. Social Sciences allow us to predict human behaviour while Natural Sciences give us a sense of reality from the theories learnt. Mathematics is like oxygen; it exists around us and it is applicable in almost everything. Lastly, the Theatre Arts, a subject that explores your creativity and boosts your confidence in expressing yourself. Creativity, Action and Service (CAS), Extended Essay (EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) are the three core components in the IB Diploma Programme. CAS explores our inner capabilities to understand ourselves deeper and contribute to others at the same time. EE on the other hand is a 4000 word research paper that serves as a mini thesis in preparation for university. Then we have the Theory of Knowledge which always makes us validate our claims through justifications. And this is going to make you question: Is everything that you have read above true? Well, feel free to drop by TCSH and ask us.

The Editors
One brain is never enough to get things done. Like twoin-one promotions, two brains give you a broader perspective on how things work around here and how crazily charming all of us are. Quek Siew Yean & Hoh Jingyi, IB1.

The Team
A dynamic team who cant get enough of puns and jokes to bring you an exciting newsletter every month. From left: Adam, Jamie, Hannah, Alastair & Hafiz.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME, IBDP | Issue 1

The New IBDP Programme Coordinator: Dr. Brice

by Hafizudden Khalis bin Mohamed Nizam

The tasks of a coordinator include being a liaison between the school and the IBO, ensuring administrative matters are kept in order, teachers are trained, well-prepared and follow the curriculum, as well as dealing with parents and students. Dr Brice Arsene Bomo joined Taylors College Sri Hartamas (TCSH) in August 2012 as the new IB Programme Coordinator. He now leads IB which looks to benefit from his vast experience and knowledge in IBDP. Presenting himself in a very calm and composed manner, one must take a sneak peek into his previous experiences to get to know this wonderful individual more. Hailing from Cameroon, Dr Brices native language is French. After completing high school, he pursued a medical course at the Saint-Petersburg State Medical Academy, Russia. In the midst of his medical studies, he realized that his passion was for teaching. After finishing his medical degree, he then embarked upon a Masters degree in education at the Iowa-based Maharishi

University of Management, USA. Having lived in Malaysia for 3 years, Dr Brice fell in love with the weather, location, cost of living and English-speaking environment in Malaysia. This ultimately led him to take on the role as an IB Coordinator in TCSH. He believes that the progress of the IB Program in TCSH has been encouraging and can only get better, as evident from the IB results of previous years. He strives to increase the competency of teachers, and provide 70% of CAS activities next year. For the current batches of students, he aims for

100% passes as well as a sizeable number of students getting above 40 points from the July 2012 intake. In spite of all this, Dr. Brice is still studying! He is taking an MSc research-based masters degree in education from the University of Oxford. He says we all need to always improve ourselves, ever learning new things; today you can be competent, but if you do not change and adapt, in 10 years you are not competent anymore. His spirit of learning and always striving to be the best is an inspiration to all of us.

Cambodia Trip
by Ian Quah, IBDP Senior Student

You know that feeling where you wonder if something is worth all the effort, where you worry that you will be disappointed because you invested so much into something only to have it fail?
The IBDP July Intake 2011 students embarked on an enlightening journey to Cambodia to change the lives of other and theirs as well!

Well, we have. But the second we landed in Cambodia, everything, all the fund-raising, the donation collecting and the planning, seemed worth it. You see, it was about more than us, it was about more than them. It was about something. It was about a group of young adults who were trying their best to help other kids. It was about a group of young adults who were getting to know each other in a foreign environment, and it was about Cambodia.

Most of our time out revolved around the orphanage where we helped to paint beds, construct a garden and build a chicken coop. Did we do much? Perhaps not as much as we would have liked to. After seeing those children with their smiles that light up at the simplest things in life, you honestly wish you could do a lot more. Did the trip magically make us International Baccalaureate students? Obviously not, but it did provide us with something that we wouldnt change for anything: lessons in life about fairness (or how unfair life can be), giving back to society and working together as one. Maybe thats what being an IB student is about; knowing how to learn from the simplest things in life.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME, IBDP | Issue 1

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 12: IB Experience Day

Join our TCSH Experience Day in IBDP for a day of real live lessons taught by Taylors teachers. Be prepared to be awed by a day of interactive learning (not just one way traffic) and personalised teaching styles. To register to attend this event, contact the Education Planning department now at 03-6203 0168 ext 103 (Ms Sarah Soo / Ms Joselyn Chong).

Omelet Sale One of the fundraising projects for the national trip 2013.

March 26-27: Group 4 Project

A compulsory project encourages students to appreciate the environmental, social and ethical implications of science. This exercise is collaborative and interdisciplinary and provides an opportunity for students to explore scientific solutions to global questions.

Fundraising Events for National Trip 2013

Omelette Sale
Omelette or Omelet? Who cares! It is the heart that counts. From the 31st of October to the 1st of November, the IBDP group whipped up some omelettes to raise money for charity. Ranging from cheese omelette to ham, many gave us the thumbs up for our piping hot omelettes that warmed their tummies in a freezing cold campus. And the best part of it all? Our team effort and perseverance allowed us to raise a total sum of RM 700 for our very first fundraising event!
by Quek Siew Yean

ACHIEVEMENTS

Highest achievement

42 pts
Mean achievement score

30 pts
In May 2012, 4 students scored over 40 points, out of a maximum of 45. Only 5% of IB candidates in the world achieve such results. The students are:

Anis Zafirah (42 pts) Izzati A. Fouzi (42 pts) Muhammad Nazrin (41 pts) Victor Tan Weng Seng (41 pts)

Bake Sale
Two weeks before the Chinese New Year holidays at Taylors College Sri Hartamas, the IBDP students had to organize and execute the Bake Sale, another fundraising event succeeding the omelette sale. It was the students enthusiasm and sure fire attitude that drove them to success for this fundraising event. HOPE Hearts Open, People Embraced was the message that was being spread to students in the college as the students were trying to raise awareness for their cause.

CONTACT US
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Taylors College Sri Hartamas G1, Ground Floor No.62, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1 Sri Hartamas 50480 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel : 603-62030168 (ext 211) Email: ibnews@taylors.edu.my

The picture above shows smiles on the students faces as they strove to bake more than 3,000 cookies, a task that took over 50 hours. Everyone participated and helped to make this event a success. Hard work, determination and constant endorphins producing smiles were what kept the IBDP students going. In the end, the bake sale was extremely successful and a memorable event. Our next fundraising goal is to earn more than RM 1000!
by Mohamed Adam bin Mohamed Azlan

TEACHER ADVISOR
Miss Navina Navaratnam IBDP English Literature Lecturer