FRIDAY FLYER-Issue 133
1 Dec 2022
Headmaster's Welcome
Happy Friday Dear Reader!
Welcome to this edition of our Epsom Friday Flyer where you will see that we have enjoyed another week of holistic learning on our beautiful campus.
This week our assembly focused on PMA – Positive Mental Attitude. The idea that, if you think you can, or if you think you cannot, you are probably right!
Mrs Parker has delivered a series of assemblies that have focused on the need for students to be proactive, to go to lessons with a ‘can do’ attitude and she has reminded us of the impact of the following ‘R’s as part of the learning process:
- Resourcefulness
- Resilience
- Reciprocity
Mrs Carden-Brown, reiterated this and encouraged students to reflect on the fact that time is precious and thus the need to make every lesson count…
(…They call it THE PRESENT!)
She discussed the importance of remaining positive and approaching life’s challenges both in and beyond the classroom with a solution focused mindset:
opportunityisnowhere – what do you see written?
The assembly touched on how very fortunate we are to have access to education and such wonderful resources and opportunities daily.
With this in mind, to ensure that we remain mindful of those less fortunate than ourselves, our Prep School arranged some community outreach and delivered Christmas gift boxes to local Orphanages in the area.
We are also incredibly proud of and grateful to Tiha in Year 13 who organised for a group of refugees from Myanmar to come and visit our school, attend some lessons and enjoy socialising with our students in the senior school while taking part in a scavenger hunt that she and her team had organised. This was a hugely successful initiative and one that we hope will continue.
To raise money to support the fight against cancer, Sutri, Year 13, and her peers organised a moustache sale as part of MOVEMBER.
Interested in learning more? Here are some useful links to the Movember movement and charities:
National Cancer Society of Malaysia
Malaysian Mental Health Association
It has been great fun seeing students with comedy moustaches on as they go from lesson to lesson – all for a good cause.
Alif,Year 13, has organised a Christmas fun run to get us into the festive mood. Students will dress up in Christmas colours as they race around the campus. We are looking forward to this event which will no doubt result in a quiet night in our boarding houses!
We are extremely grateful to the Friends of Epsom Friends of Epsom who have decorated our school beautifully and have organised our Christmas Mingle and Charity Fair.
We are looking forward to celebrating the end of term at the social event that they have organised and hope to see some of you who are reading this at the event!
So, that is all from me…I hope that you enjoy the articles to come and wish you and yours a wonderful end of the week.
Happy Friday and Happy Reading!
Mr Matthew Brown
Headmaster.
A message from our Business and Economics Dept.
In Y10 business studies we have been learning about workplace safety. Being in a safe working and learning environment is important for all staff and students. So, is Epsom really safe for us as students and our teachers? Well, we explored our school building to ascertain the level of safety, hygiene conditions and safety procedures in case of an emergency. The school has definitely satisfied these requirements. If you walk around the school, you will find the medical room on the first floor. Epsom has procedures for emergencies such as a fire escape and emergency exits. There are also lots of signage throughout our building to guide everyone. We have practiced fire drills a few times, within our houses and as a whole school body. Our lovely cleaners keep the school hygienic and fresh and you can verify this through the tracing sheet behind the bathroom door. Lastly, Epsom has a range of no smoking signs and COVID-19 precaution posters throughout the hallways. It is clear that our school satisfies the hygiene requirements of the motivational theorist, Frederick Herzberg as well as satisfies the second level of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – safety. All these things in school keeps our school sanitary and safe for us as students and staff to freely move around. Check out some of our posters on safety @ Epsom
What's Cool in Carr this week?
Not only World Cup Fever in Carr
In a recent Instagram post on our Carr Instagram page (@carrhouse_ecim), it was clear to see that World Cup Fever had hit Carr House, as boys could be seen playing football in the Carr House corridors.
Andy, Yoritaka, Shinsai and Moto all took this Football fever, from Carr, with them as they took part in the Epsom College Football Tour to Phuket.
More than just football fever has hit Carr House recently! The boys’ engagement with a huge variety of other sports shows once again that our Carr boys “are the example”.
Nexus has been bringing some Golf Fever to Carr by working very hard at his golf skills, taking part in UUMISM-SPORTEXCEL Malaysian Junior Golf Tournament 2022 Grand Final Junior Circuit Boys C where he placed 5th. Nexus took part in another tournament last weekend too. Well done, Nexus!
Mrs Jenny Garnett,
Housemistress, Carr House
Andy Hu, Gaia Hosoki, Yoritaka Okada and Monty Miller brought some Basketball Fever to Carr as they represented Epsom in the basketball matches last week against Oasis. Gaia and Yoritaka played for both teams and all boys made Carr proud.
Caleb Garnett, Ethan Sankey and Joshua Garnett are bringing some Rugby Fever to Carr House. All three boys played in a Tournament in Singapore last weekend for KL Tigers. We are so proud of them.
The Rugby fever continues with our resident tutor, Ms Dayang Manggie, who has been representing The Malaysian Women’s Rugby Team in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series. She played her final games in the UAE last weekend. Well done on this amazing achievement, Ms Dayang!
Irsyad Iszmi has been bringing the Tennis Fever as he was the Champion U12 Tennis boy at the Selangor Tennis Association in October 2022. Last week, he was bringing even more Tennis Fever to Carr House as he participated in the Malaysia Juniors Tennis Tournament in Johor. Well done, Irsyad!
Qaid Choudhury brings the Polo Fever to Carr in an incredible way. Qaid has been selected for the Argentine Open Polo Playing Tour 2022 which takes place from 1st December to 11th December. This past weekend Qaid participated in a series of equestrian competitions ‘gymkhana’ at the Kuala Lumpur Academy of Polo. It was a rigorous and competitive two day competition and he won 3rd prize in two of the events. This is a remarkable achievement as this was his first time competing in the senior polo team whereby the average age of the competitors is 20+ years old. I am told that Qaid has so much Polo Fever that he even beat his father in one of the challenging races. We are so proud of you, Qaid and we wish you all the best in Argentina!
Jasveerpal Singh Gill Ginderpal Singh recently played in an international squash tournament representing his club where he won his opening games. He has two upcoming international tournaments. One tournament is from 3rd to 8th Dec in Bukit Jalil and another on 11th to 16th in Singapore. All the best for the upcoming tournaments, Jasveer!
From football to golf to basketball to rugby to tennis to polo to squash, the sport fever is at an all time high in Carr House!
Green Machine Golf Champ!
Hello, Nexus here, you might know me as “the golf kid” at school, well, that is true. I recently participated in a tournament at a golf course called Tiara in Melaka and was placed second in a competition of about 20 or so players.
I was drafted into the top flight on the first day, playing with one of the best players in Malaysia for our age group. I felt happy to be able to play with him. After finishing, I tied for second place with my friend. On the second day with 9 holes left I had a 1 stroke lead into the second nine, but disaster struck, with my lead vanishing with me being two strokes down. But with 6 holes left to go, I slowly gained my strokes back into a four stroke lead, with me going confidently into the last hole, I hit a horrible shot into the hazard, with two more poor shots as my friend hit a great shot close to the hole.
My four stroke lead was turned into a two stroke lead, but although I was still second place, first place was miles ahead, being 20 shots ahead after 2 days.
Even though I didn’t get first, I’m happy with this achievement, a huge improvement since my first tournament, going 16th, to 3rd, to 5th and now 2nd. A total of a 23 stroke improvement in just 4 months, from 189 to 166. I feel this is a journey I’ve been through with many happy achievements with a few stumbles along the way. All in all, I hope my golfing gets better through the years as I go along.
Nexus, Year 8 (Carr House – AKA The Green Machine!)
A message from Rosebery
Phuket Spartan APAC championship
Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Phuket, Thailand to compete in the Spartan APAC championship. Coincidentally, I not only flew on the same flight as the Epsom football team on Thursday evening but also on the way back!
What is a Spartan race? Well, it’s an obstacle race which can range from 5 km to 50 km or if you’re interested in going back in time and training like an actual Spartan from ancient Greece, there are 60 hour races and the lovingly named “death race” where there is no finish line – just a mission to survive.
I competed in the 10km race called a Super which consisted of 25 obstacles that was an amalgamation of 7 foot walls, shifting monkey bars, 18 kg and 30 kg buckets and boulders to stagger with and a lot of running. It was my first Super but I enjoyed it immensely. There’s something so fulfilling and rewarding when you get over an obstacle that looks impossible or push yourself to the limit for no other reason except to become stronger physically and mentally.
I managed to bumble myself into a first place position for my age category and 8th overall for women’s category. I was really happy with the results but there are many things I still have to improve to excel and thrive in this sport. It was a great experience that I hope I can experience again and again. Perhaps a 21km next time!
Aisha – Yr 11 Rosebery
U19 Girls Football
Rosebery Road Trip to Phuket
Please enjoy the girls’ tales of their tournament at British International School Phuket last week. From Yoolim in Year 7 to Jing Xean in Year 13, the whole age range of our house was represented in an unforgettable experience. Accompanying teachers have praised the girls’ fighting spirit, stamina, and sense of fun; their determination and defiance. From the players themselves have come memories of mud, so much mud, and mirth, so much mirth. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff who took the girls: Cindy Ng, Liv Archibald and Kate Fowler. I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear that the girls’ abiding feeling, about the football they played and the friendships they made, was that they were winners. A cheer just went up in Rosebery. (Kate, forever young)
When we arrived in Phuket BISP was already there waiting to welcome us. They were really nice, took our luggage and gave us some water. They escorted us to our hotel and we ate dinner. The teachers took us to seven eleven to buy some snacks and we went back and relaxed. Then we went to sleep. The next morning at 5:45 the hotel rang to wake us up. We went to breakfast then to BISP. When we got there we got settled in, found the pitches we were meant to play on, and then we were free to basically just relax until our first match. The competition was very high and unfortunately no matches were won. However, on the second day U19 girls tied! The quality of competition made this quite impressive. We didn’t go home without making a friend or two. I met a girl who was also named Gabby from our opposing team! We played one team and at the end of the match, although we lost, they gave us three cheers, and one for the ref too! Overall, Phuket was a lot of fun because it was an opportunity to make friends, get closer to our current friends and spend time with our friends. I can’t wait for BISP next year! (Gabby, Year 8)
Encouragement, determination, unwavering support, and resilience.
This is, in my opinion, the embodiment of the U19 girls’ team.
Phuket was unbelievable. Three days and two nights? Travelling in teams and making new friends? I’d been looking forward to it since competing in the two previous events.
It was a wonderful weekend, full of joy, laughter, companionship, and adrenaline, but it was also a challenging one, as I had not anticipated being so physically exhausted as we pushed ourselves as a team, trying our hardest and giving it our all. Given that we were up against much larger, more football (or shall I say soccer) oriented teams and schools, it would have been easy for us to forfeit early on and let our losses (which, I must admit, we had some) discourage us, but what I really loved and admired about our team was that we took every opportunity to learn and improve ourselves, never allowed our heads to drop or our smiles to falter, and supported each and every one of our teammates until the end.
We were extremely fortunate to have Ms. Archibald as our coach, for which I am extremely grateful, as she played a significant role in the development and success of our team, keeping the team together through her inspiring and uplifting words. I also can’t express how much pride and admiration I have for my team members, from the effort they put in to simply accompanying and looking out for me. Thank you, and for what it’s worth, I am so proud of you all and our achievements.
Here I present, the U19 BISP “soccer” girls team:
Khai Yue, Woorin, Xin Ling, Keia, Jing Xean, Laekeisya,
Jing Yan, Molly, Nanako, Ulala, Alicia
Xin Ling (Year 12)
All of the BISP football journey was pleasant: from the weekly Monday CCA training to the bus ride back to school, there was not a single second where I did not find myself smiling and I know everyone who was involved in it can agree with me. We learnt to work together and build stronger bonds in the last few months and putting trust in each other as teammates plays a huge role in creating unforgettable memories. The pizza social night watching a football game with the team was beautiful, loud but also serene inside. The night ended with a contented feel and energised for the tournament ahead. The trip to Phuket was assisted by many staff but I cannot forget Ms Cindy, who guided us through the complicated steps(it was complicated for me at least) at the airport to request for checked-in luggage since some of us exceeded our weight limit. Having an experienced alumni who has gone to the tournament herself with us made me feel very safe! We also have Mrs Fowler being a caring mom for all of us and making sure everyone is feeling well. We can see her shouting compliments after every match and encouraging us to be the best we can and on the pitch – those little things really help. Last but not even a bit least, I want to thank Ms Archibald for being a great coach/mentor/second-mom. I am so glad to learn so much from her and I promise you there was no Maths involved throughout the whole journey. She inspires me so much and I was willing to exceed my limits and I saw how far my body could go. This was a whole new escapade for me and if I could, I would like to experience it all over again, even if I will not be able to move from sore muscles afterwards. (Molly, Year 12)
Unforgettable memories were created despite the tan lines.
If it was not for the optimistic, supportive and humorous crowd that I went with, Phuket would not have been a blast!
Not to mention, BISP soccer 7’s has made me more confident of my football skills with the training, strategies and impeccable team work.
(Jing Yan, Year 12)
And then, as if by magic, our Aisha (Year 11) was also there!
Phuket Spartan APAC championship
Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Phuket, Thailand to compete in the Spartan APAC championship. Coincidentally, I not only flew on the same flight as the Epsom football team on Thursday evening but also on the way back!
What is a Spartan race? Well, it’s an obstacle race which can range from 5 km to 50 km or if you’re interested in going back in time and training like an actual Spartan from ancient Greece, there are 60 hour races and the lovingly named “death race” where there is no finish line – just a mission to survive.
I competed in the 10km race called a Super which consisted of 25 obstacles that was an amalgamation of 7 foot walls, shifting monkey bars, 18 kg and 30 kg buckets and boulders to stagger with and a lot of running. It was my first Super but I enjoyed it immensely. There’s something so fulfilling and rewarding when you get over an obstacle that looks impossible or push yourself to the limit for no other reason except to become stronger physically and mentally.
I managed to bumble myself into a first place position for my age category and 8th overall for women’s category. I was really happy with the results but there are many things I still have to improve to excel and thrive in this sport. It was a great experience that I hope I can experience again and again. Perhaps a 21km next time!
Epsom Special Events & Prefect Updates
Epsom College Science Award
As you will have read in previous editions of the Flyer, we are in the process of judging the ECSA – Epsom College Science Award.
This student conceived and organised competition has invited students from across the school to participate by undertaking a research project.
Competitors were tasked with presenting their findings via a research poster and presentation to the school.
The votes will soon be in and we will update you soon on the winner. In the meantime, here are the entries that made it to the final:
Who would get your vote?!
We will update you soon on the winner!
Zhi Yu, Year 13
ECiM Academic Prefect 2022/23
Society and Event Coordinator 2022/23
ELT – Tan Sri Rafidah
Jing Yan and I were honoured to have Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz visit our campus on November 17th to give an Epsom Live Talk. Tan Sri Rafidah has a wealth of professional experience, holding numerous titles, awards, and honorary doctorates, including being Malaysia’s longest serving Minister of International Trade and Industry. If you didn’t already know, Epsom Live Talks represent a series in Epsom in which students can listen to a live interview with successful or influential speakers, gaining insight and experience through their words.
When we heard about the opportunity to moderate Tan Sri Rafidah’s talk, Jing yan and I jumped at it; her wealth of knowledge and powerful voice immediately captivated and compelled us to listen, intrigued as we wanted to seize this opportunity. We designed the interview questions with the intention of Tan Sri Rafidah being able to provide us with insight into the various experiences she has had, including questions ranging from political policies, global trade, gender equality progression in Malaysia, and personal attributes one should obtain. Tan Sri Rafidah carefully addressed and explained her points throughout the interview as the audience sat in rapt attention, bringing us through her ideas, explaining statistics and facts, and sharing firsthand experience. Something that drew me in, and I’m sure the audience as well, was the level of honesty, knowledge, and passion she displayed when she spoke, showcasing a true level of authenticity and care. Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, near the end of our interview, also emphasised and stated the importance of integrity and moral value in everything we do, suggesting that we reflect on this and apply it to everything we do.
On behalf, I’d like to thank the audience for their attentiveness, respect, and additional contributions of questions at the end. We are once again grateful for this opportunity, which has influenced many, and we look forward to attending more Epsom Live Talks this term.
Xin Ling, Year 12
Hello Humanities!
Humanities week, which lasted from the 7th to 11th of November, was a great success! Areas of law, geography, sociology and history were covered. Beyond creating awareness among the Epsom community on presented topics, it allowed for the presenters to educate themselves further on issues the world faces and has faced. The humanities society also collaborated with the sports society to present the correlation between domestic violence rates and football games. It gave everyone an insight on the other not so ‘pretty’ side of football in society.
Lana, Hitesh, Vash and Nanako had a forum surrounding the topic of the Menendez Brothers. It was a truly eye opening experience and allowed us to understand the technicalities of the law! Talking about law, Pei Wen presented on the citizenship laws in Malaysia, outlining specifically on mothers passing down their citizenship to their children who were born outside of Malaysia to a non-Malaysian father.
Keia presented on Mt St Helens, an active volcano which has brought about much interest over the years. Alongside Keia’s presentation, Tiha talked about the recent Itaewon stampede (may the victims rest in peace) and how to avoid one yourself.
Elliot with the help of Alicia, Aidan, and Teja were able to host a successful social event named: JeoParty! The whole goal of the social was to be able to teach people new things about all the different parts of humanities as a whole within an hour and have fun while doing so. We took inspiration from family feud and jeopardy and were able to implement our own topics like: History, Geography, Law/Politics and more. We had lots of fun researching about the topics and we were able to learn from planning it out as well. Some teams had an advantage as people may have already learned about these topics and the questions within them from their own reading. There was one team in particular that had an advantage as all members were humanities students however they had just formed a team within themselves 30 minutes prior to the social. So overall from the humanities board of directors and from those who helped plan the social we were glad to say it was an overall success with a few hiccups here and there and we hope to plan more fun events in the future.
Alicia
President of Epsom Humanities Soc. 2022/23
