Packing List For Children Going To After School Care

As we move on towards 2016, many parents with kids going to primary school for the first time are preparing themselves for that big day when their child steps into "big school" for the first time. For working parents, who have to rely on transporters and after school daycare, there are many more things to think about and prepare for. 

In order to have a smooth first day of school and first month at school experience, it is good to be prepared and to have checklists for everything. We asked Little Oxford Daycare Centre to help us with a checklist for parents sending their children to an after or before school daycare centre for the first time.

Here is the recommended packing list of things to bring along to an after or before school daycare centre.

6 Essential Things You Need To Bring For Your Children Going To After School Care

1. Clothes 

Bring clothing for up to a week or more for your child so that they will have a fresh and clean set of clothes to change into in case it gets dirty or wet.

2. Toiletries

Many children have sensitive skin issues. If your child is one of them, don't forget to bring your own shampoo to prevent and allergic issues. The centre will provide shampoo but it is advisable to bring your own if your child is prone to allergies.

3. Comb

It is important to always keep children's hair neat and tidy, especially girls with long hair. For girls, you may like to add in their hair ties or hair band to keep them comfortable in our hot weather.

4. Plastic Bags or Recycle Bags

Don't forget to put in some extra plastic bags or recycle bags when you are packing the stuff your child will need for his or her after school daycare. This is to put dirty clothes for children to bring home.

5. Snacks

If your child is a fussy or picky eater, he or she may not finish the lunches provided. To play it safe, let them have a  bit of their favourite finger foods in a bag for a few days to see how they are coping up. Of course this is not something to be encouraged for long term, only during the early transition period.

6. Water Bottle

Last but not least, don't forget your child's water bottle or tumbler. Water is very important and children are encouraged to drink a lot of water at Little Oxford. So bring along a water bottle for us to keep track. If they forget or lose the bottle, we will use cups.

We hope this checklist will help busy parents in their planning. Enjoy your child's first day and the next stage in your parenting journey.

Parents, you may also find the following related posts useful

What To Look For In A Before Or After School Care Centre

Life In A Before Or After School Care Centre Of A Sk Student

Timetable Of A SJKC Student In A Before Or After School Care Centre

10 Things You Should Know When Sending Your Child To An After School Care Centre

This post was brought to you by Little Oxford Daycare Centre

Blank School Timetable For Boys And Girls For 2016

In just a week, kids will be back in school for 2016. Wow! It happened in a blink of an eye didn't it? Well, its been a fun one and a half months judging from all those wonderful holiday photos I see popping out on my timeline on Facebook.

It is almost time for back to school 2016 now and for some it will be an exciting first day in "big school". All the best to kids going back to school for the first time and all the parents too. 

Whether you are going back to school for the first time or otherwise, you will need a timetable. Usually teachers will give out the timetable during the first week, some on the very first day of school. Since it is a new year, we've got a brand new blank timetable for boys and girls for 2016 for you to download and print out. 

Members can go straight to our free printables section to print out the blank school timetable for boys and girls for 2016 now. You will be needing it very soon. Good Luck! Hope everyone gets right back to their old routines smoothly in a week or two.

UPSR 2016 Dates, Format And Where To Download Sample Exam Papers

When Is UPSR 2016?

The dates for UPSR 2016 has been fixed on 5, 6, 7 and 8 September 2016.
(Source: Portal Rasmi Lembaga Peperiksaan Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia)

Notice that it is over 4 days and not 3 days as before? This is to be expected since there are additional papers as well as added times for some of the exisiting papers.

5-8 September 2016 is Monday to Thursday. One happy thing to take note of is the school term holiday or Cuti Pertengahan Penggal Kedua begins on 10 September 2016 and ends on 18 Sept 2016. That is something the kids can look forward to.











UPDATED: The dates have been changed and are now as follows 1 & 5-8 September 2016. As shown on the KPM website on 1st April 2016.



What Is The New Format For 2016 And Where Can You Download Sample Papers?

Expect more HOTS questions which translates to more subjective type questions. Many are aware that English Paper 2 is now counted as a separate subject. However, do you know that previously students sat for just one paper for Science but in 2016, they will have to sit for two papers. (Science is still counted as one single paper but the question paper is split into 2).

You can view the new format and download sample papers for Math, Science, English, BM, Chinese, Tamil from the MOE website here.

Format Dan Instrument Contoh Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) Tahun 2016
(Source: Portal Rasmi Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia)

Those sitting for UPSR in 2016 and beyond should also read the following posts from our blog:

• What Is The Difference Between The Old UPSR Format And The New UPSR 2016 Format
• UPSR 2016 Chinese UPSR Format - What's New
• UPSR 2016 Math And Science - What's New
• UPSR 2016 English Paper Format - What's New
• UPSR 2016 BM New Format

Chinese New Year School Holidays 2016

The Winter Solstice Festival 2015 is just over. Christmas is round the corner. The malls may be playing Christmas songs but already mandarin oranges are being sold in the supermarket. Schools will reopen on 3rd January 2016 for schools in Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu and 4th January 2016 for all other states in Malaysia.

Then just as the kids get used to school, you will be hit by a week long holiday for Chinese New Year and then kids are back in the holiday mood and you have to get them ready again. Or a more positive way of looking at it will be, kids can slowly adjust to the new school year with a break in between.

Next year, Chinese New Year public holidays falls on the first and second day of Chinese New Year which is the 8th and 9th February (Mon & Tue) in 2016.

Meanwhile, Chinese New Year School Holidays 2016 has been set as follows by the Kementrian Pendidikan Malaysia (Ministry of Education Malaysia) more details on this page. It is also stated that these dates need not be replaced.

7 (Sun), 10 (Wed) & 11 (Thur) February 2016 for Kedah, Johor Kelantan and Terengganu

10 (Wed), 11(Thur) & 12 (Fri) February 2016 for all other states in Malaysia

Therefore for Group A schools which comprise Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu, the Chinese New Year school holidays including public holidays and weekends is 5 Feb 2016 (Fri) - 13 February 2016 (Sat) 2016. 

For Group B schools in all other states, the Chinese New Year school holidays including public holidays and weekends is from 6th Feb (Sat) to 14th Feb (Sun) 2016. Total number of days is 9 days.

There you have it, go and mark your calendars for the Chinese New Year School Holidays 2016 so you can go and book your accomodations and make your travel arrangements for balik kampung.

Maths And Bahasa Malaysia Classes With A Difference At Bright Robin Malaysia

Our schools concentrate so much on rote learning that students sometimes get bored with learning a subject whether it is Mathematics or Bahasa Malaysia. In addition many kids are spoon fed their lessons, copying from the board without understanding or doing homework for the sake of completing them and handing them up to teacher. They get left behind in studies and they are sent to tuition centres where the situation sometimes repeats itself. Parents wonder why there is no improvement after tuition. In fact, there is simply no motivation to learn.

5 Objectives For Sending Kids To Tuition Or Enrichment Classes

1. To understand their school syllabus better, not solely to pass exams or score A
2. To get challenged by peers and learn in a fun environment
3. To motivate them from within through proper guidance, rather than to spoon feed them with lessons and more work
4. To teach them new methods and ways to learn a subject so they understand that there are more ways to learn than just rote learning and copying
5. To receive personal attention and help because they are not getting that in a class of 40-50 students

When we are clear about the objectives for sending children for extra classes, then it is easier for us to find a class or centre that suits them.

Maths And Bahasa Malaysia Classes With A Difference At Bright Robin Malaysia

Bright Robin Malaysia is a centre that helps you fulfill these objectives for sending kids for extra lessons. Here's why.

• 100% of the school syllabus is covered whether Malaysia, Singapore or Cambridge. Lessons are personalized to cover whatever syllabus your child is studying in school
• Bright Robin utilizes technology to deliver a fun learning environment for kids so they won't be bogged down with boring exercises and repetitive worksheets
• Children are given personal digital tablets in class and are guided to use technology to learn. This keeps things interesting for them and motivates them to want to learn more on their own. They also discover that there is more than one way to learn a subject
• A maximum of 6 students per class makes sure that each child gets personal attention and guidance
• The use of in-house technology makes it possible to integrate comprehensive and customized syllabus into their content. The lesson plans include both school syllabus as well as extra-curricular content that focuses on problem solving, logical thinking and creative thinking

Intriqued? We are intriqued to learn more about this centre after checking out their website. 

Currently Bright Robin has centres in Puchong, Subang Jaya, Mont' Kiara, Taman Connaught, Bukit Tinggi Klang, Setia Alam, Bukit Mertajam, Bertam and Ipoh Garden.

You can learn more on their website

or Facebook Bright Robin Malaysia

BM Tuition For Primary And Secondary Students At Aman Suria Damansara PJ

Parents looking for BM Tuition for kids in the Aman Suria Damansara Petaling Jaya area, can look out for Aman Suria Tuition Centre at Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria, Damansara. It is located just above Svenz Hair Salon in the same row as Midwest Betty's, Kalamzoo, Chatime and Watson.

BM for primary up to secondary level is provided at Aman Suria Tuition Centre (Pusat Tusyen Aman Suria). Classes are kept small so students get individualized attention.

The focus of the BM classes are not limited to school syllabus alone. Students are taught to upgrade their tatabahasa consistently via a themed lesson plan. Since the tuition centre have students from lower primary up to upper secondary, the lesson plans incorporate knowledge that will help them in their higher grades. For example, a standard 2 student may also be taught new tatabahasa from pantun/teka silang kata and etc that may be standard 3-5 to keep students ahead of the curve in learning.

For more information about the BM tuition at Aman Suria Tuition Centre, call 03-7887 7233/010-364 3866 for more information. The centre also conducts English and Mandarin lessons programs for kids from all levels.

This post was brought to you by Aman Suria Tuition Centre a learning centre owned by Collis Learning Academy.

Pros and Cons Of Home School, Private or International Schools And Home Schooling Centres

Gone are the days when you only had to decide between vernacular schools and national schools, these days parents in Malaysia have to decide between public schools, private schools international schools plus you also have the option of doing home schooling yourself or through home school centres.

This post which explores the pros and cons of home school, private or international schools and home school centres was contributed by Kensington Academy Malaysia. Kensington offers Cambridge IGCSE from Primary to Secondary, Years 1 through 11.

The charts below take an objective look at the pros and cons of each type of school to help parents make informed decisions when making educational choices for their children. Before looking at the charts, let's take a brief look at the definition of home school.

What Is Home-Schooling?

Home schooling is a way of delivering formal education through an informal way. Home schoolers generally learn at the comfort of their home where in many instances, parents (and hired home tutors) take charge of their kids learning.

*Best viewed on desktop. Mobile viewers please scroll down to the bottom of the page for chart

PROS AND CONS OF HOME SCHOOL

     PROS                                                                                         CONS

• One-to-one teaching gives learners a superior learning experience 
• Teaching style and pace can be tailored flexibly to suit learners' needs
• Learners will have more time to spare for non-academic activities such as sports or the pursuit of additional skills and talents
• Learners are much more independent as they progress into college/university years as they are already used to studying independently and managing their own schedules
• Very cost effective

• Time consuming, challenging for parents who are on day time job
• Although it does not cost as much compared to schools, it can cause financial stress if it prevents the parent(s) from working or having a day time job to cover expenses.
• The pace of learning may not be equal compared with their peers of similar age
• Requires a lot of self-organisation from parents to come out with a structured teaching plan and teaching activities                         

       

PROS AND CONS OF PRIVATE OR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

     PROS                                                                                          CONS

• Well-equipped campus facilities and abundant in resources for learners
• Although this is highly dependent on the school, international/private schools are often more prestigious
• The ratio of teacher to learners are generally low for better attention on learners
• A very structured environment and curriculum (and up to date) to meet the specific examination board’s requirement
• Classroom interaction can enhance learners’ social skills

• The cost of private school education is very high
• Less flexibility as these schools placed great emphasis on policies and procedures
• Usually no special need classes available, for learners require more attention
• Learners must pass an entrance exam to be admitted
• Classes are taught at a mid-learning level, which may cause advanced learners to become bored                        

       

PROS AND CONS OF HOME SCHOOL CENTRES

     PROS                                                                                          CONS

• Low teacher to learners ratio
• Much more affordable compared with private/ international schools as fees are usually lower
• Learners will eventually graduate with the same qualification as their peers in private schools
  

• May not have a proper setup or learning environment
• Lack of resources
• Less diverse choices in subjects
• Many are religious based schools/centres which may prevent cultural diversity          

       

* For Mobile  Viewers

ABA Home Therapy Is Now Possible With Autism Consultancy Malaysia

In our blog post today, we'd like you to meet Charlene Marie Samuel. Charlene is Director and Program Supervisor with Autism Consultancy. Picture inset shows Charlene (top left) and her team.

Autism Consultancy provides ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) Therapy and School Shadow Aide services for children with Autism, and children that require additional support at school. Autism Consultancy aims so reach more families affected with autism by making therapy and support more affordable, as well as training for parents and teachers working with children with Autism is also available.

ABA Therapy can be arranged to be conducted at the comfort of your home, or at any one of these locations:
1. Baby and Beyond, Child Specialist Clinic Publika
2. Kids Therapy, Plaza Damas                                 3. Sense-ational Kidz, Jalan Dagang, Ampang.                                            
Q: Hello Charlene, Can you tell us what are the early signs of autism every parent should know?

There are a few red flag parents should look out for, mostly in terms of your child's development.
1. Your child does not respond to his/her name, or common instructions ( you may at one point considered if you child is deaf)
2. Your child does not maintain eye contact or look at you when you speak to them
3. Your child has a delay in speech
4. Your child prefers to play on his/her own, and generally there is a lack of play skills. your child may be playing with toys peculiarly. e.g.: lining up all the blocks intend of building them up, or turning cars around to rotate the wheels instead of pushing cars on the track
5. Your child engages in peculiar repetitive behaviour (e.g.: repeats words or sounds, flapping hands, tip toes, looks at the corner of his/her eyes, moves fingers in front of eyes, lines things up)
6. Your child is rigid (e.g. only drinks a certain flavour of milk, only wants to drink from a particular bottle, must follow a certain route back home, wants to wear a particular shirt repetitively).

Q: What should parents do when they suspect that their children have autism? What is the next step?

1. Do some research. look up "child's developmental milestones" and match these milestones of your child against the questionnaire. If there are significant delays...
2. See your paediatrician or book an appointment to see a developmental paediatrician. If your child is diagnosed with Autism...
3. Start early intervention EARLY. ABA is the only research validated approach to show significant improvements for our kids undergoing intensive therapy


Q: What is Early Intervention?

Early intervention is any additional support that generally starts before the age of 6.

Q: How do parents start an early intervention program?

Contact Autism Consultancy as we will be able to guide you which program (centre or home based) works best for your child as well as what are the required number of hours that is needed to see improvements. ABA must be intensive and consistent. we run a minimum 9 hours a week, and unto 40 hours a week of ABA therapy for a child.


Q: Home based therapy and centre based therapy. Which is better and why?

There is no right and wrong answer to this. it all boils down to convenience and the needs of your child. Most kids do start off with HOME therapy, as they are able to learn in a more comfortable and familiar environment. However, children that are very attached to parents/maids and cannot function without their presence, and mostly I would suggest that the child be put into a CENTER program, as they are not able to fully function independently with the presence of family around.
Centre based therapy is great for working on group and social skills, e.g.: taking turns, playing with other kids, communicating with other children, which is tough to arrange in a home setting. a centre based approach also prepares the child for a school based environment.


Q: How to get started on home based therapy?
Book an assessment with Autism Consultancy. This assessment is needed to asses your child's abilities, strengths and challenges. The programs and content in therapy will be based on the outcome of the assessment.


Q: Can you tell us more about ABA. What is ABA therapy?

ABA Therapy stands for Applied Behavior Analysis, which is based mostly on positive reinforcement. we strongly believe we can teach a child by tapping into their interests which are used as reinforcements. ABA breaks skills down and teaches a child from foundation upwards to the mastery of a skill. Progress in individualized according to the child's abilities and sessions are all 1:1, one therapist to one child. We strongly are against physical punishment, as well as against shouting to correct a child. A good ABA program is intensive (20-40 hours a week), consistent and individualized according to your child's abilities and needs.


Q: Can you tell us more about your social skills class?

Our social skills class was set up to help our home based kids to be able to mingle and socialize with peers. We generally work on school readiness skills (e.g.: taking group instructions, lining up, waiting, etc), as well as social skills ( communicating with peers, responding to peers, eye contact, turn taking, sharing, etc)


Q: What is the parents role in ABA?

Unlike many other ABA providers, Autism Consultancy really pushes for family participation. We encourage parents to attend the monthly meetings so that they are aware of progress, as well as what the team is working on so that skills that are learnt in therapy are also generalized in the home setting. parents play an incredibly big role in ANY intervention program. Basically a therapist works with your child from 2-6 hours a day, and the rest of the hours of the day is managed by parents/family. A great team of parents can either push a child to greater heights, or hinder a child's progress.


Q: How can parents continue with ABA at home?

Part of our program includes parent training, in which our therapists and consultants will support parents to work with their child using ABA at the home.

Q: Please tell us your vision and aspiration for Autism Consultancy Malaysia

We really aspire to become a household name when it comes to Autism Support and Therapy. We are hoping to set up our own independent centre in 2016 to cater to the demand of a centre based ABA program.

Thank you Charlene, for taking the time to share this valuable information with us despite your heavy work schedule. Charlene can be reached at Autism Consultancy.

Free Printable January 2016 Calendar

Our free printable January 2016 Calendar is out. Site members can now go to our Free Printables For Members only to print out their calendars.

This time we chose a balloon theme for the calendar to celebrate the new year. 2016 is on its way. Time flies!

The calendar is in pastel colors of cyan (a blue green shade) and pink. Our favourite colours as you will see on our Mumsgather Finds website header.

For those starting school in January 2016, now is the time to circle that exciting starting school date and talk to your child about it. Make it a  positive no tears event by talking about it positively.

Plan for the school year ahead with your child by printing out this calendar and pasting it on his desk or the wall just above his desk. This will encourage and teach your child to be time aware and more organized. Encourage him to mark down important dates on the calendar starting with the first day of school.

Sewing, Transport, Catering And Other Services For Back To School 2016

One of the things parents with school going kids will be needing soon as we race towards back to school or starting school 2016 are services like sewing badges, car pooling, food catering etc. Members of our website who are also members of our Facebook groups

1. The Malaysia Primary and Secondary School Parents On Facebook *
or
2. The Malaysian Primary and Secondary School Parents Market *

can write to us at mumsgather@gmail.com to be included in this private directory for members only. When writing in, please state the following

Name:
Description: (Describe your services in one or two sentences)
Contact Information: (email, tel or whatsapp as you prefer)

Those who are currently listed, please check to make sure that your contact information is up to date or write to us to be removed from the list when you are no longer offering the service (eg. your car pool is full/complete).

*Facebook group members, please refer to our posting on the wall for the categories accepted.

This platform is strictly for parents helping other parents. 

School Uniforms Malaysia Brands And Price Comparison For Back To School 2016

Many parents in our Facebook group - The Malaysia Primary and Secondary School Parents On Facebook especially the newer parents with children going to standard one in 2016 have been asking about school uniforms so we thought it was timely to do this post - a Malaysia school uniforms brands and price comparisons. We'll just compare the primary school white blouse for a rough idea. As usual, we try to put everything in one place to make things easier for busy parents.

Found this on Parkson

Back To School Promotions Period: 17 Nov 2015 - 3 January 2016 at 10 pm.
School Uniform Brands: Canggih Brand and School Classic Brand.
Price: The primary school white blouse price is RM17.50 to RM23.50 for Canggih and RM18.90 to RM23.90 for School Classic.

Over at Aeon Big

Back To School Promotion Period: 20 Nov 2015 - 4 Jan 2016
School Uniform Brands: Canggih, WHH School and Unggul. (There's a disclaimer that says certain branches do not carry certain brands.)
Price: Primary School Girl's Uniform is listed as RM17.50 to RM37.50 before 20% discount.

At Aeon 

Back To School Promotion Period: 19 Nov to 3 January 2016 (Note that some other back to school promo ends earlier but the uniform one ends on 3 Jan 2016)
School Uniform Brands: Alpha Kids
Primary Short Sleeve Shirts Price: RM18.90 - RM23.90 with 10% discount for Aeon Members

From Mydin Hypermarket and Bazzar

Back to School Promotion Period: 26 Nov 2015 to 14 Dec 2015
School Uniform Brands: Disiplin
White Shirt Price: RM11.90 to RM14.90

At Sogo

Back to School Promotion Period: 23 Nov 2015 - 2 Jan 2016

School Uniform Brand: Canggih

White Shirt Price: From RM17.50 as seen on the shop online page (flyer unavailable)

From Metrojaya eCatalogue

Back To School Promotion Period: 14 Nov 2015 to 3 Jan 2016

School Uniform Brand: Canggih

Blouse Price: RM17.50 to RM23.50

From Giant pdf brochure download

Back To School Promotion Period: 19 Nov 2015 to 13 Jan 2016

School Uniform Brands: JT, Canggih, Unggul, WHH School

Price: Canggih White Blouse (RM17.50-RM23.50)

         Unggul White Shirt/Blouse (RM11.42-RM16.72) with 20% discount included

         WHH School Classic (RM14.32-RM24.72) with 20% discount included

From Tesco Stores (Malaysia)

Back To School Promotion Period: 26 Nov 2015 to 16 Dec 2015

Uniform Brands: Signature, Signature Premier & Canggih Brands

Price: Signature Short Sleeve Primary Shirt/Blouse (RM11.90)

          Signature Premier (RM18.13 after 30% discount)

          Canggih Primary Blouse (RM17.50 - RM23.50)

We're not doing a school shoes price comparison because if we did, this post would go on and on but you know what? You can easily click on all the links we provided above to check out the price of shoes, stationery and other school stuff your children will need for back to school 2016. The links show a lot more than just school uniforms. You will find tumblers, food container, stationery, inner wear and many other school stuff in the promotion catalogs.

Happy Shopping and don't break the bank.

Of course there are many more brands and also online and retail shops which you can shop for uniforms like The Uniform Shop, Professor, Swan and more. We have not covered them all. In this post, several departmental store offers as shown on their websites are used for this comparison.

One thing to note for your future back to school shopping is the timing of the sales. Most start in mid November and end on the first day of school.

Don't forget to check our website for more back to school shopping.

December Promotions At Books Kinokuniya Malaysia

Book lovers take note! Books Kinokuniya Malaysia has a lot of year-end promotions you should know about. These are for those shopping on the online store. Lots of goodies are in store for you when you shop at the Kinokuniya Webstore.

This year-end when you shop online at Books Kinokuniya Malaysia, you will get free shipping for books above a certain value, a bonus free coupon code for a discount of your next purchase and 30% of selected titles! Read more below for the details.

1. Free Shipping For Books

Starting 1st December 2015 right up till 18 December 2015, you get free shipping for books above RM150 for West Malaysia or above RM300 for East Malaysia.

2. A Bonus Free Coupon Code together with your shipment!

If you buy a book online between now up to 31st December 2015, you will receive a free coupon code or discount on your next order.

3. 30% Discount of selected titles 

From now till the 3rd of January, you will get 30% discount off books from the Biblio Wonderland Christmas 2015 selection when you shop online at Books Kinokuniya. English, Chinese and Japanese books are available in this selection including children's books, graphic novels, young adult, health, handicraft and more. Choices for all members of the family.

These year-end deals at Books Kinokuniya Malaysia make it worthwhile to shop for books as gifts this Christmas. 

Dual Language Programme List of 300 Schools

The list of 300 schools which are part of the new Dual Language Programme (DLP) in Malaysia is out! Many parents have been waiting for this and hoping that their child's school will be one of them. Now you can check from the link below from the Ministry of Education (MOE) Official Website (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia).

PELAKSANAAN RINTIS PROGRAM DWIBAHASA ATAU DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMME (DLP) DI SEKOLAH PADA TAHUN 2016

There are 148 primary schools and 152 secondary schools participating in the Dual Language Programme.

Here are some of the schools in the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur that will be involved in the pilot DLP program for the teaching of Maths & Science in English and Bahasa Malaysia in 2016 for Standard 1, Standard 4 and Form 1 students.

List of primary schools in Selangor under the DLP programme

1. SK Jalan 3
2. SK Saujana Impian
3. SK Bandar Tasik Kesuma
4. SK Taman Megah
5. SK Seksyen 9, Shah Alam
6. SK Sri Langat (Integ)
7. SK Convent (M)
8. SK Assunta Satu
9. SK Sri Petaling

List of primary schools in Kuala Lumpur under the DLP programme

1. SK Bukit Bandaraya
2. SK Taman Bukit Maluri
3. SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail 1
4. SK Bkt Damansara
5. SK Setiawangsa
6. SK Wangsa Melawati
7. SK Menjalara
8. SK Alam Damai
9. SK Kiaramas
10. SK Tiara Permai

List of secondary schools in Selangor under the DLP programme

1. SMK Kota Kemuning
2. SMK Banting
3. SMK Jalan Tiga
4. SMK Jalan Empat
5. SMK Bandar Tun Hussein Onn 2
6. SMK Damansara Jaya
7. SMK USJ 12
8. SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3
9. SMK Convent
10. SMK (P) Methodist
11. SMK Convent (M)
12. SMK Assunta
13. SMK Katholik (M)
14. SMK (P) Sri Aman

List of secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur under the DLP programme

1. SMK Bukit Bandaraya
2. SMK Seri Hartamas
3. SMK Seri Bintang Utara
4. SMK Convent Bukit Nanas (M)
5. SMK (L) Methodist
6. SMK St. John (M)
7. SMK St. Mary (M)
8. SMK (P) Methodist (M)
9. SMK Victoria

For the list of DLP schools in other states, please check the link provided to see if your child's school is one of the 300 listed schools in the pilot Dual Language Programme.

British Council Malaysia Open Day - What To Expect

On 26 November we wrote a post about the British Council Open Days to help parents register now to join British Council Young Learner English courses for ages 5 to 17, starting 9 January 2016

The open days are held simultaneously at all British Council Centres in Malaysia including the Kuala Lumpur and Mutiara Damansara branches on 5 & 6, 12 & 13 and 19 & 20 December 2015.

We just came from attending the British Council Open Day at Mutiara Damansara. In this post, we would like to bring you some tips to make your trip for the open day a beneficial one.

Why You Should Attend An Open Day

Open Days are insightful. It is a good way for you to get a feel for a centre and to get answers. You get to view the facilities and talk to the teachers.

If you are hunting for an English language centre for your child, you should make it a point to drop by for the British Council open day. We went early to take some photos of the activities at the open day before the crowd. British Council is very popular in Malaysia as any Malaysian parents believe learning English is important and useful.

We had the opportunity to attend the Parents Workshop and discovered that the teaching strategies are very different from what our children are exposed to in our public schools. Children will receive good exposure in learning English in this manner. They are encouraged to work together in teams on projects. It will benefit and help the kids not only in school work but in overall communication and living skills. Some parents mentioned that the fees were pricey, so we checked and found it to be not much more than what you would pay for a home tutor or a music lesson so why not for English?

You can view our photo collage below. These are some of the open day activities put together for your child and you.

British Council Open Day Activities

Tips on how to get the most out of the British Council Malaysia Open Day

• Arrive early and bring your child (You may like your child to sit for an assessment to find out his level). This may take 30 minutes to an hour depending on his age. British Council Malaysia has several levels for each age grouping (5-9, 10-12, 13-15 & 16-17). Once you find out your child's level, you can speak to the customer service about the 2016 class schedules and fees
• While your child is doing the assessment, make sure you sit in the Parents Workshop. This is an excellent way to find out more about the centre and what happens in the British Council classrooms as the teacher patiently explains their teaching methods and approaches
• Remember to ask questions and speak to the teachers and customer service staff. This is the best time to ask questions as all the staff at the centre have put aside this day to specially attend to you and your queries. That is what an Open Day is all about, so make the most of it!
• Browse around and have a look at the workbooks being displayed. Read the notices. Read up about the teachers.
• Let your child attend the activities that have been organized including the storytelling, treasure hunt, arts and crafts, face and finger painting
• Have fun!

Workbooks and Students Work being displayed at British Council Mutiara Damansara

If you missed the 5 & 6 December one, you can still attend the British Council Malaysia Open Days on 12 & 13 and 19 & 2 December 2015. Time: 11am to 4pm on all days.

Book your place for the open day

How A Dictionary App Can Help To Improve Your Vocabulary As A Student

This is a guest post contributed by the developers of Apple Tree, a dictionary app available for download onto Android devices.

It is a known fact that if your vocabulary improves, your understanding of your learning material and assignments as a student will also improve. You will also be better able to articulate yourself  by choosing the correct words to use when you write. In addition, being able to spell correctly makes your writing easier to understand. You will therefore achieve higher success in your studies when you build on your vocabulary.

Using dictionaries is an excellent way to improve your vocabulary and every student should own at least one. You can use either a sole language dictionary (monolingual) or a multi-language or cross languages one (bilingual/trilingual) if you are a student of several languages.

I am from Apple Tree. I contribute to our company's R & D. I was from a Malay government school in Perak and completed my SPM in 1997. At the time, we didn't have electronic dictionaries or dictionary apps. However, we didn't use the traditional book dictionaries very much either. We used to skip words we did not know because we were too lazy to flip the dictionary to find the meaning. It was also difficult to understand the pronunciation using book dictionaries. 

We skipped words we did not understand in our books because

1. We did not know how to find the root word or Kata Dasar for compound words or Kata Berimbuhan. So we ignored the words we did not know. 

2. We did not understand the IPA (IPA is the International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of symbols for showing how words are pronounced). 

This made it very hard for us to learn new words and improve our vocabulary even for those of us who were hardworking enough to look up the meaning of words using the traditional book dictionaries.

In 1997 the internet was not very popular and we were  unable to get easy access. It was also expensive to go online. We had to depend on dial-up connection which was slow and not like the wifi that we are able to get everywhere now. Not may places could access the internet unlike now. Currently, though wifi is widely available, it is still inaccessible in many rural places.

Seeing this situation in the past and even now makes me very passionate about my part in the Research and Development in Apple Tree Malaysia. Recently, Apple Tree has developed a Dictionary APP that can be downloaded into a student’s Android device making it instantly accessible easily. This Dictionary App compromise (20 Dictionaries in 1 APP in 3 Languages). 

Our dictionary APP makes it easy for Malaysian students to check the meaning of words in Malay, English and Chinese. It also teaches them how to pronounce the words  in 3 languages. All the content and search function works under offline environment except the Malay pronunciation so you do not even need to access the internet once you have downloaded our app. 

In addition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka licensed us the copyright of the Kamus Dewan Melayu-Melayu and Kamus Inggeris-Melayu Dewan as well as Longman publish for English-Chinese Dictionary. These are well known and established dictionaries.

Our vision is that our Dictionary APP can help all Malaysian students improve their vocabulary not only in English but Bahasa Malaysia as well by making it easy to access, understand and learn languages by using our dictionary app. We strive to make it easier to look up and learn new words including how to pronounce them."

Related Post: Turn Your Smartphone Or Tablet PC Into An edict With The AppleTree Dictionary App

Fun-Printz Personalized Labels 2nd Year Anniversary Double Rewards

In November we wrote about Personalized Labels For Kids Malaysia from Fun-Printz. This month we would like to inform parents about the Fun-Printz Personalized Labels 2nd Year Anniversary Double Rewards. 

This is good news for parents who are planning for the school year 2016. Personalized labels is an item you would not want to miss out when organizing yourself for the school year ahead. It will save you a lot of headache and heartache.

For the whole month of December 2015, for purchases >RM100 of Fun Printz products, shoppers will get a free personalized Fun-Printz Luggage Tag and a second one free if you have an IKEA Family Card from their retail store in IPC Shopping Centre while those who purchase online will get a free personalized luggage tag and free shipping within Malaysia. Below are the exclusive designs for the complementary luggage tags. 

What Type Of Custom Labels Should I Buy?

We also want to tell you about the Fun-Printz value pack plus. These are great for those who cannot decide what type of labels to get because they come prepacked with different sizes and types of labels to fulfill all your labeling needs. You will get a total of 100 adhesive labels and 44 iron-on labels in different sizes including square labels, shoe labels, stick-on clothing labels as well as iron-on clothing labels. The value pack labels are waterproof 3M quality adhesive labels. 

...Choose the
Value Pack Plus Package
if you don't know what type of label
to buy...

Personalized Labels comes in different forms including stick-on or iron-on clothing labels, shoe labels, luggage tags etc. Choose the Value Pack Plus package if you don't know what type of labels to buy. In case you are wondering, the Value Pack Plus package is also entitled to the 2nd Anniversary promo by Fun-Printz this December 2015 so it is a good time to get this package

Details of the Value Pack Package:

Value Pack Plus - RM 169 (now with 2nd Anniversary Double bonus reward) 
Delivery for Value Pack Plus material : 7 working days. 

Value pack is waterproof which is equivalent to overseas brands. 

Hence  working days delivery lead time is required. 

So plan ahead and order early

Note: Fun-Printz also offers Fun/Mini Express Print labels which you can get on the spot or within 1-3 days for online orders.

What Is The Difference Between Stick-On Clothing Label and Iron-On Clothing Label?

You may notice that both types of labels are available in the value plus package. If you're asking yourself what is the difference between the stick-on clothing label and iron-on clothing label, here's the major differences.

Stick on Labels are good for...

• Costumes
• Swim wear
• Wrinkle Jackets (Winter Jackets/Ski Jackets)
• Hats
• Foot wear
• Bags
• Any clothing item that cannot be ironed

Iron-On Labels are for day to day usage on materials that can be ironed. The labels can be used in a washing machine or dryer and can last up to a year with regular daily washes.

Personalized Labels comes in different forms including stick-on or iron-on clothing labels, shoe labels, luggage tags etc. 

Clever Ways To Use Your Personalized Labels

Here are some clever uses for the adhesive stick on labels. In the picture collage below, you can see stick on labels on a bag or pouch made of materials that cannot be ironed but requires hand wash, stick on clothing label for swim wear. Stick them on the inside label to prevent mix up after swimming classes.

Another good idea is to use the S size waterproof labels for sports. Swimming goggles is a good example. In some private and international schools, swimming is part of the curriculum. Labeling your googles this way will prevent loss or mix ups. You can also use waterproof labels on skates, knee pads and just about any other of your kids stuff that needs labeling. Just use your creativity.

Clever ways to use personalized waterproof adhesive stick on name labels

Important Tips For Using Iron-On Labels

Video On How To Apply Iron-On Labels From Fun-Printz

Have you ever wondered why your iron-on labels hang loosely or come off while others who use the same labels lasts for years?

The important thing to do is to follow the instructions that come with the labels. These labels often come with instructions. Make sure you read and follow them. 

To ensure your iron-on labels stick well and last long you must

• Turn your iron on cotton heat
• Do not use steamer or water
• Preheat surface for 10 to 20 seconds
• Make sure your iron-on labels stick well. If not, reheat the surface and iron again
• Finally cover with a handkerchief or light cotton cloth and press iron for 25 to 45 seconds

Do this and you will have long lasting labels. Some labels come with extras for you to try. You can use the trial pieces before you start working on your labels. Fun-Printz provides trial pieces for you to tryout when you order online and retail. You can also request for a tryout at their retail store at Ikano Power Centre (in front of Popular book shop).

Happy Labeling!

This is an advertorial by Fun-Printz

No. 2, Jalan PJU 7/2, Mutiara Damansara, 

Selangor, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. 

Tel:+60 12-233 9008