Thank You for Making A Difference!

Huge congratulations to the four amazing teachers at Grace Education Center who all recently passed their TEFL Level 3 course offered by The TEFL Academy! This internationally recognised qualification, requiring 120 hours of study, equips them with expertise in lesson planning, grammar, speaking and listening skills, and interactive teaching strategies. Not only will this directly benefit the students they teach, but it also allows them to share their knowledge and develop the skills of other teachers in their school and community.

It's especially inspiring to note that these teachers are themselves refugees from The Chin Province of Myanmar. Their dedication to learning and improving their skills on top of their busy teaching schedules is truly remarkable!

A Huge Thank You to The Foundation

The teachers at Grace Education Center would like to express their sincere gratitude to The Foundation for making their TEFL training possible. The Foundation provided the funding for the teacher’s qualifications and arranged for the school to generously donate four refurbished laptops to aid them in their studies.This generous support directly aligns with The Foundation's new mission of "Transforming Lives Through Education."

Our school has embarked on an environmental sustainability journey since last year with various exciting developments happening at both campuses as shared in this article here. 

In order to further support the great work done by our students, The Alice Smith School Foundation purchased a plastic upcycling machine last March, working in partnership with The Sea Monkey Project to support the plastics upcycling initiative in school. Launched in November 2018, the Alice Smith School Foundation has been established to support the philanthropic work of the school and further enhance our commitment to education in Malaysia.

It’s amazing to discover how plastics could be upcycled to become lovely coasters, made by our dedicated Eco-Club secondary students, using this fantastic machine, purchased with the donations received by our Foundation.

Ananya Gupta, a member of the EP Eco Club, shares her thoughts on this incredible initiative:

“I have really enjoyed using the upcycling machine from The Sea Monkey Project, from starting off sorting the plastics to shredding it, melting the plastic in the extruder, and injecting it into the mould. Seeing the final product and the journey from something like a used plastic bottle into a new product that can be used and sold was a fantastic experience. What makes it even more special is that the opportunities for projects are endless, from coasters to trays, jewellery, and cups, that all can be sold to raise money for the Alice Smith School Foundation to keep supporting charities and our environment. It's a win-win, the process is fun, we are learning new skills, the process is reducing the amount of plastic waste, and new amazing products with varieties of colours can be made easily - from the start as a waste plastic container to a colourful coaster that many can buy! 

Recycling plastic is extremely important as it reduces the need for landfill, which takes up space and has a myriad of environmental impacts like the emission of greenhouse gases and chemical leaching into soil and rivers that can kill organisms. Plastic can also affect marine life by causing them to be trapped in it, like turtles in plastic bags, and fish can also consume the plastics which contain toxins that harm the animals. Moreover, it reduces energy consumption by eliminating the need for extracting and processing these raw materials, which all create great amounts of water pollution along with emitting greenhouse gases. By introducing this initiative that allows us to upcycle the plastic we are collecting, we are having a huge impact on the planet and positively impacting our school community.”

As we begin our new term, we are looking forward to the return of sustainability-themed ECAs in the form of our all new ‘Exploration Pathways’. The Eco Club will be continuing with their mission to turn plastic waste into unique items, and we will also see the return of KLASS Apprentice where students will be creating their own sustainable businesses. Also look out for Formula E, which is a brand new opportunity that will allow students to design and race an e car with sustainability at the forefront of its design. Make sure you follow our Instagram page, @KLASS_Eco to ensure you don’t miss out on any updates of the many exciting student-led initiatives that will be taking place this year.

The Alice Smith School Foundation celebrated its first Fundraising Dinner in three years last year. It was an uplifting, inspiring student-hosted event, focusing on our community impact on inspiring a better world. 

Our students and Senior English Prefects, Freida Foong and Aaliya Ibrahim paint a picture of a delightful evening and its wider purpose. 

The air sparked with a combination of nervous and excited anticipation as students made their way to the Lecture theatre on Friday, 26th May. It was here that we registered our attendance before boarding the buses designated to carry us to the Pullman Hotel where we would be stationed for the rest of the night.  

Having signed up beforehand for the roles we would each take, the students segregated themselves into the roles of serving and reception. Those in the serving category were responsible for serving guests beverages during the mocktail / cocktail interim and the three courses during the dinner itself whilst those in ‘reception’ were in charge of greeting guests as they entered and introducing them to the opportunity to place a bid for handcrafted art pieces made by fellow Alice Smith students.

PTA members took the reception committee aside and explained the rules and procedures which we were to follow whilst simultaneously disseminating information about the Foundation that we had to be aware of. This briefing really enabled Aaliya and I to learn more about the Foundation itself, its initiation date and the charities we support. To summarise, The Alice Smith School Foundation was founded on the 1st of November 2018, dedicated to philanthropic work, involving the donation to charities and the upkeep of the school in the long term. 

During this briefing, we were also tasked with selling raffle tickets, with the purchased tickets being placed into a large bowl to be drawn out at the end of the night. After the serving and reception team's briefings had concluded, the students enjoyed a hearty buffet meal at around 4pm, kindly arranged for by the hotel and school. And thus, the countdown began – only 2 hours until the spotlight was on us.

As we neared the end of the event, the last calls were made for the purchase of Raffle tickets before the final announcement for the lucky winners was made. The prizes were  sure to impress the guests as products ranged from flashing jewellery to discount holiday locations for the summer. Soon after, our MCs Kieve Cheong, and Thasya Thevandran took to the stage with cue cards at the ready, and gave a wonderful introduction to Su Hwa Wei, our alumni’s performance, before taking their final bow. Before mentioning our moments during the performance, Kieve Chong provided us with his reflection on his first experience as MC and told us “I really loved the vivacious atmosphere that the esteemed guests and students created – it made emceeing just that much more enjoyable.”. This vivacious atmosphere continued through the performance of ‘Stand By Me’ as all the Year 12’s were released from their serving duties and gathered together at the back to sing along. With that the formal Foundation Fundraising Dinner was complete. However, the experience did not end there. An impromptu dance train led the Year 12’s to the lower stage as they enjoyed the songs by the DJ of the night. A fleeting, yet joyous moment.

Looking back, everyone involved in the Foundation Fundraising Dinner contributed to creating good for the community. The surprising number of raffle ticket sales boosted the support we, as a school, have given to the Kechara Soup Kitchen, Free Tree Society and the Gibbon Conservation Society; as well as the money we have raised to support the successful and sustainable long-term future of our school.

The generosity of our donors, partners, dedicated volunteers and amazing students have raised over RM 96,000. Our Foundation is now able to continue supporting various philanthropic initiatives in our community and to realise the dreams and aspirations of the future generations besides securing the long term future of our School. Every gift counts and will make a difference.

Making a difference with the B40 group in Malaysia

To support those in need and encourage giving among the community through its Foundation, the not-for-profit Alice Smith School donated RM 20,000 to Kechara Soup Kitchen in support of the Kechara Food Bank Programme. Launched on 1st November 2018, the Alice Smith School Foundation was established to support the philanthropic work of the school and further enhance the commitment of the school to education in Malaysia and to the community.

YAM Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, board member of the Foundation and active volunteer of Kechara, was present to hand over the donation. She said “This is our way of giving back to the community in need especially during this difficult pandemic era. The RM 20,000 donation will help support 100 families with the RM 200 food pack that will help to sustain the family for a month.” 

She added “Being an educational institution, we are also very keen to support the Kechara Empowerment Programme to help develop the skill sets and entrepreneurship of the single mothers, to help them build a sustainable livelihood.” She expressed her gratefulness for this collaboration and looked forward to the Foundation and Kechara working together for the betterment of the community. 

Kechara President Henry Ooi, expressed his gratitude and welcomed parents, students and staff of the school to become Kechara volunteers. Established in 2008, Kechara Soup Kitchen is a tax-exempt charitable organisation whose mission is to help feed the homeless and B40 group in Malaysia. Hunger knows no barriers. 

Our mission is to provide 25 families with enough food provision to sustain their living for one year. In addition, being an educational institution we are also very keen develop the Alice Smith x Kechara Empowerment Programme to help develop the skill sets and entrepreneurship of the single mothers, to help them build a sustainable livelihood. To learn more about this community project, visit our dedicated campaign page through the button below.

You Made My Dreams Come True

The dream of a Malaysian student to pursue Chemical Engineering tertiary studies in the elite Pembroke College, University of Cambridge is now possible! Zhi Yan Lee, a current Alice Smith scholar in Year 13 is the first proud recipient of the Alice Smith School Foundation Tertiary Study Grant.

“It was our great hope that our Foundation would be able to help fund the university fees for our scholars going on to be offered places at prestigious universities. We are delighted to be in this position in under two years. Zhi Yan is such a well deserving candidate to be the first recipient of the grant. We hope there are many more to follow him. This will only be possible because of the generosity of donors who contribute to the Foundation. Thank you to our donors for making this happen!” shared Tun Zaki, Chair of the Foundation and Marama Schnitker, Chair of the Council of Governors. 

Feeling thrilled and surprised, Zhi Yan said “My next important journey in life wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the generous donations that have helped me to pursue my dreams. I’m truly humbled to be the first recipient of the Alice Smith School Foundation Tertiary Study Grant! I’m really grateful for the giving.” 

Watch Zhi Yan's story below:

Zhi Yan, together with his brother Zhi Wei Lee who has just completed his second year of studying Mathematics at the renowned University of Oxford, have created history in the Alice Smith School as two siblings receiving sixth form scholarships and then going on to be admitted into Oxbridge.

Thank you to the generosity of our donors, who have made our scholar's dream came true. You can help make another student's hope and aspiration come true by supporting our Scholarships and Bursaries fund today.

The #BeRemarkable Sustainability Campaign launched on 2nd November 2019 signified the start of Alice Smith's journey of environmental stewardship to build a sustainable future through its strategic intents, education programmes and actions in nine eco-core areas. These eco-themes are linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and are developed through four pillars in school. 

The campaign also kickstarted the November Giving of the Foundation. Funds are raised from the Green Thumb Project to support the Foundation’s community area of funding. It also launched the Inter-school Community Project with SMK Seri Kembangan, a local secondary government school in Malaysia arranged through the partnership with PINTAR Foundation. 

All the plants in the Primary Campus, Jalan Bellamy have now been fully adopted, while 75% of the plants at the Secondary Campus, Equine Park have been adopted. The Foundation still has a few more trees and shrubs available for adoption. Donors can still continue to help the Foundation to save the environment! Please click here to watch the video of this fundraising drive and visit here to learn more about the Give Life, Adopt-a-plant Project. 

In addition to the funds collected, our environmental initiatives have resulted in 377 trees and shrubs being planted across campuses and adoption of 4 solar panels at the Secondary Campus. Through our recycling campaigns we have now collected:

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we raised over RM94,000 to support the community!

What a remarkable evening we had on 28th February 2020 at the Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur. We had the highest guest attendance recorded since inception with over 300 guests at the dinner and all places were taken up before the event. Hosted by our secondary students, this event has been repeatedly praised as being one of the highlights of the school year. It was made special by our students waiting tables, serving dinner, putting up exceptional performances and raising funds for the charitable work they will contribute towards later this year.

The giving and support of the community have helped us raise over RM 94,000 this year very close to our aspirational target of RM 100,000. This is the highest amount raised over the years. The school and the Foundation are focused on creating a sustainable future for our children, the environment and the community. The funds raised will go directly towards the resources and materials for student service work this year and to support the Foundation’s community area of funding. This helps to renovate and provide resources for underfunded schools our students volunteer at, as well as fund a range of wildlife and environmental conservation projects. Read more about their stories here.

Your giving has made a huge impact on the local communities we partner with, and all of this would not be possible without you. Thank you!

This November through our Foundation, The Alice Smith School is embarking on a journey of environmental stewardship. Working alongside the community and eco-partners, sustainability initiatives are our focus this November Giving month.

We began our journey on 2nd November 2019, with the launch of Eco-Community Day at the Secondary Campus in Equine Park. The event was well attended by students, parents, and guests as well as supported by more than 20 eco-partners and 40 volunteers!

The event saw us officiating the #BeRemarkable Sustainability Campaign and the launch of our inter-school community collaboration with SMK Seri Kembangan, a local secondary government school arranged through the partnership with the PINTAR Foundation. We also unveiled our new fabric and e-waste recycling bins to create awareness and encourage recycling in the community. 

The day included a Green Generation Talk presented by a panel of eco-champions - Advocate of #sayno2plastic and #zerofoodwaste campaign YAM Tengku Zatashah, Deputy British High Commissioner David Thomas, Free Tree Society President Baida Hercus, Kloth Cares Najah Onn, Biji-biji Initiative and Me.reka Rashvin Pal Singh. Be inspired and watch the video from the talk here. 

In addition there were various family fun activities, sustainable exhibition and workshops by our eco-partners and eco-story sessions.View the festivities through our photo album here. We are still continuing our sustainability journey through our Green Thumb Project. To learn more, click the button below.

Be Remarkable and Discover The Green In You

Asian Tigers Mobility has been supporting The Alice Smith School for the last three decades. Through their generosity, they became one of the first major donor to kickstart The Alice Smith School Foundation by contributing towards our Building and Facilities area, where our students now are able to explore their skills and abilities at the upgraded Basketball Court!