Monthly Newsletter
MARCH 2021 ISSUE
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students, We have been operating Virtual School since 2 March 2020 and are now very excited about the school reopening on Monday, 12 April. Our involvement in the DKI Jakarta Pilot Programme means that our teachers and teacher assistants are on the priority list for vaccinations, and we are also hopeful that our staff, security and cleaning contractors will all be vaccinated before the beginning of Term Four. We remind you to complete the online responsibility declaration for each child: http://bit.ly/ResponsibilityDeclaration and contact the school if you have any questions about the Pilot Programme and school reopening. We are absolutely delighted to re-open our doors and welcome our students back into the school. While we are incredibly proud of the interactive learning platforms and virtual classroom environment our teachers have created during the Covid-19 restrictions, we are all looking forward to the animation and vibrancy our students will bring when they return to our campus. We have all been waiting for this moment for a long time, and I’m certain the enthusiasm and excitement of our students when they see their friends, classmates and teachers face-toface will be something to behold. I am deeply appreciative of our teachers’ extraordinary efforts over the past year and believe their contributions have been pivotal in ensuring the continuation of learning. Personalised care and attention to detail have been a hallmark of our teachers’ work with students throughout virtual schooling, and our dynamic, highly interactive approach has ensured that even our youngest students have been engaged and actively learning.
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Upcoming Events 1 April Term 3 Ends 2 April Public Holiday: Good Friday
You (parents and caregivers) have been incredibly positive, resilient and open-minded throughout virtual schooling. Although I’m sure you will be delighted to see your children return to our classrooms, you have been extremely supportive of the work we have been doing within our remote learning framework. Our commitment to provide virtual learning to students who choose to learn from home has not changed and teachers will deliver a hybrid model. We are very grateful to the entire ACG community for all of their efforts and can’t wait to re-open. Seeing our students return to ACG School Jakarta in Term Four is going to be a moment we’ll remember for a long time. We hope that all of our community members can relax and enjoy the term break and for families observing Easter, we wish you and your family the happiest of Easter weekends.
3 - 11 April Term Break 12 April First Day of Term 4 16 April Parents As Learners: Teaching Mathematics in 2021 19 - 23 April Parent Student Teacher Conferences 24 April Virtual Open Day
Shawn Hutchinson Principal
27 April Year 6 Transition Parent Information Session 29 April Year 6 Transition Day 30 April Whole School Assembly
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Message from the
VICE PRINCIPAL Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students, Here we are on the cusp of a very well deserved Spring Break, a good time to look at what lays ahead in Term Four of this highly unusual academic year. The home stretch for our Year 13 students begins in earnest with the IBO allowing us a 4 May deadline for IA’s and also allowing us to set our own Predicted Grades. Both of these decisions, whilst taking a long time to arrive, are very welcomed and give the students the opportunity to work their IA’s into even better shape. Our teachers of IGCSE now have all the information they need to help their students put together the best assessment portfolios possible in this unique submission year. Having focused on Years 13 and 11, I must pay tribute to both Years 12 and 10 for handling the first year of their IBDP and IGCSE courses with great spirit; noone has found this year easy but they, along with our wonderfully positive Middle School students have shown great strength of character and resolve. The Assembly and Yearbook Teams continue to do great work and are organised, creative and proactive. We have a great team at ACG School Jakarta and, even though I am looking forward to the break, I am very keen to finish the school year on a high! Richard Todd Vice Principal
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Learner Profile Attributes Name of student: Lara
Name of student: Fikri Azmi
Year level: Kindergarten
Year level: Year 4
Learner Profile: Risk-taker
Learner Profile: Risk-taker
Reason: For showing so much confidence to try new things every day!
Reason: For facing uncertainty, new classroom and routines with courage. He has shown bravery in leading the student led sharing session and took up the leadership opportunity with pride and confidence.
Name of student: Faqih Year level: Year 1 Learner Profile: Risk-Takers
Name of student: Leonid Rudyi
Reason: Displaying improved confidence when speaking in front of an audience. Faqih has also been a superstar risk-taker and inquirer when performing his science experiments. Amazing!
Year level: Year 5
Name of student: Reyaansh Dhagle Year level: Year 2 Learner Profile: Caring Reason: Caring about the needs and thoughts of his classmates. Reyaansh always displays excellent listening and responds to his friends with kindness. Name of student: Yusra Hashmi
Learner Profile: Caring Reason: Displaying a caring attitude to friends and teachers. Leo also has displayed greater care for his work and has made significant improvements this term. Name of student: Maryam Suliman Year level: Year 6 Learner Profile: Risk-taker Reason: Maryam is brave and articulate in defending her belief and ideas. She has the confidence to approach new or unfamiliar subjects or material with enthusiasm and does not shy away from a challenging task
Year level: 3 Learner Profile: Knowledgeable Reason: Yusra for constantly sharing her ideas on a topic discussed , acquires in-depth knowledge and develops understanding across a broad perspective. This was evident when she shared about organisms and microorganisms during our inquiry lesson.
Maryam Suliman Maryam is brave and articulate in defending her belief and ideas. She has the confidence to approach new or unfamiliar subjects or material with enthusiasm and does not shy away from a challenging task.
April 3rd 2021 .
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Kindergarten In addition to our fantastic literacy event this month, Kindergarten have been using ‘loose parts’ to develop their number skills such as counting and adding groups together. Natural, loose parts are a great way to provide open-ended learning opportunities, where children can be creative, problem solvers. Students have also been developing their phonic knowledge to apply what they know about letter sounds, to read and write simple three letter words. A new addition to our construction area was some acrylic strips which of course, the students were highly motivated by (they are such curious inquirers!). During these playful learning experiences, there was so much discussion, collaboration, problem solving, and creativity being displayed. Students planned and tested their ideas, explored trial and error and cause and effect. They estimated, measured, made conclusions and celebrated successes. In the eyes of these 5 year olds, they were just ‘playing’, but in fact they were developing so many skills, in so many areas (including maths and science). I wonder what you have lying around your home that could be used to ignite your child’s curiosity and imagination?
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 1 For our current Unit of Inquiry How the World Works, we did an experiment to prove how materials exist in different states and can be changed.
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 2 Year 2 students have been investigating the Central Idea that ‘Understanding Light and Sound can Transform Experience’. They have explored light through learning about and creating rainbows and experimenting with shadows.
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 3 Ecosystem, food chain, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore were some of the words Year 3 students were exposed through the inquiry of ‘Organisms respond to changes in the environment’ with the unit ‘Sharing the planet.’ During this inquiry, students developed their understanding of the interdependence of living organisms to their habitat, including understanding how the food chain works. To demonstrate their understanding students, with support from parents, created different habitats for different animals such as frogs, spiders, Sumatran fish, hamsters, and snails. Some of them also planted plants and monitored their growth. We also had a guest speaker, Ms. Abyan from Anak Rimba Books, to read us a story with the objective to cultivate nature-loving children and instill universal values such as kindness and respecting nature and animals. Ms. Abyan read a book about Tapir an endangered animal and how we can support to protect this endangered animal by protecting the environment. Overall, this inquiry has been very fruitful and we look forward to our children researching the next line of inquiry ‘Why environments change.’
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 4 Year 4 completed their UOI 4 summative by showcasing their structural designs. They had to articulate factors to consider when designing their structure, function of their design, materials used and whether the structure is sustainable. Students were given the freedom to choose how they displayed their designs, including traditional models using recycled materials, Lego blocks, and Minecraft. For science, we revisited the Science of Sound. Students explored sound waves going through different materials and created their own wave machine using sate sticks and marshmallows. For Literacy Week, Year 4 enjoyed listening to stories, sharing their favourite stories and dressing up as their favorite character.
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 5 In Year 5, we have been working on balancing our time to support learning and student wellness. March was fantastic for us trying out a variety of ideas collected during “Mental Health Awareness Week”. Not only have students been completing learning in our Units of Inquiry, Maths, and Literacy we have provided more chances for socializing during virtual school to help minimize loneliness, stress, and mental fatigue. Students are happy to have our Fun Friday activities where we may watch funny videos, listen to read alouds, or just chat with our friends from class. We have also incorporated our Social lunches so students have a chance to socialize with their friends if they would like to do so, which is something I am sure they have missed! Parents have also had more opportunities to connect with us as we hold our coffee chats where they can socialize with me and we can talk about upcoming events and class activities. We are all in this together and kindness is needed to make it better!
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 6 Year 6 have completed their fifth Transdisciplinary Theme, students researched an explorer and created a biography of that explorer in a creative way. Students presented one-to-two-minute biography in the first person focusing on the key concepts Form, Change and responsibility. Congratulations to all our students!
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 6 - Exhibition The Year 6 team has officially begun our work with students and parents to unpack the purpose and benefits of the PYP Exhibition! So far, we have had introduced the Exhibition to parents in our Parent Information Session this past month. Parents were able to learn about the spirit of the exhibition, as we shared details of the exhibition process and our personal experience with exhibitions from the past. We have also gathered a fantastic group of teacher mentors who will work closely with each exhibition group. For the past three weeks, we have met with students to connect their learning of current events to the exhibition and spur thought into possible topics of research through sharing videos connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These goals, adopted in 2015, are meant to be completed globally, by 2030, to ensure a brighter, more peaceful, sustainable future for the planet. Students will begin brainstorming what issues they are passionate about next week and then the real work will begin! We are very excited to see where this journey takes the students, and what learning they can provide for teachers, staff, parents, and the community as a whole. We hope that everyone at ACG School Jakarta will join us for our 2021 Virtual PYP Exhibition and celebrate with Year 6 as they share their understanding, action, and reflections on this amazing experience before they transition out of Primary and into our Middle School. Year 6 Virtual Exhibition will be held the week of 7-11 June Live Presentations for the community will be held Tuesday 8 June. Wendi Hunter Senior Teacher
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Secondary Bahasa Indonesia The Year 11 Bahasa Indonesia students have embraced the celebrations of Literacy Week and have penned their own narrative stories. Our young authors have been inspired by the pandemic, vaccination roll outs and even school life romance. The study of literature at Year 11 usually involves students analysing a variety of texts by various authors, so it was refreshing to see our students engaged in the writing process and publishing their own pieces. A selection of narrative stories will find their way into our Yearbook at the end of the year, so stay tuned.
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Secondary Biology The Year 7 students completed an Animal Cell DIY project in which they were required to make a 3D model of an animal cell using recycled materials. Here is a sample of some of the models.
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Learning at ACG School Jakarta Secondary Mathematics Teaching and explaining mathematical concepts to someone else is a great way to show understanding. As part of their revision for the Unit 4 Test Year 7 made tutorial videos explaining how to solve various linear equations.
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Y YE EA AR R
7 7
M MA AG GA AZ Z II N NE E
Click to view the magazine March Newsletter
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YEAR 8 MAGAZINE HOBBIES & INTERESTS
Click to view the magazine
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Literacy Week One of the most notable events of the month was the whole school held Literacy Week. Students and teachers were able to share their art and spirit of language and literature in a variety of forms. Throughout the week, students and teachers showed their spirit by changing their virtual backgrounds during classes to show their favorite books’ covers or characters that they connected with. On Wednesday, many of our secondary school students participated to read aloud their favorite books to the primary school students during their Zoom classes in various languages. On Friday, our students and teachers also demonstrated their spirit for Literacy Week by coming to class dressed as their favorite book character. Not only did students show their spirit for Literacy Week through the aforementioned attributes, but they were also involved in competitions between their advisory classes. They competed in Poetry Party and had the chance to showcase their creativity and teamwork skills in adapting famous historical poems with a modern twist and performed it in their classes. Students also competed in the Creative Writing Competition where they showcased their eloquent writing skills in the forms of a short story, a poem, or a comic strip. Finally, we are excited to announce the winners of the competitions from Literacy Week. For our Creative Writing Competition, we received many high-quality entries. Based on the judge’s decision, the winners are: Poetry:
Short Story:
Aahana Patel (Year 7)
Maika Chen (Year 8)
Imran Sufian (Year 13)
Anastasia Sufian (Year 13)
For our Poetry Party competition, advisories showed great collaboration and creativity. Based on the judge’s decision, the winners are: 1st Place: Year 7 (Ulfa) 2nd Place: Year 9 (Sweales) 3rd Place: Year 7 (Dickinson) To view all of the wonderful winning entries please click HERE. We congratulate all winners and appreciate everyone for being part of this year’s Literacy Week!
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Making a difference for children in need Four community-spirited ACG School Jakarta students are changing lives at Yayasan Amaryllis Kirana, an Indonesian foundation set up to assist children with cancer and haemophilia. Last September Anya Simanjuntak, Anastasia Sufian, Irah Abd Wahab and Devina Darmawan launched the AIDA Project as part of their International Baccalaureate Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) project. The venture aims to support children at Amaryllis Kirana through donations of clothes, toys, books and money – and already more than 20 children have reaped the benefits of the students’ efforts. “We try to help the children in any way we can,” says Anya. “Each month we visit the Foundation to donate what we’ve gathered, take the children care packages, and comfort them by talking and listening to them. “We raise funds through online events which we promote on Instagram, and after talking to the children during our monthly visits, we post their stories on our Instagram account, to spread awareness and help our followers better understand the situations and difficulties they are facing.” Anya first learnt about the work of Yayasan Amaryllis Kirana through a previous CAS experience, which saw her make and donate hundreds of masks and face shields in response to the global pandemic. “I could see that Yayasan Amaryllis Kirana needed more help than many of the other organisations I was donating to, so I talked to my friends about working together to launch the AIDA Project. We came up with the name AIDA by combining the first letters of our names A(nastasia), I(rah), D(evina) and A(nya). It also serves as a substitute for the phrase ‘Aid the Children’, which we thought was very fitting.” Since then, the Year 13 girls have worked tirelessly in their efforts to support the Foundation. “We’ve been able to gather a lot of boxes of clothes, toys and books from our Instagram followers and are very happy with the amount of money we’ve raised so far for the Foundation. It’s very heart-warming to know that so many people support us and the children.” Their latest fundraising efforts include launching an online writing competition and a bookselling service. “It has been challenging to come up with good fundraising ideas during lockdown, because we have to do it all online. But we are excited about the online writing competition because we get to incorporate young creatives and a good cause. Having a prize for the winner has been a good way to encourage more people to participate – and subsequently donate their money to the organisation we are supporting. “Book selling was another fundraising idea that we came up with because lots of us have old but high quality books that we no longer need. We know there are many children at home without much to do, especially during lockdown, so we thought that selling preloved books at a low price would be a fun and educational activity for them.” Although juggling the AIDA Project with their school and other extracurricular activities can sometimes prove challenging, Anya says they feel more enthusiastic and motivated than ever. “We all enjoy managing the project, so it is never a chore. Growing up, my parents always taught me to be grateful for what I have – a nice home, a loving family, and the opportunity to go to a good school. They taught me that I should give back to other people as well. “I love being a part of the AIDA Project. It feels nice knowing that something I enjoy doing is helping others.” To find out more about the AIDA Project visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
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Student-led publication tackles important issues for youth From sustainability and unrealistic beauty standards to mental health, racism and culture – a new online publication launched by ACG School Jakarta students is helping connect youth to pressing global issues. The brainchild of Year 13 student, Lina Hutchinson, SCREAM zine is a submissions-based online magazine designed to create a fun, positive, and creative space for students of all year levels. “I started the zine [self-published work of original or tendered content] as I noticed that after months of virtual learning, a lot of students were wanting more creative projects and time to talk to one another, especially about current events around the world,” says Lina. “I thought that this zine would give students an opportunity to be creative and raise social awareness. I think that a lot of the time, young people limit their knowledge of the world to their academics. I wanted to encourage students’ personal knowledge and talents to come together in a meaningful way. SCREAM zine is a platform for youth to collaborate, and freely express their ideas, work and talents.” Compiled by a small team of six dedicated students, the zine has recently released its fourth issue, and is already proving to be a big hit. “I’m so grateful to be a part of this initiative and to have had such a great response from readers and contributors of the zine. We are very fortunate to have a school community that’s so keen on contributing a variety of their work.” And already the zine’s reach is stretching beyond its digital foundations. “It has enabled us to expand our conversations around social issues beyond the zine itself. I’ve been invited to join classes and speak as part of student council events to discuss mental health, which was a topic covered in our first issue. We’ve also been able to work with other projects such as IBDP [International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme] students’ Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) projects and small businesses.” SCREAM zine graphic designer and writer, Head Girl Isabel ten Have, says being involved in the zine’s creation has deepened her understanding of a range of important issues – and she hopes it will do the same for others. “I think SCREAM zine is a crucial introduction to global issues for students our age and younger,” says Isabel. “When I was younger, I didn’t have access to such resources and information because it was considered ‘too mature’. What we aim to do with SCREAM is raise awareness about these issues in a way that makes it accessible and understandable for youth so that they themselves will be able to recognise and take action (where necessary) in their own lives.” To find out more, visit SCREAM zine or follow their Instagram page. The SCREAM zine team: Anastasia Sufian (writer and artist); Mei Hutchinson (head artist); Isabel ten Have (graphic designer and writer); Zara Schneider (graphic designer); Chiara Mini (head writer); Lina Hutchinson (creator and editor).
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Inspired Global Camps 2021
Dear Inspired Community, As we move toward summer in the Northern Hemisphere, our minds turn towards warm sunny holidays and fun filled days. At Inspired Global Camps we have been working hard to ensure we can provide some safe, fun options for our students this summer, and as Inspired families, we are delighted to offer you an exclusive 10% discount on bookings made before the 1st of May. Our Summer Camps give young people the chance to stay at some of Europe’s top boarding schools and take part in programmes delivered by world-class partners such as Campus Experience Foundation Real Madrid. They provide a fantastic opportunity for students to travel, meet peers from other countries, get involved with inspiring activities, and learn new skills that will stay with them forever. This year’s camps include fasion, design and art in Italy, lake and mountain activities in Switzerland and sports camps in Spain. You can explore all the camps available this summer by visiting www.inspirededu.com/globalcamps/ This year, we sincerely hope that travel will be permitted, both within countries and internationally. We know however, this is not guaranteed, which is why we have introduced the Inspired COVID Peace of Mind Policy. COVID Peace of Mind Policy At Inspired Global Camps, we are committed to ensuring everyone’s safety and comfort, from our campers and staff to the communities and countries that host our camps. This summer, you can book an Inspired Global Camp safe in the knowledge that we have worked with local authorities and implemented policies and procedures to ensure our camps provide the safest environment for your child. In addition to being confident that our camps meet strict government standards for safety and increased hygiene, we also offer you the security of being able to cancel your camp booking if COVID19 prevents travel*. With our COVID Peace of Mind Policy you can book with confidence and we can all look forward to a safe summer full of adventure. Booking is simple, choose your camp from our webpage www.inspirededu.com/global-camps/ and make your reservation directly with the school, advising them which Inspired school and year group your child is currently in. *We will transfer your registration to summer 2022 or offer a full refund of the camp fees in these circumstances: Student cannot travel to camp due to contracting Covid19; Student is unable to travel to Summer Camp due to travel restrictions or quarantine caused by Covid19; Summer Camp registrations do not reach the minimum number required. Proof of positive test or quarantine may be required.
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Community Group Update Our recent Town Hall Meeting was well attended by parents and we shared some information about the Pilot Programme and School Reopening. We encourage all parents and students to refer to the updated Contingency Plan to prepare for Monday, 12 April and the beginning of Term Four. CONTINGENCY PLAN Heading into Term Four, we will run the parent workshop, “Flying the Nest – a workshop for parents who have children leaving home and heading to university.” This virtual workshop will be held on Wednesday, 28 April from 17.00pm ZOOM LINK
March Newsletter
K3&K4
Year 6
Erawaty Kriptanto
Vidya Indriani
(Gavin Kriptanto’s Mum)
(Kenneth Adrian’s Mum)
era_777@yahoo.com
indriani.vn@gmail.com
Year 1
Year 7
Vinnie Kaur
Dewi Sumawijaya
(Aheli Dhillon ‘s mum)
(Rafa Wawolumaya’s Mum)
jagsemailadd@gmail.com
dewi.sumawijaya@gmail.com
Year 2
Year 8
Rei Ooka
Leontien van Hekken-Oostrom
(Sana Ooka’s Mum)
(Sofie van Hekken’s Mum)
omaemonya55@gmail.com
leontienoostrom@hotmail.com
Year 3
Year 9
Naomi Phillip
Leah Sudarto
(Austen Philip’s Mum)
(Troy Sudarto’s Mum)
gnomes69@hotmail.com
leah@sudarto.com
Year 4
Year 10-11
Aprilia Linda Rihardini
Meity Tedjowati
(Alexandrica Salim’s Mum)
(Maliek ten Have’s Mum)
apriliazein@gmail.com
meityth@gmail.com
Year 5
Year 12-13
Nazia Saulat
Wina Darwis
(Yusuf Hashmi’s Mum)
(Anya Simanjuntak’s Mum)
naziasaulat@gmail.com
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Whole School Updates Library To support students’ access to reading materials, ACG School Jakarta will provide a Drive-thru Library Service. This service is to ensure the health and safety of our community while providing access to library books. Easy Steps to follow: •
Visit acgschooljakarta.follettdestiny.com to search the catalogue of books and place a hold on your selected items.
•
Once you receive an email notification to tell you that your items are ready for collection, you will have 6 days to pick them up from school.
•
The Drive-thru Service allows you to drop off and pick up library books Monday to Friday from 7.30am – 4.30pm
•
To further limit the spread of COVID-19, the library sets aside all returned materials in UV containers before staff checking items back in.
Please see our short video for further details about our Drive-thru Library Service. HERE Parent Information Portal Please visit https://jakarta.acgedu.com/school-information/parent-essentials/ for updated information for parents and students. Social Responsibility As a community of learners, we have the responsibility to model behaviours and actions that we want our students to display. We are committed to embracing the energy and events of our time to advance social change in the areas of environmental protection, animal welfare and disaster relief. Parents as Learners Parents are encouraged to visit this section of our Information Portal to learn more about upcoming parent workshops and learning opportunities. Uniforms: We now have an online uniform order system and would like to encourage parents to use this online service. Payment can be made easily by bank transfer, credit card or cash.
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