IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 156. Week 1. June 2018.
PYP Art Exhibition 2018
New Staff at IGBIS 2018/2019 | Pg. 5 + Ahmad Heads to Cornell! | Pg. 8 Follow us on
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Message from Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, With only two weeks of school left in this academic year, preparation is underway for a number of school events. Please check this newsletter for these including music recitals, the MYP Production, Grade 5 Completion Assembly and Final Assemblies amongst others.
their time to make the programme interesting and fun for our students to enjoy as well as providing for academic, sporting and leadership growth.
Anne Fowles Head of School
Friday June 1 is the last day for After School Activities. Thanks are extended to Mr Ngatai (Activities Coordinator), Mr Bartle (Athletics Coordinator) and all of the teachers and assistants who have given
News from Elementary School As we near the end of the year there is still much going on. The Grade 5 students are preparing for their Malaysian Learning stations where they will engage with different classes with a variety of learning experiences. On Monday the Grade 4 students visited a number of different places of worship (Masjid Negara, Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuan Ti Temple and St Mary's Cathedral) as they continued their inquiry into their Who We Are unit about beliefs. The library is busy collecting returned books and resources from students and teachers, so please remember to return them through the week. We had a successful Grade 5 to 6 transition meeting for parents on Friday 1st June where we were able to talk through a number of items to help ease any tension that parents may have about their children transitioning to Grade 6 and Secondary School next year. On Monday 4th June the Grade 5 students will spend the day in the secondary school. Time has also been set aside for each grade level to spend time with their new grade level for next year. Those students leaving IGBIS will also get the chance to work with Mr.
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Chris on some transition activities to help prepare them for their move.
Dates for your diaries: • Monday 4th June: Transition day for Grade 5 and transition activities for other grades. Music Academy performances • Tuesday 5th June: 1.45 - 2.50pm: Features students of Ms Irma (voice), Ms Iko (piano and violin) and Mr Yew Chee (piano) • Thursday 7th June: 1.45 - 2.30pm: Features students Ms. Puisim (piano) and Mr Adil (guitar) • Wednesday 6th June: Grade 5 Celebration/Farewell assembly in the Theatre 8.00am • Monday 11th June: Report cards will be sent home. • Wednesday 13th June: ES final assembly: Be seated by 8.10am
Simon Millward
Elementary School Principal
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News from Secondary School We welcomed Grade 5 parents on Friday as their children readied themselves for the Transition Day on June 4th. I (and other secondary staff ) was very impressed by the quality of the PYP Exhibition and as a result we are very excited to be welcoming Grade 5 to the secondary school next week. The Grade 6 students and teachers have a lot of fun activities planned for our visitors from one floor down and we hope to send the Grade 5 students into the summer vacation in an excited state, ready for next year! Also next week, we will be hosting our MYP Performing Arts Showcase on Thursday at 11.00am. This will be a great event to see the performing skills of our MYP Music and Drama students. All parents are welcome and I encourage you to come along. While
you are here, please stop by the MYP Visual Arts Exhibition, in the Level 2 Exhibition Space. Also upcoming will be our final assembly on June 13th. This is our Secondary Awards Assembly and is an event that is also filled with performances and highlights from throughout the year. More information will be coming home soon in an email to parents. Sincerely yours,
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
Graduation
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It was with much excitement and pride that staff and students throughout the school were able to congratulate the Grade 12 students as they walked to the Theatre for their Graduation Ceremony last Friday, 25 May. Students from the Film Club filmed the procession from the Drama Studio, where the graduands assembled to don their caps and gowns, through the school and past the cheering elementary students. The film was streamed live to the Theatre, where parents and secondary students were waiting. The graduation ceremony began with a musical performance of Rondo for flute, violin and piano. This performance by Kira Lai (G11), Alyce de Yee (G9) and Ms Hadewych Dujardin was an original composition by Grade 12 student, Kako Zaitsu.
After each student was presented with their graduation diploma, they performed their own medley Best Day of My Life and It’s Time, which really got the audience moving. 28 students graduated this year, which is IGBIS’ largest graduating class so far. Many students have already received offers to some of the world’s top universities, including Cambridge University, Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of British Columbia, University of Edinburgh, King’s College London and Yale-NUS Singapore.
The guest speaker, Rafiq Jumabhoy, a business innovator and Managing Principal of Orkney Holdings, touched on what it means to be a global citizen and the bright future that the assembled students had ahead of them, before Wern-Shynn Soon and Sumire Uenishi performed two pieces on violin and piano that were composed by Sumire. We celebrated Salutatorian, Wern-Shynn Soon, and Valedictorian, Hwei Linn Khoo, while Rachel Lim received the Global Citizen award for international understanding. Each award winner gave eloquent and engaging acceptance speeches.
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Elementary Art News Ms. Elli and Ms. Jade Elementary Art Teachers
.................................................................................................................... “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” ~Maya Angelou
PYP Art Exhibition 2018 The final outcomes for the art units were created, developed, improved and reflected upon. Artwork was chosen and mounted, displayed and viewed. The PYP Art Exhibition opened in assembly on the 8th of May, showcasing artwork from Fireflies to Grade 5 and all students participated in an interactive assembly. Two videos of the exhibition were created: the ‘PYP Art Video’ and the ‘360 Live Twitter Feed’. Please scan the QR codes below to view!
Final Art Units of 2018 Final art units included Early Years exploring characters and puppets in stories, Kindergarten attempted to work with air in their art by creating kinetic art in mobiles, Grade 1 explored their own flying machines whilst Grade 2 created some outstanding personal responses to a single sunflower. Grade 3 became sustainable designers creating their own floral sculpture designs based on recycled media and Grade 4 finished the year by working and observing scientific properties in clay. Grade 5 contemplated upon and reflected on leaving one school division to move to another, by inquiring into legacies and how they connected to themselves.
Congratulations to all the artists this year There were many risk-takers exploring new and unfamiliar art media and students demonstrating excellent learner agency by carrying out independent research tasks. The artworks were extremely varied, showing that Elementary students really are individual learners in Art, following their own interests, passions and skill sets. Have a great break and see you next year. And remember……just keep creating!
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New staff at IGBIS for 2018-19 We are very excited to welcome 17 new teachers to the IGBIS community next year, and they are just as excited to join us. Many of the teachers are now in the process of finding accommodation, transport, furniture and more, as well as learning about life in KL: finding out about the best places to live, eat, shop and play. Some have already visited or moved, while others won’t be here for several weeks yet. We would like to share some of their details with you, so that you can join us in welcoming them the the IGBIS community when they arrive.
Elementary School Ivy Tean-Cant PYP Chinese Language Teacher Qualification: Cert. TEFL Nationality: Malaysian Ms. Ivy has taught in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. During her career as a language teacher and tutor, she has cultivated an interest in the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, and continues to develop her passion for the rich and dynamic approach since becoming a parent herself. Ivy also founded a Mandarin Chinese language centre in Perth, Australia, where she and her family last resided. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, cooking, arts and crafts, and outdoor activities with her family and friends. Jeanette Rowe Early Years Teacher, Fireflies-Kindergarten Coordinator Qualification: BA.(Hons.)(Health Studies); AMI Primary Diploma Nationality: UK Ms. Rowe is a passionate Early Years educator who supports children to challenge themselves in pursuit of a deeper understanding of who they are, the world around them and the positive role they can play. She brings Montessori, PYP and Reggio Emilia experiences and has been able to successfully blend these approaches to allow for the scaffolding of a child’s natural wonder and curiosity. She has worked in international schools in Japan and Korea teaching 3 to 6 years old children over the last 15 years. She is coming to KL with her two daughters, Zara and Nina, her son Jake, and her teaching husband Ken. The family loves playing games together, cooking, eating and exploring.
Rhona Taylor PYP Teacher Qualification: B.A.(Hons) (European Studies [with French]); PGCE (Primary); British Cycling Coach (L.2) Nationality: United Kingdom Ms. Taylor has taught extensively in the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Pakistan across the Primary age range. She has over eighteen years’ experience with the PYP and the British National Curriculum (Key Stages 1 and 2). Her earlier career was in travel – she was a cycling tour leader working in Morocco, Tanzania and Asia, and then a tour manager, based and working in Vietnam. She has cycled across America, and once made it from Nepal to Australia, just for fun! Ms. Taylor wants to bring her passion for the great outdoors and for nature into the classroom and she especially enjoys teaching cycling to children in the 3-11 age range. She is eager to try and set up a new bike club at IGBIS. In her spare time, Ms. Taylor enjoys cycling, camping, travel, food, natural history, natural buildings and stargazing. Ting Drechsler (Chen) Chinese Teacher Qualification: M.A. (International Education); PGCE, M.Sc.; B.A. (Language) Nationality: China Mrs. Drechsler taught Chinese to a range of students, from beginner to advanced, in international schools in China for many years. She has taught in both primary and secondary schools, and is familiar with English and Chinese national curricula, as well as the IB programmes. Besides her teaching role, Mrs. Drechsler also coordinated community service at her previous schools and enjoyed assisting students to develop key life skills through serving the community and people in need around the globe. She has moved to Malaysia with her husband and twin boys, and enjoys travelling, Zumba, reading and musical drama.
Secondary School Darryl Harding MYP Coordinator Qualification: B.Sc; MA; M.Ed; Graduate Certificate in Ed. Leadership; 7-12 Mathematics Certified Nationality: Canada
Kenneth Rowe PYP Teacher Qualification: M.Ed (Curriculum and Instruction); B.A. (Sociology) Nationality: USA
Mr. Harding has been teaching for over 17 years, all of which has been in South Korea. Over the course of his career he has taught ELL, mathematics, worked as a MYP Coordinator and Secondary School Assistant Principal. In addition to this, he has worked extensively with the IB in multiple roles as a visiting team leader and chair, workshop leader, and lead educator to name a few. Mr. Harding is a Apple Teacher, Google Certified Educator, and has coached soccer at all levels.
Mr. Rowe has spent most of his adult life working as an educator outside of his home country. He has worked with and learned from people of all ages in South Korea, Japan, Turkey and Thailand. In the classroom he strives to nurture the students’ questions and passions and to guide them to become compassionate, creative and kind individuals. At home, he loves to cook for his wife and three children, as well as read and play board games.
Magnus Drechsler DP Coordinator, CP Coordinator Qualification: M.A. (IELC); PGCE; B.Sc. (Medicinal Chemistry) Nationality: Germany Mr. Drechsler is an innovative and enthusiastic educator, who is passionate about developing learners into successful, responsible global citizens. He is a British-trained teacher, who completed his degree in Medicinal Chemistry and his Postgraduate Cer-
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tificate in Education at one of Britain’s leading Russell Group universities. In his international teaching career, Mr. Drechsler has taught all levels of MYP, IGCSE and DP and is an examiner for the IB. He also holds a M.A. in International Educational Leadership and has been leading a variety of curriculum areas in his previous schools in the UK and China.
Jamie Cant MYP/DP Performing Arts Qualification: BA (English); Dip Ed (Drama, English, Humanities) Nationality: Australia
Before joining the team at IGB International School, Mr. Drechsler was the IB Diploma Coordinator and Sustainability Leader in Shanghai, China. He was the creator of the annual multi-schools eco-explorer camp - an event that brings hundreds of students from schools across Asia together to learn about global sustainability issues, as well as to provide them with ideas and skills to implement sustainability actions at home and at school.
Mr. Cant has worked for twenty-six years teaching and leading in government, independent Christian, and international secondary arts education. Born and raised in rural Western Australia, he has worked in professional and community theatre and as an arts education consultant to theatre companies, charities and government agencies. For the past three years Mr. Cant has served as Head of The Arts and Creativity at an Anglican school in Perth, Western Australia, executing the school’s strategic priority of The Arts, Creativity and Innovation as part of its strategic plan. For nine years prior to this he was the head of Middle School Drama, GCSE Coordinator of Drama and teacher of IB Theatre at United World College of SEA, Singapore. Mr. Cant has committed his career to the advancement of arts education and the building of the communication skills and confidence of young people. He strongly believes in the importance of maintaining a positive work/life balance, and encourages his students (and his own children) to laugh hard, run fast and be kind.
Gizem Inanç ESOL/MYP English Language B Qualification: B.A. (Foreign Language Education, English Language Teaching); M.A. (Media and Communication Studies); CELTA certificate Nationality: Turkey Ms. Inanç, originally from Istanbul, Turkey spent most of her childhood abroad in many countries including the United States, Belgium and France as a Third Culture Kid and an International School student herself. She has worked as an administrator and as an English teacher for more than 12 years in K-12 schools (including international boarding schools, French immersion schools, IB schools and orphanages). Outside the classroom, she has lead summer camps in France and Belgium, various community and service events and organisations, holistic lifestyle, film, art, pilates and cooking clubs. Her goal is to raise world citizens who continuously perceive, appreciate and contribute colours to the harmonious nature of multiculturalism and Earth itself. Ian Ellston Position: MYP/DP Design, Subject Leader (Design) Qualification: BEd(Hons) Nationality: United Kingdom A lifelong learner, Mr. Ellston hails from the UK and has been teaching Design for 25 years. He graduated from Exeter with a BEd(Hons) in Secondary Design Technology, and has since trained to teach Primary Design Technology. A former engineer with the Ministry of Defense in the UK, Mr. Ellston’s early life was spent working on HM Ships and Submarines. As an educator he has taught all aspects of Design Technology at GCSE, IGCSE and A-Level. He was an examiner and moderator for GCSE Design Technology in Resistant Materials and Graphic Products and a Pilot Teacher for Product Design. For the past 14 years he has taught at the IB Diploma Level. Within the IB, Mr. Ellston is a Workshop Leader for Design Technology, a Reader for IB Documentation, and is part of the Curriculum Review Committee for the new iteration of Design Technology, helping to write and grade exemplar material used on the IB website. Mr. Ellston is looking to begin training as a School Visitor for IB accreditations. Away from classroom teaching he enjoys the pastoral role of the teacher, having been a Head of Year for 12 of the past 14 years, predominantly for the 16+ age group. Outside of school, he very much enjoys supporting charitable events, the theatre and travel. He has a home in the USA where he spends Summer and Winter breaks (skiing). He is a Freeman of The City of London and Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths.
Marc Green MYP/DP Individuals & Societies Qualification: BSc (Psych) Nationality: United Kingdom Originally from the United Kingdom, Marc Green holds a BSc in Psychology and comes to IGBIS after three years teaching IB Psychology in the Czech Republic. Marc had also taught ESL for the previous four years and will soon hold a Masters degree in TESOL from The College of New Jersey in the United States. Prior to this, Marc spent time working as a Volunteer Coordinator in Sri Lanka, teaching English and volunteering on psychiatric wards at the National Institute for Mental Health. Outside of the classroom, Marc's interests include most sports, but especially football and cricket, staying active and traveling. Ruth Spracklan MYP PHE, Athletics Coordinator Qualification: M.Sc. (Multidisciplinary Studies in Education); B.Sc. (Sport and Exercise Sciences) PGCE (Physical Education) Nationality: United Kingdom Ms Spracklan has taught Health and Physical Education in England and Qatar. She has a passion for sport, in particular netball and swimming. Apart from a love of sport, Ms Spracklan is a keen photographer and will spend many holidays travelling to new locations to find that perfect shot. She is very much looking forward to joining the team at IGBIS.
Whole School Heather Blake MYP/DP Visual Art Qualification: M.Ed, International Education; GDip, Education; BFA, Art Education; BA, Psychology & Art History Nationality: Canada Ms. Blake has worked in international schools in Dubai, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Thailand, Egypt and The Netherlands. She has many years experience teaching the IB curriculum. She enjoys swimming, hiking, biking, cinema, travelling, art galleries, painting and jewellery making. She is excited to be joining the IGBIS community.
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Karen Skepper Counsellor / Student Services Qualification: Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Psychology (PGDipAppPsych); Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSc) Nationality: Australia Ms. Skepper is a Psychologist from Melbourne Australia. She has a postgraduate degree in Applied Psychology from La Trobe University (Australia). Ms. Skepper has had an extensive career, traversing many paths from the education field, establishing her own private counselling practice, through to the business arena training corporate leaders in effective communication skills. Her passion however, remains working with the younger generation and wanting to live in a world where young people are equipped physically and psychologically to own their lives and own their future. She goes about this through utilising a holistic and person-centered approach, whereby people are able to recognise their strengths, develop a healthy self-esteem and build resilience. Ms. Skepper has worked in schools in Australia and in Shanghai, China. Kerri Chan Whole School Teacher Librarian Qualification: BA (Liberal Studies); MS (Library Science and Information Technologies) Nationality: USA
Laura Hernandez Position: MYP/DP Spanish Qualifications: BA (ELL); PGCE (Spanish) Nationality: Spain Ms. Hernandez originally comes from the south east of Spain. She has a PGCE (Spanish) from Goldsmiths College in London, with a B.A in English Language and Linguistics. She has worked in several countries including England, Vietnam and China. She fervently believes that to learn a language, you also need to understand and learn the culture of that country. She enjoys drinking coffee and movies. Her passion is dancing, especially Latin dance and Brazilian Zouk. Ms. Hernandez comes to Malaysia with her husband, a former professional football player. Rob Pendlebury MYP PHE, MYP Arts Teacher, Qualification: MA; PGCE; B.A. (Hons) Nationality: United Kingdom Mr. Pendlebury has taught at schools in the United Kingdom, Italy, Venezuela and Qatar. He has been a head of PE, an athletics director and taught IB MYP and DP Film Studies, Visual and Performing Arts. He enjoys coaching football and rugby. His interests include art, filmmaking and sports.
Ms. Chan has worked at schools in the United States, Philippines, Turkey, England, Italy, Venezuela, and Qatar. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and reading about the end of the world as we know it, aka dystopian fiction. Ms. Chan is coming to KL with her husband, Rob, and her two children, Kian and Sofia. She is looking forward to joining the IGBIS family.
We had a hugely successful Uniform Drive on Friday afternoon, with so many clothing items being bought, swapped or donated. If you missed out, or your children suddenly experience a growth spurt over the summer break, don’t worry. We will hold another Uniform Drive on Friday August 10 - during the first week of the new school year. If you would like to drop any clothes off over the summer, you will be able to leave clothes at the reception desk. We would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support in ensuring our students get the maximum use out of our IGBIS uniforms.
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Ahmad heads to Cornell! We are excited to announce that Ahmad Abuzahra, one of our 2017 graduating students, has been offered a place at Cornell University, starting in August this year. Cornell is a private Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York. For the past year, Ahmad has been studying at Georgetown University in Qatar, but is looking forward to a change of lifestyle - and weather - with his move to the USA. We caught up with Ahmad to find out more about his move and his plans for the future. We offer him heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for his years ahead at Cornell and his future post-university.
its interdisciplinary academics and genuine socio-economic diversity. The Economics program is also very strong and effective at placing in good career paths. Growing up internationally, I am most comfortable in a diverse environment. From the 1800s when Cornell was founded, it began to set precedents for accepting and integrating minorities into elite institutions. In interdisciplinary academics, Cornell is similar to the IB in how it strongly encourages broad learning.
You spent this past year studying in Qatar. What did you like about that? Qatar provided a great education and amazing friends.
What will you be studying? How long will it take? What do you hope to do once you have graduated? Currently, I plan to major in Economics and minor in either Computer Science or Near Eastern Studies.
The people that I met in Doha are what made my experience amazing. My friends there—whether they were classmates, professors, or colleagues—are a very diverse and intelligent bunch.
It will take three more years for me to receive an undergraduate degree: Class of 2021. After graduation, I plan to work in either the finance or technology sector.
Spending a year in the Middle East also provides an intimate insight into some different elements of the region’s culture and politics, which adds to my understanding of the world.
What are you looking forward to? Cornell’s campus is very beautiful; I’m quite excited to step on the crunchy red-brown autumn leaves and smell the misty waterfalls.
Why have you chosen Cornell? Among the greatest universities in the world, Cornell is my pick for
When do you move there? Early August! Is there anything you'd like to tell current IGBIS students advice or words of wisdom? My teachers at IGBIS are some of the most wise and impactful people that have entered my life. Though many of them aren’t with IGBIS anymore, I would still advise students to take advantage of the attention which teachers so freely give. Work with them ahead of time on papers and exam prep. Anything else you'd like to add? IGBIS is a great school and housed an amazing teaching staff. All students are presented with a very valuable opportunity and I am proud to be an alumni.
School photo collection For those parents who requested that school photos be collected from school, their children’s photos will be available for collection on Friday 8 June from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Fotorex staff will be seated by the turstiles on Level 2.
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Graduation
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@ bit.ly/igbissummerschool Open to all students Fee: RM800 (one week) | RM1500 (two weeks)
16th July - 27th July 2018 Conversational Malay (Grade 9 to 11)
IT Tools at IGBIS (Grade 5 to 11)
This course encourages students to develop lifelong language skills. The class will aim to develop proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Since this is a Mother Tongue class, there will be an emphasis on grammatical aspects of the language. The class will use authentic materials such as videos, newspaper articles, blogs, etc.
We use a lot of technology at IGBIS. Get ahead (or refresh your skills) on lots of the technology, apps and techniques we use at school. Explore how to get the most out of Google Docs, Sheets, Drawings and Slides. Explore not just how to make a movie, but how to make a good movie. We will also be looking at ways to become smarter with technology. You might even learn how to make your very own computer game.
Teacher: Rashid Amin
Teacher: Geoffrey Derry
Robotics (Grade 3 to 10)
Junior Sports Programme (Kindergarten to Grade 5)
Teacher: Geoffrey Derry Get a hands-on experience building and programming robots. We will be using Lego robots (Wedo, EV3), as well a few other toys and bits & pieces to create robots that will do whatever you tell them to do. Build a soccer playing robot to score a goal or a robot that can solve a Rubik’s cube. Let your imagination and creativity run wild in this fun week-long robot experience.
Teacher: Kevin Lawson
This course introduces students to football (soccer), touch rugby, tennis, badminton, and athletics. Students will learn the basics of each sport and play games and team building activities. The emphasis is on having fun, whilst developing confidence, independence and teamwork. A fun swim activity is also included in the programme, subject to assistant availability.
Art Camp (Kindergarten to Grade 5) Teacher: Elli Lawson
Art Camp allows students to explore creatively whilst building on drawing, painting and craft techniques. Artwork is created from both imagination and inspiration from other artists. Working in a specialised art studio, students build a portfolio of individual artwork over the week and also work together to make a collaborative artwork. The course runs for two weeks, however each week has different outcomes, therefore children may choose to do one week or two.
English Language Learning (Grade 6 to 11) Teacher: Sean McDermott
In English Language Learning students will engage with and use the English language in a way that is relevant and purposeful. The activities are designed around a series of thought-provoking and challenging English learning activities that stimulate conversation, collaboration and problem solving in groups using critical thinking. Activities include designing and building pinhole cameras and explaining how they work, critically examining and responding to modern English texts and movies, bridge building and testing, and exploring how things fly. Students will communicate and present their work in English using a variety of different methods. This programme is designed so students develop a high level of confidence in using English authentically at school to communicate and share their learning to a high standard.
IGB International School Jalan Sierramas Utama, Sierramas, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Owned by Detik Harapan Sdn. Bhd. (790342-W)
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