NLCS JEJU NEWSLETTER 11 MARCH 2022
VISIT FROM THE BCCK KOREAN ENRICHMENT WEEK MATHS ENRICHMENT WEEK BOOK WEEK - JUNIOR SCHOOL
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A Letter From The Principal Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends of NLCS Jeju We are pleased to see that our students are developing their understanding of humanity and international mindedness in both how they approach their studies but also in their global understanding.This has been reflected in their support and awareness for people both within the Republic of Korea and internationally such as in the unfolding events in Ukraine. Over the last few weeks we have all been privileged to experience some remarkable enrichment weeks which have included Physics, Computer Science, Korean and this week Mathematics. Across the school this week students from all years have experienced and participated in a variety of mathematical enrichment activities including a stimulating and engaging lecture on the History of Algebra with Year 8. The latest edition of the Mathematics Society’s NLCS Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics is testament to the students’ scholarly investigations. Our values define who we are and it has been interesting to witness our students’ understanding of democracy as seen in their lively debates about world events , including the presidential election campaign here. We have also been going through the selection and democratic processes for our new Big Eight and full details of the new Big Eight will be shared soon in the upcoming newsletter on March 25. I have also been meeting the newly elected members of the Student Council and have been very impressed with their interests and proposals for the forthcoming year. I would like to thank all our outgoing student leaders for their participation and fulfilment of their roles and responsibilities in the various committees, societies, and councils. They engage and help to bring about change. I wish all our newly elected students a successful tenure. Your sincerely, Lynne Oldfield Principal
North London Collegiate School Jeju
UNIVERSITY UPDATES UPDATES - VIDEO LINK If you’d like to hear more about the UGC data for this year then you can click HERE to hear from our team about • • • •
Applications by country Applications per student Korean universities The Years 8 - 13 - Our processes
UPDATES - UGC HANDBOOK Take a look at the new UGC Handbook which makes the daunting university processes simple for us all to understand. Take a look for an update on the UK and US application steps, timelines and offers. HERE
VISIT FROM THE BCCK On February 28 we were honoured to have a visit from Lucinda Walker, Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (based in Seoul) The British Chamber represents the interests of British businesses and companies in Korea and fosters relationships across the two countries. NLCS Jeju has a long relationship with the BCCK and our Principal, Lynne Oldfield is a member of the Executive Committee. Head Girl and Big 8 member, Elysia Bae showed Ms Walker around the school - including a visit to classrooms, to the Arts and Sports departments and to the First School and Junior School.
UGC Later in the day we were honoured to have two talks to our Sixth Form. First, Ms Walker spoke about studying at Oxford (her alma mater) and Cambridge. She stressed the wonderful opportunities to be gained from three years at Oxbridge. She shared tips on preparing for interviews there and on actually studying there, what life is really like and what the extra advantages are. Forty Year 12s had the opportunity to ask questions including some on reading lists, tutorials, the role of tutors and lecturers and more. Lucinda sums up what Oxbridge can give you for life including the following life skills • • • • • •
How to argue and debate How to research independently How to defend yourself and your position How to think for yourself How to motivate yourself How to think of interesting things to say!
North London Collegiate School Jeju
Economics For the final session, Mr Raymond Maher - Head of Economics - brought along some of his students to hear about a career in Finance. Ms Walker stressed the amazing careers that can be built in the world of finance. It isn’t just about great benefits (though they help) but about being able to pursue your other interests through finance, too. All finance companies have gender and diversity committees, climate committees and mental health support groups - you can really make a difference. A career in finance is great fun and interesting, too. Our students kept her on her toes with questions about compliance, risk, bias, cryptocurrency and much more. We loved having a visitor - and we were very careful to be safe about all aspects of the visit. Ms Walker came alone, she tested for COVID and filled in our survey. Have you got an interesting career or something to share with our students? Let us know - we’d love to build up our community even further!
WE STAND WITH UKRAINE Messages and Cards - James/Katrina Mr James Tuffs’ Student Marketing CCA and all concerned students and citizens have been showing their compassion by supporting fellow students in Ukraine. In these worrying times we remember our responsibility as global citizens and follow a key mission statement -
The IB aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect The students have shared some thoughtful and empathetic messages. We appreciate everyone’s ability to put aside politics and our own day to day worries to focus on the issues of others. Mr Tuffs also ran a special art class for his Aewol boarders. We LOVE Cranes for Ukraine. A compassionate and creative way to spend a Saturday evening.
Thena Reddy’s Class Messages Thank you to Ms Thena Reddy’s Year 8 tutor group. They designed and wrote messages to students in Ukraine.
Charlotte Baxendale’s Class Messages Thank you to all the kind students in the Junior School who have been learning about humanity and empathy in the light of the conflict in Ukraine. Ms Charlotte Baxendale’s class all wrote messages to children in the Ukraine. Their compassion for children wherever they are in the world really shines through.
A CULTURE OF KINDNESS Chemistry Kindness Week In a world where you can be anything - be kind Thank you to our fantastic Chemistry team who have instigated a Chemistry Kindness Week. All students are urged to be as kind as possible to each other, to think of their friends and classmates in everything they do.
STEM WEEK - YEAR 7 Our Year 7 students have been participating in their first big STEM project. Guided by the inimitable Mr Derek Paternaude, the students have their first real taste of independence within the Sciences. They work as teams to decide on their project. What will they investigate? What do they want to prove and how will they prove it? Our current Year 7 students have thrown themselves into this week with huge enthusiasm. They are working together in small groups and working on experiments involving melting points, boiling points, the strength of acids, solutions, transformations and more. Have a look at this amazing video and here Mr Paternaude and the students themselves tell us more!
DARANGSWI HOUSE DONATION Darangswi House has donated groceries for the elderly who live alone in Daejung and Andeok area during their COVID-19 quarantine. This was delivered to the DongKwang Senior Centre. We are proud of our students who always find a way to help and serve the local community!
OUTSTANDING CAMBRIDGE LEARNERS
We should never forget that as we learn and study for our exams we are part of a huge global network of exam board entrants. This makes it even more exciting when we learn how well our students have done. As non native English speakers (as many of our students are) it should be harder for them to succeed but with diligence, debate, fantastic teaching and support and advice on study skills - every year we outperform the majority of world schools at both IGCSE and IBDP. Our Exam Coordinator, Muhsin Bulut has let us know about some exceptional students from 2021.
Top In The World - First Language Korean Mina Yoon Julia (Yeon Ju) Back Ji Wu Kim (Left post IGCSE)
Top in the world Mathematics (Without Coursework) Hyeonbi Jee
Student Publication Another three brilliant student magazines are available now! One is Lucidity which is full of interesting stories about science and space (what an amazing cover!) Another is Islander where you can enjoy a lot of in-depth writing as always - completely student produced under the watchful eye of Mr Maher. In Equilibrium, you can read articles from COVID-19’s impact to the Minimum wage Special thanks to Chandler Ahn, TaeHwan Lee and Cheewon Choi and all the students who spent a lot of time and effort to help these magazines look so polished and professional.
Lucidity Issue 8 Science and Space
Islander Issue 29 Identity
Equilibrium Issue 5 Perspective
KOREAN ENRICHMENT WEEK We had a wonderful Korean Enrichment Week last week with lots of great lectures and activities. Some highlights were Friday’s lecture on how Korean historical stories and myths were developed. We also loved the breaktime activities focusing on historical figures, poetry and iconic Korean novels. Thank you to teachers and students alike who made this a week to remember. We hope you all got to see the huge Korean flag adorning our main reception area. We are a British school with Korea in its heart. That’s what makes us special
Blackout Poetry As part of Korean Enrichment Week, students participated in creating their own blackout poetry. Mrs. Misun Park looked over this activity and said “Students made a new story by erasing the letters of the novel. The most chosen words were ‘mother’ and ‘home.’ They still miss their homes and miss their mothers’ love...There were also many topics about war and love. We can find home, the world, love and the future in their writings.”
STAFF BABY Congratulations to Support Staff member, Ms Yoonkyung Moon, who has just given birth to a son. He was born on Monday February 21. She tells us “ I am delighted to inform you that I gave birth to a son! It has been a long journey to meet him, and finally he is here. It has now been 10 years since I joined NLCS Jeju! I met my husband June here at NLCS. We are married, we had a daughter and now a son. Thank you very much to NLCS Jeju for providing such a priceless life to me, and thank you to the many staff who support us. I hope that all NLCS Jeju members are safe from COVID19.” What a lovely baby boy!
BOOK WEEK - JUNIOR SCHOOL Book Week is always hugely popular in our Junior School and this year’s captured the imagination of the whole community. Thank you to Head of English, Meghan Peters and English Teacher, Justine Whitney - as well as every teacher in the School for all your hard work! Year 6 student and Library Ambassador, Irene Yoon designed this great poster to introduce the Week. Read on to find out some of the amazing activities!
Book Week Dress Up Parade
Book Week Dress Up Parade Thursday March 3 saw one of our favourite days of the year. Junior School Dress Up Day and Parade. Students from every class dressed up as their favourite character. Thank you to Bananaman (Mr Eyton Jones) and Max - from Where The Wild Things Are (Mr Evans ) for hosting. It’s impossible to list everyone but here are some of the amazing characters we admired! • Sherlock Holmes (Mr Sommerville!) • Butterfly (Ms Washington who explained that last year she was The Very Hungry Caterpillar!) • A host of Harry Potters • Percy Jackson • The Cat in the Hat • Alice, The Mad Hatter and more • Cats, dogs, mice, elephants • Robots and cowboys • Pippi Longstocking • Camp residents (from Holes) • Princesses, Pirates • Sharks, fish and dolphins • Ghosts, skeletons, witches and magicians • Charlie and his golden ticket • Just William • MANY MANY MANY MORE The energy in the PAC as each class paraded over the stage to the sound of some great music was AMAZING! Well done everyone! Take a look at some of the costumes…
Book Week Dress Up Parade
Get Caught Reading There were just TOO many great pictures to choose from again this year. We’ve picked just a few! Well done William, Philip, Philip, Tia, Sophia, Yoojin. Great reading! Top marks to Philip Joo - how did that book not get wet?
North London Collegiate School Jeju
Reading Marathon Can we read a whole book in a day? YES we can! Well done to every teacher and every child who took part in the Reading Marathon. All day long they came, they sat, they waited, they stood, they read, they handed over to the next reader, they left. It was amazing to hear Wonder by R J Palacio read in so many different ways. A great story well told.
Creative Work - Iona Scott - Year 6 Some beautiful creative work by Iona Scott in Year 6. Can you guess which poem it’s inspired by?
Like soldiers the trees stood silent and tall The mist snaked through the forest Wistfully the leaves dance and fall The light was wall of mystery The Highwayman came walking ----Walking----Walking The Highwayman came walking up to the bright light wall He tapped the wall with his old leather boot It hit with a deafening clunk With a shout he stumbles over a root Disturbing the silent night
MATHS ENRICHMENT WEEK This week was Maths Enrichment Week - always one of our most popular! We say a huge thank you to Ms Duygu Bulut and all the Maths department. Their commitment to expanding our students’ knowledge and engagement - in a school where Maths is already at an exceptional level - is incredible. In the Junior School, Mr Simon Downes and his team also challenged themselves to go further with activities including a Maths Treasure Hunt! We also acknowledge the Maths Society who worked very hard to create a programme for a thrilling week! Lecture Ms Bulut gave the main address on The History of Algebra on Wednesday. Our Year 8 students loved it, especially when they knew all the answers!
Ms Duygu Bulut
Activities So much went on during lessons, breaktimes and lunchtimes! We got used to seeing throngs of students doing all things Maths! Some of the key activities organised by students for students were • • • • • •
Prisoner’s Dilemma String Art Balloon Debate 3D Printing Golden Bell NIM Game
Maths Journal And a final mention for the NLCS Jeju Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics which, for a second year running, was of such an incredible standard that it could have been produced by a University Maths Dept. The stunning cover design by James Daewoong Kang leads into 60 pages of exceptional editorial created by our own NLCS Jeju students. Aaron (Joonseok) Kang and Eddie (Kyubin) Min as editors worked with the Maths Society on features such as The Incompleteness Theorem, Euler’s Characteristic and an Introduction to Large Ordinals. The editors say “ The objective of our journal is to publish up-to-date, high quality and original research papers with a high level of academic rigour. As such the journal aspires to be entertaining, vibrant and accessible and at the same time deeply integrative and challenging.” Read it for yourself HERE.
PANCAKE RACE Year 7 students celebrated Shrove Tuesday on March 1st in a unique British way. They participated in a traditional Pancake Race with aprons on. Here , Head of Year 7, Mr. Padraig Hogan explains the tradition and Year 7 students, Emily and Aiden share their thoughts on the event with us! Pancake Day or ‘Shrove Tuesday’ is held 47 days before ‘Easter Sunday’ The name Shrove Tuesday derives from the practice of Anglo-Saxon Christians going into confession the day before Lent, and being ‘shriven’ (absolved of their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession, which became known as the ‘Pancake Bell’ and is still rung today. The tradition of the pancake day comes down to using all of the ingredients from the cupboard where things like flour, sugar, etc… are kept. So then they can start a loan the next day. Lent is the period of 40 days where Christians remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ. Emily Hwang As my feet crossed the threshold between the hallway and the auditorium, the pancakes aligned across the middle diverted my attention. Elevated, I headed towards my tutor group.
All year 7s lined up in their tutor groups and prepared to race. The sounds of the crowd became part of the happy centre of my brain, reaching in and pulling out the joy. There was a feeling of jubilation in the crowd as if we were both firmly on the ground and levitating. As Mr Hogan signalled the start, the first students sprinted. And in no time, I was up. Every time we ran, it was all out until we crossed the finish line. Then it all stopped. We rested. Satisfied knowing we gave it all we could give. It was an absolutely amazing way to start the day. Aiden Lee Pancake Day started with an uproar of people. I thought of how fun it would be if a pancake struck the ceiling. Pancakes would be flying like birds. As the rule was explained and we started the game all groups were running like flashes but with flat, cooked, and cold pancakes. Some people dropped one but they didn’t give up and kept running. After a while of watching it was my turn now. As I stood waiting for my friend to pass me the apron and frying pan with a pancake which seemed very delicious but was holding the fate of our tutor group’s win fate. Such small things could depend on our win. Then as I burst out I got the surge of feeling that we could win. If we won, what could we do? It was time to find out. As we all sat down when everyone was done. We called victory.
SOCIAL INTEGRATION DEBATE COMPETITION Year 8 Oscar (Dabin) Kim and Donghyun Lee Oscar and Donghyun participated in the 2022 Social Integration Debate Competition and came in third. This competition was hosted by Hankook ilbo and sponsored by the Korea Ministry of Education with the aim of contemplating and seeking solutions to Korean social conflicts that reached their limits. Oscar and Donghyun Made a team of Two, IMPACT, and made it to the semifinal after a series of intense rounds since last November. You can watch two of their debates through the link below. Quarter Final https://vod.afreecatv.com/ST/83509066?change_second=12138 Semi Final https://vod.afreecatv.com/ST/83979574?change_second=4172
Donghyun Lee
Oscar (Dabin) Kim
JUNIOR SCHOOL - BOYS FOOTBALL We are delighted to share that we have some upcoming football stars in our midst! Five Junior School boys joined the Chilshipli Spring Season Youth Football League Festival as members of The Loje United on 19 ~ 24 Feb - with excellent results! There were 52 teams in the Under 12 division and 38 teams in the Under 11 division so it was hugely competitive. They scored a total of 14 goals with numerous assists during the league. U12 competed in the Runners Up league and U11 competed in the Leaders League both with 3 wins, 1 tie, 2 losses. Well done to our football stars: 6F 박준익 Louel Park U12 5G 김민준 Lucas Kim U11 5H 김민준 Min Jun Kim U11 5D 양하준 Justin Yang U11 4MEJ 김승기 Eddie Kim U11 Parents of Justin and Min Jun said “All five of the boys are in the football CCA. They were able to compete with other teams from all around Korea, based on what they have learned at school. The league lasted 6 days and we appreciate the support and understanding from the teachers and the school.”
North London Collegiate School Jeju
5G Lucas Kim
6F Louel Park
5D Justin Yang
5H Min Jun Kim
4MEJ Eddie Kim
NLCS NLCS JEJU JEJU SKIERS SKIERS We always try to share the amazing achievements of our students whenever we have We always try to share the amazing achievements of our students whenever we have a chance, and it’s astonishing that there are always new stories to share. We’ve shared a chance, and it’s astonishing that there are always new stories to share. We’ve shared stories of our amazing Eban Seo - and hot on her heels we have Lucas, Raina, and Aiden stories of our amazing Eban Seo - and hot on her heels we have Lucas, Raina, and Aiden who have all had a busy winter participating in various ski competitions and showing off who have all had a busy winter participating in various ski competitions and showing off their talent! We know how much effort is behind these results and we are very proud of their talent! We know how much effort is behind these results and we are very proud of them all! them all! Year 5 Lucas (Seungyun) Lee Year 5 Lucas (Seungyun) Lee The 1st Yafit Cup KYSA Youth Ski Race - 1st Place in U10 The 1st Korea University Ski Team Association President Cup Youth Ski Race - 1st Place The 1st Yafit Cup KYSA Youth Ski Race - 1st Place in U10 in U10 The 1st Korea University Ski Team Association President Cup Youth Ski Race - 1st Place The 10th YMCA Youth Ski Race - 4th Place in U10 in U10 The 3rd YMCA National Ski Race - 1st Place in U12 The 10th YMCA Youth Ski Race - 4th Place in U10 The 42nd Seoul Sports Council President Cup Youth Ski Race - 1st Place in U10 The 3rd YMCA National Ski Race - 1st Place in U12 The 1st Alpine Ski Racing Championships (KSIA) - 3rd place in U-10 The 42nd Seoul Sports Council President Cup Youth Ski Race - 1st Place in U10 The 1st Alpine Ski Racing Championships (KSIA) - 3rd place in U-10 Year 6 Raina (Lael) Kim The 6th Sejong Province Ski Association President Cup - 1st in U12 Year 6 Raina (Lael) Kim The 52nd Korean Ski Association National President Cup - 1st in U12 The 6th Sejong Province Ski Association President Cup - 1st in U12 Year 7 Aiden (Jaebaek) Lee The 52nd Korean Ski Association National President Cup - 1st in U12 The 3rd YMCA National Ski Race - 6th in U14 Year 7 Aiden (Jaebaek) Lee The 3rd YMCA National Ski Race - 6th in U14
Year 5 Lucas (Seungyun) Lee
Year 7 Aiden (Jaebaek) Lee
ART IN SWING Golf Charity - Jeong Gyoun (Luke) Song has been working on a very special project - Art In Swing - combining music and golf. Luke has long been a friend Luke has long been a friend to the Special Olympics Inc which works on the Special Olympics Youth Innovation Project - a funding project for the able bodied and disabled communities”. Luke considers volunteering to be a very big part of who he is. Luke learned golf at the ‘Kidult Golf Club’ and participated in the ‘Buddy Buddy One Heart Golf Tournament’ every summer vacation as a volunteer. He has treated players with developmental disabilities without prejudice from an early age. Luke arranged and set up Art In Swing - a music concert and fundraiser for the tournament. Take a look at the concert HERE. Can you help Luke? Are you a keen golfer? Do you have a venue you can suggest for a tournament? Can you support these golfers? Please get in touch if you can and we will put you in touch. The Golf Times has featured Luke and the initiative. We are very proud to see one of our students making the news for such a worthwhile project. http://m.thegolftimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=53278
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Congratulations to Chemistry teacher, Mahesh Warrier who has successfully obtained Membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC). This is a great honour and is reflective of Mahesh’s ongoing commitment to development. Like all teachers at NLCS Jeju - he continues to train and update his skills to be a better teacher every year.
BOARDING ACTIVITIES Ms Miri Kang worked with the lovely Pyoseon Year 8 and 9 girls on a February Sunday for an inspired wellbeing activity, My Post-covid Bucket List - 20 things I can’t wait to do when life returns to normal. The girls were guided to shift their mind to think about things that they want to accomplish when the pandemic ends, and long lists were created by each and everyone. Lots of travel destinations immediately filled the top of their wish list, such as a Winter onsen trip to Japan, surfing in Hawaii, and enjoying cheese fondue in the Swiss Alps. This was followed by endless outdoor activity ideas to do with their beloved friends, such as going camping, K-pop concert, or theme park together, without masks on. It was really nice to see the girls being inspired, energised, relaxed yet being serious about creating their bucket list. 😍😻 We are safe and well and following all guidelines. But we can all dream! What’s on your post COVID bucket list?
North London Collegiate School Jeju
PRODUCTION - DATE CHANGE! “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” We can’t wait for the next production from our truly exceptional Drama department. Shakespeare’s Late Play “The Tempest” will now be presented on Saturday 26 March at 14.00 in the PAC. The production will be livestreamed to all and a small audience of boarding students will be there in person. You can watch it HERE and we’ll be sharing rehearsal photography on social media over the next two weeks.
MUSIC CORNER Instrumental Lessons for Summer Term Sign up for lessons via the link in the letters below. The sign up deadline is Monday 21st March, 12pm. Lessons will begin on Tuesday April 19th.
ENGLISH KOREAN CHINESE
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY This week we celebrated International Women’s Day and the mission this year is #breakthebias. We thank and honour every woman and every girl in our School. You are ALL amazing. Thank you to Shona Park and Chandler Ahn who presented in the Senior School Assembly on Tuesday. They shared the history - and the future - of suffragism, feminism and the power of women. Take a look at the ad created by YoonJin Kim. We know that we should have 100 versions of this to capture you all but we hope this gives a tiny flavour of the brilliant women who surround us here.
North London Collegiate School Jeju
Anthony (Yeonjoon) Kim 6EF
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