Dear Families,
I have lived in Malaysia for four years now and I still cannot equate the Christmas season to it being hot! So, each time I walk into a mall (or presently into our very festive reception area), I get a small surprise to see the fir-trees bedecked with baubles and twinkling lights.
The lights of Christmas remind us that there is light in darkness, hope in despair and for those in the northern hemisphere, who were perishing in the cold, a welcome change that brings some food and warmth in the dead season of the deep winter.
Earlier this week, it was the anniversary of, Victorian Romantic poet, Christina Rossetti’s birthday. One of her finest compositions is now a carol and my favourite of them all:
In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
Snow had fallen
Snow on snow on snow
In the bleak midwinter
Long, long ago
These images of winter and my ‘Christmas’, I know, are what Malaysians jet off to foreign climes to experience, in the same way that when I moved here, I was delighted to finally see the sun!
Winter is tough, but Christmas is joy. I was struck as a small child by the land of Narnia in C.S.Lewis’s wonderful book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where it was always winter, but never Christmas. How awful it would be for the nights to get longer, the days to get colder, if we did not know that mid-way through, this festival would signal re-birth and starting over.
Rossetti was also a religious poet and of course, for her, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and for Christians the advent of the story of their saviour from the depth of winter and from the despair that it represents. Although Christmas is now connected with the giving of presents – often now expensive fancy goods – the original idea of giving, is exemplified by Santa Claus or St Nicholas, actually an early Christian leader in what is now Turkey. He became known for giving away his inheritance from his wealthy parents to the poor and secretly providing sacks of gold coins to those vulnerable to being tempted into crime to save them from this life and allow them to choose another path.
In fact, we may now associate ‘giving’ with the latest toy or electronic device, but for most part Christmas ‘charity’, which is derived from an ancient word for love that also gave us ‘care’, is about looking after others at tough times. As our community has recently donated to the refugee community, so that they can experience what we value, an education, so Rossetti’s poem turns to this theme:
What can I give him?
Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd
I would give a lamb
If I were a wise man
I would do my part
But what I can I give him
Give him my heart
Our students, staff and wider school community have today regaled us with stories and songs of Christmas past, present and ‘yet to come’ and each was suffused with giving of yourself rather than material goods. Whether it is Rudolph showing the way or Mr Ebenezer Scrooge learning that sharing Christmas with family and friends makes it complete, they have made us happy, nostalgic, laugh, but most importantly remember the true meaning of the season.
Thank you to all those who have worked so hard, from our creative directors led by Ann Peter to our parent volunteers, from our student performers to our staff ‘elves’ working in the shadows to make sure that Christmas happens in school (more than) once a year. A big ho-ho-ho thank you to Santa and his helpers for their early visit to us and for wearing all the gear in the Tropics.
To you and yours at this time of year, I send greetings of the season and my wishes for a prosperous new year. For those celebrating, have a blessed Christmas and all have a great break until we meet again on the 3 January (for what will be the shortest half-term ever!)…
Best wishes
Anthony Partington
Principal and CEO
On behalf of the School Leadership Team
We visited numerous international schools in Klang-Valley and Sri KDU Subang Jaya was not even on our list. Reason being it is way out of our travelling radius. However, we are glad we made the visit to the school before our final call, and it was the best decision ever! It was a huge transition period for us during the first 2 weeks into school, but the school’s team (Teachers, Administrative and Parent’s Teacher Association) made us feel right at home. We were given clear guidance and was kept well informed on the happenings in the school. My daughter blended into the community quite well with the care provided by the Homeroom teacher. All the teachers here are the kindest, as she told me. She looks forward to going to school and has become more disciplined in terms on knowing what tasks she needs to complete daily. She has gained so much confidence during this short period of time and was given the encouragement to explore and develop her abilities here. She was just selected as the new Primary House Captain for Year 6 AY2022/2023.
Every parent want to find the ‘perfect’ school for their child and are afraid of making the wrong decision. For us, as long she is safe and happy, we believe, she will eventually find the way to her own success.