Boarding Newsletter - Pyoseon - March 2024 by North London Collegiate School Jeju

MarchPyoseonNewsletter

Unity,Achievement,Commitment.

MessagefromMrs.Spivey

I will look back upon these last few weeks with mixed emotions.As you know, I will not be returning to Pyoseon inAugust and so each of the home events are tinged with the thought that this will be for the last time. However, so much has happened for us all to be proud of and for that, I am hugely grateful.The Pyoseon Family continues to thrive and surprise us all with incredible achievements which have been outlined in the newsletter by the students who participated.All while fostering a wonderful sense of family and empathy. The last weekend of term has now become a time for us all to celebrate boarding at NLCS as a wider community and give awards for those students who have reflected the home values and ethos more than others this term. We are proud to congratulate Judy Song for winning the Home Spirit Prize and Amber Kim who is our Values Champion. We have announced our new leadership team but, in the tradition of a good K-Drama, I will leave you with a “cliffhanger” and allow each of them to introduce themselves in our next newsletter. Something to look forward to!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful break and we will be thinking of the year 11 students who, I am sure will be working hard to prepare for the iGCSE examinations when they return.

Notices…

Please,followourguidelinesinordertohaveabettercommunitywithintheboardinghomes,consistencyand alsoforthewellbeingofourboarders,yourdaughter!

Exeatsrequest:Hereisalinktotheexeatform.PleaseensurethatrequestsarecompletedbeforeThursday,

OﬀicialExeatWeekends:9th&10thMarch,4th&5thMay.

Onlinelessonrequest:Hereisthelinktouseifyouchangetheonlinelessontimingsforyour daughter.PleasefollowthisupwithanemailsothatIknowchangeshavebeenmade.

FollowusonInstagram:@nlcs_pyoseon

기숙사 내 공동체 발전과 일관성, 그리고 자녀분의 웰빙 증진을 위해 아래와 같이 당부 말씀 드립니다.

Exeats(외출/외박) 신청: 해당 주 목요일 전까지 링크된 신청서를 작성해 주시기 바랍니다.

학교 공식 Exeat 주말:10월 21-22일,3월 9-10일,5월 4-5일

온라인 수업 수강 신청 링크를 통해 현재 수강 중인 온라인 수업에 변동사항 발생 시에도 작성

부탁드립니다. 더불어 해당 변동사항에대해 저도 업데이트 받을 수 있도록 이메일로 연락

부탁드립니다.

FollowusonInstagram:@nlcs_pyoseon

Notices…

WeeklySchedule

Eachweekthestudentshavethe opportunitytodeveloptheirEnglish readingfluency.

Thisoccursatthefollowingtimes:

Wednesday

7:15pm-7:45pm

Friday

7:15pm-7:45pm

Sunday 8:00pm-8:30pm

WeeklySchedule

읽기 향상을 위해 아래와

영어

일요일

같이 매주 별도의 시간을 마련하고 있습니다: 수요일 7:15pm-7:45pm 금요일 7:15pm-7:45pm

8:00pm-8:30pm

Esther-ScienceCompetition

On January 13, 2024, at the Daejeon KT Human Resources Development Center 2nd Training Center, I had the privilege of participating in a science fair competition. I stood and presented my research titled "Synergising Convolutional Neural Networks and Drug Similarity Estimator for Improved Drug-Drug Interaction Prediction." This journey began back in Hong Kong, where I collaborated with some seniors on this project. However, due to an unexpected move to Korea, I found myself presenting it alone. The inspiration behind my research was due to my concern for my mother, who was battling illness during the pandemic. Witnessing her taking multiple medications, especially during her COVID-19 diagnosis, spurred me onto delve into drug-drug interactions. My research aimed to enhance existing models by incorporating a neural network with a similarity estimator. This innovation could potentially revolutionise the process of drug creation, saving both time and resources while ensuring safer treatments. After nearly a year of dedicated research, I was proud to showcase my findings at the competition. Receiving the silver medal was not just a recognition of my efforts but also validation of the significance of my work.

Eban-SkiingCompetition

The Alpine Skiing competition happened from the winter break until the 21st of February. Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings. There are three types of Alpine skiing, Giant Slalom, Slalom, and Super G. Eban has currently participated in Giant Slalom which involves racing between sets of poles (“gates”) usually spaced at a distance from 23m to 27m in Korea. The Skiing competition was held in YongPyong Ski resort,Alpensia Ski resort, and in Elysian Ski resort.

There were a total of 4 skiing competitions, and Eban achieved 3 medals, one for each gold, silver and bronze medals and came in 4th in one competition. Three of the competitions were a national competition, and one was a competition for international school students which included some foreigners. She has trained for the skiing competition since the winter break, and she is quite satisfied with her results for this season.

Judy-IceSkating

On March 3rd our boarding home Pyoseon was filled with exhilarating outdoor activities, as the girls embarked on an unforgettable adventure to the Jeju Branksome HallAsia’s ice skating rink. Our boarding girls from year 7 to 11 and even the boarding staff laced up their skates and glided gracefully across the ice, showcasing their skills. Laughter echoed throughout the rink as they twirled and spun, making memories that will last a lifetime. It was a delightful sight to see all the girls and the staff showing unity and them laughing and falling down and helping each other.This weekend activity provided not only physical exercise but also a sense of camaraderie, adventure, and even unity fostering bonds among our friends and creating a vibrant community spirit within our boarding home.As we look forward to more weekends filled with exciting adventures, we're reminded of the importance of seizing every opportunity to explore, connect, and embrace the joys of life together here in NLCS Pyoseon boarding home.

Dahye-SingaporeExchange Students

Afew weeks ago, Pyoseon hosted students from NLCS Singapore that visited NLCS Jeju.Atotal of 6 girls from year 9 had visited Pyoseon during one week’s time. During this week, they could experience life at NLCS Jeju, in boarding and explore Jeju and the Korean culture.They travelled to many tourist destinations such as Hyeopjae beach (one of the famous beaches in Jeju) and theArte Museum. They did not only visit different tourist sites, but they also went to school like other students in NLCS Jeju.

I hope Singapore visitors had enjoyed visiting Jeju and had many memorable experiences in Pyoseon!

Amber-StPatrickʼsDay

St.Patrick’s Day is a religious and cultural Irish holiday held on March 17th, when people celebrate St.Patrick’s death. St.Patrick is credited because he brought Christianity to Ireland and converted a pagan society in the process. Every year on March 17th, people wear green clothes to celebrate the global Irish heritage.

Pyoseon house also celebrated St.Patrick’s Day in various ways.

Last Saturday, our grad Imogen taught Year 7,8,9,and 10 the Ceili dance. Ceili dance is an Irish dance unlike other cultural dances because we don’t use our arms and only use our feet when dancing. We all danced to the music with smiles listening to Imogen’s instructions.

On Sunday morning, different year groups made Tattie bread, an Irish cultural food. We made Tattie bread by mixing potatoes, butter, and flour and frying the mixture with butter. Because potatoes are the main food in Ireland, we tried out the Irish breakfast to celebrate St.Patrick’s Day. The whole house had access to and enjoyed the Irish meal.

In the afternoon, the year 7s made fifteens, a Northern Irish treat. We first made a mixture using Daijets, cranberries, marshmallows, and condensed milk. After that, we buried the mixture into unsweetened coconut.Everybody got a piece at registration and enjoyed it very much.

Minjae-HistoryCompetition

Last weekend, I participated in the Korean round of the World Scholar’s Cup held in Cheongshim InternationalAcademy with two other students from NLCS Jeju. The World Scholar's Cup is an international competition that focuses on history, but uses extensive knowledge in many aspects of everyday life. I was first introduced to the competition by a friend of mine, and although its name was vague, I was curious and enthusiastic about the event. Despite the content-packed organisation, the preparation process was valuable and enjoyable as I delved into how history is used in our daily lives and often spark controversies.

The day of the competition is a memory I will never forget. Engaging in diverse academic activities - from exams to quiz ballas and debates- we collaborated differently, prioritising collective growth over rivalry among ourselves. Even other teams who we met during team debate sessions were more of a mentor of values such as encouragement and tolerance than fierce competitors. Laughter and conversations made the long hours fly by.

WSC was a precious opportunity to reinvigorate the concept of studying, which at school can sometimes be restless and mundane. More importantly, It was a priceless time to develop a strong bond with my teammates and learn from all participants’ courage and passion.

Ella-FridayCooking

On every Friday, all the boarders in Pyoseon get a chance to cook delicious foods.This time it was our year 8's turn and we had some time to cook pesto chicken and side dishes to eat together. Part of us washed and cut every single vegetable and mixed them all together while some of us were making pesto seasoning. Unfortunately we didn’t have the photos of the strawberry milkshake and our potato chips, but it looked very good as well as tasted wonderful. It was a very valuable time because we were not only able to cook different types of food, but we were off our electronics and spent the time healthier.Also, eating the food that we used our entire effort was full of pride and satisfaction. I think throughout this activity we were able to learn how to distribute lots of tasks to personnels and realised that working together can lead to remarkable results. I hope we can experience this activity consistently to have a healthy and enjoyable boarding life!