Term 2: dates for your diary… Date
Event
Location
Time
Tuesday 3rd January 2012
First day of Term 2
Upper School First School
7.50am 8.20am
Friday 13th January
Chinese New Year
Whole School
9.00am
Friday 10th February
Around the World day Humanities day
First School Upper School
All day
Tuesday 14th February
Swimming Gala – Year 3 to 10
Goethe Institute
9.00am to 12.00pm
Wednesday 15th February
Swimming Gala – Nursery to Year 2
Goethe Institute
9.00am to 12.00pm
Monday 20th to Friday 24th February
Half term break
School Closed
Monday 19th to Friday 23rd March
Book Week
Whole School
Saturday 31st March
School Fayre (to be confirmed)
Thursday 5th April
Last day of Term 2
Whole School
Friday 6th April
Chakri Day
School Closed
Monday 9th to Friday 20th April
End of Term 2 break
School Closed
Monday 23rd April
First day of Term 3
Upper School First School
7.50am 8.20am
News from the Garden Dear Parents and friends of GIS, Welcome back. Term 2 is well under way and it has been a busy month as always: our oldest pupils in Year 11 have just completed their mock exams as part of their preparation for the IGCSEs in May, the Student Representative Council has met to provide feedback on various aspects of the school from a pupil perspective, we welcomed in the Chinese New Year in style, humanities day is soon to take place and several of the teachers have spent their weekends undergoing training so that they can continue to develop professionally and provide
your child with the best possible education. Please read and enjoy the rest of this month’s newsletter. As always, if there is anything that you wish to discuss further please do not hesitate to contact me. Warmest regards, Jeremy Stokes MA Ed. Principal jeremys@gardenbangkok.com
Please remember to keep up to date with all the latest at Garden International School Bangkok.
News from the Garden At the end of Term 1, myself and Mr. Abraham, the General Manager of Garden International Schools Thailand, delivered a presentation to parents to provide them with the opportunity to learn more about the future of Garden International School Bangkok. I include a summary of this presentation in the hope that all parents become informed of the plans to develop the school. At present, low pupil numbers mean that we are struggling to meet the high rental fees and therefore the cost of maintaining the Bangkok school is offset by GIS Rayong. This cannot be considered to be a long term solution so our short term goals in Bangkok are to: • Increase pupil numbers thereby increasing capital income; • Maintain quality of teaching staff and provision without increasing fees; • Ensure a sustainable future for the school. To achieve these goals it will be necessary to market and introduce a similar system to that at GIS Rayong so that Bangkok can replicate its success and growth. The GIS English Programme will be housed in the rearmost building of the Upper School with classes for Kindergarten 1 to Primary 3 opening in May 2012. This school and its pupils will have no impact on the International school or pupils (your children). It will be run according to the Thai Ministry of Education curriculum and will have different term dates, timetable, fee structure,
curriculum and school uniform. The money generated from this school will initially be used to offset the current high costs of Garden International School. We aim to be able to demonstrate a successful business model within 2 years as the MBf Taylors company directors have indicated their will to invest so that a new site, of 5 rai or more, can be purchased in the local area and new schools can be purposebuilt for both the international school and the English programme school within 3 years. Concerns were raised by parents who attended the meeting and these were discussed at some length. It was reiterated that at no point will the education offered at Garden International School Bangkok be compromised in any way. If you have any questions regarding this development please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss it further. Jeremy Stokes MA Ed. Principal jeremys@gardenbangkok.com
News from the Garden In November, Garden’s Secondary English department was lucky enough to enjoy its second visit by Shakespearean Actor-Director, Daniel Foley on his follow up visit from London. Years 7 to 11 were once again able to benefit from Daniel’s knowledge of the Bard and his works. These workshops have proved valuable sessions for pupils, not only to build their knowledge of Shakespeare, but to become exposed to a broad range of drama techniques. First hand exposure to such techniques compliments their understanding of drama, an essential part of pupils’ Secondary English studies.
There was no shortage of volunteers as Garden pupils eagerly participated in a variety of scenes from Shakespeare’s plays under Daniel’s expert guidance! Daniel had full and willing cooperation from all pupils, as he conducted mask-making activities, followed by activities involving acting techniques with the masks. Once again a great learning experience was had by all. As Mr. Foley counts Garden pupils and our school among his favourites when he comes to Bangkok, I am sure we will see him again sometime in the future. Sharon Evangelista Secondary English
Masking techniques were among the drama activities and fun Daniel Foley bought to Garden in November.
News from the Garden 今天看到我们学生的表演，我 非常高兴。 我也非常感谢各位家长来参加 我们的中国年活动。 中国有五千年的历史文化。我 希望我们学生在中文课上能学 到更多的中国历史，中国传统 文化。 最后，祝大家新年快乐. 谢谢。
I was so happy to see our students’ performance today. I am also very happy many parents come to enjoy us to celebrate Chinese New Year. China has 5000 years history and culture. I hope our students can learn more Chinese history and Chinese traditional culture in Mandarin class. Finally, best wishes to all of you Happy New Year. Thank you very much.
February 2012 Exhibition: January 31st – February 26th The Rotunda Gallery: "Garden of Eden”, by Tiasa Iris. The work of Tjaša Iris is inspired by gardens. Last spring she spent two months in Chiang Mai where Bhubing Palace Gardens were her greatest inspiration. She dedicated her exhibition to this theme. The paintings describe beautiful flower gardens in bright, vivid, lush colors. Tjaša fell in love with SE Asia. Her main motifs are gardens and nature with lush vegetation. Tjaša says: “I capture the essence of the places I visit by creating vibrant expressionistic paintings: gardens with lush vegetation and ornaments, busy landscapes with abstracted swirling clouds… Through the emotive use of color and shape, I invite the viewer to celebrate the joy of life through my art. Bhubing Palace Gardens were among the most beautiful places I've even seen on Earth. A true Garden of Eden." Tjaša Iris web site: www.tjasairis.com The Garden Café Gallery: “Colourful Figures in Unfamiliar Places”, by Nancy Zarider. Nancy Zarider, an American artist living in Bangkok, will exhibit a selection of her monotypes and paintings on paper. She studied art at Washington University in St. Louis. She has had multiple careers, as a textile designer for fashion and home furnishings, art director and photographer for several newspapers, and art teacher. Exploring the ways people’s appearance embodies their culture, Nancy is intrigued by the process of experimentation, by the mixture of colour, texture and stroke, and by the intersection of abstract elements in meaningful figurative expression. Nancy and Tjasa will have a joint Opening Reception on Thursday, February 2, at 7-9 p.m. Sunday February 12th: Neilson Hays Arts Festival. The Festival will showcase the work of a wide variety of local and international artists working in a variety of media. These original works will be available for sale. It is rare in Thailand that the work of this number of artists can be viewed in one accessible location. The Arts Festival’s activities will also include artist demonstrations, live music, drama, dance and children’s art and crafts activities. There will be refreshments and food for sale from the Gallery Cafe throughout the day. GENERAL By popular demand, Neilson Hays Library brings you the latest quality international magazines, to take away and enjoy at your leisure. 50THB a week per magazine (up to 4 week hire). During Saturday mornings storytelling for 3-7 years old is held at the library at 10.30am, followed by craft activities. www.neilsonhayslibrary.com (Opening hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday)
The library can be found at: 195 Surawong Road (behind the British Club)