Boarding newsletter end of term 1 2014

Regent’S bOARDINg NEWSLETTER

Term 2 December 2014

Sections this issue:

Welcome MR KIRK WADSWORTH HEAD OF BOARDING kirk.wadsworth@regents.ac.th Dear Parent,

PRINCIPAL’S LETTER

ENRICHMENT

BOARDING LIFE

SPORTS

As we approach the end of another busy term, it is with a huge sense of accomplishment that we look back and reflect on what we have achieved as a community. At the start of the term we welcomed 12 new Boarders. These new additions are spread across 5 Year groups and represent 7 different nationalities and I must say that they have all settled in effortlessly, have made great friends and are already contributing wholeheartedly to their houses.

The theme of the term has been experiencing life to the full and staff and Boarders have certainly risen to the challenge. We have worked very hard to foster a good academic work ethic and have been genuinely impressed with the level of commitment and maturity displayed by our senior students in particular. They take pride in their studies, are set to achieve very good results and are an excellent example to others.

A great many of them epitomise the idea of holistic education and balance by contributing to the full spectrum of initiatives, events and opportunities available to them. This commitment and maturity has transferred to all areas of our programme including weekends and even holidays. Our service activities have grown with an event to plan and execute every month this last term. Perhaps our service highlights include fundraising for a local orphanage and time spent at the Sanuk Day Centre for children during the recent half-term holiday. The photos within this newsletter say it all. If ever there was evidence of making a significant positive contribution to our local community, it is within these images.

Exercise and sport has also been a continuous theme and our badminton enthusiasts have been training ruthlessly after homework is completed.

However, badminton, football and swimming were overshadowed this term by running with the Bangkok Marathon seeing 14 boarders and 6 staff members wake early to see the sun rise and run either 10km or 4.5km. The reflection statements capture another memorable experience for our boarders and most have vowed to complete another run soon.

Sadly, we will say farewell to 5 of our GAP staff this term. It is time for them to return home and continue their own studies at University. Their collective contribution to our Boarding Community has been enormous and they have forged lasting relationships with many of our boarders. On behalf of boarders and permanent staff, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them and wish them happiness and success in their future endeavours.

Lastly, I would like to wish our Boarding Community a restful break and I look forward to welcoming you all back in 2015.

Mr Kirk Wadsworth Head of Boarding

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boarding letter

boarding letter

from the head of boys’ boarding

from the head of girls’ boarding

by Mr eddie leorato

by Mrs kerri wadsworth

Having arrived at the end of the first term, we have realised that the time has flown with all the experiences our community has gone through. We must be thankful for all the support we have received this year. The interactions of the IB students and the teaching staff during prep have been very beneficial and this focus on academic success has definitely born fruit. To continue this increased focus on student improvement, Homework Club has been recently introduced. Students who are showing signs of falling behind are given extra help and time to study during the weekends, this has been very successful.

Similar to last half-term, the Boarding House opened its doors to the local Thai children. They were kept entertained by pool games, movies and creative activities. It was very important that the boarders participated in this, as it builds them to be well rounded leaders for the future.

In the last month, we have welcomed a new boarding assistant into the boys’ boarding house. Mr Paul

has already had a positive impact on the boarding community with his proactive attitude and creative flair. He has settled well into the house and has become close to the boys. We believe that the younger members of our house, really look up to Mr Paul as a role model. As the year comes to a close, so does our time with our Gap staff Mr Anurag. We are thankful for his hard work and the companionship that he has formed with the staff and boarders. We wish him all the best for the future and know that he will excel in all that he focuses on. Good luck Mr Anurag and we hope to see you some time in the near future.

The boys’ boarding staff would like to send our blessings to all our boarders and their families. We hope that you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy your holidays and we can’t wait to see you again at the start of next term.

As we approach the finish line I am delighted to say that it has been a busy but a pleasantly calm term.

The articles in our Boarding Newsletter demonstrate just how busy we have been; however, a couple of achievements stand out for me. Firstly, we have been running our Gap Staff reading programme for almost a term now with promising results. Some of the girls that are learning English as an additional language and have had regular reading sessions are making real progress and are far more confident now to ask questions and discuss the books that they are reading. This, of course, has the knock on effect of improving their spoken English and means that they are integrating so well in the house too, which as a Houseparent is a pleasure to see.

Secondly, I was delighted to be able to hand over money that we have raised to purchase two cot mattresses for children at the Friends for All Children Centre, a local orphanage that we have been visiting and supporting. We have been continuing with our bake sales which has raised a small amount, however, it just goes to prove that it all makes a difference as the money has certainly been put to good use. I was

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proud that all the girls that accompanied me last time did so voluntarily during a busy period of revision, displaying true ‘Round Square’ spirit.

There is a lot to squeeze in over the next week and as the exams end, the fun begins with our Christmas Party and school concerts etc. I get excited at the prospect of meeting some of the girl’s parents again, which does not happen very often as many of them live so far away. It is also a sad time too, as we are about to lose some of our wonderful Gap staff as they head home and off to various Universities.

Lindy, Miriam, Jordan and Makani are very much an integral part of our house now and the ambience will feel very different without them. Their commitment has been outstanding, and I can’t thank them enough for all their hard work and humour during what has been a wonderful year spent with them all.

I wish our departing GAPs, our boarders and support staff a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Safe travels to everyone and I look forward to seeing those returning refreshed and ready to attach 2015 with vigour and a smile.

newsletter

Principal’s letter

a reflection, updates and the future: A letter from the principal

by Mr Peter Hogan, Principal What makes a school special is best measured by what the students are like, what they do, what they believe is important and how they treat other people. Being new at the start of this term I met lots of our students and was delighted by what I discovered. I found students to be hard working, who wanted to do well and who know where they were going. This is not particularly unusual in a good international school but what was different was what else they were doing and the opinions they held. The volume and quality of work for others, the commitment to service and the thoughtfulness shown is quite exceptional. In my view this is something that sets us apart and makes me very proud to be a new member of the school community.

At the start of term I asked all staff and all the older students about the school; in particular what they liked and what they would like to see improved.

The clear message from the students was that they felt valued, known and understood by the staff and that they are treated as individuals.

Although the younger students are not able to articulate their opinions so well the primary staff views were a vital part of the process.

Mr. Hogan took part in Loy Krathong and other Thai cultural celebrations this year for the first time

principal’s letter

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volume and quality of work for others, the “ The commitment to service and the thoughtfulness shown is quite exceptional. In my view this is something that sets us apart and makes me very proud to be a new member of the school community.

As a result of listening to students there has been a good deal of improvement of facilities including the primary play areas, secondary outdoor recreation area, a business school, a primary parents lounge, a refurbished secondary dining room, renovated Sixth Form rooms that are now a new IB suite and improved catering for boarders. Renovations and improvement will continue along with completing our new building and tennis courts. There is a new approach and new roles for Senior School prefects and some improvements planned for the uniform. We have improved Wi-Fi and internet speeds across the school, developed the Virtual Leaning Environment in the Senior School and our new school app will be launched in January. We believe it will be the first of its kind in Thailand; it will be free to download and keep everyone up to date with what is going on.

We have had a wide variety of school trips and service activities in Bangkok and outside the region,

“

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visiting sports coaches, musicians, performers and university staff. There have been an encouraging number of Oxbridge applications and three students invited to interview at Cambridge. We have held some large scale events, in particular our Loy Krathong celebrations attracted large numbers and was a great success involving almost the whole school.

We are busy school with students who live up to the ideals of the Round Square. However our biggest successes are in the classroom. Academic excellence is vital and the quality of our teaching continues to be at the core of what we do. With good teaching, hardworking students and our holistic approach our students and our school continues to flourish. The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next, said Abraham Lincoln and I am in no doubt many leaders of the next generation are with us today at Regent’s International.

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Boarding Life

Boarding Life

Boarding Life Uno

Uno has made a comeback in the girl’s house and games have been organised for Boarders to practice their impressive and competitive playing skills. Everyone involved had a great time playing the game and one of our star players Liw, winner of one competition said “I love UNO.”

Boarders get a Fright The Boarding House recently hosted its own Halloween party in celebration of the very scary day. The Boarders put on their scariest outfits and fiercest face paint and made their way to the Girls’ House, where both Houses enjoyed fun games, great music and delicious food themed to the scary event. “It was a great success” said Meeri from the Girls’ House and coordinator of decorations and music for the party. We look forward to the upcoming Christmas Party.

REGENT’S newsletter

REGENT’S newsletter

Boarding Life

Boarding Life

Goodbye Gaps Name: Makani Nationality: Australian What have you learnt from this year? Although I first thought otherwise, I have come to learn that 7/11 is not my friend!

What was the most rewarding aspect of being a GAP? Seeing how the students benefit from your presence and help in the school.

What you will miss most about being a GAP at regents? Never EVER being bored because there is always someone to talk to and annoy.

What are your plans for next year? I’ll be heading home to Australia and going to university there while hopefully continuing my travels. Who knows what the future holds.

Name: Jordan Nationality: Australian What have you learnt from this year? How to work with a diverse range of people. Patience, confidence, but mainly, I have learnt all about myself.

What was the most rewarding aspect of being a GAP? Finally deciding on what I want to do with my career.

What you will miss most about being a GAP at regents? My Regent’s family!

What are your plans for next year? To go to university and study primary education and physical education.

Name: Lindy Nationality: South African What have you learnt from this year? Patience is key...

Especially in Bangkok traffic!

What was the most rewarding aspect of being a gap? Corny as it is, seeing the little proud smirk on my EAL and EU kids faces when they make progress.

What will you miss most about being a gap at Regents? Having someone to chat to ALL the time, even while taking a shower!

What are your plans for next year? I will be heading home to go study at the University of Pretoria.

Name: Anurag Guduri Nationality: Australian What have you learnt from this year? I have learnt how to deal with situations where before I would have been completey lost. One of my skills that I have developed the most is how I am able to work with children that are much younger than myself.

What was the most rewarding aspect of being a GAP? Spending time in a school, with the children was probably the most rewarding aspect of being a Gap. I really miss being at school, while this Gap Year wasn’t completely like going back, it was a similar sort of experience.

What you will miss most about being a GAP at regents? I will miss the Boarders, these guys are almost like my family.

What are your plans for next year?I plan to go to university to begin my Bachelor of Science degree. I do want to come back to Thailand by the end of next year.

Name: Miriam Nationality: Australian What have you learnt from this year? I have become quite independent, and I have learnt a lot about different cultures from the diverse nationalities that we have in the Boarding House.

What was the most rewarding aspect of being a GAP? It was always very rewarding to work in the EAL Department and slowly watch so many kids improve their English. It was always exciting when they finally learnt and understood something new.

What you will miss most about being a GAP at regents? I will really miss the people (we have all become so close!), the fun lifestyle of being in Bangkok and working in the school.

What are your plans for next year? Next year I am planning on moving to Melbourne and studying at Monash University.

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REGENT’S newsletter

Boarding Life

Boarding Life

Oldest and Youngest Boarders

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Happy Boarding Assistants

Between our Boarders we share 8 years, nearly a decade. Our oldest and youngest Boarder’s talk to us about life in the Boarding House.

Although they manage to avoid the spotlight, our four Boarding Assistants continue to work hard behind the scenes at the Boarding House to create a friendly warm environment, helping Boarders with daily tasks, organising weekend trips and they manage to do it all with HUGE happy smiles. It is a pleasure having their smiles brighten the Boarding House day in day out. Thank you Boarding Assistants.

Name: Claudia

Name: Au

Nationality: Estonian

Nationality: Thai

Year level: 13

Year level: 6

How old are you? 18

How old are you? 10

When is your birthday? 25th March 1996

When is your birthday? 21st August 2004

What is your favourite food? Homemade mashed potato and minced meat sauce

What is your favourite food? Fried Rice

What is your favourite sport? I like karate, boxing and rugby What advice would you give to new boarers? To stay organised and on top of your studies.

What do you do in your spare time? I play my guitar and I sing.

Why did you decide to try boarding? Coming to boarding was a new challenge and opened up new opportunities.

How do you find being away from home? It’s hard, but there are a lot of supportive people working in the boarding house, plus everyone is very friendly and understanding.

What is the best thing about boarding? If you’re bored you can just go and talk/annoy whoever you want, you never feel alone.

What is your favourite sport? Golf and football What advice would you give to new boarders? Don’t overthink it and give everything a try What do you do in your spare time? Play football and play games Why did you decide to try boarding? To make more friends and to meet new people How do you find being away from home? A little bit sad, but having lots of friends makes it easier.

Everyone is very nice at boarding.

What is the best thing about boarding? I live with all my friends

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Boarding Life

Boarding Life

REGENT’S newsletter

It’s Christmas Time!

Splash Down

As the festive season creeps closer, the Christmas decorations, carols and delicious foods find their way into the Boarding Houses. For many Boarders, Christmas is not traditionally celebrated at home, and so with the arrival of the Christmas tree and carols comes the arrival of some very excited faces. All the Boarders look forward to watching the Christmas tree become surrounded by their Secret Santa presents. Merry Christmas!

After a week of relaxing on the beach or by the pool, our very tanned Boarders took a small detour on the way home to visit Splash Down. Located in Pattaya, Splash Down is a water park that offers many water based obstacles and challenges. The Boarders spent 4 hours jumping, sliding, falling and splashing. The most popular of the attractions was by far the bouncing balls. This challenge proved just too technical for our Boarding cohort but watching those attempt them was enjoyable enough.

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Boarding Life

Boarding Life

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A growing network: Making friends at other schools This past term has seen our Boarders making new friends on their visits to other Boarding schools in the region.

On the 1st of November Regent’s Boarders had the pleasure of visiting and spending the afternoon with the boarders of Harrow International School. The afternoon was filled with a series of fun ‘minute to win it’ games, and competitions in both Football and Dodgeball. New friends were made and Boarding experiences were shared, and at the end of the day boarders were sad to leave their newfound friends. A big thank you to Harrow for welcoming us into their school.

At the end of last term Regents Boarding visited Bromsgrove where they spent the day playing games and activities. “As soon as we arrived, the hosts gave us an incredible warm welcome and the Boarders started chatting amongst each other immediately” said Elisabeth, GAP staff. After a little mingling the fun really started!

The boarders played fun water based games that ensured everyone would leave the campus wet. There was laughter everywhere as boarders from both schools carried water buckets on their heads or played water balloon volleyball. The day ended with a delicious barbeque, and everyone had made some new friends and shared amazing experiences.

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enrichment

enrichment Snake Farm

On the 8th of November the boarders headed down to the Snake Farm to get an up close and personal experience with some of the world’s most venomous animals. The boarders enjoyed watching the shows while being in the company of one another, and these fascinating deadly animals.

Boarders Welcome Local Kids

Once again we welcomed the smiling, enthusiastic faces of the local children to the boarding house. The boarders gave the children the opportunity to swim in the pool, craft and watch a fun movie! It was agreed that their favourite activity was swimming “they were so happy in the water” said Valerian, Gap Staff. It was a wonderful afternoon and we look forward to welcoming them back into our Boarding House in the near future.

enrichment

Friends for All Children Service Trip Another successful trip was made to Friends for all Children on the 22nd of November. The Boarders were so looking forward to visiting the babies and toddlers that they had formed bonds with earlier in the year. The Boarders drew and played outdoor games with the children, who are unfortunately not able to experience this every day. The Boarders learnt how to feed the children and needless to say some of them came home covered in baby food. After just a few hours with the kids the Boarders were exhausted and could truly appreciate what the ladies who work at Friends for all Children do for them. A donation from the boarding house was made to the home to help buy new mattresses that fit into the new cots. With heavy hearts the Boarders packed up and headed back to the Boarding house. The next visit can’t come soon enough!

REGENT’S newsletter

REGENT’S newsletter

enrichment

Sanuk Centre service trip

After a great start to the year, the Boarders went on their well-deserved half-term holiday to Rayong.

Before we hit the sun and sand, we took a small detour to visit a small day care centre that was doing amazing charity work. For the majority of the children who parents work in construction, their daily lives are confined to a small corrugated iron house with minimal space and close to no ventilation. The Sanuk centre offers these children food, education, a place to have fun and be themselves. The centre is run through the dedicated work of volunteers and generous donation of the local business owners.

The Boarders spent the day helping the volunteers entertain the children. The children and the Boarders were split into 3 groups with one group heading for the beach, another went for a dip in the swimming pool while one group created cards that the children could sell at the markets to buy toys and other items.

The day was a massive success and the Boarders left tired and many were moved by the poor living standard. The Regent’s Boarding Community is certain to continue our support of the Sanuk Centre and its volunteers and we look forward to visiting again.

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sports

sports

Sports Staff vs Boarders As is tradition at Regent’s Boarding, we once again welcomed the teaching and support staff to compete with us in competitive games of basketball, football, touch-rugby and ultimate frisbee. Although the games were played in good spirit, they did have an edge of competitive rivalry as staff tried to protect their winning streak.

Boarders of course were trying their very best to topple the staff and lift the trophies. The Champion Boarder Award was won by Au of Boys Boarding, who despite being our youngest boarder, showed his determination and commitment on the field of play. It was a wonderful afternoon for all and we look forward to challenging the staff once again next term.

Boarders put on their running shoes Over the past term Boarders have been spotted running around the boarding campus in preparation for the Bangkok marathon.

The Running Club has also encouraged those who are not in the marathon to get outside and get active.

The club has seen a great participation rate and many Boarders have seen an improvement in their running abilities. We look forward to the continuation of the club after the Bangkok Marathon.

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REGENT’S newsletter

sports

sports

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“The mini-marathon was an empowering experience, a sort of thing that leaves you wanting more.”

Michelle.

“The sight and the idea of running a marathon with thousands of people was terrifying but it was very amusing and fun to see people stoping to take selfies mid way in the run. Taking part and completing the run in the early hours of the day was a very refreshing and a fun experience.”

Ugyen

The Bangkok Marathon

“I very much enjoyed it. I want to try to run a marathon again. Next time I’ll try to be faster than this time.”

Akari “The vibe was amazing, seeing all ages gathering together to celebrate life. It seemed that what was not important the speed or shapes, what was really important was to be running together”.

Eddie “To a great day, filled with thousands of runners from all around the world gathered to take part together in the wonderful Marathon. Two words that described the marathon lovely and committed.”

Sonam Yigtsho Dorji.

“I was looking forward in to this Marathon Event and the timing of the run was perfect in the morning, it was great and energizing.”

Rohullah.

“The Marathon was a really fun and exciting experience, it was so cool to be able to watch the sun rise and run with so many other people”.

Mim “This event was my first marathon-like experience and I was very surprised of how much I enjoyed it. The early wake up was totally worth it and I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for other running events!”

Annaliis “For me it was a really exciting occasion. I am not very sporty and athletic person, but I accepted the challange of running 5k and also found it quite fun. It encouraged me to look more at my personal fitness and add running to one of the hobbies, which i’ll enjoy in my spare time” :) Svetlana

“Our first step to complete the race was waking up 4 am, we somehow rolled ourselves out from comfy beds and despite the fact that I put my shirt on backwards, twice ... we felt like we’ve already accomplished something huge.

During the race I realized I have this ridiculous smile on my face and I immediately thought that everybody must be looking at me weirdly. I was so wrong. Absolutely every single person smiled me back and then it finally occurred to me - Happiness really is the best motivation you could ever wish.”

Meeri

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the regent’s school bangkok 601/99 pracha-uthit road wangtonglang bangkok 10310 telephone: +66 (0) 2 957 5777 e-mail: enquiry@regents.ac.th