Secondary newsletter 21st november 2014

REGENT’S secondary newsletter 21 november 2014

loy krathong special look inside for coverage of the event!

In this issue...

Welcome

MR BRIAN IRVING HEAD OF SECONDARY headsec-bkk@regents.ac.th

LOY KRATHONG 2014 Dear Parents,

After weeks of in-depth planning, this spectacle (including rehearsals, costume, hair and make-up choices) was finally coming to fruition.

elegant, traditional Thai costume, a number entered the Noppamas competition with many other students helping backstage with props, music etc. The staff also entered into the spirit of the event by dressing up in Thai costume. As is now tradition, the new staff, and those who arrived last year, performed a dance on stage much to the delight of the audience.

The whole Secondary School buzzed with increasing excitement as the week progressed towards the event which was greatly missed by all last year. The stage was built overnight and schedules were made to give all of our performers at least one opportunity to rehearse in situ. Before school, breaktime, lunchtime and after school practices took place, led superbly by our House Captains who did an incredible job of motivating their colour teams to produce performances worthy of many professional troupes.

The most impressive aspects of the whole event for me were both the level of student leadership and engagement and the overwhelming sense of community spirit with an audience made up of Board members, parents, current and ex-students, our neighbours and staff, both teaching and support.

The combined efforts of everyone involved created a synergy to make the event one to remember, and I, for one, was proud that evening to be a member of the Regent’s International School community.

Last Friday saw the whole Regent’s International School community come together for our annual Loy Krathong festival.

ROUND SQUARE CHARITY UPDATES

also don’t miss out on :

U15 FOBISIA GAMES

MATHS BATTLE • YEAR 10 PAINTINGS • REGENT’S PENPAL UPDATES • SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? • SPORTS DAY • STUDENT LEADERSHIP • TESTING... • BOARDING NEWS • REGENT’S, UK

I had heard that the Regent’s took Loy Krathong very seriously and that I would be impressed by the scale of the event, but nothing could have prepared me for the evening itself. 100s of students were dressed in Mr Brian Irving Head of Secondary

recent events & news

recent events & news

loy krathong 2014

by Ms alicia warner, marketing officer

Family, culture and community spirit – these are just some of the driving forces at The Regent’s International School Bangkok. Loy Krathong saw us successfully celebrate all three entities as the whole school gathered together for a beautiful night.

event and real insight into Thai culture for our new Principal, Mr. Peter Hogan. He paid great testament to its success and stated, “school events help to define the sort of place we are and create firm (fond) memories among students”.

It was evident that both time and heart had gone into the event. The performances were wonderfully executed and it was a pleasure to see our students be able to share their hard work with all the families in attendance.

One parent warmly shared their experience and said “I think the participation in this kind of event gives [the students] a great opportunity to learn and cherish Thai culture and tradition. And this lovely memory remains in their mind always, accumulating and broadening their beautiful experiences of their lives.

Our students demonstrated true talent and a sense of cameraderie with responsibility as they took to the stage to sing, dance or act. Noppamas contestants wowed the audience with their impressive Thai traditional costumes and displayed impressive public speaking skills – many of whom had never previously taken to a stage.

The evening of firsts didn’t stop at our students, however, as Loy Krathong was the first whole school

I deeply appreciate you, all the teachers and the school staff for the preparation and the realisation of this wonderful event tirelessly.”

Until our next whole school celebration, congratulations to everyone that contributed to making this such a special night.

REGENT’S newsletter

REGENT’S newsletter

LOY KRATHONG 2014

LOY KRATHONG 2014

loy krathong House Recaps

Yellow House

House Captains: Flo and Tanya

Red House

REGENT’S newsletter

House Captains: Yalani and Maryam Loy Krathong was most definitely a very stressful and time consuming event to organise, but when the night rolled around every minute of hard work paid off. Although the Red House didn’t come first we are all very proud of each other for all the effort contributed towards the event, it was about bonding as a team and collaborating together. Red House had three main parts to our performance, a small drama, a traditional Thai dance and Thai pop song. Our Mr Nop​pa​ mas and Miss Nop​p​amas did a terrific job on stage in their beautiful costumes looking delightful, but ​so did the dancers, singers, actors and of course backstage volunteers.

As House Captains we were very pleased with the entire night and we owe a lot to our house because they themselves put on a spectacular show.

As House Captains, we were given the job to organise and create a Loy Krathong performance for our team house to put on as a show, for the whole school and guests that attended the evening.

We decided to have a performance where we can showcase the culture and traditions of Thailand with a twist of foreign cultures to have a feel of internationalism.

We wanted to make sure that everyone had something to do with the performance, whether it was dancing, acting or helping backstage with the props, no job was regarded as too small nor too big. As working together as a team with all roles being equal is what brought us together to put on a great performance.

In our performance, we performed a traditional Thai dance and ended the performance with a fun dance. Yellow House managed to make and purchase props to involve the different traditions of Thailand, this included having banana leaf horses, flower necklaces, drums, krathongs and colourful flowers to decorate the stage.

Our job as House Captains involved a range of things to be done and although there were many obstacles and challenges that faced our way through the experience of developing the performance, in the end everything came together; with the communication and actions of both our peers and teachers when we were able to work as one to have a memorable evening.

Together, Yellow House managed to have a remarkable night, where we danced and acted. Everyone including students, teachers and parents all enjoyed the event and we were all very proud of what we have achieved as a team because of this, we as house captains would like to thank everyone again for their participation, without the help of the whole of Yellow House working together as one, the evening wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

REGENT’S newsletter

LOY KRATHONG 2014

Green House

House Captains: keilA AND PAT

This Loy Krathong was our first major task as House Captains. To be honest, it was very tough as it required so many responsibilities for our first task, but there’s no doubt that it was the best Loy Krathong event we have experienced in Regent’s. We performed four songs; “Yuu Tor Loey Dai Mai’, ‘Mai Bork Ter’, ‘I’d sing for you’, and ‘Loy Krathong theme song’ with Thailand’s traditional games. Our performance was the first of the Secondary Performances. We were all panicking a little bit and were pretty occupied checking to see if everyone was there. What we'd been dreading finally happened!

Nobody fell down, instruments sounded perfect, and the traditional games looked so fun. Our performance was simply marvelous. After the performance, all of our performers came down from the stage with big smiles on their faces. As a result of everyone’s hard work, we might win the House trophy. This trophy would be priceless as it would recognise all the passion and effort of Green House’s members. We believe that we could win this trophy because we all truly enjoyed the event; our excitement, thrill, and enjoyment were conveyed to judges. We are really thankful for every single student who was involved, this trophy doesn’t belong to us, the house, but you!!!

LOY KRATHONG 2014

Blue House

House Captains: mO AND mITSU

REGENT’S newsletter

Loy Krathong was a busy day for Blue House students; preparation for hair, makeup and getting into extravagant costumes for over 50 students who participated was a challenge; but with the help of senior students we were able to run through it smoothly. On the day it was definitely one of the most interesting and amazing experiences regarding Thai culture for many local and foreign students to appreciate. The level of talent within Blue House that allowed us to create spectacular boxing, dancing, singing and live music performances were astonishing; it was apparent that the long hours of hard work and dedication to rehearsals in the unforgiving heat really paid off in the brilliant teamwork we had on and off stage. It was great to see young students stepping up to the challenge of teaching the performances to older students, and to those students to have the courage to respect and support their leaders regardless of age; we hope you are all proud of what you have achieved and certainly had fun in the process.

On this occasion we would like to congratulate a great achievement made by the Blue House representative Mint from Year 12, who has won Miss.

Noppamas award. As House Captains, we owe many thanks to everyone who was involved in making this a successful event to remember, not to disregard the extraordinary support of staff and students backstage.

We are very pleased to see students getting involved in school events such as Loy Krathong and hope to see everyone working together for upcoming events in the academic year.

REGENT’S newsletter

recent news & events

recent events & news

REGENT’S newsletter

loy krathong

a beautiful night of culture and tradition

more photos @ www.facebook.com/ regentsschoolbangkok

REGENT’S newsletter

recent news & events

Maths Battle

By Mark Watson, Head of Mathematics

Congratulations to our Secondary Maths students who recently crushed the opposition, Waimate Centennial School from New Zealand in an online Maths Battle. The hero for our school was Khawpann from Year 8, who won the most points in every round - a truly outstanding performance!

It’s on to bigger and better things for The Regent’s International School, as we now look to try and finish top of the East Asia league table for November. If you are a student who hasn’t yet got involved, ask your Maths teacher for a log-in and password. All ages can play and help us get points, from Key Stage 1, right up to Year 13.

Everybody needs to contribute to help us be the best.

recent events & news

REGENT’S newsletter

Year 10 Paintings

By Mrs Harris, Curriculum Leader of the Arts

This term Year 10 IGCSE Art students have been learning about colour theory and have used this to create their own beautiful paintings seen below. They have mastered the Art of mixing colours, tones and blending values, I am sure you will agree they are fabulous!

REGENT’S newsletter

recent news & events

Victorian Values & Turkish Delight

by Mr Charles Barrow, Head of English

The Regent’s Penpal revolution continues apace. Over the past month, our students have posted letters to England, Turkey, Canada and Australia.

The students at Enka Okullari in Istanbul were clearly delighted to receive letters from Year 10. We are currently waiting for their replies. With over 80 letters sent out, this was a big project, with everyone in Year 10 contributing to the operation.

Students in Year 7 and Year 8 received letters from Ballarat Grammar in the Australian state of Victoria last week.

We have since replied, and are, again, looking forward to their replies.

Well done to all the students involved. They have been writing some wonderful letters. I am sure the students receiving our letters are very impressed by our students’ great standard of English.

recent events & news

REGENT’S newsletter

welcome! our new

whole school counsellor

I'm excited to introduce myself as the new Whole School Counsellor at The Regent’s International School Bangkok.

Originally from the UK, I have been living and working abroad for over 7 years. I originally started my career in Bangkok as a teacher, before moving on to become a Guidance Counsellor for an international school. I have been back in Bangkok for the last year running leadership programs with many international schools across the world and also teaching at RIS Swiss Section. Before my return, I spent two years in San Francisco, running wellness programmess with High School students in public schools and foster homes. Prior to this, I was studying for my Masters in Social and Developmental Psychology at University of Cambridge, UK. In conjunction with UNESCO Bangkok I was researching High School students’ potential for success. I’m very happy to be settled back in Bangkok and to work in the Counselling Programme of an IB world school.

Ms Arabella Higgins whole school counsellor

I’m looking forward to getting to know the whole school community better over the next few months. My mission is to support student academic achievement through incorporating leadership and collaboration activities, working with issues such as stress and anxiety, family problems, relationship issues and making life decisions. Working with all members of staff, I aim to maintain a safe environment for the students here, and ensure that they have someone to turn to if they need help. I work in confidence with students in identifying strategies to deal with a variety of issues affecting their personal and academic paths.

I am available for individual and group counselling sessions and will be running programmes with staff and students through the year. Please come find me at my office in the secondary building room 208 or contact me by email: arabella.higgins@regents.ac.th.

REGENT’S newsletter

recent news & events

recent events & news

REGENT’S newsletter

Sanuk Nursery Visit

By Mishka, Year 12 Student

‘Real world’. This phrase holds different meanings for each individual.

Some might just consider it to be the opposite of the world which generates dreams while some might consider it to be the difference between us and ‘them’. ‘Them’ here refers to the children whom I and two other students had the privilege to meet. These kids are born to construction workers who come to Thailand from less developed countries.

I was surprised to discover that Sanuk Nursery catered for around 110 children. Though there are many rooms in the two houses, things need to be repaired, improved and formed. I was shocked when we went to visit the children’s houses or to be honest, slums. It was dirty, neglected and they had no basic facilities. However, there was more to the slums, the nursery and most importantly, the children instead of just the infrastructure.

The parents had to be involved in dangerous jobs to earn around 350 baht per day. These jobs are unsafe and sometimes can cost them their lives. What appalled me was the dangerous conditions in the place the children call home. Almost every month there was a murder. Even more disheartening is the impact on their children due to this. They come to the nursery and tell the caretakers and their friends about losing their parents. These incidents made me realise about how parents have always been our protectors and incidents like this can make anyone tremble to their core.

However, our trip to the nursery wasn’t all sad. The happiest part about it was the smiles. When we went to visit their parents, most of them came out of their houses, greeted us and smiled at us. I remember two boys with medals around their necks constantly roaming around us, playing, smiling. We took 3

children with us to their houses. I had some extra milk wafers in my bag which I offered them. I have never seen anyone express so much genuine gratitude over two pieces of wafers.

Sanuk nursery provides a comfortable shelter, food and education for these children during daytime.

However, this nursery needs some help. Our help.

The donation drive in the School is asking each one of us to provide things like soaps, detergents, toiletries, stationary etc for these children. At the end of the month, Year 12 and some teachers will be going there and will try to bring a change in their lives. This is a very noble cause and I believe each of us should donate at least some thing for them.

Don’t think that how will 5 pencils be of help to these children, always remember, small things do make a difference.

REGENT’S newsletter

recent news & events

Charity Event: Colours of the Heart

By Ugyen Pelden, Year 13 student The Camillian Home

Disabled people and their families are often faced with discrimination, embarrassment and misconception from the general public. The Camillian Home is one of the few facilitated place that is dedicated and targeted towards looking after orphaned and abandoned children, who are living with disabilities. It is a non profit charity which is operating on behalf of Saint Camillius Foundation of Thailand, in the area of Lat Krabang. It also provides care and shelter for mothers and children infected with HIV/AIDS. Even though it is a small organisation it is continuously growing and making significant impact on the lives of the children living there. They also help people with disabilities in the surrounding communities.

Our experience On the 5th October, 15 members of the Camillian Home club headed by Mr Jones and Miss Charles went to the Camillian Home to take part in a fundraising event. The charity event was titled ‘Colours of the Heart’ in which the children of the home performed fashion shows and musical events to raise awareness that despite their disabilities they are smart and talented. Different schools also had booths which held diverse activities for the children to enjoy. The Regent’s International School held activities such as face painting and sponge the clown. Mr Jones and Miss Charles were the clowns! The experience as a whole was very inspiring to all of us, especially the new members of the club. The children were more than happy with what all of us had put up for them and it was a heart-warming feeling to know that we were able to support the Camillian Home with such a simple feat.

The happiness and the smiles that we could bring on the faces of the children just by cheering for them or by tattooing their hands with stickers was inspirational. Our perspective of the world has since changed. It made us more appreciative of what we have and has made us want to help others more, whether it be emotional or financial help. We further hope to support the home by holding fundraising activities in school. More importantly we aim to make sure that the positive spirit that each child holds never fades out.

recent events & news

REGENT’S newsletter

REGENT’S newsletter

pe & sports

U15 FOBISIA Games!

by Mr. Burns, HoD PE & Sport

The Regent’s U15 FOBISIA Games Team have recently returned from 3 days of energy packed competition. This year’s event was hosted by Traill School and located at Thailand’s National Rajamangala stadium. Our team of 3 girls and 4 boys worked tirelessly throughout and exhibited superb attitudes and good sportsmanship.

Day 1 Thursday 13th November started with a welcome dinner; hundreds of like minded students had a chance to meet each other, some friendships were rekindled whilst other were in their infancy.

Friday 14th November commenced with a full complement of athletic events followed closely by a competitive swimming programme. It is not a surprise that our athletes slept well during that night. A further 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) included football and basketball which were played in a league format. The competition was fantastic and our participants did all they could to increase their chances of success. We had some great results within the athletics with students gaining ‘Gold’ in javelin and ‘Silver’ in discus, 100m and long jump.

We look forward to March 2015 and the U13 Games hosted by Garden Int. School, Rayong.

pe & sports

REGENT’S newsletter

TISAC So You Think You Can Dance?

By Rebecca Edwards, PE Teacher Miss Edwards and Miss Whitmore took two groups of dancers, one from Year 7 and one from Year 9, to KIS on Wednesday to take part in the annual TISAC dance competition.

After two months of rehearsals the Regent’s groups were ready and raring to perform in front of an audience of students, staff and parents from a number of schools in Bangkok. The Year 7’s danced to Cotton Eye Joe, their performance full of energy and enthusiasm. As the first act to open the competition, the girls were fantastic and really did themselves proud. The Year 9’s, comprising of four boys and four girls, performed their dance to Uptown Girl.

This group have worked really hard over the last two

weeks to perfect their dance and their performed it flawlessly on stage.

Both groups were up against stiff competition with other schools producing some complex and confident choreography and performance from experienced dancers. Although we did not achieve a top three position, the Regent’s students should be very proud of themselves for the effort and dedication they applied in preparation for this competition. Miss Whitmore and I are already looking forward to next year and I hope they are too!

Well done to Mena, Gift, Winnie, Jammie, Kitty, Lissa, Jessie, Lhaki, Vivi, Faaiz, Sahasi, Mike and Josh.

REGENT’S newsletter

REGENT’S

pe & sports

newsletter

U15 Girls TISAC Basketball tournament

by Rebecca Edwards, PE Teacher On Monday 17th November, the U15 Basketball Team went to Concordian School for their end of season tournament. Sadly, with only four girls in attendance, this tournament was set to be a challenge for the Regent’s Team. However, they played with confidence and played some exceptional basketball.

Facing some stiff opposition including St Stephens, BCIS and Concordian, Regent’s scored in every game which is an achievement in itself as their opposition had treble the numbers in their squad.

I’d like to say well done to the girls who attended; Ploy, Maryam, Tilly and Cookie.

I look forward to next year!

Regent’s Secondary Sports Day

by Mr. Burns, HoD PE & Sport Upcoming Event!

The Regent’s School Secondary Sports Day - Friday 28th November 2014/15.

A fun filled secondary event with a huge emphasis on fun, effort and competition!

Get behind your ‘House’ and try your best!

REGENT’S newsletter

recent news & events

recent events & news

Student Leadership

by David Figes, Deputy Head of Secondary The Regent’s School International Bangkok is proud to be the ‘Home of Well Rounded Leaders for the Future’. We believe in giving students the opportunities to show and develop their leaderships skills, so that when they graduate at the end of their IB Diploma studies they are ready to be the leaders of the future.

The recent Loy Krathong celebration is a good example of how students are given leadership opportunities in the secondary school. Our newly elected House Captains were given the responsibility of organising their Houses Loy Krathong performance. If you were present on the evening you will have witnessed that they did a great job.

Preparing for the event the House Captains needed to use many different leadership skills. Firstly they planned their performance, they then had to present their ideas to the rest of the students, after that they had to persuade students to support the production and finally they had to lead the performance.

It was really encouraging to see the new House Captains rise to the challenges that they faced and they have all learned valuable leadership lessons from this experience. Here are the thoughts of Florence and Tanya, Yellow House Captains.

What was your biggest challenge as a leader of Yellow House in preparing for the Loy Krathong performance?

Florence - The final push. Making sure that the final organisation performance met the objectives from the outset. There was also the worry that other students would not show up….but they did!

Tanya - Making sure that everyone participated and knew what they were doing. We needed to make the plan clear and simple.

What did you learn about being a leader?

Florence - In order to be a good successful leader you need to work well with other leaders and the rest of the students. I learned to be a better communicator as I had to discuss the plans with students and staff.

Tanya - In order to be a good leader I learned to be patient and make sure that I was available to support all of those involved, even when I had other challenges at that time.

Do you have any advice for other students thinking of taking on student leadership roles?

Florence - Being a leader can be challenging but once you overcome them it is rewarding, you feel proud of what you have been able to do.

Tanya - Do it. it is great to take on challenges and succeed and then you can learn what your strengths are.

REGENT’S newsletter

Testing...Testing...Testing

by David Jones, Deputy Head Secondary With mock exams for both Year 11 and Year 13 drawing ever closer 1st December start should the date have been forgotten - I thought I would explain in a bit more detail about the assessments that we carry out at The Regent’s School international Bangkok.

It is educational fact that without assessment students do not learn effectively. As all parents know, children need to be constantly reminded about their behaviour, responses and reactions to those around them. That is how they learn to understand boundaries, etiquette and cultural norms. It is how they learn to understand the rules which they may well go on to break. We all learn by taking action, reviewing the effectiveness of that action then modifying your approach the next time a similar circumstance is presented to us.

Assessment is the review part of this process of learning and as such can be done by students and of course teachers. We make excellent use of various kinds of formative assessment to help guide your students to success every day of the week.

We also use summative assessment to establish how effectively students have learned and how well they understand particular topics and concepts. These tests are taken at six week intervals throughout the year in most subjects but for IGCSE and IBD students, the mock examinations are a test which represents the culmination of almost four terms work. These are very important practice exams and I hope all Year 11 and 13 students are working hard to make sure they do the best they can.

During the week of the Mocks we will also be assessing Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 using cognitive ability tests or CAT4 as they are known. CAT4 tests are computer based diagnostic, base-lining assessments which will provide extremely useful information about the way each student thinks, learns and understands. We will use the data from the tests to help students reach their potential as they move through the school and we will share key information with parents after the assessments are complete. Students do not need to prepare for this assessment as it is not based on recall of knowledge. CAT4 tests are used in about 60% of UK schools and increasingly around the world and are conducted by an organisation at the forefront of educational research If you are interested in understanding more about cognitive ability tests you will find useful information at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj7sKvcbVpQ#t=38

REGENT’S newsletter

boarding news

visit to the Snake Farm the boarders show no fear meeting some of the world’s deadliest reptiles 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 fascinatingly deadly animals.

boarding news

Halloween in boarding

the boarders get a fright!

The Boarding House recently hosted its own Halloween party.

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 co-ordinator of decorations and music for the party.

Now we’re look forward to the upcoming Christmas party!

REGENT’S newsletter

The Regent’s School , UK students will gain valuable experience within a British academic environment and a home-from-home boarding facility, which offers care and security.

Diss • Norfolk • IP22 2PA • England

ThE REgENT’s school, UK

Spend a Term in the UK! For StudentS ageS up to 14 YearS oLd

terM 2: 5 Jan – 27 MarCH 2015

The Regent’s school, Bangkok now offers a unique opportunity for students to experience real British style boarding at The Regent’s school UK. The Regent’s school UK is based at the Riddlesworth hall campus, near cambridge; a beautiful city in England, rich with history. This 300 year old school boasts of prominent alumni members, including the late Diana, Princess of Wales. We open this exciting opportunity for both boys and girls ages up to 14 years old.

Places to visit Within the exchange programme, there is the possibility to visit some of the most beautiful and interesting sights that make the United Kingdom one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. london has many exciting points of interest, including Pleasurewood Theme Park.

Accommodation The Boarding house provides the utmost in security and comfort, with supervision from the headmaster and a team of Boarding staff. They ensure that your child is happy and at home in their new environment.

BoARDINg AT ThE REgENT’s school, UK 02 957 5777 Ext 222

www.rEgEnts.ac.th/uk

admissionspri-bkk@rEgEnts.ac.th

02 957 5777 Ext 222

www.rEgEnts.ac.th/uk

admissionspri-bkk@rEgEnts.ac.th

Afternoon Activities students keep busy in the afternoon with a variety of activities, including hockey, rugby and horse riding. sTUDENTs hAvE A vARIETy of REcREATIoNAl AcTIvITIEs To choosE fRom

Contact us for more information please phone 02 957 5777 ext 222. To enroll your child, please complete the attached application form and email to admissionspri-bkk@regents.ac.th. further information can also be found on the website at www.regents.ac.th/uk

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

02 957 5777 Ext 222

www.rEgEnts.ac.th/uk

admissionspri-bkk@rEgEnts.ac.th