REGENTS’ NEWSLETTER

EDITION 1 TERm 2 2014/2015

PRImARY

Today is Teachers’ Day in Thailand, a day that is used to show appreciation to teachers for all that they do for the children in their care. In Primary our students marked this special occasion by presenting teachers and teaching assistants with a rose whilst three of our Student Guild members gave a heart-warming speech on behalf of all the students in Primary. Well done and thank you to gabby, Suhani and Nicki.

A book that I have in my office always fascinates the children who come to visit me in their break times. It is one of the tiniest books in the world and is entitled, ‘For My Teacher’; it comes complete with a red fabric bookmark, a tiny gold apple dangling at the end. This book contains some interesting – and some not so – quotes regarding teachers, teaching, the highlights and lowlights of our chosen profession. The very first quote is one that I implore our teachers to always keep in mind, “To teach is to touch lives forever.” (Anonymous)

Most children and adults of course have their favourite teachers and I am no exception. My favourite teacher was a lady called Mrs Smith and she taught me when I was 10 years old, a lifetime ago but even now I can remember what she looked like and how she made me feel. I have

no recollection of what she actually taught me but I do know that she was a very kind lady who made each child in her class, every year, feel like they were wonderful, capable of achieving anything to which they put their mind. One of my least favourite teachers was called, interestingly, Mrs Hitman, and she had the ability to make school a considerably less enjoyable place to be.

If you ask a child why they like a teacher you won’t hear, ‘They differentiated the lesson really well’, or ‘I like the way they use technology to enhance their teaching’. Not that

these are not valid criteria for good teaching but for a child, it will always be about how the teacher made them feel. The answers I hear to this question are, ‘She is very kind’, ‘He is funny and makes me happy’, ‘She likes me’.

Unlike teachers in Thai schools, Regents staff do not get a holiday on Teachers’ Day but our students do promise that teachers will get a day of very well-behaved children – don’t they always?

TAPESTRY COmPETITION

MATHS IN KEY STAGE 1

FOBISIA GAMES TRIALS BEGIN

NONIE AdAMS, Head of Primary

TALkINg AbOuT TEAChERS

ThIS WEEk IN ThE PRImARY NEWSLETTER

“DIARY DATESTuESDAY FEbRuARY 3RD early years sPorts day, 8.45 am start

WEDNESDAY FEbRuARY 4Th years 3 and 4 sPorts’ day, 8.45 am start

WEDNESDAY FEbRuARY 4Th years 5 and 6 sPorts’ day, 1 Pm start

ThuRSDAY FEbRuARY 5Th Key stage 1 sPorts’ day, 8.45 am start

mONDAY FEbRuARY 9Th - WEDNESDAY FEbRuARY 11Th Primary round square WeeK

ThuRSDAY FEbRuARY 12Th CHinese and Korean neW year Celebration

FRIDAY FEbRuARY 13Th international day

mONDAY FEbRuARY 16Th - FRIDAY FEbRuARY 20Th Half-term breaK

MUd KITCHEN

by James baKer, dePuty Head of Primary

People in general tend to be far more motivated in improving their performance, in whatever field of employment they are involved with, when they feel that they are intrinsically part of that improvement process. The same is very true of teachers who by nature are keen to look at new ways to improve the way they teach and the way their pupils learn.

The Primary school is very excited to be developing key areas of teachers’ professional development by setting up working parties to identify, explore and implement new ways of tackling a variety of issues including: marking and feedback; lesson observations; assessing pupil progress without using standardised numerical values and mutual support and mentoring. Teaching is unlike some professions in that you can never learn it all; you never reach the end of the rainbow, no matter how long you teach. It is a life-long process of picking up new ideas, rejecting inefficient ones, and seeking to adapt to the frequent tides of change that wash over our educational system. An obvious example is in the case of trying to keep up with new technologies.

Throughout this term the staff within the Primary school will be meeting on a weekly basis to research, discuss and suggest ways forward in many critical areas of our pupils’ learning and school experience. We believe that by empowering our staff to be imaginative, creative and where applicable to think ‘out of the box’ we will be able to develop exciting ways of refining the teaching and learning process for pupils and staff alike. We are always keen for our pupils to be self-reflective about their work and to

comment on their own ideas and the ideas of their peers. We will be starting a similar process but for ‘grown-ups.’

As you are all aware Regents International School Pattaya is an extremely busy place and there are so many instances where we rely on each other in order to get jobs done. In many senses of the word we are a team and as such we felt it even more relevant that staff take it upon themselves to become increasingly involved in some of the key areas of delivering an up-to-date, dynamic education, to the benefit of all concerned.

A COmmuNAL APPROACh TO ImPROvEmENT

by HannaH naoWasuK, assistant Head of Primary (Key stage 2)

At the end of Term 1, the Global Classroom Student Leaders introduced the Primary children to a competition where they were challenged to make a design for a tapestry that would best symbolise our school ethos i.e. what is It that makes Regents so special? After the closing date, it was decided to combine the four wonderful entries from Lydia, Becky, Angel and Sneha into one final joint-effort design. The four children, under the guidance of Ms Hazel, our Year 5 Teaching Assistant, stitched away until the design was complete and I think that you will agree that it is superb. The Global Classroom team at Nord Anglia Education commented on the hard work that the children had put into it:

“The sewing is brilliant, the designs are outstanding and I can only hope students enjoyed the process”

I wanted to share the reasons that the children gave for the

different aspects of the design as I feel that it beautifully sums up how the children perceive our school:

“The heart is because we are a caring school but it is a coconut tree as we live in Thailand! The leaves of the coconut tree have been made into the NAE logo as we are part of the family. We have the map of Thailand in the centre of the heart and on the map, where our school is, you will see the Round Square logo (although the piece of tapestry was a little too small to complete this properly!).

The children felt that Round Square was at the heart of the Regents and made us different from any other school.

Ms Nonie was so impressed by the tapestry that she has asked for it to be produced on a much larger scale to display in school. This would mean that all the little details would be more visible, ….so watch this space!

gLObAL CLASSROOm TAPESTRY COmPETITION

Last week I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to join Year 1 and 2 for a few of their Maths lessons. As soon as I entered each classroom it was clear that the children were all fully engaged and motivated by the range of activities on offer. In each class there were differentiated activities that were very hands on and gave the children a chance to learn in a practical and enjoyable way. This was primarily due to the introduction of a new resource called Numicon whereby children are given a range of practical resources that strengthen their number skills. Numicon focuses on children acquiring these skills by making connections between numbers. The primary focus is for children to recognise that numbers are not just randomly occurring things, but that they form a highly organised system – which is full of many patterns. The Numicon Firm Foundations Kit offers a range of resources that encourages nine key ideas that children need to develop in order to become competent mathematicians. These include: pattern, order, comparison, counting numbers, moving beyond counting, place value, addition, subtraction and shape.

Ms Helen Ball, Year 1 teacher commented “The children in 1I really enjoy using Numicon and it has helped them understand more about numbers. One child

was so surprised to show me that 3 + 3 = 6 but also that 2 +2 +2 = 6 and this was through the use of the numicon

blocks.” Ms Jenny also told me that her class are likewise benefiting from using the Numicon resources. Numicon became popular as soon as the children set their eyes on it for the first time. It’s visually appealing to the children and helps them learn and understand about numbers in a multi-sensory way. It gives the abstract concept of “numbers” a visual image.

As Key Stage 1 Maths Coordinator, I am excited to revisit each class and observe the outstanding progress that the children are making.

by Joanne smitH, Head of year 3 and Ks1 matHs Coordinator

Last term we were lucky to host workshops by Cathy Berger Kaye, an expert in service learning. Many of us left the discussion quite inspired, realising that there truly is no age limit for attaining this.

The curriculum in Early Years is all about exploratory learning, allowing our children to discover why things work or don’t work on their own. It’s really quite beautiful to step back and understand the beginning stages of learning, no pre-conceived ideas, no background facts, no expectations, just discovery. According to Cathy Berger Kaye, “When done well, Service Learning moves the curriculum forward integrating essential skills with content knowledge, advancing competences and confidence”. This is exactly what we aimed to do!

The day after Cathy’s workshop, Ms. Sara and I (the two pre-nursery teachers) were approached by Karyn Walton with a beautiful idea. She had taken away a quote from the workshop and had the perfect way to implement it into our curriculum in a meaningful way.

“Life is a great big canvas, throw all the paint on it you can!” - Danny Kaye

Let’s just say we took these words to heart... ALL the paint! On a sunny day in Pattaya, we covered the fence with huge white paper, as well as the ground in front of it. The two and three year olds in Pre-Nursery took their shoes off and put their aprons on and were given the opportunity to create something beautiful with their hands and feet. They used every colour of paint, every tool, every finger and every toe to create large, colourful murals.

We asked our students who would benefit most from seeing these beautiful paintings each and every day. After asking the children and having the beautiful

work framed we donated to local charities including the Bangkok-Pattaya hospital, an elderly home, and the Father Ray Foundation. One of the essential elements of Service Learning is the idea of reciprocal partnerships, where benefits are plentiful on both ends. We prepared the set up for our murals, had the students act in an exploratory way which enhances our curriculum and learning, and then investigated where our work would be most influential. Our children are never too young to make a difference and the children in Pre-Nursery have proved just that.

mAThS IS mAgIC IN kEY STAgE 1

by HannaH Hunter, Pre nursery teaCHer

SERvICE LEARNINg

‘ I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.’ - Albert Einstein.

Having implemented the Mud Kitchen as part of our Outdoor Environment curriculum we have been amazed by the amount of teaching and learning opportunities this has provided.

Pre-Nursery have particularly enjoyed the space, flexibility and choice of where they want to move the mud/water to. Learning experiences have included sensory exploration, communication and mathematical skills but we did not realise the amount of physical development opportunities children would have too; walking with ladles of water really strengthens their arms and co-ordination.

Nursery and Reception children have taken the experiences even further and enjoyed the opportunities to learn about water flow and pressure, mixing materials together, building, collaborative learning and even to recently re-enact Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall!

Miss Alison commented that the children have benefited so much from self exploration that her class now have challenge cards when using this area; this enables them to use critical thinking and problem solving skills in a fun, safe environment.

To sum up children’s thoughts I think the photographs and this comment from Ian captures this beautifully: ‘I like to mix sand and water to make slime.’ Who can argue with that?

by Karyn Walton, assistant Head of Primary, ey and Ks1

muD, gLORIOuS muD!

muD kITChEN ...

hO hO hO ...

by andrea beattie, reCePtion teaCHer

Well, Christmas was celebrated in fine style in Early Years! The main festivities started on the 4th of December, when some children from Father Ray came to join in our Christmas Sing-a-long Rehearsal.

Thank you so much to all the parents who brought in a present for the Father Ray children; they were thrilled by your generosity and really enjoyed joining in with our Christmas songs.

The celebrations continued with the Early Years Christmas Sing-a-long on the 11th December. The children came in to school dressed in festive colours and were surprised by a visit from a white-bearded, red-coated and black-booted man, carrying a sack full of presents! A jolly Santa visited each classroom, spreading festive cheer wherever he went. It was great to see so many parents getting messy by joining in with our Christmas Craft activities.

This was followed by the Christmas Sing-a-long where the children did a fantastic job of singing all the Christmas songs they had worked so hard

to learn. One class even had to do an a Capella version of the 12 Days of Christmas when we had a slight technical hitch! We concluded the celebrations with a delicious shared lunch.

Parents brought in traditional plates of food from their own cultures, to celebrate the diverse international culture that we have here at Regents. All in all it was a fantastic end to a busy and productive Term 1.

FESTIvE FUN IN EARLY YEARS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EvERYBOdY !

by luCy leWis, Head of Primary musiC

On Tuesday 9th December, Regents’ Globe Theatre hosted the Primary Christmas Concert. Record numbers of parents and community supporters attended the festive occasion and they were delighted by the array of talent and variety of performances.

The evening comprised many musical acts, including three choirs, the Junior Orchestra and numerous bands and ensembles. Audience members were treated to an evening of superb music and entertainment as the Christmas season was welcomed in, in Thailand.

It was clear for all to see how much the Primary Music students have progressed and grown, with so much enthusiasm and with over 200 performers involved that they are now hosting their own Christmas Concert. The numbers of pupils in many of the ensembles has been doubled or tripled, and the pieces shared by many of the groups, and also the choirs, was of a very high musical standard.

A wide range of genres was covered throughout the night: from the Christmas Carols performed by the Brass

Ensemble and the Primary Violin Ensemble, to the Rock Band’s ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ and the Girl Group’s ‘All I want for Christmas’; from the KS1 Jive ‘Come on Christmas!’ to the KS2 Choir and Orchestra ‘Christmas Canon’ (a challenging piece in four parts) based on Pachelbel’s Canon; from the Festive Hand Chimes to the Dancing Violinists in their rocking version of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ that had everyone smiling and cheering. We had students performing their own composition written specially for Christmas and we were delighted to welcome the Parents’ and Friends’ Chorus who for the first time took to the stage to support the efforts of our children by giving a beautiful performance of ‘Halleluijah’.

It is hard to find the words to describe the atmosphere at the end of the Concert when over 160 Students, Parents and Friends joined together to sing Gary Barlow’s ‘Sing’, written for Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee celebrations. The uplifting sound filled the room and the Christmas joy was tangible, bringing yet another sparkling Christmas Concert to a close.

PRImARY ChRISTmAS CONCERT

Thai people have been celebrating Teachers’ Day since 16th January 1957 and it is also something that we commemorate here at Regents. In talking to a few people, it appeared that no one really knows much about this special day, even though it is celebrated every year at this school, so on Thursday 8th January Seo Jin and Emma interviewed Khun Anyanist to find out more!

According to Khun Anyanist, we celebrate Teachers’ Day because teachers are very important (important enough that even universities celebrate it); they teach us what we need to know, not just in education but also life skills, so that when we grow up we can live a happy and purposeful life.

Teachers’ Day is celebrated across Asia, as in South Korea and China. In Thai schools, Teachers’ Day is a special (partly religious) school holiday where teachers go to the temple and spend part of the day in a ceremony with the monks

although Thai children nowadays think of it more as just a day off school!

The original purpose of Teachers’ Day was to teach children to respect those people that teach them. On Teachers’ Day in this school we give roses to our teachers however Khun Anyanist said that Thai people usually give traditional Thai flowers to their teacher. We asked Khun Anyanist if she celebrated it when she was young and it was a “yes always” but she also added that when she was a child, children had more respect for the work that their teachers did than they sometimes do today.

We hope that all our teachers at school had a wonderful Teachers’ Day today – we hope you liked the surprises! Even though we celebrate Teachers’ Day we do not follow all the traditions but we now see why it is important. Now that you know more about it what do you think about our teachers - should they have the day off?

by emma and seo Jin, students in 6r

WhAT DO YOu ThINk OF TEAChERS’ DAY?

by david Collins, Primary Pe Co-ordinator

2015 has kicked off in a bang with an array of Primary sports on show, including football, tennis and swimming to name just a few. This weekend our primary pupils will be out in full force at the Charity Football event at St. Andrews school. The day is aimed at supporting Sanuk Day Care Centre, The Shelter and Fountain of Life. Proceedings will begin at 08:30am and is set to be a great day out for all, with food and handicraft stalls open on the day.

Our attention now turns to the upcoming Primary FOBISIA. This year the games will be held at Harrow School Beijing, China.

The first step in the planning process will be the running of FOBISIA trials which are scheduled to take place from the 26th January to the 29th January at Regents. The trials event schedule is detailed below.

PRIMARY SPORT

TRIALS - 26TH – 29TH JAN 2015 (3:15-4:15PM)

MONdAY - BoyS FooTBall & GiRlS aThlETicS

TUESdAY - BoyS & GiRlS T-Ball

WEdNESdAY - BoyS & GiRlS SwimmiNG

THURSdAY - BoyS aThlETicS & GiRlS FooTBall

If you wish your child to be considered as one of the 6 boys and 6 girls to be selected from each year group (Years 4-6), then please ensure they arrive after school for each trial session.

As always we welcome your support during our after school trials and I am happy to answer any questions you may have surrounding this year’s Primary FOBISIA. I can be contacted at david.collins@regents-pattaya.co.th

Saturday February 7, 2015Thai Polo and Equestrian Club Gates open from 12pm • Register online at www.pattayafamilybikeday.org

Join us at Thai Polo and Equestrian Club for a great day of biking in and around the picturesque grounds and surrounding farmland. This off road biking event will consist of four ride options:

Following the ride there will be a catered twilight dinner from the Amari Pattaya where you can enjoy the delicious food and scenery at one of the magnificent pavilions. Children’s activities and refreshments available for purchase throughout the day.

See www.pattayafamilybikeday.org for registration, more details on rides and other info. Be sure to like our Facebook page - Pattaya Family Bike Day

2015 Mubadala Petroleum Pattaya Family Bike DayThai Polo and Equestrian Club

PRouDly SuPPoRTinG womEn wiTh A miSSion AnD mAkE-A-wiSh FounDATion ThAilAnD

Children’s Ride: A 2km ride on a groomed dirt trail

8km Ride: A mostly flat and firm trail with some small inclines through the surrounding farmlands.

15km Ride: A more technical ride than 8km ride, some great trails including some steep inclines to hilltop lookouts and fast sandy downhill ride home.

30km Ride: Amazing long winding single track action, challenging climbs and downhill riding - steep and technical.

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