March 2017

Your choice. Their future. Our family. โรงเรียนนานาชาติการ์เด้นอีสเทิร์นซีบอร์ดบ้านฉาง March 2017
FOBISIA U13
GAMES
Find us at:
Website: w w w .gardenrayong.com
Twitter: w w w .tw itter.com/ gisrayong
Facebook: w w w .facebook.com/ pages/ Garden -International-School-Rayong-Thailand/128699487157809
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand
Accredited by
Affiliated to
1

From Mrs Hawtree: Principal
Dear Parents, Students and Friends of GIS,
Some months it is very easy for me to pick out one or two highlights, but March has been a whole month
of highlights! We started with International Week, ably co-ordinated by Ms Clifton, which saw students
undertaking activities each day to further develop their understanding of the global environment in which
we all live. This culminated in International Day on the Saturday, when family and friends joined us for an
extravaganza of anthems, costumes, music, dancing and all sorts of delicious food. A great way to crown
a wonderful week, and huge thanks to the Friends of Garden for co-ordinating the international food feast!
The following week saw evening events for both Primary and Secondary. On the Tuesday evening the
Secondary students in Years 9 and 11, and their parents, came along to the IGCSE and IB information
evening led by Mr Stokes, Mr Share and Mr Beales. This was a very informative and exceptionally well
attended event, and students and their parents were provided with lots of information with which to start
making some important decisions. We have revamped our IGCSE options process this year, with a view
to a) ensuring that we provide clear pathways for students through from IGCSE to IB, and b) to try and
accommodate as many preferred combinations as possible. Of course, we cannot accommodate every
single combination of subjects (as anyone who understands factorial numbers in Mathematics will know!),
but we feel we have created option blocks which achieve, as far as possible, both the aims stated above.
On the Wednesday evening, Primary parents met with teachers to review their children’s progress and to
discuss strategies for supporting students to reach the next level of their learning. As we so often say,
education is a 3-way partnership – student, home and school – and when all three are working together
effectively, the synergy that this produces can inspire amazing results.
Also on the Wednesday we had a special guest, Paralympian Andy Barrow, in school. He enthralled
students in Years 4 – 9 during an assembly where he discussed his accident and its aftermath with great
candour, and inspired our students by showing just what can be achieved through determination and hard
work, even when faced with great adversity. Andy was also the guest speaker that evening at our
welcome dinner for the U13 FOBISIA participants, with students flying in from 6 schools around Asia:
Kathmandu, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City as well as from Bangkok - to compete in this tournament.
The tournament lasted 3 days, the first day being the athletics and swimming, with the remaining two days
taken up with football and basketball. Our GIS teams acquitted themselves very well, with some students
taking home a haul of as many as 9 medals! We also won some team awards, claiming 3 rd place in both
the swimming and the athletics. With such a small and relatively inexperienced squad, these results are
testament to the hard work of the coaches and the grit that these students showed over the 3 days. A
huge thank you goes to Ms Longstaffe who oversaw the logistics of this whole event, and to Mr Carr, who
assisted her throughout. Thank you again to the Friends of Garden for providing refreshments and for
looking after the parents who accompanied students from visiting schools. Feedback from all the visiting
schools was extremely positive, and we should be very proud of the quality of the event that we hosted.
2

In some ways, it is a shame therefore, that this will be the last FOBISIA sporting event that we will
be hosting, at least for the foreseeable future. FOBISIA has decided that, to ease the burden on
schools, and to ensure a consistent standard of event, that all sporting events will take place at a
dedicated venue in Phuket for at least the next two years. The venue that has been chosen is like
a mini Olympic Village, and I am sure will ensure excellent events, although it is a shame that
students will no longer get to see each other’s schools as part of the experience.
Moving to the penultimate week of term, and we were treated to the excellent ‘MAD’ night, an
extravaganza of the Arts, encompassing music, art and drama. The IB artwork on display was
testament to Praw’s talent and Mr Nolan’s teaching, and I heard several people say it was the best
exhibition they have seen as GIS for many years. The quality of the music, singing and drama
were equally high, and all the singers, musicians and actors should be proud of what they
achieved, supported by Mr Ken, Ms Michelle, Ms Kilvington-Shaw and Mr Abbs. We took the
opportunity, as this was their last major music event, to say goodbye and good luck to Ms
Kilvington-Shaw and Mr Abbs, who are moving to Hong Kong over the summer, and also getting
married!
As I write, we are entering the last week of term, and looking forward to ‘Porridge’, the Upper
Primary show. I have heard great things about this, and I know that the students are excited about
their show. I look forward to seeing many of you at what promises to be a great spectacle on
Thursday evening.
Our last event of the year will be our much-anticipated ‘Songkran Splash’ which I understand is the
one time of the year that students are given licence to drench their teachers! Our Thai team will
also be leading some activities to help students understand the meaning of Songkran, and the
purpose of all the water fun – I’m looking forward to experiencing this for the first time, and will try
to remember to pack a towel that day!
That just leaves me to wish you a lovely Songkran holiday. As you are relaxing and enjoying time
with your family and friends, please spare a thought for our Year 11 and IB2 students who will have
to spend much of this holiday studying, as they prepare for their final examinations in May.
Sawadee wan pee mai Thai!
Ms Dinah Hawtree
Principal
3

Upcoming Events
Whole School
April 1-17: School closed
Tuesday April 18 (Day 6): Term 3 starts
May 1: Labour Day
May 5: Coronation Day
Primary
April 19: FOBISIA parents’ meeting
Secondary
April 19: IB2 Musical Links Investigation deadline
April 19: IGCSE Art examination (all day)
April 20: IGCSE Art examination (Periods 1-4)
April 21: Final day of school for IB2 students
April 21: IB2 leavers’ whole school leavers’ assembly
April 24-29: IB1 2nd Extended Essay meeting with supervisors
April 27: IGCSE ICT Practical Test P2-5
April 28-May 18: IB2 final examinations
April 28: Final day for Year 11 students
May 2-June 9: IGCSE final examinations
Many thanks to our generous GIS sponsors:
Platinum
Aditya Birla
Encounter Church
Indorama
4

Head to our Facebook page for the latest news on
what’s been happening at GIS. This month, you
can read about:
www.facebook.com/gardeninternationalschool
You can also watch our latest videos about what’s
been happening at GIS by going here:
www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand
Follow us on Instagram! Find us at
garden_international_school or search for
#gistitans
Check out our Pinterest page and see the dozens
of photos showcasing life at GIS.
Follow our tweets on Twitter!
https://www.twitter.com/gisrayong
See our snaps and stories on Snapchat!
Our username is gisthailand
5

INTERNATIONAL DAY 2017
GIS celebrated International Day with
flags from dozens of countries, performances
from around the globe and a
range of food.
International Day was held on March
11 and featured a samba band flag
parade, highlighting the 40 nations that
make up the GIS community. Parents
and students then watched some stunning
performances from Spain, China,
India and other nations as students
sang and danced their way through a
special show.
Throughout the performances, the
national anthems of each country was
played and people from that country
went on stage. After the show, the
Friends of Garden group, staff and other
parents supplied an eclectic range
of food that included Polish snacks,
English scones and samosas.
In the week before, there were several
quizzes and events, including an ecochallenge
and a costumes’ parade.
To see a video of our International
Day, visit our YouTube channel.
6

7

8

From Mr Walsh: Head of Primary
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we approach the end of Term 2, I would like to thank
you for the support you have shown for GIS by attending
Parent Conferences, school events and sharing
assemblies.
From talking with many parents, teachers and students, it
seems that the Term 2 Reports and meetings focused well
on ways to maximise the students’ progress. I have taken
many feedback comments on board and we’ll look to
further improve the reporting and meeting process in the
next academic year. If you have any suggestions, please
email me at headpri@gardenrayong.com.
GIS is such a vibrant, busy school. The curriculum is very
broad and the students have many opportunities to develop
their knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes in a
variety of ways, from completing online Mathematics’
homework tasks to throwing water at each other to
celebrate (and learn about) Songkran.
INTERNATIONAL
WEEK QUIZ
On the last day of International
Week all students took part
in a Round-the-World quiz
answering questions using
the information posters made
during the week. The high
scorers’ names went into a
hat and a winner from each
year group won an ice cream
or ice lolly. Knowledge is
sweet!
Songkran Splash is on Friday March 31. Foundation
students should come in wearing Songkran clothes and
bring a change of clothes and a towel. Primary students
should wear school uniform, but bring Songkran clothes to
get wet in, and a towel and bag for their wet things.
Happy Thai New Year, Suksan Wan Songkran!
Mr Walsh
Head of Primary
headpri@gardenrayong.com

ANTI-BULLYING ‘WEAR PINK’ DAY
At the start of March, to join in with an Anti-Bullying project,
many of the students in Foundation and Primary wore pink.
The wearing of pink is symbolic as a stand against bullying
and a show of solidarity for anyone who has been bullied. The
children in these sections of the school had assemblies or took
part in activities designed to deal with these issues. Thanks to
Ms Christina, Ms Elyssa and Ms Jessica for organising the
event as part of the GIS Global Action group.
ANTI-BULLYING IN FOUNDATION
We all came together to talk about how
to solve small problems ourselves by
using the Kelso choices wheel. To help
show how this worked, Ms Cathie had
some cheeky pupils not lining up very
nicely! Ms Elyssa pulled Ms Aren’s hair
as she pushed in the line and Ms Jane
pushed to the front! They then used the
wheel to find the best way to deal with
the issue.
10

GIS GARDENING PROJECT
Earlier this term students in Year 4 had the chance to harvest
the first of the rice that they planted in Term 1. After it
was harvested they removed the rice from the stalks by
threshing it into a box and when it is dried they will
attempt to remove the husks.
Although only a small amount was harvested, everyone
gained some insight into the amount of work needed to
produce the food that they take for granted every day.
We are continuing work on the garden area behind the
Primary building and are in the process of planting seedlings
of a variety of herbs and vegetables such as long
beans, cucumbers, winter melons, tomatoes and courgettes.
If you would like to contribute to this project, any donations
of any spare pots, plants or seeds that you no longer
need would be greatly appreciated.
Plants that bear fruit or vegetables would be preferred but
flowers are also welcome as they attract pollinating insects
such as butterflies.
Any donations can be sent in with the students or placed
next to 'rice paddy' next to the entrance of the Primary
building.
PRIMARY HAS TALENT
On Friday March 17 it was time for the much-anticipated Primary Has Talent – Heat 2. The
audience were blown away with singing, dancing, performing, magic and comedy. Well done to the
brave and talented individuals and groups that performed. After much deliberation the judges put
through 3 acts:
A girl band that performed a Taylor Swift song all playing instruments and singing (or whistling!)
A great drummer who performed along to a ‘Walk Don’t Run’ soundtrack
A soloist who sang a great rendition of a Moana song.
11

MUFTI DAY
The Primary Student Council was responsible for choosing the theme for the Term 2 Mufti Day. After in-class
discussions the students chose ‘Jobs/Careers’. This was a well-chosen theme because it inspired a lot of
creativity and also fitted in well with our Core Value: Inquirers.
YEAR 2 NATIVE AMERICAN DAY
The Year 2 students were thrilled that the rain
stayed away for their Native American Day. The
children have been learning about the traditions
and customs of different tribes, as well as how
they were affected by the arrival of Europeans in
North America. They have all enjoyed cutting,
printing and stitching their own dress and were
delighted to get to wear these in the teepee!
Throughout the day they made and played traditional
games, prepared and cooked traditional
food and also learned more about where Native
Americans are today. See our blog for more
photos.
12

WORLD WILDLIFE DAY
For World Wildlife Day, on March 3, a few IB1 students organised a week-long activity for
Primary students where they had to draw their favourite animals. The pictures you see here
are some of those we found to be exceptional and also a group photo of the artists.
Jignil (Head Boy)
International
Women’s Day
Students and staff at GIS came together
to mark International Women’s Day.
IB1 students made placards and went on
a ‘march’ around school to raise awareness
about equality for females.
This was followed by a whole-school
assembly that highlighted the achievements
of women.
13

From our Head Boy and Girl
A TERM PACKED WITH EVENTS
Another term has come to an end! Since the start of March GIS has been home to various and vibrant events.
Here is a snapshot of the events that have taken place:
We had the “Amazing Race” organised for students from Years 7 to 9 on World Social Justice Day to help them
understand that injustice of any kind should not be tolerated.
World Wildlife Day was organised for Primary students, where students took part in drawing their favourite animals.
We received many creative and artistic drawings. Well done to all who took part.
A wonderful International week was held from March 6-11. During the week students enjoyed delicious cuisine
from different countries and took part in various activities including building a monument from recycled materials.
The week ended with an amazing International Day where students, parents and staff gathered to celebrate
the internationalism that is present at GIS.
GIS was host to the FOBISIA U13 Games once again from March 16-19. Many schools from different countries
took part in this event, which included athletics, swimming, football and basketball. To find out the results and to
watch the highlights of the Games please follow this link → https://sites.google.com/a/gardenrayong.com/
under13fobisiagames/home
Last, but not the least, the final event of the term was held on March 22: M.A.D. Night. This was an evening
where students and parents enjoyed musical performances, saw art works on display and watched drama skits
all in one place.
It has been a busy term for both students and staff, however for some students the next few weeks are going to
be even busier and even more important as they prepare for their IGCSE and IB examinations. We wish them
the best of luck.
We hope that all students have a very fun and safe Songkran break.
Quote of the month: “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think” -
Albert Einstein
Head Boy – Jignil
Head Girl – Shilpi

We have some great school blogs to tell you about life at GIS. Click
on the links below to see what’s been going on!
PRIMARY BLOGS
Early Years http://earlyyears.gardenrayong.com/
Nursery http://nursery.gardenrayong.com/
Reception http://reception.gardenrayong.com/
Year 1 http://year1.gardenrayong.com/
Year 2 http://year2.gardenrayong.com/
Year 3 http://year3.gardenrayong.com/
Year 4 http://year4.gardenrayong.com/
Year 5 http://year5.gardenrayong.com/
Year 6 http://year6.gardenrayong.com/
ESL Blog: http://primaryels.gardenrayong.com
SECONDARY BLOGS
Year 7-9
IGCSE
IB
ELS
http://year7to9.gardenrayong.com/
http://gisigcse.gardenrayong.com/
http://ib.gardenrayong.com/
http://secondaryels.gardenrayong.com
WHOLE SCHOOL BLOGS
Extra-curricular Sport
Extra-curricular Music
http://gissport.gardenrayong.com/
http://gismusicblog.gardenrayong.com/
Extra-curricular Drama http://gisdrama.gardenrayong.com/
Library
http://library.gardenrayong.com/
Community Programmes http://communityprogrammes.gardenrayong.com/
Community Service
Friends of Garden
Boarding
http://gisserviceprojects.gardenrayong.com/
http://friendsofgarden.gardenrayong.com/
http://gisboarding.gardenrayong.com/

STAR STUDENTS PASS LAMDA
TALENTED GIS students did amazingly well following their recent LAMDA examinations.
This is the 5th year GIS students have been taking the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA)
examinations. This year the results were outstanding with a pass rate of more than 94 per cent. This included an
extremely rare 100% pass for Grade 8 Public Speaking for Shomit in IB1. Grade 8 is the highest level available.
Of the 105 students in Primary and Secondary who took the assessments, more than 94 per cent passed,
most with flying colours. Gold medal distinctions also went to IB1 students Jignil and Sabrina, while Srishti was
given a gold medal with merit for acting.
To help prepare for LAMDA, several IB students acted as coaches. Well done to Mr Lund, Mr Abbs, Ms Hilmi
and everyone who took part this year!
16

From Mr Share: Head of Secondary
Dear parents and carers,
The next few weeks will be crucial in terms of preparation, reflection and support for our students who may increasingly
feel the pressure. Recent sessions on preparing properly for examinations should help. The following
are things the whole family can do to help.
Research has shown that parental support is eight times more important in determining a child's academic
success than social class. The Campaign for Learning found that parental involvement in a child's education
can mean the difference between an A* and an ‘also-ran’ grade at GCSE and IB. The report, called ‘Give Your
Child a Better Chance’, by Dr Leon Feinstein of the London School of Economics, said: "Interested parents
made a huge difference, regardless of class or income.”
The first thing to do that helps a child is to talk to them and encourage them to discuss how they are feeling.
Rather than being seen to police your child, it is important that you are seen as supporting them.
Reassurance is important and therefore letting your child know that you love them and support them is crucial.
It is vital that both partners (where possible) are involved in the support process. Some schools have even set
up fathers’ support groups to ensure that they get involved more. If you think this is an idea you would be interested
in, please email me.
This leads nicely to the second point. Seek help from the school and teachers if you feel you need it. We
already will have provided examination skills and revision skills courses to the students, given them lists of
useful websites and apps, provided examination timetables and given classes on how to deal with stress.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns or there is any help that you need.
Examinations can be a stressful time for everyone in the family and therefore below is a list of tips to help the
whole family avoid (as much as realistically possible) stress. This is taken from a mental health organisation in
the UK that is dedicated to working with parents and young people.
Accept this is potentially going to be a stressful time for everyone – expect outbursts and remain calm.
Try and find out early on what is expected of your child and when their examinations will be.
Try and work with your child and support them rather than policing them.
Encourage children to talk to you if they are really worried they haven’t done enough work. Reassure them
that if they do not get their expected grades, there will be other opportunities ahead.
If you have any concerns or questions, contact the school rather than relying on your child to do it.
Encourage your child to have a separate revision area to help put them in a frame of mind of knowing when
to work (without distractions) and knowing when to relax, sleep etc.
Encourage your child to have regular breaks, to do something they enjoy, even if it’s just half an hour off for
their favourite TV programme or DVD.
Make sure they eat healthy snacks regularly, and drink enough so they don’t get dehydrated – you can
always pop your head in to see how they are doing and bring them a drink.
Immediately after an examination, they might not want to talk about it immediately so let them decide.
Plan something nice for when it’s all over – reward them for trying their best, however they feel it went.
Good luck and remember to ask us if we can help at all.
Mr Share
Head of Secondary (headsec@gardenrayong.com)

FOBISIA U13 GAMES
DOZENS of young athletes from around Asia visited GIS to take part in the FOBISIA U13 Games.
From March 16-19 the students from various British international schools took part in track and field, swimming,
basketball and football contests. Students stayed at the Purimas Beach Resort, where they were treated to a
welcome dinner and a gala dinner once all the competition was over.
Competition was intense as students battled for medals but also good-natured, and the Games resulted in many
new friendships being made.
FOBISIA is the Federation of British International Schools in Asia. The participating schools were: The British
School, Kathmandu, Nepal; British International School, Hanoi; British Vietnamese International School, Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam; St Stephen’s International School and Bromsgrove International School, both from Bangkok,
and GIS. Well done to the PE Department, Maintenance team and everyone else involved in making the Games
such a success.
Many thanks to our sponsors:
18

PARALYMPIC STAR
INSPIRES STUDENTS
There was also a visit from Andy
Barrow, a triple Paralympian, threetime
European gold medallist and
former captain of the Great Britain
wheelchair rugby team. He spoke to
students about the importance of hard
work and perseverance and also
talked to the FOBISIA teams at a
welcome dinner at the Purimas Beach
Hotel.
19

For more
highlights, visit our
Facebook, Twitter
or Instagram
pages.
20

MAD Night
This year’s Music, Art and Drama (MAD) Night included some
spectacular performances from Secondary students.
Visitors got to see an art exhibition from IB before the show,
then sat down to enjoy some snacks and drinks. The show included
performances from the novel The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night-Time and the play DNA.
There were also performances by the school orchestra, chamber
choir and the samba band. For highlights from the show,
see our YouTube channel.
21

IB
IB TASTER DAY
YEAR 11 students have been given a
taste of the IB Diploma.
A special IB Taster Day was organised for
March 10, when Year 11 students got to
find out more about the world’s biggest
qualification for 16-18 year olds: the International
Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.
Students were able to dress like
IB students for a day, visited IB classes
and had a pizza lunch with Prefects, who
explained the benefits and challenges of
being an IB student.
This was followed by an IGCSE and IB Information
Evening on March 14. Mr Stokes told
Year 9 students and their parents about their
options for IGCSE next year, while IB Coordinator
Mr Beales explained the benefits of IB to
Year 11 students and their parents.
GIS is the most experienced IB school in the
region.
22

We continue to look at the work
IB students are doing for
Creativity, Action, Service
(CAS). This month Antra talks
about organising events for
International Women’s Day.
I organised an assembly for a very important
day—International Women's Day. As the global
issues of sexism and injustice against all genders
are still prominent problems, I wanted to do
something that would encourage our students to
take them seriously.
While I don't believe I necessarily achieved the
aforementioned goal, I think that, to a certain
extent, I made a point.
Some people feel that "feminism" is synonymous
with "man-hating" or "female supremacy",
but of course this is not the case. Narisa, Shilpi,
Leahana, Ms Smith and I told students, through
speeches, videos, and a march, that "feminism"
is as important to men as it is to women. That
"feminism" really just means equality, and it's
only called "feminism" because women are the
ones who previously suffered the most under the
gender role expectations put on them by everyone.
Because the International Women's
Marches to protest Donald Trump's Inauguration
and Policies are fairly recent and
probably still something fresh in everyone's
memory, I wanted to do something that
would help people remember them for longer
still, and understand why they happened.
So, my friends and I made signs and placards
that spoke against sexism and had students
hold them up as they marched around
school, chanting whatever they thought
would help convey their message effectively.
In the assembly, I was surprised to see the
Primary students look the most compassionate
as they watched what it would be like if
women were treated the same as men. I
was surprised to see how many of them
knew the answers to questions about important
women in history. And I was heartened
to see them look confused because
they didn't understand why women would be
considered inferior to men.
I increased awareness of my own strengths
and areas for growth as I realised how much
I am willing to embarrass myself to speak
for something I believe in, and how I need to
continue working on my confidence and
public-speaking.
23

We continue to celebrate all the countries represented at GIS by flying a different nation’s
flag each week. Here are the countries that have recently been recognised at the
front of the school. This month we flew the flag of the United Nations to mark International
Week.

Garden International School
Your choice. Their future. Our family.
Find us at:
Website: w w w .gardenrayong.com
Twitter: w w w .tw itter.com/ gisrayong
Facebook: w w w .facebook.com/ pages/ Garden -International-School-Rayong-Thailand/128699487157809
Youtube: w w w .youtube.com/ user/ gardenrayongthailand
Accredited by
Affiliated to
26