June 2017

Your choice. Their future. Our family. โรงเรียนนานาชาติการ์เด้นอีสเทิร์นซีบอร์ดบ้านฉาง June 2017
END OF YEAR EVENTS
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
From the Principal
Dear GIS Community,
It’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed – and what an exciting and busy year it has been! I hope
that your children have enjoyed their year at GIS, and have grown academically, socially and emotionally
during the year.
It’s ironic that our core value this month is ‘reflective’ as the end of the year is certainly the time to reflect
on our achievements and to consider what went well and what we could have done better. I hope that all
our students will spend a little time reflecting over the summer break, and return in August ready for another
exciting year of learning.
A couple of dates for your diary:
Thursday 17 August – first day of the academic year 2017/18 for students
Tuesday 22 August – welcome evening for all parents - meet the teachers and find out what is new for
this year (details to follow in August).
I hope that, whatever your plans for the summer, you have a wonderful break and, for those leaving the
Eastern Seaboard, we wish you well in your new schools.
Kind Regards,
Ms Dinah Hawtree
Principal
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Upcoming Events
Whole School
June 24-August 16: holidays
Thursday August 17 - School opens: Term 1 begins (Day 1)
Secondary
July 6: IB results’ day
August 10: IGCSE results’ day
August 18: IB2 deadline for Extended Essay first draft
CAR BOOT SALE AND PICNIC
The annual car boot sale and picnic was a great success,
thanks to the support of the Friends of Garden. Visitors
picked up some bargains at the car boot sale, while students
and some staff joined in a range of sporting activities.
Many thanks to our generous GIS sponsors:
Platinum
Aditya Birla
Encounter Church
Indorama
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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
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From Mr Walsh: Head of Primary
Dear parents and carers,
After my first full year at GIS, I am increasingly amazed at the
range of talents of the GIS students. In class and in assemblies
we have lots of labels for the different subjects and
characteristics that we teach and promote. Our Core Values
are extremely important as they represent the range of
characteristics needed to be a complete learner.
We have children in Primary who can speak 3 languages fluently,
others who can play 2 instruments to a high-graded
standard, others who have represented their country at
chess, others who have represented our school at FOBISIA
in all events, others who have won Mathematics’ competitions,
others who can independently bake a delicious cake
from scratch, and so on.
However, despite there being an amazing array of talented
individuals at GIS, sometimes we hear a student state that
they are ‘dumb’. It’s mystifying that some students can do the
most amazing things but still seem to think they’re not clever.
We have talked to the students about the multiple intelligences
theory that breaks “intelligence” down into categories.
So, if you can score a basket from 15 feet away, that’s clever.
If you can stay Ace in handball for 5 turns, that’s clever (ask
your children if you don’t understand this one!).
If you can make new friends and not fall out with your friends
every few days, that’s intelligent. Emotionally intelligent.
If you’re aware of your own strengths and areas to develop,
that’s intelligent. If you can use a range of household ingredients
to perfect your home-made slime recipe, that’s bright!
Now that we’ve reached the end of this year, we’ve asked the
students to think about and acknowledge the things that
they’re good at. But nobody’s perfect, and the things that
they’re not so great at are areas that we can enjoy working on
next academic year.
We are very proud of the achievements of all of the Foundation
and Primary students this year.
NEW
TIMETABLE
Next year, we are
moving to a 5-day timetable
in Primary and a
10-day timetable in
Secondary. This should
make it easier for
everyone to manage
their timetables, especially
the children. The
new 5-day timetable for
each class and the key
events for the
academic year will be
included in the communication
diaries at the
start of the year.
Clubs
Our clubs’ coordinators
have already
been working on a new
range of clubs that we
will offer during period
8 every Tuesday and
Thursday from August.
We will publish the new
clubs’ lists as soon as
possible at the start of
the year so that the students
can choose and
start as soon as possible.
There will be some familiar
and some new
after school activities.
There are provisional
details of these from
Ms Longstaffe later on
in this newsletter.

Primary Has Talent Finals
By Mr Mark
Primary Has Talent came to a crashing
crescendo on June 13 as the six finalists,
chosen in the first two heats, stepped in to the
limelight one more time. This was the best of
the best, the cream of the cream, showcasing
a range of talents and musical prowess. Each
student brought something unique and outstanding
to the stage. Congratulations to the
winner, not only for his drum technique, but
also his smooth Gangnam style!
KEEPING UP THE ROUTINES
Students should certainly get a chance to relax,
have fun and have adventures during the
holidays. They have worked very hard over
the year and they deserve a rest. However,
as teachers we often see a dip in attainment
after the long holidays, so it is important to
keep your child(ren) stimulated physically
and mentally over the holiday.
The key things to do are:
Keep reading with your child.
Writing a holiday journal or postcards is a fun
way of keeping the writing skills going.
For mathematics’ skills, keep practising the
times tables. Working out change when
shopping and also doing lots of cooking are
effective ways of keeping those skills honed.
Try to ensure your child is getting at least 1
hour of physical activity every day.
The eating and bedtime routines often
change during the holiday. It is a good idea,
during the week before returning to school, to
start aligning holiday routines back with
school routines so that the first week back is
not such a shock to the system!
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PRIMARY AWARDS
Well done to the winners of awards at the Primary Awards’ assembly. There were
awards for Progress, Excellence, Endeavour, Nam Jai Ngam and sporting achievement.
NEW TEACHERS
Many students have already
virtually met our 3 new teachers
by watching presentations during
our transition session.
Our changes to staffing include:
Mr Andrew Reade who will be
a Year 6 Teacher and Head of
Year 5 and 6.
Mr Jon Burnill who will be a
Year 5 Teacher.
Mr Matthew Sherwen who will
be a Year 3 Teacher.
Ms Jenn will move from Year 5
to Year 4 and will be an Assistant
Principal with a wholeschool
responsibility for Staff Development.
Ms Laurence will move from
Year 4 to Year 6 and will be an
Assistant Principal with a wholeschool
responsibility for Curriculum
and Community.
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PRIMARY MUSIC
By Ms Michelle
PRIMARY RECITAL
GIS students, staff and parents were treated to
some wonderful performances at a Primary Recital
by the Primary students. The talents that were
showcased were the drums, piano and cello playing
as well as some singing numbers.
8

SUMMER CONCERT
Primary ended its school year with the annual Summer Concert and open afternoon.
There were dances from our Spanish and Thai departments as well as lots and lots of singing
and instrumental playing.
There was even a surprise number by the Staff Band. Mr Walsh, Mr Mark, Mr Abbs, Mr Nolan
and Mr George have made a stellar performance of the iconic Guns and Roses’ Sweet Child o’
Mine. The concert culminated in a whole school song, Baba Yetu, played by the combined
Secondary and Primary orchestra.
This event has been made possible by the dedicated teachers who have given their time and
effort in teaching the students their songs, instrumental music and dances and the parents who
have supported their children with their presence. It was also possible thanks to the technical
staff, Mr Evan for the lights and sounds, Mr Ritche for the media adverts, and the maintenance
team for setting up the staging and props. And especially thanks to the students for their hard
work in attending all rehearsals and learning their parts.
(And thanks to you too, Ms Michelle for an absolutely fantastic Summer Concert with so many
students playing instruments and singing so well – Mr Walsh)
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OPEN AFTERNOON
Following the hugely successful Summer Concert, the children
were excited to share a learning experience with their parents
inside the Primary classrooms.
Primary children whizzed back to the classes to prepare their
stations for the 'Open House' and parents followed soon behind.
On show were many different learning activities and opportunities
for parents to play games, do experiments and pit their skills
against the children, and sometimes one another.
Year 1 Trip
Year 1 had a fantastic trip to
the Teddy Bear Museum in
Pattaya. They had the opportunity
to play and pretend
they were living in dinosaur
times and be paleontologists
discovering dinosaur
bones!
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YEAR 6 IN CHIANG MAI
Year 6 students enjoyed an action-packed trip to Chiang
Mai. They visited temples and learned about the local culture.
Among the highlights was a trip to Doi Suthep. The
students loved learning about Buddhism and all the different
ways we can show respect to Buddha. They also visit-
FOUNDATION GRADUATION
Students in Foundation celebrated the end of their year with a special series of performances
and a feast on the last day of term, watched by a hall full of proud parents and carers.
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YEAR 3 VISITS KHAO KHEOW OPEN ZOO
Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed their first overnight residential trip. For some of them this was their first time sleeping
away from their parents, so at first they were a little nervous but they soon forgot their worries as they had so
much fun. On their first day they explored the zoo, feeding various animals - learning more about their teeth and
the types of food they eat. They were even lucky enough to see real animal skulls. After an exciting night safari
learning about nocturnal animals, they headed to their bunk beds for a ‘sleepover’.
On the second day the children embarked on a trek through the ‘jungle’ – they learnt about countless common
plants grown in Thailand and the medicinal properties they have. They were even lucky enough to use the materials
gathered to make their own organic soap. They really had an amazing adventure and made many unforgettable
memories.
I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all the parents and caregivers for the support you have
shown to GIS this academic year. Have a lovely break with your children, they have done you proud this
year. See you in August.
Mr Walsh
Head of Primary
headpri@gardenrayong.com
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From our Prefects
CREATIVITY— TARA
Being a Prefect has really given me the opportunity to grow as
an individual. Throughout this year I have been able to engage
in a variety of activities, increase my confidence as a leader and
grow closer to those around me. It has been a privilege to have
been able to work collaboratively, with both the teachers and
students. Thank you for allowing me to carry out these responsibilities.
I look forward to seeing what the future Prefects can
bring to our school, and hope you all enjoy the summer holidays.
HUMANITIES / HEAD GIRL — SHILPI
This year has been the most challenging, yet rewarding, year so
far in GIS. Having multiple opportunities to step out of my comfort
zone – leading assemblies, formal events, attending conferences
– has been a privilege. I learnt to discipline myself in
times where I was juggling multiple responsibilities, to fight my
nerves when speaking to a crowd, and to understand the importance
of perseverance. Most importantly, I understood the
importance of teamwork. It has been an honour to work with this
Prefect group – I couldn’t ask for a more supportive team. I look
forward to the new ideas that come with the next Prefect group,
and hope that they enjoy it just as much as we have.
SERVICES / HEAD BOY — JIGNIL
Hello everyone, this is the last time I will be writing as one of
the Prefects of GIS and I want to tell you all that being a Prefect
has been a very valuable and enjoyable experience for me to
have. Organising events, talking to students about what they
would like to see and being able to represent this school are
just few of the things I loved doing as a Prefect. I would like to
thank the Prefect team for always being there and helping out. I
would also like to thank Mr Beales for guiding us through our
duties as Prefects. I would like to end this by wishing all the
new Prefects the best of luck for the year ahead and to all the
students at GIS a happy Summer Holiday!
SCIENCES — SHOMIT
My name is Shomit Ghosh and I was the Science Prefect
for the academic year 2016-17. I thoroughly enjoyed being
a Prefect as it allowed us to take responsibility for certain
events and act as role model to the student body. I hope I
can continue to develop the skills that I have acquired by
being a student leader. Finally, I would like to thank my
mentor, Mr Berry, for helping and guiding me through this
academic year as a Prefect. It has been an honour serving
as the Science Prefect and I wish the future Prefects the
very best!
LANGUAGES — NARISA
Phew! We made it through an entire year filled with so
many wonderful events, not to mention memories! Here are
some of mine: Getting 1,000 Kit-kats and hiding the golden
tickets in them for Roald Dahl Day, decorating the hall with
colourful Indian scarves and applying henna designs during
Diwali, finding out the different languages spoken in school,
discovering incredible writers in the form of teachers, MCing
— the most nerve-wracking but also exciting experience.
I could go on, but I do have to mention my friends and
of course Mr Beales; without their support everything would
have been impossible. To finish off, I wish the new Prefects
best of luck and happy holidays!
ACTIVITY- PREM
My role as the Activity Prefect has almost come to an end,
however, during this time I have learnt many things from
my different experiences. Some of the memorable
experiences included being the MC for the talent show,
taking charge of the United Nations’ Day and conducting
assemblies. Now, thinking back, I am grateful for these
experiences as they have made me into a confident and
risk-taking student, which I hope to carry with me through
my life. Also, I would like to thank my mentor, Ms
Longstaffe, the team of Prefects and Mr Beales for all of
their support. I wish the future Prefects the best of luck.
Head Girl /
Humanities
Shilpi
Head Boy /
Services
Jignil
Science
Shomit
Activities
Prem
Languages
Narisa
Creativity
Tara

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/

TIGER TRIUMPHS!
Students from Tiger House enjoyed an afternoon
of fun and games after being crowned
House champions.
In a tightly-fought contest, Tiger just pipped
Cobra to the post to become House champions
for 2016-17. Their reward was a special
lunch and then an afternoon packed with
activities, including a bouncy castle, volleyball,
golf and a water slide.
15

ANNUAL SPORTS’ AWARDS
On Thursday June 15 the PE department held the Annual Sports Awards' Evening. Taekwondo
expert Nikon Gormley, their guest speaker, gave an inspirational speech. Well done to all the students
who have participated in the GIS Titans teams this year and to the pupils who won the special awards.
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From Mr Share: Head of Secondary
Dear parents and carers,
We have made it to the end of a busy and exciting year. We have now finished our awards and celebrations’
season that has seen the Sports’ Awards and Academic Awards in the last week. It was fantastic to
see supportive parents at all the awards. Our House competition has come to an end for the year and this
year’s winners were Tiger House. On Tuesday they had a celebration of all of their efforts and success by
having a house winner’s party; they were off timetable after period 5, with an afternoon of fun that joined
the Primary and Secondary students together. We also had the fun and exciting Friends of Garden (FoG)
Picnic last Saturday. Thank you to FoG for all of their support and input into helping the school community
as a whole, and I look forward to working with them again next year.
As we are now at the summer holidays, traditionally a time when many parents purchase uniform, I would
just like to make you aware of the small updates to the Secondary uniform policy as we try to smarten up a
little bit for next year. There have been some minor amendments to shoes and trainer policy which we will
bring in from January 2018. Therefore, if you have just purchased a pair of shoes or trainers you can still
get plenty of wear from them. The main change to note, is that we require Secondary students to have
black shoes or trainers from January. We use the word predominantly black but ultimately we feel there
are plenty of opportunities to buy a wide range of comfortable and suitable shoes that are all black in nature,
and we would prefer this. There are also slight amendments to the IB uniform as well.
Finally wherever you are for the next seven weeks I hope it is a great summer. For those that are leaving
us good luck in your new life and and opportunities and for everyone else I look forward to seeing many
parents and students on the first day of next school year, Thursday 17 August.
Regards
Mr Share
Head of Secondary
headsec@gardenrayong.com

DRESS CODE
For IB Students (IB Foundation, IB1 and IB2)
Clothing
Clothing should be smart business attire, which means it must be clean, respectable and presentable
and, on the whole, not discriminate between boys or girls.
Plain white or plain blue shirts or blouses should have a collar. For girls, smart business tops without
a collar are acceptable.
Tailored trousers can be worn by boys or girls and should be long and dark in colour and skirts or
shorts should be of respectable length (knee length or below). The IBDP Coordinator and/or Head
of Secondary decides if the length is respectable.
Polo shirts, ‘hoodies’, sportswear, denim jeans, leggings and ripped trousers are not allowed.
Students must not wear clothing deemed to be too revealing (this includes for girls strappy tops or
anything that reveals their mid-riff, and a combination of bare arms and shoulders).
Hats, caps and sunglasses may not be worn inside classrooms.
Only shoes are acceptable, not trainers, and the shoes should be mainly dark in colour (girls should
wear flat-heeled shoes). Ties may be worn, but are not a requirement.
Jewellery
One discreet stud per ear is permitted as an ear-ring. One simple finger ring is allowed. A discreet
necklace under the shirt and two bracelets may be worn.
No other visible piercing is allowed.
Hair and makeup
Hair must be clean and neat with no eccentric styles. Students are not allowed to change their hair
to any non-natural colour or add any highlights of any non-natural colours.
Any use of make-up should be minimal and natural-looking.
A discreet natural coloured, or clear, nail polish is allowed with no bright colours or intricate designs.
18

GIS Dress Code for Years 7-11
Shirts
GIS school shirt /blouse
Trousers / Shorts / Skirts
Skirts or shorts should be dark blue and of reasonable (not above the knee) length
Shorts should be dark blue from the uniform shop (tailored)
Tailored trousers are allowed for girls (especially where religious beliefs are adhered to).
No sports shorts or tracksuit bottoms are allowed as part of the normal everyday uniform.
No jeans of any type, chinos or leggings are allowed.
Footwear
The school prefers all black footwear whether that is leather shoes or trainers.
Shoes/trainers from January 1 2018 should be predominantly black (including laces),
covered (not open) and safe to walk in. Predominantly black means 80% of the shoe
should be black. We will allow trainers with normal sized logos (but prefer blackened logos).
Indistinguishable other colours that are interwoven into the shoe design are acceptable, as
long as the overall look is black. If in doubt students should buy black only.
No high top (basketball) boots; students may change at break times into basketball boots as
long as they change back into normal footwear for lessons.
Cool Weather Clothing
Students may wear a school jumper or a GIS Titans hoodie. No other jumpers should be
worn on the school site at any time.
A rain top may be worn into school and stored in a school locker or school bag when appropriate.
Overall Appearance
Students’ hair, cleanliness and clothing should be respectable and presentable.
Students are not allowed to change their natural hair colour or add any highlights of any nonnatural
colours. No shaved patterns or shaved heads. Long hair should be neatly tied back.
One discreet stud per ear is permitted. No other visible piercing is allowed and no visible tattoos.
One simple finger ring is allowed. A discreet necklace under the shirt and two bracelets may
be worn. Any use of make-up should be minimal and natural-looking.
A discreet natural coloured, or clear, nail polish is allowed with no bright colours and no intricate
designs.
19

SECONDARY AWARDS 2016-17
Dozens of students were given special certificates at the annual
Secondary Awards’ assembly. Students were rewarded for their
endeavor and also their academic attainment in their subjects.
There were also special awards for the most kind-hearted student,
the most internationally-minded student and the student with the
best overall academic performance.
20

IGCSE
Year 11 Formal Evening
Students from GIS have celebrated the end of their IGCSE
examinations with a special event in Pattaya.
The Year 11 students have just completed their IGCSEs and
marked the occasion with a formal evening at the Hilton, Pattaya,
on June 10.
The evening began with a welcome speech by IGCSE
Coordinator Mr Chris Stokes, and was followed by several
polished performances by students. Guests enjoyed an
international/Thai buffet.
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education
are run by Cambridge International Examinations; they are
the world's leading qualification for 16-year-olds. Many of the
Year 11 students will continue their education at GIS in August,
when they begin studying for the IB Diploma.

IGCSE
FORMAL
2017
22

BEACH CLEAN UP
Students in Years 7 to 9 have carried out a beach clean-up in
Ban Chang. The event was part of their PSHE lessons, where
they are learning more about how to care for their environment.
Thanks to Ilse who supplied the safety gloves for students.
23

STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ROCK AT BANDSLAM
Some of the best young musicians in the area came together for the annual Bandslam event at GIS.
GIS's talented team of singers and musicians performed some powerful numbers, along with guests
from St Andrews International School. There was also a special performance from the staff band.
24

CULTURE VISIT
Year 7 students went to visit one of the area’s most
impressive cultural exhibitions.
The students headed to Viharana Sien in Pattaya to
see an incredible collection of Chinese artefacts. The
trip was run by the History and Mandarin teachers.
25

SPANISH RESTAURANT TRIP
Secondary students paid a visit to a Spanish restaurant to sample authentic Spanish dishes.
SPANISH DANCING
Year 4 Spanish students made a piñata,
which was linked to a Mexican topic about
traditions.
They also put on a great dance for the
Primary Summer Concert.
26

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. Thanks to Humanities’ Prefect and Head Girl Shilpi for preparing these.

29

30

Here is the provisional sports’ timetable for 2017-18.
31

HOUSE CHAMPION REVEALED!
It has been another fantastic year in the House competition and we have a new champion!
Students and staff have ran, solved, climbed, jumped, wrote, danced, sung, acted and pulled to try and ensure
their House was crowned 2016/17 House champions.
It was great to see so many students being risk takers, communicators, thinkers, inquirers and lots more.
Garden International School
Your choice. Their future. Our family.
Find us at:
Website: www.gardenrayong.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Garden-International-School-Rayong-Thailand/128699487157809
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/gisrayong
Accredited by
Affiliated to
32