PREPazine

Issue # 10, 13th November 2015

Message from the Head of School

Dear Parents,

FOBISIA

Last weekend the Annual FOBISIA

Heads’ and Senior Leaders’

Conference took place in Singapore, hosted by the Tanglin Trust School.

We have been a member of FOBISIA (Federation of British

International Schools in Asia) since 2011 and we are becoming

increasingly involved in FOBISIA

activities, developing opportunities for our students to learn from and compete with others from like-minded schools in

the region. As well as providing sporting, musical and curriculum opportunities for students, the federation also

offers training opportunities for teaching staff through job-

alike workshops (JAWS) and by collectively organising to bring external providers to South East Asia. By sharing

expenses across participating schools we can ensure high quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for staff

at a reasonable cost to each school. In addition to CPD, through FOBISIA we have access to sports games for

different age groups, music festivals, maths competitions

and Model United Nations meetings. With a membership of over 50 schools in Asia from Jakarta in the south to Ulan

Bator in the north, FOBISIA is a wonderful federation for our school community to belong to.

I attended the conference and training sessions throughout the weekend and also attended the FOBISIA Heads Business

Meeting and AGM. It was refreshing to have the opportunity to discuss ideas and issues with colleague Heads in schools

of a similar nature and standing as Bangkok Prep and as a

school we can look forward to further exploring more links with them in the future.

Recruitment

Those of you who keep an eagle eye on our website will also notice that we are now advertising teaching posts for

the next academic year, commencing August 2016. We also have an advert in the TES at the moment advertising the

same vacancies. Mr Wilsonlock, Mr Stonehouse and I will be

interviewing prospective staff in January 2016 both here in

Friday 13th November – Sunday 15th November Year 11 IGCSE Geography Field Trip

Monday 16th November Year 2 Pirate Theme Day at the Auditorium

Monday 16th November - Wednesday 18th November Year 5 Residential Trip

Wednesday 18th November Whole School: First Rotation of WOW Lessons

Thursday 19th November Year 12 GCSE Certificate Presentation Afternoon from

2.10pm – 3.05pm at the Auditorium

Thursday 19th November Year 3 Pompeii Parent Showcase from 8.00am – 2.20pm at the Year 3 classrooms

Friday 20th November Secondary: Theatre Trip from 6.00pm – 10.00pm

Tuesday 24th November Key Stage 2 Sports Day from 9.00am – 3.00pm at Ramkhamhaeng University Stadium

Wednesday 25th November Whole School: Loy Krathong Celebration 2015 from 9.00am

– 9.30am in the Sports Hall

Wednesday 25th November Year 1 Loy Krathong Celebrations at the Key Stage 1 Playground

Friday 27th November (all day) Primary TISAC Athletics Meet at Saint John's International School in Ladprao Soi 8

Saturday 28th November U11 Girls Basketball TISAC Tournament from 8.00am to

2.00pm at Bangkok Prep

IMPORTANT DATES

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Issue # 10, 13th November 2015

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Bangkok and also in London, with a focus on employing more high calibre teachers for the school. We are expanding the number of teachers in response to the needs of our ever increasing student roll.

Lockdown

The school successfully held its first ‘lockdown’ drill Thursday 12th November. Our security procedures in school are of a very high standard but we recognise the importance of preparing and drilling staff and students in the unlikely event that a

dangerous intruder strays onto our campus. The policy and process was fully discussed with staff prior to the event to ensure that none of our students were unduly scared by the drill.

International Day

Finally, I would like to thank and congratulate all staff, parents and students who were involved in our very successful and

enjoyable ‘International Day’ celebration on Tuesday 10th November. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the international nature of our school community and the richness that our diversity brings culturally.

Have a lovely weekend.

Best regards, Valerie Thomas-Peter Head of School

After School Activities for Primary School will be cancelled on Tuesday 24th November

As Key Stage 2 Sports Day takes place on Tuesday 24th November, all Primary After School Activities will have to be

cancelled on that day. Paid clubs including Chess, Mosaic Art, Phonics and Sewing Soft Toy will be rescheduled

on Tuesday 8th December. There will be no make-up classes for clubs that are free of charge.

Hatairat Bootrsing (Jeab) Event and Activity Manager

Learning Support – working in partnership with parents

Global Goals

On Tuesday 10th November, our school values were demonstrated fully via International Day. We were presented to by a

representative of UNESCO about Global Goals. It taught me just how much our school community values your child. Staff throughout the school work tirelessly and recognise that the average does not exist. When you are part of such a hard

working community, which is child centred, one should feel very lucky to be on the journey with you all.

Dominic Proctor and Melissa Stonehouse Learning Support Team

Piano Competition

On Friday 30th October, Malissa Saengtubtim, Year 7

student, won second prize "Category C" award for the Churairat Piano Competition 2015 at the Bangkok Art and

Culture Centre. Congratulations!

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Golf Achievement

Last weekend, Achira Chumchaivate (Monte), Year 4 student,

joined a tournament of the Thai Students Golf Union at Watermill Golf and Garden, and played against under 11 years

old competitiors. Monte won 1st place in the competition with a score of 8 over par which was 5 strokes better than the

second place. Well done!

International Day

International Day was a success again this year with

interesting activities buzzing all around the school! Primary kicked off the day with a beautiful International parade where

students displayed their national colours. Secondary started the day in the Assembly where guest speaker, Ramya Vivekanandan from UNESCO, talked about the origins of the 17 UN Global Goals and the conscientious efforts behind

them. Students from Foundation Stage to Year 13 learned about different cultures and got to embrace their cultural diversity. It was truly wonderful to witness the diversity of our school population!

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PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS

Dear Parents,

As you are aware the value of the month for November is Internationally Mindedness and this was most apparent this week. On Tuesday, we had an amazing International Day and I would like to

take this opportunity to formally thank all the children, parents and staff that worked tirelessly to make the event a huge success. As I mention during the parade, we are very proud of our

international diversity and we should never underestimate how important it is for children to learn

in an international community. This is something that remains at the heart of Bangkok Prep.

During this week, we also showed our respect by wearing a poppy. Children spent some silent

moments thinking about all the people, around the world, that have had their lives affected by war. I must also mention the colourful Diwali celebrations that have occurred today in Bangkok

Prep. At Bangkok Prep we are truly Internationally minded!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Duncan Stonehouse Head of Primary

Eco News

This week, the Primary Eco Team have been looking at biodiversity! This is a long word that simply

means: ‘the different animals and plants living around us’.

Our school is very lucky because we have a great deal of biodiversity. There are lots of plants and trees, which act as great homes for small animals, bugs and birds.

The problem is, some people do not always treat these small animals with respect. We have seen people disturbing

animals, scaring them and even hurting them. Humans are far bigger than these animals and we can be very, very scary

to them. It would be a bit like a giant lizard attacking a human. I am sure you would be pretty scared! Or even a giant frog, climbing around the city. It would be terrifying!

The Eco Team would like to remind everybody to look after the animals you see in the school and all around you. They are

a very important part of the environment and they help to keep the planet balanced. For example, did you know lizards

and geckos eat mosquitoes? And I am sure you would all like to have a few less mosquitoes buzzing around!

Kris Leverton Eco Team Coordinator

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Foundation Stage – Nursery and Reception

This week was most certainly a very special week filled with

exploration and excitement. On International Day, we had an action packed day, travelling on adventures around different

countries of the world. We engaged in a wealth of activities, as we learned some of the customs and traditions of the UK,

Ireland, USA, Thailand and India. In Foundation Stage, we concluded our journey in India, where we were treated to the

most colourful and exhilarating traditional Indian dance from our

Foundation Stage parents. All of the children and teachers were then invited onto the stage for an incredible show stopping finale

on this very memorable day.

On Friday 13th November, we celebrated the Festival of Lights,

with our very own Diwali celebration day. We invited all of our parents to the opening of the special days events, with the

Nursery and Reception children performing a collective Diwali dance on the stage in the garden.

Thank you to all of our Foundation parents for your generous and valued contributions in preparations for International Day, Diwali

and the forthcoming Christmas Production. We are thankful for your continued support, and the learning opportunities we are

able to provide to our students, as partners together in their early education.

Helen Young Reception Teacher

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SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS

Dear Parents,

We often read that the greatest resource of any organisation is its people, which is especially

important in a school. Bangkok Prep certainly has outstanding staff and it is my pleasure and privilege to observe so many wonderful lessons and activities on a weekly basis. But we also

have a wonderful student body and their combined efforts were very much in evidence this week at our International Day. Students worked in mixed age-groups on one of the United

Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Staff deliberately held back to ensure the students

developed, not only their knowledge, but also their leadership and teamwork skills.

A student media group are putting the final touches to an article and short film, which I encourage you to see when available. Special thanks must go to Ms Nichola Giddings and Ms

Chay Brown for their huge efforts organising such a successful and important event. You may

have seen them as a traditional Welsh cockle collector or wearing aboriginal face paint. Many students also wore international dress and it was a pleasure to see so many making the effort –

I am hoping that next year we manage to get all students dressed up! Clothing and dress is something we take seriously at Bangkok Prep and it is why we have a uniform. It allows students to have an identity and to develop a sense of

community and belonging. It also teaches the students self-respect and respect for the school. The vast majority of our students look very smart on a daily basis but we have noticed that a number are beginning to wear black trainers or

canvas shoes. Could I please therefore ask that students come to school dressed in appropriate black leather shoes? Thank

you for your support.

On Wednesday 11th November, I gave a presentation with Ms Thomas-Peter and Ms Court-Smith comparing “A Levels and IB”. It was very well attended but if you didn’t manage to attend please visit Firefly to access the presentation. I hope that

attendees left knowing that both are quality curricula with marginal differences. The ultimate measure of success,

however, is the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom, something that we take very seriously at Bangkok Prep and is our primary focus.

Regards,

Nigel Wilsonlock Acting Head of Secondary

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PE NEWS

Foundation Stage – Swimming

In Nursery, we enjoyed ourselves in the big pool. We

jumped in the pool and swam under the water. We practiced kicking our legs, and blowing bubbles. Well done

everyone!

Isla Gordon Foundation Stage PE Teacher

U15 Boys Basketball team won 2nd place in TISAC tournament

We are very proud of our U15 Boys who were undefeated during the regular basketball season, winning all 5 games with

double-digit margins. On Saturday 31st October, most parents accompanied and cheered for the U15 Boys team as they competed in the TISAC tournament with beaming confidence. True to

form, we demolished our opponents in the group stage, one by one, starting with an easy win over St. Andrews 107 (STA), with a score of

17-5. Next up was another double-digit win over Charter, 18-4. The

next two games saw the boys challenged and pushed to the limit, but with their drive and determination. The boys held BIST and BCIS at

bay with last second heroics from Danaithorn Kanphai (Benz; Year 10), with scores of 10-8 and 12-9, respectively. The 5th and last game

in the group stage came to a draw with our boys coming from behind

with a heart-stopping score of 14-14 versus STA, placing our Bangkok Prep boys at the top of Group A, undefeated! The semi-final was

another thrilling game as our boys came out on top with a hard fought win over the home team, Concordian,

score of 10-7, to reach the finals. Our boys played hard but lost steam when they entered the finals

against Wells International School, who had an

easier time against their opponents completing their Group B stage. The final score was 8-16.

Congratulations to our boys and their coach, Mr Martin Lowe, on their 2nd place overall finish, truly

an amazing achievement!

By Mr Roger and Mrs Bing Santos (Parents of Robin Santos – Year 10 student)

Tuesday 24th November Key Stage 2 Sports Day from 9.00am – 3.00pm at

Ramkhamhaeng University Stadium

Friday 27th November (all day) Primary TISAC Athletics Meet at Saint John's International School in Ladprao Soi 8

Saturday 28th November U11 Girls Basketball TISAC Tournament from 8.00am to

2.00pm at Bangkok Prep

PE IMPORTANT DATES

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Knowing When to Swim or Not to Swim

Should children be swimming with a cold?

This is a contentious issue and there has been a lot of debate on this as there is really no clear definitive answer. However,

many universities have been studying this contentious issue. Can you swim with a common cold?

Ball State University conducted a study on the most frequently contracted form of the common cold (rhinovirus-caused upper respiratory illness) and found that exercise of mild intensity did not change the severity or duration of the cold,

either for worse or for the better.

In another study done performed Dr Neil Walsh at Bangor University, he found that the often cited advice that “a sick

swimmer should not engage in training” as it is thought to suppress immune function (and thereby increase the duration of the illness).

The rule of thumb that is recognised by medical professionals all over the world is that if the symptoms are ABOVE the neck, then it’s most likely Ok to swim.

The swimming coaches at school are not medical professionals and secondly, they do not have to sit up all night with your

sick child at home. Common sense should always be applied.

Matthew Ferrier

Head of Aquatics

FOBP NEWS Dear Parents, After a busy few weeks with loads of events and parent participation

we can now all sit back and relax a bit.

The International Day Parade was a huge success. Thanks to Felicity

Fox, our FOBP Primary Liaision, for managing to get it back on the calendar! Only 2 more FOBP events this year!

Christmas Bazaar: Thursday 10th December from

2.00pm – 5.00pm

Please contact FOBP at fobp.bkkprep@gmail.com

All tables have been booked and those participating will receive an

email with further notice and instructions re payment and set up.

Asking all parents to drop by and get some shopping done, whilst

allowing your kinds to “shop” as well at their fellow students’ boots.

Funky Friday on December 4th from 2.30pm – 3.30 pm

Have a great weekend.

FOBP Committee