Yearbook 2008-2009 - HQ small by Bem Era

siam international school │ changes ‘09

We Did It!

Siam International School is now WASC Accredited!

The Hero in My Eyes:

An English Report by Tak (G. 10)

His Majesty The King Bhumibol Adulyadej siam international school â&#x201D;&#x201A; changes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;09

never thought of just anyone as my hero. The heroes they say are Superman, Batman and Spiderman. If I had to pick a hero, I would say the King of my own country, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He is a real hero for the Thai people. All the people in Thailand admire him as the Father of the Land. Throughout his reign, he has visited every single province of this country. He has listened to his people and has helped them solve their problems. The King has initiated many Royal Projects that have helped the people in many ways. Some of the projects are: The improved education system, improved methods of agricultural techniques, improved transportation system (roads and highways), the artificial rain

project in the Northeast of Thailand, and many others that have helped boost the Thai economy. These Royal Projects have greatly improved the lives of the Thai people. The King constantly supports the poor and continues to start new foundations and projects for the people who live in the rural areas. The Thai people love and respect the King for all that he has done. He is like a superhero that helps the country. The King is the Soul of the Nation. Although I have never met him personally, the stories I have heard and the things I have read make me feel so proud of him. I am glad to be a Thai citizen, and my only superhero is His Majesty the King, and I love him very much.

Table of CONTENTS Messages ........................ page 5

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Teachers and Staff ........................ page 7 Class Group Pictures ........................ page 14 Nursery & Kindergarten Students ........................ page 20 Elementary Students ........................ page 24 Middle School Students ........................ page 30 High School Students ........................ page 36 The Graduates 2009 ........................ page 40 Activity Pages ........................ page 44 Avertisements ........................ page 102 Acknowledgements ........................ page 104 School Song ........................ page 105 Autographs ........................ page 106

Why CHANGES? W

e chose this name for our theme this year because of the many events that led to what we are now. We are changing for the better and we will try our best to keep giving the best quality education for all of you. Of course we have “ups and downs”, and that’s what keeps life exciting. As you flip through the pages, you will see all the exciting activities that you, the students, did throughout the year. You will see the changes in your looks as you become more mature. You will also reminisce the memories with your friends and classmates and the exciting ride you took throughout this year’s journey. Thank you for choosing Siam International School as “your” school and that we will be a part of your lasting memory.

From the SIS Licensee K Dear Students:

Enjoy your years are SIS and all the best! Khun Ratanachai Nantapramote SIS Licensee / Owner

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udos for all your wonderful achievements and the superb community service of the Grade 11 in touching the lives of the HIV-AIDS patients! Siam International School is for you, dear students. This is intended to nurture you and build you up. All stakeholders with the management team are united in giving you the best training possible so that the dreams of your parents can be partly realized. All the programs and activities are designed to hone your talents so that you can become effective CHANGE agents and contributors to society. To think and go global is not enough. You need to develop perseverance, social graces, values, commitment and competence. It doesn’t happen overnight. Impossible things will become possible just like in the case of Edison, Einstein, and others. It is for this reason that the share-holders are choosing highly qualified and competent board members and management team. We, the share-holders, have entrusted the school to Dr. AT Libato, Ajarn Raffy Manassian, Ajarn Prasit Comewinit, and the winning SIS team with authentic and blanket authority. Rest assured, the decision making processes will always take into consideration whatever is the best interest of the students.

From the SIS Board Chair Dear Students:

ongratulations for all your passing grades and for gaining another milepost in your educational endeavor with all the challenges and sweet memories! In this issue of the SIS Yearbook that is fitly dubbed as “CHANGES”, let us all create a deep impression upon our minds and hearts of the SIS Mission which is: “It is the mission of Siam International School to educate the whole child – mind, body and spirit- and to encourage each child to strive for excellence.” The school intends to be among the top three low-medium cost international schools in Thailand. Together with the SIS mission, the expected school-wide learning results (ESLRs) and the academic curricular standards or strands will come into play. The standards are the curriculum targets that you as students must develop mastery of in your specific grade levels. From the lower wrung to the higher wrung of the academic ladder, master the standards in each grade level so that you get no learning gaps. “Something better” is the catchword for education. Thus, by the end of each school year please measure yourselves with the ESLRs such as follows: 1. “Become lifelong learners”; 2. “Demonstrate well developed cognitive skills”; 3. “Become skilled communicators”; 4. “Become responsible and respectful members of the global community”; and 5. “Demonstrate academic responsibility”. Make sure that this year you’re better that the past year. Next year, ensure too that you’ll be better than this year. Have a wonderful time at SIS and gain the best learning experience! Kindest regards, Adelino Libato, Ph.D. SIS Board Chair

From the SIS Director Dear students, parents, fellow administrators, teachers and friends:

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eople are always afraid of change. We do not want to get out of our Comfort Zones and take risks, but it is a fact that the only immutable law of the universe is change. The only thing that never changes is change itself. We should embrace change and see in it a chance for improvement and achievement. If a person never changes, he/she never grows. We measure the growth of a person by the changes in him/her. Siam International School has had a very challenging and interesting year, a year in which many things have changed and many more changes are to come. We have achieved our dream of getting WASC accreditation and we have achieved our plans for a Paperless School, a school in which the best resources and educational standards are used, and the next school year promises to be even more exciting and fulfilling. There will be new challenges, new achievements and new horizons to conquer. We look forward to the next school year with great anticipation and we would like to invite you all to join us on this exciting journey of discovery. What we can achieve is limited only by our imagination and by the effort we are willing to put into our work. We would like to thank all of you who have helped us make this school a success and we want you to know that we will always try our best to improve the quality of our school until it becomes one of the best schools in Thailand and, indeed, in the world. Raffy Manassian SIS Director

From the SIS Business Manager Dear Students:

llow me to congratulate all teachers and students for successfully hurdling another school year as well as to thank all the SIS parents for their untiring financial support! We are all here to serve our students and to help bring about CHANGES that will redound to their best interest. Student learning with the holistic development of our students will always be the first and foremost concern of all SIS family. All the resources will be harnessed for such premier target. As a matter of fact, the whole SIS team has rallied to get WASC accreditation and to fully implement the piloted e-learning project. This school is going to be the first e-learning international school in Thailand. Predictably, WASC accreditation and e-learning will bring to SIS more amazing CHANGES for the better. More power to the faculty, students, parents, and SIS family!

Sincerely yours, Prasit Comewinit SIS Business manager

Front Office Staff

Pakasit Mantaisong Marketing Consultant

Sahakorn Songrat HR / Marketing Agent

Pongsapak Saengton Plant Service Manager

Chareerath Sianglum Admissions/Secretary

Suwitchaporn Wichiansri Admissions/Marketing

Saisuda Wilaileet Admissions/Secretary

Nareerat Sutthirak Photocopy & Resources

Boonchoo Choteklang Purchasing Manager

Duangporn Narapak Accounting Manager

Yuwadee Watcharaponsakul Finance

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Meetha Saengnoree Gov. Liaison/HR

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Educational Staff

Prisana Jiraboondilok Principal / Registrar

Kanjana Thongpech Secretary

Rosalina G. Ratilla WASC Secretary

Jerubem Era Media Center & Faculty Support Services

Somsak Songput Discipline

Thongdee Plapraem School Nurse

Uraiwan Phohpaen School Librarian

Sommai Phohpaen Scouts Instructor

ESL

Forsythia Galgao ESL Coordinator

Gabriel Galgao ESL Teacher

Theodore Persinger ESL Teacher

Nursery & Kindergarten Department Elizabeth R. Econar Nursery Assistant

Tessie E. Penuela Substitute Teacher Nursery Assistant

Yasmin Banu Kinder 1 Homeroom

Melody Ligao Kinder 1 Assistant

Seiichi Tsuiki Kinder 2 Homeroom

Geoffrey Gloyn Kinder 3 Homeroom

Analiza Semana Kinder 3 Assistant

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Emily Phitak Nursery Homeroom

Arlene Agusen Kinder 2 Assistant

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Elementary Department Patrick Lewis Elementary Coordinator

Tiprumpa Chanruang Thai Teacher

Chusri Kularp-um Thai Teacher

Naomi JardinianoManassian Grade 1 Homeroom

Emilan Jardiniano Grade 1 Assistant

John Gammons Grade 2 Homeroom

Marily Garcia Grade 2 Assistant

Gayane Mirzoeva Grade 3 Homeroom

Sharon Howe Grade 4 Homeroom

Evan Wilkinson Grade 5 Homeroom

Amrish Tony Physical Education

December Lynn Cadiogan Music Teacher

Fang You Chinese Teacher

Sincere Bagaboy-boy Art Teacher

Joseph R. Kerr IV Grade 6 Homeroom

Chabada K. Kuldeep Kaur Grade 7 Homeroom

Maribeth Fernandez Grade 8 Homeroom

Baldeep Singh Sawhney Grade 9 Homeroom

Vinay Kumar Grade 10 Homeroom

Kevin Tarmey Grade 11 Homeroom

Somrudee Tan-ieam MS/HS Thai Teacher

Shahul H. Moinudin Sha Computer Teacher

Courtney Rodriguez Music Teacher

Joachim Ekstrom School Counselor

Eoin O’Brien Physical Education / Health

Addy Cooke Physical Education / Business

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Gregory Slosek High School Principal Grade 12 Homeroom

Middle School and High School Department

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Maintenance Staff

Supee Bangdong Housekeeping

Sureerat Sae-House Housekeeping

Deang Methawongse Housekeeping

Waewta Ngernpluppla Housekeeping

Khanatnan Kamjantha Housekeeping

Nathapol Prompeth Maintenance

Udon Seeboonreung Maintenance

Krich Junluechai Computer Maintenance

Wang Bangdong Gardener

Samrueng Suksongkhor Jumrat Klue-Ngam Gardener Gardener

12 Pol Mathamma Maintenance

Pipat Kaenprom Driver / Maintenance

Sophol Intarapiboon Driver

Chaiwat Jipomja Maintenance

Cuisine Staff siam international school │ changes ‘09

Wanna Tadthong

Pairat Prangthong

Sopa Suaydee

Manee Therm-Ngam

Amporn Churat

Saksith Teang-Ngam

Security Guards

Narong Boongeb Head Guard

Boontan Khaisaeng Guard

Kwai Deangtun Guard

Phayu Duangkaew Guard

13 Samai Tonepun Guard

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Nursery

Kindergarten

Nursery

Kindergarten 1

Kindergarten 2

Kindergarten 3

Grade 3

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Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 4

Elementary Grade 5

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Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 9

Grade 8

Middle School

& High School

Grade 11

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Grade 10

Summer ESL

Grade 12

SIS Home-Room Teachers Nursery: K1: K2: K3: Ele. G 1: Ele. G 2: Ele. G 3: Ele. G 4: Ele. G 5: MS G. 6: MS G. 7: MS G. 8: HS G. 9: HS G. 10: HS G. 11: HS G. 12:

Mrs. Emily Mrs. Yasmin Mr. Seiichi Mr. Geoffrey Mrs. Naomi Mr. John Mrs. Gayana Mrs. Sharon Mr. Evan Mr. Joe Ms. Kuldeep Mrs. Meribeth Mr. Baldeep Mr. Vinay Mr. Kevin Mr. Greg

Philippines India Australia Australia Philippines America Russia Australia New Zealand America America Philippines India India America America

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The Teachers of Siam International School

Kindergarten and Elementary

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Nursery

Angela Elizabeth Johnson (Angie)

20 Nitithorn Sae-Chan (Mark)

Irfaan Shah Moinudin (Irfaan)

Kritdhanai Kongjun (Kawint)

Praifon Pinkaew (Khai Wan)

Pakin Narapak (Prem)

Piyasawat Hongthong (Pei)

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Kindergarten 1

Maila Awasthi (Lovi)

Mandy Mar Fernandez (Mandy)

Marcus Landes (Makus)

Martin John Gordon (John)

Phatsakorn Tommy Heng (Tommy)

Praenarin Asawasirilert (New)

Saharat Bhincharern (Tommy)

Thayaporn Konthong (Chammy)

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Kindergarten 2

Apirat Matchacham (Pee)

22 Puripat Wongpadungkiet (Mark)

Henrick Lautner (Henrick)

Max Lautner (Max)

Santiphap Asawasirilert (Cool)

Thitinarintha Porndumrongzin (Khunchai)

Yosita Bunploeng (Grace)

Kritsana Kongjun (Captain)

Mrinal Mishra (Mrinal)

Narak Satitchaijaroen (Snow)

Nuttanicha Konthong (Cherry)

Peerawat Leekhowsong (Phu)

Peeraya Sae-Chan (Mook)

Phataraphong Phanasaensukjai (Sao-Chi)

Phittawat Yingsukamol (First)

Ping-wen Wang (Vivian)

Robin Ekstrom (Robin)

Sameer Ali (Sameer)

Tracy Melo (Tracey)

Tyron Real (Troy)

Viacheslav Mirzoev (Slava)

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Kevin Gordon (Kevin)

Kindergarten 3

Cindy Au-yeung (Cindy)

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Grade 1

Dreamiell Phitak (Cherry)

Jirapat Phohpaen (Ten)

Kannik Jitnoppakhun (Proud)

Kanyapat Techapeti (Mimi)

Kevin Ekstrom (Kevin)

Naphanara Boonyavulthakul (Victor)

Nuttapong Namson (Ball)

Pakin Pongpitoone (Ice)

Punmasai Punpinij (AJ)

Saharath Haubrich (Mart)

Tiffany Melo (Tiffany)

Grade 2

Jielong Wang (Long-Long)

Jiratchon Niamtan (Tee)

Kongpop Panya (Kong)

Marino Michele Puri (Marino)

Nattanat Ujjin (Pon-Pon)

Pinyo Getmanee (Mo)

Thaporn Srisathaporn (Win)

Zinnia Lautner (Zinnia)

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Farhan Ali (Farhan)

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Grade 3

Daniel Kral (Daniel)

Kittinan Wangamornmit (New)

Methawis John (Lewis)

Nonthapat Laohadtanaphorn (Noan)

Nonthapatr Sanitprachakorn (Olf)

Phongnarin Chanchampu (Ben)

Tailia Boonkul (Tan)

Thitaporn Coothongkul (Pop)

26 Sasipha Tongtae (Nam Fon)

Yanapat Phohpean (Tam)

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Bruce Yong (Bruce)

Giovanni Puri (Giovanni)

Hsin-yi Wang (Cindy)

Ittiporn Julothai (Mafia)

Jiehan Wang (Jiehan)

King Klongphayabal (King)

Natathaphol Boonyavulthakul (Piper)

Phunyawaj Niamtau (Tarm)

Saranpong Jinayon (Tam)

Shivam Abhay Waghmare (Shivam)

Supakorn Dokrakklang (Earth)

Watthanachai Khotchasab (Tor)

Grade 5

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Pichanun Wattanalertpong (Mew)

Atipat Butajeen (Babe)

Jetarin Issarawanich (Je)

Jirayut Tongtae (Jay)

Jirupa Thongampai (Earth)

Jitpanu Issarawanich (Joe)

Katekunya Seangcheuntanom (Pin)

Kietisak Pongsatase (Off)

Kritameth Coothongkul (Ping)

Kwanphon Ali (Faiza)

Panchanok Lim (Debbie)

Plythai Plypoonsup (Kan)

Rawiphat Charoenwiwatchai (Not)

Thamonwan Phumthang (Eye)

Thanabordee Pimpayom (Kang C)

Yanisa Sudo (Haruka)

28 Patchara Pootongjai (Tae)

Techin Nakajima (Tin Tin)

Middle School and High School

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Grade 6

Chawanya Jatupitapornchan (Toon)

Chayanid Chewkrang (Nat)

Denziell Maekyle Phitak (Maekyle)

Jeerayu Susayan (Birdy)

Kriangkrai Licharoensuttikul (Mink)

Kritsada Kasamesrirat (Krit)

Larry Gurung (Larry)

Nada Plitawongse (Somchun)

Jidapha Viravaidya (Mi-Mi)

Ozan Hashmi (Ozan)

Pimpawan Wongamonmit (Pim)

Pisit Aimsathaporn (Mos)

Piyawan Boonreing (Ging)

Supacha Penprasertsuk (Jingyin)

Thiti Jariyawattananukul (Tan)

Trisha Melo (Trisha)

Yanisa Jaengkit (Grace)

Natornchai Jittangtrong (Mart)

Jirasin Issarawanich (Ping)

Patcharachart Wattananukul (Guy)

Pankaew Plypoonsup (Pakkad)

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Pattarathon Watanakij (Fluk)

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Grade 7

Alouny Phanphengdy (Pookie)

Christophe Lété (Chris)

Juthamard Joungarmneut (Ice)

Matilde Puri (Dina)

Maythika Areemit (Rich)

Naphatson Satitchaijaroen (Stamp)

Tanapat Tangkurusorn (Pat)

Thummathorn Chantavibul (Khim)

Ukrit Suwan (Oat)

Kritapas Balacs (Thomas)

Osaf Hashmi (Osaf)

Pat Lokerueng (Hook)

Wasin Coothongkul (Pao)

Watcharesuang Chanpipat (Junior)

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Kaninpong Thongampai (Art)

Praechin Sanidvongs (Prae)

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Grade 8

Bussakorn Jittangtrong (Mild)

Chanchanok Kwangsuwan (Book)

Chanikarn Chaikaew (Bam)

Chayanan Lichaloensuttukun (Ping)

Jeremie Manassian (Jeremy)

Nattawut Techapeti (Shop)

Natthaphak Apiwtthananon (Nep)

Osama Hashmi (Osama)

Ittisak Aimsathaporn (Golf)

Pattapong Theekieo (Yo)

Poramin Comewinit (Opal)

Promrob Tonavanick (Prom)

Rueangrong Passayawan (Rueang)

Sarayut Lappon (Nak)

Sasiporn Puckett (Ip)

Tanapoom Thonganantamars (Poom)

Tankamon Phondej (Prim)

Ryan Ferrer (Ryan)

Thanyathip Nantapramote (Kik)

Apinya Mungkara (Eve)

Rujira Futrakul (Yinglek)

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Phongphat Robertson (Ee-q)

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Grade 9

Ananrat Saehause (Ping)

Apiram Pongpitoone (Earth)

Awiruth Pradithamma (Giv)

Chinnakrit Licharoensuttokun (Dream)

Hongru Li (Hongru)

Jetiya Prompreangchai (JJ)

Nattaya Kittiwatanachot (Nat)

Natthawat Oranraktham (Sanook)

Hatairat Sriwongsa (Jeem)

Nipat Thiraporn (Tae)

Supakorn Rojanapinyou (Elf)

Pintip Mungmee (Stang)

Pongpol Jaengkit (Gap)

Preedapron O-Note (Pree)

Tanapat Khongsatianrat (Honda)

Thanawat Wattanapirom (Chain)

Tuangthong Praditporn (Tuang)

Yi-Pei Chen (Pei)

Jirasak Sudisusadee (Off)

Fangyee Hsie (Fang)

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Nontakant Petchphiboon (Boom)

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Grade 10

Issei Maki (Issei)

Ittikorn Seangchuenthanom (Mai)

Kanpicha Chatuparisutisin (Boom)

Leonardo Puri (Leo)

Natlada Kanjanalekha (Tak)

Opad Prompreangchai (Bas)

Rungrawee Kattamarasre (Benz)

Srisopa Sarapai (Mew)

Thanyathep Nantapramote (Peng)

Wasit Coothongkul (Prem)

38 Tanakorn Oncharoenchai (Sank)

Grade 11

Budsaracome Juntee (Iew)

Chalut Laibangyang (Joe)

Cui Yang (Cui Yang)

Maythiya Treetarntipwong (May)

Pankosa Supongthorn (Nokia)

Paweena Jonngarmhent (Pop)

Rodjanarit Manthanakit (Ball)

Siraporn Ployphommas (Mook)

Suwichaya Kosinanon (White)

Tawiwat Sriwongsa (Jet)

Yuthana Pradithamma (Golf)

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Araya Santitanayothin (Natcha)

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The Graduates We are moving

Forward

Graduation Ceremony

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The Graduates Nopparut Tangkurusorn

Class Valedictorian

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WILL STUDY AT Chulalongkorn University MAJOR B.A. Economics HOBBIES Listening to music and playing basketball

Mint

ADVICE TO UNDERCLASSMEN Practice makes perfect!

Acapaul Chiaravanont WILL STUDY AT Bangkok University International College MAJOR Communication Arts HOBBIES Driving and exploring ADVICE TO UNDERCLASSMEN Think before doing anything!

42 Arm

Chatnarong Termtrakul WILL STUDY AT Mahidol University International College MAJOR Travel Industry Management HOBBIES Discovering new games ADVICE TO UNDERCLASSMEN Live in peace! Stop the bullying!

Grade 12 Jidapa Boonrod

MAJOR B.A. Economics HOBBIES Shopping

Mook

ADVICE TO UNDERCLASSMEN Do your best in everything!

Pakawat Ratanachaiwong WILL STUDY AT Assumption University

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WILL STUDY AT Kasetsart University

MAJOR Bachelor in Business Administration HOBBIES Reading and hanging out with friends

Ink

ADVICE TO UNDERCLASSMEN Treat others as how you’d like to be treated!

Achara Dingsawat WILL STUDY AT Thammasat University MAJOR Chemical Engineering HOBBIES Reading romance novels ADVICE TO UNDERCLASSMEN Have lots of fun with life!

Mischin

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i t fi f of a

The fishes

out of the

Life

water!

Fun

shes lovely fi o w .T .. mmm

to catch”

Grade 8 chillin’

“H

Friends f

or life!

A-one, a-two, -a-three...

’ sitting ool guys

position

oks man!”

bo “Lotsa, lotsa

“Pass it over here!”

Activities

A blast from the

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“You’re really pretty! Can I borrow some money? ”

past!

“Wow , the s

uper g

adget

s of th

e futu

re!”

“You distr act him he re lightning speed mov with your es, a’ight”

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Blessings for a new year of prosperity! The traditional welcome dance for all visitors!

s e nc

a m r o f e r r e u P t l u C &

“Yes! Bravo! An exquisite performance!”

“Check out my groove!”

The artist within...

The Thai dance team

Exotic Thai dances by our own students.

Virtuoso violinist in the making

Loy Krathong Models!

“Eng, eng, eng...”

Welcome to Amazing Thailand!

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“Check out my culinary skills!”

The million Baht smile of SIS

y a d ery

Ev Life “Aloy, aloy mak!”

Look! It’s a bird... it’s a plane...

“I’m tellin’ you, this is the correct answer!!!”

Masterpieces in the making!

Posing before the Songkran splashing! Da Vinci can’t top this...

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Just like Kobe!

Convenient transportation from home to school!

“Yeah Ms. Sharon, that’s the right pose.”

This is how we transport balloons in SIS!

“Hai!” Dragonball Z!

“You can do it! You can blow that balloon!

The 3 Musketeers

r u C a r t x E

s r a l ricu

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Paying respect!

“See, this is how we do things.”

“So... what are you guys doing again?”

“The big cow jumped over the moon using super boosters under its hoofs...”

The jury has reached a verdict!

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Merit Making Ceremony

n Saturday the 1st of November 2009, the Thai Staff of SIS, accompanied by Mr. Ratanachai, went to the Udommongkol temple in Cha Cheng Sao for a Merit Making Ceremony. The serenity and beauty of the temple and the sweet smell of incense created a very relaxing and spiritual atmosphere that put everyone at ease and relax from the daily stresses of work. After the ceremony the group had lunch together. Everyone was happy to have a chance to be together and get to know each other better. Their spirits were high and they shared a lot of laughter. Afterwards they went to Bangsan beach where they enjoyed their time until 7:00PM. Their morale was high as they enjoyed playing, singing and having fun together. At 8:30PM they returned to school very tired, but very happy. This trip was a Team Building activity and was a tremendous success. We hope they will have many other chances to work together again. It is also planned to have such activities for the foreign teachers we have. Raffy Manassian: Editor

Halloween Party

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n Friday the 31st of October there was a Halloween Party in the Auditorium of SIS. The 12th grade students were in charge of preparing and staging this party. The preparation had taken several weeks of hard work and it showed. The decorations were top notch and the food was excellent. Many of the teachers were on hand to join this party and enjoy the activities. The highlight of the party, of course, was the dance marathon, that was enjoyed by everyone, both students and teachers. Even a disco ball was placed in the middle of the room, which added a nice touch to the decorations. The costumes were truly superb and some of the teachers even had a hard time recognizing the students with all their make-up and elaborate outfits. All in all the party was a great success and the proceeds will be going toward the 12th graders’ school projects and activities. Mr. Ratanachai also chipped in and helped by donating the sum of 10,000B for the expenses. We are looking forward to many more such activities in the future. The 12th graders and the Student Council are hard at work planning future activities and projects.

PYP Halloween Day The PYP section also had its Halloween Day. Students and teachers alike came to school dressed as princesses, fairies, ghouls, ghosts, vampires, rock stars and all other kinds of interesting people. Many of the parents also came and shared in the joy of the occasion. The most interesting sight of the day was the look of the students at flag line-up. It looked like a scene straight from a horror movie. However, both the kids and their parents had a lot of fun. The children went Trick-Or-Treating from class to class and even paid a visit to the office of the Director and Thai Principal, who were delighted to hand out candies and goodies to the children. There were also many games and fun activities planned by the PYP teachers, who really went out of their way to make this Halloween Day a special one. We would like to thank everyone for doing their best on this occasion. We hope next year’s celebration will even be better.

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School celebrates Loy Krathong Festival

n Wednesday the 12th of November 2008 the school celebrated the Loy Krathong Festival with all the students and the parents. The ceremony was held on the front lawn of the main school building. Almost all of the students and many of the teachers participated in this joyous occasion. Everyone agreed that it was by far the best program done in the school. The dances were well rehearsed, the costumes were colorful and beautiful, the food was of the finest caliber and the organization of the event was top notch. The program was followed by a brilliant display of fireworks, which were truly extraordinary. Everyone had a good time and many of the parents voiced their appreciation to the school staff and administration. Each ticket was sold for 800b, the profits of which would be spent on much needed supplies for the PYP section. The parents showed overwhelming support for the school by showing up and paying for the tickets. Each and every ticket was sold. The program even included a beauty pageant which was competitive and interesting. Students vied with each other for the coveted first prize. The Administrators acted as the judges for the event and the audience was allowed to participate by buying flowers and giving the flowers to their

favorite participants. The participant with the biggest number of flowers would win. An outside catering service was hired to provide a varied and delicious Chinese menu, which was greatly appreciated by the parents and the teachers. The sound system and the stage were also hired from an outside multimedia agency and the photography company USmile was on hand to take pictures of the event. All in all, everything worked out perfectly and the program was a great success. We would like to thank the parents for their support. We would also like to thank all the Thai teachers who spent so much time and effort in preparing this outstanding program and the students who took time to practice and perform. In addition we would like to thank all the teachers who sacrificed their time and stayed behind in the school building to supervise the security and make sure everything was safe and sound. We are already looking forward to next years program and we are making plans to have an even better and bigger celebration. Raffy Manassian: Editor

SIS victorious over the

Mor Wor Kor

Cup W

e are proud to announce that our football team was victorious over the Isuzu Bang Pu Football team, during the Mor Wor Kor Cup, which was sponsored by his Excellency the crown prince of Thailand. This competition was held for 14 years old students of different schools and our kids were the champions. The final score was six to four. We are very proud of their achievements and we congratulate them on a job well done. We will support our students and give them every opportunity to become as good and they can be in sports. Raffy Manassian: Editor

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SIS receives Bangkok Food Safety City Award

e are proud to announce that our cafeteria received the Bangkok Food Safety City Award for excellence in quality and cleanliness on the 13th of November 2008. Over 1000 schools participated and only 120 received this highest prize for the best standards of excellence. This award is sponsored by the Bangkok Province and Mr. Apirak Kosayothin, its Governor. This competition is organized by the Ministry of Public Health and uses six criteria for evaluation, and all of which, our cafeteria passed with flying colors. We give our heart-felt thanks to Epicure Catering Company and thank them for their excellent record of quality service. Raffy Manassian: Editor

Students take a trip to Chulalongkorn University

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n Friday the 28th of November the 11th and 12th grade students were invited to Chulalongkorn University for a day of orientation and introduction. Many other schools were also invited and our kids had the opportunity of meeting and interacting with students from other schools. The university organized this exhibition and under the title of “The Power of Knowledge for Sustainable Development”. It was aimed at high-school students who are looking for a suitable university to attend. Our students met the deans of all the major university departments and had ample time to ask all the questions they wanted. It was an educational experience for our students and helped focus their minds on their future careers. We wish them the best of luck as they make important decisions that will effect the rest of their lives. Raffy Manassian: Editor

What do you believe?

he Grade 5 class, which has grown from 11 students at the beginning of the year to a whopping 18 students at present count, is studying ‘I Believe’ for our current PYP topic. For the topic ‘I believe’ the class chose to survey Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 7, and pictured Grade 10. The Grade 5 class were also involved in surveying the teachers as the teaching staff here at Siam has a diverse array of teachers from over ten different countries, making it a truly International school. Some of the questions asked by the students, who also suggested them, ranged from cultural differences, celebrations, sports, religion, to beliefs about ghosts and aliens. The students had an interesting and thought provoking time. Now the class are completing their projects on the beliefs of some counties how those beliefs compare and contrast with their home country.

Grade 5 surveying G10 about their beliefs

Thank you to all that were surveyed. Be warned to not be too comfortable in class, because sometime, somewhere, when you least expect it, there may be a Grade 5 student with a survey in their hand ready to survey you again! Evan Wilkinson, Grade 5 teacher

We Are The Champions

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e are happy to announce that our football teams are doing very well in all the major league football competitions. We have won match after match. Out of all the matches we have had last week, we lost only one match and that was to one of the top ranking schools in Thailand. We are very proud of our students and we will continue to support them and encourage their careers in this field. We have already taken steps under the leadership of Mr. Greg and Mr. Eoin to buy uniforms and supplies needed to help them along. In the future our students may be sent abroad to face players outside of Thailand. We will have more details for you in our next issue. Raffy Manassian: Editor

Teachers’ and Staffs’ Christmas Party

Teachers attend Thai Cultural Seminar

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ver the last two weeks some of our teachers have been taking the Thai Cultural Seminar as a requirement for getting a teaching license in Thailand. The course is being offered on the school campus and the school Thai Principal and Government Liaison, Mrs. Prisana, is the instructor. Aside from the courses in Thai History, Thai Religion, and Thai Language, the teachers have also had the chance to witness Thai Sports and Thai Dance and to participate in some of the activities. Everyone is enjoying their time. The highlight of the seminar, however, was a demonstration by some of the PYP students on the proper way to greet people and to bow down to them. This demonstration was given in front of the student body at flag line-up and was greatly appreciated. We encourage all our students to be courteous and polite. Raffy Manassian: Editor

High-School produces dramas

ur High-School students presented some dramatic plays. These plays were practiced and performed under the leadership of Mr. Kevin and were part of the requirements of the English Class. The students enjoyed memorizing lines, practicing their acting abilities, sharpening their conversation skills, and performing in front of teachers who had been asked to critique their performances. It was an enjoyable experience for everyone and we are looking forward to many more such experiences in the future. Raffy Manassian: Editor

SIS wins in Pathumthani Private School Football Club

Raffy Manassian: Editor

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e are happy to announce that our football team won first prize among all the private schools in Pathumthani. We defeated the team from Rabiabwittaya school by a score of three to zero in the age group of 15 years and above. Our kids performed very well and showed that they are truly champions. There was a good spirit of sportsmanship and everyone enjoyed their time. We congratulate our team and wish them the best of luck in their future championships.

Students go to Safari World

ast week grades one and two went on a day long trip to Safari World. The kids really enjoyed seeing all the different kinds of birds and animals and learned a lot about nature and the balance of living within the jungle. The weather was perfect and the kids had a lot of fun running around and playing with their classmates. The teachers also enjoyed spending some quality time outside the classroom getting to know their students better. Raffy Manassian: Editor

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Siam Secure Home Victories against St. Steven’s

s a second round of Hoopin’ against St. Steven’s returned home to Rangsit, bouts of a different nature were set to unfold. The rejuvenated St. Steven’s squads took the court with a fiery determination and a resolve not to repeat the blow outs of the

previous week. Perhaps, after the lopsided wins from last weeks contests the Siam Hoop squads would break the cardinal rule of underestimating their opponents? Siam Senior Girls started off in a sluggish fashion. They left the victory within St. Steven’s grasp throughout, but showed character and determination to pull out the win in the end. The balanced offensive attack of the last game became a distant memory and it took a single player to place the scoring burden on her slender shoulders. In her best performance of the year Mai, grade 11, came out with guns blazing and was absolutely “on fire” for the duration of the game. She was blasting jump shots from all over the court and getting to the hoop for some sweet lay-ups towards the games conclusion. In a phenomenal outing, Mai scored 18 of the teams 20 points. It was the single greatest scoring total of any game (boys or girls) thus far this season and a truly commendable accomplishment. Boom was the only other girl to score in the game but again contributed enormously on the defensive end and dominated the boards. Playing with unrivaled tenacity, she continues to become an “enforcer” for the team. Her Yoga training has begun to pay dividends

as she displayed great improvement in her balance and failed to fall to the ground even once for the entire game!(She almost fell twice, but found her footing just in time!) All the players contributed defensively to the win, especially White, JJ, Pop, and Mint, but just failed to get it going offensively. The boys Team took the court minus Arm, grade 12, who was the top scorer of the previous game. Siam compensated with the addition of Nak, and Poom, absent from the last game, completing the presence of the 8th Grade hoop brigade on the squad. Another new and hopefully permanent addition to the team was Boom, from grade 9. Showing improvement and working his way out of IEP and into major minutes for the team. Jet again ran the team well from the point guard position, slicing through the defence and creating plays for others. Nak was a beast in the paint! He dominated in the low post and even completed a sweet “alley-oop” pass from Poom. Despite a decent performance, the boys seemed to get careless down the stretch and silly turnover allowed the opponents a glimpse of victory late in the 4th quarter. They managed to hold on a squeeze out a narrow three point home win. Good performances from both the teams. We look forward to future games in the second semester!

Mr. Eoin O’Brien

Celebrating His Majesty the King’s Birthday n Thursday the 4th of December we celebrated his Excellency the King’s birthday. The Thai staff and teachers spent many hours training the kids and practicing with them. There were poems, songs and dances. The program took about an hour and a half and was appreciated by all. Most memorable were the costumes of the dancers and the special tribute in song and motion that the students and Thai teachers performed for the King. We congratulate his Excellency the King of Thailand on his birthday and wish him a long and prosperous life. Long Live the King! Raffy Manassian: Editor

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Cui's Chulalongkorn report

Technology. I now know that eing the best class in our they only have few school (I think) we went programs there like Nano on a field trip to the best Technology, university in Thailand: Automotive Chulalongkorn. Around 8.20 Technology and we got in the vans. It really Aerospace took a long time to get there. Technology. None of This was the first time I have ever them is something been there. I saw a lot of high school students from other that I am interested schools and I saw two of my old friends Nott and Mind, in…. I really like and another girl from their class, Mint. In my opinion, electrical and this was a wonderful experience and a terrific chance to mechanical engineering, so I think that I should check visit the number one university here in Thailand. out with other universities in Thailand. We had a guide who is studying at that university. She In the afternoon, around 1.30 pm we got into the vans has a pretty good guide. She led us to many places and did a lot of explaining about everything we saw. We went and took another hour’s journey back to our school. Then the day was finished. to the Office of International Affairs, the Faculty of Science, and the Faculty of Engineering. I really enjoyed it and I hope we will have more chances At first I thought it would be pretty good, because I love to go to visit other famous universities as well! engineering so much and I really wanted to know more Cui Yang and Joe Grade 11 about how to apply to get into that university at the faculty of Engineering to study Information

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Grade 4’s Ancient Life rade 4’s first Unit of Inquiry looked at the many ideas that today’s world got from Ancient civilizations. Student’s found that much of our knowledge of Ancient Rome comes from the discoveries made from ruins at Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii. Students began the unit by making volcanoes and studying the structure of the earth for their science component of the UOI. They also looked at many things bequeathed to us by ancient societies such as celebratory coins in Ancient Rome and the staging of the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece.

In response to the Roman idea of striking coins for special occasions, students brought coins to school from different countries and presented them to class. They spoke about the symbols and people on their coins. Their final activity involved a re-enactment of the Ancient Olympic Games.

In the Grade 4 Ancient Games, in addition to class members participating in athletic events, they held spelling and tables contests. Successful competitors received apples, and crowns students had made with olive leaves just as the Ancient Greeks did. For a modern touch, competitors also received medals made by class members. Watch for our next newsletter entry where we will report on our studies of the “Countries of the World”. Well done Grade 4! Sharon Howe, Grade 4.

Siam Splits Victory Vs St. John’s International

The girls followed the boy’s game and looked as though St. John were attempting to blast the Siam team back to Rangsit with a double dose of defeat. They opened the game with full court defense and initially, the Siam girls seemed ill equipped to handle the pressure, conceding an 8-0 deficit. However, the girls fought hard and gradually clawed their way back into the game. They responded with a little defensive pressure of their own and converted St. John’s mishaps into Siam points. In the 4th quarter Boom, grade10, made two huge free throws to gain the lead. This was followed by May, Grade 11, who finished a fast break to extend the lead to 3. However it was Boom, who was again fouled in the act of shooting and hit a free throw to put the nail in the coffin for the St. John’s squad. Playing with the heart of a Lion and scoring 7 points, it was Boom who earned Most Valuable Player honors. A strong defensive contribution was also made by White, Grade 11, who walked off the court at the conclusion with a bunch of rebounds and else’s blood on her shirt!

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his past Tuesday saw Siam International’s basketball teams clash with St. John’s International School. In a change of format, the Senior Boys opened the proceedings against a well organized and physically strong St. John’s side. The Siam squad is composed of a majority of students from Grade 8, who faced a couple of St. John’s players over 6’4. Siam played the game with lackluster effort and execution. The St. John’s squad quickly jumped out to a commanding double digit lead and never looked back. A “turnover” in basketball is when you give the ball back to the opposition through a rule violation or a bad pass and is probably the most damaging statistic to a team’s chances of success. It was impossible for the Siam squad to cut into the lead, committing more turnovers then shot attempts. Solid performances were scarce with most of the team’s key players underperforming. This, however, is not to doubt the effort of the Siam team who fought hard until the end and were simply outperformed on the day.

Yoga

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Elementary School

ur children live in a hurry-up world of busy parents, school pressures, incessant lessons, video games, malls, and competitive sports. We usually don't think of these influences as stressful for our kids, but often they are. The bustling pace of our children's lives can have a profound effect on their innate joy—and usually not for the better. I have found that yoga can help counter these pressures. When children learn techniques for self-health, relaxation, and inner fulfillment, they can navigate life's challenges with a little more ease. Yoga at an early age encourages self-esteem and body awareness with a physical activity that's noncompetitive. Fostering cooperation and compassion— instead of opposition—is a great gift to give our children. Children derive enormous benefits from yoga. Physically, it enhances their flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness. In addition, their concentration and sense of calmness and relaxation improves. Doing yoga, children exercise, play, connect more deeply with the inner self, and develop an intimate relationship with the natural world that surrounds them. Yoga brings that marvelous inner light that all children have to the surface. Amrish Tony, PE Teacher

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Book Fairs

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Christmas Program Rehearsals

Meet my Family! siam international school │ changes ‘09

rade 3 has just finished studying the second unit of inquiry, “Everyone came from Somewhere”, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the enthusiasm and overwhelming pride in all the kids’ work.

They created individual charts about their family histories, important family events, and favorite celebrations, by interviewing different family members.

As a grande finale, we had outstanding posters with the students’ presentations which you are all more than welcome to stop by and see outside our classroom. Great job G3! Ms Gayane, G3 Homeroom teacher

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Siam plans for a

n the near future we are going to contract an outside construction company to build world class dorms and apartment buildings for our school. The company will build these buildings on their own expense and then give us a part of the profits as well as rent. Part of this plan is also to build a new swimming pool and shopping center. These blue prints are some samples of what the dormitory rooms and faculty apartment will look like. We are very excited about this project. Raffy Manassian: Editor

Dormitory

Siam celebrates

Science Week

he first week of the third quarter we started it with “The Science Week”. The Science Week focused on having the students participate in Science activities. From Monday on until Friday, students from the middle and high school were creating, writing as well as learning about many issues of modern day science. On Monday, the ninth and tenth graders were assigned to write a speech by choosing from many burning science topics, such as Global Warming, Cloning, Space Exploration, Stem Cells etc. On Tuesday, we made our own poster on the topic “Global Warming”. Many of us drew posters with the earth on fire and polar bears swimming. It turned out to be many beautiful posters hanging all over the walls of the second floor. Wednesday, on the last two lessons of the day, all of us were in the auditorium and were enjoying the high school science quiz on the stage. There were four teams participating in the competition and each team consisted of students from all the grades. The science quiz had visual round, video round and rapid fire etc. It was exciting and all the teams were fighting for the first place but finally team one and team two grabbed the first place with 95 points each! On Thursday, the ninth and tenth graders speeches were finalized and checked by Mr. Kevin; we went on to the auditorium and were practicing for the speeches with Mr. Baldeep. On Friday, the middle and high school students went to the National Science Museum in Klong Five. All of us were excited to be there, we have seen many exhibits which gave us a lot of things inside and around us. We gained a lot of knowledge through these fun activities. The last event called the “bump show” happened in the auditorium of the science museum and in that show, we learned about

David Benkert (G.10)

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bumps, for example the energy transferred from balls that hit each other or falling on the ground. The science week was an exciting and fun experience for us that we have never done before. We learned a lot of new things that happened all around us without even noticing it.

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The Chinese New Year

he Chinese New Year has a long history, which dates back to the Shang Dynasty almost 4000 years ago. Many of the traditions celebrated for the Chinese New Year today have their origins in the ancient Spring Festival which marks the coming of spring. The Festival ushers in the first lunar cycle of the year, symbolically leaving behind the old and looking toward a prosperous and happy year ahead. Beginning on the all important, Spring Festival Eve, the occasion brings families and communities together to share gifts and special food or hold fireworks displays. Houses and communities are also adorned in striking decorations, predominantly coloured red. The 7 day holiday the Chinese enjoy for the New Year, illustrates the importance that modern day celebrations have become in China. The significance of the many elaborate fireworks displays and the use of the colour red have their beginnings in a tradition so old that its origins are often difficult to trace. The term Gou Nian has come to mean “ Celebrate the New Year”, however, its original meaning is very different. Alternative words for Gou in Chinese are “pass-over or observe”. In old times the Nian was a frightening beast that would prey on people on the eve of the Festival. The colour red was feared by the beast so it was thought that putting up red paper and the firing of fire-crackers would give people protection against it. Thus Gou Nain in this sense translated as “Survive the Nain”.

Today, in the lead up to the New Year, people shop for gifts, special foods and new clothes; they will

prepare their homes carrying out a complete spring cleaning; they will hang red door panels pasted with Spring Festival poems using Chinese calligraphy. On the New Year’s day they will dress up, extend greetings to parents and friends. Children will receive a gift of money wrapped in red paper. Special foods prepared will vary throughout China. One example is that in northern China people will eat dumplings shaped like gold ingots while thinking jiaozi which means “bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new”. Here at Siam International School, to enhance and supplement their studies of the Chinese language, students have been learning about the Chinese New Year in class. They have made Greeting cards and many students have helped with the creation of a display about the festival. This display can be viewed just inside the

school’s main gate. I wish you much joy and happiness for the Chinese New Year season and every good fortune for the year ahead. Ms Fang You Chinese Teacher

Daily School Life Nursery Plays Basketball siam international school │ changes ‘09

Scouts Learn How to Drill

All about sports

n January 24, 2009, the SIS football team in the 15 year old group went to accept the Prince’s Cup at the Physical Education Institute of Bangkok, Pathumthani. The SIS football team also won the 2nd place or Runner Up place in the football championship held by the Private Education Sector of the Pathumthani Province. On Sunday January 25, 2009, the SIS Club 14 year old age group won a championship game over Sinthana Club in the Mor Wor Gor cup by a final score of 2 – 1.

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A student reports about Science

ello my name is Fang. Today I am going to talk about the boon and bane of science. It is the active process by which physical, biological and chemical occurrences are studied. Humans always explore, experiment, create, and examine the world. These urge us to know more and explore the unexplored. Curiosity has given birth to the field called science. The origin of science has been lost in the midst of time. Science technology has made an immense impact on nearly every sphere of daily life. Science plays a major role in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society. Science is like a knife. A knife can be used to cut vegetables. The same knife can also be used as a lethal weapon. In the same way science can be used as a tool for development but like every coin it has another side. Science, when it is in the wrong hands can be abused. Science gave us comfort with electrical appliances. For example before electricity was discovered, people used candles or gaslights to see

Picture Highlight:

in the dark. This is the boon of science. Science has been a boon, it has been a bane too. Electrical machines use wires to carry electricity. It can be very dangerous and can give you an electrical shock. And the materials to make the machines are expensive. Science gave most things to us today like appliances and clothing. We cannot live without science in the modern world. All technology or knowledge can be put into use for the benefit of the masses or for their destruction. Knowledge in itself is only power, it is the mind which decides how to use it. For example, nuclear can be used to generate electricity and light the house. But man first used it for creating a bomb and destroying two cities. Cloning can be used for developing organs for people who have problem with organs such as heart or kidneys but the same technology if in the hands of the wrong people can lead to very scary things. So it is the duty of the people with values and sane minds to keep sensitive information protected. Fang - Grade 9

Students Practice Tae Kwondo

Students talk about the Mahidol University Field Trip

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o be one of the college students at Mahidol University is a desire of many because it is one of the top four universities in Thailand. They offer many choices in their international program such as BBA, Social Science, and Science. Their buildings are fascinating and modern. After our arrival we went to many departments. The most interesting one for me was the Biomedical Science. As we got to that department, students were studying the brains and the spinal cords and they were doing surgery. It was exciting to see what is inside the body and it is also inspired me for this study really interests me. They also have a hotel inside the university where students are trained in Travel Industry Management. Later,they showed us the President’s room, which is the most expensive room and is costing 15,000 baht a night. The Entertainment Media was the last Department we went to. It is the most costly department. But before we went back to school, we had our lunch at Mahidol’s canteen. When we were finished it was 1 pm. Then we left the university to go back to the school. The trip to Mahidol University was such a valuable experience. Jet – Grade 11

hen I visited Mahidol University I realized that mastering the English Language is of utmost importance. The first thing we did was to listen to the presentation about Mahidol University International College. Then we went to Salaya Pavillion Hotel. The senior students in this department explained about the hotel. After that, we went to the science lab and we saw a human brain and spinal cord. Later, we visited the Department of Entertainment Media. I saw much expensive equipment and I thought that it was very cool. At lunch time, we had our lunch at Mahidol canteen and Sophia our alumna from Siam International School came and joined us. She gave us a little advice about this college. I am glad that I had a chance to visit Mahidol University but Chulalongkorn University is still the first choice for me because my future work , which is to be an Architect of offered there. Pop - Grade 11

SIS teaches E-learning to AIT

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n Wednesday the 28th of January a group of parents from the Asian Institute of Technology visited our school. They were here to get acquainted with the school and learn about our new E-Learning plans. They were taken to the Library where Mr. Raffy, Mr. Prasit, Mrs. Prisana and Mr. Pakasit welcomed them and gave a short summery on our school’s curriculum, our education goals and the resources we use to further the learning of our students, after which Mr. Baldeep gave them a comprehensive demonstration of the Interactive White Boards and how to use them. The next day we received another group from AIT. This time 22 teachers from different school associated with the AIT came to ask questions about our E-Learning. They were given the same briefing and the same presentation and were very impressed with our Interactive White-Boards, so much so that they will be coming back this following Friday with a group of about 40 new teachers. We are happy to have a chance to share our curriculum and plans with another school and build friendly relationships with them. Raffy Manassian: Editor

Rock Climbing Champion

e are hapy to announce that our student Pakkad in Grade 6 is the new Rock Climbing Champion of the Sports Climbing Association of Thailand, (SCAT). This is a great accomplishment and we are all very happy for her. She won first prize in the climbing competition, as well as second place in the speed climbing competition which placed her as the overall champion. Congratulations Pakkad. We are all very proud of you.

Raffy Manassian: Editor

Sports Days at SIS

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n February five and six SIS held its annual Sports days. The MS/HS held events on both days and the Elementary held events on the second day. Students enjoyed events in Track and Field, Swimming, Volleyball, Football, Ping Pong, and Running. Everyone had a very good time. The teachers helped out and participated in some of the races as well. What made the event special was that the official Volley Ball Championship team of Thailand were on hand to give a demonstration of Volley Ball prowess to our students. After their demonstration they played a couple of games with our students and everyone had a good time. The Elementary section had its awards ceremony on Tuesday the 10th of February 2009. Gold medals were given to all the winners and a trophy was awarded to the team that had the highest number of points, which was the Blue Team of grade one and the trophy is now proudly residing in the grade one classroom. The MS/HS awards ceremony will be held some time next week. We would like to thank all the teachers and students who took part in this momentous event and we look forward to next year’s Sports Day. Raffy Manassian: Editor

Valentine’s Day

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ove is in the air on Valentine’s Day and we at SIS love to celebrate this special day in our own special way. The Art department held a competition during last week for the best Valentine’s Day poster. Two students won the competition for producing the most original and creative Valentine’s Day Posters. The administration and several of the teachers were chosen to act as judges for this competition. A questionnaire was provided by Mrs. Sincere for the purpose of judging these posters. Benz grade 10 and Jay grade 5 were the winners of the competition and we will be turning their posters into post cards that will be sent to all the parents. We are very proud of their work. We would like to thank Mrs. Sincere and all our creative and active students for making this occasion such a special one and for reminding us that “Love makes the world go round”. Raffy Manassian: Editor

The Winners of the Valentines Poster Making Competition

Benz, Grade 10

Jay, Grade 5

Provincial Kindergarten Games Thammasart University, Rangsit

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n Sunday the 15th of January 2009, nine athletes from the Kindergarten Section of our school competed at the Kindergarten Games. The venue was awe inspiring. The competitors and their support team of teachers and parents were momentarily overwhelmed. The venue at Thammasart is of Olympic quality. (The Asian Games have been held at this site). The team was ushered into Gynmasiaum No. 5 for the opening ceremony. To our amazement a total of 54 schools from the province attended. Naturally some better equipped for the day than others, (approximately 600 competitors all together). After a brief opening ceremony (complete with speeches by dignitaries and an impressive golden display) the competition commenced. The noise level in the stadium rose to a sustained crescendo as several school support teams urged on their athletes with drums, cymbals and chanting. The races were efficiently organized and our boys were soon in action. Lane II was our allocated space and we watched expectantly. We were not as competitive as other schools and did not make the finals in any event. However, as this was the first time Siam International School had competed, training time had been short, our selection pool smaller than most, and we had no band supporters. Despite all this our boys were a credit to the school. If we have the privilege of competing next year, we will be more the wiser. We will recruit 20-30 other students as supporters, we will dress them in gaudy costumes and we will be competitive. At Siam, we look and we learn. And we learn quickly! Mr. Geoffrey

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The Garden International Basketball Tournament

n February 13/14 the boys and girls basketball teams traveled to Rayong for the Garden International Invitational Basketball Tournament. There they faced a solid group of bigger, stronger, faster opponents and had a weekend of intense hard court battles. The boy’s squad consisted almost entirely of grade 8 students, who faced grade 12 caliber teams. Undaunted by the size, strength, and age mismatches, they fought bravely every outing and acquired invaluable game experience. The girl’s team traveled with an underhanded squad of only seven players. Despite being unable to secure any victories, the SIS teams gained invaluable experience, facing the top level of competition in the country. They locked horns with some of the best players and basketball programs available, gaining knowledge of what elite competition is all about. While I fear that the harsh reality of the discipline and dedication required to compete

at this level will push the less enthusiastic students away from the game, my hope is that it will be a motivating tool for those who love the game to work and harder to earn a place at this level of competition. As Coach, I hope to expand the program to have teams practice everyday as it is impossible to improve with only two 30 minute sessions per week. With this modification, and re-entry into TISAC we can take steps towards competing against the top level of competition in Thailand.

“A Fool and His Money”

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n Tuesday 10th of February, High School and never knew what their desires were. He did students from SIS were cordially invited by everything for his own self Srinakarin Wirot University to watch the He never listened to his children’s opinions and he annual play titled “A Fool and His Money” which was almost married his son’s lover. organized by the English department. However at the very end he finally comprehends The students were very excited about and opens himself up to his children. The play had a this event and the happy ending and everyone in the story ended up as majority joined couples. the trip. The aim of the play was to communicate to the public The students the importance of family relationships. were loaded Everyone was stupefied and enthusiastic! They did onto the not expect such an outstanding job from the actors bus around and actresses. It was marvelous! 10.30 AM This play proved to everyone that an and during excellent work does not always require much money the long for settings or equipment but a good storyline and ride they dedication from participants. entertained themselves with The hardest work was definitely for Mr. Pinchpenny activities such as singing and playing or Mr. Preeyakit Buranasin. various games. He perfectly characterized a miser and copied every They arrived at the destination at approximately 12.00 single behavior. PM, just in time for lunch. After congratulating and taking pictures with the During break some students enjoyed eating at the performers the student left the University. The bus canteen while others took the occasion to examine the reached school around 4.30 and dropped the students University. off. SWU is a government sponsored University All of them were very satisfied about this educational located in Sukhumvit and it is considered as one of trip and they all look forward to participating in the best universities in Thailand. The buildings have another beneficial trip like this again! :-) very unique architectural designs and the environment is very suitable for learning. By Mint Gr.11 After the break the students walked to the theater with the teachers and were warmly welcomed by the staff. The students made themselves comfortable and waited until the curtains went up. The play was a comedy about Mr. Pinchpenny and his family. The rich man was a very avaricious person and worshipped money as if it were a God. He was never interested about his children’s feelings

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SIS Band Performances

ver the last few weeks before WASC, the SIS Band has been working diligently to learn the Thai King’s Anthem and the School Song, as well as many other musical pieces. Mr. Courtney has been hard at work training and preparing the kids. The Band performes during the morning Flag Line-Up. Everyone was very impressed with their progress. All those nights of Lock In practice sessions have really paid off. We thank the Band for their hard work and look forward to many more performances.

Raffy Manassian: Editor

Siam International School Tours a piece. It was a mind-grabbing machine, the speed and the amount of copies that were running through it was amazingly fast. The machine stood three stories high and had two assembly lines; one which was bringing blank papers in and another carrying out the finished papers. It just makes you wonder, how much money was spent on just the printing machine alone? By the time the whole group had finished observing the massive machine, everybody was tired yet fulfilled with knowledge after a day’s worth of information from the Bangkok post. The tour guide was very pleased and complemented the school for being “The best school that has ever toured the company’s facilities.” This put a huge smile on the teacher’s faces and everyone guessed that their own complements would follow. The school vans departed shortly after and arrived back to school on-time and safely. I personally enjoyed the Bangna facility partly because of the massive printing machine, the massive barrels of paper and all the information I absorbed during the trip.

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n Tuesday, the24th of February, a small group of students from the high-school section of Siam International School embarked on a trip to the Bangkok Post, Thailand's only prestigious English language Newspaper. Students from grades nine through twelve departed the school at around nine in the morning in five school vans and we were able to reach the head office in Rama Four district, adjacent to the Customs Authority of Thailand. The first feature in our tour was a presentation and speech by the manager of the labor department, who answered the students’ questions with great enthusiasm. This was a great opportunity for the students to show off their English skills, and start a good reputation for the school in the journalism community. The question that amused the manager the most was by a student in Gr.11, who asked “So you have reporters all over the world?” We then headed for the main office section of the company, which was practically empty because we had unfortunately arrived during their lunch break. The tour guide who was assigned took us to enjoy the food in the cafeteria. The first half of our trip was already over; the second half was spent in the Newspaper’s Printing Factory at Bangna. The clock was ticking and there lay a great distance between the factory and the students, so the drivers decided to speed things up to a faster-yet moderate pace. The factory was an amazing sight to see and was definitely worth the 1 billion Baht spent on building the factory. However, the main feature of the factory was the state-of-the art German Printing machine that was able to print 75,000 copies per hour which was fed by huge rolls of paper, which weighed 400 kilos

by: Leo Gr.10

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Elementary goes for an Adventure Camp

he SIS Junior Adventure Camp was held in the Greenery Resort from the 25th to the 27th of February 2009. The kids enjoyed all the activities and games and they were very cooperative and well-behaved. The teachers did an excellent job supervising and guiding the students and everyone had a great time. The highlight of the camp was the campfire and the exiting games they played around the fire. There was a lot of singing and running and the kids went to sleep very tired. The group also spent some time visiting other places of interest and the teachers made sure that the students learned important lessons about life and the history of this country. The emphasis of the camp is to have fun, but also to develop character and self-reliance. We would like to thank all the teachers who did such a great job at the camp, especially Mrs. Prisana who took time from her busy schedule to direct and supervise the camp. Raffy Manassian: Editor

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High School and Middle School follow the adventure at the camp

he adventure camp took place from the fourth of March to the sixth of March 2009. Students from grade six to twelve were expected to join the camp but in the end, only about 75% of the students joined. During the first day of the Adventure Camp, we came to school early in the morning as usual and had to attend the first two classes. After everything was set in place, the students put their luggage into the bus and took their seats. Everybody was excited about the camp. It took about two hours to get to

and then to the auditorium. We received the coupons, which we would use for the activities during the day. We had some time to get changed and then the activity was on. First we went to the paintball area and shot at each other. Even Mr. Eoin and Mr. Addy joined us in the game. Later some of us went to the Zorb or to the Go-Kart. Then we had lunch again at noon. After lunch we went to the swimming pool and played games. On the last day of the Adventure Camp, we woke up early to pack the bags and went to have breakfast. Then, we waited for an hour and loaded the luggage up into the bus. We were off to Bangkok about 1pm and arrived at the SIS campus two hours later.

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the Greenery Resort in Kao Yai. We went directly to the restaurant to have our lunch and later to the auditorium, not far from the restaurant. In the auditorium, Mr. Eoin and the other teachers were planning the rooms. We waited for about half an hour before we received our keys. We went to our rooms and put everything in place and some of us took a shower then we chilled out until the dinnertime. We had some very delicious buffet and later we went again, to the auditorium and listened to the plans for the next day. Everything went smoothly that night and the teachers were happy! On the second day of the Adventure Camp, we woke up quite early. Some of us woke up at 5am and went to the pool. It was extremely cold but we had a lot of fun. Later we went to have breakfast

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A photo collage of Grades 3, 4 & 5 visits to Safari World

n Saturday 28/02/09, we had the great opportunity of attending a professional development conference at Bangkok Pattana School. We were invited by the Bangkok Teachers Network and more than 100 teachers from various international schools in Bangkok participated. There were more than 60 different workshops offered for all candidates. We arrived at 9 o’clock in the morning and at first we were given welcome speeches by students who graciously informed us about what good education is like from their perspective. Mr. Sha and Mr.Kim then attended the following workshops • • • • • •

Inquiry approach to learning Job a Like for ICT teachers Wiki learning Bullying and Cyber Bullying ESL approaches Service learning Projects

The workshops were setup by teachers from various International schools. It was a long day but we left Bangkok Pattana feeling inspired with lots of knowledge and ideas. It was truly rewarding to have the opportunity to get to know teachers from other schools and share experiences.

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BANGKOK TEACHERS NETWORK Teacher’s Workshop

Students at Bangkok Pattana played a major role in the event, They took care of registration, guiding teachers around the campus, introducing speakers. We thank the administration for giving us the opportunity to attend this workshop and we hope the administration will grant this privilege again in the future. Mr. Kim & Mr. Sha, Teachers

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Simple: s g in h T g in l School p a n io Kee t a n r e t n o Trinity I t ip r T ld ie F A

n the 27th of February 2009, we went for a Science trip. At 8 o’clock , we went on the buses to go to Trinity International School. We arrived at about 9.45 am.We were split into 2 groups. We went to see science experiments made by the students of Trinity International School. After the experiments, we watched a video about oxygen. Then, we went to make water rockets, it was fun but it was too hot.Then at 11.30 am. We went to have lunch. We would have starved to death if not for sank’s “sixth sense”. Sank had led us straight to the cafeteria. After lunch , we went to the school field to launch the water rockets. Unfortunately, the water rocket made by Sank ,Tak and Prem was “beheaded’. The rocket’s name was “STP” , there was a cut on the rocket which failed to launch. However, Sank, Tak and Prem did not give up. They made a new rocket called “STP 2” .The rocket was very simple; it was made only with duct tape and rock “STP 2” went very far, but Sank, Tak and Prem were not satisfied, they wanted to make the rocket go even farther. They upgraded the rocket into “STP 2.1”. The rocket was still simple only that Sank,Tak and Prem replaced the old rock with a bigger rock. “STP 2.1” went the farthest. After the water rockets, we went back to Siam International School. Once we arrived, Mr.Kim asked us what we had learned. Sank and I answered, “Keeping things simple, duct tape and rock !!! ” By : Sank ,Tak and Prem G.10

The Science Project of Kindergarten One siam international school │ changes ‘09

he Kindergarten 1 was very busy preparing for their Science project. As our topic for the 3rd quarter was “Insects”. The students of K1 prepared worms and ants out of pista shells and peanut shells. The students also took active part in making lady bugs out of clay. The members of the WASC team were really impressed to see our project. They all appreciated our hard work that we’ve put on in teaching children with fun and activities. Miss Yasmin, K1 Teacher

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The Songkran Festival

rom the 8th to the 10th of April the students and teachers of Siam International School celebrated the Songkran festival. On the afternoon of the 8th and 9th there was a kite making and kite flying competition. Students and teachers worked together to create beautiful and aerodynamically workable kites and then took part in a competition that measured both how high and how long the kites could fly, as well as how good the kites looked. Everyone had a great time. However, the high lights of the festival were the activities of the last day, Friday the 10th. The Thai staff had set up several carnival type games with balloon popping, water squirting and water dumping as the main themes. Prizes were awarded to winners and a lot of money was raised to pay for the event. We are very proud of our students and their spirit of good sportsmanship. Several of our teachers in good humor also joined in and allowed the students to splash them with water repeatedly. On Friday morning a group of Buddhist months visited our school and were offered food by the school and the parents. After which a talent show was conducted in the Cafeteria where students from different grades offered dances, songs and games for the group. A professional Thai National Dance and Poetry Club was hired to offer special poetry recitations for all who were present. The owner of the school, Khun Ratanachi, participated in the activities and graced the event with his presence. The final hours of the day were taken up in a giant water fight between the students, the teachers and the guests. Almost every teacher was involved and everyone got drenched. People used water guns to squirt water at each other, as well as using buckets and cups and anything else that could hold water. It was a joyous occasion that everyone enjoyed and we look forward to next year’s festival. Raffy Manassian: Editor

Middle School students talk about Math Week ath week started Monday, March 23, 2009. The first activity was a poster-making contest. All the middle school students had to make a poster that shows how we each use math in our everyday life. We draw pictures and we also wrote what the pictures mean. On Wednesday, we were separated into groups. We took the quiz contest which was very enjoyable. Our group always chose a lucky number and it was always lucky. The quiz contest was held only for one period so we didn’t have much time. The following day, we had an Olympiad test. The test was long and a little bit hard. It took us two periods to finish the test. The content of the test was not taken from our textbook, so we can’t study because we have no reference, but I still finished it. Math week was very enjoyable and exciting. I hope the school will have another one next year.

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By Trisha, Grade 6

he Math Week was from March 23 – 27, 2009. The Math Week tested our abilities on how much we had learned since the first quarter. The first day was our poster making contest. Most of the classes did well in this project. Our teacher gave a heading about “Math in Everyday Life”. The next activity was a quiz contest. Each group had 3-4 members. This contest had two rounds. In the first round, the teacher asked each group a question. If one group cannot answer, the question will go to the next group. On the second round, the game was different, which group answers first gets the points. The last activy of the Math Week was our Olympiad test which I liked the most. The tests were challenging and fun. It took about and hour and a half to complete the test. For me, I think the Math Week gave us a chance to review the basic and complex stuff that we have learned from the first quarter to the present. The last thing I want to say is that everybody enjoyed the activities and all had fun doing the projects and contests.

By: Chris, Grade 7

A visit to Assumption University siam international school │ changes ‘09

nferior to other universities, ABAC was considered as our last option. Due to the fact of a lax admission policy, unfavorable reputation, and unpleasant environment many people did not even think of applying there. But what a Surprise! The campus was immense with many facilities and cathedral style architecture. We were invited into an auditorium by Mr. Glen, a director of international affairs at Assumption University. We watched a presentation about the different majors at ABAC. At the end of the presentation, the students were allowed to ask questions. Several students asked pertinent questions and Mr. Glen answered each and every one of them. After the presentation, the undergraduates led us to the music department. My classmates and I did not think much of it. Then, we went to the four storied library with over five thousand books. Around 12.00 pm, we went to eat lunch at Café De Bangkok. They prepared a buffet for all of us. It was a very delightful meal. ABAC was the only university that gave Siam students a complimentary meal. After we finished, we went to the Department of Communication Arts. The supervisor of that department guided us to the full-optioned recording studio that contained a four million baht recording machine. It was the only

aving heard many nightmarish stories about ABAC or Assumption University of Thailand, it was with much trepidation that I entered the van. Boy! I was totally wrong. Not only was it the first International University of Thailand but it is also a great place with an architecture which reminds me of Ancient Rome. Its services unique, and its facilities seem to favor our lifestyle. They also offer many interesting international programs such as Business Administration (BBA), Arts (BA), Nursing Science (BNS), Science and Technology (BS), Engineering (B. Eng.), Communication Arts (BA), Laws (LL.B), Biotechnology (BS), Architecture (B.Arch.) and Music (BA). Even though they have offered many international programs, they are focusing on three major programs

university that had such an excellent sound recording machine. After that, we went to the sample news broadcasting room. It gave us the impression of being in the real broadcasting room. We were very impressed. One of our classmates, who will major in architecture, said “It is the best of the four universities we have visited in terms of architecture”. Some other students went to the hotel department and were not impressed with it. But all in all, our visit to ABAC was a very welcomed surprise. We hope to visit you again. Jet and May, Grade 11.

which are Business Administration, Communication Arts and Architecture. It seems that most of the students who joined this university chose one of these three programs. To be able to see the equipment and the classrooms, made us students feel as if we had awakened from a nightmare. We were so amazed to see the Communication Arts’ studio in which the students will have the opportunity to work with equipment the same what the professionals have. And most of all, this university is also fully accredited and recognized by leading institutions worldwide. So there will be no problem for students who want to go abroad once they have studied here. The tour guide was very pleased with us, he showed us around with enthusiasm without showing tiredness. We then left the place with warm feelings and a better attitude towards this university. Mint Grade 12

Kindergarten 3 explores Science

Secondly, we learned how magnets work. This stimulated our senses and we had great fun using iron filing to see a magnetic field around a magnet. We had the best fun, however, when we made fishing rods out of pencils, made some fish out of aluminum foil, and used magnets as hook. We filled a big basin with water and took turns “catching” our “fish”. It was great!!! We thank Mr. Baldeep for lending us the prisms and magnets so we could make our discoveries.

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n the past few weeks, K3 has had some fun exploring our senses. We had concentrated first on the sense “sight”. We had discovered that light enables us to see images but we were really astonished to learn that light is made up of many colors. The light goes from violet to red in a thing called a spectrum. We used prisms to see how this happens.

Soon we are going to perfect a pin hole camera we have made and then we will use mirrors to build a “periscope”. Whatever that is!! P.S. Oh, and by the way, we also used mirrors to show how light reflects and bends. That was fun as well.

Library holds another Book Fair

he library held a book fair on April 9, 2009. There were lots of new books and the student enjoyed the free reading as the flipped the pages of the nicely bound books. Many of the students also bought some books and they were very satisfied with their purchase.

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English Summer Camp Activities

The ESL English Summer Camp was truly a remarkable experience for the students and they learned so much more aside from English. It was a summer to remember.

WASC Evaluators cheer for the Grade 1 students siam international school │ changes ‘09

n Thursday, March 26, 2009, the WASC Visiting Team headed by Dr. Harold Bush and members, Mr. John Cheska; Ms. Kate Sheffield; and Ms. Patricia Foster, crowded in the G-1 classroom to do their routine of classroom observations and gathering of evidences to be included in their report. Instead, the students gave them a little break from their hectic schedules when they were entertained by the G-1’s innocent voices when they sang “I Am But A Small Voice.” The evaluators’ claps rang in the room when these kids showed a little choreography by carrying the globe in their song “It’s A Small World After All.” Then the Visiting Team cheered in delight when the musical instrument number followed. These little darlings did their best when they showed how their tiny fingers skillfully tickled the keys of the melodeon to make a pleasing melody. In return, the brimming smiles and nods of approval from these visitors, made the students’ efforts worthwhile. Earlier, during flag line-up, these same students presented their rendition to the SIS student body, and their loud applause and cheer encouraged these first graders to perform well. Bravo G-1 students. You did a good job. You’re simply the best! By : Mrs. Naomi Jardiniano-Manassian

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Our Community Service Project

e, students from grade 11th, started our community service in the beginning of February. We wanted to help people who are infected with HIV/AIDS. We could see that they are suffering and we are in a good position to help.

First, we started to set up an action plan. We called the Aids temple in Lopburi and asked them what they need. They need things for everyday use, like stuff for the kitchen, cleaning stuff, and hygiene items. After that, we started thinking about how to raise money to buy these things. We made a donation box and started to sell French Fries and drinks at the school during lunch and after school. In one week, we got more than eight thousands bath profit. It was very hard work but we were enthusiastic. We decided to do some research on HIV in Thailand and we gave presentations in class. Then, we set up an exhibition in front of the school canteen; many teachers and students were interested in our project and wanted to help us. In our research we found out that, 19 Thai people die everyday from AIDS, 600,000 people are infected with HIV, and 400,000 children have lost their parents. We also found out that Mr. Mechai Viravaidya, the one who started the NGO, population and community development association in Thailand (PDA), has been working to reduce the spread of HIV for more than 30 years. So we decided to contact him for support. We were very surprised when he replied and told us that he was very happy with what we are doing and he said that he will donate 6,000 condoms to us. On top of this, one of our parents collected another 700 condoms to show his support in this community outreach that we are doing. Now are were ready to plan the next step. We designed our own brochure with information about AIDS and we put a condom inside each brochure. We also designed our own T-shirt with our slogan on the front and the school logo on the back. We asked the school to pay for the T-shirts and they supported us. We went to Future Park to give out the brochures and condoms and collect donations. Beside all this, one of our parents raised 7,000 baht at her workplace as an expression of support for this cause.

We now have almost 30,000 baht. In about 2 weeks we will go to Watphrabatnumpu (the Aids Temple) to donate the things they need. In this step, we ask teachers, staff, students, and parents at our school to help us by either donate money or the needed items for the Aids Temple. These are the things they need: • Oil • Fish sauce • Salt/Pepper • Sugar • Soya milk • Vinegar • Chili • Detergent/Softener • Floor cleaner • Toilet cleaner • Dish cleaner • Toothpaste • Toothbrush • Soap • Shampoo • Napkins “Thank you for your support.” We, grade 11 students say this straight from our hearts. May and Jet, Grade 11

am very impressed by the level of effort, commitment, and cooperation the students in grade 11 have expressed during the last two months. I have worked with students at various schools on a number of community service projects, but I have never seen students being as enthusiastic as our students here. When we first started the project in February several of the students were uncertain if they would have the strength and courage needed to complete this task. Some of them were downright scared to meet people who are infected with AIDS, but out of compassion for the Thai people who are dying

All the best! Joachim Ekstrom School Counselor Siam International School

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from AIDS they grew strong as a team. They joined together in a combined effort to make a difference and this commitment still remains strong in the group. I want to personally congratulate them on an outstanding achievement and wish them good luck with the rest of the project. Students, be PROUD of what you have done! You certainly deserve the recognition and praise you now receive.

Grades 3, 4, and 5 go on a field trip he Elementary students went on a field trip to the Jim Thompson house and the Teakwood Palace. They enjoyed the rich Thai culture from the traditional house of Jim Thompson to the majestic beauty of the old Golden Teakwood Palace. Many of the students were fascinated by the splendor that their culture had to offer and they enjoyed their trip. It was fun and educational!

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Students audition for a movie

he students were visited by the Benetton Film group to give auditions for a student role in an Indian film. The movie is being produced here in Thailand and the company needs students from an international school to fill the role. We are happy that they chose students from our school to be part of their movie.

Health and PE pictures

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An Artistic Volleyball Shot

The U-Smile Kids Photo Studio in action!

The new building has now a new constructed pathway and parking area ready to be used for the next school year.

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A Science fieldtrip to the National Science Center in Bangkok.

n April 27, 2009, the grade 8 students went on a field trip with our science teacher Mr.Baldeep. When I heard that we were going, I was very happy and exited. We went to the planetarium in Bangkok. It was about an hour drive. Me and my friends played PSP on the bus and got dizzy, but it was worth it since we killed a lot of time. We got to our destination at about 10:00, or so I thought. We went directly to the show that was played in a dome. The show was about stars and it was very fascinating. It was really a good show. They actually have a fake sky with starts and such in there. It was interesting. It was very beautiful and I was very lucky that Mr.Baldeep took us there. I wanted to take some pictures on my phone but my cell phone camera can’t really see anything since it was too dark in the dome, but I’m just really happy to be there. After the great show we went to have lunch. The lunch was really nasty so I just ate a little and threw it away. After lunch we had a look at the museum and checked out a lot of cool interesting things. The nail bed and the gravity exhibit were very fascinating. We saw some other cool things like robots and petroleum. I had to do a report on the petroleum with Prom and Nak. It was probably the only boring part of the trip. From the beginning, I knew we had to write about it, so we have no choice. After that we went to see the super small aquarium. It took me 10 seconds to walk through it all. There was nothing special there just some ordinary fish. After that we hopped in the bus and headed back for school. Once again I played PSP with my friends and got sick on the car but it was worth it because I killed serous time on the ride back to school. We arrived at Siam school at about 2:30 right on time for ECA’s. I forgot my sports gear so I just stayed in homeroom until it was 3:30. I played a lot of basketball after that and went to Future Park with Jet (g.11). We just went to eat, play some games and just hang out. I went home after that.

By: Poom, Grade 8.

We Did It! All our hard work and sleepless nights have finally paid off. We achieved a great success. From now on our school will improve more and more. I would like to personally thank all the teachers who worked so hard to help us achieve this goal. Our teachers have been a great support to us all through the process. I would especially like to thank Dr. Libato for all his efforts and hard work in guiding us along the way and showing us what to do to achieve what seemed to be impossible.

The WASC Visit

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E HAVE FULFILLED OUR PROMISE TO YOU. WE HAVE RECEIVED WASC ACCREDITATION.

K3’s Science Report

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he K3 students have dedicated the whole of this academic year to looking into things scientific. We have grown and recorded the life of beans. We have proved the presence of wind. We understand how wind is formed. We have measured the movement of the leaves in the wind and we have watched the flags flutter on the breeze. Our proof was found in the making and flying of boomerangs! We have blown bubbles and made pinwheel wind turbines. This quarter we are making sundials and wind direction indicators. We will learn to tell time by various methods. Who knows we may even construct a Chinese water clock!! We have even experimented making copper sulfate crystals but our silly teacher forgot a basic principle. The saturated solution must be hot, cooling throws the crystals. Mr. Geoff, K3 Homeroom Teacher

Achievements

Our Golf Champion

Rock Climbing Competition

We are very happy to announce that one of our students (Ping in grade 6) has won the US Kids Junior Golf Championship in Bangtree Golf Club. Ping is a new student in our school and he has already proved himself to be a good athlete and a credit to our school. We congratulate Ping and wish him the best of luck in his future career as a Golf Champion. Raffy Manassian: Editor

We are happy to announce that Pakkad in grade 6 has won another Rock Climbing competition, this time in Bangkok Advent School. The event was organized by the Unity Games and featured athletes from several schools. We are very proud of Pakkad’s accomplishments and wish her the best of luck in her future as professional athlete.

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Raffy Manassian: Editor

Space Exploration: Are We Alone In This Universe?

Now on to the question, Are we alone in this universe? This is one of the questions that we cannot give an exact answer. Some say that we are, some say that we are not, but we do not have the evidence to exactly prove it. There are tons of stories about extra-terrestrials and UFOs but still, we cannot actually prove it. We do not really have the technology and evidence to fully answer this question; perhaps we will be able to answer this question in the future. It is impossible for us to answer the question right now because our technology is not advance enough. It took us a long time to reach the Moon. The Moon is the only space body that humans have been to. Other planets such as Mars or Venus are practically impossible for us to go there right now for they are too far for our human

operated spaceship to reach. If we cannot even explore our solar system how can we even explore the galaxy? In order to explore the galaxy or possibly the universe, we need to move faster than the speed of light which is totally impossible. Even if we could move faster than the speed of light, it would still take a very long time to reach other galaxies. It takes about more than one-hundred-thousand light years for light to go from one end of the galaxy to the other end. We cannot even live that long, we can barely even live for more than a hundred years. We may not explore the galaxies to find the answer right now, but the answer that we are looking for might be closer than we think. Even though we are unable to go to other galaxies, maybe our “alien friends” will be able to come to ours. There are numerous sightings of UFOs and incidents around the world, a good example would be the Roswell UFO Incident, one of the most popular UFO incidents ever. There are also crop circles and cattle mutilation. However, we do not know for sure if there are other living creatures in the other side of the universe. Perhaps the government might know the answer, but they might keep the truth to themselves. The government might be the ones who have all the answers. Then why wouldn’t they tell us the truth? It’s probably because we are not ready to handle the truth, maybe it is not the time for the

truth to come; only time will tell. Not only the government might know the answer, perhaps the people who are around us might know it as well. If some of the people knew the answer, why would they not tell us? Maybe they had told us but most of us would probably think that they are completely insane, similar to people who kept saying that the world is coming to an end. Maybe it’s also because the government had told them to keep their mouths shut, revealing the truth may result in horrible consequences. The ones who keep their mouths shut maybe from the MIB (Men In Black), agents from the government. True to their name, they wear black suits. They will do whatever it takes to keep UFO witnesses in silence. The MIB might not use force to keep people in silence; perhaps they use the “Neutralizers” from the comedy-action film; Men In Black where they use it to wipe witnesses’ memories of the incident and replacing it with other memories instead. Just maybe, the government has been keeping secrets from us, or maybe they are not. Maybe the aliens had met us before, or maybe we had not. Who knows? Maybe they are already living with us in secrecy. Maybe we will be able to find the answer someday; it’s only just a matter of time. However, no matter how people think I believe that we my friends, are not the only ones who are living in this universe.

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ello, my name is Prem and I’m from grade 10. My speech’s topic for the science week is about Space Exploration - “ Are We Alone In This Universe?” Before I answer the question, we must first know, what is space exploration. Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. Space exploration has often been used as a competition for technological rivalries; a good example of the competition was the “Space Race” during the Cold War. The “Space Race” was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.

101 Prem Coothongkul G.10

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Congratulations to the Graduates of S.Y. 2008-2009 From the SIS Administration

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The Best in Technology

Core 2 Quad in all Laboratories

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Free Touch-screen Netbooks

e-books Interactive White Boards

WASC Course Outlines

Lesson Plans The Future Projects of Siam E-Books is Here!

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State-of-the-art computers

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Acknowledgements

Hello Everyone, I now get a page of my own to express my gratitude to the people who helped in making this yearbook possible. It takes great effort to actually produce a quality product in such a short time, but we were able to pull a miracle because of all your help. I am very grateful to all of you because I did not do the yearbook all by myself: • Gratitude goes to our owner, Khun Ratanachai for his motivation and determination in the production of this book. • Dr. Libato for the moral support and encouragements. • Mr. Raffy for the encouraging attitude and contributions to the articles that decorated the pages. • Mr. Prasit for helping out with the yearbook needs, following up on deadlines, and giving all the support. • Ms. Chareerath for helping with the Thai names. • Ms. Nan for helping with all the student’s names. It was hard work and I appreciate it. • Ms. Naomi for helping with the editing. • To all the teachers and students who submitted articles for the newsletter, your contributions also graced the pages of this yearbook. • U-Smile Photo Studio for the wonderful pictures! Your pictures are artwork in itself. • and to those I failed to mention, please know that I am grateful for your help too. It took a lot of overtime and sacrifices to produce this yearbook and I hope that you will enjoy this edition of the yearbook. If there are any mistakes that you find, charge it to our humanness and to the time factors. We just want to let you know that this yearbook was made from the heart and is dedicated to all of the SIS family. Congratulations on a great school year!

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Jerubem Era Media Center

ps: Also... Core 2 Quad Processors made the difference in finishing this on time.

For One For All Starting out to find a different way to work for love and peace and understanding Reaching out to hold each other’s hand from all our different worlds we come together.

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SIS

School Song

Cho: For one for all, the future’s in our hand For one for all, together we can stand Our journey is long but we won’t be alone or afraid together we can find our way. Looking up with hope in our heart the world is fresh and new and full of promise. Standing tall with courage and resolve we’ll bring our dreams alive a new beginning. (Repeat Chorus)

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Autographs

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Autographs

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