the
HARROVIAN the newsletter of Harrow International School Bangkok
RIDE FOR RAINBOW HARROW STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF TAKE PART IN 70KM CHARITY RIDE
Vol 14 No 13
10.02.2012
THE HARROVIAN
LOWER SCHOOL NEWS In my office I have printed off a number of maps of the outside learning space developed with parents. Mrs Hughes (Jack‟s mum in Year 2) has divided the Pre Prep playground into several zones. Please come and take a map – we are interested in your designs. You know your children better than anyone – what do they want in their school? The more ideas we get the better will be our end design. The school council meet to consider getting ideas from all children too. Staff are also currently thinking about the spaces and imagining what the possibilities could be. For example, Mrs Molloy, our newly appointed Science Coordinator, is looking to establish an eco-garden managed by the children. In addition to our own ideas we are also approaching outside companies and professionals to get their opinions. Every space in the Lower School is part of the review including areas of the Early Years Centre that need renewal. It is a wonderful time to get an exciting vision in place. I will be sending out an email too with some initial thoughts and designs to all parents today. I appreciate your feedback on the ideas presented. Don‟t be shy, we need you! Have a lovely weekend! Ian Connors, Head of Lower School
THE
HARROVIAN
The next issue of the Harrovian will be published on Friday 2nd March 2012
PREP NEWS
We are all really looking forward to the expeditions next week. It is always one of the highlights of the school year. Teachers look forward to this time too. The teaching staff enjoy seeing our students in different settings. It gives teachers a chance to see students with fresh eyes; there are always a few students who struggle in a classroom setting but impress, shine and display their leadership abilities outside of the boundaries of the classroom walls – that is what teachers enjoy seeing on expedition! Sometimes we actively create the expeditions to be a change from the norm. We have asked Year 7 to bring no digital technology apart from a camera. To be honest it would be easier for us if they brought every form of digital entertainment they could carry – however, we want them to experience something different. We want them to reflect on how reliant they are on technology and ask the question, „Am I over-indulging in gaming, social media, TV/DVD etc.?‟ One of the UK‟s leading neuroscientists, Baroness Susan Greenfield, along with educationalist Sue Palmer, has raised awareness about this issue: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2011/aug/15/susan-greenfield-video . http://www.suepalmer.co.uk/modern_childhood_articles_dancing_with.php. Jon Horsnell, Head of Prep
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Lower School Initiative Helps Local Flood Victims Last Friday a group of students and a few teachers made their way to Khet Don Muang, a community who live by the local Klong. We were pretty shocked by what we saw. The water level mark left by the floods was even taller than me! On arrival we gave out rice cookers, fans and irons to people in the area who had requested them. The money for these items was raised by some of the Year 3 and 4 students t-shirt bag sale. Thank you Lower School students! Although we have helped the Don Muang community flood victims, there is much more to be done. Please keep giving to charity. Kaye (Year 6) Special thanks also to those parents who made donations towards this effort.
An impromptu ‘concert’ that took place during playtime at the Early Years Centre HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
THE HARROVIAN
SECONDARY NEWS
For this week‟s Harrovian article I include an edited and abridged version of a very interesting and insightful article that appeared in the UK publications The Week and The Guardian, it takes an in depth look at the murky and mysterious world of Cambridge University admissions: Denry Machin – Head of Upper School
“That’s a tick for me.” Getting into Cambridge University is a life-changing opportunity – especially for students from deprived backgrounds. But what does it take to be chosen? Jeevan Vasagar gained unprecedented access to the admissions process to find out . It‟s a life-changing roll call. As the admissions tutor reads out names, the men and women gathered around the table reply crisply to each one: “Yep... yep... yep.” Each “yep” is actually a no. It‟s a rejection of a candidate who has applied for a place at the University of Cambridge. The weakest of the field have already been sifted out; up to a fifth of applications are declined before the interview stage. Now the tutors are gathered to consider the results of those interviews. Five women and seven men are gathered at a table in a light-filled, rectangular room at Churchill College to discuss admissions to study natural sciences. The easy ones go first. As one candidate‟s name is read out, one of the academics notes that he got an interview score of two, out of a possible ten. “Oh dear,” says Richard Partington, the senior admissions tutor, who sits at the head of the table. Then, they get down to business. After the straightforward rejections, and those they have already decided to offer places to, there is a ba nd of candidates who fall in the middle. The academics leaf through coloured spreadsheets with the candidates‟ names, predicted grades, interview scores, contextual flags and ranking – based on exam performance to date. The pace is swift, despite the meeting lasting five hours. At times, the procedure seems brusque; a life-changing decision made in a second. In fact, it is the end point of a long, intensive process of evaluating candidates. Most of those who apply are interviewed. And the interviews are designed to probe their knowledge deeply. For natural sciences, the interview has a practical bent, with candidates tackling problems under the gaze of the tutor. Confidence is appreciated. Of one candidate, a boy from an academy school in Norfolk, a tutor says: “He managed to strike a balance between not being fazed by what‟s going on, and not being cocky either. The sort of person…” Someone else finishes: “You‟d like to teach.” Great emphasis is placed on exam performance, and the academics are keen to drill down into performance in individual modules. One notes approvingly that a candidate has “done some hard units”. The combination of subjects is also crucial. There is consternation about a candidate who is applying to read natural sciences without having either maths or biology; he is taking physics and chemistry but his third A-level is an arts subject. The lack of maths rules him out for the study of physics. The absence of biology means he will struggle to be accepted as a biologist. One of the academics comments: “I feel sorry for him, but I don‟t think we can fix the problem.” The consensus is that they will “stick him in the pool”. The “winter pool” is a third option – neither a straightforward offer nor an outright rejection. It means the application is forwarded for consideration by other colleges. Strong candidates who are at risk of being squeezed out because they have applied to an over-subscribed college also get a second chance this way. The pool takes place in early January, when tutors from all the Cambridge colleges gather at Clough Hall, Newnham College to examine the candidates‟ folders again. There is little conversation. Tutors go through bundles of files making lists of candidates they would like to pull out. Seated at a table by one of the tall, arched windows, James Keeler, admissions tutor at Selwyn College, is reviewing candidates for medicine: a course so competitive that excellent applicants are routinely turned down. Keeler opens the folder of a candidate who is applying after taking his A levels. The school reference describes him as a strong (underlined) applicant. This is borne out by his results – he has four A*s.
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For medicine, the tutors look for a strong aptitude for science and the beginnings of a bedside manner. This candidate has divided his interviewers, but Keeler seems inclined to attach greater weight to his exam performance. “The interview is just part of the picture – his four A*s is the summation of many years of work,” he says. He carries on leafing through the folder. “Looking at the personal statement for medicine, it‟s important that they have a range of activities and, particularly, that they have done a serious level of volunteering – handing out teas in a hospice, working with disabled children. Something where they have to take on a caring role and think about why doctors can‟t cure everybody.” “He‟s been on a gap year,” Keeler notes. “If he‟s been sitting on a beach for a year, I‟ll put him in the bin...” He turns a page and reads the candidate‟s statement: “He‟s been volunteering with St John Ambulance. And also training to be a special constable – that‟s something I‟ve never seen before. He‟s clearly doing something worthwhile. He‟s currently volunteering at a care home.” The admissions tutor smiles. “That‟s a tick for me.” A longer version of this article first appeared in The Guardian. © Jeevan Vasagar/Guardian News & Media Ltd 2012
EXPEDITIONS WEEK One of the most eagerly awaited weeks of the year is now upon us – it‟s Expeditions‟ Week starting next Monday. Students from Years 1 to Year 9 inclusive will be embarking on exciting experiences of varying length. My thanks go to the expedition leaders for their excellent preparation work in a difficult year, parents for attending meetings held in school over the last few weeks and for trusting us with your children and for the students in advance for being excellent ambassadors for Harrow wherever they may go. The expeditions are as outlined below: Y1&Y2 at Ocean World, Paragon; Thursday to Friday, led by Mike Williams Y3 at the Cher Resort, Cha Am; Wednesday to Friday, led by Richard Marshall Y4 at Juldis, Khao Yai; Tuesday to Friday, led by Kirsty Salmon Y5 at River Kwai Village, Kanchanaburi; Monday to Friday, led by Dan Carter Y6 at Rayong Chalet, Rayong; Monday to Friday, led by Wendy Gordon Y7 at Pa Ngam, Prajinburi; Monday to Friday, led by James Waugh Y8 at Milford Paradise, Pranburi; Monday to Friday, led by Austen Heeley Y9 at Juldis, Khao Yai; Monday to Friday, led by Stewart Ross Parents should by now have kit lists and itineraries. For information on the progress of expeditions please log on to the Harrow website or Frog where a password free link will take you to the latest information. Or you may contact reception who can let you know of safe arrivals and other basic details. Please only contact expedition leaders on the numbers provided in letters in cases of emergency. Please ensure that your children are at school at the correct time on the day of their departure (there is a particularly early start for some children on the Year 9 trip for example, and an afternoon start for Years 1 and 2) and that you are there to pick them up on Friday. Year 1 children not going on the Ocean World trip will take part in the Adventure Day organised by Meredith Alexander. I can be contacted on 081 815 1557 or 09 0003 7751 (English or Thai spoken) for matters of a general nature. Here‟s wishing all concerned a safe and enjoyable week in the great classroom that is the Kingdom of Thailand! Gerry Carter (Expeditions and Outings Coordinator).
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RIDE FOR RAINBOW
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Last weekend 80 members of the Harrow community donned cycling wear and joined 40 others at Wat Chai Wattanaram, Ayutthaya, to take part in the annual „Ride for Rainbowâ€&#x; sponsored cycle ride. The meandering 70 kilometre course through the countryside culminated in a ferry trip across the Chao Praya and a short ride to Rainbow House, Pak Kred. Rainbow House cares for disabled children, 40 resident orphans and 400 children in day care programmes.
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LIONS
ROAR
AGAIN
Last weekend saw over 130 Harrow students representing the school in the Season Two BISAC Tournaments that were held in various locations in Bangkok. These tournaments were the culmination of several weeks of training that, due to flood damage to the fields, involved countless trips off site at the end of the school day to training facilities at Muang Thong Thani Utd and Songprapa Astro Turf. The students have displayed a huge commitment to the school and to sport, as have the coaches that have worked so hard to help prepare the teams in such a short space of time. The medals that were won only tell part of the story and it was as much an achievement that we fielded teams in every tournament. All of these teams had limited preparation time and in the case of the U15 Girls Football Team took to the field for the first time at the actual tournament. The U17 Basketball teams, U15 Boys Football team and U11 Girls Football teams deserve a special mention for their achievements in gaining medals within their respective tournaments. There are too many students involved to list individually but each one was a credit to themselves, their coaches, and to Harrow. We now move into Season Three and sign up for those sports teams will be in the first week back after half-term. Ian Brown
ISAT
GOLF
The International Schools Association of Thailand annual Golf Championship was hosted by Bromsgrove at President Country Club on 4 February. Harrowâ€&#x;s team played well against some very tough competition in the form of ASB, RIS, Bromsgrove and 10 other schools. Both Pearl (C8) and North (Y7B) were able to win their flights for the second week running. Even more impressive was that Pearl was able to win the best gross score, also for the second week, of the entire 100 strong field, with a fantastic 3 under par round of 69! Trevor Godwin
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HOUSE
ART
COMPETITION
Here in the Art Department, we are always looking for ways in which to develop and encourage artistic talent from a young age. We recognize the profound effect that creating original pieces of work, that fits a studentâ€&#x;s own specification, can have in their relationship to the process of Art making at large. This term we launched the first annual Prep School House Art Competition. Students were asked to create an imaginative visual response to one of four working titles: Bad Hair Day, Escaping the Floods, The Golden Housemaster and Caterpillars. A panel of two judges, both practicing artists living and working in Bangkok, deliberated over an impressive body of 126 entries, which included a variety of mixed media and sculptural works, in order to select our 12 winners. Congratulations to winners Suriyothai and a special mention goes to 4 students who claimed top prizes in each of their categories: Tarn in 6L, Jay 7M, Harriet 6F and Tan 7L . Paron Mead
Harriet Y6
Tan Y7
Tarn Y6
Jay Y7 HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER On the eve of Expeditions Week I wish to begin by thanking all of my colleagues for the outstanding support that they have given to all our students on our return to our home campus. The last five weeks have been a very positive experience for our students and I applaud our staff for the excellent work carried out during and after the school day. Evidence of this has not only been demonstrated within the classroom but also in the many successes that Harrow has had in FOBISSEA events, and locally against our competitors in Bangkok. The success of many of our sports teams and individuals who had virtually no coaching and practice since early October shows the student tenacity that can be forthcoming under the leadership of our Sports and Activities staff. The decision to extend the School Day, in addition to other changes in the timetable and the school calendar, was taken during the first week of the exile last term. It was in response to persistent demands from some parents wanting to know how we would catch up the time lost. My attempts to explain that we measure education in terms of the achievement of learning objectives rather than hours and days failed to convince. Some parents required the reassurance that extra time be given to our students. The effectiveness of our contingency plans during the five weeks in host schools was at that stage uncertain. Further, we were even unsure whether or not our host schools would close due to flooding. It was always my contention that providing a return to our campus in January was unhindered by flood damage and our return went smoothly, the educational opportunities and learning objectives lost during Term 1 would be “caught up” during the 10 weeks of Term 2. In effect, our overall plans for Term 2 were designed to bring everyone up to speed so that by the end of Term 2 we would be back on track. To placate parents we acceded to extend the school day by the addition of Period 9. In conversations with the Heads of Schools this week and with our Prefect Body I am satisfied that we have reached that point already. We suspect that the value of Period 9 that we have gained over the past five weeks along with the success of our teaching and student learning in Term 1b renders further extension of the school day unnecessary and in fact, is probably counterproductive. Period 9 be will cancelled as from the end of this half term and from Monday 27 th February School will end after Period 8. I am conscious that not all our students were able to attend our host schools last term and may still be in need of catching up in some areas. This may apply to a minority of students and we shall make plans to help them separately. I look forward to a week of safe travel, good health, St Valentine‟s Day and plenty of leadership opportunities over the coming week followed by a time for rest and recuperation over half-term. ‘We need to change in order to stay the same’ (Unknown)
Wilf Stout, Head Master
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 20th - 24th February 2012 Half Term Break HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 4 5 S O I K O S U M R U A M C H A I 14 SIKAN DON MUANG BANGKOK 10210 THAILAND T E L E P H O N E + 6 6 (0) 2 5 0 3 7 2 2 2 emaIl hIs@harrowschool.ac.th
www.harrowschool.ac.th