The International School of Samui Newsletter
Welcome to our new students in Term 2 Early Years
Lili Liam
I S S U E
Merlin Weronika Leah
# 2
A C A D E M I C
Y E A R
2 0 1 6 / 2 0 1 7
F E B R U A R Y
2 0 1 7
ISS turns 10
Primary
Maria Bibi Platon Amaya Daniil Saskia Maria Artem Sofiia
Senior
Te Raymond Aleksandra
Follow @ISSamuiOfficial to see what’s happening daily in our school!
T
he Interna onal School of Samui started its journey in 2007, under the name of Bluewater, comprising one school building, a few classrooms and a handful of students. Since then, the school has constantly developed and grown thanks to the endorsement of professional and mo vated teachers and hun‐ dreds of families who have entrusted their children’s educa on to our team. Any school’s aim is to develop the character traits, confidence and passion of its pupils in a caring and s mula ng environment. At ISS, we feel proud to have achieved these aims with the knowledge that our students have been able to access their chosen school or study path a er ISS. Our work does not end when students leave ISS for the big wide‐world but when we , as professionals are able to measure their success and they can look back and say, “the thinking and social skills I gained at ISS have undoubtedly helped me to get where I am today” (comment from a past student who le in 2012).
To get real‐ me updates on school ac vi es and latest news, like our page Interna onal School of Samui or add us on your list of friends: ISS Samui
Having reached this milestone of working together “for a be er future” our school is s ll in its infancy and we aim to educate and mo vate even more young minds to succeed and excel in the world. To everyone who has endorsed us we thank you! We will always strive for the best for your child!
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Term 1 General Events
Remembrance Day service held at ISS with serenity and grace Our school community held two minutes' silence at 11am on Friday 11th November to remember the fallen soldiers of World War 1 and beyond. The silence represents the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, when the guns of Europe fell silent. This moment of thought was followed by the eloquent reading by Nam‐ petch Petchsud and Eunseol Seo in Year 11 who recited the poem: "The Last Post" by Carol Ann Duffy. Mr Hawkes’s reading: "The Sol‐ dier" by Rupert Brooke was powerful and thought‐provoking. Finally, our head girl, Emily Stone and head boy, Zachary Lees sang a beau ‐ ful rendi on of "In Flanders Fields". To listen to the audio of these poems given to life by our very own ISS students and teachers, click here. Our year 1 students under the guidance of Miss Spencer made some poppy wreaths. While the Year 6 pupils read a selec on of differ‐ ent WW1 poetry, looking closely at the different imagery of war and peace and the range of poe c devices used by the well‐known war poets. They then wrote their own poems, focusing on contras ng images of war and peace. Snapshots of this event were uploaded in our Flick album here.
Unique celebration of Loy Krathong this year At ISS this year our students celebrated Loy Krathong Fes val in a subdued manner on Monday 14th November 2016. Loy Krathong is a wonderful cultural fes val which our students hugely enjoy. The floa ng of the Krathong is also a way to give respect and thanks to the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha. It is also supposed to bring good luck. Students from Early Years all the way up to Year 11 had a go at making their own Krathong which they then floated in the evening of Loy Krathong in various loca ons around the island.
Early Years class during Loy Krathong
Primary students from different years made Krathongs Senior students made Krathongs during Thai lessons
ISS carried out a Ceremony to Honour King Bhumibol on 22nd November It was an urgent no ce from the Prime Minister of Thailand, Gen‐ eral Prayut Chan‐o‐cha. On 22nd November, a general invita on to all schools was issued by the Privy Council urging ins tu ons to take part in na onwide ceremonies to “show the world how much His Majesty meant to the Thai people and that the Monarchy will not be diminished”. At ISS our students, staff and parents gathered and observed 89 seconds of silence in honour of King Rama IX's 89 Years of life as well as an astounding 70‐year reign in Thailand. We were thankful for everyone’s coopera on in making this event a solemn and peaceful remembrance of a great King. Following this, on 5th December, the school closed to mark the King’s birthday, which is also Thailand’s Father’s Day celebra on. To watch a full slide of photos and audio of the ceremony, check out our video clip on Youtube: click here.
www.iss.ac.th
Christmas at ISS
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It’s the most wonderful (and busiest) time of the year!
Christmas Bake Sale brought BIG smiles to Sunny Smiles Foundation This year’s Christmas Bake Sale was a true success. Thanks to all the parents, staff and students at ISS who supported this bake‐for‐a‐ cause project. We raised more than 16,000 baht which was donated to the Sunny Smiles Founda on under the guidance of Louise Wakelin, who is currently living in Maesot helping the orphans and needy to fulfill a be er life. Our primary student council knows and remembers Miss Wakelin fondly and choose her charity as the beneficiary of their efforts. The money that we have gathered from your dona ons will go a long way in giving happiness to the peo‐ ple of Maesot.
On behalf of the Primary Student Council, thank you for your generosity ISS Community!
Santa’s Grotto was very cozy and warm, thanks to parent helpers! This first week of December was challenging for everyone living on this tropical paradise. Classes were cancelled ; roads were flooded and damaged; and some of our Thai staff lost their homes in the floods. The school’s parents and staff were quick to offer their support. Thank you! In the midst of it all, a group of parents braved the waters and worked together to build a wonderful Santa’s Gro o. They also put and lit up our Christmas tree making the café area feel “Christmassy” and fes ve. Father Christmas visited the li le ones at ISS in this magical se ng which really got them excited about Christmas and all the magic of it. Thank you parents for your help and the next big help will be needed for our Easter celebra ons.
Feeling the Christmas spirit with a joyous Carol concert In Thailand, having the spirit of Christmas is just priceless. At the end of term our primary students, led by their class teachers put together an hour‐long concert se ng the scene of a wonderful Christmas atmos‐ phere. On the evening of Tuesday 13th December, the whole school community gathered to be delighted by our students performing in the annual Carols by Candlelight celebra on. Each class sang their own choice of Christmas song, supported beau fully by the primary school choir, some of our pri‐ vate music instrumentalists as well as the senior school band. The singing was wonderful and the audience were delighted with such hits as Li le Donkey, sung by our youngest children, and a hilarious ver‐ sion of Deck the Halls, sung by our Year 5 and 6 students. It was a truly lovely evening and brought the Christmas spirit to Samui.
www.iss.ac.th
Primary School News
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Year 1 visited the Post Office to mail a letter to their Mummy and Daddy 16th November 2016. Year 1 had the chance to visit the Maenam Post Office to mail le ers to their parents. This is part of this half‐ term's topic focusing on: "Our Seaside Home". Year 1 students have been learning about Koh Samui, where it is located as well as knowing the postal address of their school. In this day and age where almost all correspondence is done electronically (ie., e‐mail, text or vid‐ eo call), it's great to show the younger genera on the tradi onal ways of communica on. The post office staff were only too happy to guide our enthusias c stu‐ dents through the post office, its systems and rou nes. Students were encouraged to send their own handwri en le er, each student bought beau ful stamps depic ng the Thai alphabet. Overall, it was an inter‐ es ng trip for our students which will hopefully encourage them to do more le er‐wri ng. The le ers they mailed were received by the school the next day and the children have already brought them home for parents to open and
Team sports introduced to Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 students and they’re loving it! The inclusion of team‐sports this academic year from years 3 and up has been a resounding success promo ng well‐being and fitness of our energe c youngsters. Team‐sports encompass so many key skills, including coopera on, teamwork and self‐esteem in students and there is evidence that confirms that physical ac vity increases academic results also. It’s that old adage, “a healthy body, a health mind”. At half‐term, ISS held an inter‐house handball cup final tournament which we believe both students and parents enjoyed very much. Years 3 and 4 played on 17th November 2016, which Years 5 and 6 had their tournament the following day. The sports hall was packed with players and spectators on both days. Congratula ons to the winning team (Einstein)! We look forward to the next house compe ons and the scheduled inter‐school fixtures which are
A Nature-oriented Year 2 Assembly Year 2 students held their class assembly in the Drama theatre, which was thoroughly watched by their parents and the rest of the primary school. Our young actors shared what they have been learning this term, especially about plant life cycles ‐ how they grow and produce flowers.
Best shots during Years 3 & 4 handball tournament. Click here for more photos and videos on our Youtube page.
They talked about different kinds of flowers. They engaged di‐ rectly with their audience quizzing them on their knowledge of the life cycle of plants. The assembly ended in an even more cheerful note as our prima‐ ry pupils received their cer ficates for excep onal academic effort that week.
Years 5 & 6 handball tournament highlights. Click here for more photos. For more photos, visit our Flickr account. This link will take you directly to the Year 2 album: h ps://flic.kr/p/PzBawX
www.iss.ac.th
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Senior School News
Thank you to everyone who attended last term’s parents evening Our Senior School parents evening which took place on Tuesday 25th October was another resounding success giving parents a forum to review their child's progress this half‐term. The hall was buzzing with enthusias c parents who were eager to connect with respec ve teachers and discuss their child’s academic performance and pastoral care. Mid‐term school reports were introduced in Term 1 giving parents a concise progress report of their child and which areas of study could be could be improved during the course of the term. Thank you to parents who made the effort to a end these valu‐ able mee ngs.
Year 11 - Parents’ evening -- February 9th 2017 At the beginning of Term 2 year 11 students sat their mock IGCSE examina ons providing them with a realis c insight of their pro‐ jected grades in the real exams in May and June 2017. Following on from this examina ons feedback, parents were invited to discuss with respec ve teachers their child’s results and how they can best prepare themselves over the coming months for the best possible outcome in their IGCSE results. We were pleased to see many parents a end and support their child at this important milestone of their child’s educa on.
BEST Weekly Performing students, year & form are now online! Parents, as you know, we are recording the Top Students and best performing Senior Year and Form group every week on our Senior Board right next to the Senior Common Room. You are now able to follow this report online. We will be pos ng the weekly achievements on our Senior Portal Page as well as Twi er and Facebook ac‐ counts. Check our Facebook page or Senior Portal website every Monday morning to see the best performing students, year and form group from the previous week. View the results by logging into: www.iss.ac.th/parentportal
www.iss.ac.th
Page 6
Term 1 Sports Trips
Football friendly match: ISS U-9 vs Samui United. Let’s do it again! Our ISS U‐9s football team travelled to Samui United Academy in November to play a few friendly games. It was our first away‐ game and our team did extremely well against some very good teams. The evening felt wonderfully atmospheric under the floodlights. Despite the pouring rain a cheery crowd supported the players and were treated to some stylish and commi ed football from both sides. We wish to thank Samui United and ISS parents. We are looking forward to the next football friendly match. Congratula ons to our students for being such "good‐sport" under some challeng‐ ing circumstances and Samui United for their commitment to the pairing.
Fantastic results from ISS Sharks at Thanyapura Swim League The ISS Sharks par cipated in the 2nd session of the Thanyapura swim league which took place at the UWC Phuket complex on Saturday 5th November 2016. The event included team and indi‐ vidual events: Girls & Boys 200m Medley Relay & 200m Freestyle Relay races; 50m Breaststroke; 100m Backstroke; 50m Freestyle; 200m Bu erfly. Fantas c results from our girls in the 200 IM relay race who achieved 1st place overall (out of 15 teams) with a me of 2:39.84 and the boys achieved 1st place in 11‐12 years 200m Freestyle relay with a me of 2:22.78. It was a very successful meet for all our swimmers but par cular men on of our high‐point scorers who are: Elouan (71pts), Bella (65pts), Kya (64pts), Seraphina (62pts) and Isabella (61pts) out of a possible total of 80 points.
Results from our 1st away football tournament, better than expected 25th to 27th November. In the last weekend of November, selected students from the Interna onal School of Samui par cipated in the 15th BIS Soccer Sevens Tournament at BIS School in Phuket. We entered 3 teams into this event, U‐9 mixed, U‐15 girls and U‐15 boys. This is the first me ISS has been involved in such a significant schools' football event which included players from 32 interna onal schools across Asia. For some the event was in mida ng but also hugely rewarding. Our U‐15 boys' and girls' teams reached the quarter finals stage of the compe on which is an amazing achievement for teams who had only fi ed‐in one month of training. Amidst such strong compe on our youngest players were disappointed not to achieve a podium place, although we must congrat‐ ulate them for showing some wonderful football skills and perseverance. We are proud of their effort and commitment shown in each game. Our warmest thanks to Mr Andrewartha, Mr Cossle , Pi Aor and Pi Pak who supported and encouraged our students to do their best. We are looking forward to making this an annual fixture in our primary and senior sports calendars and taking part in many more compe ve football fixtures. Football at ISS is kicking!
www.iss.ac.th
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Board of Honour
Outstanding Academic Achievements for ISS Students! We are very happy to report that nearly eight out of every ten Year 6 students (79%) reached the expected standards in all three assessed subjects of the new Bri sh Primary Curriculum ‐ Reading, Wri ng and Mathe‐ ma cs. This is outstanding compared to 53% of students who achieved a similar result in the UK. 14% of our students achieved the top grade (High score) in all three of these subjects, nearly three mes high‐ er than the 5% average of students who achieved a similar result in the UK. These are outstanding achieve‐ ments. Combining these Primary School results with our IGCSE results in 2016‐ 55% A*/A and 100% A*/C grades, pro‐ vides a very clear message to us all that our students are achieving great things academically and se ng the benchmark for other schools in the region to aspire to. With regards to assessment the new Bri sh Primary Curriculum has made some very good improvements over the last two years and is now focused a great deal more on Mastery in the three main subjects of Mathe‐ ma cs, Reading and Grammar, Punctua on and Spelling (new name for Wri ng). In order to give you the very best picture of your child’s progress in this new and improved Bri sh Primary Curriculum, we have redesigned the school reports to offer a great deal more data for you.
Giving back to the community through our Scholarship program ISS is so proud to have educated so many talented and bright students, all of whom have achieved great things. To celebrate this we are launching a Scholarship Pro‐ gram to support 10 well‐deserving students on the island. If you know of a child, Thai or foreigner, who might benefit from such an opportunity please do not hesi‐ tate to put them in touch with the school. For more informa on go to: h p://www.iss.ac.th/Scholarships.html Below is a summary of the scholarship award requirements: ‐ Year 6 (aged 11 +) and above. ‐ Up to 80% support with fees (un l the student completes his/her educa on in year 11). (50% for foreign students/ 80% for Thai na onals) ‐ No joining fee. ‐ Full parental financial statement is required. Entry Criteria: ‐ Mo vated, hard‐working and enthusias c young people. ‐ Above average academic poten al. ‐ Good level of English. ‐ Strengths in other areas such as music, art, sport, swimming and drama strongly valued in the award process.
www.iss.ac.th
Page 8 Important Dates 24 Feb 2017 Table Tennis Tournament 24 Feb 2017 ISS v Oonrak Football Match - KS2 20th - 24th February 2017 COBIS - Science Competiion KS3 2 March 2017 World Book Day - EY and Primary 3 March 2017 ISS v Oonrak Swimming Gala - KS2/KS3 3 March 2017 COBIS Art competition deadline - Whole School 10 March 2017 Years 3/4 Camping Night 10 March 2017 Senior Girls SEA Netball Competition Singapore 17 March 2017 Years 5/6 Camping Night 23rd / 24th March 2017 Senior School Play Production - Theatre 29 March 2017 Dance Show - Primary 30 March 2017 Songkran Festival - whole school 30 March 2017 Easter Egg Hunt and Egg Painting Decoration Primary and Early Years 31 March - 2 April 2017 Rocket Science Swimming Competition Phuket - Swim Team
Professional Development
Two of our long-term staff members have also shown great achievements this year! At ISS we always value and encourage our staff to develop their professional qualifica ons. Two of ISS’s longest serving and highly valued members of staff have spent the last couple of years improving their professional development alongside their work at ISS. The school has always supported its staff members to develop their own skills and qualifica ons giving them greater opportuni es in the future. Every one of our Thai teaching assistants has access to free English lessons. Furthermore ISS recogniz‐ es all of its staff commitment by celebra ng together their milestone when they reach 5 years of ser‐ vice at ISS. They are awarded with a bonus as well as flowers and a cer ficate. Khun Khemjira Kulkham (Jae) our Thai teacher has spent a number of years studying alongside her full‐ me job at the school. Khun Jae has recently completed her Doctorate Degree of Educa on specializ‐ ing in Leadership in Educa on Management from Sura hani Rajabhat University. Khun Jae has stud‐ ied part‐ me for the past 5 ½ years whilst bringing up her 2 daughters alone and working full‐ me at ISS. We must congratulate her for her dedica on and perseverance. Khun Jae gives a synopsis of her life for the past 5,5 years: “When I applied to start the degree, my eldest child, Kafair, was only 4 years old, and my youngest daughter, Kafield, was only 2 years old. It was hard to juggle work, being a good mother, and studying for my degree. I had to take my girls with me to Sura hani every Friday a ernoon, and they had to leave school early. I had to drive my small Jeep Carribean to Bannasan Distrct, about 50km from Sura hani, where my family live, and arrive late at night. I would get up early on a Saturday morning to drive to the university, for a full day of lectures. I would then find a cheap room in town so I could study and review the work from the day’s lectures, and prepare for another subject on the Sunday. My parents would drive the children half way to meet me, and then we could drive to the ferry to come back to Samui on a Sunday night. Every week, I spent more than 10 hours travelling to and from Samui and Sura hani, with the ferry and driving to the university. Some mes, when my parents were busy, I even had to take my girls to class with me. They were very popular, as their English is very good compared to other Thai children, because they a end ISS.” Well done Khun Jae we are very proud of you! Khun Watchara Saengkaew (Krung), our General Manager who has been working at ISS for since July 2007, has been studying part‐ me for a Masters of Educa on in Educa on Administra on alongside his full‐ me job. Khun Krung has spent 2 years studying for this degree at weekends. Khun Krung feels that he has gained a huge amount from this opportunity and his thoughts are as follows: “Access to a quality educa on system enhances opportuni es to develop the job and an educated mind will be personally fulfilled by having the academic knowledge given to me. Skills and other working capabili es are such great advantage for the school because it is the most influen al factor in improving the performance in my work place”. Studying whilst holding down a full‐ me job means a lot of compro‐ mises and juggling. We must therefore be thankful that all our staff want to improve themselves and therefore the environment in which your children are growing up. There is so much more to a school than its great teachers but a whole system behind of staff who are always striving for the best for themselves. We must never under‐es mate the power of educa on! As Henry Ford said: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young”.
31 March 2017 End of Term 2
www.iss.ac.th
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After-School & Club News
After-school & weekend clubs and activities are keeping ISS alive after hours…. Clubs at ISS a er school and at the weekends have become a very popular op on for parents from ISS but also appeal to stu‐ dents who are not able to access these ac vi es within their school. Currently on op on at ISS are the following ac vi es. To join an ac vity or club at ISS you can either contact: ac vi es@iss.ac.th or contact the club provider directly. Most ac vi es are open to children however there are also a few op ons for parents and adults also.
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES Chess Club with Stan Bridge Lessons with Trevor
ADULT ACTIVITIES Zumba classes with Cliff Swimming for Beginners with Bianca
Extra Thai lessons—contact Thai department directly
Swimming Fitness with Chris
Ballet and Dance with Ilya
Dad’s Football (Samui Arena)
Russian tui on with Julia
Badminton Nights (contact for details)
Extra Chinese with Esther
Kids Football with Cliff
Singing Lessons with Aria
Drama and Theatre Group with Julia
S ngrays Swim Club with Chris
RAFFLE - Amazing prizes - up to 24,000 baht in value can be won!! In term 2 the primary student council have plans to run an Easter ac vity day to raise funds for a worthy cause. The student council are s ll in the planning stages but news about of their ac vi es will be released soon. The Senior student council have been spending a lot of me in Term 2 raising funds for the SEA netball compe on which will see our Senior Girls go to Singapore between 11th and 12th March 2017. They have baked and sold cakes. Also they organized a special Valen ne’s fundraising ini a ve where they sold homemade soap bars and homemade scented candles which they made by hand with the help of their science teacher, Miss Mooney. The girls are also organizing a Raffle with prizes donated from businesses all over the island. All funds raised from this ini a ve will go towards their netball trip to Singapore. Tickets will be sold during the week of 27th February. Each cket price will be 100 baht with the chance to win dinner vouchers, overnight stays in 5 star hotels, photo‐ shoot and many many more. Top prize value is 24,000 baht. The raffle will be drawn on Monday 6th March 2017. If you wish to donate a prize please do so as soon as possible. You can get all the details from Miss Mooney who is coordina ng the trip or Victoria who is helping with the fundraising.
ISS Alumni News
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Building up ISS Alumni Association to celebrate 10 years For the past couple of months we have been contac ng old ISS students to de‐ velop our Alumni Associa on. We want to know about the achieve‐ ments of our past students. Our mission in establishing an alumni is to trace their personal story to give our current stu‐ dents a true picture of their op ons a er their educa on on Koh Samui.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SAMUI
To date we have made contact with stu‐ dents who have completed their educa‐ on either a er A‐levels or iGCSEs at ISS. The chart will show you how varied and interes ng their paths have been.
141/21 Moo 6 Bophut Koh Samui Surat Thani 84320 Thailand
Over the past month we have been gathering some facts about our past students and the mul tude of career paths they have pursued since leav‐ ing ISS and island‐life.
School secretary Tel: +66(0) 77 48 45 48 secretary@iss.ac.th
We have been fortunate to have mo‐ vated and bright students over the last decade who have always re‐ ceived incredible support from our team of teachers.
www.iss.ac.th www.facebook.com/ Internationalschoolofsamui www.facebook.com/ victorialees(iss) www.twitter.com/ issamuiofficial @ISSamuiOfficial
Contact our admissions department:
As our school gains an even stronger reputa on locally and further afield, it aims to open up its doors to even more deserving youngsters by devel‐ oping its scholarship program, in‐ creasing its spor ng facili es, focus‐ ing on inter‐sport compe ons, tak‐ ing part in events against other inter‐ na onal schools in the region.
“ISS has helped me to overcome most of my insecurities ad [sic] fears, which helped me become more open to new people and things.” ‐ Anastasia (graduated 2014)
Eng/French: Victoria admissions@iss.ac.th
Thai: Khun Aom
admissionsoffice@iss.ac.th
Russian: Marina russianpr@iss.ac.th
“Gave me the chance to explore my interests in an environment which allowed your passions to thrive.” ‐ Ben (graduated 2013)
www.iss.ac.th