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The International School of Samui Newsletter I S S U E
Important Dates
Open Day: Friday 21st August 2015 1pm –3pm
Start of the New Academic Year: Monday 24th August
Key Dates Academic Year 2015-2016
Friday 21st August 2015:
Term 1 starts
October 19th—23rd 2015:
Mid Term Break
Friday 11th December 2015:
End of Term 2
Tuesday 5th January 2016:
Term 2 starts
February 15th-19th 2016:
Mid Term Break
Friday 1st April 2016:
End of Term 2
Monday 18th April 2016:
Term 3 starts
May 30th-31st 2016:
Mid Term Break
Friday 24th June 2016:
End of the Academic Year
5
A C A D E M I C
Y E A R
2 0 1 4 / 2 0 1 5
J U N E
2 0 1 5
ISS hosts annual Business Enterprise Week We were very excited to hold the third annual Business Enterprise project through Years 1-10 from Monday 22nd Wednesday 24th June 2015. The purpose of the Business and Enterprise project is to develop the children’s entrepreneurial skills and financial management capabilities. The students throughout Years 1-10 were tasked with setting up their own mini businesses. The children were given the task of thinking of every detail from business ideas to the running costs. The Business Enterprise project encouraged children to use their mathematical skills and learn useful business skills. Students were given the opportunity to learn about business in a practical way and at the same time discover what it is like to start a business. Over the course of the three days, students worked effectively in teams to help market, develop a product, manage and promote their company. Students were also taught the basic concepts of finance, management and teamwork. The finale of the week was held on Wednesday afternoon where all parents and members of the community joined us to purchase the products that the students had made. There were a vast array of stalls selling anything from food and drink through to one off pieces of furniture. The Business Project was a real success with students developing their business and economic knowledge. We are already looking forward to next years Business Enterprise project and to the helping create the business entrepreneurs of the future.
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The International School of Samui Newsletter
Congratulation to the Reception class on their graduation We ended the year in Kindergarten with the Reception Graduation Ceremony. The children all looked very smart in on the stage as they donned their graduation gowns and hats. A big thank you to all the Reception parents for attending this important ceremony for the children. The Reception children sang a few songs and each received their graduation diplomas from Kindergarten and a book signed by the teachers. A big thank you to everyone for all their hard work and support over the year.
Charity Fundraising for Nepal On Friday 8th May The students and staff at The International School of Samui held a non-school uniform day to raise money for the victims of the earthquake that struck Nepal. The theme was the colours of the Nepalese flag, red, white and blue. We are very proud to announce that a total of 57,000THB was raised. The students also made a giant prayer flag and messages of support to be sent to students at The British School of Kathmandu. The International School of Samui has made a link with The British School of Kathmandu and have pledged support to helping them with their work in the local community. They will be working with local people devastated by the earthquake because they can be assured that any money pledged into their care will result in every single penny being spent on projects that can help local people and seen to develop over time. They will be directing their efforts to helping school rebuilding projects for Dhading schools, Bungamati DSA school (hearing and sight impaired children) and the Disabled New Life centre. The buildings have been devastated and they served large communities of people who needed them desperately http://www.tbskathmandu.org/extra-curricular/community-service-charitable-work/. These projects will benefit children, are related to education, and we know they will give long term benefit to the children and people of Nepal. Thank you to everyone who helped raise this much needed money and for all your kind support. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Nepalese people during this difficult time.
www.iss.ac.th
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The International School of Samui Newsletter
ISS Intra House Swimming Gala The ISS Primary School Swimming Gala recently took place on the 29th May. Over 80 students took part in the event which was cheered on by a wonderful crowd of parents, students and teachers. The students took part in all the stroke disciplines as well as a house group relay. The overall winners of the gala were Einstein closely followed by Darwin and Newton.
List of winners – Year 1 Boys – 1st Mek 2nd Marvin 3rd Egor and Bon Year 1 Girls – 1st Anastasia 2nd Zoe 3RD Ming Year 2 Boys – 1st Iakov 2nd Vladimir 3rd Alan Year 2 Girls – 1st Lou 2ND Seraphina 3rd Taisiya Year 3 Boys – 1st Sean 2ND Tanaphum 3rd Kuzma Year 3 Girls – 1st Camille 2nd Melanie 3rd Isabel Year 4 Boys – 1st Mark 2nd Zachary 3rd Jet Year 4 Girls – 1st Alexandra 2nd Emily 3rd Tara Year 5 Boys – 1st Anrai 2nd Tanarak 3rd Tom Year 5 Girls – 1st Laura 2nd Victoria 3rd Ellie Year 6 Boys – 1st Egor 2nd Stamp 3rd Finnlay Year 6 Girls – 1st Arabella 2nd Mi Mi 3rd June
Kindergarten Dinosaur Egg Day The Kindergarten children all enjoyed our Dinosaur egg day with the surprise discovery of a dinosaur egg one morning in the Kindergarten garden. The dinosaur had escaped and left lots of different dinosaur activities for the children to explore, including miniature dinosaurs hiding all over the garden. The children got to go on a dinosaur bone archeological dig, make dinosaur hats, make a giant dinosaur by assembling dinosaur bones, amongst other activities. The children all had a roaring time!
www.iss.ac.th
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The International School of Samui Newsletter
Primary School Three day Art Projects The annual ISS Art Week took place across the whole of Primary school from Wednesday 3rd June until Friday 5th June. Children selected a three day workshop of their choice, in which they explored and developed key skills in a specific area of art or music. The workshops included Sculpture, Drawing, Digital media, Textiles, Printing, Music, Collage and Weaving. The finale resulted in a wonderful display of all the art pieces created in an outdoor art gallery. Well done to all the students for all their hard work and a big thank you to everyone who was involved in the is fantastic event.
Kindergarten ‘People who help us’ class visits As part of our topic of Animals, Doctor Kannka Thiabthim from the veterinary practice M.A. opposite Big C in Bophut, kindly came to visit the Kindergarten in May, bringing along with her pet cat for the children to stoke. Doctor Kannka explained to the children how to care for animals, including how to handle them safely and what to and what not to feed them. The children all enjoyed learning about what a vet does and we now have many children hoping to be vets in the future!
Marcus and Daniela came from the Dog & Cat Rescue centre in Samui to talk to the children in Kindergarten about how they help rescue sick and abandoned animals on Samui. They bought with them two gorgeous little puppies, Pepper and Grizzly, who are desperately in need of finding a loving home after being found left, just hours old, in a plastic bag. They also bought in their own dog for the children to stroke. The children all enjoyed giving the animals a fuss and learning all about the Dog and cat Rescue centre. The children kindly donated dog and cat food for the centre, which relies purely on donations. If you are looking to home a dog or cat, or if you would like to donate, then please contact Samui Dog & Cat Rescue on 081 893 94 43.
Senior and Sixth Form Students finish IGCSE and A 'levels Good luck to students who have just finished their IGCSE and A Level Exams. This year has been a long exams season, and now that it is over we wish all of our students the very best of luck as they wait for their results. Results are due not later than the 13th of August for A Levels, and the 20th of August for IGCSEs. All students have been given details of how to access their results online, but if they have any issues accessing the exam board sites they can email headsenior@iss.ac.th
www.iss.ac.th
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The International School of Samui Newsletter
ISS students win the COBIS Science projects This past term our science students entered an international film competition and they did not win… They did not win best audio recording. They did not win best graphics. They didn’t even win best student involvement. HOWEVER, THEY DID WIN THE MUCH MORE PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS OF BEST CHEMISTRY VIDEO AND BEST OVERALL VIDEO! With the help of Miss. Mooney, Miss. Ellis, and Mr. Edmonds the young scientists at ISS stormed to victory taking the COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards by storm. After months of hard work and planning they produced videos that were outstanding in the competition. In fact, one of the judges commented, “What a lovely video. It showcases the school, the island, and the science beautifully.” This award puts ISS on the map in terms of creativity, education and learning, as well as being an amazing community to be a part of. Thank you to all of our young scientists and teachers for creating such a wonderful piece of work.
Kindergarten, Primary and Senior School Sports Days
Samui Sharks attend finale of Thanyapura open swim league The ISS Samui Sharks competed recently at the Phuket Open Swim League at the Thanyapura complex in Phuket. The event was the final session of 3 that has taken part throughout the academic year. The students done themselves proud with many personal bests being broke and many heat wins. A big congratulation goes out to the squad members who took overall medals for the competition which included 1 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze. The organisers awarded diplomas to the students who have shown commitment and attended all of the league swim meets.
www.iss.ac.th
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The International School of Samui Newsletter
ISS are thrilled to be accepted as a FOBISIA school FOBISIA is a regional Federation of the leading British international schools in Asia. As an organisation it unashamedly applies stringent entry standards to all schools who apply for membership and upholds these same standards for all members through a review cycle that requires an ongoing commitment to excellence and inspection or accreditation by recognised external agencies. We are thrilled to announce, after a rigorous two day inspection by a FOBISIA executive panel, The International School of Samui was unanimously accepted as a member school. The aim of the Federation is to promote excellence, high achievement and good practice through Britishstyle education in schools by: Keeping abreast of developments in Britain and in the international context Promoting consistency of British-style education in FOBISIA schools Celebrating the community of British national heritage and cultural identities of host countries and student bodies Providing opportunities for inter-school competitions and enrichments programmes Facilitating school improvement through shared programmes of professional development to address members’ needs Exploring co-operative initiatives to benefit members Responding to the changing needs of the expatriate community in the region Fostering links, worldwide, with other groups of British International Schools As a member school, we are now eligible to a plethora of activities and experiences for all members of the school community. For our pupils; the FOBISIA Games have a long-standing reputation for being well organized events that offer pupils a fantastic opportunity to compete at the highest levels but at the same time to form global friendships with their age-group peers throughout the region. This successful formula is now emulated in many other curricular areas (Notably, Music, Drama, & DT, to name but a few). For our teachers; FOBISIA offers a rich and varied Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme that includes regional Job-Alike-Workshops (JAWS) and a wide range of other regionally based offerings by leading personalities & authorities within the teaching profession. If you would like to know more about FOBISIA, or its member schools, then please do not hesitate to visit with Mrs Taylor Hawkins to discuss or visit www.fobisia.org for more information.
www.iss.ac.th
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The International School of Samui Newsletter
PTA International Food Fair and Second Hand Sale The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) hosted an end of year fundraising and social event in the form of an International Food Fair/ Second Hand Sale on Friday 12th June. The International Food Fair offered a chance for our diverse international community to come together and to celebrate our native countries and native foods. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you all for your kind donations of food for the international food fair last week. It was lovely to see all our parents, of a variety of different nationalities, come to together to celebrate each different culture through a celebration of food. Without your kind donations, the event would not have been such a success and we sincerely thank you for your time and effort in producing such lovely food for the food fair.
PTA and Sixth Form PTA Quiz Night Perseverance, dedication, and commitment to the community: These are the qualities embedded by the Duke of Edinburgh Award. And, for the past two years, the Sixth Form students have been working towards developing and achieving them. Their hard-work as well as dedication culminated in the Sixth Form Charity Quiz and Auction. On Friday, June 5 parents and teachers alike gathered to celebrate the culmination of the Sixth Form’s time at ISS, partaking in an exciting quiz and auction. The Sixth Form would like to send out a big thank you to all of the parents and teachers who joined in on the fun and made the auction a resounding success. A big thank you to all the charity sponsors also for their wonderful donations.
PTA kindly donate to Wat Phukhao Thong School The PTA Fundraising Committee has kindly donated the funds to buy a projector for the ‘English Laboratory’ at the Wat Phukhao Thong Temple School in Mae Nam. The school ranges from anuban (nursery) through to Mathom (secondary school), and has about 1,000 students, all from the local community. Samui TEFL offers free English lessons at the school, as part of the training for their TEFL trainees. Khun Kru A, head of the English department, along with the rest of the staff at the school are dedicated to helping the children to the best of their abilities, with the limited resources available. A projector was top of her wish list for Kru A, who approached Samui TEFL to help fundraise to purchase one, and the ISS PTA fundraising committee kindly came to the rescue. In the new school term, ISS with some of the senior school students and together with Samui TEFL will do an English language workshop with the secondary school students at Wat Phukhao Thong school, with the aim of giving them ideas on how to use the projector for their English Laboratory. Kru A and her team are most grateful for the donation, and the projector will be well-utilised for conducting lessons for all pupils at the school. Photos of the workshop will follow in the new year. Thank you to everyone who has supported our fund raising efforts, it’s great to see it going back into the local community in this way.
www.iss.ac.th
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The International School of Samui Newsletter
Senior School and Year 6 residential to Khao Yai
INTERNATIONAL
In the penultimate week of term, 34 students and 5 teachers embarked on a week-long adventure in Khao Yai National Park. The ultimate goal of a residential trip is to stimulate self-sufficiency, personal growth, and the development of life-long friendships. This year’s trip ticked all of these boxes and many more. Some of the activities on offer were: archery, mountain biking, an aerial challenge course, and kayaking. These activities were sometimes scary (for further details ask Mr. Denman about the aerial challenge) but always educational, teaching students about trying new things and pushing one’s boundaries. All students grew and thoroughly enjoyed the trip, which looks as if it will become a staple in the ISS yearly calendar. Thank you to all of the staff at the Wild Lodge for making this trip a memorable, safe, and exciting experience for everyone involved. As they say, “Who dares wins!”
SCHOOL OF SAMUI 141/21 Moo 6 Bophut Koh Samui Surat Thani 84320 Thailand School secretary Tel: +66(0) 77 48 45 48 secretary@iss.ac.th ***
Contact our admissions department: admissions@iss.ac.th Thai: Khun Aom
admissionsoffice@iss.ac.th
Russian: russianpr@iss.ac.th
End of term message from Mrs Taylor Hawkins What a fantastic school year we have had! The weeks and the terms have been crammed full of curriculum and voluntary activities, culminating with the finale ’Speech Day’ celebrations on our last day of term. The year that has just past has given all our children so many opportunities to learn and grow. As well as important classroom lessons, our pupils have enjoyed school trips, Super learning days, dance, drama and musical shows and sporting fixtures. They have raised funds for the Nepalese earthquake victims and worked with children from the local special needs school, put on live shows, learned an array of musical instruments, and benefited from some excellent extra curricular clubs. The children that we have here at The International School of Samui are a real credit to both you as parents and us as teachers. I am sure as you read this message you will share our sense of pride in the achievements of the whole school community. Our students are truly outstanding representatives of our school and the partnership between staff and students goes from strength to strength. So I am full of confidence as we prepare for the new academic year that we can only continue to build upon the many successes that this year has brought. We are excited about the new Kindergarten building, new school playgrounds, drama studio and gymnasium, state of the art cookery kitchen and senior relaxation areas, that will all be created over the summer holidays. We would like to thank you for your support. Without the partnership between parents, students and staff such improvements in the quality of the provision would not have been possible. I would also like to say a special thank you to Cartoon Songnui for her leadership of the ISS PTA and for all the dedication, commitment and time she has given over to running the PTA this academic year. To those staff and children that are moving on, we wish you all well, and come back to visit us soon. In the meantime, I wish you all a lovely Summer holiday and we look forward to seeing you on our open day on Friday 21st August 1pm –3pm or on Monday 24th August when school reopens.
www.iss.ac.th