ISS Newsletter November 2014 - English Version

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Important Dates 

Tuesday 25th November—Early Years Parent Talk

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Tuesday 25th

The International School of Samui Newsletter I S S U E

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ISS celebrates Loy Kratong

November—Nursery Parents Talk 

Wednesday 26th November—Year 11 Sixth Form presentation

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Friday 28th November—ISS Swim Team Gala

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Wednesday 3rd December– KG visit Wat Sawang Arom Temple School

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Thursday 4th December— Fathers Day Thai Culture celebration

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Friday 5th December– His Majesty the Kings Birthday—school closed

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Tuesday 9th December—Christmas Show Dress Rehearsals

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Wednesday 10th December—Christmas Shows and ISS Walking Street Christmas Market

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Thursday 11th December—Christmas Party Day and ISS Christmas school lunch.

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Friday 12th DecemberSchool closes for end of term one.

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Tuesday 6th January— school reopens for T2.

On Thursday 6th November, ISS students celebrated the festival of Loy Krathong. It was a magical celebration that had so many exciting elements to it. Firstly all the students learnt about the history of Loy Kratong and the meaning behind the festival. Secondly the making of the Krathongs and the costumes worn by students and thirdly our finale celebration of traditional Thai dancing and music.

The day started with an introduction where our Thai teachers taught the students the reason why we celebrate Loy Krathong. It was so lovely to see so many students wearing traditional Thai costume and seeing some of the beautiful outfits worn. After learning more about the history and reasons behind Loy Krathong all students gathered their banana leaves, flowers and scissors to start working on their Kratongs. Throughout the activity the children were helping each other and were given examples of nicely designed Kratongs by the Thai teachers. Our Senior School pupils were lucky enough to be able to visit Wat Plai Laem to observe how Loy Kratong is celebrated at a local temple.

All students then came together for the finale of the day where we were joined by a group of local Thai musicians and a treated to a selection of Thai dancing.

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The International School of Samui Newsletter

A Spooky Day at ISS - KG and Primary Halloween celebrations The Halloween festivities provided a marvelous afternoons entertainment. It was lovely to see so many of our students from Kindergarten and Primary school dress up in their scariest costumes. The Halloween games, led by our school teachers and the PTA provided lots of fun and entertainment and the spooky disco and senior film night was a real success. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the preparations.

Remembrance Day—We will remember them 11/11/14 November is the time of the year when we wear a red poppy in memory of those who sacrificed their lives during wars. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One. Here at The International School of Samui we felt it was important to honour Remembrance Day by holding a two minute silence. This was especially poignant this year as it 100 years since the beginning of World War One. All our students gathered together and listened to two poignant speeches delivered by our school student leaders. We were all very proud of our students and the way they conducted themselves in such a respectful and considerate manner.

www.iss.ac.th

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The International School of Samui Newsletter

ISS Primary School - Bringing the curriculum to life In Term One there has been a rich variety of exciting trips taking place in the Primary school! Teachers have been encouraged to make use of the natural and man-made environment in Koh Samui and to utilize what the island has to offer. Year 2 visited Samui Airport as the guests of Bangkok Airways. They had an amazing experience travelling through immigration and passport control and learning about how an airport works. Year 2 also visited the Anantara Lawana resort in Chaweng and met with the Head Chef who taught children how to make chocolates and pizza. This was part of a Science topic on Reversible and Irreversible changes. A big thank you to Lars Kerfin, General Manager at the Anantara, who generously arranged this trip for our students. Year 4 went on an island tour including a trip to Bangrak market and the beach. This was to give them inspiration for their writing in class and their topic work all about Koh Samui. Year 5 went to Big C to conduct a survey about climate changes. The students were collecting data about the carbon footprint which shoppers leave and trying to persuade people to reduce this and be more eco-conscious when they shop. Year 6 visited the Samui Dog and Cat Rescue Centre in Ban Taling Ngam. This was to meet cats who had been homeless or injured and take pictures of them. This was used as part of a topic on 'Varjak Paw' Thank you to everyone involved in making the learning trips such a wonderful success.

Shark Guardians educate ISS students on shark conservation We were lucky enough to be visited by the Shark Guardians earlier this month. Shark Guardian is registered with the UK Charity Commission as a non -profit Charity for shark and marine conservation, education, awareness and research projects worldwide. They worked with our Key Stage Two pupils about shark conservation. Using a variety of multimedia slides and videos, they educated our students about sharks, their role in the food chain of the ocean, their importance and why they are needed for our survival. The presentation provided information and facts regarding the modern day plight of shark populations throughout the world and was aimed towards shark conservation and action through education and awareness. We are looking forward to working closely with the Shark Guardians over the coming months and watch this space for more information of our upcoming Finathon sponsored swim to help raise awareness of shark and marine conservation.

www.iss.ac.th

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The International School of Samui Newsletter

ISS Swim Squad is leading the way forward in competitive events The ISS swim squad is rapidly gaining recognition and is becoming a force to be reckoned with. The students have been working incredibly hard to reach the highest standards possible and are now training up to 6 times a week, both before and after school. We are so impressed by the commitment and dedication that each member of the squad has shown. Due to the high standard of swimming that the squad are showing, we were recently invited to attend the Thanyapura Open Swim League Championships. This competition was held at the Thanyapura Sports Complex in Phuket. Competing at this event were various schools and swim squads from the Phuket and southern region.

During the one day intensive meet, the students of ISS excelled in all of their age categories. As well as many of the students finishing very high in their class recognition a special mention must go to Tatiana Riviere (Y2), Sean Lawlor (Y3), Arabella Lees (Y6) and Charly Dougan (Y7) who topped categories in their age groups. The students all thoroughly enjoyed participating in this prestigious event and each were a credit to The International School of Samui.

ISS swim squad competing at regional & national competitions.

ISS have also recently joined the Thailand Amateur Swimming Association (TASA). This will give our students the chance to compete in regional and national swimming competitions all over Thailand. On the 29th and 30th November we will be travelling with a squad of 26 students to Surat Thani to compete in our first regional event. The Surat Thani Swim Championships will bring together schools and swim clubs from various provinces around Thailand. Upcoming events will also include taking the swim squad to Bangkok from 23rd –26th January to compete at the FOBISIA Invitational Age Group Swimming Championships. We are very excited to be able to provide these opportunities to our students, and will continue to do so throughout the academic year. We wish all the ISS swim squad the very best of luck in their upcoming events.

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The International School of Samui Newsletter

ISS Primary School History Super Learning Day At the International School of Samui we strongly believe in the importance and value of both academic curriculum and co-curricular activities in developing the range of skills and attributes that are important for your child’s development.

The Primary School recently celebrated another very successful ‘History Super Learning day.’ It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to not only explore new historical periods, but also for them to gain a deeper understanding of what History is and why it is so important. Students studied different periods in History such Ancient Greece, The Victorians, The Aztecs, Ancient Egypt, The Stone Age and the 1960’s. Overall it was a really fantastic day that, for the children, was both fun and informative. We plan to have another ‘History Day’ next year, and I hope that it will be met with the same level of enthusiasm and excitement as this year.

Welcoming the community into ISS—Parent & Toddler Every Thursday from 10:15 – 11:15 am, in the Kindergarten’s undercover area there is a free Parent and Toddler Group open to everyone in the community. We invite you to bring along your toddlers (under 4 years of age) to join in our activities. The group has been hugely successful and offers a unique opportunity for parents and toddlers to interact and play in a safe and creative environment. It has been lovely to open our doors up to younger members of the community and their families. If you are interested in joining us on a weekly basis for the Parent and Toddler group then please contact the school secretary on 077 484548 or email Nancy on secretary@iss.ac.th.

Primary School Mathematics Super Learning Day On the 14th October 2014, the Primary School celebrated a ‘Mathematics Super Learning Day’ by completing many different math orientated activities. The purpose of the day was to encourage and instill a sense of fun and excitement about Maths.

Math was explored in a variety of ways from art to construction. Children had to use their prior knowledge as well as their newly learnt skills to complete problem solving activities, shape mosaics and design and building of miniature 3D towns. The finale of the day was the Great Egg Tower Challenge! Each class had to build a tower from straws, paper and masking tape. The tallest tower to hold the egg for the longest period of time would be the winner!

Congratulations to our winners 2KD and 6TH. We are very much looking forward to our next Maths Super Learning Day.

www.iss.ac.th

Created by PK (Year 8)

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The International School of Samui Newsletter

KG Pirates and Princess Day

To The International School of Samui,

Pirates and Princess day was celebrated on Friday 26th September in Kindergarten to revise the letter sound P. Children came to school dressed as a pirate or a princess and had a picnic in the park (our school garden). All children and staff thoroughly enjoyed the day and it was a perfect celebration of the letter ‘P’.

Thank you very much for helping with our Poppy Appeal. 8,310 THB were collected by you. Without your help, we would not be able to continue our vital welfare and benevolent work.

Dave Covey, Honorary British Consul.

KG visit to local Thai School to sing carols As part of children learning about the tradition of Christmas and giving to others, Nursery and Reception children are going to take Christmas presents and sing Christmas carols to the children at Wat Sawang Arom temple school in Chaweng on Wednesday 3rd December 2014.

Friends of The Special Needs School 2015/16 calendar

His Majesty the Kings Birthday celebrations.

On Thursday 4th December we are very excited to celebrate His Majesty the King’s birthday. We will be hosting a day dedicated to His Majesty the King led by our Thai department. We will be hosting a ceremony in his honor on the school basketball court at 2:00pm. The students will present gifts to their fathers, sing some beautiful Thai songs and we will have a book for everyone to sign their birthday wishes.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone The school closes for the Christmas holidays on Friday 12 th December at 12:30pm and will reopen again on Tuesday 6th January 2015. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and all the children for all your efforts and support this term. On behalf of all the teachers and staff at ISS, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone back to school on Tuesday 6th January 2015.

www.iss.ac.th

This calendar has been produced by “The Friends of The Special Needs School” in co-operation with a number of enthusiastic photographers living here on the island in order to raise funds on behalf of The Samui Learning Centre for Special Needs. These funds are to be utilized for the construction of a purpose built school on one rai of land recently donated to the foundation which is hoped will allow for additional children living on Samui the opportunity for specialised care and development.

For Sale: 250 THB (admissions office)

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The International School of Samui Newsletter

Welcome to our new ISS Admissions Team

INTERNATIONAL 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: Eng/French: Christophe admissions@iss.ac.th

Eng/German: Becky

admissionsassistant@iss.ac.th

Thai: Khun Jae pr@iss.ac.th

Russian: Anastasia russianpr@iss.ac.th

A special welcome to all our new students here at ISS: Early Years: -Bella -Tabitha -Sofiia Y5: Preaw Y6: Egor

www.iss.ac.th

The International School of Samui would like to welcome two new additions to our Admissions Team, Becky Suchner and Anastasia Gorodtsova. Becky will always be available to help with any questions or queries from new or existing parents. She speaks fluent German, English and basic Russian and Thai. Anastasia will be available every day from 8:30 –11:30 to provide assistance to our Russian speaking parents.

ISS invites you to join the us for our Christmas shows ISS would like to announce the dates and times of our end of year Christmas performances: The Kindergarten Performances will be held at 2pm on the school basketball court. This will then be followed by the Key Stage One performance at 2:30pm and Key Stage Two performance at 3:15pm. The ‘ISS Christmas Walking Street’ will be from 4pm until 6:30pm and the finale will be the Senior School Performance of “Spamalot” from 6:30pm. We hope to see you all there to join in with the Christmas festivities.