ieCare International
Publication information: AD Astra is published three times a year by Ruamrudee International School. The objective of the publication is to report on and communicate happenings at Ruamrudee International School. At least 1,400 copies are printed per issue to send directly to all students and their families. AD Astra is also distributed among our faculty and staff numbering over 500, and published on our website. The RIS family is a large and growing community of international citizens.
ad astra team editors: Tam Fawcett Will Hayman Elisia Brodeur
Graphics design/layout: Sornchai Pongheamwattana
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coordinator: Rajeepan Techapahaphong
Printed by Media Printing Plus Limited
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ruamrudee international school
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6 Ramkhamhaeng 184, Minburi, Bangkok 10510 Tel: +66 (0) 2791 8900 Fax: +66 (0) 2791 8901-2 Website: www.rism.ac.th E-mail: info@rism.ac.th
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chaplain Father Leo Travis Pre-K Games day elementary school christmas show Kim McDonald es science showcase es Games day dr. seuss Week es/ms summer school being a new student at ris Patnaree Leelittigoonchai ms talent show Grade 6 Greek festival ms Knowledge bowl ms Games day Welcome to the middle school makerspace ib biology conducts research on Koh samet Duncan Blair hs halloween lots of fun with Japanese culture! hs Knowledge bowl rugby at ris Maek Kongsawad Girls Varsity Volleyball 2016 the importance of sports at ris Monchida Sukontaman
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tournament seasac arts festival ris choral department attends choir camp Hannah Diopenes ms concert service learning at ris Shirley Gamble hs summer school thai class trips ris students building a better future Chutimon Dhiranusornkit and Jiho In the rangsit babies home Nacha Rapeerattanakul and Roli Sharma ris students Volunteer at the school of the blind Mimi Komthongchusakul ib art exhitbition (dawn) ris second semester blood drive untology earcos Weekend Workshop foundations in math Sara Garrett upcoming academic Journal article Photos of the day
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Our 60th annIVersary
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d astra greets and welcomes all readers to the 60th anniversary and celebration of ruamrudee International school. I begin today’s article by writing a greeting to all of our students. We are really celebrating them! We are thankful that each student has a part in the great celebration. But today, I mostly wish to greet our parents. thank you, parents, for choosing ruamrudee as the school for your child! Parents of ruamrudee, thank you for contributing to and cooperating in the success of our work. When Father Godbout and our early Fathers started the Parish of holy redeemer Church in 1954, a growing number of Catholics centered around their new and beautiful church that was built in thai architecture. they begged Father Godbout to have a school. the good Father told them that every parish of the redemptorists around the world has a Catholic school andso we would have one, too. the parents helped Father Godbout get things started. they needed a building, and they needed sisters to help teach. the parents prayed and sisters arrived! the parish began to have both thai-speaking and englishspeaking parishioners, and so they decided that the school should serve both communities. the parents helped the sisters and a small school began: two rooms for the thai children and two rooms for the english children. the parents were the strength and support from the beginning of ruamrudee International school. We thank the parents for their desire to have a good school for their children and for their support. Parents have been supporting our school throughout the past 60 years, and it is still that way today. every Monday morning, when the youngest students gather for assembly, there is always a large group of parents close by. I love to greet them and thank them for their support. When I see parents visiting teachers, I am very grateful and greet them when I can. new parents come and show they are pleased that they have chosen ruamrudee International school for their child. I am thankful and try to spend time with them when we meet. Parents are so important—important for their families and extremely important for our school! thank you, parents, for coming to show your support when you have the opportunity. Our 60th anniversary is a tribute to our parents, cheering for us over the years. the Parent auxiliary has grown with good leadership. each member cares for his or her own child’s future as well as the strength of education and the development of every child. Parents auxiliary, you are a vital support for our teachers. We thank you! Parents, I pray for you every day. I invite your children to pray for you and to obey you with love. I view each of you as very important. I thank you and invite you to join in the joy of our 60th anniversary. Parents, we love you! Our Blessed Mother Mary was the parent and Mother of Jesus. May her prayers and her example give strength and courage to the mothers and fathers of our students at rIs. God bless you.
Father Leo Travis C.Ss.R. rIs Catholic Chaplain 4
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PRe-K GAmeS DAy
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Elementary School Christmas Show
By Kim McDonald (es Music teacher)
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n December, the elementary school students participated in our annual Christmas show. We had a full house, with parents, grandparents, administrators, students, and, of course, our beloved Father travis who made the opening remarks and blessed everyone. this year, the show was Paint the Town December, which is about a group of children who live in a town called Graysville. Graysville is a boring and dull place, except at Christmas time when the children paint and decorate all the store windows. By visiting the owners of each store, the children discover how people from other cultures celebrate Christmas. they learned about Las Posadas, hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the nativity scene with the birth of Baby Jesus. there were also some fun songs, such as “rocking on the rooftop,” as well as a visit from our own Mrs. scrooge. It was a fantastic show! every student in the elementary school was in the play, and each grade level had its own song and time to shine in the spotlight. the 27 grade 5 children who chose to have a speaking part in the play worked hard to memorize their lines and cues; they were amazing! Personally, it was a wonderful experience for me to see the students’ confidence grow as they worked
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hard to make the Christmas show the best it could be in the time we had to prepare for it. the children were supportive and encouraging of each other. I believe this feeling of being part of a group, working together to create a performance, is a vital part of the growth and development of all children. Of course a production of this size requires a lot of people working behind the scenes, and we were lucky to have amazing teachers and staff who helped make the show a success. thank you to everyone, especially to Ms. Katelyn who helped each week with planning and with after-school rehearsals. thanks also to Ms. nimfa who came in and helped with the choreography. there were so many children who felt really proud of their performance after the show. For me, it was an exciting and wonderful way to start the joy of the Christmas season.
Here are a few comments from students, parents, and teachers about the Christmas show. This year’s show was filled with moments that were uplifting, heartwarming, and lots of fun! the rIs elementary students were eager, energetic, and enthusiastic, making the performance fantastic to watch from start to end. I am always impressed with how every single student in the es is able to rise to the challenge of taking on solo and ensemble parts to tell a festive story to a packed auditorium. Congratulations to all of the students who took part in another amazing rIs Christmas show. and thank you to Ms. Kim and all of the staff for organising such an enormous event! ms. Shorna Shand (Head of Performing Arts)
COmmeNTS FROm mAIN CHARACTeRS
COmmeNTS FROm PAReNTS
Being in the Christmas show this year will be a great memory that I will always keep. It was also very good to experience being one of the speaking characters on stage. each year that we do the show I feel a bit more brave and have more confidence. This is important because when you feel more confident, it makes it easier to participate in the classroom, in college, and when you grow up. Ing Ing (Grade 5)
as a parent, I had noticed both of my children singing a couple of different songs prior to the Christmas show. While they were singing they had a pleasant smile on their faces. When I asked them what they were singing, they said it was for the Christmas performance with Ms. Kim. Once I saw the show with all the movements and their classes singing together, I was very impressed. For the performance to be as successful as it was, Ms. Kim and her team had done a very good job. mr. mitch (parent/teacher)
I really enjoyed being in the Christmas show. I met so many amazing people! I learned a lot about acting and being in a play, but I also learned about teamwork. Without teamwork, the play wouldn't have been so successful. Before my scene, I told myself to just have a little fun and I surely did. I'm really happy that I finally got to do what I always wanted to do for so long. Belle (Grade 5)
Maryam had a wonderful experience being in the Christmas show. I think it helped to build her self-esteem and created a strong sense of social bonding with her friends and teachers. all the hard work and extra time that Ms. Kim spent with the kids was very special for them, as they informally learned the value of hard work and responsibility. Jafferali mussa (parent/teacher)
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there are memories we have from each stage of our children’s lives. they are the moments in time where your emotions are strong and you get that lump in your throat. For me, this year’s Christmas performance was one such moment. the message and mood was one of joy and of hope. My father traveled from america for a visit and to see his grandchildren perform in the Christmas performance. he arrived four days earlier than he had initially planned because he didn’t want to miss the show. he was not disappointed, to say the least. although he misses his grandchildren daily, he is grateful that they have the opportunity to live in an international community where acceptance, peace, and love are part of their daily lives. these principles were evident in each holiday song that the children sang. I know that he and I shed happy tears throughout the performance, and I am quite certain that we were not the only ones. ms. Lauren (parent/teacher)
the town December.” there were so many parents who came to watch the Christmas show! Grace (Grade 2) I was shy when I was on stage at the PaC for the Christmas show. I tried my best and I did it! I asked my mom if I could watch the video that she took while I was dancing. I felt so proud! Tee (Grade 3)
COmmeNTS FROm OTHeR STUDeNTS When I was in the show, my friends and I tried to sing correctly, and we sang the shepherd Boy song. the show was in the PaC and all our moms and dads came to see us in the show and the big kids came too. Prae (Grade 1) I really liked to perform in the Christmas show. I liked the costumes, I liked doing the actions, and I liked singing the song because the song was lovely and sweet. so that’s why I liked performing in the Christmas show. Kao-Wan (Grade 1) the Christmas show was great! Me and my friends in grade 2 got to sing and dance. We sang “nes Gadol haya sham” and “hearts around the World” and “Paint
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I was very nervous when I was waiting to go on for the Christmas show. But when I went on the stage, I saw my mum and I thought about how proud my mum would be of me when I am singing with my friends. When the show was over, I was proud of myself. I think it was a good show and I liked it! Kat (Grade 3) the thing I liked best in the Christmas show was our grade 3 song. It made my brain think up the motion and power up my body. In the backstage moments, I was very scared and thought I was going to fail so bad, but when I got on the stage and my mother looked at me, it made me feel more confident and happy. So that’s why “rockin’ on the rooftop” is my favorite part of the show. Book (Grade 3)
I enjoyed the Christmas show because I’m in the choir and the choir got to go on stage a lot. I also loved the other acts and Farther travis’s speech was very good. I also like the finale when we sang “Hearts Around the World” and “Paint the town December.” maryam (Grade 3) What I liked about the Christmas show is how students smiled and tried their best for the performance. all parts of the show made me happy and glad. the students did a lot of amazing stuff that I liked. I think it was really great that everyone tried their best in the performance. Nana (Grade 3) What I liked about the Christmas show is that students who wanted to be in the spotlight and perform on stage had the chance to do it. I also liked how the es students stayed on stage together to sing at the end. and I would like to give a very special thanks to Ms. Kim for helping make this show happen. Piano (Grade 4)
I performed I was not on my own, but with a group of people. that helped me to feel less nervous. Victor (Grade 4) I loved the Christmas show. I wanted to be one of the cast, but my eDP was in the way. My favorite part of the Christmas show was when we did the sign language for “hearts around the World.” also, in “Paint the town December,” using the cloths was cool. My dad showed me the pictures he took when he was there, and the scarves made it look awesome! I think that the Christmas show was a success. Keep it up, Ms. Kim! and good luck next year with the new grade 5 kids! Krit (Grade 5) I really liked being in the Christmas show because I felt so happy to be a part of the show. I felt like it was so amazing what I could do with my body and how fun it was to be playing and singing in the Christmas show. Ney Ney (Grade 5)
What I liked about the Christmas show was that when
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eS SCIeNCe SHOWCASe Parents, faculty and staff gathered in Godbout hall for the es science showcase, and were wowed by the students’ experiments, projects and discoveries.
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eS GAmeS DAy
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Dr. Seuss Week Celebrating all things seuss, from green eggs and ham to turtles named yertle!
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RUAMRUDEE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
ES/MS SUMMER SCHOOL Summer School June 12-30, 2017 7:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Journeys.... ES ENRICHMENT CLASSES • Cooking Around the World (Ms. Katie): • Plants and Gardens (Ms. Alison): • Ball Games (Mr. Stu): • Green Screen Tours (Mr. Mitch): • Journeys Through Storytelling (Mr. Matt): • Arts: Collage, Mixed Media & Graphic Design (Ms. Khanitda): • Physical Education/ Outdoor Learning (Mr. Dan):
MS CORE SUBJECT CLASSES • Math Enrichment, Problem Solving & Applications • Discovery Science • Language Arts Elective classes will involve a combination of art, design technology and PE, all focusing on helping students develop English communication and learning skills.
Website: www.rism.ac.th Email: robertl@rism.ac.th Summer School Coordinator: Robert Ledlie For information and registration, please see RIS website or section offices. Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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Being a New Student at RIS By Patnaree (Melody) Leelittigoonchai
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y name is Melody and I’m a new student at rIs. since I’m new, I don’t understand everything about my new school, but I want to share my feelings and experiences at rIs thus far. On my first day on campus, I got to school late. As I rushed up the stairs, I wondered what my new friends would think about me arriving late on the first day of school. When I got to M313, I bravely stepped inside. the teacher said “Look who’s here?!!! say ‘hi, Melody!!!!’” My classmates shouted hello to me. I was still nervous, so I went to sit at a desk right behind a stranger. she turned to me and said “hi! My name’s Mei Mei,” and I replied something like “uh...hi?” then we started talking a little bit to get to know each other more. that stranger would eventually become my best friend.
candy cane sale, where we sent candy canes to our friends. On the day our candy canes arrived, I was very excited to participate in the candy cane exchanges. at explore the Kingdom (etK), I had a very fun trip and bonded with my friends. One night during the trip, Mei Mei and I accidentally locked Kayla inside the bungalow! after leaving our bungalow for a few minutes, we heard a banging sound and Kayla calling and shouting. It was so silly! I didn’t think Kayla would bang on the door like that.
During lunch break we sat with Kayla, another girl in my advisory class, and we talked about the school and various activities. the girls made me very excited about Ms Games Day, Christmas, the International Food Fair, and much more. after a while, I started to get comfortable in most of my classes and made a lot of new friends, like amee and Jazz. those two became my friends so fast that sometimes I forget that we met not that long ago! One of my favorite times at rIs was International Week. I was excited about the International Food Fair because I thought it was cool to be able to learn about other countries’ cultures in terms of food. there also was the
at the Knowledge Bowl, I participated in Jeopardy and the fundraiser. It was so much fun!! Ms.Gretchen had to sing “Love yourself” for the fundraiser. It was hilarious! this semester we held the haunted house, and Mei Mei, Jazz, amee, and I went together. We had a great time running away from ghosts. During Games Day we were visited by children from Father ray’s Foundation in Pattaya, and I made a new friend. We had a lot of fun playing games on our house team. I have had a great time at rIs, even though I have only been here for one and a half semesters. I already have a very strong bond to this place and feel as if I’ve been here for a long time already. I was nervous at the start of the year, but now I know rIs is my second home!
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mS Talent Show
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Grade 6 Greek Festival
Willa and urvi
By Willa and urvi
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tudents in grade 6 recently completed a unit on Greek mythology. they combined their research of ancient Greek tales with their knowledge of modern technology to create a memorable presentation using aurasma, an augmented reality app. here is what students Willa and urvi thought about the project: “For the past few weeks, the sixth graders have been learning about Greek mythology. We always thought that Greek mythology was fascinating, so it was an amazing opportunity to explore this topic. We started our journey by choosing one god, goddess, or hero from Greek mythology to focus on. We researched all of the information we could about our character. We filled our brains with knowledge about the character’s family tree, friends, enemies, powers, and myths. We also got to practice determining website reliability and finding resources, which was pretty awesome. the next step was to chose one myth featuring the character we were particularly interested in and retell the myth to include interesting details and information. We then had to present that information. For the presentations, everyone changed into pretty costumes and pretended to be their chosen character. We got to wear fancy dresses, togas, and cool jewelry. We wore our costumes while we made a two-minute presentation
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about our character in class. this really helped us learn not only about our character but also about the other mythological characters. It was also really fun to present in front of all our friends, even if we were a little nervous! It felt great to talk in front of our peers and teach them about the god, goddess, or hero we had picked. The final part of our project was the Greek Festival. this was when all of the sixth graders got together and had fun while learning. We all dressed up in our Greek clothes and gathered in the courtyard for pizza, pita bread, hummus, labneh, baba ganoush, and salad. this whole journey for us sixth graders was an amazing experience. this project allowed us to show our creativity through learning! We learned many things about Greek mythology while having a lot of fun!�
mS KNOWLeDGe BOWL
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mS GAmeS DAy
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Welcome to the Middle School Makerspace
“A makerspace is a place where kids gather to create, invent, tinker, explore, and discover.” Diana rendina Founder | renovated Learning
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he rIs Middle school Makerspace is a large doubleclassroom space where all Ms students have the opportunity to participate in a range of hands-on steaM activities. these are projects based in science, technology, engineering, art, and/or Math. this year, the Ms Makerspace has featured a different project each month. For example, students have created stop-motion animation movies, spent time dissecting computers, built solar-powered machines, and have recently begun woodworking. the featured monthly projects are supervised by teachers, and all students are encouraged to participate. around the globe, Makerspaces are rapidly becoming an integral element in schools as the Internet age continues to reshape the way education professionals approach teaching and learning. as such, the “Maker Movement” has ushered in a way for schools to continue to meet the dynamic interests of students while maintaining a connection with global steaM standards. the Makerspace is used by our Ms students in Design tech classes, in addition to anyone who wants to join in our Milk and Lunch Break projects. In this way, rIs supports its engineering curriculum with opportunities for independent design thinking and creation.
this by using what he had learned in science class about electrical circuits and pathways. then he tested the circuitry with his knowledge of positive and negative charges by experimenting with the different terminals on a battery. after multiple attempts, the student found the configuration that would power the fan. Next, the student used a screwdriver to pop open the plastic casing of an unused computer keyboard and extracted the control mechanism of a small toggle switch. Finally, he connected the on/off switch, the battery, and the fan. these and other projects are happening in both the Middle school and high school Makerspaces every day. We are proud and encouraged to see students put their learning into action. the Maker Movement at rIs gives all students the opportunity to see their ideas come to life. Watch a Makerspace claymation:
this is Keri’s Makerspace video:
as a place for exploration and discovery, the Middle school Makerspace is set up so that students can direct their own projects. For example, one student was curious about how electrical circuits work, so he extracted a fan from one of his old computers and set a goal of making the fan operational. First, he investigated how the electrical charges followed the wires. he did Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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IB Biology Conducts Research on Koh Samet
By Duncan Blair
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n January, the science Department took the year 1 IB Biology students to Koh samet for an opportunity to experience biological field work, gather scientific data, and report their findings. The 33 students worked in groups of three or four to investigate the forest and rocky shore ecosystems of Koh samet. the students designed and implemented their field investigations, gathered and analyzed their data, and then presented it to their peers on the final morning of the trip. “It was a very challenging and fun, yet educational activity. everyone was challenged to take risks in the sea to conduct an investigation that we designed. It was truly the best academic experience.” Beam Bhuvanit “the best part was exploring the sites and having time to bounce ideas off of teachers and group mates.” Irene Chen “I learned that investigations outside of the laboratory should be flexible and subject to change in order to meet the conditions in the environment.” mine Keeratitejakarn “Personally, I think every aspect of the camp was amazing. It was truly flawless. I really enjoyed how I got to apply a variety of skills to the real world, such as quadrat sampling and transect sampling. also, I learned that studying the real world is much more complicated than a lab experiment since there are many biotic and abiotic factors to take into account. this camp has
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significantly enhanced my understanding in the unit of ecology!” Khaimook Lorwatanapongsa “the investigation processes were mostly done by students, with very little help from the teachers, which made the learning experience valuable.” Porpor mathupayas “I learned that we could not control the variables as much as we wanted or as much as in the lab classroom. We have to be flexible and be able to come up with an alternate plan in the investigations.” New Phatraprasit “the most valuable thing I learned is to not complain when in the field and just enjoy what nature has to offer.” Naam Piriyavirut
HS Halloween
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Lots of Fun with Japanese Culture! t
he Japanese Cultural Festival was held at ruamrudee International school on January 24th and 25th. Many students and teachers enjoyed exploring Japanese culture during the festival. all proceeds from the festival were donated to hiroshima, Japan, for the preservation of the atomic Bomb Dome, a symbol of world peace.
Japanese Games in eS I helped with the “Japanese Piñata” game, suika wari, which required kids to kick a balloon while blindfolded. the game encouraged kids to cooperate with each other through their peers’ instructions of where to move and kick the balloon. It was a meaningful activity for me because in the past I watched other language classes set up more activities and games than the Japanese department. this observation made me wonder why the Japanese department didn’t have any festivities. I think it is meaningful for the es kids as well, because they got to experience Japanese culture and be inspired by a modern language they can study in Middle school. Phraewa (mS Japanese 1-B) I helped with the ring toss booth. I gave the kids rings to toss onto bottles filled with water and explained how to play our game. this activity reminded me of
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my childhood when we didn’t want anything big, just a little candy to keep us happy for a whole day. after this experience, I have the desire to spend more time having fun with es kids. meimei (mS Japaese 1-B) I helped at the watermelon splitting booth. For this activity, we replaced the traditional watermelons with balloons, and instead of splitting we instructed the children to kick the balloons. elementary kids were blindfolded with a piece of cloth and asked to follow vocal instructions. I believe this game was challenging; some children were not able to find the balloons, while others were not able to walk in a straight line. having said that, I believe the children enjoyed their game as you could hear their laughter and cheers. mrs. Saitoh (Japanese parent)
Japanese Food Sale in HS
Cultural Activities in HS: Calligraphy and Origami
My group worked on calligraphy. It was challenging because I needed to know how to write katakana. Many students came by and got their names written in katakana and they had fun! Nini (HS Japanese 1)
Our class made dorayaki, or pancakes with a sweet bean filling. I think it was a very fun experience—both making and selling—and we picked up a ton of experience in the process. The flavors and aromas of making dorayaki helped us learn that Japan is much more than what we see on tV. Angie (HS Japanese 4) Our class made dango, or rice dumplings. although it wasn’t a hard process, they were really fun to make and I felt proud when I saw people buying them. the festival was a great experience, and I hope we can do it again next year. Winnie (IB Japanese Ab initio y1) My friends and I were able to share the Japanese culture by selling onigiri, Japanese rice balls. We made all the onigiri by hand and sold them all by ourselves, which was my favorite part. they sold out faster than I expected them to! Jenny (HS Japanese 3) I prepared sushi rolls in class and sold them during lunch break while explaining sushi rolls. For my class, our food sale finished in only 10 minutes. It was fun to see people interested in Japanese food and culture. moeko (Japanese for Native Speaker)
My group was responsible for teaching other students how to fold paper, or origami. Many students were interested and participated in our activity. I felt very good about sharing what I have learned about Japanese culture with other students. Ken (HS Japanese 1) It was a fun time, and I hope this event will encourage more people to learn Japanese at rIs in the future. Learning a language is not only learning grammar and vocabulary but also about their culture. Non (HS Japanese 3)
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hs KnOWLeDGe BOWL
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RUGBY AT RIS By Maek Kongsawad
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ugby is a sport that’s new to many at rIs. I suspect what many people picture when they hear about rugby are images of meatheads trying to violently wrestle each other for a ball in a barbaric fashion. although some of that holds true, rugby is a sport as beautiful as it is ferocious. When you step into a training session on a rugby team, the camaraderie displayed is unparalleled. What you have is a group of 10 to 20 guys who laugh just as hard as they tackle and wrestle each other to the ground. these guys put their bodies on the line not only for the school but just a much for each other. In the beginning, as expected, the newer guys on the team were understandably scared. Questions lingered in the minds of the smaller guys as they eyed the forward pack. Players hesitated going into tackles, not committing to their rucks. But as time passed, their fears started to diminish. When Brux, a 5-foot 8-inch, 140-pound winger, ran through the entire nIst rugby team to score our team’s first ever try, we realized that RIS could put up a fight with the best of them. It was a pleasure to captain the rIs team to seasaC. Seeing players like Pooh, who first picked up a rugby ball in november, tank his way through seasaC teams made everybody proud. seeing evan, our swiss center, almost break a nIst player in half with his tackles almost brought a tear to my eye. Despite the final result, we were all really happy with how we played at seasaC.
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While we all would’ve prefered to have done better, when we look at the big picture, we proved to ourselves and others that a thai high school athlete could put up a fair fight against South Africans or New Zealanders. there’s something almost romantic about rugby. Before november, most of the guys were not even that close to each other. But by the end of the season, every one of us was more than willing to put our bodies on the line—and even break bones—just so we could enter the changing room after a match knowing we didn’t let our teammates down. the respect for our teammates, and even the opposition, is unrivaled in rugby culture. not many other sports include clapping off the opposing team as you’re cheering for them. not many sports would have a 6-foot 3-inch, 210-pound 18-year-old apologizing to the referee after he’s been called out on a high tackle. I encourage everybody to give rugby a chance. Come and watch—or even try out! It’s an experience of a lifetime.
Girls Varsity Volleyball 2016 t
#doublegold #undefeated #threetozerostreak
he Girls Varsity Volleyball team at rIs had a remarkable first season with many successes and achievements. all the girls worked hard and were able to maintain our school’s position as the Division 1 BIsaC Cup Champions from last year. Immediately after the BIsaC triumph, the Varsity team competed with schools from all over southeast asia in an even larger sports event: seasaC. Playing for three days, the team obtained another gold medal in SEASAC Division 1 and finished the tournament undefeated. In a remarkable run, the girls did not lose any of the 21 sets during the tournament. some players on this team have been playing for more than five years. We appreciate their commitment to Phoenix athletics and would like to honor their outstanding performance.
2016–2017 ROSTeR SeNIORS: BaoBao, Move, Jean, Prae, namwan, sandy JUNIORS: neena, Kaimook, Mille, Gina
SOPHOmOReS: Beam FReSHmeN: Opal
The Importance of Sports at RIS By Monchida (sky) sukontaman
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y name is sky and I am 11 years old. I am in grade 6 at ruamrudee International school. this is my seventh year at rIs. I am a member of the Middle school Council (MsC), Phoenix Golf Family, and the Phoenix swim team. I have been part of the Phoenix swim team since I was in grade 2. When I was in grade 4, I participated in my first South East asia student activities Conference (seasaC) swim meet in hong Kong, and in grade 5 I participated in my second seasaC in Malaysia. At first, I was not a very good swimmer. all my coaches taught me how to become stronger and better by practicing and never giving up. after school each day, I went to the astra Pool to practice. I learned how
to manage my time, and I made friends in the elementary, middle, and high schools. My teammates always gave me a very warm welcome. When I had an academic question, about math for instance, I could ask them. this year, I want to become a better teammate and leader. all extracurricular activities improve time management and the ability to
work well in groups. I am stronger, healthier, and my brain is sharper because I eat and sleep well after sports. also, I have gained confidence in both mental and physical activities. I would like to encourage other students to join and play sports after school. there are countless exciting experiences to be had within our rIs family. Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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SeASAC Basketball Tournament r Is was proud and excited to host this season’s seasaC Basketball tournament. special thanks to Mr. todd, Director of athletics, and to Ms. Claudia, our Ms/hs band teacher, for putting together such a spirited opening to the tournament. While we wished all the teams luck, our hearts were with our Phoenix teams. We were very proud of how our boys’ team defended their home court, finishing second in the tournament and winning the sportsmanship award. Well done, gentlemen!
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SeASAC Arts Festival h osted by alice smith school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, rIs students joined their peers from across southeast asia at the seasaC arts Festival. the Festival combined visual and performing arts in a giant showcase of creative talent. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to share their love of art and learn about other amazing art projects in our diverse region.
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RIS Choral Department Attends Choir Camp By hannah Diopenes
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ast year, the entire rIs Choral Department, comprising Middle and high school students, had the pleasure of attending a biannual choir camp. the camp took place in november 2016 at the Cholapruek resort in nakhon nayok. For three days, all the students rehearsed relentlessly to prepare for the 2016 Winter Concert. Fortunately, in between practices, students had the opportunity to participate in fun activities and team-building exercises to strengthen our sense of community and the bond among choir members. When it came time for the concert, on november 22, 2016, everyone in the five choir ensembles—from the Ms Choir ensemble to the hs Vocal Jazz Group— was ready to perform their two afternoon shows. Our program featured many winter favorites, such as “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “Winter Wonderland,” as well as beautiful soloists who had their chance to shine and delighted the audience with some of the many talented voices in our choirs. a high school student who was part of the audience that day was pleasantly surprised by the choice of music featured in the concert. “I actually liked that one song [“Gospel Magnificat”], even though it’s not the kind of music I tend to listen to. It made me appreciate other music genres more,” the student said.
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Photo Credits: HS RSPA Association as part of an annual tradition within the music program at rIs, choir students will have the opportunity to partner with the rIs Jazz Band at the next choir camp in order to prepare for the choir concert on april 4, 2017. We invite you all to come listen and enjoy!
mS Concert
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Service Learning at RIS By Ms. shirley Gamble, service Learning Coordinator
Community service has always been an integral part of the school’s mission and culture at Ruamrudee International School. Not only do we require all of our students to take Values or Religion classes, but we have always encouraged our students to initiate projects or participate in activities outside of the classroom.
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ast year we started to move in a new direction, integrating the concept of service Learning. We want to teach our students to use their subject-matter knowledge and apply critical-thinking and problemsolving skills to communicate and collaborate. the goal is to make sustainable changes to make the world a better place.
In addition to participating in local community service, faculty and students have been very busy the past few months initiating a variety of service learning projects. It has been an exciting year, seeing them act on important issues that they are passionate about and aligning them with the united nations’ sustainable Development Goals (sDGs). We look forward to your continued support as rIs students across all three sections learn more about action Planning concepts and develop their skills in collaboration, leadership, empathy, and dedication. this is how they will become further inspired to identify and address the needs of others. We hope you enjoy reading about the students’ projects and accomplishments in this edition of Ad Astra.
Toiletries and Amenities for Karen Refugees
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r. Olivier’s Grade 11 ethics classes covered a unit on refugees. to implement service learning, the students promoted goal #10: reduce Inequalities and goal #16 Peace and Justice. they sponsored a month-long collection of personal hygiene items to donate to Karen refugees from across the Burmese border and illegal aliens currently housed at the Immigration Detention Center at suan Plu in downtown Bangkok. the students placed collection boxes at various locations across campus and made posters and gave presentations to help raise awareness about improving the living conditions at the detention center. throughout the month, the students sorted, counted, and packed donated items. a total of 1,322 items were collected, consisting mainly of soap, shampoo, shower gel, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Part of the collection was also given to the children at sarnelli house in nongkhai.
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Annual Charity Soccer Tournament for Baan Nokkhamin Children
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his year’s event, which took place on saturday, september 10, helped to raise funds to further the Baan nokkhamin children’s education. It opened with a friendly match played between the Baan nokkhamin children, aged 10–15 years, and our rIs students in the same age category. It was followed by a tournament that was played between four adult teams. Our “rIs unIteD FC” team played against Muay thai boxers, Look thoong singers, and local DJs and actors. every team had their very own fan club supporting them.
500 bottles of water that hot afternoon. It was wonderful to see all three sections help to make this event such a success. We raised almost double the amount we did last year, for a total of 54,000 baht.
Our students were able to tie in service Learning Outcomes to promote goal #3: Good health and goal #4: Quality education. under the guidance of Ms. Caroline scott, the es Phoenix PaLs (formerly known as the JCs) helped raise awareness by creating their own Google classroom page and making their own posters and classroom collection jars. a big thank you to everyone who pledged sponsorship for the students, to the faculty who played in the tournament, and to Khun ngoh sovikul for sponsoring
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Celebrating Peace
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Is celebrated Peace Week by sponsoring several activities during the week of september 19–23. students were able to tie in service learning to promote goal #16: Peace and Justice. the high school emphasized friendship and support and asked everyone to write special compliments or messages. these were collected and placed on a decorated “peace board” where anyone could take one of the slips of paper and hand it out to someone that week. the middle school did two different projects; everyone drew “peace” hearts, cut them out, and wrote messages of peace on them to display on various bulletin boards in their section. the Ms students also held a “peace poetry” contest where students could show their creativity while applying what they learned about free verse, sonnets, and haiku. the elementary school hosted a special Mass at st. thomas church with handmade banners, wonderful music performed by the es choir, an inspiring message of peace given by Fr. travis, and the release of three doves.
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rIs also showed its support for Peace One Day by having an all-school assembly in Godbout hall on september 23. the es sang “Let there Be Peace on Earth,” the first- and second-place winners of the MS peace poetry contest shared their poems, and the hs did a skit and presentation about multifaiths. several Ms and hs students also made “peace” cookies for sale, and everyone was invited to visit each section’s breezeways to enjoy the various student displays encouraging us to create a more peaceful world together.
Ensure Drive for Camillian Home
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he rIs Middle school student Council hosted an ensure Drive for the disabled children at the Camillian home in Latkrabang. they collected ensure powder and 30,470 baht in donations. the money they raised was used to buy more ensure products. eight members of the Middle school student Council volunteered to deliver the ensure donations on Friday, March 10. It was activities Day at the Camillian home, and the rIs students jumped right in and played with kids. The first game was an activity where RIS students competed against the Camillian students. the students lined up and alternated passing a ball between their legs or over their heads, down the line and back. the last person in line then traveled the distance of the field and threw the ball in the goal. RIS won the first game, Camillian won the second, and the third game was a photo finish, with RIS narrowly squeaking out the victory. the second game grouped rIs and Camillian kids into two teams. after getting in a line, each student put a spoon in his or her mouth and had to pass a ping pong ball from one end of the line to the other. soft, an eighth grader, said the thing she enjoyed most about visiting the Camillian house was “seeing the kids’ smiles.” everyone really enjoyed the activities, and it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the kids from the Camillian home or rIs students. after playing games, rIs students were given a tour of the first floor of the Camillian Home. The first stop was the art therapy room, where there was impressive
student art on display. then our students learned about vocational training options for adults who were transitioning out of the home and into the workforce. The final stop of the tour was the physical therapy room, where kids at the Camillian home go for treatment. afterward, when asked to describe the purpose of the Camillian home in their own words, eighth grader Belle said the home strives to “treat the children as a single family; everyone is united, regardless of their physical or mental status.” Mei Mei, a seventh grader, said children “come to the Camillian home and have check-ups or rehabilitation and get the chance to meet new friends and communicate with each other.” It was truly a great experience for everyone involved and many new connections were made. On the drive back to school, there was talk of visiting the Camillian home again in the near future. Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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Diaper Drive for Udon Thani Community
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ast semester, a former teacher at rIs, Mr. ed hillman, asked us to collaborate with his cross country students at the International school of Beijing to help provide diapers for a year for low-income families who have very sick babies in the ICu and for premature babies born at the local public hospital in udon thani. (the government’s 30-baht healthcare program does not cover the cost of diapers.) having redemptorist connections in that area, rIs immediately agreed to help.
On september 15, the IsB-Beijing team visited our campus, did a friendly 5km run together with our cross country team through Perfect Place, and then brainstormed several ideas for the diaper drive fundraiser. the students decided on a school-wide “Walk/run/Bikea-thon” in november, with participants donating 200 baht each to do as many laps as possible in a set amount of time. Poom Liamtrakoolpanich took the lead and adopted it for
Poom Liamtrakoolpanich took the lead and adopted it for his Cas project, helping to complete a full “action Plan” investigation of how many diapers were needed per day, comparing various diaper supplier costs, how they would be delivered, and how payments could be made. Besides making posters and discussing the fundraiser in homerooms and advisory classes, Mr. Josh Kern put together a wonderful video for es faculty to share with their students explaining the project and how we could all apply it to service Learning goal #1: no Poverty and goal #3: Good health and Well Being. Our Pe teachers also helped promote the fundraiser in regard to having fun, exercising, and building strength and endurance as positive learning outcomes. the es and Ms sections were able to arrange for their events to take place on two different mornings with everyone participating, while the hs did their event after school so students would not miss any class time. Our original goal was to raise 60,000 baht in honor of celebrating the school’s 60th birthday, but we decided to aim for 70,000 baht in honor of the 70 years that his Majesty the late King Bhumibol adulyadej gave the people of thailand. I’m proud to share that we actually raised 110,000 baht, plus an additional 11,700 baht from the es Phoenix PaL’s
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bake sale. We were therefore able to make donations to the following:
• udon • • • •
thani hospital: 70,000 baht for diapers for babies in the ICu (1-year joint project with the International school of Beijing) Mahathai udon thani Day Care Center: 5,000 baht for diapers Mahathai udon thani elementary school: 25,000 baht for four bunk beds for scholarship es students who sleep on the floor with mattresses because their homes are too far away sarnelli “house of hope” in nong Khai: • 5,000 baht for diapers for babies and toddlers with hIV • 6,700 baht for medicine and supplies Camillian home: 10,000 baht for ensure protein powder for children with disabilities
Ms. shirley and Fr. Davidjieng supervised nine hs students on a 3-day trip to udon thani and nong Khai on December 17–19. In addition to visiting the hospital for the diaper sponsorship, they also spent two days with the children at sarnelli house in nong Khai and half a day with the elementary children at the Mahathai udon thani school. “I never knew what growing up without parents would be like. and I still don’t. My favorite time was when we played with the children during recess. It was a sort of simple joy, playing in the fields with a rubber ball on a windy evening. no rules and no complications. Looking at the children’s bright, hopeful faces, it was a very fulfilling trip.” Poom Liamtrakoolpanich “this was a very enjoyable trip and all of us found a favorite place to be, mine being the musical group and st. Patrick house in sarnelli house. Getting to interact with the children was an amazing experience. We taught them english and played a lot of fun games, which we all enjoyed. Given the chance, I would definitely come again.” Amy Sabpisal “all the children were brave, happy, and lively, although they may be experiencing a difficult life, having different needs than us. I felt very happy to see that all our donations and the time we spent with these kids made them smile. I will never forget the scene where all the
children in sarnelli house, from little to older children, were all playing together on the same field, playing various sports and games, like one big, happy massive family. I am glad that I was once a part of that family and in the children’s memories.” Link Chinpeerasatian “Although we only met for the first time, I was surprised by the amount of energy these kids had and how they were not shy at all to talk or interact with us. I felt happy that we made them smile. For me, interacting with the children was more important than giving the donations. My best memory was at the house of hope where we held the toddlers and I had a chance to change one of the baby’s diapers. her name is nampeung (honey). I enjoyed holding the babies in my arms and wish that I could visit them again.” Pond Sathiraboot “During our visit we had a chance to play and talk with many children, and I even changed a diaper for the first time! Most of them were orphans so if you are free, I recommend you to go to sarnelli house to give them lots love and play with them. I also enjoyed visiting the Mahathai school children. the hiding-a-cloth-behindone’s-back game was so hilarious. they ran so fast that they forgot when to sit down.” Suksidee Fletcher Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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Food Baskets for the Poor and Needy
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ll Values and religion departments continued to raise awareness about those less fortunate than us. they encouraged students to bring in canned foods, dry noodle items, personal hygiene products, and school supplies to make gift baskets for needy families along the klongs near rIs.
of years, sharing with our students the importance of showing love for others and caring for our neighbors. students were able to promote service Learning goal #1: no Poverty and goal #2: no hunger in this project, and they worked hard to raise awareness and take action.
During the thanksgiving and Christmas season, the religion classes in all three sections sponsored a schoolwide food drive for the poor and needy living in the klong communities near Perfect Place. sr. theresa and sr. rose have initiated this project for the past couple
students spent several weeks collecting and sorting various items to be put together in gift baskets decorated with ribbons.the baskets were delivered on December 16, the last day of school before the Christmas break.
Flooding in the South of Thailand
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Is collected and donated 165,000 baht through the thai red Cross for needy families affected by the recent flooding in the south of Thailand. In addition, Ken Borirakpanich and tarm niamtam put together a project to sell black caps at school and around Bangkok in honor
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of King rama 9 and were able to donate an additional 90,000 baht through the royal thai navy to purchase much needed water, rice, cooking oil, and medicine for those who were evacuated from their homes.
ES & MS Games Day with Father Ray’s Children’s Village and Children’s Home
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or the past couple of months, many of our students across all sections have been interacting with the children under the care of Fr. ray’s Foundation in Pattaya. On January 19, 31 children from Fr. ray’s Village came to spend the day with our es students. after a morning of fun and games on Godbout Field, they ate lunch and continued to classes with their assigned buddies where they were able to participate in different class activities. On January 27, 20 children from Fr. ray’s home, along with their houseparents, came for Ms Games Day and to spend one night. after a full day with their assigned buddies, hs students volunteered after school to do arts and crafts activities with them until dinnertime, before getting ready to go to bed in borrowed sleeping bags. the children were so excited because this year hs volunteers took them to spend the day at siam amusement and Water Park.
“I was so glad when they remembered me from last year’s art activities. It was great to see that their drawing and painting skills were still awesome.” mimi Komthongchusakul “I couldn’t believe how many times the kids wanted to go through the Haunted House! Ms. Shirley took them several times and they just kept laughing and screaming every time. They also loved the big slider. It was a great way to cool down!” Ono Jinantuya “I’m glad I was able to make them happy and help give them a fun and positive experience, even for a day. It was still a great day, even if I threw up after the second extreme ride… After that, I was moral support, encouraging them to continue having fun!” mathilda Kajornkiatpanich
the es students had done their annual Christmas/new year’s Card Fundraiser and were able to raise 68,393 baht. half of the money was used to buy art supplies for children at sarnelli house and the Children’s home. they were so happy to take back loads of art supplies with them to share with everyone.
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Vertical Marathon
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or the past eight years, rIs has participated in the annual Vertical Marathon: running up 61 flights of stairs at the Banyan tree hotel. Besides being a charity fundraiser for the thai red Cross—all the money goes to the Milk Formula Fund for Children with hIV—this event helps promote strength and endurance, rIs community fun, and awareness of the charity. this year, we were able to encourage some of the younger students in es to participate. We had a total of 70 rIs members participating! We took home three trophies this year. Congratulations to the winners! We hope to see all of you again next year!
• art
Worrawattanapreecha: 2nd Place (00:08:38) Males, age 5 -17 years old category • sandy Chindaduangratn: 3rd Place (00:13:36) Females, age 5 -17 years old category • Book Chunekamrai, Brux Pongprapapant, hin rithirueng, and Play Play Limsiwilai: 3rd Place (00:06:41) 4-member relay team category
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High School Summer 2017 June 12-30, 7:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. ENGLISH
VALUES
• English Language Development 9-12 (Morning) • English Reinforcement and Enrichment (Morning) • SAT Preparation (Afternoon) • TOEFL ibt Preparation (Afternoon)
SCIENCE • Experimental Design for Science (Morning or Afternoon)
MUSIC
• World Religions (Afternoon) • Ethics (Morning) • Philosophy of Responsibility (Afternoon)
PHYSICAL EDUCATION • General P.E. (Morning) • Personal Training (Afternoon) • Volleyball (Afternoon)
TECHNOLOGY • Programming Python (Morning)
• Guitar (Morning or Afternoon)
VISUAL ARTS
MATHEMATICS • Mathematics Enrichment (Morning) • Mathematics Reinforcement (Morning) • SAT Math (Afternoon)
• Summer School Art (Morning or Afternoon)
Learn Something New!
Once your course selection has been approved by Mr.Jeff Gepner, you must go to the Finance Office to pay your course fees. Summer School fees are 34,000 baht for a full day and 17,000 for a half day. If you have any questions please see Mr. Jeff Gepner in R505 or email jeffreyg@rism.ac.th. *Please regularly check this list of courses for updates. New courses are sometimes added, while current courses may be dropped due to low enrollment.
THAI CLASS TRIPS Thai 9 Trip to Rajdamnoen Area and the Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall
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s part of their thai 9 curriculum, 127 freshmen boarded four full buses on January 13 to explore the rajdamnoen area of downtown Bangkok. Because the four groups had to take turns going through the twohour tour of the exhibition hall, the other groups were able to visit nearby temples and also a special exhibition of the late King Bhumibol adulyadej, with three whole floors of photographs and paintings celebrating his life and achievements. When they arrived at rajdamnoen road, half of the students went to Wat saket (also known as the Golden Mountain temple, which is on the back of the 2 baht coin). In order to reach the top of the Golden Mountain temple, everyone had to climb up 318 steps, but it was worth it because the view of the surrounding city was beautiful. the other group went to Wat ratchanadda, which is unique because the building inside, known as the Loha Prasart, is made of metal and is actually a maze of hallways with lots of thai history on all the walls. some students were able to walk to one of the royal temples, Wat suthat, which houses a huge thirteenthcentury golden Buddha known as Phra sri sakyamuni. the Giant swing is located right in front of the entrance. “I was able to understand more about the culture of Thailand and how it affects the life of many of us today. 42
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During this unit of Thai, I studied about the life of each King and their efforts to make Thailand a country that was not to be colonized and not have our culture taken away. I felt thankful for having such great rulers who protected Thailand. I feel proud and wish to help preserve this great culture of Thailand.” Titan Natnithikarat “One of the reasons why this trip was such an enjoyable trip is because we were able to learn visually, which is much more exciting and engaging, especially seeing Wat Suthat. We had learned about the historical context of this temple briefly in class, and I was able to learn even more during the visit. This trip had also given me the chance to engage with fellow freshmen that I’ve never, or hardly ever, talked to before. It was nice to build and develop more friendships with them.” Benz Chotitamnavee
Thai 10 Trip to Plant Mangrove Trees
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ifty students from the thai 10 class went on a trip to plant mangrove trees on saturday, February 18 at the Bang Poo nature educational Center in samutprakarn Province. the service Learning goals they were able to apply to the project were goal #14: Life Below Water and goal #15: Life on Land. When they arrived, the staff explained the concept of reforestation and demonstrated how to plant the mangrove saplings. Various lots were already pre-arranged with rows of sticks spaced out evenly in the mud to support the saplings.
Play Play Limsiwilai explained about his experience: “First, we had to dig a hole in the mud with our feet next to a stick. I’m glad we had friends to help us because one of us could hold the sapling in place while the other tied it to the stick so it won’t collapse when it rains. If the mangrove tree isn’t supported properly it will not survive, so we had to be very careful while planting them. Planting trees may sound easy but it’s a lot harder when you are actually doing it. Because we had to remove our shoes, our main obstacle was walking on hot and sharp rocks before sinking into the sticky mud to do all the planting. It was a great trip for everyone because not only were we learning about the environment, we got to observe the actual ecosystem of the area. By helping to plant mangroves along the coastal shores, we are preventing land erosion and buffering the shoreline from damaging storms and waves. It takes many years for the trees to
mature so students from everywhere are encouraged to help plant as many [trees] as possible before it is too late. The whole experience was really fun and useful…. Such an amazing experience to have an opportunity to give back to our King and the people of Thailand!” Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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Thai 11 Trip to Thanyaburi Home for Destitute Women
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n Kru Joy’s native thai 11 class, students read a piece of literature called “Waela” (time). the book is about the social issue of abandonment of the elderly by their own children. the important message given to the youth of today is for them to be taught the key virtue of gratitude for one’s parents. this message was the inspiration to create a set of unit activities to put words into action. students responded accordingly to a request to do community service at one of the homes for the elderly. Many good ideas were initiated as to what the students might do to make our visit a memorable one. It was finally agreed that the community service should be something that incorporated an aspect of traditional thai culture and also allowed students to engage on a much more personal level. Thus, the decision was to first learn how to make a “look-pa-kob,” which would then be used to massage the elderly during a visit to the home. this type of therapy is one of the great contributions that traditional thai wisdom has made to alternative medicine. Knowing that the elderly had been abandoned and rarely had any family members visit them, we also decided to invite students from thai music and Khon classes to join us to perform live music, martial arts, and cultural dances to entertain the elderly. “We have been to this Home for the Elderly at Tanyaburitwice already. The first time, we went to perform Thai classical music. This time, the honor was ours to talk to, massage, and share our love with these women…the kind of love exclusively between
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grandchildren and grandmothers. They were not our real grandmothers, and we were not their granddaughters, but the priceless healing and delight was reflected in everyone’s faces during this visit. The thing that we really took back from this trip is not merely to massage and use steamed herbal bags, but to remind ourselves to love others, because on a human level, we all deserve it.” Faye Pawataungsunit & mill Dhiranusornkit “It has been a good experience for both of us to go to this place. Before going on this trip, our Thai teacher, Kru Joy, taught us how to do massages using a Thai herbal ball. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to interact with elders and make them happy at the same time.” miki yukizaki & Zaza mongkolkiti “I am really glad that my classmates and I had this opportunity to go to Baan Thanyaburi Elderly Home to give massages to the elderly grandmothers there who were either abandoned by their family members or had no family members left. Kru Lek’s Khon class also performed a Thai martial art piece and a Korean cultural dance, while Kru Moo’s students played 5 songs each on the khim and chakae. I had the pleasure of talking to the grandmother I was massaging who was 77 years old and understood her way of life. I hope other students also get to experience this later on.” ern-ern Tiyarangsinukul
RIS Students Building a Better Future By Chutimon Dhiranusornkit (Mill) and Jiho In
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s a member of rIs’s habitat for humanity Club, I had the opportunity to participate in the club’s first playground construction project. On november 19, 2016, the club members, along with volunteer teachers, visited nongsua school at Pathum thani. there, we helped construct and renovate a playground for students at nongsua school. We started by leveling the ground with sand. then we mixed cement and poured it along the sides of the playground. this task was very tough and energy intensive. however, I really enjoyed building a playground for these kids, because I know my efforts will help make their lives more enjoyable. this experience led me to realize how thankful I am to my parents for always supporting me and providing me with whatever I need. It made me realize how lucky I am. additionally, this trip allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and do things I’ve never done before. I really look forward to future trips with the rIs habitat for humanity Club. I am very honored to be able to share my smile with others. Chutimon Dhiranusornkit (mill) We built a playground for kids at a school in Pathum thani. the base work was done the day before. On the day we went, we painted tires and playground equipment. We painted each tire with three different colors to make the playground as bright and cheerful as possible. On the equipment, we drew flowers and hearts for decorations. We were offered many drinks
and snacks to give us energy while painting. after a break, we gave all the tires and playground equipment a second coat to make it look flawless. We did our best to make the playground look great, and the school appreciated how much effort we spent. since there were about 20 of us, we were able to finish the work an hour earlier than expected. Paint covered our clothes and shoes, and we were completely exhausted from all our hard work. It was all worth it when we imagined the excited kids having fun on our playground! Jiho In Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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The Rangsit Babies Home
By nacha rapeerattanakul (11-5) and roli sharma (11-6)
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he Muse Club is a newly established club at rIs that was formed earlier this year. this club is for students who are passionate about art and music and who want to use their skills and abilities for charity/volunteer/service and provide opportunities to those less fortunate. On December 15, 2016, right after hs exams, the Muse Club went on its first trip to the Rangsit Babies Home in Pathum thani. this orphanage is a government facility that houses and takes care of children, ages newborn to around six years old, who do not have parental figures in their lives for varying reasons. With 20 accompanying members and an enthusiastic chaperone, we spent 6 hours babysitting and helping at the orphanage, including creating Christmas-themed crafts, such as little ornaments and santa and snowmen clay figures. The excited and energetic children were eager to both construct and keep these crafts as a memory. as the day progressed, we were introduced to the 2–3-year-olds who had just learned to walk. hand in
hand, we walked the toddlers around the community. afterward, we fed the toddlers their lunch and sent them off for their afternoon naps. While the babies slept, our club members helped clean up the communal area as well as tidy up the play room. Later, as the young children entered the hall for their snack, a few of our musically talented members performed a few classic Christmas songs, such as “Jingle Bell rock” and “Frosty the snowman.” Meanwhile, our other club members were occupied with rinsing the dishes. During our lunch break, one club member noticed a board that listed statistics and reasons why the children were living at the orphanage. up to one-third of the children were abandoned because their parents were negligent, incarcerated, or deceased. some of these children were also victims of abuse. the director of the organization told us that some parents would abandon their children as infants but return to pick them up once they were old enough to be used as a source of income. When the parents returned, the children would
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be delighted, not realizing the future that lay ahead. It made many of our students realize the privilege we have been given since we were young—to be able to grow up with loving parents and live luxuriously. this trip opened up our eyes to a separate, different circumstantial life that none of us was previously familiar with. In the future, we hope that more of our peers will join us in contributing to this community.
RIS Students Volunteer at the School of the Blind By Mimi Komthongchusakul
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he rIs trip to the school of the Blind was a lifechanging experience; it made me feel extremely grateful that I have a pair of eyes that allow me to see this beautiful world and experience things that many other people do not have the chance to experience.
When we arrived at the School of the Blind, our first activity was a walkathon to get to know our buddies with visual impairments. We blindfolded ourselves and then our buddies toured us around the school. We experienced a short time of darkness and had to rely on our other senses and give full trust to our buddies. thank you to tee and Kratua for being such steady and reliable guides! I found it very striking when I realized that the short moment of darkness I experienced is what my buddies experience for their whole lives. yet, these students are extremely lively, spirited, and able to live a full life just like anybody else. Ad Astra Volume 20 March 2017
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IB Art Exhitbition (Dawn)
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RIS Second Semester Blood Drive
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s. sabrena, the red Cross Committee and the thai red Cross society, would like to thank everyone for their support of this semester’s blood drive. a total of 87 successful donations were made, which means that over 250 lives will be saved. We hope you will all join again next school year. Blood, it’s in you to give.
UNTOLOGy h
igh school english teacher Dr. eamonn Dunne recently had an article published in Philosophy and Rhetoric, an academic journal published by Penn state university Press. here is the abstract:
What exactly is untology? and why is it important for thinking about teaching effectively? In this article I argue that the most exciting opportunities for pursuing real change in pedagogical practices can be seen in the work of Jacques rancière, especially in his controversial book The Ignorant Schoolmaster and (as this article traces) in his short essay “What Does It Mean to Be Un?” I argue that what is needed in educators today is an egalitarian aptitude for openness and what I am calling unlearning. Furthermore, through a close reading of Charles Baxter’s short story “Gryphon,” I claim that the best teachers today are unqualified to teach. Thinking about qualification, as the current neoliberal regime would have us think about it—as a bankable phenomenon—misses the promise of education as a process of unlearning, unknowing, and unbecoming. education is untology.
you can read the full article here: http://muse.jhu.edu/ article/638150 Congratulations, Dr. eamonn!
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earCOs Weekend Workshop Foundations in Math: Developing mathematical Thinking and Conceptual Understanding in Grades K–5 By sara Garrett
a
t the end of January, almost 40 educators from countries as far away as saudi arabia, Korea, India, and Japan gathered at ruamrudee International school in Bangkok, thailand, to develop their mathematics teaching practices. While the focus of the workshop was math in kindergarten through grade 5, preschool and middle school teachers also participated. the workshop began with everyone reading and discussing a variety of articles related to researchbased best practices in math education. as a group, the participants distilled and compiled a list of key elements
that all mathematics classrooms, from preschool through graduate school, should embody. the rest of the weekend was spent exploring ways in which these key elements can be incorporated into our classrooms and schools. the workshop instructor and sara Garrett, a grade 3 teacher at rIs, shared research showing that the quality of mathematical instruction is highly dependent on the teacher, not merely on what program, standards, or curriculum the teacher uses. the workshop explored the ways in which the structure and format of a lesson can impact student understanding. the participants engaged in mathematical work of their own and shared their strategies for problem solving. they examined how the same problem can be represented and solved in many different ways, as well as the different modes of representation that can be used. the participants explored how various strategies and models for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division progress through the elementary grades. With a new understanding of the strategies and models that students can use, the participants learned about the
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concept of “guided reinvention” and examined ways that teachers can guide students toward figuring out these strategies for themselves. using many different types of word problems, problem strings and number talks were explored and experienced as instructional tools to support the development of mathematical thinking.
What did the participants have to say about the workshop?
addressing misconceptions and analyzing errors is a critical feature in mathematics education. Participants analyzed student work and developed strategies for pushing students’ thinking forward. the workshop concluded with an exploration of fluency and number sense, as well as sharing ideas for facilitating mathematical discussions.
“I can nudge my students further with strategies I never thought to elicit.”
“My original expectations were exceeded! I am walking away with more than I could have possibly imagined.” “I learned things I’ll be able to apply tomorrow!”
“My thinking about math instruction has been challenged and revised.” “I have never been more excited about teaching math!”
Upcoming Academic Journal Article
F
arrah Collette, an IB teacher in the high school english department, will have one of her articles, titled “Intercultural understanding in the IB Curriculum,” http://journals.library.mun.ca/ojs/index.php/mwatch/ article/view/1747/1355 published in an upcoming issue of Morning Watch, Memorial university of newfoundland’s academic journal. Farrah is a graduate student at Memorial and specializes in social Justice and education. the article discusses the International Baccalaureate (IB) “Language a: Language and Literature” course curriculum and specifically addresses the complexity of developing intercultural understanding through student-centered teaching practices that are both culturally balanced and conscientious.
While the discussion focuses on the benefits of the “Language and Literature” course in terms of validating multiple cultural discourses, it also warns against the dangers of employing a pendulous ethos of either a cultural-utopia or a cultural-passive approach to planning and teaching this course. Please contact Farrah if you are interested in reading the article or her thesis research within the field of Social Justice and education.
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RIS: Photo of the Day: 13/3/2017 Our red Cross Committee went on a community service trip to visit with kids at the setsatien school for the Deaf. this was our first visit to the school and it was a very positive experience. Our students really enjoyed working with the girls from setsatien and a great day was had by all.
RIS: Photo of the Day: 7/3/2017 the Grade One’s recently got together to celebrate their third published story of the year! all Grade One students gathered in 401 to read their very own realistic Fiction story to their teachers and peers. after listening to and reading with a partner, they continued to write book reviews for each other by giving descriptive feedback pertaining to each story’s specific genre. they have worked hard to choose their best stories, and to revise and edit their work! Grade One students even created their own characters, and with the incorporation of technology, used a green screen to create illustrations inspired by Mo Willems! We are very proud of our Grade Ones; you can see the progress they are making as we approach the end of First Grade!
RIS: Photo of the Day: 28/2/2017 today we held one of our favorite events of the year, the Grade 3 Water Walkathon. Our students raised money for Imagine thailand by walking laps with jugs of water, simulating how many rural thais walk daily for access to clean, potable water. For each lap our students completed, their sponsors donated a fixed amount of baht. Thank you to our Grade 3 team for holding such a successful fundraiser.
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RIS: Photo of the Day: 8/2/20167 today we held Mass in st. thomas Church. Fr. John was the main celebrant and was assisted by Fr. travis, our sisters, and our religion students. During his message, Father John encouraged the congregation to embody our union of hearts philosophy. as part of their promise to do so, students wrote their intentions, prayers and promises on hearts that were given to them by the sisters and offered them during the celebration of holy Communion.
RIS: Photo of the Day: 1/2/2017 these Grade 6 girls have been very busy lately. Passionate about steM (science, technology, engineering, and math), these students are building furniture in our Makerspace. Once they pass a tool proficiency test, they will create their own projects.
RIS: Photo of the Day: 20/1/2017 happy Chinese new year to every member of the rIs family! although the holiday is a week away, we celebrated the year of the rooster today at rIs. Organized by our Mandarin Department, the assembly started with es students performing Chinese scarf and ribbon dances. after, we were treated to a traditional song performed by our faculty, administrators, and students. Following the song, we were thrilled by dragon and lion dances from a professional Chinese dance troop. thank you to everyone, especially our Mandarin Department and Parents auxiliary, who made today possible.
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