Newsletter
2015 - 2016
Boarding February 2016
Another Adventure in Boarding By Fiona Smith, Primary Boarders Houseparent
On the last weekend in January day students were invited to another “Adventure in Boarding”. This time the stayover started with Friday evening activities followed by a visit to Horseshoe Point on the Saturday. Day students from year 3 to year 6 joined Primary boarders on Friday evening for activities in the sports hall, an early dinner and then a film in house. A snack was then enjoyed by everybody before settling down for the night. On Saturday morning we set off for Horseshoe point with first stop at the stables where the ponies appreciated the carrots that the students had brought them. Everybody was then ready for a swim followed by a picnic lunch by the pool. The afternoon was spent firstly on the zip wire where all the students swung across the lake, then at the archery station. Everyone returned, fairly exhausted, to
St Andrew’s and enjoyed pizza before being collected by parents. Rebecca, a year 6 intensive EAL student, writes her account of the weekend: “We had the coolest weekend. We went to the boarding house. After that we went to a sports hall. We played badminton. It was fun. The next day we went to Horse Shoe Point. We (cleaned) the horses feet and brushed them. It was fun so we all liked it. Then we went swimming. We played with the bow and arrows. Everybody liked it. After we went to the zip line we decided that we didn’t want to do it again. After that we went back to the boarding house. Then we played badminton again. And then we played Frisbee. I liked it because it was cool.”
Secondary Sports Day By Yuki, Year 11 boarder
Going for gold Sports day was a really hot and hard day. I did five different activities shot put, 800m, relay, skipping and 200m. In total I got five medals, three gold, one silver and one bronze. Running was my main event and I started preparing about two months before sports day, because last year I fell down right in front of finish and I could not get gold. So before the race started I was really anxious about it because I had put a lot of effort towards it. But once it started I felt like I was on an airplane. I could hear a lot of cheering whilst I was running. I was really happy and also set a new school record. Also we came first in relay. It was so unexpected because in the last two years we came fourth so I thought we were going to lose again. If I am still here for the next sports day I will train harder and I hope to get more gold medals than this year. Also I aim to beat my own record.
Primary boarders win a total of 16 medals on sports day! By Fiona Smith, Primary Boarders Houseparent
All the Primary boarders participated in a range of events during the 2016 sports day. During the first part of the day the lower KS2 students completed their events and the boarders were represented by Sincere and Kaowhom. In the afternoon all the year 5 boarders competed. Talent and fitness shone through as they accumulated medals as the day went on. Sun, Best, Brandon and Sincere showed their talent on the track winning medals in the 60m and 100m runs. The girls won medals in the hilarious wheelbarrow race, and equally amusing was Art racing to the line with his partner in the three-legged race. Aun
lobbed the t-ball into the distance and Brandon also did a great throw so they both earned medals in that event. At the end of the day the boarders returned to the house displaying their medals and proud of the points that they had earned for their school houses. Each of the school houses is represented in the boarding house and the boarders contributed to the house scores by winning points each time they were placed in an event. The final result put a smile on JC’s face - top point score for red house!
Snorkeling with the Boarders Totti, Year 11 boarder
You should have seen the one that got away‌ On Saturday 30th January, there was a full-day boarding trip to Rayong Beach, starting from school at 10.00 am and leaving again at 3.00 pm. The trip was split into 2 different sections: snorkeling for the first half of the day and the second half was fishing from the boat. The snorkeling part was the one that I mostly enjoyed, because I saw so many living creatures underneath the sea and it was a really memorable moment. As the first half of trip ended, the second half began with fishing- where I caught the biggest one! Unfortunately I was then rather seasick by the end of the day. Overall it was a great day and this was one of the most enjoyable boarding trips that I have experienced for a few years.
Wakeboarding By Alexander, RISE boarder
Hard to stand on your own two feet‌..
It was a great day for all of us being on a glorious boat in the middle of a beautiful lake on a sunny day. The wakeboarding was a really challenging sport for all of us, but we still managed to have a great time. The instructor was really comfortable to talk to, but some of the students still struggled to keep upright on the board at the start.
One student even managed to rip the strong elastic rope, which is quite impressive. In the end all the students were sad to leave, but I don’t think it is going to be my last time going wakeboarding. Plus the food was amazingly delicious, which I never thought that Thai food could look so bizarre, but taste so good. When we were driving to the wakeboarding site, we saw Rayong which is a beautiful city in some really nice countryside.
Adventures in Boarding - National Science Museum By Scott Fairlie, Head of Junior Boys Earlier this year we had our first primary adventure weekend which was attended by 20 visiting students from the primary school. After a sleepover night in the boarding houses we went to Bangkok where we visited the National Science Museum. We had an interesting time exploring the cube shaped buildings and learning more about science and technology. After a lunch break we went to the Natural History Museum where we learnt about the animals in Thailand before returning back to the school. It was both enjoyable and educational for the students. We all had
a great time and look forward to these and other day students coming to join us in boarding again soon. Our next primary Adventure in Boarding will be on 18/19 March and will be a real ‘chilled’ event – we’re off to Snowtown!!
The Boarders’ Café – just another chance for taking Selfies. By Carolyn Turner, Head of Girls Boarding The Boarders’ Café youngest customers enjoyed an extra special treat with some added fun this week. They could not let the photographic opportunity go by and were assisted with their ‘selfies’ by Gap student Marie. It has provided inspiration towards making half face masks the bottom half, instead of the usual top half. Please note there are also cheesy grins hidden behind! It just goes to show us that there is creativity everywhere. You just have to look for it.
Cycle the Dream By Scott Fairlie, Head of Junior Boys Boarding As a teenager did you ever have a dream? Mr. Scott’s was to cycle around the world. Now many years later while working at the regent’ School he decided to live his dream and during the school holidays set out to do just that. This diary is the first part of that trip, cycling through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Japan. He even gets to visit the reclusive country of North Korea. This volume is well illustrated with over 160 photographs of his travels.
With the upcoming book week in school Mr. Scott is also celebrating as his first book has just been released on Amazon.
“Scott’s challenge to cycle the world started as a dream, but very quickly became a reality. He pushed himself incredibly in his training, accomplishing feats that have surprised not only me but all of his friends and colleagues. Broken bones, seemingly impossible distances and other setbacks have been nothing more than inconveniences to be overcome with his characteristic grit and determination. Scott is an inspiration to all around him.” Steve Rand, Head of Boarding
Aun’s very special ‘after school friends. By Carolyn Turner, Head of Girls Boarding Aun (Year 5) knows that she is very fortunate to have Mrs. Caroline Draper for her ‘Boarding Buddy Teacher’. In addition, to the weekly update on Aun’s progress in school, there have been visits to the family home to enjoy playing with Jade and the family pets, two dogs Poppy and Copper and a lovely cat called Stars. Aun is thrilled to have the opportunity to join the family for occasional meals and celebrations and is very pleased to have made so many new furry friends as an unexpected bonus.
The life of an Exchange Student at Regents International School By Corby Barrett, Year 10 Exchange Student G’day, my name is Corby Barrett and I come from a little mining town in South Australia called Coober Pedy, although I board at St Philip’s college in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. I’ve lived in Alice Springs for three years and I have just spent my last year there, as I’m moving to Perth in Western Australia soon. I’ve been at Regents International School since 1st November, and I will head home on 18th December. Some things that I have enjoyed about Regents Schools are P.E. lessons and in boarding. I enjoyed relaxing after school with the boys, playing table tennis and listening to music. The weekend activities have been amazing from shopping at Central Festival, Pattaya to staying in a cool hotel in Mae Pim. Since I arrived at Regents I have made some life-long friends with some pretty memorable experiences. I can assure you that my time here has been one that will be told to my family and friends at home over Christmas and the coming few years. Some people that have really made my trip enjoyable are the staff and boys at the boarding house, the students of Year 10 and the teachers who have welcomed me with open arms into their classes. Thank you to everyone that helped me out when I got lost and when I couldn’t figure out my timetable, and a particular thank you to James, Pooh, Andrey, Alex, Yuki and the other boys who have made my trip special.
Kate & Grace By Tong Yr 8 and Iuliia Yr 9 they did leave a remarkable friendship for some of us to miss. They were the exchanges from Australia and they were shy at first when we tried to talk to them. But when we started to know each other, they were very playful and friendly.
To write about Kate and Grace is an endless piece of writing. Even though they did their exchange time for only 2 weeks,
We spent our 2 weeks doing something so stupid which somehow became unforgettable memories. We played football in the dark pitch together almost nights as our activity. We then realised how skilful Grace was at football. It’s been an amazing 2 weeks that we laughed, we played and we cried together. They taught us that distance between us doesn’t matter for our friendship; thanks to advanced technology in the modern days. They promised to come back to visit or else we would nag them every now and then. It was very hard to say goodbye to them the day that they left. However we know that our friendship will live on and they will be missed.
Day students can enjoy boarding too! By Oscar and Elijah, Year 5 day students “One of the things we like most about going to Regents is the chance for us to join in with the boarders’ activities, even though we are day students. It means we don’t have to wait until Monday morning to see our friends again – we can catch up with them at the weekend, too! Back in January we joined the boarders’ trip to Easykart on Bali Hai Pier. It was brilliant fun, easily the best gokarting in Pattaya! There were loads of highlights, but we loved beating Mr Scott [Head of Junior Boys Boarding] in one of the races. Best of all, our friend Brandon then got
permission the following week to have a sleep-over at our house. It’s great being part of a boarding school: 24/7 friendships!”
Chinese New Year By JC, Primary boarder We had a great day of Chinese celebrations at school. We dressed up in Chinese New Year costumes and the school looked red for the day. Chinese New Year is important to me because I am half Chinese. My birthday is in the year of the dog, 2006 and this year it is the year of the monkey. Traditionally a dragon made of cloth and held up by sticks will be paraded around the festival and a gong is in front of the dragon. My costume had a golden dragon in front of a red background.
Eco-committee By Fiona Smith, Primary Boarders Houseparent
“Do what you can with what you have where you are” – Theodore Roosevelt
In November an eco-committee was formed with the aim of working towards achieving the global seven steps and ultimately the eco-schools award. The eco-committee is student led and has now been formed with representatives from all parts of the school – teachers, support staff, students and parents. Local people such as vendors outside the school will also be asked if they are willing to participate in the work of the committee. The committee members that represent boarding are Miss Fiona, and Brandon and JC from St Andrew’s Junior boys boarding. The first meeting was held to outline the aims of the committee. From the meeting the members were tasked with carrying out an environmental review from which an action plan could be drawn up.
JC and Brandon set to work efficiently working through the survey for St Andrews house and distributing surveys to be conducted in the two other boarding houses. The environment was analysed; energy consumption considered; biodiversity investigated; recycling processes reviewed. The results from the surveys across the school were brought together for discussion at the second meeting and plans made for the next steps for the committee. Brandon and JC had several ideas for boarding. They keenly discussed reducing energy usage and developed ideas for biodiversity. It was really good to see the contribution that our youngest boarders made to the meeting and I look forward to seeing the projects progress.
Exchanging experiences By Mayum, Exchange student SAWADHIKHRAP YEAR 12 & 13! It has just been amazing since I’ve been at Regents School. Before coming here I was pretty nervous because I was the only one who was travelling from my school, but for the last six weeks it has been as though Regents has become my second home and all you people another family! As was mentioned at the beginning of term, time passes by so quickly here. It seems like it was just yesterday that I landed and now tomorrow I am leaving. During my stay here I got to visit the capital city of Bangkok and the beautiful city of Pattaya. I also enjoyed playing dodgeball and paintball for the first time. I also managed to explore a little bit of Thai culture which includes the language – “Pom che Mayum, Pom acha India!” and the cuisine which I did not always like that much, although I did love Tom Yam Kai and Yum Moo Yang. The school is great, and although there are a lot of differences between Regents and my school Sanawar, at both schools everyone around is very kind, friendly, loving, helpful and caring. This exchange has helped me improve as a person, has gained me confidence, and taught me the things about which I never cared. For this opportunity I would like to thank the Principal – Mr Ian Blaikie, the Exchange Coordinator – Mr James Gray, all my other teachers, Ms Batty and her faculty, all you students and last but not the least my parents. Thank you all for bearing my idiosyncrasies and craziness. So, to the times we have spent together be it taking selfies, the endless laughs, the free periods or
the weekends…I will miss each and every bit of it and will cherish these memories forever. THANK YOU!
60 Second Interviews A genetic engineer in the making
Gyu Min
IB Boarder can now play basketball again. I can’t wait for the new boarder’s football pitch to be ready in a week or so! What 5 words would you use to describe your boarding experience? ‘Homely’, ‘Motivation’, ‘Challenge’, ‘Opportunity’ and ‘Support’. Can you talk me through a school day in the life of Gyu Min?
Gyu Min. Where are you from? Hello, I come from Korea’s second largest city – Busan. And how long have you been at Regents? I joined Regents School in the third term of Year 9, and I am now studying for my IB in Year 12, so about two and a half years. Did you join as a boarder? Yes, I have been a full time boarder since I started here. How is boarding life treating you? In boarding there are three teachers who are like our parents. They are pretty cool- they help us a lot if we are struggling with subjects and make the boarding house a really enjoyable place. I very much like playing pool and we also have two table tennis tables. I really enjoy evening activities at 7:30 p.m.; we get to go swimming or play football and the new sports hall has opened now so we
My daily routine is wake up between 6:45 and 7:00 a.m., get showered and go to breakfast. After I eat, I go to the IB suite and prepare for lessons. The IB suite is great because it is a really nice environment to study. Lessons in school are mostly good and I don’t mind the lunch because it rotates every two weeks. After school I go back to the boarding house and study. Studying in the boarding house is easy because I have lots of friends who are going through the same stress of IB who I can talk to. Sounds like fun! What are you most enjoying in school right now? I like Maths because I’m Korean! I also get to do TKD which I have done for a few years now. TKD? Taekwondo. I’m a black belt! Wow, that is impressive. What is the moment you remember most from your time in Boarding? Beating Mr. James at pool! Ha! What does the future hold for you Gyu Min? My hope for the future is to be a Genetic Engineer, so I really need to study hard to get in to a great University.
60 Second Interviews IB in a word – challenging!
Yu
IB Boarder
Hello, my name is Yu. I am in Year 12, and I have recently started my IB Diploma programme. IB is completely different from Year 11. Perhaps it is because there are more responsibilities for you academically, but most importantly is the responsibility to become a genuine IB learner. I find IB really challenging even though it has only just begun. Without a doubt, the entire course will be even more challenging in due time, you’ve just got to be prepared for it! Speaking of something challenging, I have already been through one; I recently ran for Head Boy. I know it is something that some people find really hard to do as it involves campaigning around the school campus and public speaking, and most importantly, a great amount of self-confidence is required. At first I did not give much
attention to it, but seeing that this was the one-and-only opportunity I would ever get in Year 12 and it might help me boost my confidence, I decided to seize the chance without any hesitation; and I was right. Running for Head Boy has really changed me a little; I became more confident, and I am glad I went through all the hardship. What I went through comprised debate, confronting a rather horrible real-life situation and finding a solution to it, and campaigning. I also had fun creating posters and sticking them around the campus. It was really worth it. Although eventually I did not get the position, I don’t regret going through all that; I consider this a great experience as the Head Student campaign taught me to step out of my comfort zone entirely. I know there will be more opportunities that lie ahead of me, all I have to do is learn from my mistakes, and do even better next time.
Connect: www.Regents-Pattaya.com /RegentsInternationalSchoolPattaya /RegentsSchool /RegentsPattaya /TheRegentsSchool