NEWSLETTER

Garden International School 

Eastern Seaboard, Ban Chang 

NEWSLETTER 

Established 1994 

Your choice. Their future. Our family. โรงเรียนนานาชาติการ์เด้นอีสเทิร์นซีบอร์ดบ้านฉาง June 2015 

Find us at: 

Website: www.gardenrayong.com 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gisrayong 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gardeninternationalschool 

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand 

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Affiliated to

From Dr Tasker: Principal 

From the Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends of GIS, 

Welcome to the final Newsletter for the academic year of 2014-2015. We have had 

another very busy year at GIS – the students of the school have been learning, competing, 

playing and growing in many, many ways. 

We have seen another group of fine young adults graduate from IB2 this year and I am 

sure I speak on behalf of the GIS community in wishing them well in the next phase of their 

lives. Although most Year 11 students are moving in to the IB Diploma Programme, we do 

have some moving on to further education in Thailand or relocating. To all other families of 

GIS students moving on, we wish you well and hope the memories of GIS are fond ones. 

Inside this newsletter you will see the farewells from those teachers leaving us for their 

new adventures. They have all made a positive difference to many children during their 

time at GIS and will be missed, I am sure that everyone at the school and its wider 

community would join me in wishing them well in their new positions. 

Mr Chris Fung is the last new member of staff appointed for the new academic year. Mr 

Fung is as an American citizen hailing from San Francisco and he has been working in 

Thailand since 2007. He is widely travelled and speaks many languages - his heritage is 

Cantonese and he is fluent in Thai. He also speaks fluent Japanese and Mandarin 

together with beginner level French, Dutch and Russian. 

We are moving direction with regard to the competitive sports kits which the children use. 

For 2015-2016 and beyond we will no longer be using the current supplier as there have 

been an unacceptable number of issues in terms of them meeting deadlines. The good 

news is that after recently meeting with a representative from Adidas, the GIS sports 

teams will be moving towards being kitted out in high quality shirts with breathable material 

and matching shorts (and socks for football). More details will follow as each team is 

formed in Term 1 and beyond. 

For the start of the new academic year we hope to have the Primary Music and ESL rooms 

open and ready for use, Foundation will have a complete re-fit – with 2 new classrooms for 

Reception being built at the back of the play area. The old bike area will be a special 

indoor-outdoor play and eating area and the existing Nursery and Reception classroom 

area is being completely redesigned into 2 Nursery classrooms with 2 other multi-purpose 

rooms available for nap times, gross motor skills, Music, inter-active whiteboard work and 

much more. To top it off, there will be a lovely new entrance to Foundation. In Secondary 

classrooms on the 2nd floor will be painted and fitted with new fixtures and furniture. The 

Library will have glass walls put in around the back left-hand side as you enter, facing the 

recycled garden area.

For our students there is a nice break ahead, followed by the excitement of a new year 

with new teachers and experiences to enjoy. 

Kind Regards, 

Dr Stuart Tasker 

PhD (Ed), PGDipEd (Math Ed), PGCertEd (Ed Admin), PGDipTchg, BSc 

Principal, Garden International School 

Many thanks to our generous GIS sponsors: 

Platinum 

Indorama 

Encounter Church 

Universal Plus 

Gold 

Aditya Birla 

Thunder Cranes 

Silver 

Blue Sky Developer Company Limited 

Upcoming events 

Whole School 

June 23: End of School Year (finish at 12midday) 

Weds Aug 19: Start of Term 1 

Aug 21: House T-Shirt Day 

Aug 21: FunSports 

Aug 25: Friends of Garden coffee morning 

Aug 29: Friends of Garden BBQ 

Sept 6: Jester’s Fair, Pattaya 

Primary 

Sept 1: Welcome evening for parents, 7pm 

Secondary 

July 6: IB results’ day 

Aug 11: IGCSE results’ day 

Aug 21: IB2 deadline for first draft of the Extended Essay 

Aug 25: Year 7 and new Secondary parents’ information evening 

Follow us on Facebook!

Head to our Facebook page for the latest news on what’s been happening at GIS. 

www.facebook.com/gardeninternationalschool 

This month, you can read about 

‣ IB Graduation Evening 

‣ IGCSE Formal 

‣ Sports’ Awards 2015 

‣ Secondary trip to Ayutthaya 

‣ Primary Recital 2015 

‣ Swimming Galas 

‣ Year 6 trip to Chiang Mai 

‣ Teachers’ Leaving Assembly 

You can also watch our latest videos about what’s 

been happening at GIS by going here: 

www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand 

This month, you can see videos on: 

‣ IB Graduation Evening 

‣ IGCSE Evening 

‣ Sports’ Awards 2015 

‣ Swimming Galas 

‣ Band Slam! 

‣ Teachers’ Leaving Assembly

Goodbyes from your teachers 

At the end of each year, we say goodbye to teachers and staff who are 

moving on. Here, those that are leaving this year say their farewells. 

Primary 

Miss Kate 

I have had a superb two years at GIS. It has been an absolute 

pleasure to work with such an amazing group of students, parents 

and staff. Thank you to my wonderful colleagues who have 

supported me here, I really believed we have worked hard for the 

students in many ways. My favourite memories of GIS are the 

fantastic Year 4 sailing trip and the ever fun, ever wet Songkran 

Splash. It will be difficult to leave Thailand but another adventure 

awaits. I wish everyone here the best for whatever the future 

holds for them. Remember, it's 'au revoir' not 'goodbye'! 

Mr Joe and Ms Yen 

It has been 3 very quick years for me and my 

family in Thailand. When we first arrived here to 

GIS, we appreciated the welcoming and happy 

environment that greeted us. This relaxed 

happy atmosphere has made coming to work 

every day a joy and a pleasure. We have seen 

GIS evolve very quickly and hopefully played 

our small part. 

Now it is time to move on to our next adventure 

in Astana, Kazakhstan. I have taken a position 

in Haileybury, a school that has just opened (2011) but is growing quickly. Yen will 

hopefully gain a position in the school as well. This will offer a great number of challenges, 

the main one being the weather (it reaches minus 40 in the winter). We wish you all the 

best in the future and hope we will see you at Christmas as we are coming back to defrost.

Secondary 

Mr Carson 

Hi everyone, 

At the end of the year I will be leaving GIS and I will be moving to 

United World College South East Asia in Singapore, where I have a 

new position as an EAL Teacher. After two years in Ban Chang it was 

time to make the move to somewhere a little livelier, but I will miss the 

area, the food and Thai people in general. I’m really going to miss the 

staff and, even more importantly, the students at GIS, and I would like 

to give special mentions to my old form (8C, now 9W), my current form 

(10C), all of my ESL classes and the boys football teams that I have 

coached. I will make sure that I keep in touch with the staff and some 

of the IB graduates to keep up to date with what is going on and to 

make sure that you are all still behaving yourselves! I will also try and 

visit as soon as possible. Students: you are very privileged to be at a 

school like this one, so make sure you work hard and make the most 

of your education! Thanks to you all. 

Mr Durrant and Mrs Durrant (K.Oh) 

I am sad to be leaving GIS after a total of 6 years 

working here. This is the longest time I have 

spent working in any individual school and this is 

a reflection of how much I have enjoyed working 

with a great bunch of students and staff, in a 

fascinating country. 

I love cooking and eating and Thailand is a 

fantastic place for all kinds of food (although I 

cannot recommend the barbecued rat). I now 

have a lovely Thai wife and will return to Thailand 

on a regular basis for family occasions, especially 

the New Year celebrations. So thank you all and, 

although I am looking forward to the new challenges in Vietnam, I will always have fond 

memories of my time at GIS. 

Mr David 

I can’t believe that I've been here for two years! Now it’s time to say 

bye bye! I've had a great time at Garden working with a very good 

bunch of students who are wonderful. Even if Mathematics is not 

supposed to be fun, we have had some very good laughs. I will miss 

you greatly. Thailand has been amazing and I loved the time I spent 

here. In August, in Egypt, a new adventure is starting and I am happy 

to face new challenges. 

P.S. For the students who are wondering: I am not going to school by 

camel.

Ms Morris 

It’s been an amazing 11 years here at GIS! Sorry to be going. I’ll miss 

waking up and looking at the sea, I’ll miss the students who have been 

fantastic, I’ll miss my colleagues and I’ll miss going on school trips – 

but I’m sure I’ll be back to see you. I’ll be going to KL in Malaysia – 

only a short flight away. 

In the words of Cher – if I could turn back time, I’d do it all again! 

Mr Shiells 

After an incredible eight years teaching at GIS I am very sad to be leaving the school. Mrs 

Shiells and I have decided to give our daughters a taste of cold Scottish life, so in August I 

will start teaching at St Leonard's school in St Andrew's, Scotland. I 

have so many amazing memories from my time here and I will never 

forget the enthusiasm of the students and the fun we have had making 

music. Some highlights for me have been the trip to Kanchanaburi with 

a group of Year 9s, performing Bohemian Rhapsody at the first MAD 

Night, hosting the FOBISSEA Music Festival and, obviously, dressing 

up as a fairy. I have loved being part of the school productions and 

witnessing the impact that being up on stage has on the students. GIS 

is a wonderful, unique, beautiful place and I feel so lucky to have 

worked here. I feel like part of a big family and will cherish the 

memories from Ban Chang forever. Thank you to all the staff and 

students for being so special :) 

Mrs Shiells 

I arrived in Thailand with one backpack. Since then I seem to have 

acquired a house-full and three children! It's been eight years since I 

started at Garden, and I really have 'seen it grow'. We music teachers 

always count the number of years we've been in a school by the 

concerts and shows we've done. We played The Nutcracker, Baby 

Elephant Walk, We sang Tell Out The News, El Est Ne, Let It Go, 

Skye Boat Song and everyone's favourite Christmas carol Hark! The 

Herald Angels Sing. In Primary we've put on The Lemonade Kid, 

Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland, Hoodwinked, Wind in the 

Willows, The Grunch, The Last Monster in Scotland and the Peace 

Child. In Secondary we had Little Shop, Mamma Mia, Footloose, 

Grease and, who can forget the epic event that was FOBISSEA (now 

FOBISIA). There are students past and present who I will always remember. Some for 

their outstanding talent, some for the progress they've made, some who cannot hold a 

steady beat, but most of all, I will remember their smiles which in turn made me smile. So 

thank you Garden for giving me your all and, as we say in Scotland, feicfidh mé ar ball thú.

Mr Liversidge 

The time has come to move on to different pastures which is both 

exciting and sad in equal measure. I've taught some interesting 

characters and I've had the opportunity to teach some subjects I never 

expected: Mathematics and Primary PE, for example. 

Whilst deleting my emails I noticed I have taught with lots of teachers 

from different backgrounds, all hoping to improve the school and they 

have achieved this, considerably. My last 2 years have been more in 

the background helping the teaching staff instead of "in the firing line" 

of the classroom but I hope some of these developments will be used 

in the future for the benefit of the staff, the parents and, most 

importantly, the students. From the longest serving ICT teacher, 

EVER! 

Caring for the Camillian 

Children from the Camillian Social Centre 

Rayong visited GIS to enjoy a Friends of Garden 

picnic. 

On June 13, the children joined in with various 

games and sporting activities. There were hot 

dogs and soda on offer to keep everyone 

refreshed. 

The Center had a great time and thanked Ms 

Morris and Ms Clifton, the students, parents and 

staff at GIS for providing such a great day for them. 

The Camillian Center cares for children and adults with HIV. 

GIS donated 39,000 baht to the Centre; the money was raised from a series of activities 

during the year. 

For more photos of the event, visit http://www.hiv-aids-kids.org/event/garden-internationalschool-2015.html

GIS Lands Top Eco Award 

GIS has been given a top award for its successful environmental projects. 

The school has received the Silver Award from the UK-based Eco-Schools organisation. 

Eco-Schools is a group that aims to promote environmental awareness in the UK and also 

in international schools like GIS. 

Head of Humanities Tommy Elderkamp said: "We have worked hard in the past two years 

for this award. 

"We now have a full recycling scheme, which has paid for a new garden area and other 

landscaping around the school, creating lots of biodiversity. We removed fences and now 

we have hedges, which were all bought from the recycling scheme. 

"The concept of sustainability and environmental awareness is thoroughly embedded in 

our curriculum. For example, all the Years 7 to 9 students have eco-awesomeness 

lessons in their timetable. During these lessons, students carry out their own mini projects; 

Year 7 have set up a battery recycling scheme, there was a 'cycle to school' week and 

others made bird houses, butterfly feeders and furniture from scrap wood." 

Higher up the school, students who study for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, 

also learn about sustainability in Geography, Design Technology (where they study green 

design), Biology and even Mathematics. 

The next step for GIS is the prestigious Green Flag. For more on the scheme, visit 

www.eco-schools.org.uk.

GIS Appreciation Evening 

GIS held a special appreciation evening on June 17. At the 

event, the school thanked our many supporters this year, 

including the Permanent Sponsors, who were awarded a 

certificate. 

There were also three students who performed their 

ABRSM pieces and some delicious biscotti, thanks to Mr 

Berry! 

Pizza Party 

GIS Prefects and the Birthday Elephant 

crew were rewarded for their hard work 

this year with a pizza party in Dr Tasker’s 

office. 

The Prefects and Head Boy and Head Girl 

have done a great job with planning events 

and help out this year. The Birthday 

Elephant, who visits everyone in school 

with a birthday, has also been busy 

making sure everyone is wished a happy 

birthday.

Foundation Makeover 

There are massive development plans taking place in Foundation. The new-look 

playground is already in place, and there are plans for new buildings, new facilities and 

new areas to make our Foundation the best in the area! 

Here’s a quick look at what’s in store. Feel free to drop in and talk to Ms Jane about these 

exciting developments. 

Building Developments 

Phase 1: a new indoor / outdoor play room will be built on the current covered area to 

extend our opportunities for play on both wet and dry days. Nursery and Reception 

children will also eat their lunch in this building. The doors will all be open while the 

weather is dry. 

Phase 2: two new Reception classes will be built at the far end of the back playground

Phase 3: this will allow us to adapt 

the current classrooms into two new 

Nursery rooms with natural light 

and create a multi-purpose music, 

gross motor and resting area as 

well as develop a more pleasant 

waiting zone for parents. 

The back playground will continue 

to be developed. 

Changes to times 

To best meet the needs of our 

students we have made some 

changes to the times of the 

Foundation programme. 

Time 

Early Years 

Morning Class 8.30am – 11.15am 

8.30 – 9.45 Class time 

9.45 – 10.00 Snack 

10.00 – 10.30 Outside Play 

10.30 – 11.15 Class Time 

11.15am 

Home for Morning People 

OR 

Afternoon Class 12.15pm – 3.00pm 

Early Years 

To give our youngest 

children the full care and 

attention they deserve we 

will reduce the class size to 

a maximum of 15. In line 

with other International 

School in the area, we will 

only run a half day session 

for this age group. But, 

there will be an option to 

choose a morning session 

or an afternoon session. 

12.15 – 1.15 Class Time 

1.15 – 1.30 Snack 


2.00 – 2.50 Class Time 

2.50 – 3.00 Closing Circle 

3.00pm 

Home for Afternoon People

Nursery 

There will still be two options for 

Nursery children, either a half day or a 

full day. The full day will be extended to 

3pm. There will no longer be After 

School Care Club. The children will 

now have the opportunity to experience 

a wider range of play based learning 

with the support of their class teacher. 

At home time, the doors will be open 

from 2.50pm so you can begin to 

collect your children from their 

classroom and have time to clear the 

car park before the rest of the school 

finish. 

Time 

Nursery 

Half Day 8.30am – 12.00pm 

or Full Day 8.30am – 3.00pm 

8.30 – 9.45 Class time 

9.45 – 10.00 Snack 

10.00 – 

Outside Play 

10.30 

10.30 – 

Class Time 

11.35 

11.30 – 

Lunch 

12.00 

12.00pm Home for Half Day People 

12.00 – 

Outside Play 

12.30 

12.30 – 1.30 Resting Time (1 hour) 

1.30 – 1.45 Snack 

1.45 – 2.50 Class Time 


3.00pm 

Home for Everyone 

Time 

Reception 

8.30am – 3.00pm 

8.30 – 9.45 Class time 

9.45 – 10.00 Snack 


10.30 – 11.30 Class Time 

11.30 – 12.00 Lunch 


12.30 – 1.30 Class Time 

1.30 – 1.45 Snack 

1.45 – 2.50 Class Time 


Home for Everyone 

Reception 

All Reception children must 

attend a full day. The full 

day will be extended to 

3pm. There will no longer 

be After School Care Club. 

The children will now have 

the chance to experience a 

wider range of play based 

learning with the support of 

their class teacher. At 

home time, the doors will 

be open from 2.50pm so 

you can begin to collect 

your children from their 

classroom and have time 

to clear the car park before 

the rest of the school finish. 

Staff for next year 

All our staff in Foundation will be staying with us next year and will be teaching the 

following classes: 

Early Years: Ms Elyssa 

Nursery: Ms Jane and Mr Stan 

Reception: Ms Aren and Ms Jessica

From Mrs Gordon: Head of Primary 

Dear Parents and all friends and family who read this newsletter, 

So the final week of the year has arrived! This year there are lots of exciting plans and 

developments for the Foundation building over the holidays and our new Music and ELS 

suite should be ready for the start of the year too. Mr Martin and his team have a busy 

holiday ahead. 

Events 

Primary were treated to a Musical Recital on Wednesday June 10. Our Primary students 

who receive instrumental tuition showcased their musical talents and performed their 

pieces beautifully. From piano to saxophone to electric guitar and drums, this was a 

wonderful afternoon of entertainment. Thank you to our Primary Music team, Mrs Shiells, 

Ms Peralta and Mr Allan. Please let us know if you would like to sign up for music tuition 

for your child for next year. See our Facebook page for photos from the event: 

https://www.facebook.com/gardeninternationalschool 

We hope you were able to join us for our Primary Summer Concert and Open Afternoon 

on Friday and got to experience life in the classroom and what your children have been 

learning this year. 

Our Swimming Gala went very well on Thursday until the rain came. The children all got 

wet and everyone managed to swim a race, with some great karaoke from Kru Nid to keep 

us entertained while the rain was on! Thank you to Mr Amuchou and the PE department 

for organising this. 

We had our Year 6 Leavers’ assembly on Monday and on the last day we had our 

Foundation Graduation Ceremony in the Primary Hall followed by a pot luck feast. 

The end of the school year is also a time for goodbyes and in an international school 

setting there are always people moving on to pastures new and learning to say goodbye is 

all part of being an international student. It doesn’t stop it from being an emotional farewell 

though. I would like to take this opportunity to say a formal thank you to our staff who are 

leaving. Ms Kate, from Year 4, Mr Joe from Year 5, Ms Yen who has been a huge help in 

Year 1 and 2 and Mrs Shiells, our Primary Music Co-ordinator. Your dedication and care of 

the students at our school has been fantastic and I am very grateful for all your hard work 

and support over this year. Good luck in the next step of your adventures; we will all miss 

you. 

Goodbyes 

We also have to say goodbye to some of our students 

Allan, Year 1, is off to REPS and Jae Woo, Year 6, is moving to an American school. 

We have lots of students moving to Bangkok at the end of this year so we would like to 

wish them well and hope they pop back to visit us sometime. From Nursery there is 

Monica, Pearwa, Ria, Serah and Sarah. Also Sofia in Reception, Drishti in Year 5 and 

Saanchi in Year 6 - good luck in the capital!

We have some students moving further afield. Ariella is off to Kazakstan with her dad Mr 

Joe, Ailsie and Isla are moving back to Scotland with Mr and Mrs Shiells. Jedi in EY is off 

to America. And Shasha and Sarah are moving back to Malaysia 

We hope you have enjoyed your time with us and will leave with happy memories of your 

time at Garden. 

Awards 

Our awards for this term go to… 

Ananya, Phailin and Saanchi for Excellence. 

Raziqh, Amsika and Penny for Endeavour. 

Tamaki, Aditya and Nare for Progress. 

Allan, Federico and Armaani for Nam Jai Ngam. 

Blogs 

If there are any images or photos you would like to keep from the blogs please copy and 

download them this week as this year’s blogs will be archived ready to set up again for the 

new year. 

http://year6.gardenrayong.com - Year 6 in Chiang Mai 

http://year5.gardenrayong.com - Year 5 go hopping mad 

http://year4.gardenrayong.com - Year 4 get an E-safety lesson from Year 10 

http://year3.gardenrayong.com - Year 3 have been estimating volume 

http://year2.gardenrayong.com - Year 2 have been to see a helicopter! 

http://year1.gardenrayong.com - Have had a few birthdays! 

http://reception.gardenrayong.com/2015/06/express-yourself-in-past-2-weeks-weeks.html 

- Reception have been learning to EXPRESS themselves 

http://nursery.gardenrayong.com 

http://earlyyears.gardenrayong.com

All that remains to be said is, ‘Good Luck’ to our Year 6s who are moving onto Secondary 

in August and I hope everyone has a happy and safe summer break. I look forward to 

seeing you all on Wednesday August 19. 

Warm regards 

Claire Gordon 

Head of Primary 

headpri@gardenrayong.com 

GIS Raises 248,000 Baht for Nepal 

An incredible 248,168 baht has been raised by GIS in our Help Nepal fundraising 

campaign this term. We have had mufti days, hot-dog and popcorn sales, a movie 

afternoon in Primary, a slave auction in Secondary, a jumble sale at the Friends 

of Garden Family picnic (which raised more than 5,000 baht) and also the 

anonymous donation box which has received many, many anonymous donations. 

The generosity of the GIS community has been remarkable. 

Dr John Moore, Principal of The British School, Kathmandu, said: “This is a 

fantastic effort and will really make a difference. We will make sure it does do 

some genuine long-term good. It sounds like everyone was really supportive and 

it is going to be really appreciated by the communities we will liaise with.” 

Our 248,168 baht will go directly to The British School, Kathmandu's community 

service projects, supporting rebuilding projects of the Dhading schools, 

Bungamati DSA school (hearing and sight impaired children) and the Disabled 

New Life centre. All of these projects will benefit children, are related to education 

and will give long-term benefit to the children and people of Nepal. 

Go here for more information: http://www.tbskathmandu.org/extracurricular/community-service-charitable-work/. 

Above - Selling hot dogs was one of many fundraising activities to help Nepal. 

Right – some of the children affected by the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

From Mr Ball: Head of Secondary 

Hello Parents, 

This has been a busy year with a lot of positive movement in the school. We have 

continued to develop a stronger awareness of the environment at GIS. The recycling 

systems have developed, along with the Eco-Awesomeness course studied by students in 

Years 7, 8 and 9 who do not take Thai Language. We have now achieved the Silver Eco 

School status and we will be looking to achieve the Green Flag status. The Green Flag 

status has challenging requirements and it will take us three to four years to achieve this 

status. 

The building has continued to move from strength to strength in terms of its development. 

The purpose-built Drama area has been a great success. Over the summer, Secondary’s 

second floor classrooms will be revitalised. We also plan to exhibit more student art work, 

with work selected by Ms Edwards to be framed and placed around the second floor. 

The FOBISIA Under 13 Games were a great success. The participating schools were all 

very positive about the event in regards the planning, the school and the friendly 

atmosphere. For the next academic year Mr Turagaiviu is planning for GIS to participate in 

FOBISIA Mathematics, which is being held in Malaysia. I think that this is a very exciting 

opportunity and a wonderful development of the FOBISIA events that we participate in. 

Secondary Reports went out on Wednesday June 17 and I hope that you are pleased with 

the effort that your child has put in to his or her school work over the year. The school 

website has an explanation of what the grades mean and can be located by going to 

www.gardenrayong.com/curriculum.html. The Secondary Parents’ Conferences were on 

Thursday June 18. There was a lot of discussion between staff and teachers about how 

students can move forwards and a lot of positive advice and support was passed on. 

No doubt the IB1 students will have been pleased to have been able to pass over the 

provisional drafts of their 4,000-word Extended Essays to their supervisors. The 

supervisors will read these and then offer feedback at the beginning of Term 1 in the next 

academic year. 

At this time of year we have to say some sad goodbyes to students and staff. This is 

always a sad time as people we like and respect leave us. This year we say goodbye and 

wish the best of luck to Mr Carson (English Language Support and Physical Education), 

Mr Durrant (Mathematics), Ms Morris (Chemistry), Ms Shiells (Music), and Mr Shiells 

(Head of the Arts Department). Whilst it is sad to see staff leave it is also an exciting time 

as new staff arrive and we say hello to Mr Dowling (English Language Support), Mr Carr 

(Mathematics), Mr Springthorpe (Mathematics), Mr Fung (Chemistry), Mr Abs (Music), Ms 

Kilvington-Shaw (Music and Head of the Arts Department). 

Sage Ball 

Head of Secondary 

headsec@gardenrayong.com

IGCSE 

Formal

GIS Students Mark End of IGCSEs 

Year 11 students from Garden International School (GIS) celebrated the end of 

their IGCSEs with a spectacular evening at the Hilton, Pattaya. 

After finishing their final IGCSEs examinations - the world's leading assessment for 16- 

year-olds - the students gathered at the Hilton for a buffet and entertainment on June 6. 

IGCSE Coordinator Mr Stokes gave a welcome speech, before parents, teachers and 

students enjoyed the international and Thai buffet. There were performances of 'Operation 

Valkyrie' and 'Style' before a surprise rap duo took to the stage, in the shape of Form 

Tutors Mr Shiells and Mr Berry. These teachers have been their Form Tutors since Year 7. 

Year 11 then all sang 'On Our Way' by The Royal Concept before GIS Principal Dr Stuart 

Tasker said thank you to the parents, teachers and students for their efforts. Some students 

will now be leaving GIS but many will return to take part in the school's successful 

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

GIS Stars Say Goodbye 

Two of GIS’s most talented students have been presented with a special souvenir of 

their time at our school. 

Sarah and Yeen have both just finished their IB Diploma examinations. They will be 

heading off to the US and the UK very soon to start their university courses. As they 

were leaving, GIS Principal Dr Tasker presented them with framed versions of the 

posters which have been displayed by our main entrance. The posters celebrate 

Yeen’s achievement of being named ‘Top in the World’ for IGCSE Thai and Sarah’s 

‘Top in Thailand’ achievements for both IGCSE Music and Combined Science. 

What is even more amazing is that Yeen and Sarah were ESL (English as a Second 

Language) students when they first joined GIS, but both quickly rose through the 

ranks and joined mainstream English classes. Sarah, 18, who joined GIS in Year 8, is 

now off to the world-famous University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she 

will study Psychology. 

Yeen, 17, came to Garden in Year 7 and is now about to begin studying Finance at 

Durham University in England.

Secondary Prize Giving Ceremony 

Secondary held a special Prize Giving Ceremony on the last day of school. 

This was to reward students for their endeavor and for their achievements. 

Special awards were also handed out to the most outstanding students this 

year. Well done to everyone who got a certificate! 

Here are the winners: 

Year 7 

Arunkalyan Muddamsetty 

Kidabadee Wilson (Ethan) 

Lily Howett 

Ojas Chaudhary 

Endeavour in Physical Education 

Endeavour in Drama 

Endeavour in History 

Endeavour in Design Technology 

Endeavour in Mathematics 

Omkar Narkar 

Supachai Saksinghskul 

Suphatin Kitikoraset (Austin) 

Yuji Kuno 

Benjamin Escobar 

I-Chen Lin (Chloe) 

Supphawat Kutcharo (Peet) 

Endeavour in Thai Studies 

Endeavour in Geography 

Endeavour in English as a Second Language (KET) 

Endeavour in Science 

Excellence in Music 

Excellence in Mandarin 

Excellence in Thai Language 

Inez Gordon 

Endeavour in Mandarin 

Excellence in Drama 

Jessica Chilver 

Endeavour in Information, Communication and 

Technology 

Endeavour in Music 

Endeavour in Thai Language 

Excellence in Art and Design 

Excellence in Design and Technology 

Excellence in Physical Education

Vedant Iyer 

Endeavour in Art and Design 

Endeavour in Spanish 

Excellence in English 

Excellence in Geography 

Excellence in History 

Excellence in Information, Communication and 

Technology 

Excellence in Mathematics 

Excellence in Science 

Excellence in Spanish 

Excellence in Thai Studies 

Year 8 

Kavisha Aravinthan 

Jessica Lipman 

Polina Iudenkova 

Sasha Narang 

Artur Krivoshein 


Technology 




Endeavour in English as a Second Language (PET) 



Excellence in English as a Second Language (PET) 

Kannipa Rojmunkong (G-nie) Excellence in Mandarin 

Leanne Clifton 


Patchanon Worapitpong (Pei Pei) 

(KET) 

Excellence in English as a Second Language 

Patrick Steele 


Excellence in Physical Education 

Phongschan 

(Chen) 

Phatthanaphokai Excellence in Geography 


Rachael Lipman 

Saralan Lertmana (Pygmy) 


Technology 

Excellence in Thai Language

Ashcharya Kela 

Cheshta Kela 

Dhriti Punjabi 

Nupur Dhande 


Endeavour in Design and Technology 






Endeavour in English 






Excellence in Design technology 



Year 9 

John Thompson 


Marsya Adlina Binti Abdull Halim Endeavour in Thai Studies 

Prangthip Kleetieng 

(Nokweed) 


Vladislav Shekhovtsev Endeavour in History 

Karan Ojha 

Panittha Chaklang 

Excellence in Design 

Technology 

Excellence in Physical 

Education 

Anjali Khanijou 

Erica Gallemit 










Excellence in Thai Studies

Kanokrak Chaima (Pop) 

Mary Gunn 

Peeraya Brohmwitak (Kam) 


Technology 








Technology 


Excellence in Thai Languages 





Year 10 

Ekawit Sirisuntorn (Earth) 

Lily Edwards 

Marian Guerrero Castano 

Narisa Saksinghskul 

Pantira Abernathy (Gee-Gee) 

Da Seul Kwon 

Maria Lyubchevskaya 

Prem Detkunakorn 

Sabrina Fraser 





Technology 



Endeavour in Literature 





Excellence in English Language 

Excellence in Literature 



Suppakorn Chaiyasungwol (Mangpo) Excellence in Thai Language

Anna Chaiyarugs 

Jignil Shah 

Sabrina Okon 

Seren Gordon 

Shilpi Dhar 

Shomit Ghosh 

Endeavour in English as a Second Language 





Excellence in Design Technology 







Endeavour in Business Studies 

Excellence in Business Studies 


Technology 




Year 11 

Abhigyan Khullar 

Anvita Chebrolu 

Avianna Pollom 

Natasha Sakjiraphong 

Natasha Sethi 

Trisha Mae Flores 





Technology 






Berenice Cabanne 

Han Yang Lin 

Jun Beom Chi 



Excellence in Music

Nitikorn Manchanda (Mikey) 

Nicolas Puel 

Yukta Shah 

Excellence in Thai Language 

Excellence in Design and Technology 


Arjit Verma 

Reha Bhombal 

Suphalak Kucharo 

Tawanya Brander (Praw) 

Endeavour in Business Studies 


Endeavour in Literature 

Excellence in Business Studies 


Excellence in Literature 



Technology 






Endeavour in Design and Technology 

Endeavour in English as a Second Language 





IB1 

Arpan Ojha 

Panarin Abernathy (Pooh) 

Endeavour in Information Technology in a Global 

Society 



Piyaphorn Doowa (Neha) 

Endeavour in Thai 


Endeavour in English B 

Dominic Spreij 

Jonathon Fitzgerald 

Excellence in English B 

Excellence in Design Technology

Hui Eun Park 

John Caules 

Pauline Gallemit 


Excellence in Biology 

Excellence in Chemistry 

Endeavour in Physics 



Endeavour in Chemistry 


Pornchanok Pornthipsakul (Khing)Endeavour in Business Management 



Excellence in Business Management 

Excellence in Information Technology in a Global 

Society 

Excellence in Physics 

Syuen Wei Tang (Jason) 

Endeavour in English A 

Endeavour in Biology 

Excellence in English A 

Sport 

The students who have made the greatest contribution to the school’s sporting programme 

over the course of the academic year. 

Contribution to Sport - Year 7 to 9 

Contribution to Sport - Year 10 and above 

Stefanie Okon 

Jignil Shah 

The student who has made the greatest overall contribution to the school’s sporting 

programme over the course of the academic year. 

Sportsperson of the Year Award Trophy 

Sirawit Phasomsap (Ying) 

Arts Awards 

The students who have made the greatest contribution to the school’s creative arts 

programmes over the course of the academic year. 

Contribution to the Creative Arts - Year 7 to 9 Ashcharya Kela 

Contribution to the Creative Arts - Year 10 and above I-lawin Kijjaroenvisal (Gear) 

The student who has made the greatest overall contribution to the school’s creative arts 

programmes over the course of the academic year. 

Creative Arts Award Trophy 

Syuen Wei Tang (Jason)

Special Awards 

Leadership Awards 

These awards recognise leadership by students that have led to the betterment of student 

life or of the school. Leadership can be demonstrated in many ways, among them: 

for excellent performance in service positions 

by demonstrating leadership by behaviour role modeling 

by taking a leading role in achieving a special group accomplishment 

Leadership - Year 7 to 9 

Kanokrak Chaima (Pop) 

Leadership - Year 10 and above Yukta Shahi 

The student who has made the greatest overall contribution to leadership over the course 

of the academic year: 

Leadership Award Trophy Arpan Ojha 

CIS International Student 

Awards 

The Council of International 

Schools (CIS) established this 

International Student Award 

to give public recognition to 

those who best exemplify the 

attributes of global citizenship. 

There is one award for Years 

7 to 9 and one award for Year 

10 and above. 

Internationalism - Year 7 to 9 

Arina Solovjova 

Internationalism - Year 10 and above 

John Caules 

The student who has made the greatest overall contribution to Internationalism over the 

course of the academic year: 

CIS International Student Award Trophy Abhigyan Khullar

Nam Jai Ngam Awards 

This award is made to a student who best demonstrates citizenship through his or her 

active participation in the academic, cultural, sporting and service within Secondary at 

Garden International School. 

Nam Jai Ngam - Year 7 to 9 

Nam Jai Ngam - Year 10 and above 

Inez Gordan 

Teng Chilver 

The student who has embodied Nam Jai Ngam the best over the course of the academic 

year: 

Nam Jai Ngam Award Trophy John Caules 

Academic Endeavour 

This is awarded to the most diligent student overall in each year level. This award includes the 

student’s performance over the course of the whole year. 

Academic Endeavour Year 7 – Jessica Chilver 

Academic Endeavour Year 8 – Sasha Narang 

Academic Endeavour Year 9 – Kankrak Chaima (Pop) 

Academic Endeavour Year 10 – Jignil Shah 

Academic Endeavour Year 11 – Abhigyan Khullar 

Academic Endeavour IB1 – Neha Doowa 

Academic Excellence Trophies 

This is awarded to the top student in each year level. This award includes the student’s 

performance over the course of the whole year. 

Academic Excellence Year 7 – Vedant Iyer 

Academic Excellence Year 8 – Nupur Dhande 

Academic Excellence Year 9 – Kankrak Chaima (Pop) 

Academic Excellence Year 10 – Jignil Shah 

Academic Excellence Year 11 – Arjit Verma 

Academic Excellence IB1 – Hui Eun Park

Teacher of the Month 

This month we talk to Secondary’s Physics’ teacher Ms Woodburn. 

1. What languages do you speak? I speak French, English and a littl 

e bit of Spanish. 

2. Would you rather get lost in the universe or deep in the sea? 

I would definitely get lost in the universe: if you think about all the weird 

and marvellous things you can discover when lost deep in the sea, just 

imagine how many more you can find when in an almost infinite 

universe. 

3. What is the weirdest fact you know? Technically, if we’re only considering classi 

cal physics, our Sun shouldn’t be ‘burning’: it doesn’t have a high enough temperature for 

Hydrogen fusion to occur. 

4. Do you believe in the string theory? If not, why? 

I honestly don’t know much about string theory apart from the fact that it is not very 

complete. This doesn’t necessarily mean it is completely right or completely wrong, just 

that more time is needed to investigate it. 

5. What is the coolest place you have ever been to? 

I’ve been inside CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, which is a massive particle collider at 

least 50m underground with magnets which are the size of a small house. 

6. When you were a student, how did you concentrate during class when you were fee 

ling sleepy? I probably just tried to keep taking notes whilst struggling to keep my eye 

s open. It didn’t work very well. 

7. What is the funniest moment you had at GIS? Possibly watching Dr Tasker lip-sy 

nc and dance to “You’re the one that I want” from Grease as Danny Zuko! 

8. What is your pet’s name, and why did you choose that? 

She’s called Nebula. I didn’t really know what to call her and had an open textbook about 

astrophysics next to me. She looks nothing like a cloud of gas and dust where stars are 

born but she seems to like the name. 

9. If you could change one thing in the world, what would you like to change? 

I’d make it possible to teleport anywhere. 

10. What is the best thing to do when you are bored? 

Find a laser and a cat, the rest is pretty self-explanatory (if lacking the laser and/or the 

cat, YouTube videos involving lasers and cats will do).

Student of the Month 

11. 

This month we talk to Jessada Mekaporn, whose 

nickname is M. 

1. What is your favourite animal, and why? 

My favourite animal is very hard to decide. I think it’s the 

clown fish because of the film Finding Nemo. 

2. The best moment in 2015 at GIS? 

Going on the sailing trip, it was great. We sailed boats by 

ourselves, played games and had a barbecue on the beach. 

3. If you could have a superpower, would you rather 

have the ability to be invisible or to be able to read people’s 

minds? 

I would rather be able to fly because I could see everything from high in the sky. 

4. What is the weirdest thing that happened to you? 

Going to school with a boy called Robbie who just drew dinosaurs all day. 

5. Llama or meerkat? 

Meerkats, they are awesome. 

6. How many countries have you been to? 

Three, Mynmar, China and Lao. I liked China the best and I walked along the Great Wall. 

7. Would you rather go to a mountain or the sea? Why? 

The sea, because I can look at the cool sea animals. 

8. Who is your favourite singer right now? 

I don’t have a favourite, I like lots of different kinds of music. 

9. Who is one person you admire the most? 

Sandee in my class. He came to school with no English and I am really impressed how he 

has managed to learn and speak so quickly. 

10. Why is the sky blue? 

Because it is pretty and it would be weird if it was black all the time.

Band Slam 

GIS rocked thanks to a Band Slam contest featuring local international schools. The Main 

Hall was packed on June 17 as students competed in the annual Band Slam contest. 

Bands prepared a 3-song set featuring at least one original composition, with the winning 

band receiving a full day recording session at the fantastic Karma Studios. 

First up were 'Surrender at 20', a REPS band (but with our very own Sony on the drums) 

who played an excellent, tight set. Next were 'Fire and Flame', featuring Year 8 and 9 

students from GIS. Leanne sang beautifully and their original composition (by Erica) was 

brilliantly catchy and well-structured. St Andrew's students made up the 3rd band, Alpha 

Beat, with Year 6 boy Jake taking the lead in his own composition 'Be Happy'. The crowd 

enjoyed the energetic performance and heavy guitar sound. The final competing band was 

Apollo, a group of Year 10 students with Gee Gee and Tara on lead vocals. This band 

really worked the crowd and had some support 

from mystery cow dancers! Their original 

composition, Crying to the Moon, was fantastic and 

the whole set was varied and polished. 

The judges (Dr Tasker, Miss Natalie and Robert 

Kim) then left to make their difficult decisions and 

the crowd was entertained by a band of students 

and ex-students. The Man Who Can't Be Moved 

was a suitable choice of song for lead singer 

Rohit, who really can't seem to be moved from 

the GIS stage. 

The judges announced the winner of best original song was 'Be Happy' by Alpha 

Beat, while overall best band went to the GIS band Apollo. Overall it was a great fun 

evening with lots of talent on display and some beautiful musical moments.

Here are the latest flags we have been flying outside out Front Office to recognise the 

nations represented here at GIS.

Sport 

Golfing Pair Triumph in Two Tournaments! 

Golfing stars Queen and Poon, both students at GIS, have both had double success in 

recent tournaments. 

The TGA-Singha Eastern Junior Ranking 

tournament 2015-2016 was held at 

Kabinburi Sport Club, Prachinburi, from 

May 16-17. 

Year 10 student Poon won the boys’ 15-18 

category with a score of 73-73. 

At the same event, Primary student Queen 

took first place in the girls’ 9-10 category 

with a score of 76-73. 

Then, at the True Visions Junior Golf 2015 

Eastern Star CC tournament from May 23- 

2, Poon again took 1st place in the boys’ 

15-18 category (scoring 76-71). 

Queen won the girls’ 9-10 category with a 

score of 73-72. 

Secondary Swimming Gala 

Secondary students enjoyed a swimming 

gala in their new-look pool. 

The students took part in House 

competitions, where Cobra, Eagle, Tiger 

and Gecko Houses competed for points. 

Events took place in the school's Main 

Pool. Following recent developments, GIS 

now has two pools and a grandstand 

where students and parents can watch 

the swimming in the shade. Gecko won 

the event, with Tiger 2 nd , Cobra 3 rd and 

Eagle 4 th .

Sports Awards 

The Sports Awards Dinner was held 

the evening of June 4. The PE 

Department hosted an event to 

celebrate the participation and 

achievement of the students of GIS 

who were in teams representing the school - from Year 3 and up. 

Overall awards were given for Students Sportsperson (voted by the students), which went 

to Nicky from Primary and Sony from Secondary. 

The Coaches’ Sportsperson (voted on 

by coaches) was Maggie from Primary 

and Jackson from Secondary. 

See our YouTube page to see a video 

of how our musical and sporting 

talents came together for one amazing 

performance! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beZVAhVMgQ0 

Chess Success 

Ananya started learning chess in school in her 

afterschool activity. The IWICA organised a 

chess tournament in Bangkok and Ananya 

was 2 nd runner up. 

This is a great achievement, as Ananya hasn’t 

been playing chess for long. It shows how 

great the after-school chess classes are!

Farewell and Follies 

Teachers and students put on one final show of the year to say goodbye to the staff who 

are leaving this year. You can see their efforts on Facebook and YouTube. 

Find us at: 

Website: www.gardenrayong.com 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gisrayong 

Garden International School 

Your choice. Their future. Our family. 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gardeninternationalschool 

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand 

Accredited by 

Affiliated to 

Rayong Campus : 188/24 Moo 4 Pala-Banchang Road, Tambol Pala, Amphur Ban Chang, Rayong, Thailand 21130. Tel. +66 (0)38 880360-3 Fax. +66 (0)38 030805 

Bangkok Campus : 2/1 Yen Akart Soi 2,Yen Akart Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10120. Website : www.gardenbangkok.com 

REPS Campus : 188/46 Moo 4 Pala-Banchang Road, Tambol Pala, Amphur Ban Chang, Rayong, Thailand 21130. Website : www.repsrayong.com

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