Newsletter September 2015

GARDEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BANGKOK
YOUR CHOICE. THEIR FUTURE. OUR FAMILY
News From The Garden September 2015
Students at Garden International School,
Bangkok will:
Enjoy learning
Develop to their full potential
Be confident
Take responsibility
Apply critical thinking
Develop knowledge & understanding
Be open-minded
Be Respectful
Study in an environment promoting high academic standards
In This Issue
Student Leaders
Roald Dahl Day
Beach Clean UP
Reading Revolution
School Fayre Info
Dates for your diary
And more…….
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Principal’s Message
It is hard to believe that as I write to you at the end of September that we have already had over 16% of our academic
year. Time flies when you are having fun!
In the time I have been at Garden International School, Bangkok I have realised what a very special school this
is. We have innovative and experienced teachers, inquisitive and polite students, hardworking and dedicated
administrative staff and an engaged and passionate parental body. Together it makes a very powerful team.
During September we have seen the school spring into life with the start of activities, swimming and special
events, such as Roald Dahl Day and the Beach Clean Up. A quality international education requires both the
academic studies as well as the opportunities for students to grow socially, emotionally and physically.
You can read in this issue about our student leaders for this academic year. I wish them well as they galvanise
the student body into a coherent unit, intent on academic, and sporting success, as well as social action in the
community.
Students taking a lead and becoming leaders is something I am passionate about. But what is leadership?
There are many different definitions and theories regarding ‘what is leadership?’, however there are two which
resonate with me as being clear definitions.
‘Leadership is a process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how it
can be done effectively’ (Yukl, 2002, p. 7)
‘Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common
goal’ (Northouse, 2009, p. 5)
Both of these definitions stress the importance of ‘influence’ and working towards a target with other people.
They also both describe leadership as a process, therefore it is not something that just happens, it requires
thought, planning and execution.
So leadership requires influence, a goal to influence people towards and following a process to get there.
October sees the first break in the academic calendar, as students (and teachers!) get a well deserved rest and
opportunity to recharge their batteries.
Thank you for all your continuing support.
Mr. Figes
Principal
Northouse, P. (2009). Leadership. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, p.5.
Yukl, G. (2002). Leadership in organizations. 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, p.7.
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Student Leaders 2015/16
House Captains
Hi, my name is Alexander Clement (Left) and I am the Captain of Kwai House. Having been in Kwai house
for over 10 years now, it's a tremendous for me to now serve as the Captain of this great House. As House
leader, I hope to lead Kwai by example and to always be there to support and encourage my fellow House
mates to take on any challenge with the best that they can give. I look forward to leading Kwai to victory
(again!) this year.
Greetings everyone! I'm Lilly Purdon (Middle) and house captain of Chao Praya! I'm currently in Year 11
(sophomore) and my favorite subjects are: Art, P.E., and Design Technology. Being a house captain to
me, means leading my house members to happily participate at their highest level in every event, and also
watering their gardens of creativity so they can bloom brightly with exotic colors. As a house captain, I
want to inspire and motivate everyone to enjoy physical activites and learning.
Hello, I am Nadia Gilquin (Right) and House Captain of Mekong. I am currently in Year 11 and my favourite
subjects are Art and History. To me, being a House Captain means leading Mekong to participate in all
activities and hopefully have fun as well as learn something new along the way. I would like to be to the
House Captain that is capable of meeting my House's expectations and potentially lead Mekong to victory!
Dates for your diary
Thursday 1st October - ‘Maths Inspire’ - Period 1. An opportunity for parents to witness numeracy lessons
in progress.
Monday 5th October - Performance Exchange theatre company for Y3-Y11.
Monday 19th-Monday 26th October - Half Term. School is closed and reopens on Tuesday 27th October.
Friday 30th October - Whole School Halloween activities all day.
Friday 30th October - Secondary Halloween disco.
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It is shaping up to be a great year for Year 1
In recent weeks Year 1 have been learning about shapes. The children have been drawing shapes and writing
about their properties. They even found some interesting shapes in our garden.
Mr. Cooke
Frist School Stars
Each week in the First School assembly students who have done something extra special during the week are
given a certificate. These certificates are awarded by the class teacher and help us to celebrate some of the
great things are students are doing during the school day.
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Students at Garden International School, Bangkok will:
Enjoy learning—Together!
Some of our Secondary students taking part in the Carnegie book club.
Reading Revolution
Reading Revolution is in its second year and we have started this new term full of energy and enthusiasm. Firstly,
secondary pupils participated in a lively debate on gender stereotyping. The pupils delivered very strong arguments
and were pushed well out of their comfort zone. The new year 7s were particularly impressive considering
it was their first whole school debate.
As well as debating, the Carnegie book club has started up again. Pupils chose a book of their choice from a
selected shortlist of 8. In groups; teachers and a few very helpful year 10s lead the reading and discussions.
This is a very positive experience for the students as they get a chance to share the wonderful journey that reading
books can offer. These book club sessions not only develop vital literacy skills but help children to communicate
ideas, predict and problem solve in a comfortable and sociable setting.
The Reading Revolution sessions which take place once a week is proving to be a great success, the majority of
our pupils have said that they are reading much more now than before this scheme. At GIS we are trying to
make reading a pleasurable routine. Reading is not only a very enjoyable past time but it helps children to access
the curriculum.
This term we have lots more in store; we have our big debate on euthanasia which is on October 9th, Halloween
activities will take place on October 30th and The Hunger Games evening event is on November 27th. We will
keep you updated with all the relevant information.
Ms. Ezzat
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Roald Dahl Day
Roald Dahl would have been 99 years old this year. At GIS we celebrated Roald Dahl Day on Thursday 17th
September. Roald Dahl was one of the world's most popular children's authors, publishing 21 children's books
(as well as many adult stories) including the well-loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.
It certainly was a fun packed day many pupils read or even re-read some of his stories, great outfits were worn
and all students participated in exciting activities. To the dismay of many students, the famous Wonka chocolate
bars were sold out within minutes and 9 lucky pupils won golden tickets!
It was a fabulous day and our students were reminded how important and fun reading can be!
I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books
shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific
advantage.” Roald Dahl
Ms. Ezzat
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Roald Dahl Day
Alongside all of the costumes and fun there were also some student workshops based on the Roald Dahl theme
that helped students to increase their skills. Secondary students in Y7-9 were involved in designing their own
chocolate bars. Further to this in their Art & Design lessons the Year 7s created Willy Wonka's chocolate factory
as a pop up and the Year 9s focused on Quentin Blake illustrations. Some examples of their work are below.
Ms. Elnour
A-Levels at GIS Bangkok - August 2016
A-Levels are coming to Garden International School, Bangkok in August 2016! A-Levels are known throughout
the world as being one of the finest, if not the finest, pre-university education. Here at GIS Bangkok we will be
offering the international A-Levels offered by Cambridge International Examinations. By passing the A-Level
examinations our students will have the opportunity to attend some of the best universities in the world, as well
as Thailand. A-Levels really will open doors for our students.
Currently we are starting to discuss with students their best options and during the second half of this term we
will meet with parents to showcase what we will be offering and how the A-Level programme will work.
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Beach Clean Up Day
On the 12th of September 2015, the beach sweepers of G.I.S set out on a journey of self discovery. We found
ourselves appalled by the amount of trash that littered the golden sands of Koh Sak.
We set out on this adventure in the early hours of the morning to Pattaya and aboard Popeye the fishing boat we
travelled to Koh Sak island. The boat was full of joy and mighty laughs as we set out onto the open seas.
Within half an hour on the boat we finally arrived at the bay of Koh Sak. We took a dip into the deep blue to get a
feel of the equipment that we had to use for the day. For an hour we had plenty of good fun, swimming around
and jumping off the boat (safely).
Afterwards we went to our neighbouring boat to have a wonderful buffet styled lunch. We mingled with the other
participating schools.
A little while after we went over to the Koh Sak bay. We were astounded by the amount of rubbish that inconsiderate
beach goers left behind. Even a table was spotted underneath the ocean floor.
When we returned to the port we were treated handfuls of ice cream for free, by our teacher, Mr. Rose.
We thank the Mermaid Dive Center for inviting us to this mind-opening adventure that really showed how we as
humans do not take care of our Earth as much as we should. We hope to be here next year and hopefully more
students participating on this experience and we thank Mr. Rose, Mr. Everon and the crew of Popeye for making
this all possible without them we probably go overboard and be lost at sea. Counted among the trash.
Ben, Stacey and Hnin
Students at Garden International School, Bangkok will:
Take responsibility for their actions and the environment.
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Year 11 English Essays
Our Year 11 IGCSE English class has recently been involved in researching and writing essays for an International
New York Times competition. They were so good we wanted to share them with you! The students worked
in groups to research their topic and construct their essay.
Classes for the Disabled Masses by Alexander Clement, Anuj Gupta, Patson Tohsuwanwanich
“My mother comes to school every day during lunch time. She helps me with the catheter. She never complains
about anything.” This is the story of Rakhi, a thirteen year old girl, living in Mumbai, who was born with Spina
Bifida. “Sometimes, I ask Mummy whether I am a burden to her. She cannot go anywhere because of me, she
always keeps worrying about me. She always tells me that she loves me and I am never going to be a burden.
But she cries when she says this.”
Rakhi goes to an inclusive school in the heart of Mumbai and was one of the candidates chosen for an investigation
into the lives of disabled school children. The investigation, lead by Professor Ashima Daz of the Tata Institute
of Social Sciences and Dr. Ruth Kattumuri, the co-director of the Asian Research Centre, found that all the
girls who were interviewed were, “found to be conscious of their physical self and developed a poor self image”,
and as such, inhibited them from interacting with their peers.
According to UNESCO, 90% of disabled children do not attend school, and the literacy rate for disabled adults is
3%, 1% of those adults being women. In addition, as identified by the United Nations Enable program, “women
with disabilities face significantly more difficulties in obtaining access to adequate education, employment and
are more likely to be institutionalised.” This is a major cause for concern, especially in Third World countries, as
these young women could possibly be a burden to their families, when they could be providing a source of income
and food when given access to education. A study conducted by the Institute of Education, University of
London found that at an early age, both male and female children with disabilities experienced emotional abuse
at their schools, and as a result, worsened behavioral problems as they got older, “Our findings suggest that
some early school environments may exacerbate behavioral problems for disabled children in ways that cannot
solely be solved by learning support” The research suggested, “Many disabled children find it increasingly difficult
to engage with the social world as they pass from toddlers to the mid-primary school age. They also struggle
with structured social contexts such as school.” Even with access to education, these young children find it difficult
to adapt to the social environment around them and as such, this affects how they behave and react to this
later in life.
“I have never seen myself, but my parents and friends tell me that I am very pretty. It makes me happy when
people tell me I am pretty and I like this about myself”. These are the words of Simran, a fifteen year old girl who
suffers from visual impairment. Similarly to Rakhi, her life has benefitted from attending an inclusive school and
was another one of the candidates chosen for an investigation.
Research conducted by the International Center of Research on Women (ICRW) has shown that, “women are
more likely to control their own destinies and effect change in their own communities when they have higher levels
of education.” What this shows is that, as the young female generation is provided advanced education, they
are empowered to remove the shackles set upon them by traditional values and are capable of contributing to
their society.
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Fortunately, Simran is now on a path towards a brighter future thanks to the Save the Children initiative, which
aims, “to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve the immediate lasting change
in their lives.”
However, Abigail Hunt, formerly part of the Secrétariat Permanent des Organisations non Gouvernementales
states that, “While education is undoubtedly a key element contributing to empowerment, the two do not necessarily
go hand in hand.” This is because a majority of educational programmes offered to these young women
concentrate on teaching and preparing them for paid employments in the future. Though it is integral that women
receive this kind of training and preparation from schooling; allowing them to have the opportunity to develop
confidence and grow their self-esteem means that women will become more cognizant of any decisions they
make in the future relating to their ambitions.
So what are the solutions? Both the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women is essential
in order to achieve the internationally agreed upon goals, referred to as the Millennium Development Goals.
Over the years, the UN has shown that advances in teaching techniques can now truly make a difference in the
lives of these young women, “Significant advances in teaching techniques and important innovative developments
have taken place in the field of special education and much more can be achieved in the education of
disabled persons.”
“But the progress is mostly limited to a few countries or only a few urban centers.” It is simply the case of implementing
these techniques into schools around the world. If it were ever possible to conquer this hurdle, then perhaps
children like Rakhi and Simran would no longer be overlooked and would have equal opportunities in
reaching their full potential.
Breaking the Chain of Child Labour by Lilly Purdon, May Bini, & Nastia Stepanova
Seven- year- old Keo is awoken by a sudden shove from his mother. He pushes himself up from his stiff straw
mat and puts on clothes he has worn for the past three days. His stomach is growling, but the food is given to
his younger siblings. Keo takes time to comfort his eight-month-old sister before heading out the door. Not to
school, but to work.
“Child labor and poverty are inevitably bound together,” children’s activist Grace Abbott states, “And if you continue
to use children as the treatment of social disease of poverty, you will have both poverty and labor to the
end of time.” “About 218 million children are actively engaged in labor,” states ILO (International Labor Organization).
That’s 14% of all children between the ages of 5 to 17, and almost 26 times the population of New
York City! How many other Keos are out there? Studies also show these children are working in hazardous
conditions, are being exposed to toxic chemicals, diseases, and are at risk from sexual exploitation and abuse.
Many are forced to work at dangerous sites; some sites report up to 22,000 deaths a year.
“Most of the progress on child labor was made between 2008 and 2012,” says ILO. Even though child labor
rates have declined since, the year 2000 from 246 million, by 2013, child elimination programs had decreased
the figure to 168 million. Unfortunately, these numbers have risen slightly again since this date. The ILO added,
“We have set the target of 2016 for eliminating the worst forms of child labor.” Today, reports show that in
some critical parts of the world the fight is in danger of being lost.
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In Sindh Province, Pakistan, the sun glares down on an open-aired brick-making factory in Shahdadkot City.
Ahmed, 12 years old, works at one of the 100 kilns in his city. Unlike others, his problem isn’t waking up for
school, instead, he works everyday in the scorching sun carrying lumps of mud in order to make 600 - 700
bricks a day to be used in construction, “I don’t like working in the hot sun. I get very tired.” His clothes are
splattered and torn and his hands are sore, burnt, dry, and overworked. “For 8 and a half hours of work each
day, he earns 50 rupees,” says a Unicef’s outreach worker. This is equivalent to 30 US$ a month. Not only
does Ahmed work during the day, every night he is forced to return to prepare more bricks for the following
day. He has to retrieve 40 bucketfuls of water from a lake; an exhausting trip he has to make up to 40 times to
complete this task. This means he earns less than Pakistan’s minimum wage per month which currently stands
at 45 US dollars. Ahmed can’t afford to miss work, as he has to help support his family and feed his other two
siblings.
“I’d like to go to school. If I went to school, my life would be better,” says Ahmed, just one of millions of children
who are exploited through labor. These words highlight an alarming situation. How can we offer equal
opportunities of education to all children?
Positive things are happening in the world, as many child labor elimination organizations have helped make a
difference. “We have gifted education to 257,113 children by enrolling them in government schools, and have
gotten 1,115 children out of child labor,” reports Hand to Hand, a child labor organization which focuses on
helping children in need, to attend school. “We have also constructed 119 learning centers, 9 residential training
centers, and 38 transit school for children in need.” One of their success stories includes 11- year- old
Karthick, from Peenjamandhai, one of the children Hand in Hand has reached out to with their RSTC
(Residential Special Training Centers) program. He originally worked on a farm with his parents and grazed
cattle, which prevented him from attending school and socializing with others his age. Thanks to the RSTC
program providing him education, he may be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor and helping his
village.
“We, the future need care,” says 13- year- old house-servant Rekha Sharma. “Every child deserves to learn.”
With the help of charities such as UNICEF and organizations such as Hand in Hand, both Keo and Ahmed might
one day leave their homes for the right reason. To get an education.
Rural Rights: Learning To Access Remote Areas by Jennifer Powacht and Nadia Gilquin
Lumphun, Thailand. Noy, age 8, sees a floating raft classroom in the distance. A figure is standing there, waiting
for her. A teacher. An overwhelming feeling of excitement consumes her. This is because education was never
an option for her.
“I want my students to survive in the real world because an urban society is totally different from the village
where they’re growing up,” says Khallaya Jirapong of Ban Pan Mon School, “When they leave the school and go
for further education, they will face a different life. I want my students to be aware about this issue otherwise
their lives might be deprived”. 39 million children in 1990 did not attend school in South and West Asia, reports
UNESCO. In addition, 56% of the school age population was not attending primary school. The reasons include
factors such as: poverty, inadequate education programmes, gender inequality and geographical location. Fortunately,
things have improved. UNESCO statistics shows a substantial decrease to 13 million children not in education
by 2010. Access to primary education in Thailand increased from 81.4% in 2000 to 90.05% in 2009 and
enrollment for Secondary education increased from 54.4% to 72.22%.
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“I’m glad we have our own school now”, said 12 year-old Boonsong. “Now we get to come to school every day”.
Those like Boonsong, in these remote areas were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to attend school.
Ban Mae Surin Noi, a school set up in a remote area of Mae Hong Son province provided this opportunity. The
school is one of many in Mae Hong Son managed by the Ministry of Education under a project that is supported
by UNICEF. Randsun Wiboonuppatum, UNICEF Thailand Chief of Education states, “The most important thing
is to get children into school and to get them learning”.
This particular project began ten years ago when the results of a survey showed that over one thousand children
from Mae Hong Son’s hill tribes were not attending school. Suraphan Suebfak, Mae Hong Son Education Service
Assistant Director and his team, “walked house to house, mountain to mountain, and knocked on every door
to see if the children were in school or not”. The results showed that children remained at home because the
schools were simply too far away. However, UNICEF Thailand decided that they would tackle the inconvenience
by bringing the schools to the children.
Samart Suta, a middle aged graduate in Sports Science became a teacher at Ban Ko Jad San School, teaching
children of poverty stricken fishermen, living in raft houses. In 1994, Mr Suta sacrificed his city life to teach at an
abandoned school, hours away from his home. The school floats on Mae Ping Lake near Tambon Ko Lamphun
Li’s district which is situated in a remote area and provides education as well as accommodation for children
ranging from Grade one to six. By nightfall, the school becomes a home for the students as they live too far
away. Their parents do not comprehend the importance of education, “Most still think there is no need for their
children to study at a higher level,” Mr Suta states, “as they will eventually work as fishermen”.
The school isn’t just a space where the children are taught the alphabet or how to count, but instead it became a
place where everyone involved inspired each other. As Mr Suta explains, what inspired him to stay was that he
“saw that they really wanted to learn”.
The project is clearly a success: “I want to pursue my studies at a higher level, if possible. I want to be a teacher
like Khru Samart and work in this floating classroom,” states Maiprae Sumpong, a 12 year old student at the
school. Suta’s act of kindness was not only noticed by his students but by a wider audience, as he received a
Good Teacher Award in 2012, from the Quality Learning Foundation. A film was also made by GTH, titled,
‘Kidteung Wittaya’, based on Mr Suta’s story. The film’s success in Thailand and was translated into English.
This raised its profile and spread awareness of the issue of equal opportunities for education across the globe.
Schools in Thailand's hill tribes currently have over 40 teachers teaching nearly 500 primary students in 17 new
schools. Many of the teachers are from ethnic hill tribes, who speak Thai and ethnic languages. Boonsong, age
12, a student from one of the 17 schools, plans to continue his studies at a higher level and hopes to become a
teacher in order to teach future generations.
"The floating raft classroom is considered a necessary school. Providing education to only one child and allowing
him or her to have a better life is beyond worthwhile," says Nakorn Tangkapipope, of Quality Learning Foundation.
He further states that Mr. Suta is one of over 500 Good Teacher Award recipients who is providing an
education to underprivileged children including the disabled, the poor and non-Thai children.
Results show that these projects are having encouraging outcomes: education is having a positive impact. Some
children who were once not in schools, because of their geographical location, are now receiving the education
they deserve. H.E Paul Kagame, at the Global Education and Skills Forum 2015, states, “Education is about
dignity. Even if you have problems today, eventually you should be able to stand on your own two feet”.
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FroGS
(Friends of Garden School)
This year at Garden International School, Bangkok we would like to set up a committee, with the sole
aim of creating a greater, more fluid channel of communication with the parents and the surrounding
community. In addition we would like to name this committee: FroGS (Friends of Garden School)
What is the purpose of the committee?
The main purpose of the FroGS committee will be to build strong working relationships among parents,
teachers and the surrounding schools, in support of students at G.I.S.
Who will be on the committee?
The committee will be made up of 3 teacher representatives, headed by the Principal and myself, Mr
Thomas, as the school’s Community Coordinator and a selection of representatives from our parent
body
What will be the role of the FroGS committee?
The meetings will serve as venues for discussions about a variety of educational and social issues:
How to support their child’s learning at home
Proposed changes in the school curriculum
It will provide a neutral forum to resolve conflicts over controversial issues
Parents may raise concerns about things such as homework
Discuss organising social events for parents, staff and students
Potentially raise funds to help the school provide resources and extras for the pupil
Recruit volunteers to support student school clubs, e.g. reading club etc
Why do we at G.I.S feel that this committee is important?
Well, it’s quite simple, involved parents understand the challenges schools face and become part of the solution.
By developing a closer relationship with parents, student achievement improves, and the school develops a positive
reputation in the community.
What would make the ideal committee member?
A parent who has a child at G.I.S
A parent who cares about the future of G.I.S as an institution of learning
Someone who is available after school to attend the meetings
Someone who is sociable and can easily communicate with other parents in their child’s teaching
phase
How do I volunteer to be part of the FroGS committee?
Simply email mr.thomas@gardenbangkok.com and pass me your name, the Year your child is in and
state why you feel that you would be suitable for this role, on the committee.
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GARDEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BANGKOK
YOUR CHOICE. THEIR FUTURE. OUR FAMILY
Garden International School, Bangkok
Garden International School, Bangkok offers first class education in a friendly, family orientated setting. We
base our teaching and learning on the National Curriculum for England but with an international emphasis.
We provide education for children of age 2 years old in Early Years up to Year 11 (Y12 from Aug 2016)
For Years 10 and 11 we follow the prestigious Cambridge IGCSE course after which the pupils sit their
IGCSEs at the end of Year 11.
As of August 2016 we will be offering the world renowned Cambridge A-Level programme for Years 12 and
13. This programme is recognised as being the premium pre-university programme in the world.
2/1 YEN AKART, SOI 2,
YEN AKART ROAD, SATHORN, BANGKOK 10120,
THAILAND.
Office hours 7:30 - 16:30
Tel: +66-(0)2 249-1880
Fax: +66-(0)2 249-1943
Email: info@gardenbangkok.com
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