November 2016

Your choice. Their future. Our family. โรงเรียนนานาชาติการ์เด้นอีสเทิร์นซีบอร์ดบ้านฉาง November 2016
Inside this month's newsletter...
GIS AT CAMBRIDGE OUTSTANDING
LEARNER AWARDS
Find us at:
Website: www.gardenrayong.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gisrayong
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Garden-International-School-Rayong-Thailand/128699487157809
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand
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Affiliated to

From Mrs Hawtree: Principal
From the Principal
Dear Parents and GIS Community,
November has proved to be just as busy as previous months, as a glance through these
pages will show you. However, there have been a number of other activities going on
„behind the scenes‟, as follows:
New Head of Secondary
I am delighted to advise that we have appointed Mr Chris Share as our new Head of
Secondary. We received 52 completed applications for this prestigious post, of whom 10
were long-listed for initial interview. Six applications were shortlisted for second interviews,
and two candidates were invited to participate in the final stage of the selection process.
During Mr Share‟s visit to GIS, he met with various groups including staff, students and
parents, as well as participating in a final interview. We are delighted to have found a new
Head of Secondary whose vision aligns closely with that of GIS, and who has the
necessary skills and experience to lead the Secondary school at this exciting stage of its
development.
Chris studied International Relations and History at Nottingham Trent University before
doing a Master‟s degree in International History at the London School of Economics. He
began his teaching career in an outstanding school in North London where he taught
History at IGCSE and A-level, he was also the head of Citizenship, PSHE (Personal,
Social and Health Education) and Careers.
Chris‟s first venture overseas, the British School in Warsaw, was an excellent IBDP school
with outstanding results and was a great transition into international private schooling,
whilst continuing to teach IB and IGCSE history. Chris rose to be the Head of Key Stage 3
and then the Assistant Head of the Secondary School. He was then given the opportunity
to take on his first headship in the British School in Shanghai where he extended his
knowledge of IBDP teaching programmes. He most recently continued his work as a Head
of School in Doha, Qatar.
It is very important to him and his family to be in a school with excellent academic
potential. He saw in GIS a school that has professional and happy staff that provide an
environment of challenge and engagement that inspires students to succeed in the
classroom, on the sports fields or when performing. Chris is passionate about students
having hands on opportunities to be a positive force for better in the school, and the world
beyond school, with active community service.
Accompanying Chris to GIS will be his wife, his 4-year-old son and his 8-year-old
daughter. They believe that, even after their fabulous experiences in Asia and the Middle
East, the decision to come to Thailand is an exciting one. Outside of school, Chris is
looking forward to warm weather, great food, beautiful beaches and cultural experiences
aplenty, and he needs easy access to watch Arsenal play football on the TV. Chris says it

was an easy decision for him and his family make the decision to join us in Thailand at
GIS, and we look forward to him joining us here in January.
Thank you Mr Beales!
It would be remiss of me at this point not to say a huge thank you to Mr Mark Beales, who
has undertaken the role of Head of Secondary this term pending the new appointment.
Mark has done an outstanding job of leading the Secondary school, and I have very much
enjoyed working with him, but I know he is very pleased to be reverting to his „normal‟ role
of IB Co-ordinator for the remainder of this academic year.
Canteen
We have been continuing to work with students and parents to further improve our food
provision. You may notice that menus have been revised, and queuing and serving
systems have been changed. We invited a group of parents to come in, unannounced, to
sample the food and to feedback to us. This they did and our canteen team has responded
to their suggestions. Speaking to students, it seems that the vast majority are now very
happy with the food provided but, of course, we continue to look for ways to improve
further. If you do have any queries, suggestions, complaints or even compliments (we like
to hear the positives too!) please let us know on canteen@gardenrayong.com
Traffic and road safety
Although we do not suffer the major traffic issues experienced in Bangkok and other big
cities, there are certain places and certain times of day when traffic and road safety can
become an issue here. Can I please urge parents and others to drive particularly carefully
and considerately in the area of the school at drop off and pick up time, and of course to
make sure that students wear seatbelts, and that young students do not use the front
seats of vehicles.
Peter Pan
Finally, I cannot end without commenting on the production of Peter Pan that we staged
last week. The immense amount of work that everyone involved had put into this was
clear to see. Congratulations to all of the cast, crew, musicians, choir and particularly Mr
Ken, the director, on a truly memorable series of performances.
As we head towards the end of this very long term, I look forward to seeing many of you at
our Christmas Concert on Thursday 1 December and our Christmas Fair on Saturday 3
December.
Mrs Dinah Hawtree
Principal

Upcoming events
Whole School
Nov 29: Whole school assembly (Period 7): Diwali
Dec 1: Christmas Concert, 7pm
Sat Dec 3: Christmas Fair, 9.30am-2pm (school day)
Dec 5: Father‟s Day (school closed)
Dec 8: House Council mufti day – Christmas themed
Dec 9: Last day of Term 1. Whole school assembly at 11am. Students can leave at 12midday (no
lunch provided today).
Primary
Nov 29-30: Foundation Parent Conferences
Dec 8: Years 1 and 2 Christmas Play, 10am
Dec 9: Foundation Christmas Show
Secondary
Nov 29 / Dec 1: ESL testing
Dec 2: IGCSE ICT mock examination
Dec 6: IB2 - Final deadline for Extended Essay
Dec 6: PSHE collapsed morning for Year 8
Dec 6: Grade Cards issued
Dec 7: Parent Conference for Years 7-10 and IB1, 6pm in the Main Hall
Dec 8: IB2 English A and Thai A: IOC
Many thanks to our generous GIS sponsors:
Platinum
Aditya Birla
Encounter Church
Indorama

Head to our Facebook page for the latest news on
what‟s been happening at GIS. This month, you
can read about:
www.facebook.com/gardeninternationalschool
You can also watch our latest videos about what‟s
been happening at GIS by going here:
www.youtube.com/user/gardenrayongthailand
Follow us on Instagram! Find us at
garden_international_school or search for
#gistitans
Check out our Pinterest page and see the dozens
of photos showcasing life at GIS.
https://www.pinterest.com/GISThailand/
Follow our tweets on Twitter!
https://www.twitter.com/gisrayong
See our snaps and stories on
Snapchat! Our username is
gisthailand

From Mr Walsh: Head of Primary
Dear Parents and Carers,
The Primary section of the School has been a hive of activity this month with so many
events, trips and special occasions, let alone a packed curriculum! The Primary and
Foundation Reports showed that there is a lot of progress being made personally and
academically by the Foundation and Primary students. Also our twice-weekly extracurricular
clubs and after-school clubs mean that the students are able to develop their
talents or learn new ones in a challenging and supportive environment. If any parents have
skills that might be of use to our clubs programme, please contact myself by emailing
headpri@gardenrayong.com.
Sharing Assemblies
This month we have enjoyed sharing assemblies from classes 2LH, 4MG, 6NH, 1AF, 3GC,
5MH, 2SA, 4LC and 6GK. These assemblies have been enjoyed by students, teachers
and parents alike. They are a great way of enabling the students to see what learning is
happening through the school and to understand the progression of skills and knowledge
through the Primary School. The assemblies are also having a positive effect on the
students‟ public speaking skills and the audience‟s listening skills. For more details about
these sharing assemblies, please visit our Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/gardeninternationalschool/ . The dates for the sharing
assemblies for Term 2 were emailed to parents previously. They will also be shared via the
Events Next Week emails.
Remembrance
The Year 5 and 6 students took the lead (under the
kind supervision of Mr George) of selling a range of
poppy related items to raise money for the Royal
British Legion.
Parent Conferences
Thank you to all of the parents who made the effort to come in to talk with the teachers
about your children on November 23. The teachers worked together to produce Reports
that are designed to give parents an accurate snapshot of the students‟ attainment,
progress, attitudes and behaviour, and also to identify next steps in their learning journeys.
The feedback I have received from the Reports and conferences has been positive. If you
didn‟t manage to speak with your child‟s teacher(s), please feel free to email them using
the contact details on the class blog page to arrange a meeting after school.
We are always aiming for improved transparency and increased parental understanding
and interaction with their child‟s progress. If you have any suggestions about ways to
develop our reporting or feedback systems please email me at
headpri@gardenrayong.com.

Student Council
The Primary Student Council is made up of one student from each Primary class. The
Council is an effective way of ensuring that the students have a voice in the running of the
school. Each month, the Primary Student Council meets with Mr Walsh to discuss different
aspects of life in the Primary School. Discussion points range from ordering more tennis
balls for handball games through to dealing with global issues through charity
partnerships!
Our ongoing project at the moment is designing and completing the next stage of
construction on the Tree House/Pirate Ship in the playground. The children have sketched
some ideas and we are now looking into realising their designs.
Trips
Year 3 visited Wat Ban Don to learn about the traditional Thai art of Nang Yai (shadow
puppets). In the museum they viewed puppets over 200 years old and learnt that Nang Yai
is a skilled craft passed down through 8 generations in Rayong. They were risk-takers as
they were taught how to punch holes through the dried cow skin using a hammer and nail.
Then they watched a wonderful performance and had the chance to lift the delicate
puppets themselves.

Year 1 – Greta Farm trip
To see lots of photos from the Year 1 trip to Greta Farm, please go to
http://year1.gardenrayong.com/2016/11/trip-to-greta-farm.html
Primary ESAC Round Up
We had a good ESAC (Eastern Seaboard Academic Council) season of sport (Term 1).
Our teams participated in Cross Country Competitions, Football matches, T-Ball and
Swimming Gala throughout the season and came out with some good results.
Congratulations to our student athletes and coaches for their efforts.
GIS WON THE SWIMMING GALA!
Congratulations to our swimmers and coaches.
Congratulations to our Swim Team who performed very well at the ESAC Swimming Gala
2016. It was a very competitive meet and it took a real team effort from swimmers,
coaches and parents to achieve the results we did.
The students worked extremely hard and many personal best times were exceeded or
maintained. The event was well-organised and there was a very positive and friendly
atmosphere and great sporting attitudes.
Well done on a great season of sport and a special thanks to Mr Amuchou, Khun Ball, Mr
Josh, Mr Man, Mr Garth, Mr Paul and Mrs Man for your help with coaching.
Looking forward to our ESAC season 2 next term.
Mr Walsh
Head of Primary
headpri@gardenrayong.com

LOY KRATHONG
One of Thailand's most popular festivals - Loy Krathong - was marked by students at GIS.
Students made their krathong with recyclable material and later went to rivers and
waterways to release them. Many thanks to Indorama for sponsoring Loy Krathong.

REMEMBRANCE DAY 2016
Students and staff from GIS held a special Remembrance Day assembly to remember
those affected by armed conflict.
Wearing poppies and wristbands from the Royal British Legion (RBL), students filled the
Main Hall on November 11. Money raised from the sale of wristbands helps families
affected by armed conflict, including those in Thailand. For the past few years, GIS has
raised more funds than any other school, organisation or company on the Eastern
Seaboard. This year we raised any incredible 25,000 baht in just under two weeks! Deputy
Head of Secondary Mr Stokes is pictured above, presenting the donation to members of
the RBL.
GIS Principal Mrs Dinah Hawtree led the assembly and asked students to remember the
millions of people who were killed in the First and Second World Wars and other conflicts.
Several Year 9 History students travelled to
Kanchanaburi to attend a service at the main war
cemetery. Using Facebook Live, for the first time,
GIS students were able to watch a live feed of the
service and also the two minutes‟ silence.
Primary and Secondary students then read
poems, and the school‟s chamber choir
performed a version of the famous war poem „In
Flanders Fields‟.

We have some great school
blogs to tell you about life at
GIS. Click on the links below to
see what’s been going on!
PRIMARY BLOGS
Early Years http://earlyyears.gardenrayong.com/
Nursery http://nursery.gardenrayong.com/
Reception http://reception.gardenrayong.com/
Year 1 http://year1.gardenrayong.com/
Year 2 http://year2.gardenrayong.com/
Year 3 http://year3.gardenrayong.com/
Year 4 http://year4.gardenrayong.com/
Year 5 http://year5.gardenrayong.com/
Year 6 http://year6.gardenrayong.com/
ESL Blog: http://primaryels.gardenrayong.com
SECONDARY BLOGS
Year 7-9
IGCSE
IB
http://year7to9.gardenrayong.com/
http://gisigcse.gardenrayong.com/
http://ib.gardenrayong.com/
WHOLE SCHOOL BLOGS
Extra-curricular Sport http://gissport.gardenrayong.com/
Extra-curricular Music
Extra-curricular Drama
Library
http://gismusicblog.gardenrayong.com/
http://gisdrama.gardenrayong.com/
http://library.gardenrayong.com/
Community Programmes http://communityprogrammes.gardenrayong.com/
Community Service
Friends of Garden
Boarding
http://gisserviceprojects.gardenrayong.com/
http://friendsofgarden.gardenrayong.com/
http://gisboarding.gardenrayong.com/

From Mr Beales: Head of Secondary
Dear parents,
The past month has been a busy mix of awards, trips and the Secondary production, along
with the other learning activities and events that take place in school.
The Arts‟ department did an incredible job of staging Peter Pan and the hours and hours of
rehearsals really paid off. I would like to thank Mr Ken for his dedication, and also thank
the rest of the Arts‟ department and indeed the many other teachers and staff who gave up
their time to make this show such a success. Thanks also to the students, who were
wonderful. It was particularly pleasing to see so many Secondary students perform for the
first time in a production; I hope they learned a lot from this experience.
We had our annual Remembrance Day service on November 11. At the same time,
several Year 9 students were in Kanchanaburi for a ceremony at the town‟s war cemetery.
In our assembly, we were all able to see the events in Kanchanaburi via a Facebook Live
feed; it was the first time we had used this and it was an effective way to understand what
was happening at a place that experienced so much suffering during the Second World
War. In school, we raised more than 25,000 baht for the local branch of the Royal British
Legion; a per centage of the donations will also go to help Thai families. This was, again,
the largest amount raised by any group in the Eastern Seaboard and is another sign of the
huge capacity for caring that our students demonstrate on a regular basis.
We were glad to welcome back a former student, Seren, on November 22, as she and I
travelled to Bangkok for the Cambridge Outstanding Learners‟ Awards. Seren was
awarded a Top in Thailand award for IGCSE Combined Science.
As the term draws to a close, we held our Diwali event on November 29 – well done to
Narisa and Srishti in particular for organising this, and also thanks to our Maintenance
team and other helpers who ensured everything went smoothly.
I am looking forward to our Christmas Concert on Thursday December 1 and then, on
Saturday December 3, our Christmas Fair. The fair is an official school day and, as with
every year, it is great to see so many parents come along with their children and enjoy the
seasonal events that are planned.
Finally, the grade cards for this half term will be emailed to parents on December 6. These
will be for Years 7-10 and IB1. Students in Years 11 and IB2 will receive a Report following
their mock examinations in January. A Parent Conference for those receiving Grade Cards
will be held on December 7. We will have a range of snacks and drinks on offer, as
parents are given the chance to discuss their child‟s progress with our teachers.
Regards
Mr Beales
Head of Secondary
headsec@gardenrayong.com

PETER PAN
The Secondary production of Peter Pan was a huge success with spectacular sets,
dynamic dancing and some perfect performances.
The Arts‟ Department, along with other teachers, students and staff, had been rehearsing
for months to put this epic show together.
With multiple set changes, a range of characters and some challenging songs, the threenight
run took place from November 16-18 in the school‟s Main Hall.
See Facebook and YouTube for more images and photos.
Many thanks to our major sponsors, Encounter Church and Aditya Burla.

IGCSE SUCCESS
Former GIS student Seren Gordon
has attended the Outstanding
Cambridge Learner Awards‟
ceremony at Bangkok Prep
International School.
Seren gained 7A* and 1 A grade,
including the Top in Thailand score
for IGCSE Combined Science.
On November 22, Seren was presented with her award by Mrs Margaret Tongue, Deputy
Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Bangkok.
Mrs Tongue told the award winners: “There is a lot of competition for the brightest and best
students, and you are obviously in that category. Many congratulations to you, your hard
work and commitment has made you Top in Thailand.”
Other GIS students from Years 9 and 10 collected their
IGCSE certificates during a Secondary assembly.
IGCSE Coordinator Mr Stokes announced the students'
names and Head of Secondary Mr Beales presented the
certificates.
Many Year 10 students took IGCSE Mathematics – and
all passed. In Year 9, many students sat the IGCSE
ESL examination – and again there was a 100 per cent
pass rate.
For the IB Diploma, GIS also had a 100 per cent pass
rate, proving again that GIS is one of the strongest schools academically in the region.

House Competitions
Students took part in a fun sports activity during House activities. There was a tug of war,
a blindfolded obstacle race and a human knot - the students were certainly in a tangle by
the end!
Eventually Eagle were the House that pulled the hardest, untangled the quickest and
avoided the cones. Well done to all that participated!
GIFTS FROM ENGLAND
Many thanks to Mr and Mrs Berry senior, who visited from England and bought with them lots of
useful learning material. This ranged from newspapers, which are being studied by IB English A
students, and Monopoly and Scrabble sets for ELS learners.

IB
Each month we will be looking at the work out IB students are doing for their Creativity,
Activity, Service (CAS) work. This month we hear from Head Boy Jignil.
Teaching Mathematics
At the end of September I decided to teach Mathematics every Friday during lunch time to
a Year 9 student who asked me for help. This was the first time I was teaching
Mathematics to someone. We went over algebra, which helped me find out what problems
my student had. After the first class I decided it would be good to set up a shared
presentation with my student as a way of quick revision of what we have gone over.
The next class, on October 7, we went over basic
algebra and got a better understanding of how to
solve simple linear equations, including when there
are double negatives. On October 8 I taught another
Year 9 student; we went over word problems and
understood how to deconstruct a word problem and
how to pick out information from the question and
make it into a mathematical equation.
On October 13, another Year 9 student joined us for a
Mathematics‟ lesson. We went over their recent
Mathematics‟ test to answer any questions they had and
went over the questions they were getting wrong. We also
went through perimeters containing algebra and how to
set the question out in a mathematical format. On October
21, we went over a new test paper and any questions he
had left from the previous paper. Then we went over word
problems and how to pick out information and solved some inequalities questions.
In November, we went over inequalities and how
they are solved, step by step. Also it was a good
lesson as my student understood how you can
approach one question in many different ways.
Teaching Mathematics has helped me improve
my skills on the topics I teach, it has given me
new experiences, as it is the first time I have
taught someone Mathematics, it has helped me
plan and initiative activities and it has shown my
commitment towards this activity.
Jignil

We continue to celebrate all the countries represented at GIS by flying a different
nation’s flag each week. Here are the countries that have recently been recognised
at the front of the school.

SENIOR LEADERS’ IN BANGKOK
Tips on online safety, helping students become better leaders and building better curriculum
were some of the topics discussed at a FOBISIA Heads and Senior Leaders‟ Conference in
Bangkok.
GIS Principal Mrs Hawtree, Acting Head of Secondary Mr Beales, Head of Primary Mr Walsh
and Deputy Head of Secondary Mr Stokes went to the event, which was held at the
Intercontinental Hotel. The Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA)
arranged for several guest speakers, including specialists on online safety and leadership
qualities.
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/pages/Garden-International-School-Rayong-Thailand/128699487157809
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