Term 2 - 10 January 2025

Matters of Principal

Whole School

INTERIM THAI PRINCIPAL
We are pleased to announce that Kru Aoii is now acting as interim Thai Principal after the departure of Kru Natt at the end of last term. 

PARENT ID BADGES
To enhance campus safety, all adults on campus are required to wear an ID badge with a designated coloured lanyard. Parents can obtain a lanyard at the main Reception area. If you have a red visitor's lanyard, please return it to Reception or security personnel as soon as possible and do not take it home with you. If your lanyard cannot access the security gate, please visit Reception to have your lanyard updated.

This measure helps our staff quickly identify authorised individuals on campus and ensure the safety of all our students. Our staff and security have been instructed to ask for identification when encountering a person without a lanyard and ID badge. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our School a safe and secure environment.

AIR QUALITY PROTOCOLS
As the burning season approaches, we include a reminder below of how to connect your mobile device to the School's public air monitor, along with our air quality guidelines used to keep our School community as safe as possible during this time.

Connecting to RST's Air Monitor:
1. Download IQAir's AirVisual mobile app from your chosen app store
2. Create or sign-in to your IQAir account
3. Within the app, search for "rugby" and tap "Rugby School Thailand" from the results screen to add the monitor to your app's Places section
4. You can also customise threshold and daily notifications within the app as you wish

RST's Air Quality Guidelines:
AQI checks, Monday - Friday at:

07:25 (in readiness for arrival)
10:20 (in readiness for Morning Break)
12:00 (in readiness for Lunch Break)
15:00 (advance warning for Activities 1)
15:40 (final warning for Activities 1)
16:45 (in readiness for Activities 2 [Prep and Senior only])

Checks are made as required during weekend fixtures.

HMPV
The Health Centre would like to raise awareness within our School community of the HMPV virus which is ongoing in surrounding countries. While there are no cases of this virus in Thailand, we will ensure that parents are updated if the situation changes. If you wish to read more about the virus, please click here. 

RSTPA COOKING CLASS
The RSTPA Cooking Class is back for 2025 with the first session of the new year taking place on Tuesday, 14th January. If you would like to attend, please reserve your place by contacting: irbis2002@bk.ru / Line: Helen Cool / 0907694661.

RSTPA SUSTAINABLE MARKET
The RSTPA are pleased to bring you the very first sustainable market of 2025. Please see the below poster for more information. 

THE WHOLE JOURNEY
To start off the new year, we sat down with Sethi De Clercq, Head of Key Stage 1 and Pre-Prep Computing Lead, to learn more about his teaching journey and what motivated him to explore this career. 

Senior

EXPLORING SUMMER SCHOOLS
Summer schools have become an increasingly popular way for students to explore university life and enhance their academic interests. Originally a long-established tradition in the United States, summer school opportunities are now offered by many global universities. To learn more about these fantastic opportunities, read our latest blog which explores the benefits of attending one, costs and student perspectives. 

Click here to read our latest blog 'Exploring Summer Schools'.

Click here to see what summer school opportunities are currently available.

PSAT
In March, RST is offering students the opportunity to take the PracticeSAT (PSAT).  Please fill in this form by Friday, 24th January to reserve a spot for your child on their preferred testing date. Students will then have their place confirmed and parents will need to pay by QR code via the image on the form.

If your child is thinking about attending a US, Thai or Korean university, the PSAT is a first step. Many Thai and Korean universities require the SAT as part of their admissions requirements; subsequently taking the PSAT will be of great benefit to them.

For more information about the PSAT visit psat.org.

The PSAT is being offered to RST students on an opt-in basis, here is the key information:

• The cost is 700 THB

• There will be two testing sessions:
  Tuesday, 11th March (8:00am-11am) 
  Thursday, 20th March (1:30pm-4pm)

HIGHER EDUCATION EVENTS IN JANUARY 
Our Higher Education team has compiled a list of the most relevant university events this month, including open days and webinars, which you can view here.

2025 LECTURE SERIES
We are thrilled to announce that the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews will be joining us for our first Pathway Lecture of 2025. This session will take place during Activity Slot 1 (16:05–17:00) in the Collingwood Centre. Students will have the opportunity to explore the distinctive Scottish university system and gain valuable insights into crafting a winning personal statement. With changes to the UCAS personal statement for 2026 entry, this lecture is highly recommended for all LXX students (although all senior students are welcome to attend). Please see the below poster for more information. 

AUSTRALIA AND UK UNIVERSITY FAIR 2025
The Australia and UK University Fair will take place on Saturday, 18th January in Bangkok. Please see the below poster for more information.

27th JANUARY:
School closed for Exeat 

30th JANUARY:
Educational Visit - Silver DoE Qualifier

31st JANUARY:
Parent Teacher Meeting - D Block 

MELBOURNE SUMMER SCHOOL
At the start of the Winter break, Mrs Cecil, our Head of Higher Education and Careers, embarked on an inspiring Melbourne Summer School with students from schools across Thailand. Combining academic workshops, cultural immersion and sightseeing, the trip offered participants an invaluable insight into Australian university life and the vibrant city of Melbourne as a study destination.

Read more about this experience in our latest blog. 

Prep

WELCOME BACK
Welcome to our new students and welcome back to the rest of our community. We are excited about the term ahead, which is set to be full of academics and enrichment opportunities. As always, please use our calendar through the SchoolZine app to see what is coming up. Some of the main events can also be found through this calendar.

TERM 2 MUSIC RECITAL
Registration is now open for the next Prep Music Recital which will be held on Wednesday, 19th February.
Use this link to register a child who learns an instrument outside of School and has a piece ready to perform. Please note that you will need to upload a video of them performing the piece when submitting the registration.

You should feel confident that they will have a positive performance experience. They should know the piece well and be able to play it fluently. It is always best to check with your child's instrumental teacher before registering them. The closing date for registration is Friday, 31st January and you will be contacted by the Music Department by Friday, 7th February with the time for your child's performance.

If your child learns an instrument at School, and has a piece ready to perform, their instrumental teacher will register them for you. You will be informed of their registration by Friday, 7th February.

TERM 2 MUSIC EVENTS
This term will no doubt bring even more fantastic musical performances. Please see our music events calendar below for more information.  

SCHOOL EQUIPMENT
To support your child in being independent and organised in School, please ensure they bring in the correct equipment. You can find the latest stationery list here. 

HUMANITIES HOUSE COMPETITION
Please click here to read a copy of the parent information letter regarding the Humanities House Competition for Years 5 -8. 

11th JANUARY:
Please check on SOCS for the Saturday Sport and Enrichment Programme
U9 & U11 Football v STA GV (away)
U13 Volleyball v MIS (away)

13th JANUARY:
U13 ISGT at NIST
U11 Basketball v RISP (home)

14th JANUARY:
08:15-10:30: RSTPA Cooking Class

13th - 17th JANUARY:
Y5-8 House Humanities Competition (Parents welcome to attend according to the timetable)

16th JANUARY:
Year 3 and 4 Parent Teacher Meeting with the Specialists

17th JANUARY:
Year 3 and 4 Parent Teacher Meeting with the Specialists

18th JANUARY:
Please check on SOCS for the Saturday Sport and Enrichment Programme

27th JANUARY:
School closed for Exeat 

CELEBRATING LANGUAGES
Term 1 was a vibrant celebration of language learning at our School, with a range of activities showcasing the incredible progress and enthusiasm of our students in Spanish and French. Our Head of Languages, Sra Alonso, has highlighted all these fantastic activities in our new blog - click here to read more. 

Pre-Prep

WELCOME BACK
Welcome back to School. We hope everyone had a fabulous holiday. It was lovely to see everyone back in School and with many smiles from both children and parents. We have welcomed 13 new children and families to School this term across all the age ranges. We hope they settle into our community well. Please see the below reminder for the key dates for Term 2 to help you plan for up-and-coming events.  We are looking forward to a super term with many special events and lots of learning. Happy New Year 2025 to everyone. 

SPORTS DAY
This month, we are looking forward to our annual Sports Day. We invite parents to join this event so bring your sun hats and your sunscreen to join the fun. Children must wear their PE Kits with sunscreen applied, and sports shoes are essential. Please also remember to bring water bottles. We run three sports days (PN and Nursery, Reception and Year 1, Year 2) and these take place on the School field. There is a rotation of activities for one hour followed by some running races. Snacks will be provided for adults and children (children eat after their events). Dates can be found in the calendar section below. 

EAL TIPS FOR PARENTS
As part of our ongoing efforts to support children and families as much as possible when it comes to developing their language, we have included another helpful EAL tip for parents below. 

KEY DATES
The key dates for Term Two can be found here. 

13th JANUARY:
Year 2 bikes/scooters to School- helmets MUST be worn

15th JANUARY:
Social media workshop - open to all to learn how to be safe using social media 

17th JANUARY:
RSTPA reps meet with SMT 8:30 AM 

22nd JANUARY:
Pre-Nursery and Nursery Sports Day 8:30-10:30am

23rd JANUARY:
Reception and Year 1 Sports Day 8:30-10:30am

24th JANUARY:
Year 2 Sports Day

27th JANUARY:
School closed for Exeat 

28th JANUARY:
Visiting author - Laura Wall

29th JANUARY:
Lunar New Year event- Parents invited 8:30-9:15am 

KS1 PLAYGROUND NEW ADDITION
We’re so excited to see how much the children are loving the new Kitblox on the KS1 playground. These bright and colourful blocks have sparked so much creativity, with the children using their imagination to build everything from castles to seesaws and rockets. They even built a few things we can’t quite name just yet! It has been wonderful to see our Creative Chameleons in action, turning simple blocks into extraordinary creations.

What has been just as lovely is how well the children have been working together. Whether it’s lifting the bigger blocks, sharing ideas or combining their designs, they have been showing all the qualities of true Teamwork Tigers. There has been no shortage of smiles, laughter and teamwork as they bring their ideas to life.

The Kitblox have quickly become a playground favourite, and we’re excited to see what new ideas and creations the children come up with next.

Boarding Life

RUGBY EXCHANGE
The prestigious Keio School in Japan have had a long-standing relationship with RST boarding and each year a number of excellent Japanese students have the honour of coming to full board at Rugby School Thailand on a one-year 'exchange programme'. This week, it was a privilege to welcome the Principal and Deputy Principal of Keio School to Rugby. They are joined here by four students from Keio who are all loving their boarding experience in Thailand - Kai M, Haruki Y, Mako S and Mao U. Thank you to our esteemed guests for visiting and see you again soon.

Sport and Enrichment

TERM 2 SPORTS
Welcome back to returning families, as well as those arriving at RST in Term 2. After a busy Term 1 of sport, we are far from finished and have a plethora of events coming up to ensure there is lots to look forward to.

FOBISIA @ RST
Term 2 will see three major FOBISIA events on campus starting next weekend as U13 and U15 Volleyball teams arrive on Thursday for a weekend of digs, sets and spikes. RST will be represented in both tournaments. In February (21st -23rd), we will take on the biggest FOBISIA event on the calendar, Swimming. This year, we will have the Division 1 event and are expecting more than 450 racers across the three day event. Our Lightning swimmers are ready to go. Finally, we round off the hosting of FOBISIA events for this year with U11 Basketball here at RST, with 19 teams confirmed to attend. Our junior ballers will take centre stage on 21st -22nd March.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Below is a list of upcoming tournaments and events which will keep your weekends exciting through Term 2.

11th January:
U9 and U11 football, 1 day 1 goal at St Andrews Green Valley
Junior Varsity Tennis at Bangkok Patana

13th January:
International Schools Golf Tour (IGST) at Vintage Golf Course

17th-18th January:
U13 and U15 FOBISIA Volleyball at RST

18th January:
U11 Basketball Tournament at ICS
U14 Softball Tournament at Bangkok Patana

20th January:
ISGT at Flora Ville Golf Course

22nd-26th January:
U18 Chiang Mai Invitational Basketball Tournament

25th January:
U9 BISA End of Season Basketball Tournament at Kings/St Andrews
U11 BISA End of Season Basketball Tournament at Shrewsbury Riverside

25th-26th January:
Bangkok Prep Bulldog Swim

1st February:
U13 BISA End of Season Volleyball Tournament at Kings College
U15 BISA End of Season Volleyball Tournament at Harrow/BKK Prep
U11 Puppy Dash Swim Meet at BKK Prep

2nd February:
U19 BISA End of Season Basketball Tournament at Shrewsbury Riverside

4th February:
ISGT at Phoenix Bangkok

8th-9th February:
STA Marlins Swim Meet

SEASON CHANGEOVER
A gentle reminder that we are heading towards the conclusion of season 2 and therefore need to begin looking at what sport your child might have a go at next. Season 3 begins in early February and you can find out more in the helpful graphic below. 

Community Events

After the huge success of our Christmas Camp, we are thrilled to share that our incredible Spring Camp is back. Taking place from the 6th - 11th April 2025, our popular camp is now open for registration with a special 10% early bird discount as well as an extra 10% RST discount if you register before Sunday, 16th February. For more information and to register, please see the below poster. Our new camp website is also live so click here to learn more. 

Social Media and More

Keep up to date with all that's happening at RST via our social media channels and our website blog section.