Term 1 - 2 December
Matters of Principal
Whole School Reminders
CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY
Christmas Jumper day will take place on the last day of term, Friday 9th December. Students can come to School in Christmas-themed non-uniform.
To do this, students will be asked to donate 100THB to Childline. Non-uniform should be smart-casual attire.
Whole School News
Tech Team
For the first time, this week has seen the completion of our whole School Tech Team. The newly appointed pioneer members of the Senior Tech Team met with their Prep counterparts as we now begin multiple initiatives together.
Initially, our Prep team is focusing on the technical support required for assemblies and the many School events underway, as well as developing a student-centric induction for new students and families. The Senior team are also undergoing similar technical training as well as focusing their efforts into creating a whole School podcasting studio, broadcast and content creation.
It is an absolute privilege to work with these future leaders, and I cannot wait to see what they bring to the School and the wider community in the coming year.
Sporting Events
Today, and over the weekend, we are hosting 75 football teams for the International Youth Cup and 16 basketball teams for the FOBISIA Invitational Championships. The whole of our Webb Ellis Centre will be in action, along with 12 football pitches... the campus will be buzzing and we look forward to sharing photos of the event in due course!
Christmas Fair
Thank you to our organisers, sponsors and community for a hugely enjoyable Christmas Fair last weekend - it's a real highlight in the RST social calendar and we are already looking forward to the next one!
Photo credit: student photographer, Bunn
Senior News
Announcements & Reminders
OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE INTERVIEWS AND UNIVERSITY OFFERS
Our XX (Year 13) students have been working with Ms Cecil to apply to their chosen universities. Students are now receiving offers from a range of universities such as Exeter, Warwick, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Bristol. Three students have also been invited for an online interview at Oxford University and The University of Cambridge.
Just getting to this stage is a fantastic achievement and the students are currently receiving interview practice from staff in the School. The courses that these students have applied for are ‘Medicine’, ‘Mathematics’, and ‘Human Sciences’. We wish them well!
Our caring team of teachers, expertly guided by Ms Cecil, support students in applying for the best-fit university for each student.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE
At the end of January, Ms Cecil will run an information session about applying to American Universities, to parents. This will provide all the information needed about the different application systems for US universities and guidance around SATs, portfolios, and broader development. We will send out an invitation to parents at the start of Term 2.
STUDY SKILLS
Our E and D Blocks students took part in an hour-long study skills seminar with Tori and Lucas from Elevate Education this week. Drawing upon 20 years of research into the habits of top students from around the world, Elevate's high-impact seminars and workshops help students improve their study techniques, increase their motivation, build confidence, and lift exam performance. Their reputation for achieving behavioural change has led the company to become an international leader in education, working with over 1500 schools and 350,000 students in the UK, USA, Singapore and South Africa.
Most of the feedback from students after the seminars was fantastic, and we trust that they will feel more confident and prepared for the upcoming mock examination season.
Dates for Your Diary
6th DECEMBER
- 16:00 – 18:00: Sixth Form Christmas social
- 16:00: U15 boys and girls football v GIS
7th DECEMBER
- 14:45 – 18:00: Inter-House Cross Country
- 19:00: Boarders' Christmas Party
8th DECEMBER
- End of Term Reports Published
- 16:00 - 18:00: RST Charity Art Auction
- 19:00: RST Winter Gala Concert
4th - 11th JANUARY 2023: IGCSE Mock Exams for D Block
Whole Me
Our E Block students were introduced to the increasingly important topic of Emotional Intelligence this week. Dr Daniel Goleman's ground-breaking work in this area has shown that developing this aspect of ourselves will reap incredibly measurable benefits in our personal and working lives.
Our students were introduced to the Atlas of Emotions during the session. This resource will allow them to continue developing their ability to reflect on their emotions and how to choose more constructive responses.
Bebras Challenge
RST Computer Science students took part in the UK Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge this term, a competition held in over 50 countries worldwide, with 325,000 students taking part throughout the UK this year. Designed to get students excited about computer science, the BCTC is a problem-solving competition with a focus on computational and logical thinking.
Questions are inspired by topics in computer science but only require some basic reasoning ability. Students had to answer up to 15 questions in a 40-minute time period. The questions have varying degrees of difficulty and the points awarded reflect this.
Students studying Computer science from F Block to XX took part in this competition for the first-time this year. Well done to everyone who took part, and congratulations to our ‘Best in School’ winners:
- Olivier (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Mumu (E Block) - Seniors Group
- Kei and Nara (Lower XX) Elite Group
We are delighted that 9 students from RST were in the top 10% nationally in their respective age groups and also received a Gold Award Certificate. All gold-awarded students will be invited to compete in the Oxford University Computing Challenge in February next year, wishing you all the best of luck!
Congratulations to the Gold Award winners:
- Max (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Jeong Hoon (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Olivier (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Don (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Steve (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Iyara (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Thapanapong (F Block) - Intermediates Group
- Pat (E Block) - Seniors Group
- Mumu (E Block) - Seniors Group
- Kei (Lower XX) Elite Group
- Nara (Lower XX) Elite Group
Here are two examples of the questions in the Challenge. Can you solve the Problems?
Pride and Prejudice
The cast of Pride and Prejudice have worked incredibly hard to get the production audience ready. Here are some behind-the-scenes shots of our rehearsals:
Learning
GEOGRAPHY
F Block Geographers have been investigating where their food comes from, how it travels, and the pests that also get transported. They’ve also looked at other traditional topics such as how food miles are bad for the environment.
PHYSICS
In LXX physics this week, students were learning about stationary waves on a string, and microwaves being reflected from a surface.
E block students are studying ‘impulse’ and ‘momentum’ in Physics. In this demo, Tete (E Block, SH) throws an egg at a slack sheet of tarpaulin to emulate an airbag deployment on the egg. The increase in the collision time between the egg and the tarp reduces the average force on the egg, which can lead to less severe damage to the shell. The egg illustrated in this video was left completely unscathed after the throw.
ART
Now that E block artists have started their art coursework theme they have been looking at an artist that inspires them to help the creative process. Over the last 2-3 weeks, students have been painting in acrylic. Here is some of their amazing work where they have learned to mix and apply colour, blend and observe form and texture.
CHEMISTRY
E block have been investigating the distinctive colours of the transition metal complexes by forming precipitates of the metal hydroxide.
DRAMA
Block have been working hard to prepare for their final verbatim performances next week.
Prep News
Announcements & Reminders
CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY
On Friday, 9th December, all Prep students may come into School wearing a Christmas top. A voluntary 100THB will be collected and donated to ChildLine Thailand, one of our School charities this year. Our students learnt all about ChildLine in assembly today.
If you would like to find out more, you can read their website, which is in both Thai and English.
VISIT TO HAND TO HAND
This week, staff from Prep and Pre-Prep attended Morning Tea at the Hand to Hand Foundation in Pattaya. RST were delighted to be invited as a gesture of gratitude for the Rice Challenge we completed back in October.
We were gifted a plant (grown by the local people Hand to Hand support) and a wonderful handmade card made by the children. Staff listened to stories about the incredible staff and volunteers at Hand to Hand and got involved with dancing and singing with the Pre-School children. It was amazing to see first hand the transformative work Hand to Hand are doing in the community.
VENICE PIANO ACHIEVEMENT
Venice in 4F was recently awarded the first class award in the Hong Kong International Music & Arts Festival 2022 with her wonderful piano performance. Congratulations!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Dates for your Diary
2nd – 3rd DECEMBER: FOBISIA Basketball
Letter sent to team players
5th DECEMBER: School Closed – Thai Public Holiday
6th DECEMBER: House Football/Basketball
08:10 – 09:20 Y5&6
09:20 – 10:35 Y3&4
14:45 – 15:55 Y7&8
Parents are welcome to attend. Students to wear House Tops.
7th DECEMBER: AES Trip
Y3&4 08:00 – 12:45
Y5&6 12:45 – 17:45
Letter sent to those involved
8th DECEMBER: Reports published on the Parent Portal by 18:00
9th DECEMBER: Christmas Jumper Day & Christmas Lunch
Holiday begins at 15:30. School will resume Wednesday, 4th January 2023
Christmas Concert
Thursday saw the celebration of a fabulous term’s work in our Christmas Concert. The students have worked tirelessly, giving up their break times for the past weeks and the result of their labours was truly breathtaking. We were also joined by some students from Senior School and all of our amazing Visiting Music Teachers.
The energy and excitement in the Veraphan was electric and we all enjoyed a wonderful show. Huge congratulations to all involved!
School Council
The first meeting of this year’s Prep School Council took place on Tuesday this week. Representatives from each year group brought forward their year group's suggestions for how to improve the School.
Mr Howell chaired the meeting and will be feeding back to the whole School about what changes will be made at the start of next term. All the students spoke with confidence and had great ideas on how to make a positive difference in our community.
Minecraft E-Sport House Competition
We are proud to announce the selection of our first-ever e-sports team. Over the coming term, students in Years 6 - 8 will be trained in advanced platform skills, including the physical health and reaction tests necessary for competing at international level.
We are also very excited to be one of the pioneering schools in developing a cross-Asia e-sports league, accessible by all, though we have already gained international interest in this too.
Congratulations to Ethan, Ha Ha, Jade, Jonty, Korn, Luis, Mizuki, Polina, Seb, Sergey, Shaan, Siku, Singha, Sun, Tin Tin and Vasilisa on being the e-sport pioneers. Common Sense Media will give you more information on what e-sport is.
Year 3 Collage in Art
The Year 3s are coming to the end of their collage unit in art, where they have been studying the work of Australian artist Pete Cromer. They have learnt how to cut and stick accurately as well as layer their collages. They’ve all produced wonderful pieces of work. Here are 3D working diligently to complete their projects:
Year 3 Father's Day Event
Year 3 students and families enjoyed a very special Father's Day event earlier this week to celebrate our wonderful fathers (and other special adults who joined in!). They decorated cookies, explored the School site in an orienteering challenge, and were presented with handmade cards. There were big smiles all around. Enjoy watching a snapshot of the morning here:
House General Knowledge Quizzes
Last Friday, our students contested the annual House General Knowledge quizzes. The finalists and house representatives were chosen following their high scores in the preliminary round earlier this month. There were three finals: Year 3&4, Years 5&6 and Years 7&8. The students faced a range of challenging questions from maths to literature, from science to art and, of course, general knowledge. The Year 3&4 and Year 5&6 finals were very close, coming down to the last two questions. In the end, Arnold and Webb Ellis managed to just about finish on top. In the Year 7&8 final, Beauclerc stormed to victory, winning by an impressive ten points. It was a great event where students had to be resilient, collaborate with their teammates and do a little thinking. Well done to everyone who took part for representing their house so impressively! The results can be seen below:
Years 3&4
Arnold - 156
Beauclerc 152
Webb Ellis 150
Hardy - 149
Years 5&6
Webb Ellis - 169
Hardy - 166
Arnold - 147
Beauclerc - 142
Years 7&8
Beauclerc - 176
Hardy - 166
Arnold - 160
Webb Ellis - 137
Year 3 & 4
Year 5 & 6
Year 7 & 8
Pre-Prep News
Announcements and Reminders
UPDATE FROM THE HEAD
Many thanks to all the parents and children who have wished me well during my absence. I have been well looked after and have had an amazing supply of fruit to help get me back on track - thank you! I have been excellently supported by my SMT who have kept me informed each day. I have missed the children so much and am very much looking forward to seeing them next week when I hope to be able to return in some capacity.
We are opening our final class in January – a new Pre-Nursery class (Panda class) led by Miss Jessica Casarotte, who will be joined by Miss Yuu. Congratulations to Miss Lek who has been promoted from Nanny Support to Nanny.
We will be welcoming additional Teaching Assistants and Nanny/Nanny Supports to our team as well: Miss Bell, Miss June and Miss Cream who will be working in different areas within our Pre-Prep team.
I am sorry to have missed some of the year group coffee mornings but we will continue with those next term, dates will be added to the calendar shortly.
It has been great to hear that families have been popping into our Library for the Library sessions – I do hope you are enjoying these.
The last week of term is always an exciting one; the first Christmas shows for three years are bound to be a highlight! I look forward to seeing you all next week.
CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY
Our Christmas Jumper/Dress day is a whole School event and we are asking for a 100THB donation to go towards Childline.
Please send in the money with your child on Friday and give it to the class teacher.
CONGRATULATIONS QUEENA
Congratulations to Queena in Toucan Class who took part in her very first swimming competition. Along with her brothers, Oscar and Lucas, she entered the ‘3rd Rookie Swimming Competition’ and came away with 3rd place in 25m freestyle and 1st place in 25m backstroke.
A great family achievement as Oscar (Year 2 Hedgehogs) got 2nd place in 25m backstroke and Lucas (Prep School) also won several medals. Not only that, but Queena has also taken part in a fashion show in Terminal 21. For Queena this is a fabulous achievement as she is working on developing her self-confidence both in School and out. Well done Queena!
Dates for Your Diary
5th DECEMBER School Closed
6th DECEMBER: Year 1 Christmas Show
9:00am
7th DECEMBER: Year 2 Christmas Show
9:00am
8th DECEMBER: Christmas Party Day and surprise Visitor
9th DECEMBER: Christmas Jumper/Dress day and Lunch
School finishes at 3:15pm
100THB donation which will go to CHILDLINE
Wake and Shake
Wake and Shake is an important part of our learning in Pre-Prep. Every Wednesday or Thursday, the children take part in an active movement session with their teachers; where they are encouraged to develop both their fine and gross motor skills, as well as improving their overall body coordination. Wake and Shake is also an essential brain break for the children, allowing them to return to class feeling ready for their day.
Year 1 PE
In Year 1 PE this term, we are focusing on increasing our reaction speed by kicking and receiving different types of balls. This week, our focus was on kicking and receiving a football. We played lots of different games to practise these skills.
Intensive English
Approaching the end of term 1, the students of Pre-prep Intensive English have been working very hard on their reading, writing and vocabulary skills. The key focus has been phonics and reading, and the students love to visit the library for reading time. We have been learning vocabulary on the topic of ‘animals’, and each week we do some arts and crafts activities for the topics that we learn in class. This week we are learning about Christmas, reading Christmas stories, learning new vocabulary and making decorations for our next IE/EAL display.
Year 2 Junior Librarians
In Pre-Prep, Year 2 recently had the opportunity to apply for the job of ‘Junior Librarian’ for Term 2. The role includes helping to check books in and out, keeping the library tidy, creating displays and helping to decide what new books are needed.
Year 2s were given a presentation and a job description and had to apply for the job outlining why they think they would be good at it and why they want to be a Junior Librarian.
There were over forty applicants and it was very difficult to pick just fifteen as the standard was very high. However, congratulations to our new Junior Librarians, Riu Riu, Emma, Miu Miu, Preme, Nico, Eric, Edward, Eva, Winston, Run, Nude, Arika, Ottilie, Sophie and Jimmy.
Messages from Heads of Year
PRE-NURSERY
Wow...what an amazing first term the Pre-Nursery children have had. Long gone are all the tears from the beginning of term, now all we see are beaming smiles as the children bound into our classrooms.
This term we have studied two topics; 'All About Me' and 'People Who Help Us'. Both of which have been huge hits with our children. In our first topic, we learnt all about ourselves, our body parts, as well as looking at the people who live in our homes. Our second topic was full of firefighters, doctors, and dentists...which created many role-play moments for our children. A wonderful term of learning and we cannot wait for all the excitement that term two will bring us.
NURSERY
What a great first term we have had in the Nursery classes. We are so proud of how well our little ones have made the transition from Pre-Nursery or home into our Bear, Parrot, and Owl classes. Every day has been filled with laughter, learning and exploration. The children have become more independent and confident and love spending time with their teachers and friends. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to even more fun and adventure in Term 2.
RECEPTION
Reception have had a fantastic first term and we're really proud of all their hard work. We've had to adapt to new routines and there are so many new things to learn about. Our two topics 'Feelings' and 'Where Does It Come From?' have been a lot of fun and we particularly enjoyed using Talk 4 Writing to explore our story, ‘Pete The Cat's Trip To The Supermarket’.
Another highlight has been learning all about food and where it comes from. We tasted lots of different food and Khun Natt helped us to make some traditional Thai food using the food that is growing in our eco-garden. We even planted and grew some of our own rice plants! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year.
YEAR 1
We have had a very busy start to our Year 1 learning journey, filled with lots of fun and new friendships. It has been a joy to get to know your children and we look forward to more adventures in term 2. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stay safe and have fun with your families. See you in the new year!
YEAR 2
We have had a wonderful first term together in Year 2. The children have transitioned well from Year 1 and we are all really proud of their progress so far.
They really are showing that they are Creative Chameleons, Teamwork Tigers and Exploring Eagles on a daily basis. They laugh, explore, share, care and try their very best every single day. Great work so far everyone and we look forward to more fun-filled adventures after the Christmas break. Merry Christmas to you all. Have fun and be safe!
Makaton Signing
This week, we learnt the signs for: hot, tired and angry.
Thank you to the Reception Gecko class for their help in making the video.
Happy signing!
Art
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Pre-Prep. All classrooms are now displaying wonderful Christmas-themed art pieces for everyone to admire
Useful Links
Enrichment & Sport
Last Saturday saw another successful weekend of sport with our U13 Boys finishing in 2nd place in the Cup and girls 3rd in the Plate at the British International School Phuket Soccer 7s tournament.
Our U12 rugby team were also in action, winning the Helios Bangkok tournament in the week of William Webb Ellis's birthday.
Well done to our budding sports stars!
PREP ARTS AND CRAFTS
Last week, Year 5 and 6 students in the Arts and Craft CCA enjoyed making sand jars using chalk to colour salt and then arranging it in colourful patterns in small jars. They had been waiting patiently for Mrs Valli-Kahumbu to collect enough small glass jars for all students to make one and it was worth the wait, they told her!
Boarding Life
Our Prep and Senior boarders got into the festive spirit, by putting the house Christmas Trees up. The Christmas countdown has begun!
Thank you to Mr Ennis-Billing for setting up a World Cup sweepstakes this week. Lots of smiles now, but I wonder who will be smiling come 18th December?
Boarding provides so many opportunities for leadership. Here, Raiki (D Block) and Tetsuo (XX) are talking to the House about upcoming events. Well done, boys!
Boarders from Marshall House, School House and Rupert Brooke enjoyed a delicious barbecue together last weekend. It was the perfect way to wind down after a busy week.
Lots of our boarders contributed to the Christmas Fair last weekend. School House boys and Rupert Brooke girls organised stalls, volunteered at the bouncy castle, played music and much more! Meanwhile, the younger Marshall House boarders did an excellent job of running the Slingshot and Football games.
RSTeam Spotlight
Get to know the people who make RST great by learning more about them and their roles.
This week's spotlight is on Kwan Somruedi Suchitphanit, Head of Keyboard:
Community Events
FREE FOOTBALL CLINIC
Wisdom Academy is hosting a FREE football clinic at RST from 12th – 16th December, for boys and girls aged 7-15 years old.
There is a limited capacity of 30 people for each session, which will be as follows each day:
- 9-11am: Children aged 7-11
- 4-6pm: Children aged 12-15
For more information about this event and others, follow Wisdom Academy Thailand on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wisdomacademythailand
THE TRAIL MASTERS
Discover THE TRAIL MASTERS: the strongest and the fastest men and women of 10k, 30k, and 50k, with winners for each age and gender group in each trail. At the end of it all, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Wisdom Valley beyond finish line. There will be chill-out music from a famous DJ, a variety of delicious food and drinks from restaurants, and shops to pick up running and trail equipment for your next race. There will also be medical support on-site at the event.
Rugby School Thailand Family Rates Registration is NOW - 30 NOVEMBER 2022.
Click link below;
https://docs.google.com/forms/
Race Date: Sunday 8 January 2023
SAVE THE DATE! And see you all soon
