Term 2 - 10 February
Matters of Principal
Whole School News
Lessons for Life
The School is proud and honoured to welcome back Ajahn Jayasāro, Phra Dharma Bajranyanamuni Phawanavidhisuvithan Srilajahnsuvimol Kosonkitchanukit Mahakanisorn Bovornsangaram Gamavasi (พระธรรมพัชรญาณมุนี ภาวนาวิธีสุวิธาน สีลาจารสุวิมล โกศลกิจจานุกิจ มหาคณิสสร บวรสังฆาราม คามวาสี), who will visit RST on Tuesday 28th February.
Following his visit in 2021 when he shared his wisdom on the subject of resilience and officially opened the Webb Ellis Centre, Ajahn Jayasāro will this time share his life lessons. Ajahn Jayasāro, who will be well-known to many in the RST community, has written extensively on finding inner peace and living mindfully, including 2017's Stillness Flowing: The Life and Teachings of Ajahn Chah.
All RST parents are cordially invited to attend the talk, which will be 16:15-17:15 in the Webb Ellis Centre. Please sign up using the QR code on the accompanying poster or through the following link:
Life Lessons with Ajahn Jayasāro
Boarding Week Open House
Next week is our annual 'RST Boarding Week'. Our fun sleepover is already oversubscribed and as always there's lots going on in our boarding community, not least the eagerly awaited Boarders' Valentine's Disco.
In addition, on Friday 17th February at 3pm, all parents who are interested in looking at boarding for their child/ren are invited to join us in Rupert Brooke (girls) and School House (boys) for an 'Open House' event when you will get a chance to meet the resident staff and the boarders themselves and get a real taste of what boarding at RST can offer you.
Tech Team
This last week marked some pivotal points in our tech team's development. Our Senior students had their first experience of what it takes to be lighting and sound engineers supporting the Senior Lunchtime Concert:
We also saw the pilot launch of our podcast episode which, despite the studio being a long way off finished, saw its first successful episode recorded thanks to the drive and dedication of our Head Girl Pun and her team.
There will be 3 episodes of the 'LitPod' recorded in total which aims for Pun and Katie to deep dive into literacy and the magic of books with some of our most well-read teachers. The episodes will be available to watch and listen to next month for World Book Day.
Finally, the whole School team also had the privilege of Khun Arm's photo and videography training to ready our team to support the Marketing department at upcoming events such as International Day, Sports Day and help create content for our TikTok and other social media channels:
Scholars' Series Talk
Our Scholars' Series of talks began on Monday with a political expert discussing the conflict between democracy and dictatorship. Andy Bell, Political Editor of Channel 5 TV News, joined us remotely to explore the complex tussle between the two systems of governance. It concluded with an intriguing 'Q and A' session with our Prep and Senior attendees.
The Scholars' Series is an opportunity for curious students to meet inspiring individuals with a story to tell or an idea to investigate. We believe that learning doesn't just take place in the classroom, but all around us; these enriching talks are all about the real world and the people that are making a difference. All students from Year 7 to XX (Year 13) are invited to join us for the remaining talks this term:
Tuesday, 28th February 12:40:
Jeremy Jauncey
Tech. entrepreneur, charity ambassador and founder of 'Beautiful Destinations'.
Monday, 27th March 12:40:
Clare Pelly
Head of Astronaut Relations at ‘Virgin Galactic’.
Senior News
Dates for your Diary
13th – 17th FEBRUARY: RST Boarding Week
14th FEBRUARY (13:30 – 17:15): F Block Thai Beginner Thai Temple trip
16th FEBRUARY:
- Interim Reports Published
- Boarders' Valentine Social
17th FEBRUARY: House poetry competition – final date for submission
Learning
CHEMISTRY
LXX chemistry students did a fine job, building as they did - 1 chloro, 2 bromo, 3 iodo, 4 methyl hept 4 ene......unassisted!
BIOLOGY
LXX biologists have been studying the circulatory system this term. To help deepen their understanding the students performed a heart dissection where they had to identify the different features and structures within a heart.
PHYSICS
This week, as part of the unit on waves, students have been investigating the diffraction of light. When light passes through a ‘diffraction grating’, the different wavelengths disperse and we can see coloured bands. In this picture, students are viewing a source of light (on the far left) using handheld spectroscopes which contain a diffraction grating. The photograph has been taken through another diffraction grating so that you can see the coloured bands that the students can see!
PSYCHOLOGY
LXX Psychologists have been continuing with the Biopsychology module, this week we had a revision lesson where the students had to make models of neurons and the process of synaptic transmission using the edible materials provided, labelling as many key terms as they could remember.
They did a fantastic job, you can see them hard at work in the pics and their end results (which mostly got eaten after the pics!)
The LXX class have also learnt about split brain studies this week looking at patients who have had corpus callosotomys to treat severe epilepsy. This procedure involves severing the corpus callosum, the nerve fibres joining the two hemispheres of the brain. We discussed the effects that this would have on everyday behaviour with brain acting as two halves rather than as a whole. Students demonstrated this by trying to tie shoelaces with one person acting as the right side of the brain and the other person the left side with no communication between the two allowed, it was really quite difficult to perform what is usually a very simple task!
DRAMA
F Block have been applying their music skills in drama lessons recently, as we have been continuing to study Macbeth. They have been working together in groups to write and perform their own Brechtian inspired song about the guilt that Lady Macbeth feels after she helps commit regicide.
ART
LXX are currently working towards their first coursework piece. They are painting in acrylic, oil, weaving, drawing and sculpting in the studio. Here is a preview of how their work is coming along and we look forward to showing you the finished pieces after half term:
Prep News
Announcements & Reminders
PREP PLAYGROUND
A reminder that the playground is not supervised by RST staff after School. If children use the playground after School, they must be supervised by their parents.
LUNCHTIME CONCERT
On Wednesday at 12:45, we welcome you all to come and watch our Visiting Music Teachers (VMT) perform in a lunchtime concert. Please come and enjoy their wonderful talents in their first RST concert.
PIANO SUCCESS FOR PROD (3H)
We would like to congratulate Prod on his recent success in a piano competition in Singapore last month where he won 3rd prize in the Children Group B in the 2023 Singapore International Piano Competition at the SATO Concert Hall.
WORLD BOOK DAY
Our World Book Day theme in Prep for 2023 will be 'People Who Changed the World for the Better' (non-fiction, historical, biography vibe).
Prep students will celebrate with the traditional costume dress up and fun activities on 2nd March. Students are encouraged to start reading and thinking about ideas for their costume. Watch the short video below from our Prep Assembly where RST members share their thoughts on people who changed the world for the better. We also recommend the WHO WAS? series which comes in book, Netflix and podcast versions.
Dates for your Diary
10th – 13th FEBRUARY: Rugby Tour to Kuala Lumpur
11th FEBRUARY:
Saturday Enrichment Programme
Verso Swim Star
U12A Boys & Girls Basketball v St Andrew's Bangkok (away)
U9 & U11 Football v Pattaya Academy (Home)
12th FEBRUARY: U13A & B Boys Basketball v St Andrew's Bangkok (away)
13th FEBRUARY: U13 Boy & Girls Football v REPS (home)
14th FEBRUARY:
08:30 – 12:10 Y3-5 Sports Day (Parents are welcome to attend)
12:45 – 13:30 VMT Concert (Parents are welcome to attend)
15:00 – 17:45 U8/9 Boys Football v GIS (away)
15th FEBRUARY (08:30 – 12:10): Y6-8 Sports Day - Parents are welcome to attend
17th FEBRUARY:
International Day – click here for information
18:00 Effort & Attainment Grades will be published on the Parent Portal
Year 4 Science
Year 4 science are learning about how to care for their teeth next week, see the information in the poster below:
Year 7 Science
Year 7 are learning about acids and alkalis. They started by comparing the hazards of some acids and they learnt to reduce the hazards by diluting them with water. They then tested a wide range of substances using indicators (litmus and universal indicator), and the pH scale. They even got to make their own indicators using red cabbage. Next, they will investigate whether the flowers growing around the School can be processed into useful indicators
Lunchtime Concert
This week we held a wonderful Lunchtime Concert that showcased some of our very talented musicians. The skill and commitment shown by our musical students are incredible and these concerts are a great opportunity for them to show off their hard work in an inspiring and enjoyable environment. Many thanks to those parents who were able to join us.
Passport Reading Challenge
The Challenge will run from 1st Feb – 3rd March (over and including Half Term) in the lead-up to World Book Day.
The Passport Reading Challenge is a House Challenge designed to be inclusive and inspiring with more of a focus on intrinsic motivation and House Spirit rather than interpersonal competition.
The 'rules' and tasks are clearly explained on the Passport:
The passport itself can be accessed here.
Pre-Prep News
Announcements and Reminders
LOST AND FOUND
Please remember to name all items of uniform including ballet shoes and swimming costumes. Lost items can be found in the Pre-Prep office "Lost and Found" box. Each Friday we will put items out at the front gate but parents are welcome to check the lost property boxes at anytime.
HATS
It is getting very hot now and all children should be wearing a hat at playtimes. Please do ensure your child has a hat which is named. If a child has not hat then we restrict their play to the shaded areas of the playground.
THURSDAY, 16th FEBRUARY - NO ACTIVITIES IN THE PRE-PREP
Due to our Parent-Teacher conference there will be NO ACTIVITIES in the Pre-Prep on Thursday, 16th February.
Please ensure your child is collected from their classroom at 3:15pm.
MONSTER PHONICS EBOOKS
If you would like to support your child with reading at home, using our Monster Phonics ebooks, please create an account by clicking on the link.
This will give you access to the ten stages of phonics that are used in the Monster Phonics scheme. Please check with your child's class teacher as to which stage they recommend your child read.
Please DO NOT read stages ahead of your child's level as this will have a negative effect on their phonics learning. The sounds must be taught in a certain order, and reading the wrong stage can cause confusion and misunderstandings.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Miss Kirsty (Deputy Head Academic) or Miss Lauren (English Coordinator).
Dates for Your Diary
15th FEBRUARY: Nursery Parents' Coffee Morning 8:30am
16th FEBRUARY: Parent Teacher Meetings 3:00pm to 6:15 pm in the Assembly Hall
17th FEBRUARY: International Day
18th – 26th FEBRUARY: Half Term
27th FEBRUARY: School reopens
2nd MARCH: World Book day
Reception Foxes
At RST, children are exposed to a literacy-rich environment from an early age. Phonics lessons are introduced in Reception and are fun, hands-on and engaging. The learning process starts with phonological awareness, then moves to recognising sounds of single letters and letter combinations. Quick recall of letter phonemes is essential to blend sounds and read words and sentences. Students learn through daily Monster Phonics lessons, games, books, small group activities, and decoding signs around the School. The Foxes are proud of their progress towards becoming proficient, passionate readers.
Teamwork Tiger Day
As part of our learner profile learning, the children in the Pre-Prep spent the day thinking and learning all about Teamwork Tiger. They watched the video that Miss Sarah, Miss Sophie, Miss Kathy and Miss Kirsty had made, to help them understand how to be a Teamwork Tiger and then worked as classes to show their Teamwork Tiger skills by making their own tigers from junk modelling materials.
Well done Pre-Prep; you are super Teamwork Tigers!
Year 2 Dolphins
The Dolphins class has enjoyed practising their 'working scientifically' skills during their 'Transportation' topic. This week, they conducted an experiment to compare how things move on different surfaces using toy cars and ramps.
The children made predictions, measured the distance each car travelled and made sure to record their data. It was also interesting afterwards to use our observations and ideas to suggest why the cars travelled further on different surfaces and ways we might alter the experiment.
Year 2 Thai
Year 2 students practised writing the words (สระเอะ) by using a Santa guessing game and they also made their own flash cards after learning vowels (vowels which we need to put on top of the first consonant).
Bikes to School
Bikes to School week is always very exciting and this week it was Reception's turn! We had lots of fun cycling and scooting around the track in School and remembered to work together like Teamwork Tiger to check that it was safe before moving along the track.
Makaton Signing
This week we have been learning the signs for:
‘Good morning’, ‘outside’ and ‘home’.
Happy signing!
Swimming
Swimming in Pre-Prep is going from strength to strength; our younger swimmers are practising more independent aquatic skills and the older Year 2 swimmers are learning more advanced aquatic skills to prepare them for their move to Prep School in the next academic year. All our swimmers in Pre-Prep are doing fantastically!
Useful Links
Enrichment & Sport
Sport
SATURDAY SPORT
Last weekend, another successful Sporting Saturday saw us welcome 2 new friends. Chon Buri Sports School brought their very strong U13/15/18 basketball teams to play in the WEC, and out on the fields we were entertained by another new connection SK Academy and an old friend in FC Planet football.
Basketball:
Football:
SWIMMING - BLITZ ROAR LIKE A TIGER
The RST swimming squad competed in the Faculty of Education, Swimming Championship at Thailand National Sport's University in Chonburi last weekend.
Swimmers from both the Junior and Senior squads put in their best effort as they work toward qualifying for the Thailand Age Group National Championship in April. Lots of personal best times were achieved, a great many medals won and national qualification achieved for Rebecca, Vincent and Lilly at this event.
Lilly won 8 gold's and one silver medal, the overall trophy in the women's 11-12 age category and set the fastest time in Thailand this season for the 50m freestyle.
RST finished 19th out of 57 swimming clubs.
Overall, an excellent performance from the RST swimmers - well done!
Enrichment
PRE-PREP EXPLORING & ENGLISH ACTIVITY
In Mr. Roger's Exploring & English Activity this week, we visited the CGA and, as well as having lots of fun, were amazed at how enormous this facility is!
PREP COOKING ACTIVITY
Students learned perseverance, knife skills, and good hygiene practices in our cooking activity where they prepared a healthy ranch dip. They honed their skills by chopping vegetables and using a pairing knife, practising good hygiene by washing vegetables first, and reducing waste by saving vegetable scraps. The students had a great time and gained valuable knowledge and experience.
PREP SPY CLUB
Our secret agents this week have been testing out different types of invisible ink using everyday ingredients found at home. They made treasure maps, and wrote secret messages.
The standout winner was a baking soda and water mix to write the message - and fruit juice painted over the top to reveal the message.
PREP CROSS-COUNTRY ACTIVITY
Y5-8 enjoyed a cross-country trip to the local jungle, Khao Mai Kaew. We enjoyed being surrounded by lots of trees and crunchy leaves. It was very hot and tough, but everyone was resilient and finished with a big smile.
PREP ARTS AND CRAFTS ACTIVITY
The Year 3s have been building on their watercolour skills by painting Valentine’s cards for their loved ones. They were so excited by this activity, they made several cards to give away!
SENIOR OPEN ART STUDIO ACTIVITY
Saturday Enrichment, Senior open art studio, has become a popular way for students to use the morning to develop and extend their art skills. Some students choose to unwind and paint by numbers, methodically and intricately painting small shapes to build a bigger picture. Some opt to work on their class project and take the time to extend and build up their skills. They can also enjoy working digitally, mastering Procreate or other drawing apps.
GCSE and A Level students benefit from the calm atmosphere to progress with their independent portfolio of work and get one to one assistance. Just sign up on SOCS by Thursday evening if you would like to join in.
OPEN WATER DIVING QUALIFICATION
The second cohort of open water dive trainees enjoyed their first scuba session practising their skills in the pool. A little bit more theory, one more pool session then out onto the open water for their qualification dives!
Boarding Life
The Prep boarders have had another busy week at Marshall House, starting with a very hotly contested game of ten pin bowling, followed by yummy Japanese food for our weekend boarders.
We also have had lots of fun during our evening activities, playing a game that is new to many of us called "3 n score", with Mr Fogden. While Mrs Fogden and her group have been creating Valentines cards in readiness for next week.
Led by the formidable Raiki S as captain and with the mercurial talent of Grahame W hoofing the ball into the skies, the School House football team ran rings around the opposition and sometimes themselves during their journey to the House Football finals. Team M was fantastic in midfield, but not as good as team spirit which really won the day...
RSTeam Spotlight
Get to know our dedicated team of teachers and support staff who make our School great a little better, by learning more about them and their roles.
This week we focus on Kook Rattana Muneenaem, Thai Teacher, Pre-Prep.
Community Offers & Events
BSD ONLINE CODING WORKSHOPS
Last term's workshop talked about how using a device is less about how long we are doing it for, and more about what we are doing. One amazing way of using our screen time is to create; BSD Online is used in our computing curriculum by Year 5 and Year 7 to create with code and they are offering some of their coding camps over the holidays. This is your chance for your child to sign-up, improve their coding skills, and be exposed to a positive way of using their screen time.
Courses are available to book now and designed for students aged 8-18. Learn more: https://virtualclasses.bsd.education/rugby-school-thailand/"
WISDOM SPORTS CAMP
RST SPRING CAMP
Date: 8th – 12th April 2023 (Full boarding)
Age: 7 - 12
Price details:
- Early bird (10% discount) 20,700 BHT
- The Early bird ends on 17th Feb 2023
- Full price 23,000 BHT
HOLIDAY INN- RST COMMUNITY DISCOUNTS
We’d like to thank our friends from the Holiday Inn, who are offering our RST Community preferential hotel rates and discounts in their restaurants for 2023:
