Rugby School Thailand eNewsletter

Matters of Principal

Whole School

Announcements

INFLUENZA A
As many of you are aware, there have been reported cases of Flu A in Thailand, including
Chonburi. We kindly request your continued vigilance and cooperation in helping us manage this
situation effectively.

Please take note of the following symptoms, and if your child displays any of these signs, we
kindly ask that you keep them at home and monitor their condition closely:
• Fever or a feeling of feverishness/chills
• Persistent cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (excessive tiredness)

If you notice any of these symptoms in your child, or if they persist, we strongly recommend
consulting a medical professional promptly.

We truly appreciate your continued support and cooperation in our collective efforts to keep our
RST community safe and in good health.

EDUCATIONAL DISCOUNT AT STUDIO 7
We are pleased to inform you that RST has signed up for an educational pricing discount programme with one of the leading Apple resellers in Thailand - Studio 7, where you will be able to obtain educational pricing discounts on most Apple products by showing your School ID to them when you are making a purchase.

Their nearest locations to our School are:

Terminal 21 shopping mall
Central Festival Pattaya
Royal Garden Plaza
Tukcom South Pattaya road

The discount applies to most Apple products, excluding iPhones, Apple Watches, and some other accessories.

RSTPA PARENT COOKING CLASSES
Our RSTPA Parent Cooking Classes continue to be very popular. This term, we will have the following classes:

- 9^th October – French
- 6^th November – Indian
- 20^th November – Italian

We have a maximum of 24 places, so if you are interested, please reserve your place via the QR code or by getting in touch with Helen Cool: irbis2002@bk.ru / Line: Helen Cool / 0907694661.

There will be a small fee of 300THB per session to cover the costs of ingredients and you will need to bring some empty containers to take your food away.

RST UNIFORM SWAP
The RST Uniform Swap was a tremendous success! We managed to sell 48 pieces of uniform and swapped 254 vouchers, giving us a total of 302 pieces of second-hand uniform that have been exchanged.

We raised an incredible 4800THB, the largest amount we've ever achieved. Thank you for the support of all those involved.

COBIS ART COMPETITION
We're excited to be launching the new Cobis Art Competition for this year. The theme is 'A Future to be Proud of'.

As always, there will be art prizes and house tries for winners in each category, and we'll submit the overall winning entries to the international competition. See the poster for details of how to hand in artwork.

WISDOM SPORTS ACADEMY'S BASKETBALL PROGRAMMES
Explore the exciting basketball programmes offered by Wisdom Sports Academy and take advantage of our special early bird offers!

For RST students, we're offering an incredible 30% discount on both day drop and a package of 10 sessions. Non-RST students can also benefit from a generous 20% discount on day drop and 10-session packages.

For more information and additional details, please refer to our poster. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to improve your basketball skills at a discounted rate!

Reminders

WISDOM SPORTS ACADEMY CAMPS
If you're looking for Half Term activities, check out the Wisdom Sports Academy camps on offer here at RST:

RSTPA CHARITY GOLF DAY
The RSTPA is busy organising the second annual RST Charity Golf Day. Last year was a great success and this year promises to be even better!

To find out more, CLICK HERE
If you like to join the event as an individual or team of 4 golfers, CLICK HERE
If you’d like to partner with the event as a sponsor, CLICK HERE.

Sponsorship Packages

Highlight of the Week

RSTPA COOKING CLUB
On Monday, we held our first RSTPA Cooking Club of the year for our parents. This time we travelled to Italy to make bruschetta, freshly made pasta, followed by tiramisu. Lots of new skills were learnt and much fun was had.

Announcements

SCHOLARS' EVENT
All of our scholars gathered together in the Black Box Theatre on Thursday for a special celebration to welcome new scholars into the community. Academic Deputy Head, Dr Lilla Grindlay spoke about how, at RST, we expect diligence and perseverance in all areas from all of our scholars. Senior Head, Mr Groves and our Principal then presented a scholar pin to our new Academic, Drama, Music, DT, Art and Sports scholars.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH (DOE) INTERNATIONAL AWARDS: BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD
We're excited to announce the launch of the Bronze, Silver, and Gold DOE International Awards for students in F Block to XX:

Bronze Award: F Block students will be automatically registered. The training adventurous journey will take place from 27^th – 29^th September 2023, with the assessment journey in January 2024.
Silver Award: E and D Block students are eligible to register. They will undertake two adventurous journeys between 25^th – 28^th October 2023, and 28^th February – 2^nd March 2024.
Gold Award: LXX and XX students can register. They will complete two adventurous journeys between 12^th – 14^th October 2023 and 28^th February – 2^nd March 2024.

All students will also participate in Skills, Physical Recreation, and Community Service on a weekly basis to complete their awards. More details will be provided after registration.

To register your child or for any inquiries, please contact Mrs Judith de Villiers at jdevilliers@rugbyschool.ac.th.

DOE Letter - Bronze

DOE Letter - Silver and Gold

START OF SCHOOL ASSEMBLY
Last week, Seniors gathered for the start of term assembly to welcome new staff and students.

Ronnie and Nicki, the two Heads of School, introduced the Leveé who gave their 'top tips' to the new Year 9 (F Block) students.

Mr Groves and Mr Forshaw (Head of Maths in the Prep) presented Kun (F Block) with his Gold medal from the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Junior Maths Olympiad. Mr Furness launched the auditions for Blood Brothers, our exciting musical that will be performed at the end of term.

Following this, Mr Groves spoke to the Seniors about the importance of teams and community and encouraged students to reflect on how many teams they belong to and what they contribute to their teams. As a School community, we should all support one another to be the best version of ourselves.

Reminders

GLOBAL UNIVERSITY FAIR
Join us at the Global University Fair in Pattaya on Saturday, 24^th September. This fantastic event will bring together representatives from some of the best universities worldwide, making it an ideal opportunity for our Sixth Form students to discover even more about university and course options. RST is a proud sponsor of the event and we hope to see lots of you there!

Dates for Your Diary

12^th SEPTEMBER: Parents’ Coffee morning at 8am in the Senior School Dining Hall

15^th SEPTEMBER: School closed for Exeat

21^st SEPTEMBER: E Block social evening and disco (finishes at 7:30pm)

22^nd SEPTEMBER: Deadline to register for SAT assessments (Test on Saturday, 7^th October)

26^th SEPTEMBER: University of Warwick Visit and workshop

27^th SEPTEMBER: D Block residential

Highlight of the Week: Drama

'FRINGE' LAMDA THEATRE COMPANY LAUNCHES
Scholars and LAMDA students across School created RST's first Theatre Company combining the skills from their recent IGCSE and LAMDA Examinations. The group informally called 'Fringe' will be a student-led performance-focused group that will be showcasing individual and group work soon. The first session involved looking at the famous Shakespeare Monologue from 'As You Like It' All The World's a Stage. Scripted and Devised work is planned by the ensemble as well as screenings and workshops to extend their drama. Watch this space for future announcements and future news on our LAMDA Programme.

DID YOU HEAR THE STORY OF THE JOHNSTONE TWINS?
Our Senior Production of Willy Russell's Blood Brothers has had its first week of full rehearsals. Mr Furness and Mrs Duncan have begun looking at the songs and scenes from this Musical play which will be performed in the Black Box on November 28^th, 29^th, 30^th and 1^st December.

This is a large and talented cast and backstage crew of over 40 students and will be a fantastic and challenging show with a full pit band and exciting new staging to create Liverpool in the 1960s. The play, written by Willy Russell, has incredible depth in both story and songs and students are already working hard towards this new RST show.

WEST SIDE STORY
Final tickets are still available for West Side Story which is being watched by RST Students next month in Bangkok. Please see the previous newsletter for more information or email Mr Furness dfurness@rugbyschool.ac.th.

Prep

Announcements

PREP MUSIC RECITAL, 28^th SEPTEMBER 5:00 – 6:00pm
If your child learns a musical instrument outside of School and is ready for an opportunity to perform at a music recital, please scan the QR code to submit an expression of interest. It is highly recommended that you speak with your child's instrumental teacher prior to sending the form to check that they are ready to have a successful performance.

If your child learns an instrument at RST, their teacher will submit the expression of interest directly to the music department.

The list of performers will be published on Friday, 22^nd September. Please note, if there are too many performers registered some may need to perform at another time.

DIGITAL LEARNING
The first of our termly Digital Learning workshops took place last week looking at going beyond the basics of screen time and what we can do at home to raise awareness and empower our children to make more informed decisions with devices.

The slides and resources, including the excellent 'Learn with Heather B' parent courses can be found on the newly updated Digital Learning website's Wellbeing page.

This fits in nicely as the 1st week of Bring-Your-Own-Device comes to a close with our Year 7 and 8 who have already undertaken 2 training sessions on how to use their digital tools to time manage, plan and limit notifications, apps and settings for better focus.

Stay tuned for more workshop dates and updates coming soon...

Reminders

A reminder that parents attending sports fixtures should enter the School via the Webb Ellis Centre (WEC).

Dates for your Diary

9^th SEPTEMBER:
- Session 1 of the Saturday Enrichment Programme (SEP) - (08:45 – 10:00)
- Session 2 SEP (10:15 – 11:45)
Sign-up on SOCS for SEP Session 1 and/or 2

- U13 Basketball Invitational

11^th SEPTEMBER: Spanish Trip Information Session for Parents (17:00 – 18:00)

12^thSEPTEMBER: Year 7A, 7B, 7C to the Outdoor Education Centre (OEC)

13^thSEPTEMBER:
- Year 4 Coffee Morning – Library of the Veraphan Theatre (08:00 – 09:00)
- Year 7O, 7P, to the Outdoor Education Centre (OEC)

14^th SEPTEMBER: Wai Kru (students only)

15^th SEPTEMBER: School Closed for Exeat

18^th SEPTEMBER: School Resumes (08:00)

Highlights of the Week

YEAR 3 COFFEE MORNING
This week, we held our first Coffee Morning to show off our new library to our Year 3 parents. We look forward to seeing our Year 4 parents next week.

Pre-Prep

Announcements

COBIS ART COMPETITION
This year's Cobis Art Competition has the theme of 'A Future to be Proud of'. The 'Whole School' section of the Rugby Post contains more details on how your child can submit an entry.

Reminders

CAR PARK
Thank you for using the DROP and GO lane. A member of SMT will usually be on hand to assist any children getting out of cars, making sure they are guided to the entrance. By keeping this area as a no parking zone, dropping and going quickly, the traffic situation has improved. May I also remind people that the car park and the School site is a NO SMOKING area?

COFFEE MORNINGS
These are designed to bring together year groups of parents at School. It is an informal gathering (no presentations) but a chance to meet the Head of Year and members of the Senior Management Team. Parent reps are also usually present:

20^th September: Nursery,
22^nd September: Pre-Nursery,
27^th September: Year 1 and 2,
29^th September: Reception

Dates for Your Diary

12^th SEPTEMBER: Learner Profile Workshop (8:30am)
Open to all to learn more about our Learner Profile in Pre-Prep

14^th SEPTEMBER: Wai Kru- celebrated in house with children only

15^th SEPTEMBER: No School- EXEAT weekend

18^th SEPTEMBER: School as usual

20^th SEPTEMBER: Nursery Coffee Morning 8:30am

22^nd SEPTEMBER: Pre-Nursery Coffee Morning 8:30am

Highlights of the Week

YEAR 1
Year 1 has been exploring emotions through stories as we learn to identify our feelings. We explored 'The Colour Monster' and mixing colours.

It has been a busy week using upper and lower case letters to name, order and write the letters of the alphabet.

In maths, we looked at counting forward to 10 and finding the missing numerals. We also represented numbers in different ways such as jumping, clapping, building, drawing and writing the correct quantities as numerals and words. We have also been practising our number formation and making sure all digits are facing the right way.

MUSIC
We're excited to kick off the new term with a harmonious note as our Pre-Prep students dive into their music lessons! This term, we're introducing our young learners to the magical world of music, encouraging them to sing, play, dance, and create their own musical masterpieces. With a curriculum designed to foster creativity and ignite a passion for music, we can't wait to witness the budding talents and joyful melodies that will fill our classrooms. Let the music begin!

Learner Profiles

Enrichment

SATURDAY COOKING
This term, we have introduced a new cooking class to our Saturday Enrichment Programme. Lots of boarders and day students from Year 3 to Year 13 joined in last week.

JUNIOR CHEFS
Our talented students have whipped up a delicious treat through a delightful collaboration! While working together, they've crafted mouthwatering chocolate treats, lovingly coated in coconut flakes. These delectable creations are sure to satisfy your sweet cravings. Stay tuned for more culinary delights from our Junior Chefs!

MAD JUNIORS
The MAD juniors continued their theme of “acts of kindness in School”. This week, we decided to serve the cleaners, cooking staff, gardeners and security guards in our community yummy sandwiches to cheer up their day! We saw lots of big smiles all around.

Keep an eye out for next week's act of kindness!

ECO QUEST
During Eco Quest journey this week, we visited the West Lake. We were lucky enough to see lots of differently shaped leaves, some of which were starting to change colour from a lush green to an orangey-brown. We saw pretty coloured flowers and some nuts and seeds that were growing on some of the trees. When we arrived at the lake, we saw some fish, a dragonfly and some butterflies. The light that was low in the sky was catching beautifully on some spiderwebs, and as we walked back up near the WEC we had a wonderful view of Kaew Mai Khao.

CREST SUPERSTARS
Year 3 & 4 CREST Superstars are learning to be scientists and this week studied forensic fingerprints. We tested different materials (ink, charcoal, coco powder, chalk and graphite) to see which produced the clearest print. The children analysed whether they had loop, whorl or arch patterns.

Each week, the CREST Superstars will complete a different challenge working their way towards their award badge from CREST and the British Science Association.

Boarding

It's been fun fun fun in boarding since the start of this term...

Don't want to miss out? Email the Director of Boarding dennisbilling@rugbyschool.ac.th to find out how boarding can work for you!

DRONE ODYSSEY CHALLENGE 2023
Siku participated in 2 competitions as part of the "Drone Odyssey Challenge 2023" in Singapore in July:

Obstacle Challenge (Team, 7-12 years old): In this competition, teams worked on mission tasks under the theme "Climate Change and Natural Disasters." They coded drones to provide information and assistance in challenging or dangerous zones. Siku's team earned the prestigious Champion Award, securing the Championship Trophy and Gold medals.

Drone Swarming Challenge (Team): This competition involved a drone swarming performance synchronised with music, and Siku's team presented an impressive performance titled "Little Ravana". Their hard work paid off as they achieved 1^st runner-up status, earning them Silver medals.

These remarkable achievements have garnered attention, and there have been mentions of Siku's success in two newspapers. Congratulations to Siku on his outstanding accomplishments!

OSAKA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION
Congratulations to Minnie, who has been awarded the Gold Prize in Section III (Piano and Voice) in the 24^th OSAKA International Music Competition (Bangkok Regional Round).

Minnie also won First Place Winner of the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition Spring 2023 and was invited to play a piano performance at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York.

Throughout 2023, Minnie has achieved the following:

- Gold Prize: 2023 Chicago International Music Competition Regional round - Bangkok Center.
- 1^st Place: World Championship International Competition 2023-Bangkok
- 1^st Place: WIEN 2023 International Young Musicians Music Competition -Burapha
- 1^st Place: HKIMAA 2023 Hong Kong International Music & Arts Festival

Well done Minnie!