Rugby School Thailand eNewsletter

Matters of Principal

Whole School

Announcements

THE RSTPA RAISED 300K THB FOR CHARITY!
Over the past week, some of the RSTPA have visited our Christmas Fair charity partners, along with Kru Natt and Mr Grindlay, to hand over the money raised from the event. This year's Christmas Fair was the largest RSTPA event to date and raised an impressive 150k THB for Take Care Kids and 150k THB for ChonBuri Hospital; a significant amount of money that will go towards improving the lives of people in our wider local community. Once again, we'd like to thank Angelique and her team for the incredible effort they put into the event. What a rewarding outcome!

Find out more and see some photos in our blog post, here.

IQAIR AIRVISUAL NETWORK
RST is now on IQAir's AirVisual network. This means you are now able to search "Rugby School Thailand' on the AirVisual app to see real-time air quality data.

For more information on how IQAir calculates air quality, please visit their website. For more information on how Rugby School Thailand monitors and responds to air quality, please visit Policies on our website.

Reminders

AMARI HOTEL PATTAYA
We are pleased to announce that our wonderful RST community can enjoy a 25% discount on all spa treatments from now until 31^st December 2024 at the Amari Hotel Pattaya.

To benefit from the discount, you must book in advance through Nuttrija Junkra (Cartoon). Please email nuttruja.j@onyx-hospitality.com or call +66 84 4682208, and bring your School ID card to verify your booking.

RST RICE CHALLENGE
There are just a few weeks left of our whole School Rice Challenge!

So far, we have collected tons of rice, and we are grateful for every grain. Thank you for everyone's generosity across the School, the piles are getting bigger and bigger!

Please continue donating to this cause; the Hand to Hand foundation will distribute the rice all over Thailand during Songrkan holidays.

RSTPA COOKING CLASS
If you would like to join our next cooking classes, they are as follows:

1^st April – Thai
7^th May – Korean
4^th June – Japanese

We have a maximum of 24 places, so if you are interested, please reserve your place via QR code / 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.

Senior

Announcements

SPOTLIGHT ON SIXTH FORM
Mr Threlfall, Assistant Head (Sixth Form) introduces the upcoming Spotlight on Sixth Form series with an overview of our Sixth Form programme.

Starting today, we’ll release a post each week in the lead up to D-Block’s Transition into LXX event (10^th – 12^th June).

Click on the link below to find out more:

Spotlight on Sixth Form

THE FIT FACTOR
This term, LXX students have continued their work with the Higher Education and Careers team, in preparation for their future university applications. Most recently, their focus has been on identifying the “Fit Factors” that are most important to them when making choices on their higher education pathways.

Finding the right fit is personal to each student. We encourage them to shortlist institutions where they will fit in well, both socially and academically and benefit from the whole student experience, preparing them for life after graduation.

Click on the link below to find out more:

The Fit Factor

Reminders

UNIFROG UNIVERSITY FAIR

RITSUMEIKAN UNIVERSITY WEBINAR
Japan is an excellent place to be a student - did you know that many Japanese universities offer undergraduate degree programmes instructed in English? Did you know the average annual tuition fee for Japanese universities is less than 15,000 USD?

Come attend our webinar and find out:

Why 37,000+ students and 428,000+ alumni chose Ritsumeikan - a leading private university in Western Japan.
What you can learn at Ritsumeikan - English-medium Undergraduate Programmes
Why Japan is an excellent place to study
Inquire directly to an admissions officer during the Q&A

Date: Saturday, 6^th April
Time: 1 pm - 2 pm (JST)

Register today, and find out why you should come study at Ritsumeikan.

SPRING GALA
A reminder that our Spring Gala will take place next week, on Tuesday, 2^nd April at 6.30pm in the Veraphan Theatre. For those who have tickets, we look forward to seeing you there!

Highlights of the Week

RORDOR
Over the last two weeks, all the new RST RorDor applicants have been practising for their physical exam. Thank you to all the army coaches from Chonburi Military who have trained our students!

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE VISIT
Last week, we hosted visitors from the University of Cambridge, Downing College, providing valuable insights into the Cambridge experience. Dr Yunus and Dr Wang-Purcell detailed life at Cambridge, the collegiate system, and sought-after student qualities.

Our Principal, Mr Grindlay, shared his Cambridge experience, emphasising the skills RST students gain through the A Level curriculum and "Whole Me" programme. Dr Yunus offered tips for personal statements, emphasising academic interests and achievements.

The session also covered the Cambridge interview process and the Downing College Summer Programme.

For those who missed the presentation, a recording is available to view by clicking on the video below, and an accompanying slide deck can be found here. Further information on the Downing College Summer Programme can be found in this booklet.

For inquiries about applying to the University of Cambridge or other global institutions, please reach out to Mrs Cecil, Head of Higher Education and Careers.

EQUITY PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS NETWORK
Our Equity Partnership team recently enjoyed a weekend in Bangkok focused on creativity and community impact through entrepreneurial skills sharing. The event brought together 100 participants from Equitable Education Fund (EEF) supported schools across 10 rural provinces of Thailand and students from 6 international schools. The workshops aimed to lay the groundwork for a transformative journey ahead.

Products from this programme will be available for purchase on the Shopee website in June, with all revenue reinvested into local EEF schools to improve education quality and upskill students and teachers. Attendees explored digital marketing, empathetic design, and strategies to amplify branding and product storytelling under the guidance of industry experts. Speakers like Mr Pitchyen Hongpakdee (Thomas), CEO of Anitech, and Mrs Suchada Suphataranant, Communications Director from Shopee Thailand, shared insights to inspire students in the program. Additionally, a workshop focused on redesigning the gift-giving experience aimed to reimagine Thai craft and rural traditions, infusing them with modern E-Commerce practices.

Iysa from LXX described the experience as captivating, highlighting the joy of collaborating with rural communities.

Ajarn Tun and Ajarn Prasit from Chulalongkorn University's Design Faculty led a workshop on effective branding strategies, inspiring teams to plan their upcoming field trips to rural Thai school communities. These trips signify a commitment to grassroots engagement and community empowerment, allowing students to immerse themselves in the rich cultural tapestry of rural Thailand. The final products of these collaborations will be sustainably made within the rural communities, providing revenue to support equitable education. RST teams are partnered with schools in Chiang Rai and Phrae for Season 5. For those interested in learning more, a synopsis video from last season is available:

Prep

Announcements

TERM 3 PREP MUSIC RECITAL: WEDNESDAY, 15^th MAY
Enrollments are now open for the final Prep Music recital.

This recital is open to all Prep students who learn an instrument and have a piece ready to perform. Signing up for a recital is a great motivator for students to practise and playing in front of an audience can help develop their confidence and performance skills.

Register your child by clicking this link or scanning the QR code below.

Registrations will close on Friday, 3^rd May.

Reminders

RST FACTOR
Next week is the last chance for students to register for the House competition "RST FACTOR". If they have a musical performance, film it, upload it and earn a point for your house. Grand final, Friday May 3.

Click this link or scan the QR code below to enter.

Dates for your Diary

30^th MARCH:
World Scholars Cup
Puppy Dash Swim Meet
U13 & U15 Boys Football v Pattaya Academy (home)
U13 BISA Netball Tournament @Kings
U9 (home) & U11 BISA Basketball Tournament (away)
U11 Touch Rugby Tournament (away)
08:45-10:15: Saturday Enrichment Programme (SEP) Session 1
10:30-11:45: Saturday Enrichment Programme (SEP) Session 2
Please sign up on SOCS. Meeting place is the entrance of the Senior Building (Setti Metha)

31^st MARCH: World Scholars Cup

1^st APRIL:
08:15-10:30: RSTPA Cooking Class (Thailand)
ISGT Rugby Invitational

2^nd APRIL:
Y7 & Y8 AES Adventure
U11 Football vs. Regents (away)
18:30-21:00: Spring Gala (ticket holders only)

3^rd APRIL:
08:10-09:20: Y3 & 4 Humanities Showcase
17:00-17:45: Try an Instrument Information Presentation (music room)

4^th APRIL:
Songkran – please wear elephant clothing
15:30: School finishes for Songkran holiday

Highlights of the Week

YEAR 3 MOTHER'S DAY CELEBRATION
Year 3 students welcomed their mums and special adults on Friday afternoon for a Mother's Day celebration which was filled with warmth, energy and laughter. The youngest members of Prep sang their guests a song, decorated cupcakes, undertook a 'Scavenger Selfie Challenge' and presented their mums with a hand-made candle and card. There was not a dry eye in the house by the end of the event!

We have had lots of fun working collaboratively and practically in the science lab.

Announcements

IMPORTANT DATES: TERM 3

LEARNER PROFILE BOARD
We have updated our Learner Profile board into two sections. One is celebrating our Learners of the Week where you can see photographs of children receiving their certificates. The other part is focused on our Learner Profile characters. There is now a QR code to take you to each character video and a QR link to various translations of what the characters are. We will be adding pictures to this board too.

Reminders

SONGKRAN CELEBRATION
We will celebrate Songkran in Pre-Prep on Thursday, 4^th April and we would like to invite you to the following events:

8:15-8:45 Children and parents may offer food to nine Monks at The Oval.
9:00-9:20 All classes and parents are invited to watch various performances to celebrate Songkran.

After this we say goodbye to parents and the children will continue with Rod-Nam-Dam-Hua and Water Fun activities throughout the day. The children will also be taking part in other activities throughout the day.

Click on the link below for more information:

SONGKRAN CELEBRATION

Dates for Your Diary

1^st – 3^rd APRIL: Photo day

4^th APRIL:
Songkran celebrations 8:30-9:20am
End of Term 2

22^nd APRIL:
Start of Term 3
Art week at Pre-Prep - Creative Chameleon

Art Week

Highlights of the Week

STAFF TRAINING
Last week, Pre-Prep staff were lucky to have a visit from Rueben Meerman, the "Surfing Scientist" from Australia. Miss Rhiannon (Science Lead) organised some staff training in Science to help inspire and also give staff confidence in teaching Science. We were also joined by staff from neighbouring schools. We hope our STEAM days and Science lessons will be even more fun from now on!

PATTAYA SHEEP FARM VISIT
Pre-Nursery had a wonderful time when the Pattaya Sheep Farm came to visit School last week. We were able to give milk from bottles to the baby lambs and goats. The bigger animals were so hungry when we fed them grass and leaves. There was even a pony to ride on! What a great farm experience.

SPANISH
Reception students have been singing, counting, and following movements to demonstrate their understanding of basic Spanish words such as "toca, salta, saluda." They've also been playing games to reinforce their knowledge of colours in Spanish.

Year 2 students have been reviewing parts of the face, such as ‘eyes’, ‘nose’ and ‘lips’. They have learned "La Canción de la Cara," and you can watch them singing it—it's not an easy song, but they are singing fabulously! Additionally, we have started learning about Picasso, one of the most famous Spanish artists, and students have begun working on their "retratos - portraits" inspired by his work.

YEAR 1 INTENSIVE ENGLISH
In Mr Roger’s Intensive English Class, Year 1’s Topic Focus this term has been “Transport and Vehicles.” Whilst learning lots and lots of new vocabulary, we have also been learning how to write descriptive sentences using adjectives and punctuating them correctly with capital letters and full stops. The real fun happened when we got to go outside to ride go-carts and tricycles and create our very own Bangkok-style traffic-jam!

YEAR 1
This week, Year 1 had an exciting adventure visiting the Science department in Senior School. The Senior School teachers had prepared several exciting experiments for the children to observe as we tried to answer some of our inquiry questions from our most recent unit on 'Fire'.

We discovered that fire can change colour depending on the materials it comes into contact with and learned all about the fire triangle of what a fire needs to burn (heat, fuel, and oxygen).

Learner Profiles

Sport & Enrichment

Sport

FOOTBALL
Our Year 2 boys played in their first ever football match last Saturday. They showed tremendous sportsmanship, a real 'Teamwork Tiger' attitude, and all tried their best from start to finish. Excellent work boys!

FALCONS MARCH MADNESS SWIM MEET
The RST Swim Team showcased their competitive spirit at the recent Falcons March Madness Swim Meet held at NIST on 23^rd and 24^th March.

Our junior swimmers shone brightly, gaining invaluable experience and improving their times across multiple events. They embraced the thrill of competition and cherished the camaraderie of being part of the team.

A special congratulations to Fred (Y4) and Ella (Y5) for their exceptional performances, securing bronze medals in the 100m breaststroke and 25m breaststroke events, respectively.

Their achievements exemplify the dedication and talent within the RST Swim Team, promising an exciting future ahead.

Enrichment

ECO GARDEN ACTIVITY
At the Eco Garden, we take pride in growing food that's fresh, delicious, and environmentally friendly. Our dedicated Eco Team is thrilled to share our latest harvest with you. From vibrant vegetables to flavourful herbs, our products are grown with care and passion.

You can now find our produce showcased at Scrummy Cafe every Wednesday and Thursday. But that's not all: this week, we're returning to the Eco Garden to cultivate our special, mouthwatering vegetables.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to join our RSTea Time next week and next term. Together, we can nurture a greener future. Remember, when you support the Eco Garden, you're not just buying food – you're investing in sustainability.

Come taste the difference and be a part of our eco-conscious community. Let's grow together, because at the Eco Garden, we believe in cultivating more than just vegetables – we cultivate a greener world!