Secondary Newsletter

A word from the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and students,

We have come to the end of an exciting term one which included a wide range of day trips, projects, ECAs, leadership opportunities, international collaborations, an art exhibition, house tournaments, sports fixtures,  a school play, a 3-day residential and lots more.

I would like to thank you for all your support throughout this very busy term; as always, it is greatly appreciated. It has been amazing to meet with you all in person again for our parent-teacher conferences, performing arts evening, STEM week, etc.

Please remember that we are here to work in partnership with you to ensure that your child achieves their potential.  We have an ‘open door’ policy and are keen to be available should you need a conversation about any matter concerning your child, so please keep in touch. You can find our key contacts on our website: rbis.ac.th

I wish you all the best for the holidays, and look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

Tom De Smet

The RBIS Performing Arts Evening

What better way to end term 1 than with a celebration of the huge amount of artistic talent our RBIS students have? 

On the evening of December 8th, RBIS took over the auditorium of the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre to share their visual art, their musical talents, their public speaking prowess and their amazing acting abilities in an extravaganza of the arts.

"I really enjoyed being able to perform in front of a live audience, I'm so glad it worked! The best thing about the whole process was being able to be my character, Mark, because it was a different character with a different personality from what I'm used to." Korn, Year 13

"It was a very authentic venue and an honour to be able to perform there with very pleasant people. It was exciting to be able to speak to such a large audience and I hope to be able to do it again." Lolo, Year 10

"Seeing my friends cheering for me was really great. Having such a supportive crowd made me enjoy the experience and I am glad that my performance went well. Peam, Year 9

"I enjoyed dancing and everyone laughing when we told jokes on stage. I think it's great that we got to have this new experience." Zaizi, Year 6

"I enjoyed how we got to collab with the other classes. I enjoyed being able to perform at a real theatre" Tapiwa, Year 6

It was so wonderful to have so many of our RBIS community there to support our students, thank you so much for coming along.

See you again next year!

The Residential Trip to Kanchanaburi

Day 1: 

Here are some of the highlights of our first day of the secondary residential trip to iCamp Thailand, Kanchanaburi. After arriving from Bangkok the students settled into their dorms and had a healthy lunch. Then the Y.6 to 8 students took part in a number of teambuilding activities where they have to work together to solve the problem which would be impossible to solve by themselves. At the same time the Y.9 to 13's learned different survival skills like making a fire, building a shelter, etc.

After another snack break the younger students completed another rather wetter team challenge which ended with a victory for team 1! This was definitely one of the highlights of their day. The older students on the other hand had some teambuilding activities which were followed by an orienteering exercise.

Following dinner, we had a movie night in the iCAMP theatre.

Welcome to iCAMP!

The reception

Teambuilding games

Who can draw a fish?

Best friends!

Shelter building 

Will it be strong enough?

Fire making

Boiling eggs

And eating them of course

Ready for the next activity

Building a pyramid

Well done Y.6!

Well done Y.7 and 8!

Playing games

Orienteering

Water games

Which team can fill up the pipe first?

All about accuracy and speed

Which team can fill up the bucket first?

Football

Time for dinner

Yummy!

Movie time in the iCAMP theatre

Day 2: 

Our students started off a fun-filled day with a hearty breakfast. After our stomachs were filled we split into 2 groups and moved to different destinations: Y.6 to 8 to the Death Railway and the Hellfire Pass and Museum, Y.9 to 13 to the adventure camp and water park.

While our youngest ones learned about history, the oldest ones took part in adventurous activies like wall climbing, ziplining and gell balling.

After lunch our 10 to 13 year olds learned how to make candles and beeswax wraps, while our 14 to 18 year olds went swimming and sliding in a water Park in Suan Pueng, Ratchaburi.

After dinner, we had a camp fire where the children sang songs, and roasted delicious marshmellows. This was followed by a stargazing activity (Geminids meteor shower night). What an exciting day it was!

Gell ball!

Which team will get to the flag?

Korn (Y.13) defending the flag

Yewo (Y.9) climbing

Win (Y.10)and Toey (Y.9) climbing

Tobias (Y.10) almost reaching the top

Ready for the zipline!

Determined

Nate (Y.9) is the first one to zipline

Tinton (Y.9) sliding down

Mr. Sein, the flying Dutchman

Tobias (Y.10) on the zipline

Our Y.6 to 8 students visited the Hellfire Pass Museum

Visit to the memorial

The Death Railway

'Lest we forget'

Friends for life

Swimming race

Table tennis 

Dinner time!

Mmm papaya salad and grilled chicken

Campfire time

Roasting marshmellows

Delicious!!

Day 3

Our last day was once again packed with activities. After an early breakfast of French toast, scrambled eggs, cereal, rice soup and lots more, our students picked their options for the first morning slot: badminton, archery or basketball. After a short snack break they completed arts related activities like pottery and sand colouring which was then followed by an obstacle course and relay games. We definitely couldn't leave with empty stomachs, so we had a large yummy lunch before getting on the bus to Bangkok. What an amazing 3 days! Below you can find what some of the children had to say:

Awei (Y.12): "The visit to the water park was amazing! We had lots of fun!

Tobias (Y.10): "It really made our friendships stronger. It was great to be able to do activities together outside of school."

A beautiful morning

Basketball

Badminton

Archery

New friendships being made

Obstacle race for Y.6 - 8

Tug of war

Time for art!

Pottery

Team work

Obstacle race Y.9 - 13

Obstacle race Y.9 - 13

Community service trips

Saturday 3rd December:
Christmas charity items distribution  -“Foundation for the Better Life of Children”

On Saturday 3rd December students from our 6th Form went to see the children at the “Foundation for the Better Life of Children.” Their task was to take donations kindly given by the RBIS community in our Christmas Charity Appeal to help children in need. Upon arrival they gave bags of clothes, food items and essential items like tooth brushes, toothpaste and soap to the Foundation. After this they set up some games and activities for the children; Knock-down the Cans, Bounce the Ping Pong ball into the Carton and an art activity. The children thoroughly enjoyed the games where they had the opportunity to win prizes as well. Every opportunity was given to allow all the children to try out all the activities and games. Next the children were given a bag of snacks which some wanted to sample straight away and then the 6th form students wandered amongst the children giving them a toy each. There was one more thing to do which the children really enjoyed  - giving them a Christmas card! The children from the Foundation thanked the 6th Formers and Poom gave a short speech saying how much he hoped they had enjoyed the morning. Our thanks to Poom, Awei, Mariha, Kevin, New and Jericho for giving up their Saturday morning to help children in need. They did a wonderful job and should be proud of giving children from the Foundation a morning to remember. Thanks also to Ms Sahar, Mr De Smet and Mr Reed for joining the 6th Form for such a fantastic event.

Poom giving snacks to one of the children - all the children received a bag of snacks.

The children enjoyed receiving a toy - all were very happy 

Some of the children wanted to open their snack bags  to see what they had been given.

Awei, Poom and Kevin giving snack bags to the children. 

Everyone joins in unpacking the toys and snacks - nearly ready to begin the morning activities and games.

Concentrating  on the game - trying to put a table tennis ball into the container.  Did she win?

"Knock down the Cans" was a favourite game for all the children - many prizes were won. 

Snacks, toys and Christmas cards - the children were so happy

The children liked the Christmas cards  very much - some had two.

Mariha and Poom showed the students how to create some artwork

Wow - what a wonderful piece of art work!

Jericho giving out Christmas cards created by the secondary students during a Community Service lesson.

Saturday 10th December:
Christmas charity items distribution  - Urupong slum community

On Saturday 10th December Mr Reed and three of the RBIS Alumni, Captan, Patrick and Scott, went to the  Urupong slum community to distribute some items from our Christmas Charity Collection. There were many children waiting and it was an eventful time giving out snack bags and toys.  Our Alumni ventured along a long queue of waiting children, giving out items until they reached the end of the line. 

Our thanks to Captan, Patrick and Scott for giving up their Saturday morning to help children in need. They did a wonderful job and should be proud of giving children from the slum community a morning to remember. 

Our thanks also to the RBIS community for donating a fantastic amount which we were able to give to the children at the Urupong slum community as well as the children at the Foundation for the Better Life of Children 

Tuesday 6th December:
Donating to PAWS Shelter

The 6th Form students decided earlier this term to visit PAWS, a shelter for street cats, as a part of their Community service.  We asked the Secondary students and teachers to help by donating food and cat litter. We also spent some of our funds to buy extra supplies.  When we arrived at PAWS we were welcomed by Ms Amy who spoke to us  about PAWS and also the life of cats on the streets. There was much to see ranging from new cats which had just arrived to those who were long time residents.  One of the volunteers showed us around the shelter which was really interesting although at times a bit sad.  

What did our 6th formers think about their visit:
Mariha - "Going to PAWS was really fun! I enjoyed it so much, I even made friends with a kitten named Jordan."                                                                                Kenny -  "I'm excited to see many cats and know their history, some fell from the building, hit by a car, blindness or deformed legs."                                                        New - "I have such a great time playing with cats and got to learn about the cats. The whole experience was amazing."                                                                         Jericho -  "Seeing the result of all our donations and hard work makes community service that much more satisfying and accomplishing."                                        Kevin - "I liked today's trip, I liked to play with the small animals" 

Lots of areas for the cats to play and where they can hide  which they enjoy doing.

There are many structures in the rooms for the cats to climb.  A photo by Mariha.

Most of the cats liked to be stroked and were very friendly.

Many of the cats liked our presence.

This floor houses the cats who have recently joined the shelter and are being treated before being introduced to the other residents .

When cats first come to the shelter they spend a few days in a cage before joining the other cats.

Another new resident awaits treatment and vaccinations before being let out of the cage.

A long term resident who enjoys seeing visitors. It has some limbs missing but is happy and friendly. Photo  by Poom.

Another cat being observed waits to leave the cage to join the other cats. 

The operating room - the shelter has two vets who carry out necessary operations and generally treat the cats when they need it. 

Poom captures a photo of one of the cats.

Many cats have freedom in the room they live in. This one enjoyed playing in the ground floor room. 

A long term resident who enjoyed our visit.

A kitten new to the Shelter... another photo by Poom.

Some of the items we took to PAWS

Some of the items we took to PAWS

Sport fixtures

Football: RBIS VS SISB

On the last fday of November the RBIS U14 football team played an away game against SISB . They played extremely well and made the school proud!

Well done to all 9 players (Sooro Y.6, Sean Y.6, Pune Y.7, Oskar Y.8, Davin Y.8, Benjamin Y.8, Peam Y.9, Toey Y.9, Yewo Y.9)! 

If you would also like a chance to be selected for the RBIS football team, don't forget to sign up to Mr. De Smet's football ECA!

HOUSES @ RBIS


4 houses

The RBIS Houses are designed to embody the values and ethos of our school and are an integral part of our school community.

Our Houses' main aim is to provide every student in each house with a sense of belonging within the school community, opportunities to develop social, intellectual, physical and practical skills, a sense of achievement both inside and outside of the classroom including through the fun and excitement of inter-house competitions.

Students are assigned to one of our four Houses when they join the EY, Primary, Middle or Senior sections of the school; entering a system which is designed to develop an awareness of individual and collective responsibility and opportunities for student leadership. Each house has two designated elected House Captains  (Primary and Secondary) who will act as representatives for all the students in their house throughout the year by: helping coordinate house teams, organise activities and events and represent their house at relevant meetings.

House events at Secondary (December) : 

Table tennis tournament

The table tennis tournament begins in January, and the amount of sign-ups has been incredible; all years are raring to go and take the winner's spot, especially Tapiwa and Bright (Y6), who signed up twice. Loving the enthusiasm. Keep it up! 

Participants from each house spend their lunchtimes practising their moves and giving each other tips, even though they are rivals— another example of the RBIS community spirit and how the children support one another. 

Since the badminton tournament was popular with teachers, they once again have their very own table tennis tournament, which is very exciting! 

Teacher tournament

A big thank you to all the teachers who participated in the Badminton tournament; it was a joy to watch the players and the children cheering them on; it has been a GOODminton tournament (sorry). 

Highlights of the tournament were as follows: Mr Mongare's "lucky" blue shoes...they were luckier for Mr De Smet, Ms Bell's fantastic headband and funky moves on (and off) the court, Ms Sherian giving it her all (even though she was nervous) and many more. 

It was a brutal finale, but Mr De Smet managed to keep his win streak intact and is the official winner of the teachers' badminton tournament 2023. Well done, Mr De Smet!

He will take on two-time student champion Son when we return in January. 

Chess tournament

A huge well done to all students who have played their chess matches this week; just two more rounds before we crown a winner! Well done to Davin, Tinton, Pune and Mr Sein (Art) for getting through to their semi-finals. Mr Le Serre (Biology) will face off against Y10s Sinchan before one match moves with Mr Asena (ICT/Business) in the semi-final. 

Who will be the chess champion? Who will make a rook-ie mistake? Watch this space...

House Point Leaderboard

(Based on the HP earned in December)

House Point Leaderboard

(Based on the HP earned throughout Term 1)

House  ranking

(Based on the HP earned since the start of the school year)

Student awards and achievements

Another Bronze award has been awarded. Well done to Benjamin in Year 8 for finishing this term with a smashing 35 points. The next step is silver - keep going! In term 2, I look forward to awarding many more of these (and a few silver too). 

ROUND SQUARE @ RBIS

RBIS is proud to announce it is a global member member of ROUND SQUARE which is a prestigious international organisation with schools in over 50 countries, across six continents. 

It focuses on holistic education practices through the following six key IDEALS: 

Internationalism: Students are taught to value and respect all cultures, religions and languages. They learn to see themselves as global citizens and are asked to look beyond gender, class, race, nationality and culture to understand human nature. 

Democracy: Freedom of thought and speech is greatly encouraged and appropriate forums and channels of communication are in place for students to voice their views. Students are also taught to appreciate the importance of self-discipline and are trained and expected to share in the responsibility for development of the school. 

Environment: Round Square students are expected to demonstrate concern for all natural environments, to be aware of proven problems and to play a practical role in tackling environmental issues. Students are taught the interdependence needed to maintain a healthy relationship between human beings and the planet. 

Adventure: Building character through adventure, meeting physical challenges and developing an appreciation of the outdoors: these are all central to Round Square schools.


Leadership: Students are taught that true leadership is found in those whose convictions are rooted in personal responsibility, kindness and justice. Opportunities for student leadership in the school community are fostered extensively. 

Service: This is the key element utilised by Round Square schools to prepare students for life through the expectation of serving others. Students commit themselves to local, regional and international service projects. 

Round Square related events at Secondary (December) : 

Round Square  – Cultural Exchange Videos

Year 9-13 students created videos on Thai cultural festivals as part of a joint project with another Round Square School (Calgary French and International School, Canada). 

The aim of the project is to create and promote cross-cultural understanding between Round Square schools around the world.

In Term 2, our students will send their videos to students at Calgary French and International School, Canada and in return, view the videos those students have prepared for our students.

Click the YouTube thumbnail for Year 10's video on Chinese New year or scan the QR codes for the videos of Year 9, 11, 12 and 13.

Year 9 - Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival

Year 11 - Lantern Festival

Year 12 - Loy Krathong

Year 13 - Songkran

Community service  – Recycling 

Let's bring in aluminum  cans and more!         

Let's bring in plastic bottles and more!

Let's bring in cardboard boxes and more!

Community service - what did we do in Term One?

Community Service Point Leaderboard

(Total CSPs for Term One)

Alumni of the month

Scott Reed - Graduated from RBIS in 2020

I started my learning in RBIS from Kindergarten and was there until Year 13 when I graduated with A-Levels in 2020. My life at RBIS was a great experience, I made lots of friends throughout the years and the teachers at school were a great help and prepared me well for my entrance to university. Studying Art at RBIS was challenging and getting used to working long hours to complete my assignments was made easier due to the guidance of my Art teachers. The style of preparing for A level was similar to my university tasks so my transition to my degree studies has been quite straight forward.

I’m studying at Bangkok University in my second year – my course of study is a Bachelor of Communication Arts in Innovative Media Production. This has been interesting and at times challenging but I am enjoying the units of study I have completed and look forward to those that follow.

Thanks to the teaching at RBIS, I have improved many important skills that have been very useful to me in university as well as my own personal life. While at RBIS I formed great friendships with my year group and we are still in contact today as we work through our university courses in a variety of different countries. I am grateful to all the teachers I knew at RBIS who helped me along the way and prepared me for the next steps in my career path.

Below are examples of Scott's work for his A level studies and his first year at Bangkok University.

ECA Focus

Young Reporters Club

Every Tuesday during Term 1, students from the Primary have been involved in the Young Reporter Club. The sessions were delivered by Mr Le Serre.

Students learned how to report a story through video reports. This ECA helped the students to develop skills such as communication skills, creativity or digital literacy.

School play rehearsals

The RBIS Evening of Performing Arts was spectacular, but the public did not see the student's hard work in the all-day rehearsal. 

We began with a group meeting led by the Director, Ms Bell, which set the tone for the day, and then it was time to work.  

First, we watched our young public speakers, Freya and Benjamin, determinedly rehearse their speeches with enthusiasm and focus; they did so well, considering how scary it is to go first! 

Then came the musicians. Bianca, Tobias, Ms Forde and Peam tested out the BACC acoustics with their extraordinary musicality, and Mr Mongare made everything pitch-perfect in the sound booth. 

While they were packing their things, it was time for the Art department to shine! Emily and Mr Sein ensured that the backdrop was correctly placed and that everything was perfect for the Drama rehearsal. 

Then it was the Drama ECA turn; the cast of Humbug high filled the stage, blocked their performance, and practised projecting their voices to the back of the auditorium; Ms Bell was in the sound and lighting booth, making sure to catch everyone's best side! 

After a break, it was time for a whole run-through, with the students filling in for the future audience -the first part being a particular highlight for Y6 actors; they wanted to hear the music again! 

Humbug High finished their entire performance with overwhelming support from the musicians and staff in the audience. Rehearsing in the BACC,  with the instruments, props, costumes, lighting and sound, brought the art to life. It also allowed the students to relieve some of those last-minute nerves! 

Our head prefect interviews .....

students who recently joined RBIS

Kenny interviewed...

Pune (Y.7)
Amy (Y.8)
Dora (Y.9
Nammon (Y.10)

How does RBIS compare to your previous school?

Pune: My last school was a Thai school. It has a Thai curriculum but this school has a different curriculum, which is the British Curriculum. So, the subjects and the way teachers teach are different. 

Amy: RBIS is definitely better than my last school. RBIS has better food and they teach and care about their students more. 

Dora: Students get along more kindly and teachers are more patient. 

Nammon: RBIS is quite different from my old school since my previous school had an American curriculum. 

What do you like the most about RBIS?

Pune: The thing that I like the most is the school lunch, this school has international food. Every type of food is so delicious.

Amy: I like how everyone is friendly and doesn't bully each other. 

Dora: All the students and teachers are very friendly and I love the school food. 

Nammon: I would say the people here. They are really friendly and kind. 

Can you tell me about some of the people you've met at our school?

Pune: Tobias, I went on a trip to Chiang Mai with him, this made us closer together.

Amy: They're nice, easy to make friends with and kind. 

Dora: My year 9 classmates and others are nice and easy to get in touch with.

Nammon: Most of the people that I’ve met at school are friendly, nice and kind. You can ask them for help when you need it.

What's the best thing that has happened since you joined our school?

Pune: The best impression is playing football with my friends, it makes me have more friends in the school. 

Amy: My best impression is that I have a lot of new friends and they have a warm welcome. 

Dora: Students take care of cats and everybody is friendly.

Nammon: I would say the teachers and friends that I’ve met because they are really friendly to new students. 

Upcoming events

Friday 13th January 2023: F1 exhibition
January 2023: Chinese New Year celebrations
17th -21st April 2023: World Book Week
May/June 2023: IGCSE/AS/A2 examinations
June 2023: RBIS Secondary swimming gala

HIGHLIGHTS

Coming to RBIS...
'F1 in Schools' exhibition

Where: RBIS Secondary School
When: Friday 13th January 2023