Secondary Newsletter
A word from the Head of Secondary
Dear parents and students,
Although very belated, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of us all, to wish you a Happy New Year and, although a distant memory, we hope you had a lovely Christmas, managed to relax and had a lovely time with friends and family.
It is hard to believe that we are already at the middle of the school year, but as always time does fly.
This month our Year 12 and 13 A level students sat their mocks under timed conditions. Mocks or exam practice papers allow students to see what grade they can expect in the final exam in May or June. They allow students to get a grasp on how the real exam will feel and give an idea of the kind of questions that can be expected on the day. By taking mocks, pupils also have a better sense of how much time they have and are likely to feel less nervous on the official exam day. With this very valuable experience behind us (Y.11 also sat mocks, but in December) we are now looking forward to May and June for the official exams.
Besides mocks January is also the month for a well-celebrated festival around the world: Chinese New Year. As tradition goes we had a well praised event organized by our Mandarin teachers here at RBIS with our students taking part in lots of Chinese language and culture activities on the day (photos below).
Earlier this month we also had a STEM event organized by 'F1 in Schools' at Secondary which further developed our children's knowledge of aerodynamics, car manufacturing and team work. Please have a look at the photos and video below to get a full idea of what the children did on the day.
It's going to be another busy term, as we've got a lot more events and activities to look forward to.
As always thank you for your continued support of RBIS. Enjoy the reading, and do not hesitate to contact us if you require more information.
Tom De Smet
'F1 in schools' exhibition
On the 13th of January our Secondary students completed an exciting STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths) challenge where they got to build a model F1 car and test it on a special track. F1 in Schools is an international organisation that operates in many countries and we are proud to have had their team at RBIS today. Besides designing and making miniature Formula 1 cars, our students worked in teams to learn about aerodynamics and successful teamwork. Driving simulators were also provided for the children so they could experience car racing in a safe and familiar environment. Congratulations to Korn, Emily, Kevin and Hafsa from Year 13 who took home gold medals today. It took their car only 1.5 seconds to travel across the 24m racing track!
Chinese New Year celebrations
Our congratulations and best wishes go to all of the families in the RBIS community who celebrated the Lunar New Year.
Joined by their teachers, the students of RBIS enjoyed a wonderful morning of lion dances and activities organised by the Friendship Academy (our partners in Mandarin language education at RBIS).
Y.6 - 9
What's Going On?
Year 6 Computing
Year 6 students are currently learning and practicing how to use Microsoft PowerPoint to plan and create their own presentations using various tools.
Microsoft’s PowerPoint is an undervalued software which is part of the computing syllabus and is a software that will be used many times in the future, especially when your children attend University and are expected to present their ideas and projects to an audience.
By interacting with PowerPoint, your children will learn multiple transferable skills that can be implemented onto other subjects and other software packages such as Word, which we have already covered.
They will also present their ideas to the class using their own PowerPoint slides which will make them digitally literate and expand their confidence and communication skills for personal development.
Year 7 General Science
Year 7 students continued studying acids, bases and indicators in Term 2. They learnt about common mineral acids and alkalis used and found in everyday life.
They also learned about hazards related to the use of acids and alkalis, including safe handling and disposal of acids.
Students then tried out various indicators in the laboratory and also had some colour changing fun when creating rainbow test tubes using acid and alkalki solutions, along with Universal Indicator.
Year 8 Thai
Thai Calligraphy
Having a beautiful, neat and clean handwriting will make the writing easier to read and will make those who gaze upon it understand the content better. In addition, outstanding calligraphy will improve the overall presentation of the work.
At RBIS International School, our Thai Language learners who learn Thai as their first language and students who learn Thai as an additional language use the Thai font selected by the Ministry of Education and the Department of Elementary from the Faculty of Education, at Chulalongkorn University. This choice was made to make sure all students are able to write for effective communication. It is very important for us to preserve the pattern of Thai characters used in calligraphy for future generations.
Year 9 Physics
Year 9 students have been studying a unit on 'Light' as part of their Physics curriculum. In this unit students built on their knowledge of light and its effects, learned how we see objects, how to represent light as a ray and use this concept to explain reflection and refraction.
Using a laser pointer, protractor, and a reflective surface, they measured the angle of incidence and reflection to verify Euclid's law of reflection. They also built pinhole cameras which turned out great - just look how sharp the image quality is!
Y.10 - 13
What's Going On?
What's Going On?
Year 10 IGCSE chemistry
Year 10 IGCSE Chemistry students started term 2 by exploring chemical energetics and reaction rates. This is a very useful and practical topic, as it involves many examples from everyday life such as cooking, keeping warm and combustion.
Students explored examples of bond enthalpy changes during reactions to classify them as exothermic or endothermic. They learnt to make reaction profiles and explored the idea of activation energy of reactions.
They also conducted several experiments in the laboratory to investigate factors that affect the rate of chemical reactions such as surface area, temperature and concentration of reactants. By tabulating their observations and graphing the results, they were able to see how different factors affect the speed at which chemical reactions occur.
Year 11 IGCSE business
Since we have covered and finished all six units of the business studies syllabus, we have now began practicing past-exam papers to prepare the year 11 cohort in the best way possible.
Our plan is to cover both the short-answer (paper 1) and case-study (paper 2) exam papers, one page at a time, per lesson, where each student will mark someone else’s work towards the end of the lesson, using answers and criteria from the mark scheme which I will extensively explain and cover in real-time.
It is important to understand how the mark scheme works so your children can provide relevant answers and score the most marks possible by meeting the criteria found in the mark scheme.
The goal is to emulate real conditions and prepare year 11 pupils for the type of questions that can be given in the real exam. In addition, to identify certain areas or chapters within units where more revision and work is needed, in this case, Unit 5: financial information.
Year 12 A level English
Students are currently studying Metaphysical Poetry as part of their preparation for Component 2 of their course. This has entailed not only analysing poetry and understanding the key conventions of the genre, but also deciphering some rather archaic language!
This unit has really shown why the study of English - and literature in particular - is such an important life skill. Not only will the analysis skills that students learn support them in their future in a myriad of ways, but we have also covered so a number of different disciplines in our lessons recently. The study of these poems requires a study of history, of sociology and both philosophical and psychological discussions. It makes for an interesting afternoon!
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.
If thou be'st born to strange sights,
Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights,
Till age snow white hairs on thee,
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,
All strange wonders that befell thee,
And swear,
No where
Lives a woman true, and fair.
If thou find'st one, let me know,
Such a pilgrimage were sweet;
Yet do not, I would not go,
Though at next door we might meet;
Though she were true, when you met her,
And last, till you write your letter,
Yet she
Will be
False, ere I come, to two, or three.
John Donne
Year 13 HSD fine art
The Highschool Diploma students in year 13 have worked on the introduction page of their sketchbooks making reference to ongoing events like Formula 1 racing and Chinese New Year in addition to personal facts and figures. The sketchbooks will be used to collect visual information on future projects like oil and acrylic paintings on canvas.
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 (January) :
Table tennis tournament
During January, RBIS hosted its annual Table Tennis tournament for Y6-Y13. Table tennis has been a popular activity during breaks and lunch times, and students were keen to test themselves in a more structured manner.
All games were played in a competitive atmosphere, but lots of respect and encouragement were also shown between the players. All games were great exhibitions of quality table tennis, and it was great to see that the participants (who did not win their rounds) stay behind to watch and cheer for their friends.
The overall winner will be decided in the final, which will be held on Friday, P7. We have Sinchan (Phoenix, Y10) vs Win (Lion, Y10)
With experienced and new players in each Year group, the tournament has been exciting!
Well done to all players!
Chess tournament
Well, the annual RBIS Chess tournament has reached its finale! Students and teachers got through it without working 'knights'. A big well done to Pune (Y7, Dragon) and Mr Asena (ICT/Business, Phoenix) for reaching the semi-final, but it was Tinton (Y9, Phoenix) and Sinchan (Y10, Phoenix) who secured the two final spots, they will be battling it out to see who will grab those precious house points for Phoenix.
A huge congratulations to Sinchan, who has made it to the finals in two separate tournaments (chess and table tennis) in the same month; it shows how far hard work and dedication can take you. Fantastic work!
House Point Leaderboard
(Based on the HP earned in January)
House Point Leaderboard
(Based on the HP earned so far this school year)
House ranking
(Based on the HP earned since the start of the school year)
Student awards and achievements
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 (January) :
Round Square @ RBIS Secondary
Round Square @ RBIS Secondary
Passing of HM King Constantine II
On January 10, 2023, His Majesty King Constantine II of Greece passed away in Athens at the age of 82.
As President and Patron of Round Square, he was close friends with Round Square founder Kurt Hahn and was present during the initial discussion which led to the formation of the organization in the 1960s.
His Majesty remained actively involved in Round Square throughout his life and attended almost every Round Square conference over a period of 50 years.
RBIS students expressed their condolences to Her Majesty Queen Anne-Marie by writing letters to her, which were mailed to Greece. Students also submitted class pictures to honor His Majesty's life and work. These will be used to create a mosaic portrait of His Majesty.
Community Service (January)
Community Service Point Leaderboard
(Based on the CSP earned in January)
Alumni of the month
Patrick Srilawong - graduated from RBIS in 2020
I started studying at RBIS from Year 3 until I completed my A Levels in 2020. My experience at RBIS has been invaluable and I am forever grateful to all my friends and teachers who have helped me along the way. I was fortunate enough to be taught by great teachers about many different subjects, especially Mathematics and Business which have become very relevant to my current field of studies. The high level of education I received during my A Levels adequately prepared me very well for university-level work.
I am currently attending Chulalongkorn University as a second-year student, studying in the Bachelor of Arts Program in Economics (EBA). Despite a bumpy first year where most of my learning was done online, I am now back to studying on-campus for all my courses. I am very much enjoying my university experience so far and I am finding my courses to be very interesting and economically informative. Other than academics, I am also a member of my faculty’s Running Club where I participate in the university’s sports tournaments. During my time at RBIS, I greatly enjoyed competing in sports against other schools, therefore I am glad that I could continue that experience in university.
I consider myself lucky to have made many close friends at RBIS who have always supported me and to have had teachers who taught me important skills that I would later make great use of in my life.
ECA Focus
French language club
Participants have started learning the rudiments of French through different activities in which interaction is given priority. This ECA will enable students to develop skills for understanding and communicating in everyday situations in French. It will also encourage positive attitudes towards speakers of other languages and a sympathetic approach to other cultures.
Debate club (Y7 - Y13)
Should children be allowed to have cell phones at school? Should wearing helmets be mandatory when bike riding? Are cats better than dogs? These are just some of the issues and questions students ponder daily. You have an opinion, but how do you prove your opinion is better? To learn how to achieve this, join us after school every Thursday for an adventure in debating, as you experience the RBIS Debate Club!
This is your chance to find your voice, get involved, empower yourself, and begin a life-long exploration of the majesty and wonder of words and ideas. The RBIS debate club gives students the tools to develop self-confidence, public speaking skills, build a powerful vocabulary, and learn the finer points of language arts. Working off a foundation of voice, speech, and diction, this ECA uses debate to teach students the art of organising and articulating ideas, structuring and supporting arguments, listening and countering, and more in a fun, safe, and non-competitive environment. Words and ideas can change the world!
School blog post
Cybersecurity: Keeping Children Safe
(Written by RBIS Year 6 teacher, Mr. Macdonald)
(Written by RBIS Year 6 teacher, Mr. Macdonald)
There are basic lessons children need to learn early in life to ensure their safety. Look both ways before crossing the road. Wear seatbelts. Avoid talking to strangers. Don’t wander off alone…
As our world has continued to evolve, moving further into an era of rapidly developing technology, it’s time to highlight another safety concern, one we all know exists, yet does not always take priority when it comes to the protection of children - cyber security. Please click the link to the school blog below to find out more...
Our head prefect interviews .....
Secondary subject teachers
Kenny interviewed...
Kru Kai - Thai language & studies
Ms Paliwala - General science and chemistry
Mr Asena - Computing and business
Ms Reid - English and drama
Kru Kai
What's your best impression that has happened since you started joining this school?
My first impression is that this school is warm and caring. Every student and teacher is also friendly and polite.
How do you handle inattentive students?
Knowing a lot about my students helps me. What is it they like about my subject? What is it they dislike? Havign that information helps me to assist them in every way possible.
How would you teach the slow learner and the fast learner within the same class?
In my class, I will give separate work to different learners, depending on ability. For the slower learner, I will give them a lower assignment level and teach the basics to them while for the faster learners, I will give them more challenging assignments which are at an advanced level.
What kind of technology or teaching materials do you use in the classroom?
I often use Google Maps to show what Thailand looks like. I also use Kahoot games -some of them are created by myself, others by our students.
How do you motivate students?
The way that I motivate students is to inspire them from the beginning, for example, assign the student to write a Thai poem on teacher's day, so the students can give a handwritten card to the teacher. Sometimes I also use educational YouTube videos which makes the whole experience more lively.
Ms Paliwala
What's your best impression that has happened since you started joining this school?
The biggest positive feeling that I feel in this school is that everyone seems very close to each other. For example, we have a class of 10 students, they know each other quite well. They used to work together and support each other, not just to compete or do better than the other. And for the teachers, they work together quite well. For example, if the Biology teacher is absent, the maths teacher can cover the lesson instead. It's a very nice community feeling at this moment.
How do you handle inattentive students?
For the larger class of more than 8-10 students, It's impossible to keep everyone's attention all the time, so I crack a joke and then everybody will listen and laugh, and the person who wasn't paying attention will also listen and laugh. So, to get students back to the lesson, cracking a joke is the best way.
How would you teach the slow learner and the fast learner within the same class?
One thing that helps is get someone who understands the concept and has already done that work to help someone who hasn't done it yet. The two main reasons are, No.1, it helps a person that is a bit behind to catch up easily because someone is helping them and No.2, the person who already finished gets to learn the concept again because the best way to learn is to teach. When your friend asks for help to teach them some concept, you shouldn't say no because if you teach someone else, you are learning it yourself as well.
What kind of technology or teaching materials do you use in the classroom?
For my older learners most of my lessons are PowerPoint and sometimes we're doing like visual labs. For example, when we study light, we use light meter applications, students can know how we measure it. And when they struggle with the concept, I encourage them to use a good video to learn, someone who likes to use video learning or visual learning.
How do you motivate students?
There are many ways to motivate students, one is like, I keep telling them from day one that if you would like a grade C, keep aiming to get that C or higher. But if you get 10% below what you expected, that's actually a good thing. You can identify what the problems are and how you can fix them. I always tell them if you get a bad grade, I am never gonna be upset or annoyed. But I'm going to ask you what you did to get better or improve next time. I'm really sure that grades are not only things that I care about, I also care about many different ways you can show what you have learned.
Mr Asena
What's your best impression that has happened since you started joining this school?
My best impression is a small school, so my expectations were realistic.
How do you handle inattentive students?
If they are not listening, I will repeat the questions again and tell them to answer the questions. Sometimes, I gave them a verbal warning, this made him/her more interested.
How would you teach the slow learner and the fast learner within the same class?
My worksheets and activities are easy and hard. For the slow learner I will give them a normal one but for the fast learner, maybe give them an extension for like 2-3 questions more.
What kind of technology or teaching materials do you use in the classroom?
I usually use google classroom to give the students a worksheet, homework and also posting the information. I also use a computer and projector to show PowerPoint and YouTube.
How do you motivate students?
I tell them about the future, computing and ICT are very important and useful. Any kind of future evolution is going to include information technology, so I basically try to justify why they're learning IT. I also tell them that IT and computer science helps people develop transformation skills, for example you are doing a program in your learning logic and problem solving.
Ms Reid
What's your best impression that has happened since you started joining this school?
RBIS was very friendly and welcoming. It's like a family, I have really warm welcomes from admin staff, teachers or even students.
How do you handle inattentive students?
Making the lesson fun for them, I engage them from the first minute and make students want to participate in their learning journey.
How would you teach the slow learner and the fast learner within the same class?
So basically, differentiation and adaptative teaching; everybody can learn the same thing, but some people need more framework than others. We need everybody to communicate and work together. It's not a race. I give everybody the same topic of work, but their resources are a little different. For example, some students have a few more sections than others on a worksheet.
What kind of technology or teaching materials do you use in the classroom?
Alongside traditional books, pen and paper, we use electronic devices to find resources, create pieces and watch educational videos, which makes students understand more. Now, we live in a technological world, and everyone to uses it.
How do you motivate students?
I greet everybody warmly and let them know that the lesson will be fun. Some topics are difficult to understand initially, so I need to find a way to make the student find a solution that fits their learning style.
Written by Kenny, Y.13
Upcoming events
Wednesday 1st February: UKMT Intermediate maths Challenge (Y.9 & 10)
Thursday 9th February: Mark Twain Performance
Friday 24th February (periods 6 & 7): Talent show
Throughout February: Inter-house football tournament
27th February - 3rd March: World Book Week
Thursday 23rd March: World Poetry Day
Friday 31st March: Songkran celebrations
Friday 31st March: World Book Night
Throughout March: Inter-house basketball tournament
Wednesday 26th April: UKMT Junior maths Challenge (Y.6,7 & 8)
28th April: Annual trashion show
Throughout May: Inter-house debate competition
May/June: IGCSE/AS/A2 examinations
23rd June: Thai culture and studies trip (Y.6 - 13)
28th June: Prize Day / Graduation ceremony
HIGHLIGHTS
An afternoon with Mark Twain
Award-winning British writer, director and actor Daniel Foley returns to Bangkok next month to perform Mark Twain on the RBIS Secondary stage. The great author and storyteller has fallen asleep in the theatre but awakens to embark upon a fascinating journey charting his life and travels and his literary masterpieces. Mark Twain reads from one of his popular novels and responds to some of the numerous letters he receives. Great fun!
The performance is called 'An evening with Mark Twain' and is scheduled to take place at RBIS on Thursday the 9th February from 1:15pm until 2:45pm.
The performance is called 'An evening with Mark Twain' and is scheduled to take place at RBIS on Thursday the 9th February from 1:15pm until 2:45pm.
Daniel Foley trained for the stage at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he won The Percival Steeds Prize and Royal Lyceum Awards. In 1992 he studied the Indonesian traditional form of puppet shadow-play known wayang kulit with the great Pak Suleman and later trained in Japanese traditional dance with Yoh Izumo. With Performance Exchange, Daniel has appeared in more than a hundred stage productions in thirty-seven countries. He’s appeared at The European Arts Festival Berlin, The London International Festival of Theatre, The Shakespeare Festival Cologne, The Seoul Shakespeare Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and many more. He has directed more than fifty productions, ranging from the classics to stage works by modern writers and in 1982 and 1983 he won awards for Best Director.
Talent Show
The annual RBIS Secondary Talent Show is planned for Friday 24th February commencing at 2pm in the Secondary Cafeteria. In addition to various performances from our talented children we have heard a rumour that there may also be 1 or 2 staff members performing.
Please accept our invitation to attend the event. It will last for approximately 45 minutes.
Students were already asked to put their 'acts' down on a signing-up sheet, however if your child hasn't done so yet and you would like him or her to showcase a certain talent please encourage your son or daughter to take part in the event and let us know.