TRAILL NEWS · May 2012 Established 1966 From the Head of Primary a tight fit, but it gave us the opportunity to listen to Dear Parents / Guardians, The Month of May in the Primary

1 | M a y 2 0 1 2

TRAILL NEWS The Traill International School Newsletter

May 2012

Established 1966

Message from the Principal

On 17th May, we were invited to give a presentation to Japanese parents about Traill, at the Thai-Japanese

Association School. As with previous years, there was considerable interest shown for students of all ages and

English ability. My thanks go to the management and staff of TJAS for their customary warm hospitality.

At the end of May we will be very sorry to see Alice leave the staff at Traill. Alice

came to Traill as the Art Technician, but it became clear very soon that she

wanted to use her considerable skills in more ways than that and so she soon

became our Artist-in-Residence. She had a significant influence on children

throughout the school, who will remember her with great affection. Her most

noticeable legacies are the plethora of notice boards around the school and the

huge mural in the primary playground. She is leaving us to pursue her own

career as a professional artist and we wish her every success with that.

Many congratulations go to the Traill All-Stars Basketball Team who came third in the Thailand National

Championships 2012, losing by a single point in the semi-finals to the eventual winners of the tournament. The

team played with commendable skill and sportsmanship throughout and we are all looking forward to them

reforming for the next tournament which will be this August.

June promises to be a very busy and enjoyable month, so please pay careful attention to the calendar and to other

messages which will be sent out to you, to make sure that you don’t miss any of the activities.

Mr. Gordon Espley-Jones, Principal

2 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

From the Head of Primary

Dear Parents / Guardians,

The Month of May in the Primary School.

Following our Songkran break, the children have returned to a very busy term. All the classes are working

hard, and Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have all been studying in preparation for their SAT’s (Standardised Assessment

Tests) which take place in May in all British Curriculum Schools.

World Maths Day The aim of the World's Biggest School Assembly was to get young people from around the world, discussing,

debating and sharing their views on what matters to them, all on the same day.

Here are some pictures of the whole of the Primary School

taking part in this assembly in Mr Aidan’s room. It was

a tight fit, but it gave us the opportunity to listen to

the views of all the children in Kindergarten and

the Primary School all together.

Traill International School

All the things that matter to us, from our

families, to flooding and deforestation

3 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

These were the issues the children shared:

Year 6 The children decided that the Family, Politics and War where important issues. Family All children deserve to be in a loving family; in Thailand there is lots of divorce which is not good for the children. Politics Many countries around the world face political problems. In Thailand, there is problem of Red shirts and the

Yellow shirts, who always seem to start to fight whenever there is a major election. We want this stop as many

people die because of it. War War affects lots of the people in the world and even though it may appear glamorous in films, it is actually very

violent and horrible. Nobody should have to experience war and we hope that they can all end peacefully.

Year 5 "Last week, we talked about the things that matter most to us as a class. We decided that the most important part of

our lives is family. Our families give us love when we are feeling sad. They work hard for us and give us time and

energy for school. They set boundaries for us, too. Our families forgive our mistakes and teach us important

lessons. They help and support us through difficult times. We are lucky to have families and appreciate them very

much!"

Year 4

What matters to us…

We worry about the floods in Thailand. Some of our houses got flooded and along with the water came dangerous

animals and diseases.

The roads in Bangkok are very busy, we are scared that we might be in a road accident and get hurt or possibly die.

Year 3 In Year 3 at Traill International School, what matters most to us is…

People cutting down too many trees to make buildings and make money without thinking what might happen

next.

In October 2011 Bangkok and Thailand suffered the effects of this with lots of flooding!

Many people lost their homes, their work places and many died.

Children lost their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.

Schools were closed for weeks and people ran out of food.

Our fear is that this can happen again in the future.

Please stop cutting down trees and look after our country and our world.

Thank you!

4 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Year 2 The flooding in and around Bangkok matters to us. In year 2 we are worried it will happen again. This is because it

might destroy our homes and crocodiles and snakes might harm us. We are worried that we might drown or get

sick because there will be no clean water to drink. Also school will shut and we won’t be able to learn.

Year 1

"My friends are important to me. I want them to be happy and not sad. If I see one of my friends sad I will try to

cheer them up"

KG2

All KG2 students stood up and held up pictures they had drawn of a happy Thailand with no tsunamis.

KG1

Ms Catherine spoke for KG1, she said that there were a variety of answers in KG1, from mums and dads because

mums gave good hugs and dads were big and strong. Someone said her heart was important as it magic’s her and

makes her pretty. Another said her dog was special because he plays so nicely and she could tie him round a tree.

The children in Nursery are very influenced by their surroundings and had new props in their role-play area so

one answer was that doctors were important because they fix us when we sick. (The student was dressed as a

doctor at the time.)

Gymnastics Awards

May has also been the time for Gymnastics certificates to be awarded to our new ‘budding’ gymnasts!

All children who have attended gymnastics this year were able to be assessed and presented with their British

Gymnastics Proficiency Awards.

Congratulations to:

Yuri Kaohom Cha Em

Kane GiGi P – J

Imun Prim Ten Ten

Jenene Tin Tin Jean

Jayden Prem Stamp

Ha Sung Angie Mahiro

Cate Emma

5 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Here are some of the children receiving their awards.

This month has also seen the beginnings of a School Link Project which is being fronted by our current Year 5 students

6 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

The Link school is a British Curriculum School called Treffos School and is located on the Island of Anglesey, North

Wales in the UK. If you want to find out more, the School website can be found on http://www.treffos.org.uk.

It also has a blog site on which you can find numerous photographs recording the life of the school on

http://treffos.blogspot.com/

Dates for your Diary: 28th May -1st June SAT’s Assessment week

1st June The British Queen’s Jubilee Street Party and Games

The British Queen’s Diamond Jubilee takes place in 2012, marking 60 years of her reign. The

Queen came to the throne on 6th February 1952 (her Coronation took place on 2nd June 1953).

5th -8th June Primary International Week with Whole School International Day on the 8th

15th June Primary Prize Giving

22nd June Whole School Summer Show ‘Traill Goes to Broadway’

Mrs. Jane Griffiths, Head of Primary

Recycling Fun in Year 3

This term’s topic in Year 3 is ‘Save Our Planet’ and we have been looking at what is affecting our planet (pollution,

deforestation and global warming) and what we can do to save it!

We have been looking at using recycled materials to create our own photograph frames. We had decided who we

are making it for and base our designs around them; thinking about what that person’s hobby was or what their

favourite thing is. Then using our design and our recycled materials we began to make our photograph frames.

Come to Year 3 to check out the final product!

We wanted to know how recycled materials were made – so in your science lesson we investigated what goes into

recycled paper. Later that day we made our own recycled paper – it was so much fun!

We believe in Year 3 that we should only used recycled paper and make sure we recycle as much of the things we

use as we can!

http://www.treffos.org.uk/

http://treffos.blogspot.com/

7 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

1

In our Art lesson with Ms Alice we sketched our portraits and then painted

them. They are now on display in our classroom with our targets for the

term.

Under by umbrella ella ella ella

Capacity

Riddles

A BIG thank you to Ms Jane, our teaching assistant for all her help in these

lessons, for displaying our work so brilliantly and for her wonderful

photographs of the events!

Ms. Stacy Corless, Year 3 Teacher

Year 4 Off with her head! As a stunning start to this terms topic, ‘Off with

her head!’, Year 4 made papier mache heads to

represent the two wives of Henry VIII who had

their heads chopped off. They used papier

mache to make the head shape and then painted

the head. For the hair they used black sacks

that were cut into strips and stuck on. The

features of a face were drawn using marker

pens. They are now hanging from the ceiling in

the Year 4 classroom. You are welcome to come

and have a look.

Mrs. Rebecca Wongwiboonchai, Year 4 Teacher

8 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

ESL Department Day Trip to Ancient Siam (Years 3 – 10)

Friday, 4th May 2012

We very much enjoyed our day out in Ancient Siam located at Bang Pu Mai, Samutprakarn. The weather was

extremely hot, but we were happily and frequently cooled down by the selection of drinks on sale at the many

shops. Our day started with a short ride on electric cars, and then we were driven around the city on trams.

The city shows how people have lived in in the provinces of Thailand in years gone by. There were many beautiful

sights to see and the drive around on a tram was accompanied by the guide’s commentary on every building we

looked at.

At the conclusion of our tour we all took a bike ride to the floating market. Some of the children were not

particularly used to riding bicycles and there were a few “wobbles” along the way, however, great fun was had by

all.

We ate lunch at the floating market, and many of the students spent the remainder of their time exploring the area

by bicycle.

The Ancient Siam is a great place where the arts, heritage and the iconic architectural symbols of the country are

lovingly preserved.

After eventually rounding up our classes we all made our way back to school. A great day was had by all and we

returned home tired and happy.

Mrs Carmen – ESL Primary Teacher, Ms Rung – ESL Primary TA

Ms Marieta – ESL Years 7 and 8 Teacher, Mr Patrick – ESL Years 9 and 10 Teacher

9 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Primary Thai Classical Dance ECA

Students learn each original Thai classical dance gesture. They will also be able to perform some dances on special

occasions. They will also learn how to wear the costumes for each dance.

Since the Primary Thai classical dance ECA was started, it has become popular and now it runs for have two days. I

would like to thank all the parents for supporting this activity.

Primary Thai Culture Year 5 – Learning to make Thai desserts

(Thank you very much to Jinny’s mum for your support)

Khao Tom Mad

Year 6 – Learning Thai dances

Ram Wong Madtatan

Ngam Sang Duan and Chaw Thai

Foy Thong

10 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Congratulations to

Primary Students

For your continuous display of gracious

manners throughout the academic year

2011-2012

Ms. Nampetch Khampradab

Thai Language & Culture Teacher

From The ICT Department

Dear Parents/guardians,

My name is Benjamin Aulton, and I have been the Head of ICT at Traill International School since August

2011.

As web technology continues to develop, it increasingly helps people with work, recreation and also their

everyday lives.

Throughout Term 3, in ICT we have been using a website called ‘Edmodo’.

This website allows students to do the following:-

Ask their teacher questions

Have educational discussions with their friends

Download homework tasks and once completed, upload them back up

Complete quizzes

Check their own marks for work completed at home and in class

Share resources with each other

Receive feedback from teachers

iPhone and Android app for smartphones

Many students have called it ‘The School Facebook’!

Another fantastic feature of this website is that it allows parents/guardians to look at their child’s profile.

Their profile includes all the work files they have submitted, the feedback they have been given from the

teacher, as well as their grades.

11 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Of course, you cannot do this without a password. So if you would like your child’s ‘parent code’, please

do not hesitate to send me an email, stating your child’s name, and I shall send back the code you require

to access your child’s profile. My email is [email protected].

ICT is continuing to be developed here at Traill International School, and I am looking forward to playing

a major part in that.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Kind regards, Mr. Benjamin Aulton Head of ICT

Talk to Business Studies and Economics Students

The Department of Economics and Business Studies organized a

guest lecture for the students on 2nd May 2012. The talk was given by

an economist and business journalist, Mr. Daniel Riordan, Managing

Director (Thailand), Baldwin Boyle Group - Public Affairs Counsel.

Mr. Riordan studied economics at university in New Zealand, after

which he worked for a few years as an economist with various

government departments. He then became a business journalist, and

finally moved into corporate PR (which brought him to Thailand).

Currently he is working for Bangkok Bank in Thailand.

The main objective of organizing this lecture was to enable our

students to understand more practical issues related to Business and

Economics which cannot be taught inside the classroom. This also

gave the opportunity for our senior students to shape their careers,

particularly in the corporate world as an economist, business

journalist or public relations officer.

mailto:[email protected]

12 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

The talk was mainly focused on his personal background and career,

stressing the flexibility and benefits an economics education gives,

and the varied and interesting things they can do with it.

Mr. Riordan gave a detailed presentation on various specific roles to

be performed as an economist and PR administrator with examples.

This was followed by a question and answer session with the

students, in which many questions were raised and clarified.

Mr. Praveen Kumar D

Business Studies & Economics Teacher

King Lear Dance Musical

On Thursday, 3rd of May, I saw a dancing musical version of William Shakespeare’s King Lear in B-floor

Theatre. Originally, the play King Lear is a tragic one; it’s about a king who divides his land into three, for

each of his three daughters. The largest piece would go to the daughter who proclaims to love him the most.

The first two daughters exaggerate their love for their father, eager to have a large – if not the largest – piece of

land. The youngest one, however, just says she loves her father as any daughter should. Aghast, the king

banishes his daughter, and divides the land into two instead, for his two ‘rightful’ daughters. At the end,

however, a heartbreaking twist awaits the audience. What piqued my interest, though, was how these

dancers/actors would try to create a dance out of it.

The dance started on an intense note, as they accurately portrayed the beginning of King Lear – no

words were spoken, just movements of the body, and yet the story was clear. Their costumes were ragged and

torn and splattered with red paint which I assume is supposed to be blood. I didn’t get why they were dressed

like that at first but then it became clear – their costumes fit their dance perfectly as they danced wildly yet

beautifully while doing a great job of portraying King Lear’s story.

13 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

During the show, I very much enjoyed the performance of the three clowns. Since the dance and the

story were serious and intense, these clowns would lighten the mood whenever it got too dark. They did a

great job in cracking the audience up as they made jokes without even using human language – they spoke in

gibberish and yet you couldn’t help but laugh at them. They spoke in high-pitched voices and moved in a

comical way. They were hilarious. My favourite part was whenever this one clown would wave and walk as if

he was in a beauty pageant. Did I mention they were all guys? They involved the audience in their jokes too,

which only made it a more fun experience.

In addition to the amazing performances of each dancer/actor, including my favorite ones – the clowns –

I was also immensely impressed with the aspects of the show. The set was simple, which was great because

then the dancers did not use any unnecessary props to tell the story – they just danced and you understand

what they were trying to tell you. There was this mini, geometrically-shaped hill in the middle of the stage

which was the most important prop in the dance. They used it and it was relevant. I was actually amazed at

how something so simple and strange could be so useful and make a huge difference. The clowns used the

majority of the props which I really didn’t mind because they were funnier with props. They even had

popcorn and 3D glasses to watch the dancers dance, at one point. The lights were very helpful in setting the

moods, too. It would turn dark when the dance and the story were serious which intensifies the mood. Then

when the clowns would come to the stage, the lights would turn back on which help in lightening the mood

and match the clowns’ daftness and foolishness. My favourite lighting effect was when the two daughters

were dancing and words like “fool” and “furious” would light the walls – it was very clever due to what

happens next in the story.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this production – it was more than worth the money I paid for and

watching King Lear in B-floor Theatre with the IGCSE Drama students and Miss Julie was a great experience. I

would like to watch more dancing musicals like this in the future and I’m definitely looking forward to more

amazing performances. I’d watch it again if I could, and have no regrets.

Written by: Gemmarie Amparado (Gem), Year 9A

14 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

From the Music Department

On Saturday 31st March and Sunday 1st April 2012, our 2 TIS pop bands (Reverse

Psychology & Synthesis) and 1 singer (Lara) joined in the TIEE Talent Contest 2011 at

Siam Paragon.

There were 17 variety shows (singing, dancing, magic, bands…etc) from many

international schools in this competition for the first round and 3 judges (from GMM

Grammy) choose only 5 best shows for the final round.

We were surprised and very pleased that all 3 acts of Traill International School

passed to the final round (this has never happened before for one school to get 3

prizes!!!). Because of this reason and the request of the organizer, Lara showed her

spirit to withdraw her solo piece (Solo Singing – “Give It To Me Right” from “Melanie

Fiona”) and she decided to sing with her band.

Finally, with excellent music performances from our students...

“Reverse Psychology” won the consolation prize = 1 Trophy, they performed

“Zombie” from “The Cranberries”.

“Synthesis” won the 1st runner-up prize = 1 Trophy + 5,000 Baht, they performed

“I Will Survive” from “Gloria Gaynor” and “In The End” from “Linkin Park”.

This is a fantastic beginning for our two TIS pop bands in their first music

competition and the key to success in such a short time was hard training and very

good team work. We are so proud of what they all have done and there is no

question that they are the pride of Traill International School. Great Job!!!

15 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Congratulations!!!

Reverse Psychology won the consolation prize

at the TIEE Talent Contest 2011

Siam Paragon

Synthesis Won the 1st runner-up prize

at the TIEE Talent Contest 2011

Siam Paragon

16 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

The Overlap Passed to the final round (top 10)

Synthesis Passed to the final round (top 10)

On Saturday 28th April 2012, our 2 TIS pop bands (The

Overlap & Synthesis) were joined in “Rong-Len-Ten-

Rum (Band Competition) 2012” hosted by Department

of Physical Education (Thailand) at The National

Stadium, Bangkok.

There were 10 pop bands from many Thai schools in

the final round of this competition which came from

the DEMO audition. We were very pleased that our

two pop bands from Traill International School were in

top 10. We were also the only one international school

which passed to the final round in this competition.

All 10 pop bands had to perform 3 songs on stage in

front of the audience and 3 judges (producers from the

Faculty of Music). After all bands had finished their

performances, the organizers announced the result of

competition which only 5 best bands can get the

trophies.

Finally, with excellent music performance of our

students...

“The Overlap” received 2,000 Baht + Certificates.

They performed “The Reason” from “Hoobastank”, “21

Guns” from “Green Day” and “Believe” from

“Bodyslam”.

“Synthesis” received 2,000 Baht + Certificates.

They performed “Bad Romance” from “Lady Gaga”,

“Kiss” from “Jetset’er” and “Hold Hands” from “Bird”.

This is a fantastic beginning for our two TIS pop bands

in competing on an open stage at a high standard. The

key of success in a short time were a hard training and

a very good team work. We are so proud of what they

all have done and there is no question that they are the

pride of Traill International School. BRAVO!!!

Mr. Pongsithorn Sareeratana, Music Teacher

17 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Girls’ Softball Report

For the first time in its history, Traill now have a Girls’ Softball Team.

It all started when Patana decided to host a friendly softball tournament on Saturday 10th March, 2012. Our

U/17 girls were a rather young team, as is often the case. Nevertheless, we gave a very good account of

ourselves for our first outing. We lost to ISB and NIST (the two strongest teams in Bangkok), drew 13-13

with Patana and narrowly beat RIS.

Squad: Tang, Prim, Baam, Dream, Palm, Gam, High, Chloe, Sara, Mina, Muski.

In the lead up to the U/17 BISAC proper, we played two matches – firstly against ISB, but without Gam, our

normal pitcher, we were well beaten, and secondly against RIS, and, with our full team, won 9-7 in a tight

match.

On Saturday the 28th April, RIS hosted this year’s U/17 Girls’ BISAC Softball competition. Our team was

even younger this time with only one Yr 11 in the squad. Unfortunately, Traill had the tough draw and

found ourselves in the same group as ISB and NIST, both of whom would progress to the final. We lost to

both, quite close against NIST, then beat Patana for 5th place.

Squad: Tang, Gam, High, Maria, Kaho, Saku, Chloe, Yuri, Sara, Mina, Deweena.

For a warm up match before the U/15 Invitational Softball competition hosted by ISB, we travelled midweek

to ISB and lost only 2-1 in an incredibly tight match lasting a full seven innings. We were, therefore, looking

forward to the Saturday tournament (held on 12th May), but unfortunately, the girls did not do themselves

justice, playing way below their ability, and lost 8-6 to Patana and 20-6 to ISB. Traill had been ahead in both

matches, actually 6-0 ahead against ISB. The only real bright point was Maria’s batting, easily the best

female batter in BISAC.

Squad: Gam, High, Maria, Homa, Kaho, Saku, Chloe, Yuri, Sara, Mina, Paint, Deweena.

Mr. John O’Hara, Physical Education Teacher

18 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

A note from the Sixth Form…

Just a couple of reminders to parents of Y11 students:

1. There will be a Year 12 Options Evening on Thursday 14th June at 3:30pm. For anybody thinking

about studying A Levels next year this is a great opportunity to discuss A Level courses with

subject teachers and receive general information about the Sixth Form. We look forward to seeing

you there!

2. For those students wishing to stay in Year 12 please be reminded that Sixth Form students wear a

different uniform. If you are buying new items of uniform over the summer you will need to order

the shirt and tie. Order forms are available in the School Office.

And finally, all there is left for me to do is wish you all a pleasant summer and I will look forward to

working with many of you next year as you enjoy all the privileges of being Senior Students!

Best wishes, Mr. Graeme Malcolm, Head of Sixth Form

We are very excited by the news that Traill International School is now a member

of FOBISSEA (Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia).

FOBISSEA started as a collection of colleagues in British-styled international

schools in Asia looking for fellowship and professional support. From this grew

an organization which now numbers 40 schools which are located in South East Asia, specifically from South

Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines and Brunei

The student events range in scope from sport to performing arts and community service. Through these activities

students from different countries and cultures are able to interact and enjoy working together on common

interests. They benefit from sharing ideas, challenges and comraderie between our schools.

We have selected a large number of students to represent the School this November in the Under 15 FOBISSEA

games (which has students male and female, competing over 5 days in Athletics, Basketball, Football and

Swimming) held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

There are further competitions in the academic year for the U13 and U11 teams, held at Bangkok and Khao Yai

respectively.

This is a great opportunity for all our students and we hope to arrange sponsorship and fundraising events over

the upcoming months to help enable our best athletes compete in this prestigious competition. If any parents are

interested in being a sponsor for the FOBISSEA games please contact the school office.

Yours in Sport, Mr. Graham Lewis, Head of PE Department

http://www.fobissea.org/home

19 | M a y 2 0 1 2


May 2012

Established 1966

Congratulations to Sattawat Kosasih

in Year 10A!

First Runner Up for Piano Duet Contest

at

the 2012 Yamaha Thailand Music

Festival

At TIS we believe that a broad, coherent and rigorous education with a global outlook conducted in an environment that nurtures mutual respect and concern for the welfare of others is the key to producing successful learning communities. We challenge all members of our community to work hard and to commit with enthusiasm to all that they do. We want our students to enjoy learning and attain the highest standards so they can face the future with confidence and become active members of society.

Documents

TRAILL NEWS · May 2012 Established 1966 From the Head of Primary a tight fit, but it gave us the opportunity to listen to Dear Parents / Guardians, The Month of May in the Primary