traill news - Traill International School, Bangkok

December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
Message from the Principal
November was an extremely eventful month, as it usually is. It has been hard work for the whole of the
school community, but I think that the tremendous achievements made it all worthwhile.
Our basketball teams have continued with their current success. Two weeks ago, the Girls U17 and the
Boys U17 teams went to St Stephen’s, Kao Yai. The Girls won their tournament and the Boys were
narrowly beaten in their final by Wells International School. On Saturday, 1st December, Traill had a clean
sweep of the winners’ medal for both the boys and the girls in the U17 invitational tournament at
Bangkok Patana School. Many congratulations to all the players and my thanks, as usual, go to the
coaches, Mr Joe and Mr Jose.
On the 24th November, Traill was once more at the Ploenchit Fair, with our inflatable ball activity which
again proved to be tremendously popular. Unfortunately, heavy rains with lightning in the afternoon
meant that we had to close the stall for a number of hours. Even this did not dampen the enthusiasm of
the children and we made a very respectable 40,000 baht for charity. My thanks go to all who helped to
man the stall.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the month was the joint re-accreditation visit by a team of inspectors from
CfBT /Sor Mor Sor. I am delighted to report that they said they were amazed at the progress in the quality
of teaching and learning which the school had made over the last three years. They were fully supportive
of the plans we have in place for continuing development and granted the School full re-accreditation. I
will be making the report available to all parents as soon as we receive it.
Last Friday, we had our annual Sports Day, in which we saw many school records tumble. Congratulations
to all who took part. Particular thanks go to PATT, who supplied all students with food and refreshments
throughout the day.
This month’s Newsletter is full of the usual articles including the monthly biography from Y10, so please
check that out. There are also articles on the fantastic primary Christmas production and many other
events.
I would like to thank all those who have so generously donated food for the soi cats and dogs, and also to
Ms Julie, who organized the collection.
I must stop now, to give you time to read the Newsletter by yourself. It just leaves me to wish you and
your families a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and Happy New Year. I look forward to seeing you
all again on Monday, 7th January.
Mr. Gordon Espley-Jones, Principal
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
Mr. Peter Jamieson, 1976-2012
It is with great regret that we announce the passing of one of our former teachers, Mr.
Peter Jamieson. Mr. Peter worked at Traill for 3 years and was a hugely popular
teacher.
A larger than life character, Mr. Peter’s legacy is one of fun (we all remember his wacky
Halloween costumes!), but also of great professionalism. Put simply, he loved life and he
loved teaching.
He will be sorely missed by all who knew him and I’m sure everybody at Traill will join
together in sending our deepest condolences to Mr. Peter’s family at this difficult time.
Rest in peace Peter.
Mr. Graeme Malcolm, Head of Sixth Form
The Mr. Peter we all knew
and loved
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
From the Head of Primary
November and December have been really busy times in the Primary
School. We have welcomed important visitors to the school from CfBT and
Sor Mor Sor during our recent re-accreditation; celebrated Loy Krathong and
The King’s Birthday. The Kindergarten has been out on many visits, to the
shops, to a café and this week to the Snow Dome and Year 5 and 6 have
visited the Science museum. We enjoyed the Ploenchit Fair (even when it
rained!); have taken our Glee choir to perform at the Chistmas Fair at
Smithivej Srinakarin, and once again transformed our classrooms into a
Christmas wonderland.
But for me the highlight of this term has to be The Primary Christmas
Production, ‘Countdown to Christmas’. It’s a time when every single child and
member of staff works together to produce a show which exemplifies our
Primary teamwork!
“This year was one of the best ever Christmas Productions at Traill” said one
parent.
Every single student in the Kindergarten and Primary School had a part to
play. From the props, costumes, sound and lighting to the acting, singing and
choreography, everything came together into a slick performance where
everyone played their parts creating a truly professional show. We are very
lucky to have so much talent here at Traill, and such a great team of
teachers and TA’s to lead them. I would like to express my thanks to all the
performers and staff, with a special thank you to Mrs Rebecca for producing
such an outstanding show. A fantastic start to Christmas 2012; well-done
everyone!
All that remains is for me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas Holiday!
Please enjoy your break, and I look forward to seeing you all back at school
in 2013, Happy New Year ☺
Mrs. Jane Griffiths – Head of Primary
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
4|D e ce m b e r 20 1 2
December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
Something from the Sixth Form…
Education is not all about reading from textbooks or
learning simply to pass exams. It is also about
volunteering and giving back to society. Here at Traill,
students take the initiative by speaking up to
represent school- and that’s where the prefect team
comes in!
The prefect team is a group of students in the Sixth
Form who take on different leadership roles regarding
issues such as the environment, charities, and
communicating with the wider community. We are
currently preparing a questionnaire for students to
allow them to share their ideas about what sort of
things they would like to see happening around the
school. We are also looking towards fundraising by
organizing special mufti days, fun filled activity days,
bake sales and many more! All the money raised will
be used to support different charities and worthy
causes.
The prefect team is also very open to ideas and
initiatives from students to further enrich their
curriculum. At present, Thaowan and Simran are
volunteering to help out at Primary, namely Year 1s.
They take out their time on Tuesday mornings when
Year 1 has reading time and mostly help out by
listening to the little ones read. Making Traill
International School a better community for all is what
the Prefect Team is all about.
Finally, from the Sixth Form, we would also like to give
our best wishes and condolences to Ms. Sue who had to
fly back to the UK due to personal circumstances. At
this difficult time we would want her to know that
we’re all there for her and hope she can come back
soon.
Simran and Sheena
(Community and Publicity Prefects)
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
News from Year 1
During November, year one spent a large amount of time preparing for the Christmas Concert. Time
was spent singing, memorising song lyrics and practising on-stage. As a result of this hard work,
Primary produced the most successful concert yet – thanks again to all the parents that turned up to
support the children and view the show.
In the classroom we’ve been studying hard
with phonics, reading the ‘Oxford Reading
Tree’ books and writing sentences with
more detail and punctuation. In Science,
our topic for this half-term is ‘Light and
Dark’ and in maths we’ve been looking at
lots of topics including halving / doubling,
reading time to the hour and playing
‘Zaap!’ We also made beautiful Krathongs
for the annual Loi Krathong celebration.
I’m sure Santa will be bringing lots of presents to the students for their continued hard work!
Mr. Michael Mallon, Year 1 Teacher
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
News from Year 2
Year 2 have been finding out about our new topic ‘Great Fire of London’, which looks at the
causes and consequences of the fire 350 years ago! We used our topic lessons to make models of
Tudor houses. We also found out about the famous diarist Samuel Pepys and had a go at writing
our own diary entries on coffee stained paper.
Our Science unit this half term was about ‘Healthy Bodies’. We investigated a balanced diet and
sorted food into different food groups.
We talked about sickness and medicines and invited our school nurse Kwan to a question and
answer session!
Ms. Sarah Oliver, Year 2 Teacher
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
A Fun Packed Year 3!
As our term comes to a close Year 3 have been so busy…where do we begin…
On Monday 5th November Year 3 visited Samitivej
Srinarkarin Children’s Hospital to find out how doctors
look after us. We had fun visiting the dentist and seeing
the new born babies’ ward.
We have completed not one, but two Design Technology
Projects this term.
Our first one was investigating, designing and making a
healthy toasted sandwich. We worked hard finding out
about a balanced diet and how to look after our bodies
and finally we got to make and eat our toasted
sandwiches.
As you can see it was great fun!
We also investigated pneumatic systems – moving things
using air. We designed and made moving monsters with
a pneumatic system.
It took a lot of ‘puff’ to get them working!
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
On Wednesday 28th November, Year 3 joined in the
school’s celebration of Loi Krathong. We made our own
Krathongs to float and danced and sang in our special
celebration in the hall.
On Friday 30th November, Year 3 sang and danced for
the Primary Christmas show. They sang ‘We’re Shopping’
and it really got me in the mood to start my Christmas
shopping!
Now Christmas has finally come to Year 3 – we have
decorated the classroom, put up our Christmas tree and
made our Christmas stockings…
We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas vacation!
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year 2013 from
Year 3!
Ms Stacy Corless, Year 3 Teacher
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
Year 10A Project
Throughout the year, Y.10/A invites you to discover their school.
What makes a school? Students and teachers. But what make it unique are the people who
work to give pupils and teachers a chance to work and live in the best conditions. You see them
each day without knowing what exactly their work is and how important they are in the school
organization.
Year 10/A have decided to interview them in order to know them better.
We begin this series with Mr. Mao who had been interviewed by our student journalists, Zee and
Bom and our illustrator.
Their article is accompanied by a drawing done by our illustrator Pim.
Mr. Laurent Denis, Y.10A form tutor
Mr.Mao used to work in Tao island as a diving instructor. Three years later he moved from Tao
Island to Bangkok to be close to his family, so he decided to work at Traill International School. In
Traill, Mr. Mao had many things to do such as being a photographer, an administer on the
Facebook page, a photocopier, an administer of the school website and taking care of the school
buses.
He particularly likes his job as a photographer. During his free time he likes to complete his
hobbies, visiting a lot of professional websites, acquiring new skills.
What is the most complicated part in his work is to monitor the school buses system. It requires a
very accurate organization.
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
12 | D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
From the French Department
‘’ Joan of Arc is the first woman who has proved
that women can also fight. An example for women
who are weak and vulnerable
’’
By Pornima. Year 10/A
31st October: When the Year 10A students went to B42 for registration, we just got the news that we did
not have any Assembly. So we started to discuss our role models and I mentioned ‘Joan of Arc’. My tutor
Laurent who is also my French teacher, has been very touched that I chose a French historical personality.
He encourages me to write a personal article expressing my feeling of why Joan of Arc is my role model.
●When? Where? What? Why?
Born in 1412, she claimed that she had a vision from God, who told her to save France from England. She
was only 12 years old. Wearing a man’s armor and cutting her hair short, she led the French army against
the English. However, she was captured by the English and at her trial, came the statement that she had
to be executed. She was burnt at the stake on May 31 1914, she was just 19.
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
From the French Department
●Why is she my role model?
She was very brave. She never gave up and she was always determined to free her country
from the British. I think what makes her very brave is her patriotic behavior towards her country.
She was a woman. However she was not that type of a woman who would cry out in fear. Instead, she
shouted out cries of love of her country and of freeing her country. Joan of Arc inspires me.She is the
first woman who had proved that women can also fight. She never feared of the consequences
that awaited her. She continued doing her duty to her country, while holding the French flag, and leading
the soldiers to victories. When she was captured and brought to her trial, she showed no fear and when
the statement of her execution was told, still then she remained fearless. During her execution, she did not
show fear on her face, but her expression was of a brave martyr, who was giving up her life for her
country, knowing that someday or the other her work would be paid off. Whenever, I see her portraits
or paintings, I never see a shy woman but a brave, fearless martyr, who never cared for the
consequences, and I wish to be brave like her.
For me, Joan of Arc sets an example for women who are weak and vulnerable and they have to
stand up and fight for themselves like she convinced her army to liberate France. I do not think that there
was or will be anyone as brave as Joan of Arc who at a young age of 17, gave rise to the 100 Years War.
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
From the Music Department
On Saturday 1st December 2012, our students from secondary school division had a great music performance
on stage in front of the audience in “Samitivej Christmas Market 2012” at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital,
Bangkok.
The first show was a dance girl group, “Sugar Babes” which including 3 students from year 9 (Janjao, Paint
and Pinky). They performed “Mistletoe” from “Justin Bieber” with a very talented dance performance for
the opening of “Samitivej Christmas Market 2012”.
The second show was a trio of Lalaine (Y8) – Singer, Nick (Y10) – Percussion and Kru Note – Keyboard. They
performed “White Christmas” from “Taylor Swift” which was a great music performance and good
teamwork.
The third show was a duet of Lara (Y9) – Singer and Kru Note – Keyboard. They performed “My Grown
Up Christmas List” from “Kelly Clarkson” with a very romantic mood.
The fourth show was a quartet band, “Heart & Arrow” which including Lalaine (Y8) – Singer, Nick (Y10) –
Percussion, Jamie (Y8) – Acoustic Guitar and Kru Note – Keyboard. They performed “Last Christmas”
from “Billie Pipers”.
The fifth show was the best pop band of Traill, “Synthesis”. They performed “Just A Dream” from “Nelly”
with a fantastic music performance for the ending of “Samitivej Christmas Market 2012”.
Mr.Pongsithorn Sareeratana (Kru Note) – Teacher of Music
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
Sugar Babes
Synthesis
A trio of
Lalaine (Year 8) – Singer
Nick (Year 10) – Percussion, and
Kru Note – Keyboard
A duet of
Lara (Year 9) – Singer, and
Kru Note - Keyboard
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“Heart & Arrow” which includes
Lalaine (Year 8) – Singer
Nick (Year 10) – Percussion
Jamie (Year 8) – Acoustic Guitar, and
Kru Note – Keyboard
December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
Sports News
What an end to the term. I think we need a bigger trophy cabinet at the School. The sports teams had a
fantastic time at the BISAC term 1 tournaments. The results are as follows:
U15 girl’s basketball – winners
U15 boy’s basketball – runners up
U17 girl’s football – 3rd place
U13 boy’s basketball - 4th place
U13 girl’s basketball – 6th place
U11 girl’s basketball – 6th place
The U17 basketball teams also entered the St. Stephen’s, Khao Yai and Patana tournaments. The girls
teams won both and the boys ended as runners up at Khao Yai, and won at Patana.
The students are now training and playing matches for the term 2 BISAC and FOBISSEA tournaments,
and I hope they can maintain this high standard the students have set themselves.
A big thank you to the coaches, parents and players for all your hard work and support and I wish all an
enjoyable holiday.
Mr. Graham Lewis, Head of PE department
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December 2012
TRAILL NEWS
The Traill International School Newsletter
Established 1966
Merry Christmas
&
Happy
New Year
At TRAILL 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.
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