Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True Good Practicing Teachers Awards IMPORTANT DATES Monday to Friday 16th to 20th February Half Term Holidays Monday to Friday 23rd to 27th February Book Week; A book sale is to take place in the Undercroft area throu Monday 23rd February Book Character Dress Up Day Book week assembly At a special ceremony on Wednesday 11th February, Kru Piyawat Tammapaktarakul (Joe), Head of the Thai Language and Culture department, has been recognised as the recipient of ‘Good Practicing Teachers’ Awards 2014 by the Ministry of Education. Tuesday 24th February Secondary: Guest Author Sonia Leong Presentation at the Auditorium 5th floor from 8.50am – 9.40am Rugby Achievement Tuesday to Wednesday 24th to 25th February On Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th January 2015, Kimberley Goodburn (Kim), Year 11 student, played for the Thai Barbarian U-16 team in the 2015 Kasetsart Rugby Sevens in the U18 category. The Thai Barbarians won the tournament with Kim scoring half their tries and conversions. He was awarded “Man of the Match”, which is the third time that he has been awarded this accolade at this event. Friday 27th February Guest Author Table in the Undercroft Guest Author Sonia Leong Workshops at the Gallery from 8.00am – 3.00pm Assembly – Readathon Prize Giving Saturday 28th February Book reading session by Ms Pepa O’Donovan during the Mighty Bulldogs Playgroup from 9.3011.30 in the Foundation Stage garden Thursday 5th March Year 2 Trip to Siriraj Hospital from 9.45am – 1.45pm Saturday 7th March Circus Party from 10.00am – 12.00pm at the Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True Dengue Fever Please be aware that we are entering into the season where the risk of Dengue Fever is increased throughout Bangkok. Kindly take the necessary precautions like insuring your child comes to school wearing mosquito repellent. Find more information about Dengue Fever at the end of this newsletter. Learning Support – working in partnership with parents So, how long does it take to learn English, then? Bad news, I am afraid. I am not going to answer the question, but rather I am going to explain why I can’t answer it, why it probably can’t be answered, and what we could do about this. There was a glamorously headlined article in the Guardian in 2012, How I Learned a Language in 22 Hours. It was interesting to read and I’ve no doubt that language teachers the world over had a good long read to see what the secret was. The secret, of course being that it’s not quite 22 hours. It doesn’t take much time before the essential lie of the headline writer becomes clear: the writer is referring not at all to learning a language but to learning only the most common 1000 words. This is rather different. It’s also only time spent using a particular online system, and doesn’t take into account wider factors in the writer’s non-online time, which may or may not have influenced things. The thing is, by its very nature, the length of time it takes to learn a language is always going to be tricky to measure. It will vary hugely from person to person, even where you take into account the various individual differences. A quick Google search threw up this link which although it doesn’t suggest a time for English (being focussed on the time it takes for English speakers to learn another language) it does suggest between 550 and 2200 taught hours, depending on the language being learned. If you flip those figures, you could get an idea of how long it would take for a speaker of those languages to learn English. So, using the information from the last link, I only need to study Thai for 1100 hours and I should be fluent, but I somehow think I will need longer. Best regards, Dominic Proctor and Sarah Huson Learning Support Team UPCOMING EVENTS Baby Bulldogs Playgroup Please note that our next Baby Bulldogs Playgroup is on Saturday 14th February 2015. 2 Constant & True Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Circus Party Bangkok Prep, in conjunction with BAMBI (Bangkok Mothers and Babies International) invite parents and their children between the ages of 1 ½ - 5 years old to Bangkok Prep’s Early Years Foundation Stage Unit for a morning of fun and activities under the theme “Circus Party”. Fun-packed activities include circus-themed arts and crafts such as making clown’s shoes. The children will also enjoy clown face painting, decorating cupcakes and a variety of classic circus games. There will also be a petting zoo! Not Quite the Usual Setup Pepa O’Donovan, a Foundation Stage teacher, has published her second book, Not Quite The Usual Setup, which addresses the issues surrounding “step families” or “blended families”. Co-published and illustrated by Pepa’s long-time friend and schoolteacher Jessica Pena Reeves, the book is for children ages 4 to 8 years. The book will officially be launched on Saturday 28th February, to conclude Bangkok Prep’s Book Week held during 23rd-27th February 2015, during the Mighty Bulldogs Playgroup. 3 Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True Not Quite The Usual Setup tells the story of a little girl whose family is going through change. Her parents are going through a separation. Not Quite The Usual Setup tells the story of Claire as she embraces her “not quite the usual setup” and sees her family grow through changes. Pepa pointed out that the book can be read in classrooms to bring awareness of the diverse family units found in modern society as well as at home. It aims to educate children in being respectful and caring to those who might lack a sense of belongingness from fear of being different. “New beginnings are usually challenging. It is therefore important for those students who come and go as well as those who are a constant part of the Bangkok Prep Community, to come together by being respectful, caring and internationally minded with each other, regardless of where they come from or what their family background is. “Bangkok Prep has students from many different family situation and background. One of our objectives is to celebrate the international diversity in our school. This story is about embracing diversity and being respectful to others: two very important life values all children should learn at a young age,” she added. On Saturday 28th February, Bangkok Prep is hosting a book reading session during Bangkok Prep’s Baby Bulldogs Playgroup from 9.30am-10.30am where Pepa will be reading her book followed by a book signing session and some activities related to the book. The event is open to public. To attend this event and book a seat, call Valerie Campeau at 02-2607890 (Ext 107) or email at [email protected]. Free Admission. PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS I wish you all a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Thank you to those who were able to share our Chinese New Year Celebrations with us this morning. This was another community occasion that emphasises the importance of the international dimension of Bangkok Prep. I hope you have a restful and safe half term break and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 23rd February. Best wishes, Duncan Stonehouse Head of Primary 4 Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True Key Stage 1 Maths Workshop On Tuesday 10th February, a Mathematics Workshop outlining the ways in which Maths is taught in Key Stage 1 took place. The Workshop advised on how parents can help their children at home and resources that can be used in order to aid learning. All the information presented can be found in the parent’s information section on Firefly. Simon Callow Year 6 Teacher Year 6 Transition Transition to Secondary school from Primary is a daunting time for all concerned so a dedicated Transition Team has been set up to ensure that parents and students are fully ready and prepared for life in Secondary school. As a follow up to our very successful Open Morning, a presentation was given to parents of Year 5 and 6 on British Education at Key Stage 3 and beyond. It detailed some of the differences and similarities that the up-coming Year 5 and 6 pupils may experience. It also outlined the benefits of a follow-through school. Parents can find the presentation in the Parents Page of FireFly under the heading Year 5 and 6 Transition. The Transition Team consists of Rhonda Wright, Eimear O'Higgins, Lauren Hills, Donna Virginie and myself. We will also be working very closely with Learning Support and Nicky Williams and her team. In the next few weeks, the page will detail all the activities we have planned for pupils. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or suggestions. We are very much guided by our parents and students needs. Julia Knight KS3 Coordinator Dressing Up Clothes Wanted The Nursery classes would like any donations of old dressing up clothes or old unwanted party dresses that are suitable for ages 3-8. If you have any spare please drop them off in our classrooms. Thank you in advance! Charlotte C. Loach Head of Early Years Foundation Stage 5 Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS Another week has flown by and half-term is upon us! I hope you all have an enjoyable break next week. To the parents of students in Years 11, 12 and 13 please remind your sons/daughters that they should be carrying out revision during the break. Spring Fair I was really pleased to see so many of you attend our Spring Fair last Saturday. It proved to be a very successful event and I hope you enjoyed the occasion as much as I did. The standard of performances on the stage from our students was excellent; it certainly made me feel very proud of our young people. The standard was a reflection of the excellent work that goes on in our Music classrooms and I must give very special thanks to Mr Watters and Miss Cowan for all their work. They ensured that the students were prepared for each of their performances and provided the support necessary. Monday’s Assembly Many thanks to Ms Knight for her presentation this week. The theme was ‘What young people can teach adults about living’. Ms Knight quoted Paulo Coelho who once said that “A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.” External Examination Students – Years 11, 12 and 13 As I am sure you are aware we are placing a great deal of emphasis on supporting the students in these groups as they prepare for their IGCSE and A Level examinations. We do not want our young people to be ‘stressed out’ but do want to ensure that they have a sense of urgency and are fully aware that they must make the most of the remaining time. As was shown at the Assembly, we wish to avoid the feeling on the left and replace it with the feeling on the right! All subject teachers have been involved in the process of planning revision classes. This has been done to ensure all our students are able to be given support in all the areas necessary. The revision timetable will be available on Firefly. Revision Tips will appear each week in this publication. We also will have a countdown to Songkran in the daily bulletin and around the school Presentation for parents of students in Years 5 and 6 – Wednesday 11th February at 8:00am I would like to thank those parents that attended the event this week. I was very pleased with the numbers present. We do hope that you now have more knowledge regarding the educational provision your children will experience during their time at Bangkok Prep. The presentation outlined the benefits of a follow-through education here at Bangkok Prep. We also looked at the different routes that our students take when they leave school at the age of 18. Book Week – starting Monday 23rd February Ms Knight went on to provide us with her list of things working with young people has taught her:         They are fearless Young children see everyone as equal They are more willing to smile and be happy They speak the truth They use their imagination They are true to themselves They dream BIG They work hard Ms Knight then asked the students ‘How many adults do you know who are like you? Please don’t lose it!’ 6 We hope the half-term break will allow our students to prepare themselves for the book character dress up day on Monday 23rd February. In true Harry Potter style, Mrs Cook had our House Captains draw out, from her special hat, the themes/genres that each Hose will dress up as on the day. Here are the results:  Sabre- Classics  Surus- Science Fiction/Fantasy  Panthera- Fairytale, Myth and Legend  Ursus- Mystery/Adventure I am very much looking forward to seeing the student’s creations! Wyn Williams Head of Secondary Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True Countdown to Songkran 29 Days to go until Songkran Bangkok Prep’s Guide to Successful Revision All students in Years 11, 12 and 13 have been issued a revision guide in tutor time yesterday. It has been created especially for the students of Bangkok Prep and is called ‘Bangkok Prep’s guide to successful revision’. Students should be using this booklet as a guide to help them through the revision process for their external examinations in May/June. It gives information on the psychology of revision, top tips for successful revision, a flow diagram of how students should revise, revision techniques students could use at each step of their revision process, as well as, an example of a revision timetable. Having studied the causes of earthquakes the students had spent a few lessons producing slick news reports as a case study for a major earthquake. Their reports were led by a news anchor who linked to reporters on the scene and studio experts to give some of the technical information. The winning group were Sam, Mark, Mor, and Guy who produced a report on the Christchurch Earthquakes of 2010. Rocky was impressed with the overall standard “A lot of effort has gone into this project and I am impressed with their IT skills too, I couldn’t do that when I was in Year 7!” Josh Morris Geography Teacher and Community Service Coordinator If you would like to access the booklet to help your child with revision, then the booklet is available on Firefly here: http://firefly.bkkprep.ac.th/pshe/year-11 Revision tip: Memory retention According to processing types – Less than 30% and as little as 10% is retained, if reading Less than 50% and as little as 30% is retained, if listening Up to and over 80% is retained, if semantically encoded e.g. understanding and putting meaning to revision e.g. mind-maps, summarizing notes, applying notes to questions Lauren Hills University Advisor and Teacher of Psychology Earthquake News Report Year 7VP were delighted to welcome Head Boy Rocky to the class to watch and assess their earthquake news report projects. Year 8 JPD Art We have been experimenting with different styles and techniques. For example collage, splatter paint, ink, and stencilling. We have also looked at a few artists such as Jim Dine who in the 60:s used mundane objects to inspire creating and interesting artworks. Each of us has been given a different object which has to be our reference for 6 weeks. Although art may not be my strong point it’s very inspiring and enables you to use your imagination. Georgie 8JPD Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True Key Stage 3 Showcase evenings in production now! After the success of Jake and ShirLee’s The Grandfathers and Sian’s School Journey to the Centre of the Earth in term 1, terms 2 and 3 are all about Key Stage 3. The students of Years 7-9 will have the chance to apply their learned skills into in the upcoming KS3 showcase evenings. 7VP will produce an anti-discrimination campaign which they have just begun work on with Mrs Knight. 8MJL will begin their devising process with Ms Laragione where they will study Shakespeare's Macbeth and work on their own, original adaptation of the play. This year, Ms Laragione is working in close conjunction with Ms Brown of the English department. The pair have planned a cross-curricular scheme of work which will support and reinforce the students’ learning in both fields. 9AL have begun work on a very modern genre of theatre: Theatre in Education which aims to teach young people about moral and social issues which directly affect them. 9AL will present a clear message to their young audience through a variety of explorative strategies, Drama medium and elements- all of which they now have an extensive knowledge of after nearly 3 years of studying Drama. The three form groups are the first in the Creative Arts carousel to present their end of year examination work. This performance evening will take place in the auditorium at 3.30pm – 5.00pm on Wednesday 11th March. The rest of Years 7-9 will have their showcase evenings on Friday 8th May (7EO, 8MFL and 9CB) and Wednesday 17th June (7CC, 8JDP and 9MG). We look forward to seeing you at our next event. The Drama department. Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True PE NEWS U15 Girls Football Match Report On Thursday our U15 Girls football team had their second match against Ascot International School. After the heart throbbing warm up we were ready to kick off, with just about 10 minutes the opposing team scored a brilliant goal. However, the girls came back strong and kept the score the same until half time. The second half was full of energy with many shots from both teams. Natalie was superb in goal and saved all the goals for the rest of the match. Dayna and Prim were charging with full speed trying to get the ball pass the defenders and smashing it in the goal. With the undying support from parents that came along and our super coach, Mr.Rudall, Prim scored 2 late goals, ending the match with 2-1 to the mighty Bulldogs. By Prim 10DV PE IMPORTANT DATES Football Fixtures Tuesday 24th February U13 Girls vs SIS 3.00pm kick off @ Arena 10 U15 Boys away to St. Andrews 71 Wednesday 25th February Senior Boys away to Concordian Thursday 26th February U13 Boys away to WELLS Friday 27th February U15 Girls vs Regents 3.00pm kick off @ Arena 10 U15 Boys Football Match Report The Boys' U15 football team, aka Hills' Heroes, recorded a comfortable 4-0 victory away at Wells in their first league game of the season. Two goals each from Teo and Smith sealed the win whilst Jaak's bossing of the midfield earned him the Man of the Match. The defence also put in a faultless performance. Next up is St. Andrews away. By Mr Hills Senior Boys Football Match Report Prep continues their winning streak recording a stunning 10-0 win against Regents. It was an impressive first home game with all 12 players playing their part. Jhah led a professional warm up before the game followed by a simple shooting drill and a motivational team huddle. It had the desired impact as the senior team took the lead early when Noah scored with a fine shot to the bottom left corner assisted by Kop. After a hard, physical tackling game, Noah and Kop completed their hat tricks in the second half. Raja scored a memorable free kick that found its way in the left post. The work rate from all players was superb and we were delighted to see a large group of school friends come to watch. Regents strikers did produce some good long shots but were all stopped by our last warrior, Marc who ensured we kept another clean sheet. Goal scorers: Kop 4, Noah 3, Jhah1, Kim 1 and Raja 1 By Title (Team Captain) Congratulations to the Senior Boys team who recorded another sensational result with a 10-0 win against Regents at Arena 10. Josh Morris Geography Teacher and Community Service Coordinator Issue # 6, 13th February 2015 Constant & True U13 Girls Football Match Report “We started the football season with a BANG!!” (Quoted by Nafisa) Prep beat Regents by 12-0, a great start guys. During the game we all played really well, I could see everyone trying their very best and most of all amazing teamwork. The star player of the match was Jeannie and everybody else did a super job. By Kate 8MJL FOBP I think we saw many of you last Saturday, at the Bangkok Prep Spring Fair. I have to say, we FOBP parents all agreed it was a fabulous event. Thumbs up to all teachers, students and other school staff who clearly have put in a lot of time and energy to make it the succesful event it was. Already knew we had an amazing Music department but was completley blown away by the amount of talented students (and teachers) we have. The tables and chairs in front of the stage were filled from start to finish. I think that says enough. FOBP Upcoming Events FOBP would like to thank our sponsors and parents in particular; with your help we managed to raise a whooping Baht 37,000 through Raffle and Lemonade sales. Time now for all enjoy a very relaxing and well deserved half term break. Our hard work defintly paid off. Thanks for your great support. Shows again what a great Bangkok Prep community we have! Hope we can say the same about the Valentines Bake Sale! 10 Secondary Coffee Morning secondary school parents): (open to all Change of Date: Friday 27th February from 8.30am – 10.00am Thitikul Opdal has kindly offered to host at 58/1 Sukhumvit Soi 31 Yaak 4. We encourage all Year Group parents to have a joint coffee morning once a term! Great to touch base, share ideas and meet new parents. For comments, questions or ideas, please get in touch via [email protected] or our Facebook page: Friends of Bangkok Prep. Angelique Leijdekker (FOBP President) & the FOBP Committee PREVENTION The best way to prevent dengue fever is by taking precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes which include: ・ Using a mosquito repellent containing DEET, or oil of lemon and eucalyptus. ・ Dressing in protective clothing during the day-long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes especially in early morning hours before day break and in late afternoon after dark. ・ Keeping unscreened windows and doors closed. ・ Getting rid of areas where mosquitoes breed, such as standing water in flower pots, containers, and Bamboo poles. Reference Source: http://www.moh.gov.my http://www.nhs.uk http://www.hpb.gov.sg http://www.who.int Dengue Fever Dengue fever is a mosquito borne disease caused by the dengue virus which is transmitted by an infected Aedes mosquito - Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite infected humans, and later transmit infection to other people they bite. Dengue is not contagious and does not spread from person to person by physical contact. The disease usually is self-limiting but in some cases it can present with life-threatening complications such as Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome. The most effective way of preventing dengue fever is by taking precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. SYMPTOMS IMMUNISATION Symptoms usually develop from 3-14 days after being exposed to the dengue virus (the incubation period); the average incubation period is around 4-7 days. To date, there is No vaccine available to protect against, or to treat Dengue. Symptoms usually begin with a sudden high temperature (fever) which can reach as high as 41ºC. Other symptoms include: ・ severe headache ・ eye pain; specifically pain behind the eyes ・ severe aching in your bones and joints (Dengue is also known as ‘breakbone fever’) ・ severe muscle pain of the lower back, arms and legs  abdominal pain, feeling sick and being sick ・ chills (shivering) ・ flat red skin rash ・ facial flushing ・ loss of appetite ・ sore throat ・ abnormal bleeding, such as nosebleeds, bleeding gums and/or blood in your urine Symptoms usually pass within a couple of weeks, but it can take several more weeks to make a full recovery. It is common to feel very tired when recovering from this type of infection. DIAGNOSIS Dengue fever is diagnosed by doing blood tests which will determine if the blood samples contain antibodies to the virus. Research and product development are ongoing. TREATMENT There is no specific treatment for dengue fever and most people recover within 2 weeks. To help with recovery, general measures include: ・ Getting plenty of bed rest ・ Drinking lots of fluids ・ Taking medicine to reduce fever. Use analgesics such as acetaminophen or Paracetamol. Avoid those containing aspirin or ibuprofen. For severe dengue, hospitalisation may be necessary. COMPLICATIONS Most people with dengue fever recover completely within 2 weeks. The more clinically severe dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndromes can result in vascular (blood vessel) and liver damage, and can be life- threatening.