International Week
International days are occasions to educate the general public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity.
The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. Each international day offers many actors the opportunity to organise activities related to the theme of the day. Organisations and offices of the United Nations system, and most importantly, governments, civil society, the public and private sectors, schools, universities, and more generally, citizens, make an international day a springboard for awareness-raising actions.
In Year 7 and 8 Positive Education, the students discussed the importance of advocacy and altruism in our world. They then chose an International Day that interested them and created a poster for it. Their design brief meant that their poster should raise awareness about the issue in a symbolic way and that it should be colourful, creative, and inspiring. I think they did a pretty good job! You can see their efforts in the Clarendon foyer.
Study Space
We have introduced a Study Space for the Year 9 to 11 students in the run up to mock
exams. I would encourage all students to take up this opportunity at least twice a week. Thank you to Ms. Jill for the initiative.
New additions to Secondary School Uniform
Additions to the Secondary School Uniform There will be additions to the uniform coming soon. We have a new cap with the Secondary logo on it, a girls tie, and a unisex tie.
Secondary School Assembly
Secondary School Assembly The October Secondary School Assembly took place on Tuesday at the Innovation Centre Hub.
Our Executive Director, Mr Brenton addressed the audience on the theme of Resilience, and School Captains Calum and Sammy gave a report on the upcoming Investiture Assembly and discussed additions to the secondary school uniform.
Minori and Kosuke from 10 Namadji, also spoke about their Global Perspectives team project.
But the highlight of the assembly was Matilda Whitwell who performed the song “A Thousand Years” from the hit movie Twilight.
She sang beautifully and was superbly accompanied by her mother Lisa on the keyboard. Congratulations to the Secondary School Academic awards winners for October.
The Creative Space Descriptive Writing
“Along the Khlong”
It was a hot day. The scorching sun was radiant, the sky cloudless, and a light blue glaze poured over the city. We walked towards the khlong’s nearest boat station. Opaque water passed through the narrow canal. The water was green - dark in the shadow of the trees and paler in the sunlight – but, still green. Against the choir of birds welcoming to the new day, a gentle murmur of water can be heard; an base accompaniment to the melody above. As I threaded slowly across the squeaky wood planks of the station, water poured out of the gaps. Then I heard the loud noise of an outboard motor coming from a distance. An old motorized wooden boat was dashing along the canal. The boat announced its arrival with a huge wave of water. I regretted my wardrobe choice of closed shoes and jeans – they were soaked. On the boat, I couldn’t hear myself. The outboard motor was deafening. I stood, holding tightly to metal grab handle, trying to keep my balance on the wobbly boat. The seats were full and sellers were holding onto goods, such fresh fruit and sweets. At least their fragrance masked the foul smell of the polluted canal! As the boat dashed through the canal, we were treated to the sight of the bustling metropolis from a new perspective. It was a whistle-stop tour of the city; we passed museums, and traditional markets, bypassing the stationary traffic on the roads. We stopped at Central Pier to wander among the food stalls and to enjoy local flavours. I opted for sweet pad thai for lunch. The journey also took us through slums, tucked behind the trees in the shadow of the skyscrapers. There were villages of congested, deteriorating houses. The canal lanes got narrower and the houses we passed were deprived of the natural gift of sunshine and fresh air. They were composed of scraps of wood, gunny sacks, metal, or other waste materials. The clumps of floating trash make the canal even narrower and the sewer water stagnated in open surface drains, emitting a horrid smell. Deep in the city, after the next few stops, the landscape completely changed. We emerged from the canal into the famous Chao Praya River. My gaze shifted to the majestic, dazzling temples. We passed from the typical chaos of the big city to the peace of the monks and those who gathered there to pray. I felt somewhat spoiled by the gift of witnessing this multitude of complex architecture and jubilation of colours. As we arrived at our destination, Wat Arun Temple, I could smell the sweet fragrance of the lotus flowers that were scattered all around the temple. Aggressive car horns were replaced with the unmistakable and elegant sound of the Thai bells, evoking the gods, keeping the evil forces at bay and good ones near.
Written by Benito - Year 11 AS English
How do you learn?
Every individual is unique. Each has their own ‘style’ of learning. Your learning style is the one that works best for you. Learning styles can be divided into three types. Everyone has a mix; some have a dominant style of learning; some learn equally using all styles.
The styles are:
VISUAL - When you learn best by looking at things. If you are a visual learner you prefer learning by seeing overdoing things hands-on, or hearing them. AUDITORY - You learn best by hearing. Hearing instructions, having group discussions, oral learning in general suits you best.
KINESTHETIC - If you are a kinesthetic learner you learn hands-on, and interact physically with your work. Writing, notetaking, role-playing, you work better directly interacting with what you learn.
I am a kinesthetic learner. I work best by physically interacting with my learning. Now that I know what my learning style is, I can do homework in a way that I know suits me, and I’ve been doing much better because of that.
In class, I’ve been understanding and taking in more information than I used to. My learning is now a fun and efficient process, really all because I know which style is for me. And that’s all. Thanks for reading!
Written by Nayel - 7 Daintree
10 IGCSE Global Perspectives
Minori and I study Global Perspectives. It’s an interesting subject in which we think about different world issues and how they affect people’s lives. As part of our course, we need to come up with a project that addresses a social problem. We felt that it would be relevant to think about how we can encourage students in school to remain vigilant in protecting themselves against Covid19. We decided that a banner in the playground would be a good visual reminder to us of all the good steps we can take to look after ourselves and each other. We decided to include 4 safety guidelines that we want to emphasize: wear a mask; always cough in the elbow; social distance and handwashing. In the fight to stop COVID-19, children and young people can play a key role. We must be responsible and we must stay alert. We can reduce the risk of the spread of infection. And if we all play our part we can feel safe as we study. We don’t want to return to learning from home! We are proud to say that these banners will be displayed not only in this campus but also in Soi 20. And we are looking forward to talking with the small kids about their part in the fight against covid. We hope you like our poster.
Written by Kosuke – 10 Namadji