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This blog was written by Ms Shelby - Class Teacher, Kindergarten Quolls In our Kinder Quoll’s class, we are encouraging children as they continue to develop their independence in completing tasks for their health, hygiene, and physical well-being. We help children accomplish these tasks with as much assistance as needed for each child’s individual development and needs. As children learn and make errors or accomplish a new skill, our classroom staff is there to gently correct and encourage them or praise them for their persistence in learning a new skill. A few of the skills we have been focusing on in our classroom are settling into the morning and taking off and putting on our shoes. As children come into the classroom they are greeted by our classroom staff and then encouraged to begin to settle in before going to play. This routine usually stays the same so that children can learn the routine and remember the steps. Children are encouraged to take off their backpacks or asking for help if their bags have snaps that need to be undone. Removing their water and placing it in our designated spot and then being responsible for putting their backpack in their cubby. Next children learn to sit on the floor to safely remove their shoes without tripping, slipping, or falling over. The children then know that their shoes are to go on our shoe shelf, and then their hands should be cleaned before playing. Staff are always present assisting children as needed but encouraging them to take appropriate risks in completing their routine. One of the biggest ways we have been encouraging independence inside and outside of the classroom is by having children take off and put on their shoes. As stated above, for taking off shoes we encourage children to sit so that they can focus on the task of taking off their shoes instead of worrying about balancing and taking off shoes simultaneously. This task can at first feel overwhelming for children, and sometimes for parents or caretakers as well, so using the same steps and guiding phrases will help as children learn this routine. Starting by sitting down with our shoes, showing or telling which shoe goes on which foot, and then looking at our feet, shoes and hands the whole time we are putting them on is very helpful. Depending on the kind of shoe children use will change how we model, but shoes often require a hand holding the top and/or the back near the heel. If there are loops or straps to hold I encourage children to use these as they push or wiggle their foot into the shoe. The last step can often be forgotten as children celebrate getting their foot into their shoes, and this is making sure any straps are secured so their foot doesn’t come sliding back out! Once both shoes are on we like to use encouraging phrases such as, ‘You did it!’, ‘I saw that you worked so hard to put on your shoes. Sometimes we work hard to do something.’, ‘I am so proud of you for trying to put your shoes on by yourself! It is so good to learn new things.’ Any new skill young learners are in the beginning stages of can take time and patience from all involved, but their smiles and sense of accomplishment when they’ve mastered a new skill is unmatched!

The Foundation Wallabies shared their learning about courage at last week’s Bounce Back Assembly. It was lovely to see our youngest members of the primary school share their thoughts about how they are brave. Some ideas included using a night light, hugging a teddy or thinking about happy things such as riding a scooter to overcome fears. They then demonstrated remarkable courage by performing a song for their parents and our early primary classes about being brave and speaking up with honesty. Our Bounce Back assemblies are part of our school’s well being and resilience program ‘Bounce Back!’, which focuses on different well-being and resilience skills across our primary school each month. This year is the first year our Foundation students have been a part of the program and next month they will be learning about optimism. 2020 has been a turbulent year for many around the world and has certainly highlighted the need to equip children in schools with skills which enable them to be resilient. How we all react to difficult situations depends on a number of factors including how we have learned to tackle other challenging situations throughout our lives. Children have less lived experience compared to adults and they are constantly learning new skills to manage social interactions and emotions. A positive support network of adults, parents, and teachers, who model positive coping skills themselves and guide children, can help children to build resilience or the ability to ‘bounce back’. This is why we not only focus on teaching children well-being and resilience skills in school but also on sharing Bounce Back materials with parents each month. While our Foundation Wallaby students have many more years to keep adding to their resilience toolkits, they certainly showed us this month that they are well on their way! Written by Kellie Gannicott Team Leader of Early Primary (Soi 20 Campus) B. Teaching (Primary), B. Social Work

This blog was written by Ms Jessica - Class Teacher, Nursery Rosellas In recent years, there has been an enormous amount of new research in neuroscience and education.  Neuroscience is a study of how brain activities affect human behaviour and learning. It has been proven that learning triggers a multitude of brain activity. To help students have a deeper understanding of their new knowledge, research has suggested that teachers should incorporate multisensory instruction in their teaching (Goswami, 2008, p.389). Usha Goswami,  professor of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and researcher, gives an example from a study by James (2007, cited in Goswami, 2008) where he takes brain scans of children seeing an alphabet for the first time.  The brain scan identified mostly the visual functions of the brain that were heightened.  The children were then taught phonemic awareness, to recognize the letter and the formation of the letter. By introducing the different domains of understanding of the alphabet, the brain scans taken after the instructions proved a plethora of brain activity were heightened such as audio, kinaesthetic, and visual functions, just by viewing an image of the alphabet. Goswami believes that “Learning is Multisensory” (2008, p.389), and by incorporating multisensory instruction in teaching it can develop the learners' understanding of new knowledge in a holistic way. At Australian International School Bangkok, across the different levels, we practice multisensory instruction, and we believe that “Learning has many forms and is lifelong”, rather than through teacher-centred approach or through repetitive worksheets. “Our philosophy focuses on encouraging children to explore their environment through play and other learning experiences, expressing themselves through writing, construction, creative and performing arts, media arts, as well as developing their cognitive and manipulative skills.” (AISB STAFF MANUAL SY2020-2021, p. 18) Reference AISB, 2020. Staff Manual SY2020-2021AISB. Goswami, U., 2008. Principles of learning, implications for teaching: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42(3‐4), pp.381-399.

Dear Members of the AISB Community, It is with great pleasure that I have joined the AISB Community, not only as the Executive Director but also as a parent, as 2 of my children have also joined AISB, Benito in Year 11 and Danila in Year 6. My wife, Bonny and I also have 4 other children; 2 working in Australia (Teacher and a Social Worker) and 2 in University in Indonesia. I am an Australian and have spent the last 15 years in Indonesia, after a 25-year teaching career in Adelaide which encompassed Primary classroom teaching, Student Counsellor, Deputy Principal and Principal positions. I hold a Masters in Education (Leadership and Management). I moved to Indonesia in 2005 to take up a 2-year position as an Early Years Literacy Adviser on an AusAID funded program in Flores (not far from Komodo) but after 2 years I stayed in Indonesia, as I joined the Australian International School Indonesia in Jakarta as the Head of Secondary. After 4 years in this position, I spent 3 years as the Jakarta Campus Head of Primary and then Principal of all 4 campuses (2 Jakarta campuses, Balikpapan and Bali). Travelling each month to the Bali Campus was a very enjoyable aspect of my role. During my Principal leadership, AIS Indonesia fully introduced the Australian National Curriculum, became accredited with the Council of International Schools, was authorised to teach the IB Diploma Programme in Jakarta and Bali and was accredited by the Indonesian Ministry of Education. Building projects were undertaken with a new campus built in Bali and a new campus in Jakarta due for completion in December. I look to use these experiences to benefit AISB, particularly as we pursue CIS accreditation, progress the High School to Year 12 and 13 and continue with the building program. I do however believe that when achieving things the most important aspect is how you achieve them. Working with people collaboratively and respectfully with clear communication is the key. As an educator, I believe academic excellence is important but that this should be achieved through educating the whole child. We must help children succeed, feel successful and feel that they belong. This can only be achieved if teachers know their students, differentiate for them, challenge them, provide quality instruction and quality feedback and treat them with kindness and care. “Schools exist for the children within them.” When not working I enjoy sport, now mainly watching, with a keen interest in AFL, Cricket, Netball and Tennis. I also enjoy movies and travelling. I am very much looking forward to meeting you all and to working with your children. Warmest regards, Brenton Hall

What is Jolly Phonics? Jolly Phonics is a synthetic phonics program that teaches reading and writing via sound to letter correspondence. As a multi-sensory program, Jolly Phonics uses a combination of senses to teach reading and writing. The sounds are taught in a specific order (not alphabetically) which enables children to begin building words as early as possible. What are the benefits of Jolly Phonics? Children learn to read and write at a faster and more meaningful rate. They learn that letters have individual sounds and when those sounds are blended together, they become words. As an example, a Year 1 class might learn a letter sound every day. along with an action for the sound and a song for the sound.  Children do not just learn the sound in isolation, they also have a specific action and a song to help them remember and they learn the correct letter formation at the same time. About our Jolly Phonics Workshop: The Australian International School Bangkok would like to invite teachers and parents to our Jolly Phonics Workshop. Anyone is welcomed to join the workshop, including teachers and parents outside the AISB community. Join our workshop to learn more about effective methods for teaching Jolly Phonics, hosted by Mr John Chambers - a U.K Certified Jolly Phonics Trainer with over 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher. Workshop Participants will learn: The five main components of Jolly Phonics Tips and tricks to keep students motivated How to teach Jolly Phonics with minimal resources Key Jolly Phonics Topics Covered: Tricky words Identifying the sounds in words Letter formation Letter sounds Blending Workshop Details: 🗓 Date: Saturday 14th November ⏰ Time: 9am - 3pm (morning tea and lunch provided) 💰Cost: 3,500THB 👉10% Discounts for registrations before 15th October .Register here: https://forms.gle/AD7dNDQ914bzNBtYA or scan the QR code For further information or questions, contact Miss Suzete: suzete@australian-isb.com | 02-663-5495-7

Dear Parents, Students, Staff and the whole ASIB Community, My name is Neil Andrew Robinson, and I am delighted to introduce myself as the Head of High School at Australian International School of Bangkok. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the High school at this important stage in the school's development, with the exciting new High school building due to open later this year. I am a British citizen from Manchester in the United Kingdom, having 22 years' experience as a professional educator, 18 of which have been in management and leadership roles, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. I graduated from Lancaster University in 1994 in the field of Design Communication. Upon graduation, I worked as an illustrator which included commissions for British museums and conservation organisations. I began my teaching career in 1999 at Bolton Sixth Form College, a large successful institute in Manchester, having completed my Post Graduate studies in education earlier that year. From 2003 to 2009 I joined the college management team, leading the Expressive Arts department to 100% A to C grade success across courses. In 2009 I was offered the opportunity to work within an educational team tasked with developing the first International Cambridge School within a Royal Patronised University in Bangkok, Thailand. Here, I led a successful senior school achieving excellent student success and progression. In 2012 I joined the Senior Leadership team at Singapore International School of Bangkok (SISB), leading the secondary school, developing the Sixth Form and achieving excellent above world average results and Cambridge achievement awards. In 2015 I founded EcoAvid, a project working with artisans and cottage industries in rural areas of Thailand on sustainable projects, helping create new market avenues. Later that year, I moved to India and Co-Founded ESEDS School of Design, a conceptual and pioneering international sustainable and ethical design institute, which has partnered with two prestigious British universities. From 2018 I became the Head of Secondary School at King’s College India, the first British partner school in India, partnered with the prestigious King’s College Taunton, United Kingdom. My team developed the senior school, an extensive holistic curriculum and facilities in a newly purpose-built campus and Sixth Form, achieving excellent IGCSE and AS results. Away from my professional educational role, I am also a professional illustrator, photographer, poet, designer and artist, having produced work which promotes sustainability. My work has been exhibited and sold in various countries. I look forward to working with you the parents, the management, and an excellent leadership team to develop the AISB High school, into a high achieving school which our students, parents and community will be truly proud of. The school has come a long way since 2002, and I look forward to bringing my knowledge and experience to the school to aid its development further, and to ensure we provide the best foundation for our young leaders of the future. I look forward to meeting you all. Neil Andrew Robinson - AISB Head of Secondary School

Due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases, our school program will be held online between Tuesday 20th April until Friday 30th April. Teachers will be in contact with parents with further details of the program. The safety and wellbeing of our school community is our main priority and we will continue to provide ongoing support to all students, parents and staff throughout this time. Please see below a letter from our school Director, Mr Brenton Hall, sent to AISB parents on 15th April 2021. Dear Parents, I do hope you are having a safe and enjoyable Songkran holiday but do interrupt it with important news. With the surge of Covid 19 cases over the past two weeks in Thailand, we have received a letter from the MOE urging all schools to revert to online/distance learning for the next two weeks. (At AISB this means from Tuesday 20th April till Friday April 30th) Thus, from Tuesday April 20th the school will not be open for students and our school program will once more be held online as it was in January this year. We will follow the same online schedule and use the same online platforms that we used in January as we believe they were effective at that time. We will, however, provide video lessons for some specialist subjects such as Thai and PE. Please note; Teachers will be in contact with parents to inform of the proposed teaching program, and the links and codes needed for online classes. Students new to our school will be informed of requirements to go online by their class teacher. As we did in January, we will make resources available to be picked up from the school and High School students will be able to access their lockers. Information regarding this will be sent in a further email to parents. iGCSE students will be informed of Exams over the next week as we are in contact with Cambridge regarding how they will be conducted. This return to online learning means that all ASAs and Clubs (Swimming and Football) will not start as planned. We will inform you of start dates when the Covid situation allows clarity to make this decision. Please be assured that we put the health and safety of our community at the forefront and so will follow Department of Health, Covid 19 guidelines and protocols. We do ask our families to continue to be vigilant by; Avoiding outings to crowded public areas or gatherings outside of your immediate family or routine social circle. Continuing to wash your hands, social distance and to wear a mask. Keeping a log of your daily movements to facilitate contact tracing should the need arise. It is IMPORTANT too that you report to us, any confirmed cases of Covid 19 in your household, or any official order to quarantine due to contact with a confirmed Covid 19 case. Reports to be made to Brenton Hall, Director, who will liaise between the family and the school and provide ongoing support. I thank you for your support at this time and like you do, I hope that the Covid 19 infection rate decreases to allow us to be back at school, face to face as soon as possible. Kind regards, Brenton Brenton Hall Director

Dear Members of the AISB Community, I am very excited to be joining the AISB Community as the Leader of Soi 20 and Deputy Head of Primary. I am an American who enjoyed an amazing childhood in Hawaii. I left Oahu, my home island to attend college in Washington State, where I earned a BA in Elementary Education, a Master’s in Administrative Leadership, and my Superintendent’s Certificate. I raised my children in Washington and enjoyed a fulfilling career as an elementary classroom teacher for 12 years, followed by 18 years as an administrator. I had always wanted to work internationally, but waited until my children were grown before I followed my adventurous spirit. I began my international career as the Elementary Principal of the American International School of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, which was an amazing experience. I worked with the nursery to Gr 5 students (Yr. 6) and found that serving a highly diverse community strengthened my professional skills and deepened my understanding and appreciation of different cultures. I then moved on to serve as the Primary Principal (4-8-year old’s) of Dubai American Academy in the UAE, where we did great work in promoting inquiry-based learning and the PYP Learner Profile Traits. My next position was working with nursery to Gr 6 (Yr. 7) students as the Elementary Principal of the International Montessori School of Beijing. I absolutely loved working within a Montessori learning environment. My most recent experience was at the Schutz American Academy in Alexandria, Egypt serving as the Elementary/Middle School Principal. As a school leader, I have a high commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive learning school environment. For our younger students, I feel it is especially important that we provide them the experiences which are intentionally designed to build a strong foundation of the learner profile traits such as collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking and compassion. The passion that I felt as a teacher for my students’ learning has continued to fuel my work as an administrator. I am committed to nurturing a school environment where students love coming to school and every child feels safe, supported, understood, and valued. In my free time, I am passionate about sewing, enjoy losing myself in a good book, and find outdoor activities spiritually and physically rewarding. I am also the very proud grandmother of a 3-year-old granddaughter, whom I treasure beyond words! Laura King, New Deputy Head of Primary and Leader of Soi 20

Last year, we kicked off the AISB Bushfire Relief Appeal to assist with relief for Australian communities affected by the disaster. Below are the Fundraiser events hosted to raise funds: AISB parents, staff and students raised 150 000 THB in the appeal and sent 100 000 THB to Mogo Public School - a small school in southern New South Wales and the rest of the money was donated equally to the Wildlife Rescue Service and Beyond Blue - a mental health organisation. The money was gratefully received by the recipients. We received this letter from Ms Lyndall Suchmann Principal of Mogo School: I would like to offer my sincere thanks for the donation the Australian International School Bangkok are making towards our school. As you would be aware, when you are positioned at a small school and only have 20 or so families, the opportunity to fund-raise can prove exceedingly challenging. Add to that a low-socioeconomic demographic and the task becomes even more challenging! Please know that first chance next year I will inform our community of the generosity of yours, and it will be a pleasure to watch a connection grow between the two places. We have a staff meeting today and I will ask all teaching staff (lol, all 4 of us!!!) for ideas and thoughts on where and what we should utilise the donation you are making. I have attached a little power-point that you might like to share with staff, students and your wider community - it just captures our school beautifully! I hope you see how unique we are and how we will value the contribution that you have made. All activities were a great success. All Australians in our community thank those who gave their time to organise, those who supported and contributed in many different ways. Thank you, everyone. Written by Mr Greg Cairndruff, former AISB Director

Exam stress is a very real thing. Self-motivation comes from self-belief and this requires positive thinking. Students need to manage their thoughts and keep a positive mindset in the lead up to and during the examination period. Students often think, “If I fail this exam then I am a failure as a person”, “I can’t think of the answer immediately and that shows how bad a student I am” “Other people find studying and exams easy. Everyone is better than I am”. This unhelpful thinking is detrimental to a child’s health. Instead, we would like to see these sorts of conversations taking place: “How others do in this exam is not relevant to me as a student or as a person”, “All learning is valuable” “If I do not get the grades I want I still have options”. We discussed many ways to alleviate exam stress. Mindful meditation and breathing exercises, visualization, regular exercise, eating healthy food and getting enough sleep. Of course, the best way to do well in exams is to know the work well before entering the exam room. Creating the right study environment at home is vitally important. The area should be well lit, ventilated, organized, free of clutter and distractions. A specific study plan is essential. It is always best to begin with difficult or boring subjects; the ability to concentrate highest is at the beginning of studying. It is easier to find the motivation to do things you like or interest you when you are tired and have less energy. IGCSE students should be completing past papers and ding timed questions as much as possible. When studying, students should factor in a 5-minute break for every 25 minutes – the Pomodoro Technique that was promoted in an earlier newsletter. The Year 10 and 11 students are aware of the exam practicalities; where the exams are held, on what day and in what order. Parents will receive an exam information email soon, which will include the exam timetable and what students are to bring to each exam. Please assist your child in being organized at this time. Exams are held under strict Cambridge examination guidelines and they need to be adhered to. It all takes practice and that is what the mock exams are all about. We are proud of our students and the approach they have taken thus far. We are confident that they will perform well in the mocks starting on January 14 and that they will be at their very best in the real exams in June. Secondary School Assembly The November Secondary School Assembly took place on Tuesday 24 November at the Innovation Centre Hub. Our Director, Mr Greg addressed the audience on was his last secondary school assembly. Mr. Greg was presented with a bouquet of flowers by the students as an appreciation for his service to the school. Mari and Pim gave the Student Council report, Mr Mark spoke about the Pomodoro study technique and Richily spoke about the Year 7 excursion to see The Witches. Congratulations to the Secondary School Academic awards winners for November. Student Council Report – Charity Drive Our first charity event of the year, is a Toy Drive. Providing toys for children is a struggle for many low-income families, so we are partnering with Baan Nokkamin Foundation to collect as many toys and stuffed animals as we can. The Baan Nokkamin Foundation is a Christian based charity which is primarily dedicated to help street children, orphans, children of broken families and children at risk. Baan Nokkamin Foundation operates 11 Children's homes for 137 children which are located in 5 provinces. When we return in January, we would welcome any of your unwanted toys which we can pass on to the children in the Foundation’s care. A collection bin will be placed in the Brickendon foyer. Written by Mark Weber - Head of Middle and High School The Creative Space #1 Year 11 AS Art and Design - Benito's line experiments. Beni did a continuous line drawing of his face and overlaid it with a wire version. We took photographs to see shadows and any interesting effects. What do you think? Secondary School Sports Day 2020 On Friday 4 December our Secondary School athletes took part in the annual AISB Sports Day held at the Innovation Centre Sports Field. At the start of the day, Wollemi were leading as a result of points accumulated from the sports days taking place prior to ours. During the sports day, students had the opportunity to add to their respected houses point tally by competing in both skilled based games and running races. The weather played its part in ensuring the day was most enjoyable for all involved and gave the students the ability to give their best in each event they participated in. At the end of the day, there could only be one house winner. Congratulations to our winning house for this year which was Grevillia. A special thank you to all the staff for their contributions to making the day a success but also to the parents for taking the time to come and support our athletes. It was greatly appreciated. Congratulations to our overall winners in each year level! WORRIED ABOUT TOO MUCH CHRISTMAS EATING? WHY NOT BALANCE THINGS OUT WITH A PARK RUN? What is Park Run? Parkrun is a simple concept: go to a park at 7 am on Saturday and walk, jog or run 5k. It doesn’t matter how fast you go. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. What matters is taking part. Parkrun is all about inclusiveness and wellbeing. The format is simple: register once (for free), print your barcode, then turn up and take part wherever you want, whenever you want. Run with your family and friends! Try to beat your best time! Work up an appetite for breakfast! Park Run has come to Thailand At the end of November, Park Run was launched in Thailand. It joins more than 20 other countries in being host to this fun, community event. A promotional video (which includes a list of venues) can be watched here: https://youtu.be/dXZQ__4dRAU. If you go along, be sure to send us a few pictures of your experience. AISB encourages all efforts towards healthy, balanced living and community involvement. The Creative Space #2 Year 7 and 8 English Although we are all unable to travel internationally this upcoming Christmas holiday, in we decided to get ready for our next trip by writing travel brochures! When writing a travel brochure, it is important to try and convince the reader to travel to your destination. This can be done through the use of persuasive language features. We learned about these features and did our best to incorporate as many as we could into our travel brochures. These features include rhetorical questions, emotive words, direct language, personal pronouns, repetition, the power of three, and alliteration. France, Canada, the Bahamas...where will you go next?

During the first week of December, our young athletes from Kindergarten to year 11 took part in the annual AISB sports week at our Innovation Centre Sports Ground. The weather played its part in ensuring a great day was had by all students and parents alike. This year our Kindergarten and Foundation students had been assigned houses and were able to contribute points to their represented house. After all, was said and done, there could only be one victor at the end of the week. Right up until our final sports day on Friday 4 December for our year 5 to 11 students, the house points were very close. Students took part in a variety of skill-based activities and running races, all points contributing to the total house points for each house. Congratulations to our winning house for this year which was GREVILLIA. Well done to all students who took part and a big thank you to all our teachers for their help on the day. A special mention to all our AISB parents who took the time to come and support our students, it was greatly appreciated by students and staff.

What is the Student Council? The Student Council is a group of elected students working together with adult supervisors to assist the school community with events and ongoing issues. It gives opportunities for students to experience leadership roles and to act as the voice of the student body. The Council encourages us to be good citizens, students and leaders, and creates a pleasant and fun learning environment for everyone. Here are some of its main objectives: • To initiate and implement improvements in our school. • To develop and provide opportunities for leadership and service for students. • To encourage growth of leaders through participation and discussion. • To contribute to the educational experiences of students by providing them with positive involvement. • To develop student understanding and encourage them to be well-informed, honest, interested and active citizens. The projects in which the Student Council participates are those which promote harmony among all students. We are encouraged to speak up about school affairs and establish proposals, such as suggesting events to make our school a comforting and entertaining place. Members of the Council can make suggestions in Council meetings to be approved by the rest of the representatives, captains and adult advisor. Non-member students are also encouraged to suggest their ideas or express their concerns to their class representative or place them in the suggestion box, so it can be discussed in the council meetings Every year, students are elected to represent their class and act as members of the student council. The elections were held a month ago and the council had been up and running for a few weeks. We are excited to announce that we have a lot of new members! Mr. Greg hosted our initial council meeting and taught us about leadership. We discussed building camaraderie among students. In addition, we discussed the importance of being a good role model for other students by showing positive behaviour. We ended the meeting by establishing specific jobs, such as the meeting chair, secretary, event liaison, primary liaison and many more. These responsibilities were assigned to the co-captains and executives. Being a member of the Student Council in my previous school was an invaluable learning experience. I hope to get the chance to apply my leadership skills and personal qualities in the AISB Student Council and in the future. Participation has taught me soft skills that supplement what I learn in the classrooms. I am glad to be working alongside a bright and supportive team of students who work hard and are eager to provide the best service to the entire school community. This blog was written by Benito - 11 Namadji