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To conclude our school year we invited our wonderful families to view our Director's Awards Assembly presentation sent via email. This assembly is designed to celebrate the academic achievement of our students. Covid 19 has thrown up plenty of challenges in education this year, which makes the accomplishments of our students even more meritorious. Welcome message from Mr Brenton Hall Ms Laura King, Deputy Head for Primary and Leader Soi 20 Mr Neil Robinson, Head of Secondary Congratulations to all award winners. The Spirit of AISB House Shield At AISB the house system provides opportunities for students to meet in cross grade groups to build school tradition and school spirit; a sense of teamwork through various whole school activities. This year, the students at Soi 20 are also involved in the house competition. There are now two Spirit of AISB shields displayed on each campus. This is the first year for the Soi 20 campus to have its own Spirit of AISB Shield. The Spirit of AISB House Shield is presented at the End of Year Assembly. The Shield goes to House that has gained the highest numbers points in the current academic year. Soi 20 campus: The winning house is Eucalyptus. Soi 31 campus: The winning houses are Eucalyptus and Acacia. Congratulations on winning this prestigious award! Farewell from Ms Gail

We have now completed our final week of the Soi 20 Campus Summer School Program. Over the past 4 weeks, children have reviewed and enhanced basic skill development in Thai language and culture, creative arts, dance & drama, Science, Literacy, Digital Technology, and physical skills, just to name a few. A variety of activities and approaches to learning have been used by staff to ensure that the learning was exciting, and included hands-on exploration and discovery. We would like to thank all our Teachers, TAs, and Nannies for their hard work and dedication to the program, and also thank you, the parents and children, for being a part of our school. We are proud to have had you be a part of our school community! Wishing everyone a wonderful Summer Holiday, and we look forward to welcoming you back in August for the new school year. Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions at admin@australian-isb.com. Written by Ms. Sheridan - Head of Early Childhood Education (Nursery & Kindergarten)

This week is the concluding week of fun-filled and interesting lessons and activities. Thank you to all the children for their enthusiasm, willingness to try new things, and for their extraordinary effort to follow the new health regulations for the past 4 weeks. It has been a great success all around. Here is a brief look at what the children have been doing this week in Summer School: Anime This week the students have learnt how to draw a manga head in proportion along with its facial features, expressions and hairstyle! Ball Games/Outdoor Sports This week our students engaged in a range of fitness activities and ball games such as mini soccer games and some running games. This allows students to maintain their fitness in a fun and inclusive environment. The Year 3 students had fun playing various team building games. By the end, we were all hot, sweaty, and thirsty. The Year 4 students enjoyed taking part in touch frisbee, rounders, and various team-building games. Book Club In Year 3 Book Club, students enjoyed the stories of 'Hansel and Gretel' and 'Charly did it'. Year 4 have been reading the text 'Ali Baba'. The text has proved stimulating and provoked interesting class discussions. Year 5 have been reading the text of 'Believe it or not'. There was stimulating class discussion, with the children communicating their opinions of possible solutions to the mysteries presented. Year 6+ have been reading an informational text about 'Unsolved mysteries'. The children came up with many interesting ideas and possible solutions to these mysteries. The children reflected on the importance of keeping an open mind and having the investigative skills of a scientist. Book Creator Year 1 to 4 students had fun completing their short Book Creator stories or information texts and learned how to embed media from the web into their books.  Year 5 students enjoyed working in pairs or individually to finish their Toontastic stories. They then had fun watching them. The Year 6 to 9 students worked hard to complete their Book Creator comics and stories. Coding Students in Year 1 create a program of monkey’s journey in order to catch bananas and unlock the treasure. The Year 2 classes did Hour-of-code (Minecraft) to create coding solutions that include sequences, loops, and conditionals. Students in Year 3-4 continued with Coding Adventure, an interactive game-based course. The Year 5-9 use a puzzle game where they put blocks in a sequence. The students learn about computer science specifically to program a small bot to make its way through a maze by using ‘if statements’ and ‘while loops’. Creative Writing After planning a creative story using a template for their setting, characters, beginning, middle, and end, Year 4 have been writing up their stories with emphasis on detail and interesting vocabulary. Year 5 have been planning a creative story. After outlining their plan and focus of having 'hooks' to engage the reader, they continued forward to write up their short stories. English/Traditional Tales During Traditional Tales with Ms Lyn the Year 1 and 2 classes listened to a fairy tale. The students then sketched the character and used details from the story to write about the character's personality. In English, the students listened to a story and completed visualization activities to enhance their understanding of the story being read. The students also actively participated in Brain Gym exercises. Hip Hop & Fitness For this week's Hip Hop class, the students were really happy to perform the 3 dance routines that they've learned. They had a small group dance competition inside the class and took this chance to show off their dancing talent. The students engaged with basic Yoga positions. The children were focused and calm during the class and tried their best to perform all the different positions. Maths Challenge The Year 1s and 2s have been provided with geo shapes and multilink blocks to complete small and creative challenges, this week the challenge was to create the funniest 3D designs. Some very creative outcomes have been produced in the process. Maths Investigation This week students were math detectives as they had to solve various clues in order to work out who the bad superhero was and save Mathhattan. Maths Through Art This week the younger students used coloured paper shapes to make a pattern that completely filled their piece of paper. The students had to think carefully about what shapes fit together best. The older children created 3D art by plotting a center point on to paper and then using a ruler to draw lines. Musical Instruments This week we learned some new chords and play along with some songs on the ukelele. We hope the kids enjoyed and were inspired by the music! Origami This week the Year 1 children have been creating origami animals such as a fox and a cat. The children have been enthusiastic and involved with their creations. Year 2 focused on folding techniques to produced origami models such as a penguin and a dog. The children were enthusiastic and followed the origami instructions well. The students were also excited to finish making their origami pyramids and then create their own wall art. Swimming Training This week the children focused on freestyle, backstroke, and then breaststroke, refining their skills and technique. The younger children concentrated on the basics and getting their arms and legs working together. They also built up their long-distance endurance. Water Sports This week the children played a specially modified version of water polo, taking social distancing into account. They also played lots of polo shooting games in the water. Textile Art Students continued their weaving textiles and learnt how to take their weaving off of the cardboard loom. Singing This week the learners learned the song You Raise Me Up, a song that gives appreciation to the people who are always there to encourage us always to do better in everything that we do. The learners also learned good voice production and good vocal control. Thai Cooking In Thai cooking class, the children learned how to make coconut jelly and used molds to make lots of interesting and delicious looking treats! Thai Games The children played a game called Pan jing reed deed manao, where they had to cover an eye and try to accurately flick a ball of paper off a bottle. It was much harder than it looks! This blog was written by various teachers from AISB Soi 31 campus.

This is a journal extract written by our Year 11 student Benito: Moving to a new country is both exhilarating and exciting. I have only realised how strongly I am tied to my home culture as I have moved abroad. I now face a culture and a language that are markedly different to my own. I have definitely felt the change. I think I should embrace it, instead of letting it get the best of me. My foreign friends back at home have warned me that getting adjusted starts with learning and embracing all the new experiences that lie ahead. I’m an Indonesian who has lived in Jakarta for most of my life. I don’t know much about living in a foreign country. I certainly never thought I would experience living abroad, at least not while still in high school. When I first heard that my dad had taken a job at AISB, I could not summon up the courage to pack my bags or break the news to my friends and family. “Hey, guys! I’m peacing out and moving to a foreign land!” However, I started thinking about the pros of moving to another country (my defence mechanism when faced with a difficult situation). So here are my main 3 pros of moving abroad: 1.    New travel opportunities. The possibilities of travel range from merely exploring my own neighbourhood to venturing beyond and embarking on an adventure to a neighbouring country. 2.    Personal growth. I’ll be thrown into brand new situations and settings that may seem intimidating and scary at first, but these are always the best way to grow as an individual. 3.    Expansion of knowledge. With travel comes the power of knowledge and learning. I will constantly learn about different cultures, languages, histories as I travel to new cities. I’ve just started a special journey. I am looking forward to all it has in store.

Construction has started on the Secondary School Building Project behind the Innovation Centre. Clearing of the land began last week and a simple groundbreaking ceremony on Monday signalled the start of work. The start of the new building marks an important stage in the development of the school. This will be a four-storey, 13 classroom building with two Science labs and excellent study facilities for secondary students. Completion of the building is scheduled for next June and the construction of the second building will start soon after that.

The expected attention span of young children often comes as a surprise to most people. Many assume it should be longer, but like anything else a child learns, e.g. crawling, walking, talking etc, it takes time and practice to develop. Parents and teachers alike can become frustrated when children won't sit still or concentrate for large amounts of time, particularly when the activity doesn't interest them. It's important to remember what is considered developmentally normal, as well as why something isn't holding their attention. Some hints and points to remember: Celebrate small wins each time a child concentrates in play or on a task. Reduce screen time - this is unfortunately linked to reduced concentration skills, and doesn’t provide sufficient practice as it is considered ‘passive entertainment’ as the brain doesn't have to do the work. Children are more likely to focus if they enjoy what they are doing, which is why learning through play is so effective! It is also why focusing on strengths and interests ensures genuine engagement for longer. You just can't "force" a child's attention span - it takes support, understanding and facilitating. Keep in mind that environmental, situational and physical aspects can impact on a child’s attention span, e.g. feeling sick, being too hot/cold, a noisy environment, tiredness, being hungry, or needing to go to the toilet Developing a good attention span can have a positive impact on future life-long learning Written by Ms. Sheridan - Head of Early Childhood Education (Nursery & Kindergarten)

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