STMARKS NEWSLETTER 5 (22 FEBRUARY 2023)

PROTOCOL ON STUDENTS WHO ARE ABSENT

Parents can have a positive impact on their child by making regular school attendance a priority. Good attendance habits begin in the early grades and as parents you are responsible for making sure students develop the habit of regular attendance. Students who attend school regularly learn more in the classroom and are more successful and involved in school than students who are not present. Students with regular attendance learn to be responsible, successful in the classroom and are working on track toward graduation. Regular attendance is critically important, because students who are absent lose instructional time. This is also a lost opportunity to learn, ask questions and participate in class activities. Due to this, students are more likely to fall behind and fail classes.

Since regular school attendance is vital for our students, we would encourage parents to send students to school every day.  In the event that a student will need to be absent, we would appreciate it, if parents will send us a Line or an email message, explaining the reason for the absence.   

YEAR 6 - 11 FIELD TRIP

After careful consideration and taking into account the current circumstances, we have decided to allow secondary students to participate in the field trip. We believe that this educational experience will be valuable for the students and provide them with the opportunity to broaden their perspectives.

We are pleased to inform you that our school will be taking our students on a field trip to Mama instant noodle factory in Lam Chabang on Thursday, 23 March. This trip will provide a unique opportunity for students to witness the manufacturing process of instant noodles and gain a deeper understanding of the production process.

During the tour, students will be able to observe various stages of production, from the raw materials to the packaging and distribution of the final product. They will also have the opportunity to interact with industry professionals, who will explain the science and technology involved in the production process. This experience will help students connect what they have learned in the classroom to real-world applications.  We believe that this field trip will help our students gain valuable insight into the food manufacturing industry and the various processes involved. It will provide a deeper understanding of how the food industry works and how it meets consumer demands. It will also help students to appreciate the importance of quality control, hygiene, and safety measures in the manufacturing process.

We assure you that we will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of our students. On this trip, students will leave school at 7.30 am sharp and will be expected to return back to school at around 4.00 pm.  The transport cost of this field trip will be 600 Baht.  Students will be expected to bring some money (approx. 300 Baht) for their lunch and souvenirs.

Please submit your Reply Form no later than Friday, 3 March, by clicking this link.  

MODEL UNITED NATIONS (MUN)

Model United Nations (MUN) is a student-led activity that extends the curriculum for history, geography, economics, the sciences, and the arts and it is a collaborative and independent learning activity.  MUN enhances our students in research skills, formal writing and public speaking skills, building confidence in collaborating with peers and skill in debate. MUN simulates the real United Nations in dealing with real global issues, for example, issues on climate change, child soldiers, international debt, civil war in Syria, the Ukraine, disease outbreaks, human trafficking. For information on MUN please visit: http://www.thaimun.org/ This year, MUN for Secondary Schools will be held during   25 -27 March 2023. 

Led by Ms. Liz Daly, our secondary English teacher, we are pleased to inform that St. Mark’s will be sending 2 of our Year 10 students, namely, Nakamon and Tinn to represent our institution at this conference. They will take part in the research work on the topic of their interest and present their point of views during this public event.    

As part of your child’s learning, it would be a great opportunity for our students to be able to see how their friends are doing at this event.  We would like to invite all of Year 9, 10, and 11 students to this conference to observe how the conference is organised with the purpose of inspiring some of our students to take part in MUN in the near future.  At the conference, students will be able to learn the processes and skills required during this student-led activity. 

If you would like your child to attend MUN Conference, please read the information below and register your attendance by Friday, 3 March by clicking here:

Date:               Saturday, 25March 2023

Venue:            Brighton College, Bangkok

Schedule:

• Schedule: Depart St. Mark’s at 10.00 am
• Arrive Brighton College at 10.30 am
• Register and receive name badges
• Attend conference 11.15am – 1.15pm
• Depart for St. Mark’s about 1.30 pm
• Pick-up from St. Mark’s at 2.00 pm

Cost: No charge. Students, however, should bring some money for drinks/snack  

Transport: School van

Uniform: Students should wear their St. Mark’s regular white uniform

Phones: Are allowed at the Conference but may be used only for emergencies

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE (22 FEBRUARY)

We would like to extend our congratulations to the following students on receiving the Award of Excellence! This award recognizes their outstanding achievements in Effort, Respect, and Punctuality.

Your achievements have made a positive impact on the school community and have set a fantastic example for your peers. We are proud to have you as a student and are confident that you will continue to make great strides in your future endeavors.

Students who received the Award of Excellence will have the opportunity to join the Award of Excellence Breakfast on Friday, 24 February.

Aswin - Year 1 (Respect)

Rinnada - Year 1 (Respect)

Natphasith - Year 1 (Respect)

Promphun - Year 1 (Respect)

Usanisa - Year 2 (Effort : Completing Assigned Work)

Thanaporn - Year 2 (Effort : Completing Assigned Work)

Palat - Year 2 (Effort : Completing Assigned Work)

Chotiga - Year 2 (Effort : Completing Assigned Work)

Punnavich - Year 2 (Effort : Completing Assigned Work)

Natsuda - Year 2 (Effort : Completing Assigned Work)

Renka - Year 2 (Effort : Completing Assigned Work)

Bantita - Year 2 (Effort : Achieving Excellent Result)

Nichapat - Year 3 (Effort : Achieving Excellent Result)

Patraphum - Year 3 (Effort : Achieving Excellent Result)

Nadhaya - Year 5 (Punctuality)

Louise - Year 5 (Punctuality)

Nattheera - Year 5 (Punctuality)

Pattawas - Year 7 (Punctuality)

KINDERGARTEN THAI MUSIC

In Thai Music Class, Kindergarten students had a fun and interactive day, as they enjoyed learning about Thai music.

In the activity, students practiced the "Ka-Nom-Pang-Krob" Song using Angkalung. The children learned how to play simple melodies on the instrument and listened to Thai music to get a feel for the rhythm and tone.

Overall, it was a fun and informative week for our students. We hope that by introducing traditional Thai music and instruments, we have helped to foster an appreciation for Thai culture and music in our young learners.

YEAR 1 MANDARIN: ANIMALS

Our Year 1 class had a fun activity where they learned about conversation in Mandarin through the perspective of animals. They used dialogues to simulate conversations between different animals and learn new vocabulary.

In the dialogue, we learned about the growth of animals like ducks, fish, and frogs. Students also tried to draw the animals they want to be.

Overall, it was a fun and interactive way to learn and practice Mandarin conversation skills. Students enjoyed the activity and learned new vocabulary.

YEAR 2 ENGLISH:

As our Year 2 students continue to explore new books and stories in their English class, students read Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. 

To help guide their reading and make the most of this exciting story, The teacher prepared some discussion questions, pictures, and activities that will encourage students to think critically about the plot, characters, and themes of the book. 

In addition, they discussed some vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar to students. They will be discussing these words in class in the upcoming days.

YEAR 7 SCIENCE

Over the past week the Year 7 Science class has been studying Neutralization reactions. They made Copper Sulphate crystals in the laboratory. This tested their skill levels for saturating, filtering, and evaporating solutions. They all worked in a safe manner and produced some large crystals.

YEAR 11 MATHS

Calculus is an important component of our Year 11 ATAR Mathematics curriculum. Differentiation is a process where we find the instantaneous rate of change in a function based on one of its variables. The most common example is the rate change of displacement with respect to time, called velocity.

If x is variable and y is another variable, then the rate of change of x with respect to y is given by dy/dx. This is the general expression of the derivative of a function and is represented as f'(x) = dy/dx, where y = f(x) is any function.

In this lesson, students went over new differentiation techniques for marginal rates of change, where students are taught to make approximations for cases of very small changes. This topic can be confusing because students are used to making exact calculations with other differentiation techniques. However, with the explanation and exercises given to them after the lesson, students were able to understand this method.

During the later part of the lesson, the class went over a review on Bernoulli trial, which is a topic on Probability.  In the Bernoulli trial method, students are to add the different cases of success to obtain the probability.

STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENTS

We are pleased to announce that our school has achieved great success in the recent Math and Science Olympiad competitions. The competition was held last month, and our students have made us proud by winning several awards.

Our students have competed with other schools from different regions and have shown great talent and dedication. The competition was challenging, and the students had to use their problem-solving skills, and logical thinking to solve complex problems.

Our school has won the following awards:

• 4th Copernicus Olympiad (Math Category) - 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze Awards
• 4th Copernicus Olympiad (Natural Science Category) - 2 Bronze Awards
• IMEC.online Math Olympiad - 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze Awards

Our students will advance in the Global/International Round of the competitions mentioned above which will be held in New York, USA(COPERNICUS MATH CATEGORY) and at Harrow School in London (IMEC.online MATH CATEGORY).

We would like to congratulate our students for their outstanding performance and hard work. We are proud of their achievements and the effort they put into preparing for this competition. It is a testament to their commitment to academic excellence and their passion for mathematics and science.