STMARKS NEWSLETTER 9 (22 NOVEMBER 2024)
LOY KRATHONG FESTIVAL
Last Friday, 15 November, our school embraced the cultural spirit of the Loy Krathong Festival! Students from Early Years to Year 12 celebrated this special Thai tradition by creating their own flower krathongs (floating lanterns) during their Thai class.
Guided by their teachers, students designed and crafted beautiful krathongs, using vibrant flowers and leaves to honor the festival’s theme of gratitude and renewal. These hands-on activities allowed them to appreciate Thai culture while showcasing their creativity.
At the end of the day, students proudly took their krathongs home, with some families even venturing to nearby rivers to float their creations. This meaningful tradition not only brought joy but also fostered a deeper connection to Thailand’s rich heritage.
Well done to all our students for their stunning krathongs and heartfelt participation!
PRE-PREP THAI: THAI CONSONANTS
Our Pre-Prep students are making incredible strides in their Thai language lessons! Recently, they focused on learning and practicing Thai consonants, including mastering their pronunciation and writing them without the guiding dots. This builds their confidence and improves their handwriting skills.
The lessons also included practicing high consonants, spelling, and forming words. Students worked diligently on reading, spelling, and writing words, enhancing their understanding of Thai phonetics and vocabulary.
During an engaging activity, each student wrote words independently on their boards, allowing them to apply what they learned in a fun and interactive way. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and progress in mastering Thai language fundamentals!
YEARS 2-6 ENGLISH: WRITING CELEBRATION
Students in Years 2, 4, and 6 enjoyed a writing celebration earlier this month. Year 2 students wrote stories about a runaway pumpkin, all of which were very entertaining. Year 4 students wrote spooky mystery stories that completely captivated the audience. Year 6 students participated in a writing competition using writing techniques they learned in class to create suspenseful masterpieces. All students shared their stories aloud, focusing on their intonation, pronunciation, tone, and pacing whilst storytelling. Our Year 6 Top Writer recipients were: Bua, Pun, Irene, and Preston. Well done!
STUDENTS' SHOWCASE 2 (15 NOV)
YEAR 4 MUSIC: KHIM: LAO LONG NAN & WIND SONG, PERCUSSION: MA HA CHAI & LOY KRATHONG SONG
ANGKLUNG: BU ZEN ZOLK SONG
Our Year 4 students recently impressed everyone with their musical talents during their Thai Music Showcase. They played various traditional instruments, demonstrating the skills they’d honed in their Thai music class.
The performances included the khim with Lao Long Nan and Wind Song, percussion with Ma Ha Chai and Loy Krathong Song, and the angklung with Bu Zen Zolk Song.
Their dedication and practice shone through each note, offering a beautiful celebration of Thai culture and music.
YEAR 1 ENGLISH: WHEN IT'S SPRINGTIME IN ITALY
Our Year 1 students recently delighted everyone with a heartfelt performance of "When It’s Springtime in Italy". As part of their English class, the showcase focused on helping students improve their pronunciation and memorization skills through the beauty of music.
The students sang their hearts out, showcasing not only their vocal talents but also their growing confidence in using English. Through this activity, they practiced proper enunciation and worked together to bring the song to life.
Seeing their enthusiasm and effort pay off as their sweet voices filled the room was a proud moment. Well done, Year 1!
YEAR 2 MATHS: MULTIPLICATION OF 2, 5, AND 10
Our Year 2 students proudly demonstrated their growing math abilities during their recent showcase. The focus was on multiplication, as they confidently discussed concepts of multiplying by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
The students solved multiplication problems one by one, showcasing not only their understanding but also their ability to think critically and solve problems independently.
This showcase was an excellent opportunity for our Year 2 students to build confidence and practice their public speaking while sharing their knowledge.
YEAR 3 MANDARIN: LITTLE TADPOLES
Our Year 3 students proudly presented their Mandarin skills in the recent students' showcase. The highlight of the event was a reading of the story "The Little Tadpoles Finding Their Mother".
Students took turns reading the story fluently in Mandarin, demonstrating their impressive language proficiency. To ensure the audience understood the tale, they also translated the story into English, showcasing their ability to switch seamlessly between the two languages.
Adding a creative touch, the students acted out scenes from the story, bringing the characters to life. Their expressive performances and clear pronunciation reflected their hard work and dedication to learning Mandarin.
YEAR 4 SCIENCE: CHANGING STATE OF WATER
Our Year 4 students showcased their science knowledge and skills during their recent presentation on the Changing State of Water. They explained the process of how water transitions between solid, liquid, and gas states with clarity and confidence, demonstrating their understanding of this important scientific concept.
As part of the showcase, the students shared videos and photos of experiments they had conducted in class, illustrating processes like melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation. They also performed a live experiment for the audience, demonstrating one of these transitions in real time.
To make their presentation even more interactive, they invited parents to participate by observing the live experiment closely and sharing their observations. This activity encouraged engagement and allowed parents to connect with what the students had been learning.
YEAR 3 THAI: VOCABULARY & SENTENCE WRITING GAME
Our Year 3 students recently showcased their Thai language skills in an engaging and educational presentation. As part of the event, they prepared a game similar to charades—but instead of acting out words, they gave verbal clues to help their peers guess the correct words they had learned in class.
After successfully guessing the words, the students demonstrated their knowledge further by writing the words on the board and using them to construct sentences. This activity highlighted their growing vocabulary and ability to create proper sentence structures in Thai.
The showcase was an excellent opportunity for the students to practice their Thai language skills in a fun and interactive way.
STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENTS
THAITAE OPEN INTERNATIONAL TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
Congratulations to Phannawit from Year 2 on his remarkable achievement at the THAITAE Open International Taekwondo Championship 2024! Held on November 16th at BG Hall, Phannawit competed in the Kyorugi C 7-8 Years Male category and proudly brought home the Silver Medal.
This outstanding result reflects his dedication and hard work throughout the year. Phannawit has continually honed his Taekwondo skills, devoting countless hours to practice and participating in multiple competitions. His perseverance and sportsmanship are truly inspiring!
We are incredibly proud of Phannawit and look forward to celebrating more of his successes in the future. Well done, Phannawit!
7TH PK RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS COMPETITION 2024
We are thrilled to share the outstanding achievements of our talented Year 5 student, Ilyanna, at the 7th PK Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition 2024, held on October 27 at Bangkok Thonburi University.
Competing in the 11—and 12-year-old category, Ilyanna showcased her exceptional skills and dedication in two events: the Club and Freehand routines. Her hard work and graceful performances earned her a gold medal in the Club event and a silver medal in the Freehand event.
Ilyanna’s success reflects her commitment, passion, and perseverance in rhythmic gymnastics. Congratulations, Ilyanna, on this amazing achievement! We’re excited to see your continued growth in the sport.