BASIS International School Bangkok eNewsletter

Message from Head of School & Head of Operations:

Dear TUSKERS families,

We trust you are having a productive and enjoyable week!

This entire week, our Middle School teachers and Dean Andrew have been dedicated to support our Middle School students in their preparations for the upcoming pre-comprehensive exam next week. Do not hesitate to contact teachers if there is any further support required for your child and please join us in wishing them the best of luck! Go TUSKERS!

Next week, please be reminded that the Student Hours and Optional Mandarin will remain as normal classes, whereas there will be no ECA or clubs after school next week (except the Ensemble Symphony Orchestra and Choir that need to have rehearsals for the Festival in the Garden event). All activities will resume in the following week, on February 12th, 2024 onwards.

After Pre-Comprehensive Exams, please be invited to celebrate the Chinese New Year on Friday, February 9th, at 08.30 a.m. Let’s welcome the Year of Dragon together with the spectacular Dragon and Lion Show! We encourage both students, parents and staff to dress in Chinese costumes. More details of the event is enclosed below. We look forward to seeing you on campus and celebrating this joyous occasion with you all.

Lastly, we would like to thank all Grade 8 and 9 parents for attending the recent parent information session on “High School Pathways & College Application Portfolios” organized by our college counselling team and Mr. Josh, our Director of Academic Programs. More detailed information and video recording will be shared with you soonest by Mr. Josh. We are going to continue to update you with more information as we go and Ms. Kate will be visiting our campus in March. She will meet our Grade 8 and 9 students and will have more parent’s session. Please stay tuned for more information.

Once again, your unwavering support and active engagement contribute greatly to our students’ success, we could not be more appreciated. Thank you very much and see you soon.

Best regards,

Dr. W and Ms. Kwan

Head of School and Head of Operations

Save the date for School Events and Academic Calendar:

Grade 6 - 8 Pre-Comp Exam Reminder

Dear Middle School Families,

Our Pre-Comprehensive Examinations period is quickly arriving! Pre-Comp exams will be administered on Tuesday February 6, Wednesday February 7, and Thursday February 8. The schedule for these three days will be different than usual - our middle school students will not attend normal classes. Exams will be administered in the morning and early afternoon, with special study sessions for upcoming exams taking place after lunch.

Please see the exam schedule below. Note that all of our middle school students will be sitting for exams at the same time:

Tuesday, February 6th
7:40 - 8:00 – Arrival
8:30 - 9:35 - English Exam
10:30 - 11:35 - Physics Exam
12:30 - 1:35 - Chemistry Exam
3:40 - Dismissal

Wednesday, February 7th
7:40 - 8:00 - Arrival
8:30 - 9:35 - History Exam
10:30 - 11:50 – Math Exam
3:40 - Dismissal

Thursday, February 8th
7:40 - 8:00 - Arrival
8:15 - 9:45 - Biology Exam
10:30 - 11:05 - Thai Language & Culture Exam
3:40 - Dismissal

Please note that all materials will be provided for our students, including pencils, erasers, and spare 4-function non-graphing calculators. Students are permitted to bring and use their TI calculators on the chemistry and physics examinations only. Students are only permitted to bring their calculators and water bottles into the examination room - no other materials, including pencil cases, will be permitted.

Warm Regards,

Mr. Josh

Director of Academic Programs

Message from College Counselor:

Greetings BISB Community,

I very much enjoyed speaking yesterday with Grade 8 and 9 families about the BASIS Curriculum and support system. There is so much more to experience on our journey, and I would love to continue to answer any questions you may have. Please sign up here https://calendly.com/kate-irving/15min for a time to chat about anything on your mind. I have been in education for over 25 years and a College Counselor for 15. I am ready for anything and am excited to support this community.

Please also enjoy the continuation of my conversation with Riebel and Sia.

Best,

Ms. Kate Irving

College Counselor

Festival in the Garden

Dear BASIS Families,

We invite you to attend the first annual Festival in the Garden on February 16th!

Walk through our Art Walkway and experience the amazing artwork of our Primary and Upper School students. The walkway will feature a variety of fascinating installations and artwork from all our students. After experiencing the art, get some canapes at the canteen, try out the STEAM interactive art activities, and talk to the NJHS students about their David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation art project. Then it's time for the music! The music show will feature sea shanties and ukulele folk songs from our primary students, popular songs from all six of our awesome rock bands, and collaborative performances from our choirs and orchestra!

The Festival will take place in the Town Center. The event starts at 4:00, with time to walk through the art and find a good spot to watch before the music starts at 4:30.

We hope you enjoy!

Best regards,
Art and Music Department

Early Years Newsletter

Message from Director of Early Years:

Dear Parents of Early Years,

I am looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year at BASIS on February 9. It is important that your children arrive to school before 8:15am on this date. I know this may cause an inconvenience to your routine, but for us to participate in the festivities, we will leave the Early Years area at 8:15am on Friday February 9.

I anticipate that you may want to attend the festivities as well, so please get your children to us and then make your way to the parent seating area. We will wave to you!

Ms. Annie Fletcher

Director of Early Years

Primary, Middle & High School Newsletter

Message from Dean of Primary:

Dear Parents,

Many of our students are getting very tech savvy and are curious about the world around them. Many have been exploring the world through the web, which can be very educational and exciting! Just a gentle reminder to always supervise your child when they are online. There can be very damaging material found online that is not good for your child to see. A lot of that content is then shared at school, which can lead to larger issues.

Please review the content your child is watching and make sure it is also school and age appropriate. Putting parental controls on your electronic devices at home can be very helpful and make it easier for you to supervise what your child is being exposed to. We appreciate your support in helping us keep your children safe and healthy!

Thank you,

Dean Selby

Dean of Primary School

Message from Dean of Upper School:

Dear Parents,

This is the weekend before the student's pre-comprehensive exams. Your child could be very stressed and get quite nervous about next week. Many of them will probably be reviewing and studying rigorously this weekend. I would like to remind parents to give their children encouragement, emotional support and allow them to take regular breaks from revision for the sake of their mental health. Revision works best in multiple chunks of 45 minutes, rather than blocks of several hours. Your child will retain more important information if they also have time to rest and reflect between study sessions.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s SET if you have questions, concerns or would like additional resources on specific topics.

Ask your children to rate their understanding of the topic they are revising and assist them by quizzing them on important vocabulary and definitions. Asking them to explain or re-teach certain concepts to you is also a great way your child can gauge their own mastery of that concept.

After pre-comps are completed, IAMS clubs will return and students will begin again being able to participate in student-led projects of their choosing during AE period, bringing back some much-needed balance to their school-day. Students may already begin to think about new activities they may wish to organize with classmates. During the week of Monday 12th to Friday 16th February, we will be accepting new IAMS proposals from students who wish to participate.

Best wishes,

Dean Drew

Dean of Upper School

Message from Dean of Student Activities:

Dear Parents,

We hope this message finds you well. As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering school spirit and unity, we would like to remind you that all students are encouraged to participate in wearing their respective house colors every Friday (except 9th February).

Our house representatives have been selected, and we are excited to celebrate their leadership during our upcoming assemblies. These dedicated students will be recognized on stage, embodying the values and spirit of their respective houses.

Please take note of the following assembly dates for each grade:

Thursday 8th February: Grades 4-5 Assembly

Grades 4-5 students are kindly requested to wear their house colors on this day.

Friday 9th February: Grades 1-3 Assembly

This day is the Chinese New Year celebrations. Grades 1-3 will all be wearing red for the event.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to proudly represent their houses and come together as a community. The students will have the chance to come to the stage and be celebrated for their active participation and enthusiasm. Please remind them.

Kind regards,

Jason Rowe

Dean of Students Activities

Mandarin Corner:

Dear families,

We are pleased to share a potentially significant development regarding our Mandarin program at BISB. We have been exploring the possibility of hosting YCT exam on our BISB campus on May 12th while the HSK exam will take place at Chulalongkorn University on May 19th.

To realize this opportunity, we require a minimum number of participants. This is an exciting endeavor that could open doors for our Mandarin program in the future. The success of this initiative could lead to further opportunities that benefit our students and the wider community.

The registration period is from today until March 31st, students can register both YCT and HSK exam at the same time.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us through the email: mandarin@basis.ac.th.

Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.

Best regards,

Mandarin Team

P.E. Corner:

TUSKERS SPORTS ACADEMIES – UPDATE

Dear TUSKERS Families,

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that our U9 Mixed Basketball Team won the First Runners Up Trophy at the SISB Merlion Basketball Championship held on January 27, 2024, at SISB TR.

Simultaneously, the U13/15 Football Boys team at Anglo Singapore International School showcased exceptional teamwork, support, and pride as true TUSKERS!

Let's maintain this high spirit and continue supporting them as they gear up for upcoming games, setting their expectations to play like true champions.

NOTE: 5th Feb to 9th Feb (Monday to Friday) – NO Sports Academy Training

10th Feb (Saturday) – Normal Badminton and Tennis Training

Thank you once again for all your support.

Please reach out to me for any questions and clarifications.

Best regards,

Coach Namita

Director of Auxiliary Programs

ECA Corner:

ECA Spotlight: Cooking with A Little Something

We are thrilled to shine the spotlight on our little TUSKERS who has taken their first step to become a little chef! In our recent session led by A Little Something, all little chefs were introduced to their culinary journey inspired by Italian cuisine. Our students learned how to prepare and make two mouthwatering dishes as follow:

Early Years: They learned how to make “Rainbow Cookies.” Sharing school-made cookies with the scent of caramelized buttery and organic vanilla right from the oven, then adding the lovely rainbow which made our little baker’s face full of smiles.

Primary and Above: They learned how to make “fancy donuts." From flour to the tantalizing fragrance of sweetness, they were beckoning all who passed by to pause and indulge in the fancy delight!

Please stay tuned for the ECA spotlight next week.

ECA Reminder:

No ECA class from Monday 5th to Friday 9th. The ECA will resume on Monday 12th .
ECA Ensemble Symphony Orchestra will have a normal practice from 5:00 – 6: 30 p.m. on Thursday 8th.

Academic Spotlight

G4 Students Unravel the Wonders of Sounds and Vibrations!

In this exciting lesson, 🎓 G4 students delved into the fascinating link between sounds and vibrations! They investigated how sound traveled through string and air. First, engaging in the hands-on 📞 Paper Cup Telephone activity, they analyzed the sound waves with a paper cup attached to a string. Then, they combined the string and cup with a partner to model a string telephone. 🔊✨

Library Corner:

Hello from BISB Library!

February is here and our For the Love of Reading month has begun! We have so many wonderful competitions happening across the school and in BISB Library too. In addition to Book Bingo and student book recommendations, I wanted to take a moment to share two of the library’s competitions and activities.

Book Cover Competition:

Similar to last year, this year the library is hosting a book cover design competition! This year, students are able to choose any book of their choice that they love and redesign its cover. To enter the competition, students can get the paper from Ms. Erika and design their cover over the next two weeks – in any medium they desire. If students choose to design digital covers, they must be printed or emailed to Ms. Erika before February 15^th. For this competition, other students will get to vote for their favorite designs and the top 3 will be chosen amongst Grades 1 – 5 and a second top 3 amongst Grades 6 – 9. All of the covers will be displayed in the Connections space for all to see. The top 3 book covers will get book-themed prizes and 10 house points each! All submissions will earn 5 house points for participation.

The only rules for the book cover competition are:

It must include the book title.
It must have the author’s name.
It must have an illustration/image and have some color.
It must include the students name, class, and house on the back.

Due date: Thursday, February 15^th. Winners will be announced beginning of March.

Bookmark competition:

Students in Grades 1 – 9 are invited to design a bookmark to show off their love of reading! Students can pick up the bookmark paper in the library from Ms. Erika. Students must finish and give their bookmark to Ms. Erika by February 15^th at the latest. The bookmark can represent 1 or more of the following things: love, reading, books, the library, or TUSKERS.

Teachers will vote for the best designs which will be duplicated and distributed to our school community!

Due date: Thursday, February 15^th. Winners will be announced beginning of March.

Bling Date with A Book (Grades 4 – 9 only):

Don’t judge a book by its cover! Throughout the month of February, students in grades 4 – 9 can check-out a wrapped book, only knowing a few descriptive words and not seeing it’s cover. Students checkout the book with Ms. Erika, but must wait until they are home to unwrap it! Students will earn 5 house points for reading and leaving a recommendation for other students. Please note that these books will be labeled for the appropriate age reading levels.

That’s all for now, but keep an eye out for more library and Love of Reading news later this month.

Happy Reading,

Ms. Erika

Librarian

Community News

Viemus Violin Verenation 2024

A Harmonious Fusion of Mastery, Competition, Concert, and Friendship beyond borders.

Viemus Music School, in collaboration with the esteemed Little Star Music Academy from South Korea, BASIS International School Bangkok, and Knightsbridge Education Bangkok, proudly announces the groundbreaking Viemus Violin Verenation 2024: Masterclass / Competition / Concert Series, taking place from February 16-18, 2024, Bangkok, Thailand.

This unprecedented international violin partnership unites the expertise of Viemus Music School, led by the renowned Vietrio, with the excellence of Little Star Music Academy, one of the finest violin schools in South Korea with notable track record in competition winners and graduates from Juilliard, Curtis and Harvard. The series take place at the characteristic campus of BASIS International School Bangkok.

Register now for a special promotion!

Event Highlights:

Masterclass and Rehearsals: various Internationally acclaimed Korean violin professors including Ms Jaynee Park, Director of Little Star Music Academy, join forces with Dr. Akkrawat Srinarong, Kru Parn Kanyapas & Kru Pui Ariya of Vietrio; Thailand’s internationally renowned artists, to conduct the artistic performance practice masterclass and rehearsals. The sessions will delve into performance practices, artistic development, and discovering higher purpose through music making.

1st Chao Phraya International Violin Competition: This virtuoso meets creativity offers four categories suitable for participants of all levels. Notably, over 20 competitors from Korea are expected to showcase their exceptional virtuosity alongside young Thai talents in a unique “Boxing Arena “style setting at the Black Box Theater, Basis International School. Prizes include Gold, Silver certificates, and Grand Prizes: opportunities to perform as soloist with orchestra in Thailand and recital performance in Seoul, South Korea!

Friendship Concert: The series conclude with a captivating joint recital performance at BASIS featuring prizewinners and participants from Korea, Thailand, and beyond with works by Sarasate, Paganini, Tchaikovsky & more! ***All proceeds go towards supporting animal shelter in Suphanburi.

About the Partners:

Viemus Music School: Founded by the Vietrio family, Viemus Music School is celebrated for its commitment to nurturing and promoting musical talent, embodying a rich tradition of excellence in the world of classical music.

Little Star Music Academy: Renowned for its musical prowess and excellence in violin teaching over 30 years, Little Star Music Academy from South Korea brings a wealth of experience and expertise in violin education. Their students have won top prizes at Osaka, Zhuhai, Kogan, Grumiaux, Young Tchaikovsky Violin Competitions, with many students accepted into Curtis, Juilliard, Eastman, Seoul National & Harvard.

Basis International School Bangkok: known for its rigorously high standard academic STEM programs, Basis continues to expand globally. Besides academic excellence, Basis continues to provide students exposures to the best sports, arts and music collaborations with the best of the business.

For press inquiries, interviews, or event information, please contact:

Viemus Music School Facebook

Call 096-194-6591

or Email ViemusViolinVeneration@gmail.com

Join the Conversation:

#ViemusViolinVeneration#MasterclassCompetitionConcert

#viemusfamily

#littlestaracademykorea #KoreaThailand