|
GIS language students visit Hong Kong
This tastes good! A Year 9
student samples some Hong Kong food.
Mark Beales
A group of 18 students from Garden International School who study
Mandarin went on an action-packed trip to Hong Kong in June.
The Year 9 and 10 students had the opportunity to experience the fascinating
atmosphere of this enormous and colourful city. They watched one of the best
laser light shows in the world over the skyscrapers, went on a cable car on
a 30-minute ride over the jungle to Ngong Pin, enjoying breathtaking views,
and ended up climbing over 200 steps to the Big Buddha. They also ate where
the locals ate, sampling traditional Chinese food like dim sum in cheap but
nice little restaurants.
GIS students enjoy a visit to
a real Chinese restaurant.
A visit to Disneyland was brilliant as it included some
of the best hair-raising rides, along with all the famous Disney themes and
characters and loads of shows and live music.
Students also learnt some curious things about Hong Kong, too. For example,
despite being part of a communist country, it is not run by a governor or a
political figure but by a CEO (Chief Executive Officer). It has the largest
container terminal in the world; its main source of income is from financial
services and, of course, the city’s motto is “Time is Money”. In Hong Kong
housing is very expensive so most people live in flats, which are more
expensive the higher they are.
Thank you very much to Ms Amy for organising such an unforgettable trip. We
all had a whale of a time! GIS is based in Ban Chang near Pattaya - for more
visit www.gardenrayong.com.
Spectacular! The light show
at Hong Kong Harbour is amazing.
Students love visiting
Disneyland.
Hold on tight! Students and
teachers try out the Disneyland rides.
GIS students watched several
incredible shows.
|
|
|
 |
Primary Students at St Andrews School showcase their musical talents
The Year 1 children perform their
song: “Bound for South Australia”.
Mario Maxwell Müller - Head of Music, St. Andrews
International School, Green Valley Campus
On Tuesday 11 June 2013 the Primary School presented its final Primary Music
Concert for this academic year. The concert was well attended and all the
children had the opportunity to perform from each Year group (1 - 6). These
performances included solo performances from instrumentalists and group
performances from either the Primary Junior Choir (Year 1 - 4) or the Primary
Senior Choir (Year 5 - 6) as well.
The repertoire included: Year 1 - ‘Bound for South Australia’, Year 2 - ‘The
Garden Song’ by David Mallett, Year 3 - ‘Clementine’, Year 4 - ‘Safari’, Year 5
- ‘Eleanor Rigby’ by Paul McCartney, Primary Choir - ‘Rhythm of Life’ by Cy
Coleman and ‘Let it Be’ by Paul McCartney, Year 6 - Recorder group - ‘Ode de
Joy’ by Beethoven, ‘Oh when the Saints’ and ‘Gaudeamus Igitur’ - Latin
Traditional. There was also a final performance including the Senior Combined
Choir (Year 5 and 6) singing ‘The Power of Music’ by Steven Rickards.
Aidan, year 3, performing a
beautiful melody on his cello.
The feedback from the parents was extremely positive. They
all enjoyed each performance and were amazed at how everyone in the Primary
School was involved. When it came to showcasing musical talents at the school
the Music Department ensured that this happened!
Year 3 children perform their
ensemble piece consisting of ukuleles, recorders and percussion instruments.
Year 4 children performing their
musical piece: “Safari”.
Year 6 - Recorder Ensemble
performing their Beethoven piece.
|
|
Running for the very first time
Derek Franklin &
William Macey
Not many people, if any, can remember back to when they walked their first step
and very few will remember the first time they ran. But several students at the
Pattaya School for the Blind recently ran for the very first time and it was an
experience they will never forget.
Children who are blind or visually impaired need to learn how to get from one
destination to another, and they learn to do this by using a white cane. Anyone
who has seen a blind person using a cane will see that they walk but never run.
A new exercise bike was also
donated.
Running can lead to all sorts of problems such as falling
over, banging into walls or other objects. Many blind youngsters will attempt to
run but the majority will soon realize the dangers and stick to walking.
The Pattaya Sports Club recently donated a treadmill to the Pattaya School for
the Blind and within minutes of its arrival there was a long line of children
waiting to use it.
The first student in line stood on the treadmill, the teacher switched it on to
a slow speed and this young boy walked in his normal fashion. But as the speed
increased two things happened, he started to run and as he did he started to
smile. The same thing happened whenever a new student stood on the treadmill,
they were running for the very first time and they could not help smiling at
their new experience.
If running for the very first time was not enough, Pattaya Sports Club also
donated an exercise bike, so for the students it was two new experiences in one
day.
More information on the School for the Blind can be found at
www.fr-ray.org or email
[email protected]
Even the youngest students had a
go.
It was difficult to get this boy
of the treadmill.
The older students will now use
the treadmill for athletics training.
The smile says it all.
The children are always
supervised.
Cycling is unknown to most blind
children.
This young lady loved every
moment.
|
|
Regent’s School and Jesters help Mr Rung
and his family collect recyclables
Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive 2013
Nat and his students help us load up the recyclables
with Mr. Rung, his wife Tukada and son Lar in the back left.
Lewis Underwood
When Nat Mulford’s primary class from The Regent’s School heard about
the Jesters’ Share Love with Friends’ project’ and the plight of Mr. Rung and
his family of four, they decided to help him with his recyclables’ collecting.
The children had been amassing recyclables throughout the last term of the
school year to the extent that they were filling up the corridors of the primary
building. School was closing at the end of June for the summer and it was time
to jettison the recyclables from the premises.
Our plan was to rendezvous at lunch time with Nat’s class and Mr. Rung and his
motorbike with side car, along with two of our pick-up trucks to haul it away in
one go. From there we were going to Mr. Rung’s makeshift abode nearby, where he
was going to take the labels off the plastic bottles, so he could get 18 baht a
kilo, instead of 13 baht with the labels still on.
However, Mr. Rung showed up with his wife and youngest son without his motorbike
as it was in the shop with engine problems. Instead, they had come with Sam in
his car, who heads the ‘Share Love with Friends’ project.
Bill, Mr. Rung and Woody at the recyclable center
with a basket of plastic bottles the students gathered over the last term.
Since Mr. Rung needed money urgently to get his motorbike back on the road, we
modified our plan to load up our two pickups to the hilt and go straight to the
nearest recyclable center to redeem everything on the spot. Nat and his students
eagerly pitched in helping us load our vehicles. The goal for the day was to
raise 3000 baht to get Mr. Rung mobile again.
At the center, we helped the workers there unload our recyclables of paper,
cardboard and plastic bottles. In order to get 13 baht for the latter, every
drop of left over water was emptied from the bottles and weighed sans the
plastic caps. By the way, the cardboard and paper brought only 1.8 baht per kilo
and less than one baht, respectively.
When it was all sorted and weighed, the reimbursement came to 514 baht, which
was way short of our goal to repair the bike. So, from there we decided to go to
the mechanic’s shop, where his bike was stored. We talked to the mechanic, who
confirmed the 3000 baht charge, and asked him how long it would take to do the
job. When he said two days, we handed him the money from our pockets to get it
done.
After that, we handed Mr. Rung the 514 baht from the recyclables and told him
that we would see him again in 3 days time at our monthly rice distribution for
impoverished families like his.
Post note: We are pleased to report that, of this writing, we have just come
back from the rice distribution at Nong Prue and we were happy to see Mr. Rung
his wife and three kids in their repaired motorbike with side car.
As one can discern, collecting recyclables is very work intensive and
time-consuming, reaping meager earnings. But for the poor this is an important
lifeline for their day-to-day survival.
Nat and his primary class have pledged to make this a regular gig for Mr. Rung’s
family by continuing to collect recyclables for them exclusively throughout the
new school year.
If you too would like to help people like Mr Rung and his family, please visit
us at www.care4kids.info, www. facebook.com/jesterscare. forkids.
Please do not forget our Main Events coming your way soon:
* Children’s Fair: Sunday, September 8th, at The Regent’s School Pattaya.
* Gala Party Night: Saturday, September 21st, at Amari Orchid Pattaya.
|
|
|
