dear colleagues and friends in fobissea schools. welcome to … · 2017-02-28 · montessori school...

F R O M T H E C H A I R M A N

Issue No. 3 - 2012—2013

Dear Colleagues and Friends in FOBISSEA Schools.

Welcome to the latest edition of the FOBISSEAN newsletter.

I am delighted to announce that FOBISSEA has appointed its first Executive Officer with

effect from 1 May 2013. The successful candidate is Tania Donoghue, who has been work-

ing for the Federation as our CPD Facilitator. This means she already has a good under-

standing of how FOBISSEA operates and is known to all of the school Heads. She has exten-

sive senior management experience in sales, advertising, communications, magazine edit-

ing and event organisation in large international companies, which will also serve her well in her new role.

Tania has lived and worked in Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan before settling in Thailand in 2003

with her family. She is currently a parent at Bangkok Patana School. On behalf of all member Heads, I would

like to extend a very warm welcome to Tania and say how much I am looking forward to working with her in

her new role.

I mentioned in the last FOBISSEAN newsletter that we are receiving considerable interest from schools in the

region who wish to join our Federation. The expressions of interest have now grown to 36 schools. Three

schools have been visited by FOBISSEA Heads in the last few weeks and one more visit is scheduled for Sep-

tember. If these membership applications are successful then four new schools could soon join the Federa-

tion.

FOBISSEA is well known for providing a wide variety of educational opportunities for students and for offering

good quality CPD for the teachers in its member schools. We are continuing to build on these strengths with

the introduction of a Student Leader Conference and a DT Challenge for students in 2013-2014. We have also

made a commitment to organise our first Teacher Conference, possibly in 2014-15. Look out for more details

early next year.

As an organisation representing good quality British style education in the region, it is important that we

maintain effective links with the UK. I am delighted to report that FOBISSEA has been included in a new initia-

tive by the UK Government Department for Education (DfE) to formally recognise organisations that support

British Schools Overseas. Our entry onto the DfE website can be viewed at http://www.education.gov.uk/

schools/leadership/typesofschools/bso/a0066565/organisations-supporting-british-schools-overseas. This

inclusion means that we will receive regular educational updates from the DfE and will be included in its con-

sultation procedures.

As the school year draws to a close, I hope you will enjoy reading this edition of the FOBISSEAN and that it

tempts you to become more involved in the events and development of our organisation.

With very best wishes

Shaun Williams

CEO & Principal of the British International School, Ho Chi Minh City

Chairman of FOBISSEA

T H E F O B I S S E A N

F O B I S S E A N E W S L E T T E R

Dear Member,

Firstly thank you to Shaun Williams (Chairman), the Executive Com-

mittee and all Heads of School for the opportunity to work for

FOBISSEA as Executive Officer.

I have been privileged to work for the FOBISSEA CPD Executive for

the last two and a half years and have always been amazed at the

dedication from the Executive and school CPD Leaders. Knowing that

all have a full-time role within their own schools and still dedicate often their personal time to FOBIS-

SEA is what makes the Federation what it is.

Since starting the new role, I have already witnessed this dedication within many other facets of the

Federation.

In May I attended both the HoPE (Heads of Physical Education) Executive meeting & HoPE Conference.

It was very clear to see that HoPE and all staff do a

tremendous amount of hard work. They were com-

mitted to the success of the FOBISSEA Games as it

currently stands, but they were very open to restruc-

turing their current groups with the understanding

that the membership will undoubtedly increase.

Also impressive are the numerous other sporting

opportunities being offered to our students: FOBIS-

SEA Tennis Invitational, FOBISSEA Golf Invitational,

FOBISSEA Gymnastics Invitational as well as Rugby

and Netball to name a few.

Professional development was also on the HoPE agenda. Once

again the staff showed commitment to learning (by offering and

attending many presentations), with the knowledge that their stu-

dents will also benefit.

Recently I went to look at a potential new member to FOBISSEA.

The visits are undertaken by two Heads of School from regions/countries outside the one being visited.

Many of you will know how busy the last term of school can be. Our member Heads of School are tire-

less on these visits, cross checking the criteria of becoming a member school. Multi-page documents

are then submitted to all member Heads’ of School for comment. The process of vetting and accepting

new members requires a lot of work and is a crucial component of our growth. Thank you to our mem-

ber Heads of School for your commitment during this busy time. We must also thank the potential

new member schools too, who from the onset show their commitment to FOBISSEA by opening their

doors to us.

It has been a busy meeting season for FOBISSEA with planning of all activities for the next academic

year. Along with the PE meeting and Heads’ Executive meeting, the CPD Executive also met in June.



There are many JAWS (Job Alike Work Shops) already booked and a Teachers’ Conference is also in the

plans. All other student centered activities are being confirmed for next year’s calendar.

It is your dedication and commitment to FOBISSEA that has the

Federation in the strong position it stands today. We look forward

to a very dynamic period ahead.

Have a fun and safe holiday,

Tania Donoghue

Executive Officer

Often while travelling around Indonesia you will hear the

intricate sound of percussion music but no ordinary mu-

sic – this is the music of Gamelan. This traditional music

has many forms and is an ideal subject for teaching due

to its diversity.

For the third time BIS was able to share this rich musical

heritage with overseas visitors as part of the FOBISSEA

Gamelan Festival, which was held at the school from 18th

to 20th

January 2013.

60 students from Discovery Bay International School - Hong Kong, Uplands - Penang and the Jakarta

Montessori School joined 27 BIS students to share experiences and make music together. The event

was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the techniques of Javanese Gamelan and how it supports

the story telling of Wayang Kulit puppet theatre, discover Reog Dance and Music, create melodies on

Talempong kettle gongs and burst a few ear drums with some Sumatran Drumming.

Opening the festival was an astounding performance of Reog. For those of you not familiar with this

East Javanese dance the performance consists of the main dancer (“Warok” who is depicted as a

“Singa Barong” mythical beast) wearing an enormous mask/headdress with the face of a lion and a

mane of peacock feathers. The audience could not believe that the lion’s head was held in the teeth of

the performer – what a huge mask to be held in such a difficult way! Accompanying this character other

masked guardians called “Bujang Anom” represent rough youthful men in red masks and presented

amazing acrobatic feats as they interacted with the Warok.

On the second day as the sun descended the timing was perfect to enjoy a Wayang Kulit performance

in the main theatre. As this was not a public performance the students and staff were able to walk

around the stage, watching the puppets from the reverse screen (shadow) side and the “Dalang” side or

master of ceremony area. This gave two very distinct perspectives on the techniques used the way that

the story is presented. Everyone was fascinated by this and by the different types of gamelan music

which was played during the performance.

FOBISSEA GAMELAN FESTIVAL

HOSTED BY BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, JAKARTA



The festival was a wonderful event which

culminated in an outstanding performance

where students shared their new found mu-

sical knowledge with family and friends. Tu-

tors and the audience were impressed by the

standard of musicianship which the students

had achieved in such a short space of time.

2015 will herald the next BIS Gamelan

Festival and we look forward to welcoming our FOBISSEA and local friends

to the school again. Elizabeth Alwi

This years Senior Games was held over the weekend of

February 2nd

– February 3rd

2013, and promised to be the big-

gest event to date. As always, The Regents School Pattaya

played host to schools from all over Asia. Each year we seem

to get more and more interest, and this year, nine schools

travelled to us for a two-day marathon of sport.

The Games continue on from FOBISSEA in the younger ages

and although they have no link to FOBISSEA, our senior

students often meet up with athletes they have competed

against in International tournaments at a younger age.

The games are very much a ‘friendly’ competition, which combines basketball and football over two

days. However, once the games begin, like any sporting competition, the action heats up. As each year

passes, the Senior Games attracts more top sporting talent with the level of sport being played an eye

opener to all that witness it.

The first day involved the teams playing out two pools followed by a knockout competition to find the

best team in the sport. The boys start with basketball and the girls take to the football field in testing

tropical conditions.

The next day the roles are reversed and the teams change their sport and dig deeper and hopefully find

the energy to make it through the day. It was a fantastic weekend and definitely one to watch if you

have an interest in sport. It was a pleasure to witness students from all over the world playing sport and

representing their school with such passion and commitment.

Just as in many competitions there were trials and tribulations and many ups and downs. The weekend

was a great advert for school sport and all the students who competed were a credit to their school and

the Senior Games competition. Continued on Page 5/-

FOBISSEA GAMELAN FESTIVAL

HOSTED BY BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, JAKARTA

THE REGENT’S SCHOOL PATTAYA, SENIOR INVITATIONAL GAMES 2013



The Regent’s School performed very well in this year’s competition. At times a little ‘lady luck’ didn’t go

our way. However, a special mention to the senior girls who picked up third place in the girls basketball

and the senior boys football team who also picked up a bronze medal for their efforts.

As always, we are very proud of our students in everything that they do. In particular we are very

pleased to see that our students improve year on year and compete with schools from Bangkok and

other areas of Asia who are exposed to, and compete in a much higher level of sport on a regular basis.

Our students give up many hours to train and get ready for such competitions. They are always a pleas-

ure to work with and have an incredible desire to compete and improve.

Tournaments of this scale don’t just happen over night, a large amount of planning and preparation

goes into it, with many hours spent making sure everything runs smoothly. A big thank you to Mrs.

McConnell for organising the games alongside the help and support of the PE department and our

incredible Gap staff. It was another fantastic tournament for The Regents School Pattaya, and we are

already looking forward to next year’s competition.

Bangkok Patana School was proud to host the 2013 Pri-

mary FOBISSEA Games. We welcomed teams from Harrow

Bangkok, Alice Smith, Tanglin Trust, British International

School Jakarta and Garden International School Kuala Lum-

pur for this year’s new six school format. There were 36 stu-

dents from each school representing the Under 9, Under 10

and Under 11 age groups for a busy three days.

The Games began with a splash as the swimmers dove in on Thursday morning. In the afternoon, the

competitions of athletics, football and tee-ball began. The hotly contested competitions in many

events were evidence of the talent and skill of the athletes.

Athletes, coaches and parents were welcomed at the Welcome Dinner the evening before the games

began and the games concluded with a Gala Dinner on Saturday night.

At the end of the three days, everyone was exhausted but

had a good time. “This was our first FOBISSEA as Year 4

parents and I can only commend the fantastic level of

sporting abilities across all the age groups and the wonder-

ful camaraderie and respect shown by the boys and girls

who took part. True sportsmanship on show! Great job

Patana,” said Richard Goddard, Tanglin Trust School, Singa-

pore (comment on the Bangkok Patana website).

Congratulations go out to all the athletes and coaches who

worked hard to prepare for these games and also to the

parents and visitors who supported the athletes.

THE REGENT’S SCHOOL PATTAYA, SENIOR INVITATIONAL GAMES 2013

FOBISSEA PRIMARY GAMES 2013 HOSTED BY BANGKOK PATANA SCHOOL



“As this year’s judge, Joseph Theobald, has now completed his deliberations, it is my great

pleasure to announce the winners of the FOBISSEA Short Story Competition 2013.

It is my sincere hope that your students’ involvement in the competition this year has proven to

be both enjoyable and beneficial, and has helped to develop their confidence and enthusiasm

for imaginative writing. All shortlisted stories and winners have been published in an e-book

which will be made available on the FOBISSEA website in due course.

I hope that Jo’s comments below will prove useful to all our young writers, as well as their Eng-

lish teachers, and I look forward to your continued involvement in next year’s competition”. —

Lee Davies

Secondary

1st - Twenty Seconds - Josie Ann Paul (The British International School, Phuket)

Twenty Seconds is an evocative piece which conveys vividly the troubled emotions and experiences of the main

character. Fitting the theme 'Secrecy' very well, it draws us in and tackles a challenging subject. The powerful sig-

nificance of the title Twenty Seconds is revealed at the end of the story.

Runner-up— Bite The Bullet - Amy Wei (The British School of Beijing)

Bite The Bullet deals with the poignant situation of a soldier attending the funeral of one of his fellow soldiers killed

in action. The punchy, humorous style of writing seems to reflect the soldier's character well as he tries to maintain

a brave face. Flipping between the funeral and flashbacks of war, he is clearly traumatised… but is he also responsi-

ble?

Runner-up - Secrecy—Jian Wei Yeong (The International School of Penang, Uplands)

A mysterious encounter between a professor and one of his students moments prior to a major historical event.

The well crafted dialogue brings us in to the scene by quickly acquainting us with the characters. As a short story it

stands on its own, but I also liked the fact that I had to brush up on my history to fully understand it and discover

Principal's secret!

Primary

1st - Secrecy - Tiffany Tym Ya (The British International School, Phuket)

In this story we meet a group of animals who all want to be perfect. Unhappy with their perceived flaws they seek

guidance from Dr Owl, and together they finally discover the secret of happiness. Imaginative and funny, this is a

delightful story for young children with a well rounded ending.

Runner-up - Secret Journey—Emily Pederson (The Alice Smith School, Primary Campus)

Under the cover of darkness a young woman must cross a forest avoiding Nazi soldiers to deliver a

secret package.



The Annual FOBISSEA Leadership Conference and AGM 2013 will this year be hosted by St. Christopher’s

International Primary School, Penang, Malaysia from 27—30 October 2013 at the very exclusive Shangri-

La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa. This will coincide with St. Christopher’s 50th Anniversary academic year.

Last year it was hosted by The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This event will bring together the Heads of Schools and Senior Leaders to discuss, exchange ideas and

share best practices, not forgetting working on networking. It will be an exclusive FOBISSEA Conference

where it will focus on leadership within our Federation that is unique to British type International

Schools. There will be also presentations, workshops and activities that will focus on members’ needs

and our development as a Federation.

John Gwyn Jones, Principal of St. Christopher’s International Primary School, is in the process of securing

excellent guest presenters for the Leadership Conference. To date, the following guest speakers have

been secured - Sir John Jones, Martin Skelton and Andy Phillips.

A Pre-Conference training on school inspections will be held a day prior to the Conference by CfBT, CIS

PENTA and Tribal. We hope to offer opportunities for school governors or school owners to also attend

and benefit from having some training and dialogue by CIS.

We will also be welcoming our Affiliate Members as well as supporting exhibitors to participate in the

Exhibition to get to know the Heads of Schools and Senior Leaders from FOBISSEA Member schools as

well as to share their products and services.

Please look out for more information on the FOBISSEA website www.fobissea.org or contact John Jones

at [email protected], his PA, Ms Doris, [email protected], Tania Donoghue, FOBISSEA’s Executive

Officer at [email protected] or Gurmeet, [email protected] should you have any

further enquiries.

REMINDER: FOBISSEA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE & AGM 2013

1. Broadway Malyan Shanghai— www.broadwaymalyan.shanghai

2. Prime Education Consultancy—www.primeeducation.org.uk

3. Cambridge Education Consultancy— www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/singapore

4. Bridgewater Worldwide Ltd—www.teacherswealth.org

5. Dawsons Music Ltd—www.dawsons.co.uk

6. True Teaching Pte Co Ltd—www.trueteaching.com



FOBISSEA CALENDAR DATES FROM SEPTEMBER 2013 — MARCH 2014

For contributions to the FOBISSEAN Newsletter please contact For contributions to the FOBISSEAN Newsletter please contact For contributions to the FOBISSEAN Newsletter please contact For contributions to the FOBISSEAN Newsletter please contact :::: CPD:CPD:CPD:CPD:---- Tania Donoghue, Executive Officer: Tania Donoghue, Executive Officer: Tania Donoghue, Executive Officer: Tania Donoghue, Executive Officer: [email protected]

General: General: General: General: ---- Gurmeet Kaur, Administrator: Gurmeet Kaur, Administrator: Gurmeet Kaur, Administrator: Gurmeet Kaur, Administrator: [email protected]

V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E

www.fobissea.org

12 - 14 September 2013 FOBISSEA Business Managers' Conference 2013

26 October, 2013 FOBISSEA Heads' EXCO Meeting/Arrival of delegates for Conference

26 October, 2013 FOBISSEA Heads' Leadership Conference - Welcome Reception

27 - 30 October 2013 FOBISSEA Heads Leadership Conference, Business Meeting & AGM

14 - 18 November 2013 FOBISSEA U15 B2 Games

20 - 24 November 2013 FOBISSEA U15 B1 Games

21 - 25 November 2013 FOBISSEA U15 A2 Games

28 - 30 November 2013 FOBISSEA U15 A1 Games

29 - 1st December 2013 FOBISSEA Gymnastics Invitational

22 - 24 January 2014 MUN Conference 2013/2014

Dates to be confirmed FOBISSEA Joint Services Community Meeting

5 - 7 March 2014 FOBISSEA U13 C Games

12 - 14 March 2014 FOBISSEA Golf

13 March 2014 FOBISSEA Executive Committee Meeting

14 - 15 March 2014 FOBISSEA Heads' Annual Business Meeting

14 - 16 March 2014 FOBISSEA U13 A2 Games

14 - 17 March 2014 FOBISSEA U13 A1 Games

18 - 20 March 2014 FOBISSEA U13 B1 Games

28 - 30 March 2014 FOBISSEA Performing Arts Carnival (PPAC)

dear colleagues and friends in fobissea schools. welcome to … · 2017-02-28 · montessori school...

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