News — 3 April 2015 07:54

NIST News - 3 April 2015

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Staffing for the 2015-2016 School Year

Teacher turnover at international schools is inevitable, and some parents have asked about staffing changes for next year. We are still finalizing some positions, and in May you can expect another update from us regarding new staff who will be joining for the 2015-2016 school year. However, overall turnover has been the lowest in recent history (and possibly ever in percentage terms), and we think this trend is a positive sign in terms of our organizational health.

AuctioNIST Online Is Live

Our inaugural auction fundraising event, AuctioNIST, is set to take place in just over a month, on Saturday, 9 May. An array of splendid art pieces will be available to suit all palates and prices, and the evening will include canapes, wine and the opportunity to win fabulous door prizes. However, to provide as many opportunities as possible for all members of our community to bid on items, we invite you to participate in AuctioNIST Online (http://nist.ac.th/auctionist), which will run until the end of this month.

Dozens of beautiful pieces produced by students, staff, parents and friends of NIST are available, and proceeds from both the online auction and live event will be going toward a good cause. Please note the attached terms and guidelines for bids, most notably that the final online bids will be carried over as the starting bids at the live event, which will feature 14 exclusive items not available in the online auction. If you would like to attend AuctioNIST on 9 May, tickets can be purchased from Khun Wanpen at the school’s front office or by emailing Khun Michelle at MMarquez@nist.ac.th.

NIPTA Needs You!

As we look forward to the 2015-2016 school year, many of the NIPTA committees will need new members and support. To find out more, please contact nipta.nist@gmail.com.

WHOLE SCHOOL

NIST Summer School Open for Registration

Our summer school website is now live, and you can learn more about the available programmes and register at http://summerschool.nist.ac.th. As indicated last week, the programmes will run from 15 June to 10 July, and will be THB 35,000 or THB 29,000 for early bird registration.

Biking for Baan Gerda

This weekly fundraising activity provides a fun and exciting biking opportunity through suburban Bangkok, and at the same time supports the children living with HIV at Baan Gerda in Lopburi. Participants are asked to give a donation of 1000 baht per person, and all proceeds from the tour go to the children. For a full description of the tour route, visit the NIST website.

Possible tour times: Between 6:00 and 8:00 AM (based on your preference) on Saturdays and Sundays
Length: Approximately 5 to 7 hours depending on the group's pace
Distance: 35-40 kilometers, primarily away from major roads and through smaller sois and khlongs when possible
Meeting point: Noble Cube Pattanakarn (on Pattanakarn Road between soi 24 and soi 26); a map will be provided on booking
Donation: This is a non-profit service activity, and participants are asked to give a donation of THB 1,000 per person (or more if you'd like to) at the start to the tour
Certificate: All participants will receive certificates of appreciation for their donation
Group size: 1-6 people
Equipment: Mountain bikes, helmets and water bottles are provided
What to bring: Pocket money for bottled water, drinks, snacks at a picnic at Rama IX park; you may also want to bring a small backpack with your own water bottle, mosquito repellant, sunglasses and sunblock/sunscreen
Level of difficulty: Easy riding at a slow pace over mostly flat terrain, but you will be tired by the end of the day; please note that you need to have good balance/coordination and feel comfortable riding on the elevated pathways along the khlongs, as they are only a bit wider than one meter and often have no fence
Booking: Please send an email to Joachim Ekstrom at jekstrom@nist.ac.th and specify the day and time you would like to join, as well as the number of people in your group
Website: Biking for Baan

Join Us on 9 April for Our Annual Songkran Assembly

The Thai Department would like to invite all parents to attend the NIST Songkran assembly, a celebration of the Thai new year, Buddhist rituals, family gatherings and water splashing. The assembly will be held at the Sports Complex on Thursday, 9 April 2015.

Secondary: 8:30 - 9:05 AM
Elementary: 9:25 - 10:05 AM

The highlights of the assembly will include a traditional water blessing ceremony, Thai classical music and a Thai folk dance. There will also be Thai food and sweets around The Oval for all to taste. Please come and join in the fun of Songkran celebration. Wearing Thai outfits or brightly colored floral shirts is highly encouraged. Happy Songkran and sawasdee pee mai!

Fresh from the Kitchen

Have you tried NIST Catering's sourdough bread, baked fresh everyday? Sourdough is a bread made by a long fermentation of dough using naturally occurring bacteria and yeast. In comparison with breads made with cultivated yeast, it usually has a mildly sour taste because of the lactic acid produced by lactobacilli.

Sourdough is better for our bodies, as it is made from wholewheat flour, and natural yeast is easier to digest, Lactobacillus helps feed the good bacteria found in your digestive system, so it boosts our immune systems. Sourdough also doesn’t cause a spike in your blood sugars like processed white and wheat breads often do and it also stays fresh much longer than normal bread! Come and try a loaf today, and just ask if you want it sliced!

SECONDARY

Reserve Officers Training Corps (Ror Dor รักษาดินแดน) Parent Information Session

Thai parents of year 10 boys and their sons are kindly invited to attend a Ror Dor information session:

When: Thursday, 30 April 2015
Time: 2:45 - 3:30 PM
Where: College Career Library (Secondary Building, 2nd floor)

We will provide hard copies of the information handbook to you, so we would appreciate if you could confirm your attendance via email at narins@nist.ac.th or pilasineeL@nist.ac.th, or call 02-651-2065 ext. 210 or 211.

Narin Sriprasert, Ror Dor Officer

ECAs & SPORTS

Falcons Earn 13 Championships over BISAC Weekend

Rising to the challenge of the previous weekend's excellent SEASAC results, the Falcons were out again in full force last Saturday and Sunday for BISAC tournaments around Bangkok. They didn't disappoint. Upon returning to NIST on Monday, they had netted 13 championships in softball, badminton, tennis and swimming:

Under-19 Boys Softball Champions
Under-19 Girls Softball Champions
Under-19 Girls Badminton Champions
Under-15 Girls Tennis Champions
Five individual swimming championships
Six team swimming championships

Congratulations to all of our Falcon athletes, coaches and parent supporters. For a full report of the weekend action, visit our website.

IWICA Youth Chess Championship

NIST will host the 7th annual IWICA Youth Chess Championship tomorrow. With six age brackets, as well as an open-age category, the event promises to be one of the biggest to date. For more information, visit The NIST Link.

NIPTA (NIST PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATION)

NIPTA & NIST Staff Social Club Quiz Night

Date: Friday, 24 April
Time: 7:00 PM onward
Venue: The Hub, 4^th floor
Theme: “Through the Decades”

Tickets are selling fast! Come and get yours on Monday and Tuesday next week! They will be on sale in front of the ATM. If you cannot come to school to buy your tickets, please email NIPTA_CountryGroupLiaison@nist.ac.th to reserve a spot for the night.

This promises to be a fun community event: a quiz and curry night – come along to test your general knowledge while enjoying some delicious Thai and Indian curries! Beer will be available for sale; wine is BYOB (corkage THB 50)

The theme for the evening is “Through the Decades”. Come dressed as a character from any decade. Prizes will be awarded for the best-dressed individual and table!

UPCOMING EVENTS

4 April (Saturday): 7th IWICA Youth Chess Championship (See details and sign up on The NIST Link)
4-19 April: Nepal Annapurna Base Camp Trek (See details in in Veracross calendar)
8-18 April: New York Choir Trip (See details in Veracross calendar)
10-19 April: Songkran Holiday - No School
24 April: NIPTA & NIST Staff Social Club Quiz Night (See details in NIPTA)
9 May: AuctioNIST
29 May: Teacher Appreciation Day

Coming Up in Falcon Sports

3-7 April: 2015 Speedo Thailand Swimming Championships by the Thailand Swimming Association (Thammasat University - Rangsit Campus)
8 April: U15 Girls Volleyball vs. ISB (3:30 PM at ISB)
9 April: U17 Boys Badminton vs. ISB (3:30 PM at ISB)
9 April: U17 Girls Badminton vs. ISB (3:30 PM at ISB)