April 9, 2018

In a world of ever changing knowledge and information, it can become increasingly difficult to predict what our students might need to learn in order to prepare them for the future. Technological advances, globalisation, scientific discovery and economic development all contribute to our rapidly changing world.

As educators, it is therefore very important that we focus our attention on those areas of education that remain constant, even in the face of significant change. Research (Sterling 2001, Maiteny 2002 etc.) has shown that core values and transferable learning skills, such as those found in the Bangkok Prep Life Values, are not only key in academic success but vital in creating the types of worldviews and perspectives that will contribute towards a brighter future for our planet and for future generations.

With this in mind, it is a real privilege to be part of a learning environment where positive values and perspectives are embedded throughout our school community. This is only possible thanks to the inspirational BKK Prep staff, who take it upon themselves to organise and deliver events and experiences that form the backbone of our values curriculum.

This past week has been particularly values focused, with the Primary students taking part in two fantastic events, focused on protecting our natural environment.

On Friday 22nd March, the Eco Team organised a school wide ‘Earth Hour’, where each class competed to reduce their use of electricity and take part in a global effort to tackle climate change. This was a huge success and the event continues to be more and more successful each year. Thank you to Mr Cooke (Primary Eco Schools Leader) for coordinating this. Mr Cooke and the Eco Team continue to work closely with the WWF and the Eco Schools organisation to further develop our Eco Schools programme. Keep an eye out for our Primary ‘Green Day’ in Term 3!

On Tuesday 27th March, the Primary School also welcomed Brendan Sing from the charity Shark Guardian. After a fantastic assembly, each year group had the opportunity to attend a workshop/seminar with Brendan, where we learned some amazing things about sharks and the importance of protecting this magnificent animal. This was a very valuable experience for students (and teachers) and we look forward to working more with Shark Guardian in the future. A special thank you must go to Ms Shepherd (Year 3 Leader), who organised the event, what a fantastic day. Another teacher was quoted as saying, “now that’s what education is all about!”

Thank you also to the parents who continue to see the value and support the school in its sustainability efforts. It is this level of values based education that separates BKK Prep from other schools and makes our community a very special place to learn.

Kris Ian Leverton
Key Stage 2 Leader