Over the preceding year, Wells Bang Na has engaged in a rigorous process of self-study, meticulously examining every facet of its operations and educational practices. This included a thorough review of governance structures, organizational frameworks, curriculum delivery, student support systems, faculty development initiatives, and community engagement strategies. The objective was not just to meet the accreditation standards but to gain insight on what should be prioritized in the upcoming school years.听

The evaluation visit served as an opportunity for external evaluators to scrutinize and validate the school’s self-assessment findings. They conducted interviews, observed classroom activities, analyzed documentation, and interacted with various stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of Wells Bang Na’s educational ethos and practices.

Community involvement and collaboration were also integral aspects of the evaluation process. The evaluators assessed the extent to which Wells Bang Na fosters partnerships with parents, local organizations, and other stakeholders to enrich the educational experience and contribute positively to the broader community.

As the evaluation visit concluded, the Wells Bang Na community eagerly awaits the feedback and recommendations from the IB and WASC evaluators. While the process has been rigorous, it has also been an affirming testament to the school’s unwavering commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. Regardless of the outcome, the journey towards accreditation has been a transformative experience, reinforcing Wells Bang Na’s position as a leading institution dedicated to nurturing future-ready global citizens.

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One of the highlights of the month was the visit by Mr. Nick Lively, children’s book author and illustrator.听 Mr. Nick answered our questions about writing and publishing books. This visit was a great opportunity for students to interact with a professional writer and learn about the creative process behind the books they love to read. The best part of this experience is listening to him read his books!

Another popular activity during Reading Month was the reading buddies program, where older students paired up with younger students to read together. This not only helped younger students to improve their reading skills, but also fostered a sense of community and friendship among students of different ages.

Parents were also invited to participate in Reading Month by acting as guest readers for their children’s classes. This provided a great opportunity for parents to engage with their children’s learning and to instill in them a love of reading from an early age.

The school also organized a pajama day, where students were encouraged to come to school dressed in their favorite pajamas and bring their favorite books to read. This fun and relaxed atmosphere allowed students to get comfortable and fully immerse themselves in their reading. Before the students read, we watched 鈥淭he Gruffalo鈥� movie to spark discussion amongst the students.

Finally, the school’s beautiful garden was transformed into a special reading space. Reading outdoors is a new experience for some of us. This outdoor space provided a perfect retreat for students to enjoy their books in a new setting.

Reading Month is not just a time-limited event, but rather a stepping stone towards building a lifelong love of reading.

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The Grade 3 students of Wells Bang Na Campus explored their first Unit Of Inquiry (UOI) over the past 6 weeks. Through delicate dissection and careful questioning, they managed to find out more than expected. They discovered something surprising about every one of us.

The class began their exploration with a gallery walk. They saw images of people both familiar and alien. And as inquiring minds are inclined to do, they found themselves asking questions. Who were these people before them and why were they important? Where did they come from? What were they known for? Were they walking among us or already at rest? What do they all have in common? With their minds awash with questions, it was time to unpack the central idea: Heroes are a reflection of our beliefs and values.听

Through this process of unpacking, the grade 3鈥檚 clarified the central idea. The heroes were not superheroes. They were not exploring the characters of fiction, but ordinary, everyday people. With questions yet unanswered, they set about researching the people pasted to the walls around them. Brandishing iPads, books, and encyclopedias, they began researching. Some chose to learn more about familiar faces, while others explored the unknown. They were tasked with organizing their research into mind maps. Afterwards, the students created Seesaw posts to share what they had learned about their heroes. And while this activity excited the grade 3鈥檚, they weren鈥檛 finished, yet. More questions arose and, with it, the need to go further. Ideas were forming, but not yet clear.听

While furthering their research, the students discovered something, or rather, someone. A man by the name of Salman Kunan. Mr. Kunan was of particular interest to everyone in the class. His heroic actions were not known around the world. He wasn鈥檛 Martin Luther King or Amelia Earhart. He was a local hero. But what did he do to have his name in Thai newspapers across the nation? To find out, they watched a documentary called The Cave. They learned that Mr. Kunan lost his life while helping to save the 12 boys trapped in Tham Luang cave. The students learned about Mr. Kunan’s death and they were impacted by the idea that this person could be someone that they knew. There was something special about Mr. Kunan鈥檚 story. He was someone they might have passed in a shopping mall or seen on the BTS. They came to realise that heroes are everywhere. They are not just present at momentous junctions in history, but also in everyday life and everyday situations.听听

With Mr. Kunan in mind, the students began to wonder if there might be other heroes whose actions were not to be found in history books. Young heroes tackling more current issues, both great and small. They continued their research with a renewed intensity. The grade 3s discovered many young heroes and connections with their own lives and experiences. It was after this foray into the world of young heroes that the students began thinking of taking action. Prince wanted to advocate for the endangered sea otter through the creation of an exciting comic book. Piper, Ete, and Tua wanted to inform others and prepared a presentation on ethical meat and farming to share with the grade 4s. Aadhya, Alina, Mook, and Vince put together an informative book to create awareness about the importance of recycling. Maya and Sun created a series of posters to share what they had learned about the PAWSBangkok foundation.听

What this magnificent group of students discovered through their journey was that everybody could be a hero. Our actions, big or small, can have an impact on the world around us. By striving to be knowledgeable and caring thinkers, we can change the world together, one action at a time.听

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Mystery Book Hunt is one of the anticipated activities during Reading Month at 扣扣传媒 Bangna. It started on March 1st after Ms. Viki, our school principal, announced all activities for this special event. Ms. Addie, the school librarian, dashed toward Ms. Viki and broke the bad news! Everyone was shocked and confused. Someone destroyed the giant book! Who could have done it?

The students were concerned when the teachers explained how every page in our beautiful, hand-crafted book had been damaged. Piper from Grade 2 said he could not finish his drawings. Initially, Ete thought the giant bear in the library was responsible for this disaster. Every student was determined to find the villain! Wells students are indeed risk-takers and inquirers, and they were ready to solve the case.听

After the disaster, mysterious characters started to appear in our school. The students were bursting with ideas as the excitement began with two visitors. Some students said it was Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.听

Most of the Grade 1 students thought the teachers had tricked them! They caught the teachers having a secret meeting. K3 agreed that something was going on. However, how could they crack this mysterious case?

There were many different theories about who broke the book such as that the monster liked books. It was very suspicious. The Grade 4 students predicted that the school鈥檚 Clutter Monster and its accomplice were the bad guys. The students collected clues on the bulletin board which had become a necessary center for reflective writing.

Later, Miss Marple and Nancy Drew flew to Wells Bangna to help our students solve the mystery! The students were thrilled to see the detectives in action. These keen detectives caught the Clutter Monster, which Grade 4 thought to be the culprit. The next week Geronimo Stilton and his sister Thea show up to help solve the mystery too.听

The G1 students found a letter and read it aloud. The letter explained that the real villain was still causing chaos. The first-graders then decided to free the clutter monster.听

The Bad Seed barged into the gym when the students were celebrating Pajama Day. Everyone was surprised. The Bad Seed confessed its unacceptable behavior. The students asked many questions: 鈥淲hy did you destroy our book?鈥�, 鈥淲hy are you so bad?鈥�, 鈥淲hy are you wearing dark nail polish?鈥� and 鈥淲hy did you leave seeds and footprints?鈥�.

The Bad Seed explained that it didn鈥檛 want to be mean anymore. It wanted to be a better seed. The students advised it on how to control its emotions. 鈥淲e can help you be good鈥�. In the end, the students gave the apologetic seed a socially distanced hug and wished it well on its journey back home.听

We hope that this experience will inspire our students and our community on the importance of working together!听

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Wells International Bang Na celebrated its first Gratitude Month. The month was divided into three parts: gratitude for myself, my environment, and others (discovering our grateful self, seeing the good around us, and seeing the good in others). It was an exciting week with both teachers and students enjoying the activities. As everyone embraced the power of gratitude throughout the week, our students inquired into 鈥淲hat is gratitude?鈥�. The students tried to find out if gratitude is a feeling or an attitude. In the end, they understood that gratitude is an attitude of finding the good things in our lives. When we focus on the good things, we make ourselves happier.听

BEING GRATEFUL FOR OURSELVES

The first week, Wells School Bangna focused on being grateful by discovering ourselves and looking at things that make us thankful. The students wrote gratitude journals to write about their strengths and what they are grateful for. One student in first grade wrote, 鈥淚 am grateful that I am happy鈥�. Grace (G1) noted that she is grateful that she can brush her teeth by herself. In the early years, the students made paper chains with pictures to show their strengths. Thashvinaa K2B said, 鈥淚 am a good friend because I always help my friends鈥�.

BEING GRATEFUL FOR THE THINGS AROUND US

In the second week of our Gratitude Month, we learned about seeing the good around us. The students enjoyed looking for the good in the world around them by noticing what was around them. The students went on a scavenger hunt around the school. They explored areas around the school and in the garden for things they are thankful for. For one activity, the students wrote notes of things they were grateful for and tied them to a tree in our garden. They found so many things to be grateful for. The K2 students said they were grateful for the shady garden trees, playing with toys on the playground, and looking at books in the quiet library. Mavind (K3B) said he was thankful for his family and Grace (K3B) said she was grateful that she could celebrate Christmas with her family. Tida (K3B) said she enjoys watching TV with her family and Jacob (G3) said he is thankful for the time spent with his family during meal times. Lise (G1) said, 鈥淚 am thankful for the library because I like to read鈥�. Aarna, in fourth grade, explained that she was grateful for 鈥渢he tree in the school courtyard because trees help with oxygen and are houses for the birds鈥�.听

BEING GRATEFUL FOR THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES听

In the third week of Gratitude Month, our students focused on seeing the good in others by finding and naming their friends鈥� strengths and being thankful for the people in their lives. Prem, Eric, and Timothy (G3) wrote that they were grateful for their homeroom teacher, Mr. Michael. Phop (G1) said he was thankful for his dad because he helped him get better. Jai Jai in fourth grade explained how she was grateful for Ms. Jasie 鈥渂ecause she teaches me to dance and I get to improve my talent鈥�. One activity asked the students to think about something that reminds them of a loved one. Annu wrote that it reminds her of her grandmother when she eats bread and milk for breakfast. In the Primary Years, the students decorated boxes and wrote notes to 鈥渕ail鈥� into their friends鈥� gratitude boxes. The students were all very excited to open their boxes and read the messages from their friends. In addition to working on gratitude mailboxes, the early year students worked on the 鈥榟ave you filled your bucket today鈥� activity, where they learned about expressing daily kindness and appreciation for others.听听

At the end of Gratitude Month, the students reflected on what they learned about being grateful. As the K2 students looked through their notes from their buckets, Mustang told his teacher, 鈥淢y heart feels so happy, it is like I have won the lottery鈥�. Some students explained that they are more aware of how grateful they are for their parents and say thank you more. One student said he had not realized how many of his peers liked him. Ms. Shauna explained that she had noticed how much more empathetic her K1 students have become after this month. The gratitude month brought opportunities for students to reflect on what they are grateful for and greater appreciation for the things and people they have in their lives. We can鈥檛 wait to do it again next year!

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For the past six weeks, the grade four class at 扣扣传媒 Bangna has been learning how structures and spaces are designed for functionality and aesthetics. The students researched building different structures such as stairs, roofs, and even furniture. They then had to use their math skills to measure and map out the design of their structures. Most of the students decided to design a bedroom. Lastly, they chose to present their work to the other students. The presentation consisted of a display and dance performance to showcase understanding and learning.听

The fourth-grade class showed agency and ownership by choosing how they wanted to present their work. They designed their structures, reflected as they went along, and changed things they learned about by themselves and through feedback from their friends. One student said they worked hard on their projects and wanted to show their hard work. The students decided to present their work in the dance room because they chose to perform a dance connected with their unit.听

The students were excited and a little nervous to show their work to the school. Jai Jai said, 鈥淚 was nervous because I thought I would dance the wrong move.鈥� Mira said that she was happy because everyone was cheering. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure we went over their expectations,鈥� she said.听

Learning comes with some challenges, though. One student said that it was most difficult to work on the roof. 鈥淚t was hard to work on the roof because it started to wobble, but I solved it in time,鈥� said Jai Jai. Annu, another student in grade 4, said that it was challenging to get the measurements right. The students helped each other by giving peer feedback. The students continuously reflected on their projects and made changes as they learned.听

听These projects were a great learning experience for our fourth-grade students. Aarna explained that she learned that function and structure are important because her building would fall without them. Another student explained that they learned that nothing is easy, especially when 鈥渃reating from your head because you have to think of everything.鈥澨�

The fourth graders鈥� final presentation was spectacular. Their peers were interested in how they built their structures and asked many questions. The dance performance was well-planned and surprised everyone. In the end, all the students鈥� hard work, reflection, and tenacity helped them create and execute an outstanding presentation.听

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Grade 1 is always busy learning new things. Often, we don’t have a chance to take a breath and think about our own learning.听 This year, in Grade 1 Wells Bangna, we have been focusing on reflection. We make听 time to reflect on projects and lessons, or even immediately after learning a new skill.听 However, before we can start to reflect, we need to understand what it means to reflect.听 Piper explained, “It is like looking in a mirror”. While Prim described reflection as “when you think about something you did”.听 In Grade 1, we describe reflecting as a way to think about and check what we understand and what we have learned.听听

How We Reflect

With this knowledge, we consider how we reflect. In Grade 1, we reflect in 3 ways, namely the whole class, small groups and individual reflection.听 Our teacher often asks, “Who is in the learning pit?” to find out who needs some more time to work through a challenge.听 The whole class reflects together with the help of questions such as “What did you do well?”听 or “What do you need to practice more?”听 or even “What are your goals for next time?”.听 These questions help us look at the skills we are learning, while having class friends use each other as examples.听

Small Group Work

Another way we reflect is in small groups where we focus on what we do during activities. After our small group activities, we talk about what we did well and what we want to change for next time. For example, some groups work very well together, while some groups struggle to take turns.听 We talk about what happened in the activity and how we can change some things. This helps us become self aware and mindful of what we do. On the other hand, when friends do well, we cheer them on.

Conferring with Out Teacher

Even so, our favorite way of reflecting is when we talk to our teacher individually.听 Adriana said that she can talk about what she has learned. Nandu likes individual reflection, because he said he can find out what his weaknesses are.听 We use the SOLO taxonomy to help us use hand gestures, colors and clear words to describe what we can do.听 We discuss our understanding with our teacher and explain why we think we are on a specific level.听 It helps build confidence when we talk about our learning. It helps us set goals for ourselves.听 It also helps our teacher find areas that need extra attention, for instance, our teacher found out that some students were unsure what celebrations meant during the individual reflections and planned a way to reteach the meaning of the word the next day.听听听

Ownership of Our Learning

In conclusion, reflection helps us become responsible for our own learning.听 It helps us be aware of what we need to focus on and teaches us to set achievable goals for ourselves.听 It can be hard work and we still need support from each other, but we enjoy it.听 And lastly, don’t forget how proud we are when we succeed and we know it.听

Written by Ms. Sunee Steyn (Grade 1 teacher)

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As a provocation for the unit, 鈥淲here We Are in Place and Time鈥�, Grade 5 did not expect the surprise waiting for them in the classroom on Monday, August 17th, 2020. The students sat down to find the accouterments for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich displayed at the front of the room. Mr. Russell moved robotically around the room. Then, he introduced himself as the latest and greatest in robotic technology.听

The challenge presented was for the students to take an everyday task then break it down into instructions for the robot to execute. Hilarity ensued when, while following the instructions given for drinking a glass of water, the robot simply put the whole glass into its mouth. The instruction read simply, 鈥減ut the glass into your mouth鈥�, while the following instruction read 鈥渄rink the water.鈥�

This activity illustrated that the majority of our communication is implied, and why the words we choose are important. One person instructs another person to put something 鈥渙n that shelf over there鈥� when knowing that said shelf is actually a bookcase. The same is not true for a computer or robot, which only does exactly what it is told. It cannot understand what one meant to tell it. Students quickly understood the activity, then began to refine their instructions.

Eventually, an algorithm, or ready made solution to a problem, was designed. This allowed the students to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Each student robot completed their sandwich making task successfully. Thankfully, enjoying the sandwiches themselves wasn鈥檛 bound by any robotic instructions.听

The central idea of this unit is language has been used throughout history to record experiences. In this activity, the students explored how we express ourselves implicitly without thinking about the meaning of the words.听听

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Over the long holiday, our dedicated and passionate teachers committed to working for the weekend. IB PYP educator, Lisa Bonazza, flew in for the weekend to lead 鈥淚nvestigating Inquiry鈥�.

First, our educators reviewed the definition of inquirers. Our teachers explored the various levels of inquiry. We studied models from structured inquiry to open inquiry.听 Examining the concepts of inquiry-based instruction in EAL was one goal in the workshop. Teachers 听 looked at mixed ability group environments. We learned practical applications to improve our instruction.听

Ms. Ellie, grade 2 teacher, says, 鈥淚nquiry is more accessible now. Every student can use inquiry when we have different ways of bringing it to the classroom.鈥�

Dr. Kristin, school principal, commented, 鈥淚 had an a-ha moment about using an inquiry-based approach for second language learners. It suddenly became apparent that hands- on, exploratory learning effective for our kids. Language acquisition happens quickly for second language learners through inquiry”.

Mr. Russell, grade 5 teacher, said, 鈥淚 came away with a renewed sense of purpose and plenty of fresh ideas. Inquiry improves the classroom environment for my learners.鈥�

Ms Sunee, the first grade teacher says she is better equipped to ensure that all the students in her class are asking questions. They think of new ways to solve problems.听听听

Mr. Brad, the PYP coordinator states, 鈥淭he workshop confirmed that inquiry is a powerful tool for developing a child鈥檚 ability to learn about their world and how things work.鈥�

The weekend workshop was a great learning experience for our team of educators. It also brought our community together as lifelong learners!

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