20th October 2023
Dear Samakee Community,
Thank you to all the parents and caregivers who participated in the Parent Consultations this week, whether in-person or through virtual meetings. These meetings are a valuable opportunity to share insights into how well your child has settled into their new year group and their overall engagement in the learning process. It was truly a pleasure engaging in discussions with you this week!
At Samakee, we strive to develop a strong partnership between parents and teachers, and we hope that you feel well-informed about your child’s progress and personal development in school. The next scheduled parent consultations will take place in February, the 20th and 22nd, but we are always more than happy to meet with you at any time if you have questions or concerns about your child.
TEACHER’S DAY – WAI KRU!
Yesterday, we welcomed students, parents, and teachers to a Teacher’s Day assembly in the hall. The Ambassadors led the event with speeches, fun games and videos they had created featuring amusing anecdotes about their teachers. Upper School students sang a traditional Thai song to acknowledge and thank teachers who positively impact their daily lives, and students from across the school performed a beautiful Thai dance in traditional Thai costumes. As the assembly ended, children and parents gathered around to present all the teachers with an abundant array of beautiful flowers and bouquets – fantastic!
Many thanks to the Ambassadors and the Thai team for organising this charming event, to parents for joining us, and to the children for presenting their teachers with such beautiful flowers – thank you!
PTG MEETING THURSDAY THE 2ND OF NOVEMBER
We look forward to our next PTG meeting immediately after the break on Thursday, the 2nd of November, at 8:00 a.m. in the Fitness Room by the pool. We really appreciate your comments and suggestions in the Parent Survey. As requested, we will have a session about one of the educational theories used at Samakee at this meeting – Restorative Practice.
Restorative practice is an approach we introduced at Samakee several years ago to address behaviour challenges in a positive and inclusive way. Restorative practice offers a constructive and empathetic approach to addressing behaviour challenges and emphasises relationship building, personal growth, and the overall well-being of children in our school. Ms Nicky will lead this session, and we hope you can join us.
Teaching and Learning Highlights!
EYFS MAGIC OF IMAGINATION
At Samakee, we believe in the magic of imagination! We provide the space, time, and resources for children to explore and extend their creativity. Just look at this young dreamer dressed as a “Princess Pilot!”
YEAR 1 – BREAD MAKING STATION
In year 1 the new bread making station is very popular during EBL. The children return again and again. They work with friends to measure out and mix all of the ingredients in order then use their hands to kneed the bread dough together. They shape their own bread and decorate with seeds, fruits, herbs and spices ready to enjoy fresh from the oven at snack time. This is the start of lots more exploration of bread baking.
YEAR 3 – CHOCOLATE FACTORY
To conclude our Chocolate Topic, Year 3 went on a trip to visit a real-life chocolate factory to learn more about the bean to bar process. We were able to take a tour around the factory (we saw many machines and different rooms!) and tasted different kinds of chocolate. We even tasted roasted cacao beans! We ended the workshop by making some chocolates that we could take home!
YEAR 4 – SCIENCE
In Y4 we love exploration and investigating! This term we have been learning all about Sound, here is a snapshot of our Science sessions this term!
UPPER SCHOOL – SWIMMING
Swimming is a very important aspect of our Samakee curriculum. Exposure to the water in a safe and fun way gives our students an appreciation and respect for this environment. Our students swim every week all year round and we are so proud of the progress that is made. Some students extend their skills further by joining the after school programme. We Love Swimming at Samakee!
SAMAKEE FOOTBALL TEAM AT MYIS
On Monday the 16th October, a mixed U9 and U11 Football Team travelled the short distance to Magic Years to play their first game of the season. Knowingly playing against older students players knew they would be up against it despite the size and age difference.
All players displayed great effort and attitude and played to their strengths. Progress was made in teamwork and playing different positions and set targets for the next matches and tournament next month.
Upcoming Important Events
Middle School Growth Mindset Master
Congratulations on being the Middle School Growth Mindset Master this week! This certificate is awarded to one of our Year 2 students for having the positive attitude to learn Thai and keep trying to do Thai homework by herself. She never gives up on challenging work.
Upper School Credit Certificates
SAS LINE COMMUNICATION PLATFORM
LINE is a widely used communication platform in Thailand, and it’s a platform that Samakee has been utilizing for quite some time. We encourage all our families to connect with our official SAS LINE account to ensure we can easily disseminate important school-wide updates to our entire school community. Click to add
Today, we break up for the half-term holiday and we look forward to seeing everyone back in school on Monday the 30th of October. We hope that you all enjoy a well-deserved and relaxing break wherever you spend the holiday!
Monica L Sudhirak
Head of School
Head of School, Monica L Sudhirak: msudhirak@standrews-samakee.com
First School Phase Leader, Tabietha Sudhirak: tsudhirak@standrews-samakee.com
Middle School Phase leader, Hannah Riddi: hannah.ridd@standrews-samakee.com
Upper School Phase Leader, Nicky Page: npage@standrews-samakee.com
“Samakee is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of all students and expects all staff and visitors to share this commitment.”