Our school has installed air quality or air pollution monitors on both the High School and Primary School campuses. These monitors give us local readings of the air quality levels at different places within our two campuses. There is one air quality monitor based in the High School that is linked to the Government monitoring system which parents can view through online links.
The air quality monitors at each campus are in both the outside environment and in shared areas. This allows us to compare the quality of the air inside our teaching areas with the outside environment. For the last two years all our air-conditioning units which continually circulate and cool the air in our teaching areas have been fitted with additional filtration. This is a specialised 3M filter designed to filter the smallest particles from the air inside the classrooms. This means that when the air conditioning is turned on the air inside our school is filtered and the air quality monitors show it to be much clearer than the outside environment. The specialised filter is changed every 3 months or sooner if required ensuring that the air inside each area is kept clean. This means that once inside the school buildings our school community is working is a clearer healthy environment.
Our school has purchased some additional air purifier machines. These will be placed in different classrooms across the school to see if they further improve the air quality in these spaces. If this test period proves positive then we shall look at installing them across the school so that we have additional facilities in place to ensure that the air inside our buildings is clean and healthy.
Fun Day
It was a great shame that we had to postpone our Fun Day. We shall be looking with the PTG this week at possible alternative dates we could use where all our staff are available and all the rides and games that were booked are free to come to school. I, like many people, have bought raffle tickets and we will discuss how best to move forward with this or refund once we have looked at all the logistics of rescheduling Fun Day.
School Partnership Project
Next week on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 February, Ajarn Pat, our School Director, and I will visit Ban Huairaisamakkee and Anuban Mae Fah Luang Schools in Chiang Rai for our School Partnership Project. Our school has joined a government-led initiative to improve the education in Thai schools. St Andrews International School Bangkok will partner with Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage and will seek to help improve the quality of education offered at Anuban Mae Fah Luang and Ban Huairaisamakkee Schools which are located in the area of Doi Tung Development Project in Chiang Rai. There would be three areas where an ISAT member school could form a partnership with Thai School. These are School Curriculum; Teaching and Learning Approaches; School Management and Operations, including Professional Development, Child Protection and Community Service. We shall be involved in meetings with the Anuban Mae Fah Luang and Ban Huairaisamakkee School Directors, looking at the ways in which our school can help the development of the education these schools are providing. Much of this will be through staff development focused teaching and approaches to learning.
Parking
The new car parking facility at Suk71 by Soi 24 near our school is available for our parents to park in the morning and afternoon. One of our security guards will be present at Suk71 to assist vehicles with parking.
There is also parking available at MaxValu on Soi 71 with a shuttle bus service to Primary School both in the mornings and at the close of the school day.
Please do not park in any of the streets around Soi 20. We have had discussions with the police who will be touring these areas in the mornings and after school and will wheel clamp any cars that are parked illegally in this zone. At the moment, drop off on Soi 20 is still allowed but the police have advised the school that the time parents and children are taking to leave their cars has caused serious congestion and they will review this drop off again with the school to see whether it should remain open.
Idling of Car Engines
The school has had several meetings with the Vadhana District office about parents leaving their cars idling in the car park and surrounding areas to the school. At the end of last term their environmental officers came to school and they will continue to monitor the idling car engine problem this term. There are now signs around our school car park giving information about the law as well as about the pollution caused by idling car engines and the sanctions that can be imposed. The District Environmental Officers will review the problem and, working with the school, could fine individuals who leave their cars idling in the school car park or surrounding area.
Furthermore, with the recent decrease in the air quality in Bangkok, we all need to do our part not to contribute to this ongoing situation by leaving car engines idling wastefully while awaiting our kids either before or after-school.
If you have drivers, please also make them aware that cars should not be idling in the car park.
Residential Trips this term
Year 4 had their residential trip to Hua Hin last week and Year 6 left on Monday for Rayong. These trips are a challenging but very exciting experience for all involved. Lots of preparation goes into each residential trip to make them really memorable and successful experiences for all our Primary children. Year 5 will head to Kaeng Krachan from 25 February to 1 March 2019.
School Calendar 2019-2020
The school calendar showing our term dates and holidays throughout the year is available on the school website at this link.
For parents with enquiries about Primary School, please contact officeps@standrews.ac.th">officeps@standrews.ac.th or Tel: +66 2 381-2387-8