A reminder of our Air Quality Policy as we continue to monitor the air quality throughout the day...Discover how students are hacking into Global Development Goals...St Andrews receives recognition at this year’s International School Awards...Term 1 reports for Y1 and Y2 are now ready to view on Moodle.
We were hoping to report today on the Y1 Trip to Rama 9 Park, but as parents in Y1 will know, both of those trips were affected by the heavy pollution levels on both of the trip days. On the first day, the children actually headed off, very excited, but before they got very far we realised that conditions by the park were worse than on 71 and the morning fog means that the pollution wasn’t lifting. Luckily the teachers had spoken to the children before setting off, so they were well primed for this eventuality - and coming back to school had deep discussions about pollution, it causes and, going forward, what we needed to do to improve the air quality.
Apart from writing a report about “The Worst School Trip Ever’, the children thoroughly enjoyed their picnic lunch and have also made plans for a different trip - one that will have a positive impact on the environment. Check back here in a few weeks for more details.
It wasn’t quite the learning intentions that the teachers had planned for last week, but nonetheless covered some very important areas, and for the children was a very clear example of how things such as pollution and climate change have to be addressed.
Last week the air purifiers in classrooms were, of course, working overtime. We are pleased that these are proving effective and are waiting for the delivery of some larger machines to provide more efficient solutions for the larger spaces. We have a few habits we need to change, and you might have seen signs going up on the doors. After peak traffic times the doors should be closed to keep the clean air in, so please help us with this.
Our Air Quality Policy has been shared with you and this is something that we adhere to. We monitor the air quality throughout the day (we can see ‘live’ readings whereas readings through the Air Visual App are only updated hourly). We then reduce the amount of outside activity or cancel it, and where possible use outside spaces if the levels are high.
ECAs are not generally cancelled if the AQI is under 200, as we would need to make this decision by 1 pm in order to inform providers and rearrange buses. Often the conditions will improve in between 1 pm and 2.30 pm. If the AQI is in the Red Zone, where we cannot find large indoor spaces for sports activities, all providers will make activities less intensive and take more breaks. If the AQI spikes to 200 at 2.30 pm we will inform parents that the ECAs are cancelled.
Hacking is a long-standing tradition at MIT and an integral part of its culture. It can be defined as the implementation of harmless pranks, tricks and creative inventions that demonstrate ingenuity and cleverness! Over the holidays, lots of primary pupils found ingenious ways to hack items destined for the bin and turn them into something new. Linked to Unicef’s Global Development Goals, this challenge explored goal 12 ‘responsible consumption and production’. Pupils were encouraged to consider the items they consume and how they could:
reduce the consumption of these items;
reuse these items in your household;
recycle these items and/or generate a new purpose for their function
The student’s work is displayed outside the office - please take a look but be careful, the children have worked very hard on their projects and we wouldn’t them to get lost or broken.
Here is a selection:
If your child is inspired to create something please take a picture of it or come and show STEAM Miss Sarah (6C) in the Year 6 quad.
We are very proud to announce that St Andrews has been shortlisted for a very prestigious award at this year’s International School Awards. The category we have been shortlisted for is Environmental Initiative.
You may remember that Helen Mullen and Katy Waring were, and still are, the driving force behind Bangkok Eco-Beasts - which continues to go from strength to strength. It was their inspiration and input that lead to many positive changes in the field of Environmental Education at St Andrew’s.
Next week in London we go up against schools from Austria, the UAE and India and whether we come home with an award or not, are already winners!
The Term 1 reports for Y1 and Y2 are now ready to view on Moodle. The parent consultations to discuss the children’s progress will be taking place in weeks two and three - Tuesday 14th and Tuesday 21st January. Your classroom teachers will contact you regarding appointment times.
Before the holidays, you should have all received the link to this year’s NAE, St Andrews International School Bangkok Parent Satisfaction Survey. Your feedback is important as helps us to provide the best possible experiences for your children.
Please note that parents need to complete the survey once. The survey is designed to capture feedback on a per-family basis, but if both parents take the survey this is also fine.
The closing date is Friday 31st January 2020.
Parent Consultations - Tuesday 14th and Tuesday 21st January
Moodle & Seesaw Training Session in Library - Wednesday, 15 January (8:00-8:30am)
INSET Day (School Closed) - Monday 27th January
Last day of the half-term - Friday 7th February
First day of the 2nd half of Term 2 - Monday 17th February
Primary School
9 Pridi Banomyong 20/1, Sukhumvit 71,
Phra Khanong Nuea,
Vadhana, Bangkok 10110
THAILAND
High School
1020 Sukhumvit Road,
Phra Khanong,
Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110
THAILAND
