Head's Lines: STA rock odd socks for World Down Syndrome Day

It was great to see so many odd socks across the school today as we mark World Down Syndrome Day. This day of global awareness is celebrated on the 21st day of the third month of the year to recognise the three copies (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down Syndrome. And since socks look somewhat like chromosomes, wearing odd socks or even three socks is a great way to stimulate discussion about Down Syndrome.

World Down Syndrome Day

It was great to see so many odd socks across the school today as we mark World Down Syndrome Day. This day of global awareness is celebrated on the 21st day of the third month of the year in recognition of the three copies (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down Syndrome. And since socks look somewhat like chromosomes, wearing odd socks or even three socks is a great way to stimulate discussion about Down Syndrome.

Our mission at St Andrews has always been to provide an inclusive, international education in a safe, happy, supportive and stimulating environment where all the needs of the individual learner are met. In keeping with our mission, we join the world in calling for full inclusion in society for everyone, and especially people with Down Syndrome

Vaccination Status of our school community

Last Sunday, there were a further 250 opportunities for families within our school community to have their primary aged children vaccinated at Medpark hospital. These vaccinations were offered across the Primary School with families making the most of this chance to protect their children further against COVID infection. We expect to be able to provide additional opportunities for 5-11 year olds in the coming weeks. Please contact health@standrews.ac.th if your 12-18 year old child has not yet received a vaccination and you would like to organise a first shot for them.

I know many families have managed to either attend the vaccination opportunities the school has provided through our close relationship to Medpark hospital, or have had their children vaccinated at other hospitals or vaccination centres like Bang Sue. 

If you have had your children vaccinated please update this information in our Health App so we have an accurate picture of how high the vaccinations of the school community now stands. High school staff and students are around 98% vaccinated and it would be good to also have this information for our Primary School children.

This information will be part of our considerations as we continue to review our school protocols in terms of when and who should be able to attend school because they have been exposed to close contact with individuals who have tested positive for COVID. We are keen to reduce the number of children having to stay at home and study and knowing how much of our school community is vaccinated would be very strong useful information and evidence for why we wish to review and change the current protocols.

Busking Week

At the Primary School lots of our budding and accomplished musicians and artists will be performing at break and lunch times for Busking Week. They will have their donation hats extended in the hope that others will give small donations for their efforts which will all be collected together for a school charity. It is always great to see so many students taking part in performances and as well as teachers showing off their talents.

PTG Coffee Morning

I hope you can attend the PTG Coffee Morning on Thursday 24th March, starting at 8 am in the Primary Sports Hall. There are still a few places left on the sign up sheet where you can also order your choice of coffee. 

The PTG helps organise a whole range of school activities that really do make very rewarding experiences for both our children and older students, as well as an opportunity for parents to really get to know each other. We will be particularly looking for parents volunteers to join the PTG and help our school plan the next 18 months of activities as we move into the post-pandemic world and get back to a much more normal way of hosting and having events at school and in venues around Bangkok.

The meeting will start with a brief presentation about the role of the PTG, followed by a chance to ask questions and look at ways you can get involved.

VEX Competition

Last week our VEX teams were at a VEX competition hosted at NIST. All student teams have been working hard this term and this extra effort really paid off at this event. Our Senior VEX team won the excellence award and a spot to Worlds in Dallas, Texas. What a fantastic achievement! 

Also at this VEX competition, one of our junior teams won the Judges' Award showing they had made a real impression with their ingenuity.

Congratulations to all our students who represented our school at this event. A huge thank you to Mr Rob, Ms Holly, Mr Sam and Mr. Marc, the High School teachers who have put in the time and effort to guide and work with these students over the past few years to develop their skills to such a high level.