BASIS International School Bangkok eNewsletter

Message from the School:

Dear TUSKERS families,

Welcome back! We hope you had a restful and enjoyable October break.

Next week, we are excited to welcome Mr. Tim Smith, Vice President of Global Talent at BASIS Curriculum Schools Network, from the U.S. to our campus. We cordially invite all parents to join us for a special Coffee Morning on Tuesday, October 29^th at 8.30 AM, where Mr. Tim will be sharing “How BASIS Recruits Our Talented Teachers.” This is an opportunity to learn about the rigorous and thoughtful approach BASIS takes to ensure we have exceptional educators in our classrooms. We hope to see you there!

We would like to also wish our Grade 10 students the best of luck on their PSAT exam next Tuesday. This exam serves as valuable practice and helps our students measure their progress. With the unwavering support of our teachers and the dedication of our students, we are confident they are well-prepared and ready! Go TUSKERS!

Additionally, we have a special event just around the corner—our Halloween Celebrations on Thursday, October 31st! Students are encouraged to dress up in their favorite costumes and join in the spooky fun. Parents are warmly welcome to come on campus and enjoy the Halloween parade. Special event this year, our Parent Association will be hosting an exciting Bravery Challenge after school in the Blackbox. Come explore the Haunted House and enjoy some Trick or Treat fun!

Check out the full schedule of events below. It’s going to be a spooktacular day filled with fun and excitement! 🎃

Let’s make the most of the semester ahead! We look forward to an exciting and productive term together.

Warm regards,
BASIS International School Bangkok

Save the date for School Events and Academic Calendar:

Exciting Campus Upgrades Over the October Break!

Dear BASIS Community,

While our students and staff were away, our amazing Facilities Team has been hard at work improving and enhancing our school campus, ensuring that we continue to provide a safe, comfortable, and inspiring environment for everyone.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the exciting projects that were completed or are currently in progress:

1) New LED Screen at the Main Entrance

A brand-new LED screen has been installed at our main entrance! This will be used to display all the latest activities, events, and important information for our BASIS community. Keep an eye on it for updates as you enter the campus!

2) Outdoor Chess Area

We’re thrilled to announce the addition of a new outdoor chess area near the canteen! With approximately 60 sqm of covered play area, students can now engage in fun, strategic games of chess during breaks. The permanent roof construction is expected to be completed by November 2024.

3) Third Floor Academic Building Renovations

Our third floor is getting a makeover in preparation for the next academic year! We’re adding 9 new classrooms, a multipurpose room, a meeting room, and several offices. This exciting project will continue over the year-end holidays and summer break, with everything ready to welcome our students by August 2025!

4) Additional Campus Upgrades

From drop-off and gate improvements to new gardening storage shed areas, deep campus cleaning, and much more—our facilities team has been making sure every corner of the campus is in top shape!

But that’s not all! Earlier this year, we made some incredible enhancements, including upgrading the front doors of the reception area and main gymnasium to sensor-activated sliding doors for added safety. Plus, new parent bathrooms were added to the Science Building for your convenience!

At BASIS International School Bangkok, we are constantly striving to elevate the learning environment for our students and ensure that our campus is a space where creativity, well-being, and community thrive. We are excited to share these improvements with you and can’t wait to see our students benefit from these new additions!

Thank you for being a part of our ever-growing and ever-improving BASIS Bangkok!

We understand how easy it can be for personal belongings to go missing during a busy school day, and as a result, our Lost and Found collection has grown significantly. From water bottles to jackets, bags, and swimming gear, we’ve collected many items that have not yet been claimed.

To help reunite these items with their rightful owners, we are setting up a dedicated Lost and Found spot near the turnstile area every Friday. This is your opportunity to check and see if any of your lost belongings have been found.

We kindly ask all families to take a moment to check the Lost and Found, especially if you’re missing any personal items. The station will be available every Friday for easy access, and we hope this will help reduce the number of unclaimed belongings.

Please note that any items left unclaimed by the end of the term will be donated or disposed of to clear space for future collections.

Thank you for your cooperation, and we hope this new system helps ensure that everyone can retrieve their missing belongings!

Early Years Newsletter:

Dear Parents,

I would like to invite our kindergarten students to sign up for Junior Maths Mastery Challenge. This is open to students in Kindergarten to Grade 6. The Challenge will be held at BASIS Sunday November 24, 9-11am. If your kindergartener loves a challenge and loves math, this is a good opportunity to show those skills.

Registration Deadline with BISB: Wednesday October 30th, 2024 at 16:00 p.m. through Clipboard Application. (The BISB registration is closed before the exam licensor's date due to a sufficient period of time for student preparation.)
Registration Fee is THB 450
For more information about the competition, including sample papers, please visit the official website: https://www.phiconnections.org/jmmc

Registration Process for Both Competitions:

Please ensure that your child is registered via Clipboard Application.
Apply through Clipboard Application and student must register through their grade level.
After registering your child through Clipboard, please send your payment slip to us at ECA@basis.ac.th

We believe that these international competitions will be a valuable and enriching experience for our students. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at ECA@basis.ac.th or LINE Official.

Thank you,
Ms. Annie
Director of Early Years

Primary, Middle & High School Newsletter

Message from Director of Primary and Upper School

Dear BISB Families,

Welcome back! We hope you and your families had a well-deserved October break that was restful and enjoyable. Upon our return, we look forward to the students’ continued learning journey with in-depth acquisition of subject knowledge and transferable skills. The BISB teachers are committed to providing a high-standard education and curriculum delivery to ensure that your child achieves their fullest potential.

Warm regards,
Ms. Allison
Director of Primary and Upper School

College Counseling Corner:

Greetings BISB Community,

Welcome to the College Corner, a snapshot of the College Counseling process at BASIS International School Bangkok.

Welcome back from your October break. Before taking a long relaxing holiday with my family I traveled to Jeju Island, South Korea for the bi-annual International ACAC Regional Institute to share best practices, policies, solutions, and strategies. We were also joined by 200 international university representatives who workshopped and discussed rankings methodology, social media usage, AI policies, and what they look for in a student’s application. It was another wonderfully energizing and rewarding conference where I was able to visit well over 100 college representatives to share about BISB and learn about their international student opportunities. Following the conference, I was able to sneak in a visit to Hello Kitty Island, Innisfree House, and the tea fields of Jeju Island.

In future College Corners, I will share insights and information on college opportunities across the globe. If you have a specific country of interest, please message me. Next week, my focus will be on Japan. Did you know that attending university in Japan could cost about $3,500 USD a year? Higher education in Japan is paid for both residents and foreign students.

Thank you,
Ms. Kate Irving
College Counselor

Event

Interested in learning more about The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen? They are inviting students and parents to attend the CUHK-Shenzhen Day in Bangkok on Sunday, October 27^th, 2024. The event is for 2025 applicants, but anyone can attend.

Please click REGISTER below to confirm your attendance by Friday, October 25th, 2024.

Library Corner:

Hello from BISB Library!

Spooky season is here! I would like to invite students and parents to attend BISB Library’s special event, The Vampire’s Lair: An Escape Room. This spooky activity will be after school on Wednesday, October 30^th from 3:15 – 4:45 p.m. in the Library/Connections space. This year, students do not have to register beforehand, however it will be on a first come, first serve basis.

The escape room will be open to 8 students at a time, and participants will have just 8 minutes to solve the clues and escape before the sunsets, and the vampire awakens! The last entry time for the escape room is 4:45 p.m.

While students are waiting to participate in the escape room, we will have an array of activities in Connections to keep the fun going. Activities will include spooky stories, slime making, games with prizes, and more. I hope to see you there for what will surely be a Spooktacular time!

On the day of Halloween, Thursday, October 31^st, students are invited to visit the library during lunch/recess for BISB Library’s annual Spooky Storytime. For Grades 4 and 5, this is sure to be spooky, so please encourage your students to attend only if they like to be scared! For Grades 1/2/3, we will read Oliver Jeffers book, There’s a Ghost in This House, followed by a short film connected to the story.

Also, I am excited to announce this year’s So You Think You Know Books, a book trivia competition! This after-school event will test our best BISB bookworms knowledge of all things books. So You Think You Know Books will take place on Tuesday, November12^th at 4:00 p.m. in Connections. Parents are invited to attend as audience members to cheer on your competing students. This competition is open to students ages 10-13 (Grades 4 – 8)

Our contestants will have the chance to earn 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place prizes with house points, and the top 12 contestants will go on to represent BISB at the Kids Lit Quiz Competition on March 14^th at Harrow International School! Kids Lit Quiz is a book trivia competition held amongst participating international schools in Bangkok. BISB competed for the first time last year at Shrewsbury Riverside, and I am so excited to prepare our students to compete in KLQ 2025!

All interested students can sign up to compete by visiting Ms. Erika in the library. Parents, please email Ms. Erika at e.wigren@basis.ac.th with questions, concerns, or if you would like your child to compete.

Lastly, the library received a ton of Library Assistant applications this year and I would like to finally congratulate the students chosen to be this year’s BISB Library Assistants! Please see the attached image below for the full list and be sure to offer congratulations to these amazing TUSKERS. I can’t wait to begin working with this wonderful group of students.

Happy reading,

Ms. Erika
Librarian

Well-being Corner:

Dear TUSKERS Families,

It is with immense excitement that we announce our upcoming "Parents Series," an engaging and comprehensive program designed to address a myriad of topics pertinent to parents throughout their journey. This event will be hosted in the Black Box, featuring Dr. Golf and a distinguished guest host for our final session.

Our series will commence in September with a compelling session on "Effective Communication with Teens," followed by a diverse range of topics each month. Please refer to the attached poster for a detailed schedule of this year’s topics.

We eagerly anticipate your participation and look forward to seeing you there!

BASIS Winter Camp 2024

BASIS Winter Camp 2024 is Now Open!

Give your child an action-packed holiday filled with creativity, fun, and new skills! From exploring arts & crafts to mastering gymnastics, swimming, archery, dance, Taekwondo and even cooking and many more, there’s something to ignite every child’s passion!

Let’s help them grow, make new friends, and build confidence this winter!

Camp Dates: 23-27 December 2024 & 6-10 January 2025

Age Groups:

CUKI TOTS (3-5 years old)
CUKI (6-12 years old)

Don’t miss out! Call or LINE to register today:

CUKI TOTS (Coach Joey): 081-143-6792 or LINE @cukitots

CUKI (Mineyo): 080-240-3330 or LINE: cukimineyo

American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO) and Junior Maths Mastery Challenge (JMMC) - Open for Registration

It is with great pleasure to share with you that upcoming American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO) and the Junior Maths Mastery Challenge 2024 (JMMC 2024) will be conducted at BASIS International School Bangkok. Students who are interested in these mathematic competitions, the registration is now open until Wednesday, October 30th 2024.

American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO)

AMO is available for students in Grade 2 and above.
Registration Deadline with BISB: Wednesday 30th October at 16:00 p.m. through Clipboard Application. (The BISB registration is closed before the exam licensor's date due to a sufficient period of time for student preparation.)
Competition Date: Sunday, November 10th, 2024, at 09.00 – 10.30 am
Registration Fee is THB 900
You will also find additional details and sample questions in the information pack here: https://bit.ly/3ztaDpQ

Junior Maths Mastery Challenge (JMMC)

JMMC is available for students in Kindergarten to Grade 6
Registration Deadline with BISB: Wednesday October 30th, 2024 at 16:00 p.m. through Clipboard Application. (The BISB registration is closed before the exam licensor's date due to a sufficient period of time for student preparation.)
Competition Date: Sunday, November 24th, 2024, at 09.00 – 11.00 am
Registration Fee is THB 450
For more information about the competition, including sample papers, please visit the official website: https://www.phiconnections.org/jmmc

Registration Process for Both Competitions:

Please ensure that your child is registered via Clipboard Application.
Apply through Clipboard Application and student must register through their grade level.
After registering your child through Clipboard, please send your payment slip to us at ECA@basis.ac.th

We believe that these international competitions will be a valuable and enriching experience for our students. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at ECA@basis.ac.th or LINE Official.

Term 2 Tuition Invoices & Clarification in Re-Enrollment Terms

Dear Tuskers Families,

The 2024-2025 Term 2 Tuition invoices will be sent home via email on Friday, October 25^th, 2024. Payment is due on Friday, 29th November 2024.

Payments can be made via wire transfer or credit card. Please note, there is a surcharge for credit card payments. If you have any questions about school payments or would like to make a payment, please contact the school finance department. For information regarding credit card fees and installment conditions, please contact our Finance office at bkk.billing@basis.ac.th or 02-415-0099. However, if you need more information regarding points and redemption, please contact your credit card provider(s).

Please note conditions on the Tuition & Fee Information Appendix. Also, please find the clarification on the Policy for “Deposit Refund” and “Re-Enrollment” below.

Clarifications of Re-Enrollment Policy and Deposit Refund Policy.pdf

We wish our families the very best! Stay healthy and Go Tuskers!

The Finance Office

Join our BASIS Community Sports Activities!

We invite all parents, students, family members, faculty, and staff to join our fun Community Sports Activities.

Here’s the schedule:

• Tuesday: Badminton (5:30 - 7:30 PM)
• Wednesday: Football (5:30 - 7:00 PM)
• Thursday: Badminton & Basketball (5:30 - 7:30 PM)

Just bring a water bottle, and if you’re playing badminton, don’t forget your racket! No reservations needed, but please sign in at reception if it’s your first time using the facilities this year.

Students aged 14 and up can join without parents but must also submit the form at reception.

We hope to see you there!

Community News

Community Event: Charity Mini-Marathon – December 8th, 2024

Get ready, TUSKERS families and friends! We are thrilled to invite you to join us for the charity mini-marathon at Nakornthon Hospital on December 8th, 2024.

This year, BASIS Bangkok is proud to partner once again with Nakornthon Hospital for the "Run with Love for the Thai Red Cross" event, marking its 14th annual run and our fourth year of support. All funds raised from the event will be donated to the Thai Red Cross, helping to provide essential medical care and social welfare for those in need.

Sign up now by scanning the QR code on the event poster! Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to make a difference and bond with the community.

We can’t wait to see you there!