BASIS International School Bangkok eNewsletter

Message from the School

Dear BASIS Families,

We are delighted to officially welcome all our students and families for the new school year. Thank you for your patience during this busy period as students settle into their new routines. We remain dedicated to providing the best educational experience for everyone.

On the first day, during lunch, we joyfully celebrated the AP success of our high school students, recognizing their hard work, dedication, and outstanding achievements throughout the program. Congratulations to all for reaching this remarkable milestone!

We have an exciting line-up of activities coming up, starting with our Meet the Teachers Night next week. Please save the date, we look forward to seeing you there!

Warm regards,
BASIS International School Bangkok

Early Years Newsletter

Dear Early Years Families,

It is with great excitement that I introduce myself as the new Dean of Early Years. It has been a wonderful first three days at school, and I’ve truly enjoyed meeting many of you during pick-up times. It's been lovely to reconnect with returning families and welcome new ones into our community.

Our students have settled in incredibly well, and their enthusiasm for learning is already shining through. As we look ahead to our first full week of school, our Early Years team is excited to launch a new social-emotional curriculum focused on character development, values, relationships, and leadership. We are confident this will support our students in building strong foundations both academically and personally.

Look out for more information coming next week in our Character Strong Kindness Kick-Off family newsletter.

Thank you for your warm welcome and ongoing support. I look forward to a wonderful year together!

Warm regards,
Mr. Fred
Dean of Early Years

Message from Director of Primary and Upper School

Dear Parents,

We warmly welcome the BASIS International School Community to the Academic Year 2025-2026!

Students are happy to be back at school, creating friendships, exploring new subjects and reaching for new goals. The first week back is all about learning routines, understanding expectations and preparing for the year ahead. Students are excited to meet their teachers and begin a new learning journey.

Our expert teachers are passionate and prepared for a successful year of teaching and learning. The routines and expectations for critical thinking routines, academic excellence and self-advocacy are the foundation for a successful year of learning.

We thank you for your trust and cooperation as we welcome the students back to school. We appreciate your patience during the arrival and dismissal times. Your child’s safety and well-being are our priority as we ensure that students are supported in their learning.

As the school year is underway, we encourage families to provide at-home routines which balance times for study and well-being. Students benefit from a quiet space where they can focus on their studies and are not distracted by digital devices. Soon, Student Hours, ECAs, and Sports Academies will begin which will offer an important balance to the academics and promote students social and emotional development.

Please feel free to reach out to your child’s Subject Expert Teachers and LETs for more information about your child’s progress.

Ms. Allison Donohue
Director of Primary and Upper School
a.donohue@basis.ac.th

Message from Dean of Primary and Upper Schools

Message from Dean of Primary School

Hello and welcome back to Primary School!

It was lovely to see so many of you during BOSS camp last week and to have had the opportunity to see many of you these past few days. The students are all settling in remarkably well so far! It is so nice to hear children’s laughter in our corridors again and to see their excitement as they’ve reconnected with one another and their beloved teachers.

Thank you for ensuring that your child has their water bottle, CJ and school folder with them daily. Please go through your child’s folder and CJ nightly to see if they have any homework or communication from their teachers. If you have any academic questions, please reach out to your child’s SET, as they will be able to answer your questions with more accuracy. Your child also needs to wear their lanyard every day. If they have misplaced their lanyard, please have your child go to Reception to borrow one for that particular school day. We appreciate collecting these borrowed lanyards at the end of each school day.

As the year progresses you may have additional questions about your child’s academic journey or wellbeing support. Please reach out to me at any time if you’d like clarification, have questions, or would just like to talk. You can reach me by email at j.evans@basis.ac.th. We are thrilled to have a full-time counselor on staff with us. Ms. August and I will work closely together to support the students as they navigate this school year.

I look forward to our journey together this year! Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead.

With best wishes,
Ms. Jenny
Dean of Primary School

Message from Dean of Upper Schools

Welcome back! It’s been fantastic to see both returning and new students join the Upper School this week. My name is Mr. Oliver, and I am the new Dean of Upper School. It has been a pleasure to welcome both our returning students and our new students into the Upper School community. I have also had the opportunity to meet several families over the past few weeks and at our BOSS camp. It’s been a pleasure to meet you all and I look forward to getting to know all families throughout the year. If there are any concerns or important information you would like me to be aware of at the start of the year, please feel free to email me at o.cavender@basis.ac.th to arrange a meeting.

While our students have quickly settled into their academic work, we have also dedicated time in these first few days to review our expectations for the year ahead. There are a few important changes to note this year, and it was essential that students were informed of these on the very first day so they clearly understand what is expected of them.

Each day, I am pleased to see students becoming more comfortable in their routines and rising to meet the high expectations we set for them. Their positive attitude and willingness to adapt are a credit to them. I look forward to working with you throughout the year to support your child in reaching their full potential.

Thank you for your partnership as we begin this journey together. I look forward to a positive and fulfilling year ahead for our Upper School community.

Mr. Oliver Cavender
Dean of Upper School

College Counseling Corner

Greetings BISB Community,

Welcome back to a new school year! I’m excited to continue working with our incredible students and seeing all that they will accomplish this year.

In College News
We’re starting strong with two special visits from Singapore universities this month:

August 20 – National University of Singapore (NUS)
Consistently ranked among the top universities in the world, NUS offers a wide range of programs in science, engineering, business, and the arts, and is known for its research excellence and global partnerships.
August 26 – Singapore Management University (SMU)
A leader in business and social sciences, SMU is recognized for its interactive teaching style, strong industry connections, and central location in the heart of Singapore’s business district.

University visits will take place throughout the school year, with representatives meeting students during the day to share information about their programs and admissions processes. I also meet with each representative to highlight the strengths of our school and student body.

These sessions give students a valuable opportunity to engage directly with universities, explore programs, and showcase who we are at BASIS. Singapore remains a particularly popular destination for our students, making these early visits especially exciting.

In the future, I plan to open some university visits to parents as well. For now, these sessions are an important step for students to begin exploring their academic interests and global opportunities.

News from the College Counseling Office
Over the next few weeks and throughout the year, I will meet individually with all students; especially my new Grade 9s, who are just beginning their high school journey. Parent meetings will begin in September and continue through the fall, with discussions on course selection, university options, and the many opportunities offered through the BASIS Curriculum.

The BASIS College Counseling Curriculum starts as early as Grade 8, guiding students through a structured, personalized journey that builds college readiness year by year. By Grade 12, students receive daily counseling support, complete rigorous Capstone courses, and undertake a real-world Senior Project to prepare them for university success.

Learn more about the unique and impressive BASIS Senior Year in next week’s College Counseling Corner.

Here’s to an engaging, constructive, and inspiring year ahead!

Best,
Ms. Kate Irving
College COunselor

Library Corner

Hello from BISB Library!

We are so excited to welcome everyone back for the new year and back to BISB library - and a big welcome to our new BISB families as well. We have many events planned, new shelving, more books, and most importantly, a new Library Assistant! The lovely Ms. Betty has joined our team to help assist the community in our library, with library events and programming, and to help build our Thai language collection. We are overjoyed to have her as a part of our TUSKERS community.

This year in the library we have planned for the space to be more accessible to all grade levels, with assigned library times now for Early Years all the way to Grade 8! We have also begun checking out textbooks directly to students for them to have access to all year.

The library and library lessons will officially open for students next week, beginning Monday, August 18^th for all grades except Nursery. For our parents, the library will open to you on Monday, August 25^th for the following hours:

BEFORE SCHOOL

Monday – Thursday, 7:15 a.m. to 7:45 a.m.

AFTER SCHOOL

Tuesday – Friday, 4:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. (4:30 on Fridays).

If you have any questions regarding the library, please feel free to email me anytime at e.wigren@basis.ac.th or ask me during next week’s Meet the Teachers Night for Primary/MS/HS. Ms. Betty will be available to answer questions at the EY Meet the Teachers.

Lastly, we cordially invite you to the Library Coffee Morning on September, 9^th at 8:30 a.m. in the Library. Remember to always look at the weekly newsletter for library updates and events! Next week, we will share another video for you explaining the library’s Mature Readers Policy and how to know if your students have a BISB Library book.

We look forward to seeing you in the Library soon.

Happy reading,
Ms. Erika
Librarian

Join the VEX Robotics Competition Team!

Are you ready to design, build, and code robots to take on the world? Our new VEX Robotics Academy is training students to compete in the VEX IQ International Competitions!

Tryouts:
📅 Thursday, August 21
🕓 16:00 – 18:00

Take the entry test to secure your spot on the team!

Training Schedule and more details can be found in the catalog below

Push your creativity, teamwork, and engineering skills to the next level—and maybe even to the world stage!

VEX Robotic Tryouts Registration

BASIS VEX Robotics Academy Catalog

ECA Corner

ECA Fair - Semester 1 - Academic Year 2025-26

Dear Parents,

We would like to remind you that the ECA Fair will take place on Monday, August 18, 2025, from 3:15 to 5:00 p.m. in the gym.

We’re excited to welcome you to this fun and informative event! During the fair, all activity providers and teachers will be on hand to share important information, answer your questions, and lead fun, hands-on activities for students to explore. You’ll also enjoy exciting highlights from our ECA instructors—don’t miss it!

You can find the catalog for this semester’s ECA programs:

ECA 2025-2026 Catalog

ECA Registration via ACE Student & Help Desk Support

This semester, registration for ECAs and Teacher Clubs will be conducted through our new platform, "ACE Student". This system is designed to make the registration process easier and more convenient for all parents.

If you have any issues while using the system, you can contact the Help Desk, which will be available to assist throughout the registration period.

ECA registration will be activated on Monday, August 18th 2025 at 3.15 P.M. and deactivated on Friday, August 22nd 2025 at 5.00 P.M. Please complete and confirm your registration for each student. Sibling must each submit separately.

Fees for the ECAs vary and are listed under each club in this ECA Catalogue. All fee is non-refundable at any reason, and there will be no make-up classes for absent students. Snack fee is INCLUDED in the price of the ECA, the price is calculated based on ECA calendar. The refund will be made only if each class participant number does not reach the minimum.

How to Register and Payment process:

Register via the ACE Student.
After registration, tap "Cart" and proceed to "Check-out."
An invoice will be generated immediately after check-out.
Upload your payment slip to complete payment.
Payment is considered as a completed registration and reservation. The invoice status will change from "Pending" to "Confirmed" after verification by our accounting team.

Important Notes:

Registration is on a first-come, first-servedand certain programs have limited availability
Please review class details and schedule carefully before payment.
Once registered and paid, activities cannot be changed.
Refunds will only be issued if the class cannot open.

Sport Corner

The TUSKERS have now concluded our tryouts, and we’re excited to kick off another action-packed sporting year! Please sign up for the academies through the ACE App prior to the Sporting Academy year, which starts on Monday 25th August. BISAL Season 1 will feature U9 and U11 Football alongside U13 and U15 Basketball, while Season 2 will see U13 and U15 Football, U9 and U11 Basketball, plus Badminton and Swimming running throughout the year. It’s going to be a fantastic year for the Tuskers Athletic Program — be sure to use the ACE App to stay up to date with all our developments, schedules, and events.

Facility Updates: Our New Third Floor is Now Open!

We are thrilled to officially announce the grand opening of the new third floor in our Academic Building!

This exciting addition features 10 fully equipped rooms, including classrooms and multipurpose room, designed to provide expanded learning spaces for our growing community and to support an even wider range of activities.

Teachers and Staff Equipped with Enhanced Safety Skills

Before the school reopened, our teachers and staff took part in a full day of annual safety training to ensure your children are protected and well cared for on campus. Led by experienced professionals, the program included hands-on sessions in firefighting and first aid, giving our team the knowledge and skills to respond promptly and effectively to any emergency.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the firefighters from Bang Khun Thian Fire Station and the doctors and nurses from Nakornthon Hospital for their invaluable guidance and support.

We are excited to offer you the opportunity to pre-order the official BASIS International School Bangkok Yearbook for the 2024–2025 academic year!

This beautifully designed yearbook captures the unforgettable moments, student achievements, special events, and school spirit from across all grade levels. It’s a keepsake your child will treasure for years to come.

Price: 450 THB per copy
Collection: Available at the Front Office by end of August 2025
Limited Quantities: Reserve your copy early to avoid missing out!

Please complete the details in the link below to confirm your order.

Yearbook Pre-Order Form

Let’s preserve this incredible school year — one page at a time!

ACE Student

Thank you for supporting our transition to the ACE Student system, which will soon replace SchoolZine as our main communication platform alongside email.

If you have not yet completed the initial setup, please:

Reset your account password.
Log in and update your profile’s address (for each student).
Approve all three pending consent forms.

We have also introduced the Student Absence Report function. Please use this feature to notify the school when your child will be taking leave.

Please find below for the guide that includes the initial setup steps and instructions to feature.

ACE Student Guide

Should you require assistance, an ACE Student Help Desk will be available at the Reception Area from today to August 22, between 7:30–8:30 AM and 3:30–4:30 PM.

Weekly Menu Updates

Academic Calendar 2025-2026

Photo of the week

Download photos here!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1isk3UeOVfIJgAiL1nzundJZ6KNAK6Moc?usp=drive_link

BASIS International School Bangkok Newsletter - August 15, 2025