BASIS International School Bangkok eNewsletter

Message from the Head of School

Dear Families,

I wanted to write to remind us all that sometimes children need some additional help from an appropriate professional outside the school. Within school we are just teachers, and can raise general concerns - but, we have no psychological qualifications, nor can we diagnose. All we can do is to cite our observations, duly informing parents of the same. Afterwards, we depend upon the advice we receive from the counselor the parents have employed.

As you are aware, I have been involved in schools for many years - and I can attest to the fact that many children have benefitted from sessions with an experienced professional - as such, there is no stigma attached to seeking some additional help. Conceivably, it is courtesy of the matter being regarded as confidential that parents are not aware as to the number of children who do utilise the services of a counselor...

I suspect it is likely that this will apply to more children over the coming years, since the vast majority have had to undertake lessons at home - rather than be with peers, and have not benefitted from the normal experiences of honing social skills from face-to-face interactions with others.

Further, it is normal practice for schools to open their doors to outside professionals who may be working with a child, in order that they can observe a child in the classroom. We actively welcome such observations, as it is likely to result in our obtaining advice as to how we can help a child - and, I assure you - all children are unique.

Should we be approached by an outside professional who is requesting a visit, we require that they are vaccinated - and provide us with proof of the same - and they undertake an ATK test, bringing evidence of the same on the day they arrive at school for our inspection.

Next, I feel it important to address the subject of bullying…

Bullying is horrible and bad. However, it is a concept that arises in school – like other places of work. A peculiar statistic is the vast majority of these who bully - were bullied themselves...

This week I took time to speak to a particular grade in order to inform them of what bullying is; strategies to cope with this – including always telling a teacher; that nobody should be a bystander if they believe there is bullying; that the school takes this issue extremely seriously – to the extent that we would definitely contemplate excluding a child who is a bully.

Please do actively speak to your babes about bullying – it is so important that we empower children to ensure they never feel like victims. To this end, I have attached our leaflet on bullying that may be useful going through with your child.

Thanks for your kind attention to the above, Alan.

Progress Reports Sent Home Today

Primary and Middle School students (grades 1 - 7) received mid-trimester progress reports today. These are grade updates to keep you informed of your child's progress throughout the second semester. Please be sure to check your child's backpack for the report envelope, and feel welcome to reach out to your child's teachers with any questions or concerns.