BASIS International School Bangkok eNewsletter

Important Updates from Head of School & Head of Operations:

Dear Moms and Dads,

We hope this email finds you well. We wanted to update you on the recent developments at our school in light of the ongoing health situation. Unfortunately, we have had to temporarily close classes in Grade 5, Grade 3, and Pre-K1 due to a number of students falling ill this week. We send our best wishes to these students for a speedy recovery and hope to see them back in school soon.

We want to assure you that our school has been adhering to protocols that go above and beyond the requirements set by the Bangkhuntian Health Office. Every decision we have made during this time has been in consultation with the Health Office to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

Furthermore, we would like to inform you that there have been a few changes in the school events due to the spread of viruses. We have now rescheduled these events to take place, please see the updates below for your references.

We would like to express our gratitude for your cooperation and understanding during this challenging period. We are aware of the inconvenience and disruption this closure has caused to students' learning. Your patience and support have been invaluable to us.

As we are now in the second week of this semester, allow us to reiterate our pick-up and drop-off procedures for our school. This way, we hope to minimize confusion and maximize student safety. Please see the following procedures for school pick-up and drop-off at BASIS International School Bangkok:

Morning Drop-Off & Late Arrivals

Adult supervision starts at 7:00 a.m. every morning. We encourage parents to drop their children off at school before the class starts, but no later than 08:00 a.m. for Primary, Middle and High School and no later than 08.30 a.m. for Early Years. If your child is running late, he/she must contact school receptionist for "tardy pass" take it to his/her classes.

Early Pick-Up before Dismissal Time

We kindly ask parents to inform school via Line Official, call the school receptionist, or email the teachers. For student safety and protocols, parents must sign out at the front desk upon the pickup. To avoid the students’ learning disruption, we highly suggest not taking students during their learning lesson unless an emergency.

Dismissal

Please follow school policy and we allow only parents and authorized persons that were provided in school records. If parents appoint non-authorized pick persons, parents must inform school via school with documentation required. For in-person pick-up, please wear a parent badge for our staff to check every time. For pull-through options, please ensure you have placard in front of your front car screen. Without neither, please contact the front desk for temporary pick-up card.

LATE BIRD

For Primary, Middle and High School student, students are allow to stay not later 4:30 p.m. upon parent's request. The Late Bird fee will be charge after 4:30 p.m. (Parents must inform school in advance)

For Middle School and High school will be allow to stay until 5:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday with the signed permission slip only

Lastly, we would like to remind you of some general precautions to ensure the health of students and staff. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during these challenging times. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as necessary. Thank you once again for your support.

Best regards,

Dr. W. and Ms. Kwan

Head of School and Head of Operations

UPDATES:

P.E. Department Updates:

Swimming Tryouts: The sessions are rescheduled from Monday 4^th to Friday 8th September 2023 at our swimming pool. If you are interested in having your child join the tryouts, please convey your preference to Coach Namita via her email at n.sinha@basis.ac.th

Tryout Make-Up Sessions: If your child was unable to attend the tryouts last week due to illness or medical reasons, please contact Coach Namita directly by today, 1st September 2023 to find the best time to make up the tryouts for your child.

Last Day of Confirmation for Sport Academies: If your child met the criteria of your selected sports, your result was sent to your email on Wednesday, 30th August 2023, and we wish to hear your confirmation by today, September 1st.

School Events Updates: Save the date for the following events below:

Save your date for "Meet the Teacher Night" on next Wednesday, 6th September 2023 The event for Early Years begins 3:30 – 5:00 p.m., and for Primary, Middle and High School begins 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

B.O.S.S Camp Make Up Session for families who were unable to join our actual session before the Academic year starts, please mark your calendars for Friday, 8th September 2023 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at Black Box.

Library Coffee Mornings are all set for you to join and discuss with our wonderful librarian, Ms. Erika. The event for Primary, Middle and High School is getting hitched on Tuesday, 12th September 2023 from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.at Connection, and the event for our Early Years is going to be on Wednesday, 13th September 2023 from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. at Connection.

Expert Talk: “Understand Child Personality and Development” for Early Years on Tuesday 19^th September 2023 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at Black Box.

Coffee Morning: for Grade 4-5 on Wednesday 20^th September 2023 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at Black Box

Coffee Morning: for Middle School (Grade 6-8) on Friday 22^nd September 2023 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at Black Box

Early Years Newsletter:

Dear Early Years Families,

I thank you for your diligence in watching over your children’s health. This week we are continuing to teach routines and begin baseline assessments. If your child has been unwell, we have sufficient support in place to ensure a smooth and speedy reintegration into the school environment.

I have met with my teachers regarding Communication Journal expectations. It is slightly different at each grade level because the learning objectives change as the children age. You will see more information regarding naps and basic human caretaking in nursery CJs. PK1 teachers recognize that parents prefer more photo documentation of their children’s progress and participation. We are working on a safe system to share more photos with you. PK2 parents have been quick to use email with teachers to get at the root concerns. I have encouraged teachers to come to the gate to speak with parents in person and see that quite a few are doing this. Because of our change in dismissal PK2 teachers have even less time to make recordings in the CJ. This is an unfortunate outcome of the need to reduce congestion at pick-up time. Kindergarten CJs resemble what you will find in primary and the students are beginning to record their own learning. Initially this may be difficult to read as students are learning how to write. Feel free to email the teacher or write a note in the CJ to the teacher if you would like to better understand your child’s daily reflection. Every classroom has a teacher fluent in Thai so you are invited to write in whichever language you feel more proficient in.

Meet the Teacher Night September 6^th 3:30-5:00pm

This is an informal time to connect with your child’s teachers and to see your child's learning spaces.

We will open dismissal to PK1 and PK2 prior to nap time in order for you to get the children home in advance of our start time. The children may also remain for the full day if your schedule dictates that. The intention is for this event to be for adults only, however we recognize with the timing of the Early Years event you may need to have your children with you. We will arrange a scavenger hunt and other activities to engage your children in showing you their learning spaces.

3:30 p.m. Gates to Early Years open

You may arrive at any time between 3:30-4:30

Pick up your child’s passport to learning at the welcome table upon entry into Early Years.

3:50-4:30 Specialist teachers will be available in their classroom spaces

Birthday Treats

You are welcome to send in treats when your child is celebrating a birthday. Send enough to share with all the members of the class. Birthday treats don’t have to be food! The treats should be in individual servings/containers and if the treats require utensils, please send those as well. Contact the teacher directly to inquire if there are allergies that need to be considered. If you are sending food items, please also send the ingredient list to TEACHERS so they can confirm that all students are cleared to consume the items. Please take note on NO NUTS policy in school, we ask that no products containing any type of nuts as part of ingredients. We also ask that balloons/flowers/streamers stay out of the school setting. We do love to celebrate birthdays!

Dismissal Times

Nursery 12:30 p.m.

PK1 2:45 p.m.

PK2 2:55 p.m.

Kinder 3:05 p.m.

We return to standard dismissal times (with nap for Pre-K1 & Pre-K2) the week of September 4^th . If you are picking up your child early for an appointment, please plan ahead and contact the teachers and reception. Any early pickups will be done through reception.

Ms. Annie Fletcher

Primary, Middle & High Schools Newsletter:

Message from Director of Primary & Upper School:

Dear Parents,

It’s been lovely to see your children on campus this week, enjoying their various classes. It looks like a wonderful start to this new academic year!

Next Wednesday evening is Meet the Teacher Night. We will be cancelling all Student Hours on Wednesday September 6th in order to accommodate this event.

Also, I would like to remind you to please contact me should you have any questions or concerns. I am always available to discuss matters of any kind. You can reach me via email at r.aquilina-finan@basis.ac.th.

Thank you, and have a lovely weekend!

Ms. Ruth

Director of Primary and Upper School

Message from Dean of Upper School:

Next week we will introduce The Slingshot Challenge to our upper-school students during assembly.

The Slingshot Challange is a global competition sponsored by National Geographic, where children aged between 13-18 submit short videos describing their solutions to the world's environmental challenges.

Before then, we encourage parents to log in and sign up at this link : Slingshot Challenge

There you and your child can watch the videos of last year's finalists, and begin a conversation about their ideas for global sustainability, something BISB is extremely passionate about

Best wishes,

Andrew Taylor

Dean of Upper School

College Counseling Corner:

Greetings BISB Community,

Welcome to the College Corner, a monthly snapshot of the College Counseling process at BASIS International School Bangkok. I am Kate Irving – your College Counselor.

As you may know, I am in my final year as the College Counselor at BASIS Independent McLean. I am also supporting BASIS International School Bangkok students and families virtually and in person throughout the year. At BIM, our Class of 2024 is busily perfecting essays and fine-tuning applications to apply to college in a few months. They are prepared, excited, and a little nervous. Over the past four years, I have met with them to discuss career interests, aptitudes, summer plans, high school course selections, and college expectations. It is an exciting time, and they are ready to take on the challenge. At BISB, it is too early for our freshmen to worry about applying to colleges, but it is not too early to begin planning.

BISB Class of 2027, it is thrilling to begin building the BISB College Counseling program with you. It will be a few years before you are all seniors, and there are many things we can work on now to best prepare for the journey. This academic year should be filled with exploring interests and strengthening academics. Keep your grades strong, start a new club, or take on a leadership role in the school. Spend your free time trying new things and exploring your interests. Remember that academics are only one part of what it takes to be a successful student.

My plan is to start discussions on expectations for academics, plans for summer learning, and experiential learning opportunities. From there, we will discover aptitudes, academic passions, and potential destinations beyond high school. There are wonderful colleges all over the world, and the secret to success is to match with a college that fulfills your academic and personal self. Following this message, I have included information on College Admissions Criteria in the US. In future College Corners, college FAQ’s, local college options, and expectations outside of the US college applications will be shared.Next week, all freshmen will receive an email invitation to the Cialfo platform. We will use this in the college application journey. I will also message freshmen a video introduction to the platform as a guide through your first assignment. This resource will help educate and direct you to potential careers and colleges. I will use Cialfo to communicate with you and to help develop your academic and extracurricular portfolios.

I am visiting the Bangkok campus a few times throughout the year; when I am not in Thailand, you are all welcome to reach me through email or my virtual office hours link.

Virtual Office Hours: Mondays and Thursdays 9:00 AM-11:00 AM (BKK Time)

Link to Sign-Up: Book Your Hours Here

I will be on BISB’s campus October 2-6. During the visit, I will meet with all freshmen for career and college counseling workshops and one-on-one meetings. In these meetings, we will discuss academic goals, summer plans, and questions about college. I will also be available for one-on-one parent meetings and coffee.

The BASIS International School College Counseling Handbook will also be shared with the community. The handbook covers FAQs for college applications, opportunities for experiential learning, and uses for the Cialfo platform. The specifics of my October schedule will be shared shortly. In the meantime, there is plenty of time to prepare. If you have any questions, please send me an email or sign up for a virtual chat.

Best,

Kate Irving

College Counselor

Community Well-Being Corner:

Dear TUSKERS Parents and Guardians,

We hope this email finds you well. We are excited to invite you to an informative and engaging seminar session on "Understanding Child Personality & Development in Early Years." As an Early Years parent, your participation in this training will provide valuable insights and tools to better comprehend your child's growth and personality traits during their crucial Early Years.

Date: Tuesday, 19th September, 2023

Time: 8.30-10.00 hrs.

Venue: Black Box

During the seminar, you can expect to learn about:

1. Temperament

1.2 A person’s nature shown in how they behave or react to people or situations.

1.3 Why individual children are different. Most of child is easy to approach, but some of them are difficult.

1.4 What types of your child temperament. How to approach him.

2. Child Development and Milestone

2.1 5 major parts of child development.

2.2 How to assess, What is normal/abnormal, When should refer to Expert Doctor.

3. Psychosocial Development

3.1 What is terrible twos, horrible threes, (Eff you fours, Fantastic Fives, Sassy sixes)

3.2 How to deal with tantrums behavior.

Dr. Golf, our psychiatrist advisor, who specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry will lead the session. Dr. Golf will provide valuable insights and lead discussion that will empower you to create a nurturing and supportive environment for your child's growth. This interactive seminar is a wonderful opportunity for you to connect with other parents, share experiences, and gain a deeper understanding of your child's needs and potential.

We look forward to your active participation in this enriching seminar. Together, we can lay the foundation for a bright future for your child.

Best regards,

Wellbeing Team

Library Corner:

Hello from the Library!

Our TUSKERS have already begun checking out books for the school year and it is so exciting to see our students engaged and loving reading. Please keep an eye out for library books being brought home by your students and please read the Library Use Policy attached.

Library hours for parents will begin on Monday, September 4 and the hours for parents are as follows:

BEFORE SCHOOL : Monday through Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.

AFTER SCHOOL: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Lastly, I will be hosting Coffee Mornings for parents to meet with me in the library. This will be a time to discuss ways you can support your tuskers with their literacy skills, online and digital tools you can use at home, and upcoming events and programs in BISB library. Please see below for the times and days. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Thank you,

Ms. Erika

Librarian

ECA Corner:

Thank you for taking the time to attend our ECA Fair today. You and your child's presence helped to make this event a great success and your enthusiasm and positive spirit helped make our time together both productive and funniest, I can see lots of smiles. We hope this event was meaningful and resourceful for you and your family.

Please note that registration is now available from Friday, September 1^st at 15:00 hrs. until Friday, September 8th at 16:00 hrs. Registration sign-up forms can be submitted by Clipboard Application. Please complete and confirm your registration for each student. Siblings must submit the registration separately. Our first class of ECA starts on Monday 18th September onwards.

Good news! We made the changes at parents request to split some of our ECA activities so that the schedule could match your child's availability. You can check the available seats on the Clipboard Application. Please see the information on splitting classes below:

Early Years

Painting: You can select from two separated class options: Wednesdays or Fridays.
Ultimate Ninja Warriors: You can select from two separated class options: Mondays or Fridays.
Gymnastics: You can select from two separated class options: Tuesdays or Fridays.

Primary, Middle and High School

Painting: You can select from two time options: Wednesdays and Fridays.
Ultimate Ninja Warriors: You can select from two separated class options: Mondays or Fridays.
Gymnastics: You can select from two separated class options: Tuesdays or Fridays.
Cover Dance: You can select from two separated class options: Mondays or Thursdays.

Please kindly mark your note that once your sign-up activity is complete, you shall make a payment within 48 hours after your confirmation; otherwise, your seat will not be reserved.

You will receive the receipts automatically on the Clipboard Application within 3 days after payment, and at the same time, you will be able to see all the schedules that you signed up for appearing on your calendar via the Clipboard Application. The catalog is attached below for your reference.

For video instructions on "How to Sign Up for ECA and Clubs," please see the video below.

Should you have any inquiries about ECA, please feel free to contact our ECA team at ECA@basis.ac.th And for any inquiries about teacher-led clubs or student-led clubs, please reach out to Mr. Jason at j.rowe@basis.ac.th

Thank you for your kind supports,

BISB ECA Team

ECA_Catalog_2023_2024_T1_1_.pdf

Community Health Updates:

Our records cut-off time for each week is every Fridays at 15:00 hrs. The classes that has been mentioned as reaching more than 5 classes were closed, followed by our protocols and policies.

Sport Activities for BISB Community

We are also happy to announce the resume of sports activities for the BISB community (between parents and staff) after school.

Please note that all attendees must sign in at the front desk with proper identification. Proper sports attire is also strongly recommended in order to avoid any unnecessary injuries and/or damage to school facilities.

Please see below the schedule as follows:

Weekly Menu Updates:

TUSKERS Spotlight

We would like to congratulate our outstanding TUSKERS who have achieved remarkable success outside of school. If your child has won awards or prizes in various competitions and events, we kindly request you to send us the photos along with details through LINE Official School account. We'll showcase them in our newsletter. Winners of 1st to 3rd place will be featured on our social media. Let's share the pride!