Week 1: A Fresh Start to the Term

Welcome to Week 1

It has been a great first week back, with students settling in quickly and getting back into routines. There has been a positive and energetic start to the term, and it has been wonderful to see the children reconnect with their friends and engage in their learning.

You should have now received your child’s school report. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

This Week

• Coffee Morning Coffee Morning with me will now take place on Thursday mornings from 8:15 – 9:00 a.m.

  
  

• Café & Chess Tournament (Wednesday 13th) Alhena, Amanda, and Ping An will be running the café. They will be selling coconut water and chocolate covered fruit. There will also be a chess tournament, and parents and teachers are very welcome to join.

• Student Contest - Our first student contest of the term will begin, with a range of prizes including gifts from Harry Potter World (Universal Studios, London), English coins, flags, a Bhutanese scarf, and more. Students can enter anonymously, and entries will be voted on by the school.

  
  

• Farm Time Students will once again be spending time at the farm during the week, growing and caring for produce.

Friday Trips

Lower Primary - Students will take a trip to visit Sam Phan Nam Floating Market. At the market, there is plenty of opportunity for the students to make purchases, including toys, small souvenirs, food, and drinks. Students are allowed to bring 200 THB or use their Butterfly money on this trip.

Upper Primary and Middle School - Students will begin their swimming lessons at Hampton Swimming & Fitness. Please ensure they bring:

• swimwear

• a towel

• a change of clothes

• sun protection

  
  

Middle school students will also have the option to remain in school for study time.

Highlights from Last Week

• Upper Primary and Middle School students selected their Areas of Responsibility and have already begun working on projects to improve the school, including road safety signage, student lead events, running the cafe and shop and other student-led initiatives.

  
  

• The hike to Hin Lek Fai Viewpoint was a challenge after the holiday, but students showed great resilience and were rewarded with some good views and some ice cream!

  
  

• Lower Primary’s swimming lessons were a success, with students quickly getting back into their swimming routines.

  
  

• Our new group, the Polar Bears, have settled in very well and even won an award in their Digging for Dinosaurs class.

  
  

• Fan, Fan, Smile, and Groot became our new Lower Primary bankers and did an excellent job in their first week. Well done to Alisa for organising our school bank.

• Jon and Liya passed the Playground Test. Well done to both of them.

• Students selected their cleaning families and reading groups for the term.

• A big thank you to Alhena and Davide for donating new books to the school.

Circle Time Highlights

• Monday’s Circle Time included discussions, voting on school trips, reviewing school rules, and sharing stories. New agreements included allowing hats indoors (but not during lessons) and allowing snacks on the lawn.

  
  

• Eden shared a detailed and engaging story about his trip to Nepal.

• Pohn, Linus, and Vicky demonstrated the “Blood Bubble” safety concept to help keep everyone safe when using tools.

• Mia, Maia, and Max demonstrated safe road crossing at the school gate.

• Alisa donated a hat as a prize for the student contest.

• The Sabertooth Group presented their homemade toys.

• Club presentations were a success:

  • Pohn and Vicky represented Uzbekistan and won the first “World Cup” challenge. Thank you to Luca for supporting this club.

  • Nari successfully led her first club, creating arts and crafts despite some early challenges

  • Maithai and Nadia shared their cross-stitch work

  • Harris and Alex presented their club video

Relationship Education

Polar Bears

The Polar Bears reviewed important school expectations, including appropriate Circle Time behaviour, their responsibilities within cleaning families, and how to treat others with respect.

Agent Owls

In Relationship Class, the Agent Owls explored different emotions by learning what they are, why we experience them, and how to recognise emotions in others. They also discussed the different ways people express their feelings and how emotions can sometimes be interpreted differently by different people.

Hummingbirds

In their first Relationships lesson, the Hummingbirds explored the difference between kindness and niceness. Students discussed how being nice can sometimes mean avoiding discomfort, while kindness involves genuinely caring for others, even when it is more difficult. They worked in groups to sort real-life scenarios, leading to thoughtful discussions. This topic will continue throughout the term.

Sabertooth Group

In Relationship Class, the Sabertooth Group explored the importance of relationships and community at school. Students reflected on what they missed during the holidays and discussed how they can help create positive experiences and friendships this term.

Penguins and Silver Sharks

Students began with trust-building exercises and discussed how Relationship Education should be a safe and respectful space. They explored some of the challenges of sharing openly and working with peers before agreeing on expectations for the term. The session concluded with students anonymously submitting questions they have about relationships, which will help guide future lessons.

Crispy Crabs (formerly the Crystal Tigers)

In Relationship Class, the Crispy Crabs checked in on how they are feeling and discussed different topics they would like to explore this term.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Mr. Vincent and The Halio Team