Si Ri Panya News | 2026–27 Issue 3
11 September 2026
The Hundred Is There
This week, we are starting with a poem that encapsulates the wonder and magic of childhood, which is a great thing to contemplate, no matter where your child is on their personal journey at Si Ri Panya.
NO WAY. THE HUNDRED IS THERE
The child
is made of one hundred.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
A hundred always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.
The child has
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.
They tell the child:
to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and Christmas.
They tell the child:
to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
They tell the child:
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says:
No way. The hundred is there.
Loris Malaguzzi (translated by Lella Gandini)
Like the child in this poem, we very much believe that the hundred is there, and we see it every day in the daily actions and classroom learning experiences around school.
Family Beach Clean with Trash Hero Koh Phangan
Sunday 13 September | 8:00 am | Ban Tai Pier
One of our favourite Si Ri Panya traditions returns this month as our school community joins Trash Hero Koh Phangan for our annual family beach clean.
We have been taking part in community beach cleans since 2017, and over the years they have become much more than simply an opportunity to collect rubbish. They are a chance for our children to see what can happen when people come together, take responsibility for the place they live and make a visible difference through a simple action.
Students, parents, siblings, friends and staff are all very welcome to join us.
Meeting Point
📍 Ban Tai Pier
🗓️ Sunday 13 September
⏰ 8:00 am
Please arrive ready to spend the morning outdoors and help us give a little back to the island we call home.
There is no need for grand gestures to make a difference. Sometimes it begins with a bag, a pair of gloves and a community willing to get involved.
We hope to see plenty of Si Ri Panya families there.
Secondary Food Technology - we all get cooking!
Year 7-9 students were delighted to get back into the kitchen this term, and with T. Jonah they have already started exploring their diets and how they can make food that is both healthy and delicious!
Students were also asked to reflect on their eating habits, including whether they were eating more unhealthy options or maybe skipping meals, and it was interesting to see how honest students were about where they could maybe make improvements. We hope that families can carry on this discussion at home, and help us to keep students strong and healthy, and ready to learn.
Y10 History - events that shook the world
Year 10 started their IGCSE History unit off by looking at events through History that shook the world and made a global impact. This activity consolidated their understanding of chronology and sparked ideas of the events they will be studying over the next two years.
External Feedback from Our June Visit
As we begin the new academic year, we are pleased to share feedback from Bill Burn’s three-day visit to Si Ri Panya in June.
Bill, a UK-based adviser working with Education Development Trust (EDT), spent time observing lessons across Primary and Secondary, meeting pupils and school leaders, and reviewing a range of school activities. His visit provided an opportunity to look closely at the school’s provision and the experience of pupils across different year groups.
One of the areas Bill highlighted was the development of learning from the younger Primary years through to Secondary. His observations included phonics, science and English, as well as discussions with subject leaders about curriculum planning and assessment.
“There is clear evidence of progression across the year groups.”
The report also recognised the importance of meeting pupils’ different starting points and ensuring that they are able to access learning while being appropriately challenged. Bill observed a range of teaching approaches and support across the school, including work with pupils who are learning English as an additional language.
“Pupils are supported and challenged.”
Alongside academic learning, Bill spent time with both Primary and Secondary student councils and spoke with pupils about their experience of school. The report recorded how pupils contribute to school decisions, take responsibility within the community and have opportunities to share their views.
Secondary pupils also spoke about the relationships and atmosphere they experience at school.
“Pupils value the sense of community.”
Si Ri Panya is accredited through the International Schools Quality Mark (ISQM), awarded by Education Development Trust. We continue to work with EDT through regular advisory visits, using independent feedback to recognise our strengths and guide the school’s ongoing development.
Our New Primary Class Reps
Our Primary pupils have elected eight Class Reps for the new school year.
Class Reps provide an important link between their classmates and the Student Council, giving pupils a structured way to share ideas and suggestions with the school.
Two of our newly elected representatives, pictured here, also helped to make their own Class Rep badges this week.
Congratulations to all eight pupils elected — we look forward to hearing the ideas they bring forward on behalf of their classes.
Secondary pupils are currently completing their Class Rep elections, and we look forward to welcoming their new representatives to the Student Council shortly.
Chess Success for Brothers Bogdan and Stepan
Three tournaments. Four podium finishes. One very strong start to competitive chess.
Brothers Bogdan, from Primary, and Stepan, from Secondary, spent part of their summer holidays competing in city chess tournaments in Novokuznetsk, Russia.
At their first tournament on 9 August, Stepan took 2nd place in the under-1000 rating category. Later that month, Bogdan took 1st place and Stepan 3rd place in the under-1100 category at the Novokuznetsk Rapid Chess Cup.
Then, just one day after returning to Koh Phangan, Bogdan entered a friendly tournament organised by Coconut Chess Club and came away with 1st place and a trophy.
A brilliant start to competitive chess for both brothers.
Has your child achieved something outside school that deserves a mention? Send us a short story and a photograph. Whether it is sport, music, art, dance, chess or something completely different, we would be happy to consider it for a future newsletter.
Year 2 Students Excel in New School Year with Self-Portraits and Presentations
On Friday, Year 2 got to work on some very funny self-portraits that Teacher Charles had organised for the class using photos of his students making amusing faces. They enjoyed the challenge of tracing and working on their pictures, using techniques such as fine motor skills, shape recognition and spacial awareness.
They also learned to play and share from the toy box, read in pairs with Year 1 students, with them acting as mentors and they also had a show and tell session to discuss photographs they'd brought in for their favourite toys.
Wai Khru: A Tradition of Respect and Gratitude
There are some school traditions that mean more because they ask us to stop, reflect and recognise the people around us.
This week, pupils across Si Ri Panya came together for our annual Wai Khru ceremony, an important Thai tradition in which students show respect and gratitude to their teachers.
With flowers and traditional arrangements in hand, pupils from Primary and Secondary took part in the ceremony together, sharing a quiet moment of thanks with the teachers who guide and support them each day.
Families joined us to watch, making it a particularly meaningful way to begin the new academic year.
Thank you to everyone who helped prepare the ceremony and to the families who joined us.
Key Dates at a Glance
Trash Hero Beach Clean 15-Sep at 8-9am
View all important school dates and events for 2026–27 on our homepage.
🌟 Weekly Reminders
🚗 Drop-off & Pick-up
Drop-off: from 8:30 a.m.
Primary pick-up: 2:50 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. for ASA
Secondary pick-up: 4:00 p.m.
Please be punctual.
🤒 Absence
Please inform your child’s class teacher (Primary) or form tutor (Secondary) if they are absent or unwell.
👕 Uniform
Please ensure your child wears the correct uniform each day.Primary Order Form | Secondary Order Form
🍎 Healthy Routines
Please send healthy snacks only, check regularly for head lice, and keep long hair tied back.
📖 Library Books
Please return any school library books to the Primary or Secondary library.
🎂 Birthdays
Primary birthdays (Years 1–6) are celebrated on Fridays at 2:00 p.m. during Enrichment Time. Secondary birthdays (Years 7–11) are celebrated during tutor time.
♻️ Bottle Caps
We continue to collect bottle caps for our Precious Plastic Project. Collection point: outside the Primary gate.Find out more about the Precious Plastic Project
🌬️ No Idling
Please switch off engines while waiting outside school.
📘 Family Handbook
For full school guidance, routines and expectations, please refer to our Primary and Secondary Family Handbooks.
Si Ri Panya News — Previous Issues
Explore earlier issues of Si Ri Panya News via our school blog archive.
