Si Ri Panya News Highlights
- Nicola Bunchuay
- Sep 5
- 9 min read
Welcome to our Friday September 5th 2025 Newsletter (issue 19).
The middle of the week felt like a funny day to return to our wonderful, community-orientated island school. As I stood at the gate, it was really moving to see so many happy, familiar, smiling faces — everyone looking refreshed, a bit taller and somewhat more independent. To see last year’s Yr 6 students in their new secondary uniforms, and to hug tearful parents dropping their precious children off for the first time at our school, was both touching and lovely.
The day before, on Tuesday, we held a special welcome session for our new Year 1 pupils and their parents. It was a chance to meet one another ahead of the first day, and the children were very well behaved and really enjoyed their play and library session with their new staff member, Teacher Olivia, and her Teaching Assistant, Khru Pam.
During the information session, I recalled the time I first dropped my own child off at school, and it was nice to be able to relate to parents’ feelings on the first day. It also felt important to offer a reassuring hand as they said their goodbyes to their children today.
As well as offering a listening ear, our information session for parents explored our newly developed curriculum, introduced our important school systems, shared our school values, timetable, and approach to learning, as well as our expectations — both academic and personal — for each child.
We want the very best for all of our students, and for us that starts from Day 1 in Year 1 and continues every day through the different year groups. Education for all, where the happiness and success of your child really does matter.
So, on that note, we’d like to wish all of you the very best for this new academic year, and take the opportunity to extend a friendly invite to get involved in school life as we move to further strengthen our home-school connection. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, we’d love to hear from you! Just drop us a line. You can join our parents’ support group by contacting them HERE, or simply send an email to the Head of Primary or Head of Secondary — and let’s see what we can do together.
Key Dates at a Glance
Looking Ahead: Key events and special days for the school year are published on our homepage.
Term 1 After-School Activity (ASA) sign-up information
See Newsletter Issue 18 for full details
Student Kicks off 2025 School Year With
Summer Bottle Cap Challenge!
Year 2 student Michael set himself a summer challenge: to collect every bottle top that his family used.
On Wednesday, Michael — a Key Stage 1 student at Si Ri Panya with a keen interest in recycling — brought dozens of bottle tops to school, kicking off this year’s Precious Plastics initiative in style.
What makes this story of championing the environment so inspiring is that the idea was entirely his own.
Speaking to Head of Primary, Teacher Lisa, at the school gate on Wednesday, Michael’s mother explained how all summer, he had challenged himself to collect recyclable tops. She shared that he didn’t want anything that could be recycled to end up in landfill. “He looks around and tells us what we shouldn’t throw away, because he wants to recycle it,” she said.
This is wonderful news for Si Ri Panya, as it shows that our students — even the very youngest — are already putting into practice what they are learning in the classroom.
Congratulations to Michael and his family! If you have something you’d like your child to be acknowledged for, please talk to us at the gate or get in touch. Celebrating your child’s self-directed learning outside the classroom makes us extremely proud of our students. Well done!
Year 1 Greeting Gallery
We are exceptionally proud of all our brave new Year 1 students, who have shown tremendous courage in starting full school days and saying goodbye to their parents at the gate each morning. You are already demonstrating courage — which happens to be the very first value we’ll be launching at this week’s Friday Assembly.
Take a look below at our picture gallery to see how they’ve been greeting Teacher Olivia in the mornings. Using a special chart, the children can choose how they’d like to greet their teacher: a hug, a high five, a wave, a fist pump, a handshake, or simply by saying hello! We hope this extra care helps them feel at home and settled in their new classroom.
Primary: Meet the Prefects. Years 1 -6
Today's assembly was about courage and we shared our different experiences of times we have felt courageous.
Teacher Simon demonstrated how he once captured a giant Ghecko from his bathroom, much to the amusement of his children, Teacher Matt talked about stepping into a role with more responsibility is a courageous move for him, while Teacher Devon talked about the time she was a medic, and helped save lives!
There were many more examples of courage shared between us and we look forward to developing this incredible value which helps us all transform into increasingly satisfied and content individuals, as we become good at facing our fears and challenging ourselves to go beyond our comfort zones.
In today's assembly we also announced our first twelve lucky students who were selected by their teachers and classmates to be prefects or monitors for their class.
While everyone in class will shoulder responsibility, Prefects are given a few more jobs to do, in acknowledgement for their good attitude to work and school life.
Any one prefectship will last for a single term then classes and their teachers will vote in the next round of capable students who are ready to take leadership positions in class and be role models around school to others.
Si Ri Panya International School Prefects, Term 1, 2025-26.
Back to School in Secondary
We had a gentle start to the new year in Secondary, with the first morning spent in tutor groups getting to grips with new timetables and making sure everything was ready for learning. There was also plenty of time to catch up with friends and swap summer stories.
We have been incredibly impressed by the positive energy from everyone — especially our new Year 7 students, who have quickly adapted to a different way of learning and have thrown themselves in with enthusiasm!
It's going to be another great year, and we look forward to sharing these experiences with you all and working together to help our students blossom and unlock their talents.
Wai Khru Ceremony – Thursday 11th September
We are excited to invite all families to our annual Wai Khru Ceremony on Thursday 11th September, 9:15–10:15 AM in the school sports hall.
This special Thai tradition gives students the chance to show respect and gratitude to their teachers by presenting flowers and performing the Wai. It’s a beautiful way to begin the year together as a learning community.
🌸 Optional: Children may bring flowers from home to present to their teacher in the morning.
🚗 Parking: As space near school will be limited, we kindly ask families to arrive by motorbike, carpool, or park at Wat Nai temple (map link) and walk the short distance to school.
We look forward to celebrating this meaningful day with you!
Insights from Our 2025 EDT & ISQM Inspection
In June 2025, we welcomed inspectors from the Education Development Trust (EDT) and International Schools Quality Mark (ISQM) to Si Ri Panya. Their positive feedback speaks volumes about the commitment of our staff, pupils and families. Read on for verbatim excerpts from the report, showcasing the strengths we nurture together every day.
A huge thank you to our dedicated staff, brilliant pupils and supportive families for making these achievements possible! 🌈
1️⃣ Teaching Excellence 🏆 ✏️
Our teachers were commended for their subject knowledge and effective classroom practice:
"Teachers have a secure knowledge of their subjects and how pupils learn.”
“Teachers plan lessons with clear learning objectives and share them with pupils so that they know what is expected of them.”
“Teachers use questions that promote interaction and dialogue, test pupils’ understanding and facilitate learning by dealing with misconceptions when they arise.”
2️⃣ Visionary Leadership 🧭 💡
Inspectors praised the strength and inclusivity of our leadership team:
“Members of the leadership team provide effective role models to encourage those around them to achieve high standards.”
“A strong ethos of inclusion for all pervades each aspect of school life, reflecting the diverse nature of the cohort.”
“Senior leaders welcome feedback from pupils, staff, and parents.”
3️⃣ Curriculum & Enrichment 🌱 🧩
Our curriculum was described as broad, balanced and inspiring:
“The programme for PSHE supports pupils’ personal and social development and promotes their good health and well‑being.”
“The extra‑curricular activities enrich pupils’ learning and help them to develop their leadership skills.”
“Cross‑curricular links are relevant and evident in most subjects and enable pupils to transfer knowledge and skills from one subject to another.”
4️⃣ Personal Development & Well‑being 🧘♀️ 🤸♂️ 🍏 Pupil behaviour, attitudes and resilience were clear strengths:
“Across the school, pupils behave well and are clear about the school’s rules and expectations.”
“Relationships between pupils, teachers and other staff are positive; the learning environment is welcoming, and pupils are keen to learn and show sensitivity to the needs of others.”
“Pupils have positive attitudes to learn, show responsibility for their own work and develop a good level of self‑esteem and resilience.”
5️⃣ Community & Partnerships 🤝🌍
Our partnership with families and staff was highly commended:
“The strong and purposeful links between school leaders and staff and the parent group form a highly effective working partnership to support pupils’ learning.”
“Teachers provide regular updates on teaching and learning to parents.”
“The school provides clear and accurate reports on each pupil’s attainment and progress throughout the year.”
Expressing Ourselves Through Drama
We are very excited to welcome Teacher Rupert, who is teaching Secondary Drama alongside his Primary Music lessons. Our Year 9s are well known for enjoying opportunities to share their ideas and opinions, and in their very first lesson they explored this further through silent freeze frames. By focusing on posture and facial expression, they began learning how to tell a story without words or movement — not an easy skill to master, but as the saying goes, a picture really is worth a thousand words!
We are very much looking forward to seeing how this work develops their ability to tell their own stories. With this year’s school production already in our thoughts, we are excited to see how every student will play their part. Watch this space for more details soon!
🧭 Staying Connected – Class WhatsApp Groups Refresh
At Si Ri Panya, we believe clear, timely communication helps everyone feel connected 🤝. As we begin the new school year, we’re refreshing our class WhatsApp groups!
These groups are a great way for parents to support one another — from organising birthday parties and beach meet-ups to swapping uniforms and helping out with homework reminders. 🍰👕
They’re also where we post:
✅ Short-notice updates (e.g. rain alerts or cancelled ASAs)
📸 Daily photos of your child’s lunch and snack
Teachers will be sending the updated QR code in their first class email. Once you’ve joined your new group, don’t forget to leave last year’s one. Here’s to a connected and community-focused year ahead! 🌟
♻️ Upcycling Uniforms Initiative – Give Uniforms a Second Life! ♻️
We’re excited to launch our Upcycling Uniforms initiative!
👕 Old Si Ri Panya uniforms?
Don’t throw them away—there’s a better way!
📦 Drop off clean, gently used uniforms in the box at the main entrance.
🧺 Our Parent Association will lovingly wash and prepare the items.
🎁 These upcycled uniforms will be made available—for free—for families to collect during the first few weeks of Term 1 in September.
🌱 By donating, you’re helping growing children, supporting fellow families, reducing waste, and giving our school uniforms a second life.
Thank you for upcycling with us and supporting a greener Si Ri Panya!
Ongoing Weekly Reminders
Library Reminder: Please check at home for any lost books and return them to the Primary or Secondary library so everyone can enjoy them!
Bottle Cap Collection: We're collecting bottle caps for our Precious Plastic Project! Please bring your bottle caps to the collection point located inside the Primary school gate on the left. Secondary students can bring theirs to the Design and Technology Lab. Find out more about this exciting long-term project here: Precious Plastic Phangan Facebook.
Drop Off and Pick Up: Drop-off is at 8:30 am (not earlier). Pick-up times are 2:50 pm for Primary (or 4:00 pm if attending an ASA) and 4:00 pm for Secondary. Please be punctual, as some Primary children have been waiting up to 30 minutes after 2:50 pm, which can be distressing for them.
No Idling Zone: Help make the area outside our school a NO IDLING ZONE which means switching car engines off while you wait for your child. We appreciate your action for the environment and health of all.
Absence and Illness: Notify your child's class teacher (Primary) or form teacher (Secondary) directly to inform them of absence and sickness.
Head Lice Check: Continue to check your child's hair for head lice regularly and treat accordingly. Boys and girls with long hair need to tie it up.
Uniform Orders: Ensure your child wears the correct uniform each day. Uniform orders can be placed online: 🔗 Secondary Order Form 🔗 Primary Order Form
Healthy snacks: Healthy snacks only. No sweets, crisps/chips or cakes at break times. Birthdays are the exception and dealt with per class policy.
