Si Ri Panya News Highlights
- Nicola Bunchuay
- Sep 12
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 13
Welcome to our Friday September 12th 2025 Newsletter (issue 20).
The first week of school is always an important time for setting the tone. Together with their teachers, our students agree on class rules and daily values they commit to working on in their relationships with others.
In Year 4, Teacher Charles and his class have set a particularly positive example. Their agreements not only show care and respect but also brighten their classroom, making it an inspiring place to learn together.
By Week 2, a stroll around Primary revealed classrooms full of purposeful energy. Year 1 pupils were practising their letter writing skills, while Year 2 were carefully filling in number squares from 1 to 100. Their classroom also featured an impressive display of a giant octopus and other marine life at the back, which brought their learning environment to life. Year 3 were hard at work too, exploring equivalent numbers and finding different ways of showing the same number by working in tens.
Class agreements begin as early as Year 1, and it is always heartening to see how even our youngest learners are able to shape their shared values. You can browse the gallery below to see their ideas in action.
Fun Quiz for Year 1 Parents
To help bring the learning home, here are a few questions you might enjoy exploring with your child:
Can they tell you about their class agreement?
How many agreements are there, and how many can they remember?
Can they give you examples of how they might achieve them?
And perhaps you can help solve a few mysteries from the Year 1 classroom.
Can your child tell you the name of the bird with the long nose, what type of bird it is, and where it comes from?
In the photo with the toy bird and two framed pictures, who painted the picture on the left?
What is the framed item on the right, why does Teacher Olivia have it, and what is it supposed to do?
✨ The answers will be revealed on Monday! ✨
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
2-Oct-25 Annual Family Beach Clean with Trash Hero
See Newsletter Issue 20 for full details
Parent/Teacher “Getting to Know You” Meetings
Don’t forget to sign up for our “Getting to Know You” parent/teacher meetings, which will take place over two consecutive Wednesdays — 17th September and 24th September, from 3:00–5:00pm.
If you have not yet received your invitation to sign up for a meeting please contact your child’s Class Teacher (Primary) or Form Tutor (Secondary).
Wai Kru Ceremony
This week, our students came together for Wai Kru — a special Thai ceremony where children show gratitude to their teachers. Thank you to all the parents who joined us and helped make it such a warm community event, and to our Thai teachers for organising this meaningful annual occasion.
Secondary Enrichment Programme
Secondary students all have the opportunity to choose from a range of different activities between 3pm and 4pm each day, which we call our enrichment programme. These are non-academic activities (although some are linked to school subjects), and the idea is to provide students with an opportunity to try different activities that they may find enriching - linking to our underlying philosophy that learning and school is about more than just academic subjects, but also about growing as a person.
This year we have a number of different things for students to try, including Music, Marine and Scuba Club, Model UN and History & Mythology. We also have our first activity combined with the Upper Primary students, with some students from Years 5 and 6 choosing to join the STEM Club (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) where they can do practical experiments in the Secondary Science Lab. Makes me wish I was 10 again!
We are always looking at ways to develop our programme and add new options, if you have an idea or even an activity to propose, please contact Head of Secondary Jeanne directly or come and say hello.
Annual Family Beach Clean with Trash Hero
We are delighted to share that our 9th Annual Family Beach Clean will take place in partnership with Trash Hero Koh Phangan on:
📅 Thursday 2nd October
🕔 5:00 p.m.
📍 Phangan Royal Navy Ship, Thong Sala
This event is a highlight of Term 1 and an important tradition in our school calendar. It brings our community together, celebrates new friendships, and reminds us of our shared responsibility to care for the island we call home.
This year, we are adding a new dimension: sponsorship for Trash Hero. 💛 All funds raised will support Trash Hero’s programme to provide branded T-shirts and reusable water bottles for children who take part in their regular clean-ups.
Each pupil will bring home a sponsorship form this week. If you need an additional copy, please download it here: sponsorship form.
Bags will be provided on the day but bring your own gloves. Families are warmly encouraged to join us — the more hands, the greater the impact. Together, we can make a difference, one small act at a time.
Secondary Student Assemblies - Year 9 Being Courageous
Each half term, each tutor group in Secondary has a chance to present their own ideas on the Si Ri Panya value which is the focus at the time. This half term we are looking at Being Courageous, and Year 9 were the first class to present their ideas.
They put together a short play to demonstrate everyday courage, and then shared their own personal experiences of courage, before asking the audience to write down some of their own examples. Many of these have been added to a poster which has gone up in Secondary to inspire us all. Year 9 demonstrated what courage can mean in their assembly, stepping up with confidence and inspiring others with their words and actions.
Meanwhile in Primary Assembly...
Head of Primary Lisa and Teacher Olivia spoke about how the actual act of speaking to people can often test our courage and help us become more courageous. Examples of this including asking for help, talking to fellow hikers on a trail, potentially sharing important information, and even how the gesture saying Good Morning as part of an everyday ritual can positively impact your wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
This is a value that has really taken off, so a hearty well done to Secondary and Primary for making this a term where we are all committed to being courageous.
We also invite parents to join us on this journey into courage. We'd love to hear about anything you are doing that showcases this value, so we can celebrate you as a VIP in our school community! So, if you have something to share, don't hesitate to get in touch!
Alternatively, if you are a student reading this and you'd like to give a shout out to a parent for something they've recently done that illustrates this value, knock on our doors-we're listening!
Birthdays Made Simple: Cupcakes and Candles
We love celebrating children’s birthdays at school, and we want to keep these moments joyful while also making them easier for families and staff. In the past, parents often brought in large cakes along with plates, napkins, knives and candles. This sometimes caused complications — items were occasionally forgotten, and bringing knives into school is not ideal.
Cupcakes only
From now on, we ask that parents provide cupcakes only for birthdays. Cupcakes are easy to find in local supermarkets and bakeries, and can even be decorated with icing and names if you wish. Candles can still be added to a cupcake, and we will sing “Happy Birthday” together, giving the birthday child the chance to blow out the candles just as before. This means there is no longer any need for parents to bring in knives, plates, napkins or extras — just cupcakes and candles.
When celebrations take place
In Primary (Years 1–6), birthdays are marked during the first break of the day, so no lesson time is lost.
In Secondary, birthdays are celebrated in tutor time at 9:00 am, following the same cupcakes-only arrangement.
This new approach keeps things simple for families while making birthdays a joyful occasion for children to share with their classmates. We look forward to celebrating the next birthday with you!
New Agility Trail Coming Soon!
We’re excited to share that plans are underway for a brand-new Agility Trail for our secondary students, linking the playground to the sports centre. This fun and challenging course will feature 11 stations — each designed to build balance, strength, and coordination in a safe and engaging way. Students will weave, climb, crawl, and stretch their way along the 40-metre trail, starting and finishing with a sloping balance beam. The layout encourages movement without running, keeping it both energising and safe.
We’re also introducing a zipline! This fun but safe addition will let students glide from the secondary gate (the road entrance) down to the entrance of the secondary building — a memorable way to start their day.
Together, the zipline and trim trail will give students two exciting new ways to move around campus: the zipline linking the gate to the secondary building, and the trim trail connecting the secondary building to the far corner of the sports centre.
Work is planned to begin later this term, with the aim of completing the project ready for students to enjoy in the new year.
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.
