Si Ri Panya News Highlights (issue 32)
- Nicola Bunchuay
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Dec 12, 2025 - Beyond the Spotlight
There are two sides to school life: what happens at the front, the things you see when you walk around the campus or pop into lessons to talk to students about their work; and what happens behind the scenes. Our events, deadlines and assessments are visible, but the quiet, steady work that drives school life forward often isn’t.
Behind the scenes is where so much of the real effort sits. It could be the determination of a student practising for a spelling test or mastering something new, or the time leadership spends reimagining part of the curriculum. It might be a whole-school initiative—such as our recent Wellbeing Award, for which we were proud to receive Gold.
All of these things require thought, energy and commitment, even though they often go unnoticed in the day-to-day rhythm of school life.
At this time of year, the unseen side of school is full of care and attention. Teachers are guiding the behaviour and nerves of dozens of students as they wait for their turn to rehearse as students repeat and refine their performances until they get it right. It is here that we see our values reinforced again and again, even when it sometimes feels as though a message may have gone unheard.
Working in education is a little like working out in a gym. The end result isn’t a set of toned muscles, and you can’t always see the effort that has gone into a teacher’s dedication with their students at first glance.
Though, as we reach the end of our first term, we want to thank our teachers, our fellow decision-makers in SLT, our students who are doing their very best, and—last but not least—you, our families. Thank you for all you do behind the scenes to get your children ready to learn and ready to come to school.
Shortly, we'll share the glossy photos of our polished Christmas performance, but for now, here are some of the moments from rehearsals, a glimpse behind the scenes. Enjoy!
Last week we had our Christmas performance rehearsal, helped along by our Secondary students who kindly offered to be our first audience. Nerves may have set in but a great job was done by all.
End of Term Christmas Lunch – Tuesday 6th January 🍽️
To celebrate the final day of term, Friday 12th December, we were set to be serving a special Christmas lunch for all children in place of our usual menu.
Heavy rains had other plans for us though as instead we had to close school for the day!
The good news is that 200 cupcakes were donated to a local school, which was a lovely gesture by our School Director, Nicola, and we have rescheduled our special meal to our first day back, which is a lovely way to start the second term and usher in the New Year at Si Ri Panya.
Our staff and teachers will be serving the children at beautifully decorated festive tables, complete with fruit juice and a warm, celebratory atmosphere. Menu for the day:
Roast chicken or vegetarian meat loaf
Sides: roast potatoes, broccoli, carrots, stuffing balls, corn on the cob
Cranberry sauce and gravy
We hope this becomes a cherished annual tradition as we finish the term together in a festive and joyful way.
Linking Learning to the Real World - School Cafe Project
This week the whole of Secondary has been involved in a project to see how their learning in different subjects can be applied to a real world project. As part of our new office block, we have the facilities and space to develop a small cafe, but all we have so far is the shell ... next term, we will bring this to life, with the help of our creative and talented students!
To get the ideas flowing, students started the week working in their mixed-year House Teams to develop ideas for a name and a theme for our cafe. The team members shared ideas, then worked against the clock with only one hour before giving their presentations to our very own Dragon's Den / Shark Tank. There were some fantastic ideas from every team, but the Dragons chose the Red Crabs' idea for a beach-themed cafe. Have a look at the PDF below to understand why we are excited about what they've come up with!
For the rest of the week, students have been looking at many of the different things that need to be considered when setting up and running a business - developing a business plan in Humanities, looking at budgets and pricing in Maths, and developing decor, signs and logos in Art. Next week we put these plans into action - watch this space for information about our 'soft opening' soon!
A Festive Bake from Secondary to Primary
Our Secondary students in Years 7–9 brought Christmas cheer to the whole school this week through a very special enrichment activity. As part of their Cooking and Life Skills Club, the students planned, prepared, and baked over 200 festive gingerbread biscuits — complete with cinnamon, ginger and colourful icing — to gift to every child in Primary.
From choosing and scaling up their own recipes, to mixing icing, rolling dough, piping decorations, and working as a team, the students showed impressive collaboration and a genuine sense of community. The kitchen was full of smiles, festive spirit, and the lovely aroma of Christmas baking — a wonderful reminder of how much joy comes from giving.
These handmade biscuits were made to share with all Primary classes as a small gesture of goodwill, crafted with care and handed out by our own Year 9 Elves to bring a sparkle of Christmas magic to our tropical island school.
Primary's Christmas Card Making Activity
Everybody loves to receive a Christmas card or a card marking any occasion for that matter. After our Wednesday Christmas performance, which was full of festive cheer and some really star-potential, parents joined their children's classes to craft a beautiful festive Christmas card of their own.
Getting together like this is a really lovely way to end the year and it means so much to our students to have you there working alongside them. Students really get a sense of pride, support and encouragement by your presence at our events, so if you couldn't make it this year, be sure to come to our next event. We look forward to seeing you! We strongly courage all parents to make a New Year resolution to get even more involved in school life.
Here is a snapshot gallery of the cards made...
Academic Calendar 2026–2027 Now Published
We are pleased to share that the Academic Calendar for 2026–2027 has now been approved by the Board and is available to download on our website: siripanya.com/term-dates.
This year’s calendar includes two new features designed to support families:
A/B Timetable Weeks (Secondary): Each week is marked with A or B to show which timetable cycle is running in Secondary.
Menu Weeks (Whole School): Weeks are also labelled 1–4 to match our four-week rotating lunch menu. This addition, introduced following parent feedback, makes it easier to keep track of what’s being served each week.
We hope these updates help with planning for the year ahead, including organising summer travel and other family arrangements.
🌟 Weekly Reminders
🎂 Birthdays: Primary birthdays (Years 1–6) are now celebrated every Friday at 2:00 p.m. during Enrichment Time. Secondary birthdays are celebrated during tutor time.
📖 Library Books: Please check at home for any school library books and return them to either the Primary or Secondary library.
♻️ Bottle Cap Collection: We’re collecting bottle caps for our Precious Plastic Project. Collection point outside the primary gate. Find out more about this exciting long-term project here: Precious Plastic Phangan Facebook.
🐞 Head Lice Checks: Please check your child’s hair regularly and treat if needed. Children with long hair (boys and girls) should keep it tied up.
👕 Uniform Orders: Please ensure your child is wearing the correct uniform each day. Uniform orders can be placed online:🔗 Secondary Order Form 🔗 Primary Order Form
🍎 Healthy Snacks: Healthy snacks only at break times. No sweets, crisps/chips or cakes.
🚗 Drop-off & Pick-up:
• Drop-off: from 8:30 a.m. only
• Pick-up:
– Primary: 2:50 p.m. (or 4:00 p.m. for ASA)
– Secondary: 4:00 p.m.
Please be punctual, as some children have been waiting for extended periods.
🌬️ No Idling Zone: Please switch off engines while waiting outside school to support a healthier environment for all.
🤒 Absence & Illness: Please notify your child’s class teacher (Primary) or form tutor (Secondary) if they are unwell or absent.
Si Ri Panya News Highlights — Previous Issues
Explore earlier issues of Si Ri Panya News Highlights via our school blog archive.
