Y1 Newsletter: Week 23 - 16.02.24

We are critical, reflective thinkers!

A note from Mrs McCormack (Primary Principal):

16 Feb 2024

Wishing all our families and very enjoyable and relaxing mid-term break! Thank you for all your efforts in making Term 2A wonderful.

See you all on Monday, 26 February.

Sarah McCormack

Learning

Class Blogs

Please visit our class blogs every Friday to find out about our learning in each of the classes!

Curriculum

To find out about our Year 1 curriculum please visit our Curriculum page.

World Book Day

We invite families to donate a brand-new children’s book (Thai Language Please) which will passed to one of our charities:

• FS - Home of Praise (age 2-5)
• Year 1 have already donated to our charity with our Spellathon collection, however if you would like to donate a book, we will give it to a charity from another year group.
• Y2 - Children of the Forest (age 5-11)
• Y3 - Thomas House (age 5-11)
• Y4 - Mercy Centre (age 5-11)

If you wish to donate a book, your child should hand it to their class teacher during the month of March.

Developing Speech and Language Presentation

Thank you very much for attending the 'Developing Speech and Language' presentation on the 7^th of February 2024. For your reference, please see the slides from the workshop below.

Parent Maths Workshop

Back in Term 1, Liz Gibbs and Andrew Jeffrey came to Bangkok Patana to offer some guidance for parents who would like to support their children with Maths. Please see their presentation below. If you would like any more suggestions for how to to support your child with their learning, please contact your child's class teacher.

Spellathon

Thank you to everyone for your support with our Spellathon. If you have not had chance to collect and deliver the sponsorship money, there is still time. Please can you send it to school after the half term break. Your generosity really is making a huge difference, so thank you again.

The Spellathon money will be donated to Grapongdeang School. Ms Robine and Ms Emma went to Grapongdeang School before Christmas to present the books from our Christmas donation. You can see the video below.

Lish at Grapongdeang School showed us all around the campus and we were able to see where our donations from previous years have been spent and also what challenges lie ahead for this small school. Hopefully, with our continued help, they can develop the campus and renovate the old, unstable buildings into a bright vibrant place for their children to learn.

Reading at Home

Thank you to all the parents who attended the recent parent workshop on Tuesday 6th February. Please see the link below for the presentation slides:

Songkran Shirt Competition

Just a note to clarify that the children are submitting a painting of a flower pattern for the competition, not designing an actual Songkran shirt. For example, they can submit an A4 watercolour flower pattern painting, or an acrylic canvas flower pattern painting, etc, and the winning flower pattern paintings will be turned into Songkran shirts. We do not want the children to draw, design or paint a Songkran shirt and submit that; these won’t be accepted into the competition or display. Thank you for your support and good luck!

Save the date – RSE (relationship and sex) presentations for Primary Parents

During Term 2B, we introduce age appropriate RSE units as part of our Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum in Years 1 to 6.

If you would like to hear more about our taught programme, please save the date for our parent presentations.

All presentations start at 8:00.

We will share the presentation slides via the year group newsletter for those of you who cannot attend.

Tuesday 26^th March (Primary Hall)

Year 4 and Year 5 parents and carers

Thursday 28^th March (Conference Centre)

Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 parents and carers

Tuesday 2^nd April (Primary Hall)

Year 6 parents and carers

General Information

Air Pollution

At this time of year we notice a change in the Air Quality in Bangkok.

In the morning before school starts when we have the Status:

Unhealthy

From 7am onwards, Year 1 students should come inside and go to the creative art area (in the middle of Year 1) where there will be teachers supervising them safely inside.

Parents are encouraged to drop their children at the doors. 

We please kindly ask parents not to stay in this space as it can become crowded and overfull. Some students can find separation from parents more challenging on these days as well, so please support your child by giving them a big hug and then leaving them with us (see below for more guidance on separation).

Should your child arrive before 7am on any day, they should go directly to the Primary Office until duty staff begin to supervise.

Please find the school policy for Air Quality Here

Morning Separation

It is very common for some children to find separating from their parents challenging in the mornings. This can be triggered by a variety of reasons: a change in their normal routine, an argument with a sibling, a parent being away, feeling unwell, etc. Many children are not able to explain why they are upset when they are struggling to separate from a parent, but here are some suggestions on how to best support your child:

• Make saying goodbye a positive time. When you leave your child, however sad or worried you may be feeling, smile and wave goodbye confidently and happily, otherwise they will pick up on your tension. By giving your child experience of saying goodbye then having happy reunions, you are teaching them an important life lesson.
• Talk about what you'll do together later. Talk to your child about what you're going to do when you see them again so they have something to look forward to with you. For example, you could say: "When Mummy comes back to pick you up, we'll go to the shop together to get food for dinner."
• Leave something comforting with your child. It may comfort your child to have something they identify with you – like a scarf with your scent on or a favourite toy – close by. This may reassure them while you are away. These items will be kept in your child's school bag, but having them there can bring reassurance and a sense of calm. 

If you are concerned about separation issues, please speak to your child's teacher as there may be individual systems they can put in place to support your child in the mornings. 

Changing Clothes

Some children find getting changed into their swimming kit or ECA clothes challenging. Please support your child by giving them time to practice at home. This will help to reduce anxiety for your child and will allow them to feel successful. Breaking the process down into steps, for example, putting on underwear, then t-shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, makes getting changed easier for them.

You can also break down each of the steps in getting dressed, depending on your child’s skill and age. For example, you could break down the steps for putting on shorts like this:

Face shorts the right way.

Hold on to the front of the waistband.

Push one leg at a time through the leg holes while also holding the shorts.

Pull the shorts up.

Talking your child through each step helps them know what to do. In the early stages, simple words or phrases are OK – for example, ‘Shirt on’. You can say more as your child’s language develops – for example, ‘Push your arm through the sleeve’.

Having all of your child's clothes labelled with their name helps them to know what belongs to them and helps them to be organised with their things. 

Playtimes

We ask that parents do not stay with their children during playtimes. If you would like to stay on campus, please feel free to use our fantastic PTG room. There are tea and coffee making facilities in there. We would like the children to develop their independence and have time to socialise with their friends, as they are learning important life skills during these times. Thank you for your support. 

Preventing the spread of influenza (newsletters November 23)

We currently have a number of children absent with influenza.

Influenza is a serious and contagious infection that affects the nose, throat, and respiratory system.

The virus is commonly spread through droplets in the air, allowing infection to spread quickly.

Children with cold or flu (influenza) symptoms should be kept at home until they are completely recovered.

Even when the main symptoms have gone, your child may still need time to return to full strength.

Please do not send your child back to school too soon, even if they are no longer in the contagious phase.

If your child is still coughing or sneezing, please keep them at home and limit their contact with other children.

A child who has a fever should be kept at home until ‘fever free’ for a minimum of 24 hours.

When unsure, always seek medical advice, especially if a child has a chronic condition e.g., asthma.

If Influenza is confirmed, please send a copy of the medical certificate to Nurse@patana.ac.th

Birthday celebrations

The following students are celebrating their birthdays next week... 

Leroy (1R), Pao Pao (1S), Harry (1N), Lalyn (1J), Nanami (1K), Leslie (1C), Quinn (1N), Fleur (1N) and Elliot (1K). A very big happy birthday to all of you!

Reminder: We cannot give out party bags or gifts - please keep these for any sort of celebration that you do out of school.

If you would like to send in some birthday treats for your child to share with their class, please arrange a day with your child's class teacher. We will only be able to manage individual items like brownies, doughnuts, or cupcakes. 

Please remember we are a nut-free Primary School and also check with the class teacher for any other dietary requirements of the class.