Year 1 Newsletter | Term 2 - Week 2 | 23.1.26

We are balanced and fulfilled!

Encouraging Independence

Morning Drop-Off
We kindly ask that all goodbyes take place in the garden area. Children should enter the Year 1 building independently, without adults coming inside. Our team will be on hand to support any children who may find saying goodbye difficult. This small step makes a big difference in building their confidence and autonomy.

If you arrive after 7:30am, please hand your child directly to a teacher so we are aware they are at school. After this, we ask that parents leave the Year 1 building promptly so the school day can begin smoothly.

End-of-Day / ECA Routine
We ask that ECA snacks are not handed to children at pick-up. Please pack ECA snacks in the morning and allow children to manage these from their bags. Adults do not need to walk children to their ECAs or take their bags for them. This transition remains part of the school day and supports the development of independence.

Thank you for your support in helping our Year 1 children grow in confidence and self-management. These routines play an important part in their development, and we truly appreciate your partnership.

Warm regards,
Year 1 Team

A note from the Principal

Miss McCormack

SPELLATHON!

Sponsored Spellathon in Year 1

On Friday 6th February, Year 1 will be holding a Sponsored Spellathon! This fun event is designed to encourage Year 1 students to learn spellings appropriate to their phonics levels whilst also showing kindness to those who have less than us. The money raised will be donated to our friends at Grapongdeang School, in Khlong Toey, who are currently trying to renovate their playground.

Your child will bring home their list on Monday next week. Please encourage your child to practice reading and writing their words at home.

We have also attached a sponsorship form so that friends, family, and neighbours can sponsor your child’s efforts.

Donations can be made in cash or if you prefer, you can use our Charity QR code.

Please add 0.01b to the donation and send the transaction slip to your class teacher so the payment can be correctly tracked.  

Thank you for your supporting this year group event.

Kind regards,

The Year 1 Team

Great books about growing up

If you are not always sure what to share with your child, or how to start a conversation, please come and browse.

These books can be found in the Parents’ Section of the Secondary Library

Some are written specifically to support parents and caregivers as their child navigates growing up.

We have recently added two new books to this section which are inclusive and comprehensive.

• The Parents’ Guide to Explaining Sex
• Sex Positive talks to have with kids

This term in Year 1, we are focusing on following instructions. This is an important skill for children at this age because it helps them to:

• feel confident and successful in the classroom
• understand what is expected of them
• take part safely in lessons and routines
• develop listening, attention, and self-control

Being able to follow instructions supports learning, friendships, and independence, and helps the classroom run calmly and smoothly for everyone.

How can you help at home?

This behaviour can be focused on at home too! You can help by:

• Giving clear, simple instructions, one or two steps at a time
  e.g. "Get your bag and stand by the car".
  
  
• Asking your child to repeat an instruction back to you
  e.g. "Can you tell me what you need to do?”
  
  
• Building instructions into daily routines, such as getting ready in the morning, tidying toys, or setting the table for a meal.
  e.g. "Please set the table for everyone for dinner."
  
  
• Staying calm and consistent if an instruction needs to be repeated
  e.g. "Remember, first the shoes, then we can go."
  
  
• Praising effort!
  e.g. "Thank you for listening and doing what I asked!"

These small moments at home make a big difference and help children build confidence in following instructions both in and out of school.

 Upcoming events

Young Mathematical Story Authors!

Fun Day 2026

Home Language Books

Parent Workshops

Please click on the link below to view School Workshops and Presentations for this academic year:

Parent Workshops & Presentations

Class Blogs

Year 1 Curriculum

Temporary Guardianship Form 

Temporary Guardianship Form - let us know if both parents are going away and leaving a student with a friend, nanny or a maid.

Notification of Temporary Guardianship August 2020.docx

Allergies

Playground use before and after school

Students are not permitted to use any of the climbing or play equipment before 7:30 a.m.

There is no staff supervision in any play area after 2:30.

The accompanying adult is therefore responsible for the safe supervision of the child.

We encourage parents and family employees to take children straight home at the end of the school day.

Class birthday celebrations

We enjoy mini birthday celebrations in class but ask that you pre-arrange a time with the teacher.

Please note, this is a small celebration within the class. It is not a ‘birthday party’ and siblings and friends from other classes are not allowed to attend.

Birthday treats should be small, with minimal plastic wrapping. Please only send enough for your child’s class.

Individual portions such as small brownies, small cupcakes, and half-donuts are easy to give out.

All food sent into school must be nut free.

As school policy, we do not give out party bags, drinks or gifts sent in by families.

Please do not give out any of these items at school as this can cause unintended problems.

School Shoes

As part of their Patana school uniform, students wear plain black school shoes or sturdy trainers.

• Shoes should be durable and support the whole foot.
• All shoes require at least a strap to keep the shoe firmly in place.
• Children can wear lace-up shoes if they can tie up their laces independently.
• Plain black shoes can be sourced in many shops and department stores in Bangkok.
• If your child has to wear other shoes for a specific reason, please let us know.
• Shoes may need replacing mid-year.

Taking photos and videos of students on Campus

At Bangkok Patana School we welcome parents on to our campus.

As part of this agreement, all parents must agree to our Parents’ Safeguarding Code of Conduct.

This includes:

Never taking images in toilets, changing rooms or areas where privacy is expected.

Using judgement before taking and before sharing images of students.

During a regular school day, parents may only take images of their own child – unless they have sought and received permission from another family to include their child in a group photo.

Family employees with access to the campus must also abide by this rule.

Whilst we encourage our students to learn how to tell the time, smart watches offer additional online functions like that of a mobile phone.

Features such as gaming, internet browsing, and the ability to make and receive calls are potentially distracting in class and can pose a risk for safety and privacy.

Within the Primary School, students are required to keep their smart watch safely stored in their bag during the school day.

Smart watches can be taken out of bags once a child exits the school gates at 2:30pm or once their ECA has ended at 3:30pm or 4:30pm.

Students are not allowed to take or send images while using the school bus.

Smart watches are expensive items. Please be aware that the school takes no responsibility for loss or damage of smart watches.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for all our students.

Useful contacts

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to: 

Marco (1M)

Rayhar (1A)

Ella [Lucky] (1R)

Have a great weekend!