16th January 2026

Dear Samakee Community,

This week, we have experienced periods of high Air Quality Index (AQI) levels, which have required us to make some adjustments to our usual routines to protect your children's health and well-being. We want to reassure you that we take air quality very seriously. Here's what we're doing

Monitoring AQI throughout each day – We check real-time air quality levels regularly using AirVisual to make informed decisions about outdoor activities
Checking indoor air quality – We monitor the air quality in all classrooms and learning spaces to ensure our air purifiers are working effectively and that indoor air quality remains at safe levels for learning
Keeping children indoors when necessary – When AQI reaches unhealthy levels (typically above 150), we keep children inside and adapt our timetable to provide alternative activities
Ensuring air purifiers are working properly – All our classrooms and indoor spaces are equipped with air purifiers, which we check regularly to ensure they're functioning correctly and filters are clean
Maintaining good ventilation – We balance the need for fresh air circulation with keeping pollution out, adjusting windows and our Positive Pressure Air Purifiers on current AQI levels
Adapting PE and outdoor learning – When outdoor air quality is poor, we move physical activities indoors or provide alternative activities that keep children active while protecting their health.

Air quality challenges are, unfortunately, a reality in our region, particularly at this time of year. We are committed to:

Continuing to provide high-quality airpurifiers
Training staff on air quality protocols
Developing engaging indoor activities for periods when outdoor play is restricted
Keeping you informed of any significant changes to routines

Your child's health and safety is our top priority. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make decisions based on the best available guidance and real-time data.

If you have any questions or concerns about our air quality procedures, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Movie Night Magic 2026 - Save the Date - Friday 13th February!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our second Movie Night planning meeting today – your enthusiasm and ideas have set us on course for our best Movie Night yet!

Planning is now in full swing, and the excitement is building as Middle and Upper School students have voted for their favourite films. The EYFS short movie will be announced next week:

🎬 Middle School: Zootopia

🎬 Upper School: Jurassic World

Join Us – Next Meeting Friday 23rd Jan!

We Need Your Donations!

Please start gathering these items at home and leave your donations in the office.

The Book Nook

Pre-loved books in good condition that deserve a new home and new readers

The Treasure Trove

Gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories that your children have outgrown (all ages welcome!)

The Prize Emporium

New or like-new items suitable as game prizes – toys, stationery, small gifts, or anything that would delight our pupils.

Thank you!

Trash Lucky Assembly - Thursday 22 January

We are pleased to share that Trash Lucky will be visiting our school next Thursday, 22 January, to host a short assembly for students. Parents are also very welcome to attend.

Time: 8:30 am

Location: Main Hall

We welcome a representative from Trash Lucky to host an assembly. You have no doubt seen the recycling tent in the school carpark area - this is specifically for our community. Trash Lucky will collect plastic, glass, paper and metal cans. As an incentive to recycle, anyone contributing recycling material to the bins receives their own number which generates raffle tickets each time you recycle. These recycle tickets are put into a monthly draw each month. If you wish to learn more, you are welcome to join the assembly next Thursday at 8:30 in the main hall.

Upcoming Events: A Quick Guide

Nightingale House Event

Making a piece of artwork with recycled materials

Date: Thursday 22nd January 2026

We are inviting our whole school community to support the event by bringing in recycled materials. These will be used to create a large, collaborative piece of artwork involving the entire school.

This is a team effort, with everyone’s materials coming together to make one big, whole-school piece of art while being kind to the Earth.

Please place recycled materials in your House box in Reception. Let’s create something amazing together!

A 2-Day Music Workshop with Doug Goodkin

Twinkle Twinkle Little Swing: From Nursery Rhyme to Jazz

Date: 26th - 27th January 2026 Time: 8:30 - 15:00

Venue: Music Room @St. Andrews Samakee

DOUG GOODKIN is an internationally recognised teacher of Orff Schulwerk, a dynamic humanistic approach to music education, training teachers in 45 countries worldwide. Alongside his teacher-training work, he worked with children from three years old to eighth grade at The San Francisco School for 45 years. His last year at the school is the subject of the documentary film, The Secret Song, now showing at some 10 different film festivals.

Doug is an author of nine books, a speaker at various Conferences and in a TEDx talk, a director of and teacher in the prestigious San Francisco International Orff Course, the SF School Intern Program, the Jazz/Orff Course and a frequent teacher at the Orff Institut in Salzburg, Austria. He is also the pianist and leader of the jazz quintet, "The Pentatonics", bringing jazz to people of all ages.

Teaching and Learning Highlights!

Reception - Egg-citing Learning in Action!

The children have been getting ready for Egg Drop! We began by reading the story and discussing where eggs come from, how an egg feels, and what might happen next. The children made predictions before we read on, sharing their ideas and thinking skills.

We then introduced the ‘e’ sound with our chant “e, e, egg drop!”

The fun continued with a balancing game, where the children carefully carried eggs on spoons using only their mouths! If an egg fell, everyone joined in saying “e, e, egg drop!” — lots of laughter and learning combined

We also set up an Egg Drop Challenge area, where the children explored different materials such as feathers, beanbags and bottles. They predicted which objects would fall faster, tested them from different heights, and talked about what happened and why — introducing early science concepts in a hands-on way.

A fantastic mix of phonics, storytelling, physical development and science — and most importantly, lots of fun!

Year 1 - Forest School

Our Year 1 children always look forward to their weekly Forest School session, where learning is led by curiosity and imagination. No two sessions are ever the same, as we never quite know which direction the children’s interests will take us.

This week, the mud pit became a hub of creativity and collaboration. The children worked together to add logs and sticks, before challenging one another to walk across without falling in! The excitement of taking safe risks, problem-solving together and cheering each other on created a buzz of energy and laughter.

This play then evolved into building bridges that extended from a boat onto the land, showing how children naturally develop ideas through teamwork, communication and experimentation. It was wonderful to see confidence grow as friendships, resilience and cooperation were strengthened through play.

We can’t wait to see what next week’s Forest School adventure will bring.

KS1 - Exploring Food Through Watermelons

The KS1 children were very lucky to take part in a special lesson all about watermelons grown right here in Thailand, as an exciting introduction to our new topic on Food. We are incredibly grateful to Thira’s parents for taking the time to visit and share their knowledge about their watermelon farm, showing us the journey from seed all the way to the shops. The teachers learnt a lot too!

The children learnt about the stages of how watermelons grow. They discovered that watermelons grow along the ground on long vines, and that from just one seed, up to four watermelons can grow. First, a green vine grows and produces a flower, and from this flower the watermelon begins to form.

The children had the opportunity to hold the watermelon, taste it, and ask lots of thoughtful questions. This hands-on, interactive experience really captured their interest and helped bring learning to life in a meaningful and memorable way.

We also discussed what a seed needs in order to grow and why this is important. The children learnt that the nutrients in the soil help the watermelon grow strong and tasty, making links to healthy plants and healthy food.

We can all confidently say this was the tastiest watermelon we have ever tried — children and teachers were in full agreement!

Y3 - Y5 SMARTs Showcase

This morning, our students proudly shared their fantastic SMARTs projects during the showcase. Year 5 impressed everyone with their in-depth learning about World War II, while Year 4 explored the wonders of the Rainforest, and Year 3 took us on a journey Under the Sea.

Thank you to all the parents who took the time to attend and support the showcase. Your presence and encouragement made the event even more special, and our students greatly enjoyed sharing their learning with our Middle School students, building confidence and celebrating learning across year groups.

Year 6 - Collage Project

Year 6 have worked incredibly hard on their final Romero Britto–inspired collages. They explored a wide range of materials, combining their own printed designs with digitally created patterns. Their vibrant final artworks will now be printed onto T-shirts. This has been an exciting and creative project, resulting in some truly fantastic outcomes.

Safeguarding Focus: Mental Health and Wellbeing Tips for Parents

Create a Culture of Open Communication About Worries...

Ask open-ended questions rather than yes/no questions. Instead of "Did you have a good day?", try "What was the best part of your day?" or "Was there anything that worried you today?"
Listen without immediately trying to fix or dismiss their concerns. If your child shares a worry, resist the urge to say "Don't worry about that" or "That's silly." Instead, say "Thank you for telling me" and "Let's think about this together."
Reassure them that no topic is off-limits. Let your child know they can talk to you about anything – friends, school, their body, things they've seen online, or anything that confuses or worries them. Make it clear they won't get in trouble for asking questions or sharing concerns.

Awards & Achievements

Community Donation Visit

Last Friday, Mr Fabian and his family visited a small rural school to donate learning resources and supplies. Although this was a personal initiative, the donations were also made in the name of St Andrews International School Samakee, reflecting our school’s strong sense of community and social responsibility.

Artist of the Week

Artist of the week goes to a year 6 student who has really shown her creativity and focus throughout the Romero Britto project. Her collage shows skill, accuracy and dedication. A beautiful outcome. Well done.

Congratulations to one of our Year 6 students for their continued participation and success in singing! They go from strength to strength, and we are very proud of their achievements.

Upper School Credits & Celebrations

Calendar of Events

January

17th - Amnuay Silpa Titans Swim Meet
19th - ECAs Begin
22nd - Nightingale House Event
23rd - Movie Night Parent Meeting 8:30 am Art Room
24th - U13 Basketball @SISB NR
26th - 27th - Jazz Music Workshop
28th - Samakee Evening Concert in the Garden - with the Bangkok Consort Singers - 18:00
28th - 30th - Jazz Festival with HHIS

February

2nd - 6th Maths Enterprise Week
7th & 8th - Marlins Mayhem @STA Bangkok
11th - Soft Toy Event
13th - Movie Night

SAS LINE Communication Platform

LINE is a widely used communication platform in Thailand, and it's a platform that Samakee has been utilizing for quite some time. We encourage all our families to connect with our official SAS LINE account to ensure we can easily disseminate important school-wide updates to our entire school community. Click to add

Monica L Sudhirak

Head of School

Head of School, Monica L Sudhirak: msudhirak@standrews-samakee.com

First School Lead, Tabietha Sudhirak: tsudhirak@standrews-samakee.com

Key Stage 1 Lead, Alice Munenge: alice.m@standrews-samakee.com

Key Stage 2 Lead, Alyssa Pay: alyssa.p@standrews-samakee.com

Upper School Lead, Nicky Page: npage@standrews-samakee.com

“Samakee is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of all students and expects all staff and visitors to share this commitment.”