17th October 2025

Dear Samakee Community,

Wishing You a Safe and Happy Half-Term Holiday

As we reach the end of our first half term, I want to thank everyone for such an excellent start to the new school year.

Our students have settled beautifully into their learning routines, showing enthusiasm, curiosity, and kindness every day. From our youngest learners in Early Years to our Middle and Upper School students, it's been inspiring to see the progress and growth across the school.

Thank you to our dedicated staff team for their hard work and commitment in creating engaging learning experiences and nurturing our students' development. Your passion and professionalism make St Andrews Samakee the special place it is.

To our parents, grandparents, and carers – thank you for your continued support and partnership. Your involvement in school life, whether attending events like our beautiful Wai Kru ceremony yesterday, participating in Parent Consultations this week or supporting learning at home, makes such a difference to our students' success.

As we head into the half-term break, I hope you all enjoy some well-deserved rest and quality time with your families. Stay safe, recharge, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 27th October for another exciting half term ahead.

Wai Kru Ceremony Celebrating Teachers and Thai Culture

Today, our school community came together to celebrate Wai Kru, a beautiful Thai tradition where children express gratitude and respect to their teachers. The hall was filled with students, teachers, parents, grandparents, and carers, all gathered to honour this meaningful ceremony.

Student MCs guided us through a rich programme of performances, including a beautifully sung traditional healing prayer, a Thai song with piano accompaniment and captivating Thai dancing. All performed by Upper School students.

A highlight was the fun Kahoot quiz that tested everyone's knowledge about our teachers, bringing lots of laughter as children and guests tried to guess the answers to some interesting questions! For example, Ms Nicky suggested she wanted to have lunch with King Henry VIII. On being quized about what she would ask him, she replied - "Did you ever consider Marriage guidance counselling?"

The ceremony concluded with students presenting flowers to their teachers, followed by plenty of photo opportunities. The atmosphere was truly special, and we are grateful to everyone who attended and helped make this celebration so memorable.

Celebrating cultural traditions like Wai Kru is an integral part of our commitment to honouring and valuing all the cultures represented in our school community. When children see their home cultures reflected and celebrated at school, it helps them feel confident in their own cultural identity while learning to appreciate and respect the diverse backgrounds of others.

Thank You for Attending Parent Consultations

Thank you to all the parents and carers who attended our parent consultation meetings this week. It was wonderful to talk with you about your child and their progress at school. These conversations are so valuable in supporting your child's learning and development.

If you were unable to make an appointment this week, please get in touch with the school office to arrange a new appointment time after half-term. We do want to speak with you all about your child's progress.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your child's education.

Nightingale House Event - Dance Crazy!

Our KS1–KS3 students have been absolute superstars this week, taking part in the House Music Video Challenge! Each House were given a song - Shakespeare - Gangnam style, Einstein - Soda pop and Nightingale - APT and then they got creative — planning choreography, dancing, lip-syncing, filming, and even editing their own music videos. The halls were full of laughter, music, and some seriously impressive moves! From dazzling dance routines to hilarious bloopers, every group showed amazing teamwork and imagination. We can’t wait to share the finished videos and find out which House will be crowned our music video champions!

Upcoming Events: A Quick Guide

Public Speaking Camp For Kids

Thank you for the fantastic response to our upcoming Public Speaking Camp led by Chris Wright! We're delighted by the enthusiasm from both our St Andrews Samakee students and students from other schools. We look forward to welcoming everyone for a great day of learning and making new friends.

This exciting one-day camp will bring together young people from different schools to develop their public speaking skills, build confidence, and connect with peers who share their interests. It's a wonderful opportunity for students to step outside their comfort zone in a supportive and encouraging environment.

We are excited to see our students learning alongside new friends and developing skills that will benefit them throughout their education and beyond.

If you have any questions about the camp, please contact the school office. We can't wait to see you on the 1st of November!

Event Details:

Date: Saturday 1st November

Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Location: St Andrews Samakee International School

Age group: Students aged 10-15

Includes: Lunch and snack breaks

What to bring: Water bottle, Notebook and pen (optional)

Dress code: Casual and comfortable

Registration Link

Up Coming Sports Days

EYFS Sports Day is Thursday 13th November, 9.00am-10.30am.
Year 2 - Year 9 Sports Day is Friday 21st November 8.30am - 12 noon. This is followed by a fun Swim Relay gala in the afternoon. This will consist of more leisurely fun house relays in the pool and the main individual event will take place at the second swim gala 22nd May. We hope to see as many of you as possible at these events.

Teaching and Learning Highlights!

EYFS - The quiet magic of a good story

The quiet magic of a good story. ✨ There's nothing quite like watching children get lost in a book, especially when they're sharing that moment together. Huge thanks to our incredible teachers for bringing these worlds to life and helping to spark a lifelong love of reading in our students!

Inclusion - Communication Through AAC

At St. Andrews Samakee, we believe every child has something to say; they just need the right tools to say it. Using AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) applications, our students are learning to express what they need, share what they love, and connect with the people around them.

It’s incredible to see how a simple tap on the screen can turn into a moment of joy, confidence, or connection. Every small step is a big step toward helping our children find their voices, in their own way and at their own pace.

Year 5 - Earth and Space

In Science this week, Year 5 have been continuing their learning on Earth and Space.

The children learned why we experience night and day on Earth and discovered more about the Moon. Using globes, flashlights and different sized balls, they modelled how the Earth spins on its axis and how the Sun, Earth and Moon move in space.

They even created their own fact pages on Canva to share what they found out - be sure to check them out!

Year 6 - Light Experiments

Our Year 6 students have been shining bright in their latest science unit all about light! They explored how light travels, identified different light sources, and investigated reflection and refraction through hands-on experiments. Students even built their own periscopes to see around corners and measured angles of reflection like real scientists. Using the scientific method, they collected data about shadows and proudly presented their findings on colourful display boards.

Upper School House Football

Year 6 - Year 9 completed their Invasion Game unit with a successful House Football Competition. The theme was inclusiveness and teamwork where all house members played and collaboration to do well was incorporated.

Einstein and Shakespeare won their opening games to play each other in the final. Before kick off all on the pitch took to the knee to demonstrate the core message "There is no room for racism in the sport."

Einstein scored the goal of the tournament through teamwork and many passes to end with a cross and headed goal. It wasn’t enough and Shakespeare responded with two goals to win this year 2-1. Well done winners, all captains and players who supported their team.

Awards & Achievements

Chess Championship!

A Year 3 student took part in the Thailand Rapid Chess Championship 2025 and achieved an impressive 12th place out of 32 players in the Under-8 group! Our young player showed great focus, perseverance, and enthusiasm from start to finish. What an outstanding effort and achievement, well done!

Badminton Success

Congratulations to one of Year 6 students who continues to achieve on the Badminton court - this time in Doubles and Mixed Doubles!

Music Success

Congratulations to one of our Year 6 students who received a Bronze Prize in the London Youth Music Competition for piano.

Artist of the term

We're excited to announce that the Artist of the Term is a Year 7 student! He's shown incredible growth over the last half term, really focusing on making his work polished and refined. What's more, he's done this while keeping his fantastic creativity shining through. Super job!

Upper School Credits

Calendar of Events

October

18th - Bangkok Education Fair InterContinental
18th - 26th - October break
31st - Y3-Y5 SMARTs Showcase

November

1st - Public Speaking Workshop

Safeguarding Focus: Anti-Bullying - Three Tips for Families

Talk regularly - Create open dialogue about friendships, feelings, and daily experiences. Make it easy for your child to share concerns.

Know the signs - Watch for changes in behaviour, mood, sleep, or reluctance to attend school. Contact us immediately if you have concerns.

Model respect - Demonstrate kindness and empathy at home. Encourage your child to include others, stand up for peers, and report bullying.

Together, we can create a safe, inclusive environment where every child thrives.

School Events

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.”