30th January 2026

Dear Samakee Community,

This week has been a 'symphony of learning'! A melody-filled week for our students and staff in Upper School. On Monday and Tuesday, we welcomed music delegates from across Thailand and Hong Kong for some world-class professional development. The sessions were led by the renowned Doug Goodkin, these sessions were a masterclass in creativity and movement, reinforcing our commitment to being a hub for musical excellence in the region.

On Wednesday, we welcomed students and staff from Hua Hin International School and in the evening, our community was treated to a breathtaking performance by the Bangkok Consort singers. The night held a special significance as the ensemble was led by our very own former teacher, Mr.Jaa, making for a beautiful and nostalgic mid-week celebration of choral artistry.

Hua Hin and Samakee students spent two intensive days with Mr. Doug diving into the world of Jazz. By reimagining classic nursery rhymes, acting, dancing and through body percussion as well as jazz standards, the students explored complex rhythms and sophisticated harmonies. This hard work culminated in a high-energy Friday Assembly, where our growing musicians successfully shared their "swinging" new repertoire with the whole school.

Looking forward to next week, we are excited for our Enterprise fair on Friday. We look forward to welcoming parents to this event and supporting the students in their selling ventures.

Wishing you all a pleasant and restful weekend.

Music CPD - Monday & Tuesday

Evening Concert - Wednesday

Talent Show - Thursday

Assembly - Friday

Upcoming Events: A Quick Guide

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

We’re excited to invite parents and families to join us for our much-loved Movie Night Magic 2026! It promises to be a fun and relaxing evening for our whole school community.

Our students have voted for their favourite films:

🎬 First School: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

🎬 Middle School: Zootopia

🎬 Upper School: Jurassic World

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!

Teaching and Learning Highlights!

Building Independent Skills in Our Inclusion Program

Independence is a key part of learning in our Inclusion classroom. We teach children essential life skills through structured routines and consistent adult support, including:

Hygiene and self-care routines
Snack preparation and table skills
Cleaning up and organising personal belongings
Following daily routines with visuals
Communicating needs (speech, signs, AAC)
Taking responsibility through simple classroom jobs

We celebrate every step forward, because independence is not a single goal.

It is built through confidence, repetition, and meaningful opportunities each day.

Year 3 Science: Exploring Friction

This week in Science, Year 3 further explored friction by investigating how different surfaces affect how far a toy car travels down a ramp. The children tested four materials: foil, fabric, cardboard and bubble wrap – and carefully observed how each surface changed the car’s movement. They measured the distance travelled using metre rulers, which helped to reinforce the measuring skills they have been learning in Maths. The children worked scientifically by making predictions, carrying out fair tests and recording their results, showing great curiosity and enthusiasm throughout the investigation.

House Event Final Piece

On Monday morning, we gathered together to unveil the finished artwork created during last week’s House Event. Using recycled materials collected over the past few weeks, students collaborated across the school to produce a truly fantastic final piece.

Upper School students worked on the map, Middle School and Inclusion students created the SMKE letters, and Year 1 and 2 students designed the blue logo. Everyone enjoyed seeing the fabulous finished result, and we are incredibly proud of the teamwork and creativity shown by all. Well done, everyone!

Thai Language- “Be proud of how far you’ve come and excited for what’s ahead.”

Our Year 5 and Upper School students took time to reflect on what they were proud of from last year and set personal goals for 2026. They wrote letters to themselves and mailed them as a gentle reminder to keep growing, stay motivated, and always do their best in the year ahead. A thoughtful and meaningful way to start the new year!

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

Congratulations!

Well done to one of our Year 6 students for their win in Mixed Doubles last weekend. Well done!

Congratulations!

One of our Year 9 students has recently returned from the Go-Kart circuit in Macau. Despite injury, he returned to race incredibly well in his last race. Next stop - Japan! Well done!

Artist of the Week

Artist of the week goes to a Year 7 student who has shown outstanding determination and focus over the past few weeks, producing some excellent outcomes in Art. His dedication to developing his skills is clearly paying off. Well done!

Upper School Credits

Calendar of Events

February

2nd - 6th Maths Enterprise Week
7th & 8th - Marlins Mayhem @STA Bangkok
9th - Football 11U SAS Vs KIS RP
11th - Soft Toy Event
13th - Movie Night
16th - 20th - Upper School residential
24th & 26th - Parent Consultations
26th - Middle School Production

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.”