Dusit Newsletter Sep 2023

MessagefromMsCaroline

Dear Parents,

What a busy start to the school year we have had! The school has been abuzz with excitement and I have really enjoyed seeing how engaged our children have been in their new classes! It has been wonderful meeting new children that have joined us this academic year!

Thank you to our Early Years parents who joined us for a Coffee Morning last Tuesday. It was great to see so many of you taking part in our developmental milestones activity and to hear from our EAL team around the importance of celebrating home languages and how this can be used to make rapid progress in English acquisition.

I hope that you enjoy reading this month’s newsletter and have a wonderful weekend ahead!

CoffeeMorningforEarlyYearsParents

HealthyEaters

Nursery

WelcometoNursery

What a fantastic beginning of the school year we have had together in Nursery! It has been wonderful seeing some returning Nursery students and some new friends join our lovely community. Here is an introduction to our Nursery team:

In the Clownfish class we have Ms Bianca who is our classroom teacher. This is Ms Bianca’s first year at St Andrews however she has called Thailand home for the last ten years. Alongside Ms Bianca we have our fantastic Teaching Assistants Ms Ko and Ms Aom. Ms Ko and Ms Aom have been working as part of the Early Years team for many years. Finally we have our lovely Clownfish housekeeper P. Tum.

Nursery

In the Angelfish class we have Ms Sonal who is our classroom teacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead for the school. Ms Sonal has been part of our school for the last 6 years. Alongside Ms Sonal we have our amazing Teaching Assistants Ms Pingpong and Ms Ice. Ms Pingpong and Ms Ice have also been part of our fantastic Early Years team for many years. Finally, in the Angelfish class we have our housekeeper P. Wah.

The Clownfish and Angelfish students have settled into the classroom and school life extremely well. They are all showing so much curiosity, interest and taking part in all of our great open learning activities day in and day out. We have created such lovely bonds with the children in such a short period of time. We would also like to thank the parents and family members for helping make the transition from home to school so positive and fun.

We look forward to a fun, busy and great school year ahead.

Nursery Team

WelcometoKG

We are very excited to start a new academic year fresh with some old faces, but also some new ones! Here is an introduction to our team:

In Jellyfish class we have Ms.Joanne (KG teacher and Early Years coordinator) and Khun June (Teaching Assistant) who has joined us from the nursery along with P’Nuch our wonderful housekeeper. Ms. Joanne has been at Dusit now for two years and is excited for the amazing year ahead of us.

In Seahorse class we have Ms. Emillia (KG teacher) who you may have seen was spotlighted on our school facebook page recently. Although she is new to Dusit, she has been teaching in Thailand for a few years now. Joining Ms. Emillia is Khun Mint who is very familiar with KG and our housekeeper P’Ran.

In Starfish Class we have Ms. Marie (KG teacher) who has joined us from a school in China. She is excited for a new start after teaching in Kindergarten for 4 years in Shanghai. Joining Ms.Marie is Khun Praew who is very familiar with KG and our housekeeper P’Duan.

Already in KG students are demonstrating their independence and determination for learning. They are busy exploring all the different areas of learning and continuing to develop their personal and social skills. It is fabulous to see their happy smiley faces each day.

We look forward to the term ahead and getting to know each other better.

KG Team

Reception

We have been so excited to get back to school and to get to know the new Dolphin, Shark and Whale classes!

We are excited to introduce our Reception team for the 2023-2024 school year. This year in the Dolphin Class we welcome back Ms. Gillian (former Whale class teacher) and Khun Arm. In the Shark class we are delighted to have Mr. Sam (formerly from our nursery) and Khun Rak, while Ms. Courtney and Khun Por have the Whale class. We are also happy to be working with P’Tree on the Reception floor who helps support each class everyday.

We have been spending time getting to know one another and exploring our new classroom and shared learning space - the Ocean Room. In our first week back we have been busy learning about our class animal, reading stories, dancing, painting, playing and so much more!

Reception

Some things are new to us in Reception, such as queuing up for lunch and choosing our own food. However, we are ready to learn and grow our independence as we begin a new year of learning. We are so glad to see so many eager and smiling faces each and every day. We can’t wait to see what we accomplish in the 2023-2024 school year!

Sincerely,

The Reception Team

Ms. Courtney, Ms. Gillian, Mr. Sam, Khun Por, Khun Arm, Khun Rak, Khun Pla, P’Tree

What a fantastic start that Year 1 have had this year! We are so lucky that we are able to be together to start our year off in such a positive way. We are all settling into our new classes and beginning to make new friends, not just with our peers, but with our new teachers and helpers. We have had a real focus on the school's values and are already showing that we can achieve anything that we put our minds to.

It is clear we have some imaginative, playful and kind children in Year 1 who are going to accomplish so much this year!

We are still getting to know each other, but we’re already showing what we can do in our Maths lessons by sorting objects in many different ways and counting using these objects to help us.

In Literacy, we are focusing on stories; to begin with we are looking at the well known story of The 3 Billy Goats Gruff This will help us to get used to our new lessons and expectations so that we can continue to learn and grow together.

We are all looking forward to an amazing year together!

Year2

In Year 2 we have had a very positive and energetic start to our year together. We have enjoyed getting into character as ‘The Beast’ during drama activities in English. We used facial expressions and body language to explore characters’ feelings. In Maths we have been identifying and making numbers using concrete objects whilst exploring place value Our topic work this term has kicked off with investigating different features of mythical beasts. Also in Science we classified different animals and grouped them accordingly using a Venn diagram. If these two weeks are anything to go by, Year 2 is in for a bumper year in all three classes!

Year3

What an exhilarating start to the new school year it has been for our young explorers!

Our curious Year 3 students embarked on an enthralling adventure, delving into the captivating world of fire. Igniting their imaginations, the students participated in an epic quest to discover the mysterious dragon eggs around our school! Armed with clues and a sense of excitement, they scoured the grounds in search of these mythical treasures, igniting a spark of wonder in their hearts. This thrilling activity not only fostered teamwork but also set the stage for an engaging exploration of the fiery forces that shape our world.

Year3

With the fascinating discovery of mystery dragon eggs under their belts, our students are now turning their attention to the earth's molten core. Through hands-on experiments, interactive discussions, and captivating visuals, they will unravel the secrets behind these awe-inspiring natural phenomena. So, as we stoke the flames of curiosity, the Year 3 classes are sure to erupt with knowledge and enthusiasm during this thrilling exploration of the fiery world beneath our feet.

Stay tuned for more breathtaking updates!

It's been an amazing first week back in Year 4, filled with activities that have set the stage for a thrilling year ahead.

Our initial focus was on building connections. We engaged in lively icebreaker games such as "Would You Rather," "What Am I?", and "Two Truths and a Lie." These games not only helped us get to know each other better but also encouraged respect and open-mindedness among our students.

One of the highlights so far was our exploration of our school's core values, represented in exciting games like Dodgeball (emphasising independence) and Jumping Frog (showcasing determination). It was heart-warming to witness the children embody these values in action.

Together, we established our classroom rules and charters. The children exhibited a remarkable sense of responsibility and teamwork during this process, setting the tone for a productive and harmonious classroom environment

Our academic journey kicked off with a captivating dive into Viking history. The students uncovered ancient Viking runes and decoded their hidden messages. They also put their creative talents to work by designing their very own Viking shields. This journey into Viking culture beautifully complemented our reading of "Arthur and the Golden Rope," which delves into the rich tapestry of Viking mythology. The students made predictions about the story and deciphered its deeper meanings, fostering critical thinking skills.

In Maths, we enthusiastically explored the concept of place value. The students engaged in hands-on activities to represent numbers in various ways, ensuring a strong mathematical foundation for the year ahead.

Our science lessons took us on an adventure into the world of digestion and teeth. The students observed the fascinating process of digestion and learned about the importance of teeth. It was an educational experience that was both captivating and, well, a little gross!

We are thrilled to have the children back in the classroom and are looking forward to the exciting journey ahead in Year 4.

Year4

Year5

Year 5 have had a fantastic start to the year, with getting to know you games and activities that have bonded us as new classes. We have welcomed our new teacher, Ms. Laurie, who originally comes from Canada but has been teaching in Shanghai, China for the past 8 years. She is thrilled to learn the Dusit ways and excite us with new ways of learning.

To kick off our first term, we have started our English by looking at letters and the difference between formal and informal writing. We are looking at place value in maths - identifying the value of digits and exchanging across boundaries. We have also started our science lessons, looking at reproduction in plants and dissecting a plant to identify the male and female reproductive parts. In topic, we have started our new unit ‘Our Diverse Planet’ by looking at different habitats around the world and the features of each. We have also had an exciting sustainability lesson, learning how to compost our food and use it to grow plants!

We are so looking forward to this year and what it will bring, as we are determined to work hard and be successful in our learning.

Year5

Year6

Welcome to our new Y6 teachers, Ms. Karen and Mr. Matthew.

My name is Ms. Karen, I teach the Year 6 Cockatoos and I am the UKS2 phase leader. I am from a small town called Oswaldtwistle near Manchester. I spent the first 15 years of my teaching career working in England in schools near Manchester and London. However, for the last 8 years I have been living and working in an international school in Malaysia. I moved to Bangkok at the beginning of August however I have travelled in Thailand previously. I have a bachelor's degree in Primary Education and I am currently working towards a National Professional Qualification in Leadership. I love travelling, reading and eating Thai food! I am very much looking forward to exploring Bangkok and Thailand further.

Year6

My name is Mr. Matt and I teach the Year 6 Reedlings. I am from London and this is my 6th year in Bangkok - I love it here! I used to live here from 2014-2019 and I am very happy to be back. I previously worked as an EFL teacher here in Thailand, before returning home to England to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) with UCL, in London. I also worked at a primary school in the capital for 3 years, which was an incredible experience with lots of challenges to overcome. As well as the PGDE, I have a bachelor's degree in Ancient History, an LL.B in Law and 8 years teaching experience in various roles. In my free time, I love working out in the gym, training muay Thai, watching and playing football, travelling and sampling all the wonderful food on offer here in Thailand!

Konnichiwa! Welcome to the new Dusit Japanese class - hajimemashite, yoroshiku onegaishimasu

It’s been really fun meeting the new students and getting to know them better. This month we will be learning how to introduce ourselves using polite Japanese greetings and we will also be investigating the culture and people of Japan. The students are learning through songs, games, crafts and fun educational activities and showing great curiosity, determination and independent learning. We look forward to seeing them progress over the upcoming year.

Mr. Gary

FirstSuperstarsofAcademicYear2023-24!