Head's Lines: 01 May 2017
The school calendar for the 2017-2018 school year has been changed due to the government’s announcement about the cremation ceremonies for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October. You can access the new calendar below... Our parent organisation, Nord Anglia Education, has news about a new partnership...The annual parents’ survey results are in, and they give us much to be proud of. Please be advised about the new security procedures on campus, and wear school ID when at St. Andrews.
The school calendar for the 2017-2018 school year has been changed due to the government’s announcement about the cremation ceremonies for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October. You can access the new calendar below... Our parent organisation, Nord Anglia Education, has news about a new partnership...The annual parents’ survey results are in, and they give us much to be proud of. Please be advised about the new security procedures on campus, and wear school ID when at St. Andrews.
Last week the Government officially announced that Thursday 26th October would be a national holiday with respect to the Ceremonies regarding the Royal Cremation for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. During the whole of that week there will be a wide range of different commemorations celebrating the late King’s life. This will be a very special time across Thailand and especially focused in Bangkok. Therefore with the announcement of this National holiday we have decided to move our half term during term 1 next academic year from Monday 16th October to start on Monday 23rd October 2017. This will allow our school community to have the whole of the week commemorating the Royal Cremation for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej free so they can attend whatever events they may wish.
I apologise for any inconveniences that this change to the calendar may cause. We have spent a large amount of time discussing it last week and looking at how other international schools are dealing with this announcement through ISAT. Most Schools have decided to take this week as their half term so to allow the school communities the time necessary to mark this historic week. Parents can click here for the the up to date school calendar 2017-2018.
The Thai Department at St. Andrews would like to invite parents to join an after-school workshop called “Crafting Wood Flowers - Do it with Your Heart” for the Royal Cremation Ceremony. Detailed information of the workshop will be announced soon.
NAE Company Announcement
Last week it was announced and I am pleased to confirm, that our parent organization, Nord Anglia Education (NAE), has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Baring Private Equity Asia. This agreement will come into effect later this year, subject to certain conditions being met.
Nord Anglia Education is highly committed to our school, and will continue to support the development of our educational offer, whether that be through ensuring continuous professional development for all of our staff, creating unique opportunities for our students or investing in our school's facilities and resources.
CPPIB and Baring Asia are excellent partners for Nord Anglia Education. CPPIB is respected for their integrity and expertise in managing investments on behalf of 20 million pension contributors and beneficiaries. NAE has a strong track record of working with Baring Asia, achieving significant success when we were privately owned by them between 2008 and 2014 and with Baring Asia as the majority owner of Nord Anglia Education whilst listed on the NYSE from 2014 to present.
Following this announcement there will be no change to the daily operations of our school or the way it is managed. This announcement will not affect the plans for our future and our focus will remain on providing your child with the best possible education, both now and in the future.
If you have any further questions, please contact myself or Sarah Doyle, Head of Brand at our Central Office in Hong Kong on sarah.doyle@nordanglia.com
NAE Parents’ Survey Results
The results we see from this year’s Parents’ Survey give us a lot to be proud of. Naturally, we are always aiming to get better, but the important bottom line is that parents strongly feel that their children are happy, safe, and getting a good education at St. Andrews. We strive to maintain that high level of satisfaction, and we will continue to be proactive about addressing the areas for improvement that have been identified.
Security Change for the Third Term
Following discussions with parents and security managers, the following change has been implemented for the start of the third term. The guard house on the walkway by the hardcourt blue area has been moved to the front of this walkway into school. This entrance will exclusively be for students and families who are swiping into school with their ID. Those individuals who need to sign in as visitors or because they do not have their school ID with them will be asked to go around to the front entrance next to the main school car park. This will mean that we will have one guard at the blue hard court guard house checking that everyone is swiping in and advising those who need to sign in to go to the other entrance. There will be three guards at the main entrance so they will all be able to work together to ensure that all parents and visitors who have to sign into school are efficiently assisted, as well as one guard ensuring that everyone entering school is using the swipe card system correctly.
Please remember to wear your school ID so it can be clearly seen. Thank you!
