Head's Lines: A flurry of student activity
The school is in full swing with the start of our ECA programme...School photographers will be on campus next week...Remember to follow our “Well Child” policy to keep our school population as healthy as possible...A reminder to provide your children’s medication to our school nurses to administer during the school day... Let’s stop idling our cars in the parking area.
It has been a really good week watching the hustle and bustle of activities during the day and after school across both campuses. The swimming pool has been in high tide in High School with all the squad time trials in full force. Of course, the exciting action on the football fields of both the Primary and High Schools builds anticipation and high expectations for our upcoming matches.
Extra-Curricular Programme
This Monday our Extra-curricular programme kicks off, so there will be even more of a flurry of action after school. There is an incredible range of activities available, and I hope everyone enjoys the ones they have selected. Most activities start at 2.45pm and finish at 3.45pm. However, there are other ECAs which start at 3.45 pm and finish at 4.45 pm. Please check Moodle for information detailing the date, time, and location of your selected activity.
School Photographs
In two weeks starting from Monday 18th September 2017, our official photographers will be at school. These photographers will be taking class photos for the Yearbook which students can look forward to receiving at the end of the school year. As in previous years, they will be taking individual children’s pictures, but there will also be opportunities for brothers and sisters to have their photos taken together. More details will be forthcoming over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, it’s a good time to start thinking about the kind of photos you would like to have as a reminder of this special time in their lives.
Keeping children healthy
Unfortunately, there are a number of students suffering from a range of different viruses and infections, including influenza A and B. This is perfectly normal and inevitable at this time of year as students return to school following the long break and mingle again with their friends.
At St Andrews, your child's health is extremely important. We teach even our youngest how to guard against a cough, catch a sneeze in a tissue and wash their hands thoroughly and frequently. Additionally, our Estates team have a rolling programme of washing toys and wiping down surfaces with specialised, child-friendly cleaning products, and perform regularly scheduled deep-cleans of classrooms and shared spaces.
Children will pick up coughs and colds naturally from playing with each other, but school and families have a shared responsibility to minimize and prevent the spread of disease. The actions we should take are outlined in our “Well Child” policy.
Children exhibiting a high temperature, cold symptoms, or loose bowel movements should not be sent to school, and they should not be given medicines such as Calpol or Nurofen as a temporary relief of symptoms to get them through the school day. The best prescription is for children to stay at home and rest until they are well enough to return to school.
Furthermore, if a child shows signs of sickness, or even if they are not working or playing as they normally do, we will seek a consultation with our nurses to determine whether your child needs to go home to recuperate and rest.
We would ask that you are extra vigilant over the next few weeks and keep children at home if you have any doubt if they are healthy enough to come to school.
Administering medicine in school
If a child requires doctor-prescribed medicine to be administered during the school day, this medicine must be brought to the school nurse by a parent or guardian first. The container must be labeled with the child's name, dosage and the time it needs to be administered. The nurse may also verify that the prescribing doctor agrees that your child is well enough to attend school.
In addition, all over-the-counter (non-prescription) medicines, including cough medicines or throat lozenges must also be left with the nurse.
Moreover, please let us know if your child has been diagnosed with highly contagious diseases such as flu or chickenpox. This information can be extremely valuable in assisting us track and monitor the general health and wellbeing of the school population so that we can keep you informed of any significant changes.
A special thank you goes to those of you who have made it a habit to keep our office updated on the reasons for your children's absences from school.
Idling engines in the car park
The three Key Stage 2 students who won last year’s poster competition have had their posters put up around our car park for quite a while. They are in English and in Thai, and I hope that everyone who uses the car park will read them and take note that we do not want cars running their engines in the car park. This action affects the air quality for everyone as they make their way out of school in the afternoon. With the modern air conditioners now present in most cars, as soon as the ignition is turned on, a car’s interior only takes a few seconds to cool— so, there is no need to have the engine on prior to children and parents getting into the car to go home. I am sure if we all follow these guidelines, then the atmosphere as everyone leaves school will be a lot healthier for all. Thank you for your continued cooperation.
Contacts:
For parents who have any enquiries about Primary School, please contact officeps@standrews.ac.th or Tel: +66 2 381-2387-8
For parents with enquiries about High School, please contact officehs@standrews.ac.th or Tel: +66 2 056-9555
