Friday 21st March, 2025
Welcome to this week's Friday newsletter. This week we include highlights from Cooking Club, Friday Assembly-on the theme of custodianship-which is the act of taking care of, not only our surroundings, but also our belongings. We also feature new initiatives for our Year 6 students, designed to help them foster a sense of responsibility within the school community and towards our younger students, who see them as role models.
Litter Picking: Use less, Recycle More, Be Responsible -- Year 6 Aspirations as they Lead Primary
We don't have a Green Team as such yet, but great initiatives start by taking the first steps. This week in our assembly Teacher Matt and myself (Lisa) decided to address an ongoing issue on the school campus, in our playground areas and in our classrooms. The question of trash!
We decided to take action and ask all students from all year groups to get behind being better in making our beautiful environment stay that way, by cleaning up after themselves and becoming increasingly self aware citizens and agents of change in our school community.
Sometimes frustration is the driving force behind change. Yesterday, when walking through the school grounds, tiny bits of paper and plastic could be found everywhere if you looked closely enough. We often litter without meaning to, so I thought it was time to get our excellent change makers behind making our school a better place to be.
Teacher Matt talked about how this new mindset extends to how we dispose of food during lunchtime, and how we can respect the team who lovingly prepare our meals. How we can thank them and show respect by the way we pack away our plates, making sure we scrape away food waste properly, before stacking plates with care and separating cutlery.
While we are a non-denominational school there is a Buddhist practice called cherishing the house, whereby when dealing with dishes, two bowls of water are layed out. One with soap, the other without soap, and the students actually wash the dishes themselves. This is a lovely practice that takes place in countries across the globe. Perhaps we will introduce this here. . .
If we want our students to care, we have to drive home this message and we really believe that this makes life better and a more pleasant experience for everyone.
Caring for the school environment extends to caring for the world at large, likewise, showing care and kindness to all of the different types of people we might meet and interact with on a typical day, does exactly the same.
Today, listened to a story by the Navajo, who believed that each new day, when the sun rose, it was born for the first time. This delivered the message that we should appreciate each day to the fullest of our capacity.
Teacher Matt taught the whole school about custodianship. Talk to your children about what they learned during assembly and help them to practice these good teachings at home and during your everyday interactions with each other.
We want Si Ri Panya students to be thoughtful custodians of the world we live in. They can do this by taking responsibility for their school and home environment and their actions and words used toward each other. Showing respect and kindness to others by the way we speak to each other, as well as showing gratitude and care to those around us, is our school requirement. Help us promote good values and get our students on the right track.
Your child can join our Term 3 Green Team initiative by signing up from next Monday on the wall outside the First Aid Room (a.k.a. my office).
This week in cooking club, our Si Ri Panyans' made Vegetable Fritters. If you'd like to make them yourself at home, give it a go.
What you need to make VEGETABLE FRITTERS
How To Make VEGETABLE FRITTERS
The great thing about fritters is how easy they are to make.
Squeeze out the liquid from the Zucchini and Carrot: When making these, you want to make sure you squeeze excess water out of the zucchini (courgette) and carrots. If you skip this step then you will change the consistency of the batter and they won't flip properly.
Mix all the ingredient together
Fry: Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fill an ice cream scoop with the mixture and drop into the pan. Flatten slightly with a fork/spatula. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.
*If your child would like to join our Wednesday Cooking Club, enquire at headprimary@siripanya.com for places available.
Say cheese! School Photographs Scheduled for Monday 31st March
The school photographer will be visiting on Monday 31st March to take a whole school photo as well as class photographs.
📸 Whole school photo at 9:05 AM – please ensure your child arrives on time. We are unable to Photoshop in any children who are not present.
Once the photos have been taken, families will be able to view and download them.
Uniform Reminder: Children must wear the correct school uniform:
✔ White school shirt with blue skirt or blue shorts
✔ Sport shoes
✔ Hair tied back, off the face
🚫 No sports uniforms should be worn on Monday morning. If your child has PE later in the day, please pack their sports clothes in their bag so they can change after the photographs.
Digital Business Leaders of the Future
In Digital Literacy, our Year 7 students have been developing and then presenting their ideas for a business using artificial intelligence (AI). The creativity and range of ideas has been incredible, from personalised music assistants to planetary education platforms to online brand merchandise. We want to give our students the skills and experience to turn an idea into reality, and we look forward to seeing what they can do in the future - good news for parents hoping to be looked after in their old age!
Idling Cars Project - Part 2
After our Year 8s led with their campaign to encourage drivers to switch off their engines when they are waiting, it was the turn of year 7. Through research and creativity, they’ve raised awareness about pollution caused by idling cars during pick-up times. From catchy slogans to vibrant future boards and informative flyers, they hit the streets to spread the word!
Let’s all do our part and #TurnOffToBreatheEasy! Together, we can create a cleaner, healthier community for everyone.
🚦The Fast & The Courteous: Drop-Off & Pick-Up Rules
To ensure a smooth and safe experience for all families during drop-off and pick-up times, we kindly ask parents to follow these guidelines:
🚗Drop-Off (Morning Arrival) between 8:30 and 9:00 am.
The road in front of the primary gate is for quick drop-offs only—drivers must remain in their vehicles while students exit safely to keep traffic moving.
Parents are welcome to wait with their child in the playground before the school day begins or pop into the library to borrow a book.
If you need to speak with a teacher briefly, you are welcome to do so as part of our morning open-door policy. For longer discussions, please book an appointment.
If you need to park your vehicle or bike, please use the designated parking spaces past the primary school gate to avoid blocking traffic.
🚙Year 1-6 Pick-Up (14:50 – 15:05)
Arrive promptly and stay in the vehicle queue outside the primary school gate.
Please switch off your engine while waiting to reduce emissions and noise.
A staff member will approach your vehicle to ask for your child’s name and class, then radio their teacher to send them out.
Drivers must remain in their vehicles while students exit safely.
🚙Year 1-6 After School Activities (ASA) Pick-Up (16:00)
Arrive promptly and come to the primary school gate, where your child will be waiting with a member of staff.
🚙Year 7-11 Pick-Up (16:00, Fridays at 15:00)
Arrive promptly and stop near the secondary school gate, where your child will be waiting outside.
Drivers must remain in their vehicles while students exit safely.
🚦IMPORTANT – One-Way Traffic Flow at Pick-Up Time
🚫Cars should NOT U-turn—this blocks the road for others and can be unsafe for pedestrians.
✅Instead, please drive up the hill, turn left at the top, and exit via the Hammock Shop on Bantai Road.
Weekly Reminders
Library Reminder: Please check at home for any lost books and return them to the Primary or Secondary library so everyone can enjoy them!
Bottle Cap Collection: We're collecting bottle caps for our Precious Plastic Project! Please bring your bottle caps to the collection point located inside the Primary school gate on the left. Secondary students can bring theirs to the Design and Technology Lab. Find out more about this exciting long-term project here: Precious Plastic Phangan Facebook.
Drop Off and Pick Up: Drop-off is at 8:30 am (not earlier). Pick-up times are 2:50 pm for Primary (or 4:00 pm if attending an ASA) and 4:00 pm for Secondary. Please be punctual, as some Primary children have been waiting up to 30 minutes after 2:50 pm, which can be distressing for them.
No Idling Zone: Help make the area outside our school a NO IDLING ZONE which means switching car engines off while you wait for your child. We appreciate your action for the environment and health of all.
Absence and Illness: Notify your child's class teacher (Primary) or form teacher (Secondary) directly to inform them of absence and sickness.
Head Lice Check: Continue to check your child's hair for head lice regularly and treat accordingly. Boys and girls with long hair need to tie it up.
Class WhatsApp Groups: Join the parent WhatsApp group for your child's class via the QR code HERE
Healthy snacks: Healthy snacks only. No sweets, crisps/chips or cakes at break times. Birthdays are the exception and dealt with per class policy