Monthly Newsletter - June 2025
- AISB News
- Jun 19
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 23
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Our Director's Update
Dear Parents and Friends,
As the 2025-26 academic year draws to a close, we celebrated with various assemblies and gatherings. In both Primary and High School, we celebrated the achievements of students in their academic pursuits as well as their demonstration of the school values - Wellbeing, Respect, Integrity, Community, Personal Best and Global Outlook every day. We also celebrated our Year 6 students’ completion of Primary School and their readiness for High School.
Perhaps the most significant of the events in this final week, is the Graduation of our Year 12 students. This year AISB graduates four students and we take this opportunity to congratulate each of them on this significant milestone – the completion of their formal school education. Of course, exam results are still a couple of months away, but supported by their teachers and families, each student has mapped a pathway forward to further education. Congratulations and may the experiences you shared with the AISB community, not just academically, but through friendships and the values instilled through your time at the school, provide you with a solid foundation for your life journey moving forward.
At this time of year, we always say farewell to some students and staff. To the staff that are leaving AISB, we are grateful for your many contributions throughout your time at our school. Thank you again for all you have achieved to help our school learn and grow. Each of you have contributed in so many different ways to our community. We wish each of you and your families all the very best for the future and hope that you will keep in touch with us here at AISB. To our students that are leaving AISB, whether to new schools, new cities or new countries, we wish you and your families every success for the future. Thank you for being part of the AISB family – we will miss you all!
Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support. To the students - for trying their best in class, keeping up with their work and supporting their classmates throughout the year. To the teachers who have guided and worked diligently with their students in order that they can achieve their personal best. To the parents, who have provided the environments and support from home that allowed their children to engage in the programmes we provided.
For now, however, I wish you a very relaxing holiday - whether you manage to escape Bangkok for a few weeks or plan to stay at home and enjoy some quiet time! For those who are travelling to home countries, I hope you have a special time with family and friends.
Take care and stay safe everyone. Enjoy your break!
Yours in education,
Henri Bemelmans
Director
Early Years Update
Written by Sheridan Musto, Head of Early Years and Soi 20 Campus
As the school year draws to a close, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on the incredible learning journeys and community spirit we’ve shared here at Soi 20. The past month has been filled with joyful moments, from celebrating the magic of books to embracing sustainability, showing our talents in concert, and diving deep into rich classroom explorations. It’s been inspiring to see our students, staff, and families all contributing to such a vibrant and caring environment.
Book Week Celebrations
Our Book Week was a fantastic success! From dressing up as beloved story characters to bringing favourite books into the classroom, and finishing with a cosy PJ and soft toy day and picnic, we’ve ignited a passion for literacy and storytelling across all year levels. These activities have encouraged children to connect with stories and each other, strengthening their language skills and imagination in fun, meaningful ways.
Sustainability Focus: Paper Free Day & More Continuing our commitment to caring for the environment, May’s Paper Free Day challenged us to rethink our daily paper habits. Together, we’ve also been turning off unnecessary lights, computers, and air conditioning, reducing paper use, and recycling classroom materials. These small actions, taken collectively, are powerful steps toward a more sustainable future and help nurture responsible attitudes in our youngest learners.
Concert Highlights: Music & Meaning Our concert season brought smiles and applause as each year level shared their unique stories through song and performance:
Nursery’s “Farmyard Fun” brought animals and farm life alive with joyful participation.
Kindergarten’s “There’s a Sunflower in My Supper” offered a heartfelt reminder about teamwork and being brave to try something new.
Foundation’s “Eddie the Penguin Saves the Day” beautifully connected with our sustainability goals, focusing on saving water, electricity, and recycling.
Year 1’s “The Bee Musical” showed the vital role bees play in nature and community.
We were thrilled to host Foundation and Year 1 concerts at the brand-new Kirribilli Hall on the Secondary Campus, an exciting new space for our students to shine!
Dress to Impress Week Students across Kindergarten, Foundation, and Year 1 have shown great pride in wearing their full school uniform. Dress to Impress Week is about celebrating school spirit and encouraging everyone to uphold the uniform policy with care and respect. Thank you to families and staff for supporting this initiative!
Classroom Learning Adventures
Nursery: Our youngest learners have been immersed in a jungle-themed unit, engaging their senses through a variety of hands-on activities. From exploring different textures like leaves, bark, and soil to listening to animal sounds, children have developed their sensory awareness and language skills. Creative play with animal figures and role-playing jungle scenarios has fostered imagination, social interaction, and early problem-solving abilities. These experiences support fine motor development and encourage curiosity about the natural world.
Kindergarten: Kindergarten students have been reaching for the stars with an exciting Space unit. They have been learning about planets, stars, and rockets through building models using recycled cardboard and other materials, which has encouraged creativity and environmental responsibility. This project-based learning promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and spatial awareness. Children have also practiced sequencing skills by constructing rockets step-by-step and enhanced their vocabulary with new scientific terms.
Foundation: Foundation students have been exploring their local community and the many helpers who keep it running, such as firefighters, doctors, and postal workers, as part of their HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) curriculum. Through storytelling, role-play, and community walks, they’ve developed social awareness and empathy while learning about civic responsibility. The unit has also strengthened their communication and listening skills, as they discuss how these helpers contribute to their daily lives. This learning also supports their growing sense of identity and belonging.
Year 1:Year 1 students have been investigating the Gulf of Thailand, learning about its geography, environment, and cultural significance within their HASS studies. Hands-on activities such as map reading have developed their spatial reasoning and observational skills. In Maths, the concept of capacity has been explored through practical experiments with liquids, sand and containers, helping students understand measurement, volume, and estimation. These activities enhance critical thinking and problem-solving, while encouraging scientific inquiry and a deeper connection to their natural surroundings.
As we close the school year, we want to thank everyone, students, families, and staff, for your enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication. The progress and joy we see every day at Soi 20 remind us why community and collaboration are at the heart of great learning. We look forward to continuing this journey together as we move next school year!
Primary Update
Written by Hannah Carew, Head of Primary
What a year it has been! This school year has flown by and it has been an absolute pleasure watching every child grow academically and socially alongside their class friends. The positive relationships developed across all year levels have been a true highlight.
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement as we celebrated the talents and teamwork of our students through our End-of-Year Concerts. From Foundation’s delightful Penguins, to Year 1’s busy Bees, and the heartfelt messages of kindness and collaboration in the Year 2 and 3 performances, each show was a joy to watch. Our older students shone brightly in the spectacular Year 4, 5 and 6 performance of Beauty and the Beast. The courage and confidence shown by every student on stage made us all incredibly proud!
Read more here: https://www.australianisb.ac.th/post/years-4-to-6-bring-beauty-and-the-beast-to-life
As we wrapped up the school year, our Year 6 Celebration Assembly, where we recognised the first seven years of our year 6 students’ education and cheered them on as they move into High School, was a lovely celebration of their achievements. We also proudly presented the Primary Director’s Awards, celebrating the efforts and achievements of students across the school.
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the entire AISB community for your support and trust throughout the year. Working together to ensure that your children feel valued, safe, and respected is something we take great pride in, and we are committed to helping every student strive for their personal best.
A heartfelt thank you also goes to our incredible teaching and support staff. This has been a year of significant change, particularly with the introduction of the Updated Australian Curriculum. Our staff have worked collaboratively and tirelessly to ensure that your children continue to receive the highest quality academic, social and emotional care during this transition.
I wish all our families a safe, happy and relaxing summer break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Wednesday, 13th August 2025.
Hannah Carew
Primary Principal
Secondary Update
Written by Michael Bryce, Head of Secondary
High school has been busy with the exam period, with the final Cambridge exam scheduled for 11th June. The reports for Year 7 to 9 were issued on June 12th, at 3pm. We are looking at expanding the report regime next school year. This will involve a progress report in terms one and three as well as the usual half and full year academic reports. Designs are being considered at the moment.
The traditional End of Year Sports Day was held on 13 June, bringing energy and enthusiasm across year levels as students participated in a range of fun, active competitions.
Later that afternoon, we held the Year 12 Graduation Ceremony — a heartfelt celebration of our graduating class and their journey through AISB. The event, held in Kirribilli Hall from 1:30 pm, was a proud and emotional moment for students, families, and staff alike.
The students also had a blast at the End of Year Dance on 11 June. Organised by the Student Council with support from Mr Jack and Ms Michelle, the Hollywood-themed celebration was a dazzling way to mark the end of the academic year.
Summer School is on in the high school. Bock 1 - a multitude of fine projects are on offer for students to tackle. Block 2 – an English Additional Language program is on offer for students wishing to improve their English skills.
We are looking forward to next school year. The high school continues to expand, as does our staff, with the large increase in number of students. At this stage we will have 10 new members of staff. We will send their Bio’s early next school year.
All the very best for the coming break.
Mr Michael
Secondary Principal
After School Activities (ASA)
This term, our Early Years students took part in a wonderfully enriching ballet class as part of our After School Activities (ASA) program. Throughout the weeks, the children explored the basics of ballet through music, movement, and imaginative storytelling. These sessions not only helped them develop physical coordination and balance but also encouraged creativity, focus, and self-expression in a nurturing and playful environment.
We were incredibly proud to see all their hard work come together in a beautiful end-of-term ballet performance. The children danced with confidence and joy, showcasing the skills they’ve been practicing and their growing love for dance. A heartfelt thank you to all the families who came to support and cheer them on — your presence made the experience even more special. It was a lovely way to celebrate their achievements, and we look forward to many more memorable moments in the ASAs to come!
Teaching and Learning Update
Rebecca Hannan - Enrichment Programme Coordinator
Over the course of this year, we’ve seen thoughtful and deliberate progress in the way teaching and learning are shaped at AISB. With a clear focus on evidence-based strategies and student-centred practices, our staff have worked collaboratively to ensure every student is supported and challenged.
Our teachers have made great gains in adopting more explicit teaching approaches, using data to inform instructional decisions, and implementing differentiated strategies in the classroom. These developments have enabled us to better identify learning needs and design targeted support through strategic intervention programs.
Building on our focus on differentiated learning, we’ve continued to promote high-quality learning across the school and introduced an Enrichment Programme to further challenge high-potential students. Students, parents, and teachers have responded positively, and the program is set to expand further next year.
We extend our thanks to Naomi White, Deputy Head of Primary and Head of Teaching and Learning, for her dedicated leadership this year. Naomi has worked closely with staff to support professional growth, guide instructional development, and build a culture of reflection and collaboration. Her commitment to student learning and staff development has had a meaningful impact across the school.
As we celebrate the end of a successful year, we thank our teachers, students, and families for their partnership and look forward to building on this positive growth.
STEAM
Mr. Gareth Openshaw, Head of STEAM and Assistant Head of Primary
This month marked an exciting new chapter for AISB as we officially established our first-ever Esports team and jumped into our first international competition! Three of our secondary students showed their talent and sportsmanship in a Brawl Stars tournament, competing against international schools from Thailand, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Nepal.
They represented AISB incredibly well, securing 8 wins against 4 losses in best-of-three matches, achieving a very respectable 5th place overall. This fantastic debut is just the beginning! We're thrilled to announce that AISB has been invited to become a founding member of the International Schools Esports League Thailand (ISELT). We hope this will pave the way for many more AISB teams to participate in a diverse range of esports games and tournaments in the future across both primary and secondary.
Celebrating Success
We’re so proud of the 30 AISB students who represented our school at the Mini Marlin Mayhem at St. Andrews School. Many earned medals, and every single one achieved personal bests — showing their hard work and determination. Huge congratulations to all our swimmers for making it such a special and memorable day!
Axyl was named AISB Chess Champion on Saturday with a strong score of 4.5/5. On Sunday, he represented AISB at the KIS International Chess Tournament and won the U7 division with a perfect 6/6.
In total, he played 11 games over two days, finishing with 10 wins, 1 draw, and no losses—an excellent demonstration of strategic thinking, resilience, and composure.
Our team’s combined effort earned 3rd place overall among more than 100 participants. Every match was a chance to grow—and our players rose to the challenge.
Well done, AISB Chess players!
AISB School Calendar 2025/26 Now Available
Our AISB School Calendar for the 2025/26 school year is now available on our website. Stay informed about important dates, school events, and holidays.
Make sure to bookmark it for easy access throughout the year!
That's all for this month!
We hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter. If you have any feedback or news you'd like to share for our next newsletter, please send us an email at enquiries@australianisb.ac.th.
