Dear ISB Community,
I would like to begin by expressing our deep condolences for the people of Thailand on the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Very rarely in history is a nation blessed with such an inspiring, dignified, worthy, compassionate, talented, and caring leader. His Majesty has dedicated his life to the Thai people for seven decades and is deeply loved, revered, respected and admired. Our hearts go out to the Thai people and ISB stands with Thailand in mourning for His Majesty The King.
Following the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Office of the Private Education Commission, ISB will reopen on Monday 17th October. We have organized a number of events on Monday to honor and pay respect to His Majesty:
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High School students and faculty will begin with an assembly at 7:20am in the Chevron Theater
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Middle School students and faculty will meet in their Advisory Groups at 7:20am, followed by an assembly at 7:45am in the Chevron Theater
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Elementary School Students and faculty will have an assembly at 8:10am in the Chevron Theater
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Classified Staff will gather in the Chevron Theater at 8:30am to pay respect to His Majesty
ISB will also be planning a number of other events and activities in honor of His Majesty throughout the year. We will be seeking ideas from students, parents and staff about how we can most appropriately pay our respects.
We will be carefully monitoring students who are emotionally impacted by the passing of His Majesty and our counselors will be available to provide support. If you have concerns for your child, please contact the appropriate counselor. We also understand if any student is too upset to attend school (this will be viewed as an “excused absence”).
ISB has provided a number of condolence books in the Chevron Theater for those that would like to write messages and pay respect to His Majesty on Monday (for parents after 9:30am). On Tuesday, the condolence books will be available in the Chevron foyer for the remainder of the week. These books will later be delivered to the Royal Household Bureau.
ISB and CAO activities will continue as scheduled as of Monday 17th October.
To demonstrate respect for the grief of the Thai people during the mourning period we will be communicating to our students to refrain from any behavior that may be interpreted as festive, disrespectful or disorderly:
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Be respectful and sensitive when making reference to the Royal Family.
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Avoid taking part in public activities that are for entertainment or might be seen as celebratory or insensitive. This is not a time for celebration or for the posting of celebratory events.
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Maintain respectful behavior both online and offline during this time of profound sadness.
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Avoid wearing bright colors. Dark or neutral colors are the most appropriate (school uniform is suitable and should be worn by students when at school).
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When using social media, be aware that some of our friends who do not live in Thailand may not understand the respect the Royal Family has among Thai people, and may post inappropriate comments on our posts.
We will communicate again to the ISB community in the event that we have further news to share over the weekend.
Please feel free to contact any of us listed below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Andrew Davies
Head of School
ISB Contact Details
Dr. Andrew Davies
Head of School
081 851 6277
Usa Somboon
Headmistress
Graeme Scott
Deputy Head of School for Learning
Philip Bradley
HS Principal
Tico Oms
MS Dean of Students
Cindy Plantecoste
MS Dean of Academics
Kelly Armitage
ES Principal
David Anderson
School Psychologist
Ryan Rhul
School Psychologist
ryanr@isb.ac.th