Starting at NIST

Regardless if you are joining our community mid year or at the beginning of the school year in August, we are a community who has been welcoming new members for over 30 years. And as our students and teachers come from an extensive range of different countries and cultures, we are no stranger to saying ‘welcome’ in many different languages and in many different ways.

As a new student, your child/ren will attend an orientation session, with the length of time and amount covered dependent on the year level they are entering. Students are often partnered with another student in the same class.

“Samakee” means togetherness in Thai, and at NIST we have a team of Samakee Ambassadors who welcome new members, introducing them to peers, giving tours of the school, planning orientation activities, and working to strengthen our community's sense of togetherness.

Parents are also invited to attend orientation days, where you will be introduced to members of our parent and teacher community, NIPTA, as well as members of your cultural group. For more information on this part of community building, please see our Community page. 
 

Students who join NIST at the start of our school year in August, are provided with a class schedule on the first day of school. Elementary students who join mid-year, in January, will receive their schedule from their homeroom teachers. Secondary students who join in January must first select their language and arts classes, at which point they will receive their schedules.

The 10-Day Cycle

NIST follows a 10-day cycle, with each school day identified by letters from A to J. Please refer to our published calendar for the 10-day cycle, as well as for key orientation dates, public holidays, Professional Learning Days, and school holidays. The 10-day cycle was implemented to avoid any disruption caused by public holidays that often fall on the same day of the week, as well as the possible disruption from regular extra-curricular activities, for example weekly piano lessons.

Please note the school calendars may be updated should there be any changes to public holidays, or if we receive directives from the Ministry of Education or from other government bodies.

We strongly believe that schools should be hubs for the community, places where you can connect with, and learn from, other members of the community. Dozens of events are hosted each semester to allow you to meet administrators, teachers and other parents. 

Upon joining NIST, you will receive weekly emails providing you with details on upcoming events organised by NIPTA, cultural groups, students, or by school support staff, as well as information sessions and presentations specifically for parents and caregivers. You will also receive welcome emails from your Cultural Group Representative and from NIPTA members.

If you do not receive these emails, simply contact your Admissions team representative and they will be able to help you.

• NIST Parent-Teacher Association (NIPTA): More than any other group, NIPTA provides a way for you as a parent or caregiver to be involved in the NIST community and meet others who share your interests. In addition to hosting regular small events such as coffee mornings and luncheons, NIPTA also organises major annual events such as Pinktober and Starry Nights, both of which generate funds that are directed toward charitable causes.

• Cultural Groups: For parents who wish to connect with others who share their languages or backgrounds, cultural groups are an excellent way to network and become involved in many events both inside and outside the school.

• Parent Sessions: Aligning to our core value of community, Parent Sessions serve to bring our parents together through a variety of presentations, webinars and workshops on a wide range of topics. These include school updates, teaching and learning workshops, wellness sessions, college counselling, and supporting our families through transitions. On Thursday afternoons an email is sent highlighting upcoming Parent Sessions, and most presentations are archived in the NIST Parent Portal in Veracross.

The school provides one ID card per parent. You will receive ID cards during your orientation, or on your child(ren)’s first day of school. If you would like to purchase additional cards for other family members or domestic staff/house help, you can do this by providing a photo, ID application form, and copy of the person’s ID card/passport at the reception desk at the school entrance. Additional cards are made for THB 300 each.

NIST Catering provides multiple services at the school, operating the main central cafeteria, as well as cafés and kiosks around campus. A range of healthy and nutritious food is available, and specific dietary requirements are catered for including halal, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free meals. We ask that if your child/ren has food allergies that you inform your Admissions team representative and they will advise how this can be communicated to specific staff, you will also be asked to note this on a medical form collected when applying to NIST.

Elementary Students
A semester meal plan can be purchased for elementary students, which includes both a morning snack and lunch. A morning snack typically includes vegetable sticks, healthy cereal or sandwich, and lunch varies each day with options from our western, asian, vegetarian, and noodle menus.

Students also have the option of bringing lunch from home, however for safety and hygiene reasons, equipment for heating lunches is not available at school. The annual cost for the meal plan for early years and elementary students is approximately THB 25,000 per school year, and upon joining the meal plan you will be invoiced by our Accounts team.

For Early Years - Year 2, parents select their child/ren’s lunch using the NIST Parent Portal in Veracross, accessible when joining NIST, and meals can be ordered up to one month in advance, starting the first day of school. Years 3 to 6 students will choose their own meals in the cafeteria. 

Secondary Students
Secondary students are not part of the meal plan system, and are free to purchase their food independently at the cafeteria or at designated kiosks and cafés around campus. Secondary students use their ID card to make purchases, and they will top up money on their account using our kiosk payment machines located in the main cafeteria. Students typically use an average of THB 130-150 per day for snacks and lunch, however this is dependent on the individual child and how much they enjoy our food!

For those families who do not wish to use personal or public transportation, Montri Transportation Corporation offers private buses exclusively for the NIST community. The Montri bus service sees your child collected from their residence and driven directly to campus, stopping along the way to collect other students. 

For our younger students, from Early Years to Year 1, a NIST staff member will act as bus monitor and will escort your child/ren from their class onto their bus. For older students, the Montri service includes multiple timings to accommodate students enjoying after-school activities. 

Parents who wish to sign up for the Montri bus service are able to sign up using the NIST Parent Portal in Veracross, accessible when you join the NIST community. You can also request more information from admissions@nist.ac.th.

Uniform items can be easily purchased from the NIST Shop or from our sustainability focused NISTly Used second-hand uniform shop. Both shops are located next to our school Reception and Parent Lounge, second floor of the Innovation Building. The NIST Shop also sells school supplies, including water bottles, face masks, umbrellas, and the required graphic calculator for our older students, along with swimming costumes, sports uniforms and bags, sun hats, and more. 

The NISTly Used shop sells gently-used, second-hand uniforms, and is setup by the NIST Parent and Teacher Association (NIPTA) Sustainability team. Students and parents can freely go through the clean sorted clothes and for any items you take, please leave a small donation. All money raised goes towards sustainable activities within the community. If you have any questions about NISTly Used please contact nipta.sustainability@nist.ac.th

After completing your online enrolment and receiving access to the NIST Parent Portal in Veracross, you will be able to access the full NIST School Uniform Catalogue.

Depending on the number of sets of uniforms you wish to buy, please plan an allowance of approximately THB 5,000 per child. Payment at the NIST Shop can be made in cash or credit card (1.5% surcharge) only, or by QR code transfer if you are with a Thai bank. For ease, the NIST Shop also takes orders online, and a form can be completed in the Veracross NIST Parent Portal.  

It is highly recommended that uniforms are bought before the first day of school. To purchase uniforms before your child/ren starts at NIST, please contact our Admissions team at admissions@nist.ac.th to check school shop opening hours.
 

Each year level follows a different learning programme, and therefore each year level there will be different items your child/ren may need.

Elementary students will find all of their stationery and school supplies are provided by the school, unless it is something very specific your teacher asks for based on a school project or programme component.

Secondary students will need to come to school each day with a set of stationery, and for some subjects a textbook or reading material may be required. A Texas Instruments graphing calculator is needed for students in Years 9 to 13, and details of the required calculator will be provided when you join NIST.

To help Secondary students store sports or music equipment at the school, secondary students can request access to a locker. When your child/ren starts school they will be shown where student lockers are located, and how to access them.

Full details of the requirements for each year level will be provided when you receive a Student Handbook at the time of enrolment.

We believe in assigning homework not as “busy work”, but rather as a means of reinforcing concepts, building connections and practising skills. The amount of homework students receive varies by year, teacher and subject. In general, NIST teachers provide enough work to challenge students, while still allowing time for activities. Additional details will be provided when you receive a Student Handbook at the time of enrolment.

For Secondary students, the NIST Learning Centre is open after school three days a week. Teaching staff supervise these study sessions and they are available to offer specialised learning support in all academic subjects. If your child is needing additional support, we encourage you to review the Support Services we have available at NIST.