Food

AT CRIS we promote healthy living and eating, offering an extensive variety of fresh and healthy meals prepared by our own talented Chef and his experienced dedicated team.

Property and Damage

Boarders should take care of their own belongings and be respectful of the belongings of others. Please make sure that your child’s belongings, including all electrical items are named and insured. Personal items are not covered by the school’s insurance.

Boarders should not take or "borrow" items without asking. In the rare event of suspected theft, it should be reported quickly and will be investigated thoroughly. Valuables, passports, flight tickets and large sums of money may be handed to the house parents for safe-keeping, who lock it away in the house safe.

Damage to school property should be reported to a member of the house staff so that repairs can be made. It is likely that damage caused by boarders will be charged to their parents’ bill. Parents and guardians will be informed accordingly.

Laundry

Laundry is done on site and is free of charge. Boarders simply fill out a laundry slip, showing which items they wish to launder and it is usually returned with 24 hrs. Laundry can be done Monday-Saturday with one day set aside for bedding. House staff and senior students will remind new students and assist with the laundry system.

Lost Property and Naming Personal Items

Most misplaced property is collected and handed out to students during regular house meetings. If items are genuinely lost, it should be reported to the relevant House Parent and reasonable steps will be taken to find them.

It is essential that all personal items are named in some way. Do not forget socks, shoes and bags. Experience shows that students are capable of misplacing almost anything, but named items are usually reunited with their owner quickly. All clothes should be labeled with sewn in name tapes, an iron on name tape or with permanent pen

Electric Appliances

Our electricity supply is 240v at 50Hz (AC) and we use two-pin electrical sockets. Please ensure your student's appliances are compatible. Our electrical technician can check any concern about the suitability of appliances. The school does not permit televisions in students’ rooms.

For reasons of safety and hygiene, students may not have personal refrigerators or electrical cookers. Incense or candles may not be burned in students’ rooms or elsewhere in the house. Voltage regulators and surge protectors are advised for larger electrical devices, as the school cannot be responsible for damage to personal equipment as a result of a power surge.

Pocket Money

Upon joining the school, parents will be asked to deposit funds into a school account. This account will be used to pay for school trips and some books. For boarders, it serves as a pocket money account. Boarders will have an opportunity to withdraw up to 2000 baht every Friday. This money is signed for and collected by individual boarders at the boarding campus. If boarders wish to withdraw more than 2000 baht, this requires a supporting email from their parents. These emails need to be with the respective House Parent by 0700 hrs on withdrawal day (Friday) at the latest. Some boarders open an account with the local bank and use a debit card to withdraw funds when necessary.

Pastoral Care

The boarding House Parents have overall responsibility for the welfare of the boarders in their house. They are assisted by Boarding Assistants and GAP Staff. Boarding staff share the following responsibilities towards all boarders:

• To set an example of civility, tolerance and responsibility.

• To show equal respect and attention to all, under all circumstances.

• To respect the boarders’ right to privacy.

• To encourage all boarders in an active participation of life in the Boarding House.

• To maintain the values and standards of the Boarding House and to contribute wherever possible.

Health and Safety

First Aid

There is always a qualified nurse on duty within the boarding campus. In addition, House Parents are first aid trained.

Fire

Both houses are fitted with fully integrated systems that alert all staff and students in the case of a fire. All necessary fire safety equipment is checked and maintained on a regular basis. Full house fire practices are carried out each term and new students who join late are taken individually through the fire evacuation procedure.

Illness

Unwell boarders will either be cared for at school by the school nurse in their houses, by their house nurse, or be taken to the local doctor for further care. The two school approved local hospitals are close by and provide excellent care. Boarders are always supervised by an experienced member of staff when going to hospital and parents are always informed of hospital visits.

Each boarding house has at least one qualified nurse on duty at all times, to include an overnight on-call duty. If boarders feel unwell, they announce this to staff who will make sure that the appropriate care is given. Some homely remedies are kept within houses for minor ailments. More serious illnesses are referred to the school nurse or to a local doctor. Parents are always contacted if boarders visit the doctor.

House Social Events

Each Boarding House will conduct at least one social event per term. This is a good opportunity for the whole house to enjoy time together, away from school in a more relaxed environment. Past social events have included meals out, karaoke, ice skating and bowling.

What To Bring With You​

Essentials

• Training shoes / sports trainers

• Black leather shoes – plain, formal and with low heels

• Flip flops

• Black leather belt (plain) for boys

• only 6 pairs of sports socks

• 6 pairs of white socks

• 7 sets of underwear

• 2 sets of nightwear

• 5 T shirts / casual shirts

• 1 Jumper / sweatshirt

• 5 pairs of shorts

• 1 pair of casual jeans or equivalent

• Swimming gear

  • Girls: One-piece suit

  • Boys: Swimming trunks or longer shorts (not be below the knee)

• Sun hat

Useful

• Extra sports equipment

• Pillow (1 is provided)

• Pocket money (500 baht per week suggested)

• MP3 Player

• Laptop computer with antivirus software installed

• Camera

• Power strip with surge protector

• Books

• Small quantity of healthy snacks

• CD’s / DVD’s

• Swimming goggles

• Hat

• Umbrella

• Family photos / posters, personal items.

• Electronic translator

• 12 clothes hangers

• Mobile phone (valued at ≤ 2000 baht)

• Alarm clock

• Memory stick / hard drive

Non Clothing

• Toothbrush and toothpaste

• Brush / comb

• Deodorant

• Shampoo and soap

• Prescribed medicines (to be declared on the school medical form and handed to house staff upon arrival)

• Sunscreen factor 30+

• Hand towel

• Water bottle

• Clothes marker / iron on name tags

• Mug / Bowl

• 2 Small padlocks

• School bag / small backpack

Prohibited Items

• Expensive jewelry

• Non prescribed drugs

• Alcohol (alcoholic gifts for staff are not allowed)

• Matches, lighters and candles

• Pets

Arriving at School

New and returning boarders should aim to arrive in their respective boarding house the day before the first teaching day of the term. Ideally, this would be between the hours of 0900-1800 but we are aware that international flight schedules vary. Parents and guardians are requested to forward travel details to house parents at least two weeks before the day of arrival. Any changes to the itinerary should be communicated to house parents as soon as possible.

Collection from the Airport

Students arriving at the airport will be collected, therefore full flight details are required. Students are not allowed to make their own way to and from either airport. When arriving at Chiang Rai Airport, students will be guided by airport staff through security and immigration. Once through the arrival terminal, students should turn right and head to the meeting point. The airport is quite small and recognizing school staff should not be a problem. Once met, the staff member will bring you back to the boarding house.

Parent Meetings

All of our boarding staff are available to meet parents of new and existing boarders at the start and end of each term and on weekends. We will be very happy to discuss any queries concerns or suggestions that parents or students may have. If you wish to arrange a formal meeting with any of our boarding staff, it is advisable to book an appointment in advance directly with them.

Saying Farewell

Whether they are new or experienced boarders, it is difficult to advise as to the right time when to leave your child after bringing them to the boarding house. That said, there are benefits to helping them settle in first, and then leaving. This allows new boarders, in particular, to meet other new boarders adn quickly and adapt to their surroundings.

Communication

We advise regular parental contact with new boarders via telephone, e-mail or Skype, etc. Please make sure that calls/chats take place outside of prep and before lights out. We advise that every boarder brings their own mobile phone. Thai SIM cards can be purchased locally if boarders do not have one already.

Each house is equipped with wireless Internet access so a laptop is a great item to bring. The school takes no responsibility for the loss or theft of personal items to include mobile phones or computers, and these items should not be lent to other boarders or left unattended.

Each house has a duty mobile phone, usually kept by the house parent. Parents are encouraged to make note of this number (shown at the back of the handbook) and to call it if there are any concerns.

Homesickness

The process of moving into a boarding school provides most children, no matter what age they are, with wide ranging emotions that will no doubt include excitement and anxiety. Many take to the transition with little fuss while other find the change, initially, very difficult.

Homesickness is normal and is often triggered once the initial excitement has subsided and challenges are faced. This may be an awkward social experience, a mistake that has been highlighted, or a prolonged period alone where a child has time to think about loved ones.

Key signs of homesickness often include excessive phone calls or emails, usually involving a request to come home, a refusal to take part in optional organised activities, isolation, and obvious signs of unhappiness.

As parents, please realise that this is a natural part of the adjustment process and that most students go through a period of homesickness at some point during the early stages of boarding. Most young people are secure enough to face challenges but do require people around them that they trust for support through difficult times. Homesickness tends to occur then, during the period between losing temporary contact with established and trusted support (parents, brothers, sisters or close friends at home) and establishing new confidents at a new school. This takes time and explains why homesickness is usually a temporary experience.

Here are some useful steps to help your child move constructively beyond homesickness:

• Recognise the symptoms early and be prepared to talk, and more importantly listen, to your child.

• Give your child a sense of security. Establish a regular telephone "check-in" time as simple routines will go a long way towards helping your child build a sense of normality and security away from home.

• Encourage them to get involved in school activities. Ask about your child’s extracurricular activities, clubs and sports, and actively encourage them to take part and keep busy.

• Stay in touch with your child’s House Parents and tutors. Together, we will carefully monitor progress.

Handled sensitively and positively, most cases of homesickness pass within a few weeks.

Visiting Boarders

Family visitors are always welcome in boarding, but parents and guardians are asked to inform House Parents of visits in advance and visitors must introduced themselves to the staff on duty. However, for new boarders, we recommend that you liaise with House Parents with regards to the first visit. This is because House Parents will want to support the settling in process and this can be compromised with some children who may be experiencing a bought of homesickness. The key is to provide secure and loving support at both ends and for parents and House Parents to communicate with each other regularly.

Signing Out Boarders

All boarders must be signed out of the boarding house by an authorised adult. This is normally the parent, guardian or someone nominated by a parent or guardian. Before taking a boarder from the boarding house, please inform the house staff who will require a signature and returning information. Likewise, upon returning boarders back into houses, please inform a member of staff who will sign them back into the house. This simple system is essential for the duty of care process and part of our risk assessment with regards to emergency procedures.

Boarders must not be returned on their own in taxis and if parents wish for their child to be picked up from the school campus, this needs to be arranged with House Parents at least a few days in advance.

Hosting Boarders

We do permit our boarders to sign out of the boarding house to stay with friends’ families either during the day or over a weekend, however, there are very strict procedures that need to be followed before authorisation is given. Both sets of parents must consent to the sign out and the detailed form at Annex A must be filled out and signed by the respective House Parent.

Parental Consent

Parents are asked to complete the consent form contained within the back of the Boarding Handbook. This form covers a variety of situations and must be filled out in full and returned to the Admissions Office, or handed to your respective House Parent before your child enters the boarding house.

Travel Services

Students have allotted group times throughout the week where they can go in the school van to various places such as the mall, to get haircuts, see the dentist, or get school supplies.

If students are in need of additional trips outside during the week (i.g. to attend outside youth groups or go to the airport) there will be an additional transportion cost. Students will need to fill in a form stating where they would like to go within a limited area of Chiang Rai and it submit to the House Parent 48 hours prior to the trip.

Dorm school van fees (for additional trips outside): 150 baht (one student) or 100 baht (two or more students)