Letter from the Head of Secondary – 5 May 2017

By Head of Secondary Nigel Wilsonlock

HOT WEATHER GUIDELINES

At Bangkok Prep we take child safety and well-being very seriously. We ensure that all teachers and adults working on site have had appropriate checks to verify they are safe to work around children.

There are many aspects to safety so last year we initiated a Hot Weather Policy, in collaboration with other international schools here in Bangkok, so that children and staff are protected from the extremes of hot weather whilst enjoying a full and varied curriculum.

There are three stages of heat related illness that all teaching staff are made aware of:

Heat Cramps are experienced from fluid loss due to heavy sweating and usually occur in the abdomen or legs.

Heat Exhaustion derives from prolonged exposure in hot conditions with high fluid loss due to heavy sweating and an elevated body temperature below 40 degrees Celsius.

Heat Stroke is a condition when the core body temperature is higher than 40 degrees Celsius and is potentially fatal.

To limit the effects of the hot weather on all outdoor activities we ensure that students are given sufficient rest breaks from exertion whilst also actively encouraging water consumption.

To aid in teacher’s awareness we internally publish the Humidex Rating and associated Warning Level three times during the day at this time of the year. The Humidex Rating combines the air temperature with relative humidity to give an effective measure of how hot it feels.

The following is a summary from our policy:

At the moment our highest values have been 45/46 and are at the low end of Level 2. Our highest rating last year was 52 on May 13th.

We would very much welcome your support by promoting the following actions:

• Wearing of hats at breaktimes
• Regular drinking of water
  • Avoid sodas/caffeinated drinks as they tend to dehydrate
  • Follow the ‘little but often’ rule
  • Personalised water bottles ensure water is always at hand
• Applying sunscreen
• Monitoring energy levels to check for heat exhaustion/stroke
• Talk to your children to promote the above good habits
• With your support and our vigilance we are confident of keeping our children safe and active.

Kind regards and have a cool weekend if possible.

For more information, please contact: secondary.sec@bkkprep.ac.th