INTERNATIONAL TODDLER PROGRAMME AND KINDERGARTEN IN NONTHABURI | 18 MONTHS - 5 YEARS

The PURPLE ELEPHANT SAMAKEE

cosy charming nurturing school

Welcoming children from over 40 countries since 1991, our Purple Elephant at Samakee is designed for children from 18 months to five years of age, after which they continue to draw on the abundance of the rich experiences reaped during these early years. A community school, with a countrified ambience, and just like our early childhood centres in Bangkok has a limited enrolment and small class sizes, affording a cosy environment that yields the kind of intimacy that is so important at this young age.

The Purple Elephant Samakee

CAMPUS & FACILITIES

a true country feel

our approach to learning

small wonders, big discoveries

We respond to the curious nature of young children who are ready to explore their world by providing them with rich experiences that encourage a ‘sense of wonder’.

our preschool and kindergarten programme

Where it all begins

Each child brings to school unique life experiences that are respected for their diversity, and all are considered to be brimming with potential.

School Life

a lifetime experience

THE HEAD OF PURPLE ELEPHANT SAMAKEE

ISABELLA

My journey into education began with a belief that every child comes with their own capabilities to learn and reach their potential. As educators, our responsibility is to offer rich experiences and opportunities that help children discover those strengths and grow them. My mixed Asian–European heritage has shaped how I see education, helping me relate naturally to diverse cultures and learning approaches.

I spent my early childhood years at Bangkok’s first British Curriculum school, PNEU, which later became Bangkok Patana School. I went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a Diploma of Education at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. After graduating, I taught Higher Level Geography, Economics, and Social Studies at Epping Boys School in Sydney.

When I returned to Bangkok, I had the rare joy of coming back to Bangkok Patana School, this time as an Elementary teacher, where I spent the next 17 years. Following that period, I helped establish an ELC Centre and worked alongside former colleagues on the founding committee for the New International School of Thailand (NIST). When NIST opened in 1992, I joined the school and went on to teach and coordinate the PYP programme across various levels for the next 19 years.

Although I officially retired from teaching after that chapter, my love for children and education never did, and it is what drew me back to the work I cherish today as Head of Purple Elephant @ Samakee.

After more than 50 years in education, I remain deeply passionate about this field. I am still in awe of children’s creativity and capabilities at every age, and I continue to find great joy in learning alongside both children and adults.

THE PURPLE ELEPHANT PEDAGOGISTA

SAM SILBY

I come from New Zealand and have been an educator since 2008. I joined the ELC Family of International Schools in 2013, first as a classroom teacher and Project Coordinator at The City School, and now as Pedagogista of The Purple Elephant centres. I hold both a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Teaching from Victoria University of Wellington, as well as a Master’s of Innovative Education from the University of Colorado.

In my role as Pedagogista, I walk alongside teachers, children, and families across our centres, guiding the educational direction of our learning communities. My work is not only to support daily practice, but also to nurture the deeper pedagogical questions that live beneath it – questions of identity, belonging, agency and possibility.

I believe deeply in honouring the whole child: their thinking, their emotions, their relationships, and their sense of self. Childhood is not a preparation for life, but life itself – a time of wonder, risk and transformation. Documentation, dialogue, and research are the tools through which I support our community in making children’s learning visible and valued.

The PURPLE ELEPHANT SAMAKEE

cosy charming nurturing school