Weekly Update #12, 18 November 2022

Upcoming events can be found on the website under School Life → Calendar and are outlined here for easy reference. If you have questions or require further assistance please email [email protected]

Learner and Teacher Profile Workshop on 22.11.22

Over the course of this term we have been running a series of workshops with our students, teachers and with the Parent Committee to develop something called a ‘HeadStart Learner Profile’. This is something that many schools have, and the most famous learner profile, is the IB Learner Profile. We are looking to create a ‘Learner Profile’ for launch in August 2023 which demonstrates what it is to be a HeadStart student and the skills and personal attributes that a member of our community should have including what an ‘Ideal HeadStart Graduate’ may look like.

The size of this workshop is limited to 64 parents so if you would like to take part in this workshop, you will need to be ready to actively participate in discussions with other parents both in the same and different phases of the school and of the same or different nationalities. This is an active session which will involve movement, discussion and whole group contribution. If you would like to join please fill in this quick Google Form to let us know. I look Forward to seeing you there! -Mr Adam Drew, Headmaster

Russian Speaking Parents’ Meeting Invitation on 29.11.22

We would like to invite Russian-speaking parents for a meeting on Tuesday 29th November in the Dance and Drama studio on the 4th floor from 8.15 - 9.15 am. There will be a presentation about the Russian First language program, and interventions from Primary and Secondary leadership teams, and we will provide the answers to the questions that have been asked on the survey sent to parents. The meeting will be presented in Russian and English, and members of Senior Management will be in attendance.

• Date: 29 November
• Time: 08:15 - 09:15
• Location: Dance and Drama studio - 4th floor

UPrep Talk #5 - Recap

In our Thursday UPrep meeting, Ms Bedi gave a presentation on the basic differences between university, college study around the world and how studying in the UK, USA, Europe, Canada or Asia differ from each other. This was particularly relevant for parents with students in Years 10-13. If you were not able to make it to the meeting, the presentations are provided below for your reference. If you would like to find out more about university applications contact our team by writing to Ms Indu Bedi at [email protected], Sarah Gratton at [email protected]. Our next UPrep Talk 6 will be on the topic of Application and Standardised Testing on 1 December at 8.15am in the Secondary Hall.

Chicago

Tickets are now on sale for Chicago and selling out fast! Please book your seats HERE soon to avoid disappointment. We have a different cast for each night and since we do not have the rights to film the performance, you really should come and watch the performance live at 6.00pm on the 30th of November and 1st of December in the Sports Hall!

“Set in the legendary city during the roaring 20s, Chicago tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County Jail. Nightclub star Velma’s serving time for killing her husband and sister and driven chorus girl Roxie’s in jail for bumping off her lover. Not one to rest on her laurels, Velma enlists the help of prison matron Mama Morton and slickster lawyer Billy Flynn, who turn Velma’s incarceration into a murder-of-the-week media frenzy, thus preparing the world for a splashy showbiz comeback. But Roxie’s got some of her own tricks up her sleeve…”

• Ticket prices range from 150, 250 to 300 Baht depending on the zone you choose.
• Running time: 120 minutes with a break in the middle.
• Age recommendation: children who can sit for over an hour, are able to listen and comprehend stories of a more mature nature.

Once you click on the booking link and select your seats, online payments for the tickets can be made according to the following details.

• Through a PayPal account.
• Using a Thai Credit Card. Please note that Thai Debit Cards are not accepted.
• Using a foreign Credit Card and foreign debit card.

• If you cannot make an online payment, you will be able to book the ticket and make a payment at our school office.

• Once you select ‘Thailand’ as your country of payment, the website will automatically translate into Thai. Look for the small tab that reads ‘English’ to translate the text into English.
• Once the booking has been requested, you will receive a ‘holding’ email and your tickets are pending until you receive a second email with a link to your tickets.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us by writing to [email protected] or call 076-612876/088-7655878

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Suwunsupana and Mrs. Delsol as the winning parents in Primary and Secondary respectively for the Guess the Author Quiz during English Faculty Week. As well as the priceless honour of clearly being the biggest bibliophiles in HeadStart, they were also rewarded with a delightfully potable prize too. See if you can guess what this prize was from one last literary clue: Bradbury’s had Dandelion, Steinbeck’s had Wrath, but our ones have the capacity, to quote Wodehouse, to get one “tanked to the uvula” or “oiled, boiled, fried, plastered, whiffled, sozzled and blotto”.

Swimming

The Aqua Panthers are hosting their first Aqua Panthers Invitational this weekend (19/20 November). There will be 9 teams and 221 swimmers joining us for this spectacular event. For those who want to come to watch, we will be live on the HeadStart Facebook page or you can come in person to support the team. See you poolside! -Coach Brown

PISAC Football Tournament

We were back in action with the PISAC Football tournament last Saturday, as the U13s and U11s battled it out. The tournament was held at BISP, and under very hot conditions each team competed in a round robin format. We are so proud that both teams finished 2nd in the tournament, narrowly missing out on first place having played some fantastic football in the finals. Both teams worked extremely hard and gave everything on the pitch showing the HeadStart NGU attitude. The U13s were unbeaten in the group stage having drawn 2-2 to the finals winner BISP in the group stage. Thank you to all the parents for their support on the day and a massive well done to the players for all their hard work! -Coach Frost

A busy session for us in Year 5 White this week. The session started with learning about friends and foes of the garden. We then carried out our garden maintenance of removing dead leaves and weeding of our growing plants. Later we transferred our cuttings to soil. They had grown some roots which had got really long with the Aloe Vera we had used as a growth stimulant. We also planted seeds of flowers to encourage friends to come to the garden to pollinate.

It’s flowery shirt Thursday and the Young Farmers club is “GROWING” every week. This week secondary students have been getting their hands dirty planting Dill in the spiral herb bed. Students were shown how to correctly plant prepping the holes with water and nutrients that have been recycled from one of the wormeries. We checked the health of the rosemary we planted last week and found a caterpillar munching on one of the plants. The students were fascinated also to look at the worms in action breaking down plant material. Everyone is welcome to come and join in on a Thursday lunchtime with Mr Benham and the Prefects.

Mangrove Tree Planting

Last Saturday our Military Service students, along with some volunteers in Secondary joined in community service and planted mangrove trees at Klong Mudong beach, Cape Panwa. Over 200 trees were planted in an effort to preserve the eco-systems and strengthen the environmental preservation for the communities of Phuket. A special thank you to the Marine and Coastal Office staff for organising this activity for our students! -Kru Nee, School Director

The Challenge is a collaboration between HeadStart Humanities Faculty, drawing upon faculty head Rob Grattons background in an education for sustainability and Head Start parent and business owner Antonio Briguglio. Antonio leads companies, CIS Sicily & UNICITRUS, built around sustainable principles and his passion for this has led to the creation of this Challenge. All students involved in the Challenge will have the opportunity to learn with and from business and sustainability experts such as Antonio working towards the chance to pitch their ideas for sustainable practices to a panel of experts, Shark tank style, and ultimately win a trip to Sicily, Italy (June 2023) to visit and learn from Antonio’s businesses and the people of Sicily about sustainable practices in action.

This is a unique and bespoke opportunity for students of HeadStart within Year 9, 10 and 12 to engage with the Concepts and Skills of sustainability. To enhance their knowledge and contribute to improving the world around them. It also offers an opportunity to engage in a community driven project - something all colleges and universities want to see on a student application.

Please support us in this endeavour by encouraging your child to sign up via the link HERE and take advantage of this our first HeadStart Sustainability Challenge.

Our year 10 Art IGCSE students are currently exploring a variety of artists to draw inspiration for their coursework. This work allows for creative freedom and individualism, something we are always promoting in CAPA HeadStars.

Art

Year 6 have been busy lino printing their Haida animal designs in the art room. These prints are in response to the time they have spent learning about Native American art, looking at multiple tribes and their forms of art. Look how they have created two layers of colours all from the same printing block!

Stem4 webinars for Parents and Carers — Building Self-Esteem and Positive Body Image in Boys & Young Men

This November, youth mental health charity stem4 is focusing on supporting the mental health of boys and young men. Whilst there is a focus on building confidence and self-esteem in girls, boys can struggle with self-esteem too. Boys and young men often have to conform to gender stereotypes which set standards based on ‘strength’, both physical and emotional, as well as encourage competition and advantage. Boys and young men often express low self-esteem differently. Some may act out through challenging behaviours, whilst others may ‘escape’ into distraction behaviours or withdraw. Parents and carers play an important role in identifying and supporting positive self-esteem and worth. Our webinar this November looks at:

• early warning signs of low self-esteem and self-worth in boys and young men;
• identifying when eating issues might turn into eating disorders;
• management of muscle dysmorphia;
• practical ways in which parents and carers might engage with and address some of these concerns.

Join us for our webinar on Thursday 24 November at 7:30 as we open up the conversation on self-esteem in boys and young men. Register HERE!