Weekly Update #14, 30 November, 2018
Dates for Your Diary
Upcoming events can be found on the calendar on the website School Life → Calendar but we have outlined upcoming events here for easy reference. For daily updates and news follow the HeadStart Facebook Page
| Date | Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 December | 7:55am | DofE Bronze Practice Group 2 | Meet at HeadStart |
| 3-4 December | 7:55am | DofE Bronze Adventurous Journey G1 | Meet at HeadStart |
| 05 December | All day | School closed for HM the King’s Birthday | |
| 7-9 December | All day | BKK Patana Swim Meet | BKK Patana |
| 10-11 December | All day | Book Fair | Primary floor |
| 11 December | 6:00pm | ‘A Night at the Movies’ CAPA show | Sports Hall |
| 13 December | 1:00pm | Christmas Classroom activities/Christmas Market | |
| 14 December | All day | Parent/Teacher Conferences (not a school day) | Classrooms |
‘Top in Thailand’ Awards in Bangkok
What an exciting week it has been for our high achieving ‘Top in Thailand’ students along with their parents as they travelled to Bangkok to receive their awards at the Cambridge Learner Awards ceremony. Congratulations to all of our students for their great achievement.
World Scholars Back from New York
Seven HeadStart students have just returned after competing in the Tournament of Champions, held at Yale University competing against over 1,200 students from around the world. More detailed news will come in the next weekly update with a daily blog from our World Scholar’s Cup students to get all the inside scoop about what it is like to participate in The World Scholar’s Cup and their adventures in America. By Ms Hayley Milner
Additional Afternoon Snacks for Primary
The school has started to provide Primary pupils with an additional snack during Primary afternoon break time. Until recently, snacks and a drink were provided during morning break, with only the option of milk in the afternoon. This additional snack in the afternoon should help all our pupils to feel even more enthusiastic and energised for their afternoon ASPs and Academies.
Year 6 and 9 Checkpoint Meeting Notes
I would like to thank the Year 6 and 9 parents for attending last week’s meeting regarding Checkpoint exams. For those of you who were not able to attend, you can find a download of the presentation below. Please take some time look through the presentation and write to me if you have any questions. Email address: [email protected] By Mr Richard Lukats
House Winners–Green Dragons!
A huge congratulations to the Green Dragons who have been announced as the term 1 House champions! On Friday morning the Year 3-13 students will travel to Central to watch The Grinch while the Reception -Year 2 students will play lots of fun games and watch a movie of their choice. Very well done to all the Green Dragon students and staff!
Thank You for 129 Library Books!
On behalf of the students, the library team would like to extend our most sincere thanks to Ms Ekaterina Dogadaeva (the mother of Aleksandra Simkalova in Year 8 Yellow) for the generous donation of 129 books. These books are a very great addition to the school library. By Ms Mai, HeadStart Librarian
Foundation Department Updates
It’s hard to believe how quickly time is flying by. The children have had a good week with the Green House certainly enjoying their winners treat. Well Done Green Team!
Healthy Eating
A big thank you to all the parents who are trying hard to ensure that their children are coming to school with a healthy daily snack. We have seen a great improvement with the snacks this week. We do ask for your continued support in this matter as the dangers of too much sugar in our little ones diets can lead to a number of health and behaviour issues in later life such as; diabetes, tooth decay, impact on focus and concentration in school.
Reading Book Gift
Please help us to continue to inspire a love of reading over the festive season and join in with our annual Book Gift for each child. The idea is simple: parents with children in Foundation are asked to buy a book gift for their child. All books must be wrapped and clearly labeled with your child’s name. All books will be given out on Thursday 13th December, by a very special visitor.
Foundation Stars of The Month
A big well done to Marat, Sasha, Raegan, Ella, Fynn, Lambor, Harrison, Puan, James, Polina and Elena for working tremendously hard and getting the Star of the Month award.
Wishing all of our families a restful and relaxing weekend.
David Pollicutt
My name is David and I joined HeadStart International School in 2018. I am from the UK and grew up in the large port city of Bristol. I studied English Literature at the University of East Anglia, and trained to teach at The Institute of Education in The University of London. I taught in East London for four years, before moving to teach for eight years as Head of English in Viet Nam and China. I am a firm believer in developing students to be natural enquirers, following the Sir Ken Robinson model of best preparing students to use transferable skills for the shifting landscapes of their futures. I seek to encourage an epistemological approach in my lessons, urging students to evaluate the efficacy of the information they consume and the validity of interpretations. I am passionate about literature and will often be chortling at David Lodge’s tragicomedy or swooning at Ian Mcewan’s literary sleight of hand. Outside of the classroom I am a keen student of Philosophy, Politics and Film. I am a particular fan of the intellect and charisma exuded by Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris and the late and much missed Christopher Hitchens. I have a terminal case of devotion to Tottenham Hostpsur Football Club; it teaches me patience and humility.
A Student Book Review
In the English and Humanities Faculty in HeadStart, we hope to produce a community of readers; young people who read for pleasure, not through obligation.
Years 7 to 9 attend the library weekly and all years are encouraged to read in order to develop their understanding and vocabulary, yes, but also for more reasons than this. Reading should not be seen as means to end to facilitate the examination process.
Reading should also nurture imagination, inspire creativity and deepen our humanity.
As a case in point, I offer an unsolicited book review by Nattamon Limcharoen, who started talking to me in the corridor last week about a book she had just finished. This is fantastic! I encourage as many students as possible to do the same to either me or their English teachers. If, like Nattamon, you can share your thoughts abut the book in short review, so much the better. Enjoy!
A Thousand Splendid Suns, By Nattamon Limcharoen
How do you feel when you finish a delicious slice of pizza? Imagine that crisp crunch as your hungry jaw bites into piping hot cheese slurry, slathered with juicy tomato sauce and, of course, your favourite toppings sprinkled liberally on top. Wonderful isn’t it?
You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about a piece of pizza, right? Here’s why.
During the time that I was reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, it reminded me of my favourite comfort food: pizza! The way you might keep munching the stringy, melted cheese which clings to your teeth and holds tightly to the pizza at the same time, is how I keep returning to the novel again and again, because I was just so immersed in the plot.
In this novel, we follow two women, Mariam and Laila, who married the same man (#awkward!) but ended up creating a strong bond, almost mother-daughter like, as the both were used and abused by him. And without each other nothing could have been accomplished, a bit like how pizza needs tomato sauce to really be a pizza, really. Something which I picked up on about the story is that it depicts hope. Hope in the novel is like the dough of the pizza; no matter how heavy the toppings are, the dough is always there to support it.
Having read A Thousand Splendid Suns, I immediately fell in love with it. The language is understandable, relatable and authentic; and it’s not hard to picture the characters and the scenes. The book is full of shocking events that will both delight and, in turn, leave you more distraught than if a rogue anchovy had infiltrated your crust. Hosseini truly knows how to develop characters throughout the book, making them stronger and deeper as the plot advances to its climax. For those who like a suspenseful, heartbreaking and tragic novel, I would recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns which is truly an unforgettable, piercing and profound tale.
Now where’s my delivery menu?
Nicholas Carter
My name is Nick Carter and I am from Kent, in the UK. I came to Thailand in 2015, after 6 years of living and teaching P.E. in Stockholm, Sweden (where it snows for six months of the year!). So, it is fair to say that I was ready for a completely different climate change, as well as cultural change. My sporting background is very diverse. I grew up with a passion for playing football but, later, in my teens, I discovered baseball. I made my debut for the Great Britain national baseball squad at the age of 18 and played with the squad for the next 14 years. I also trained as a professional contemporary dancer and toured nationally and internationally for 7 years in numerous dance companies. Although I have many other sporting interests, I want to make it clear that P.E. teachers are not just whistle blowing, basketball bouncing individuals, as I released my first fictional novel (in June, 2015). However, participating in sport, physical activity, and leading a healthy lifestyle are very important to me, and I’ve enjoyed imparting my knowledge in teaching and coaching environments for over 20 years. I am delighted to be HeadStart’s Director of Sport and my fundamental aims are for our students to continue to experience a really diverse range of physical activities, all the while having loads of fun through being active. For example, HeadStart pupils will participate in the following sports activities in either curriculum time or in our fantastic After School Sports programme: Basketball, Netball, Football, Rugby, Athletics, Swimming, Badminton, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Softball, Rounders, Yoga, Dance, and Gymnastic activities (amongst others). If you have any questions, you can email me at – [email protected]
P.E.Department News
Football News
Last week our U9, U11, U13, and Over15 Boys Football squads competed in the annual BISP Soccer 7’s Football Tournament. It was a fantastic weekend of football and we produced some amazing results. Here are the details:
Under 9 - CHAMPIONS!!!
The Under 9 boys played exceptionally well, beating BISP in the semi-finals. The full-time score was 3-3 and the game ended in a dramatic penalty shootout; HeadStart proceeding to the final by 4 goals to 3. In the final the Under 9 boys faced Bangkok Patana. HeadStart took an early lead and it never looked like the boys wouldn’t bring home the trophy. Special mention must go to Eliott who stepped up on the day to be the Goalkeeper. In true hero fashion, Eliott saved the penalty to seal HeadStart’s victory against BISP and he also scored a goal from a kick-out from within his own goalies box against Patana in the final! Well done Under 9 boys!
Over 15 - 2nd Place (Plate Final)
Under 13 - Semi-Final (Bowl Cup)
Under 11 - 1/4 Finals
Thanks to Coach JR, Coach Chai, Coach Eric, and Mr Bushell for their excellent coaching, and also all the parents who came along to support; it was most appreciated!
Student News
Preschool had lots of fun at Kids Mania at RPM for their Field Trip. Their favourite thing was the ball pool and the mini roller-coaster! By Ms Danielle Jones
On Messy Monday the children loved using the stretchy slime and practising their fine motor skills! They also enjoyed water play, digging for wiggly ‘worms’ and getting sticky fingers searching for numbers in gooey magic mixtures! By Ms Danielle Jones
Early Years Yellow went on a trip to the aquarium to further their learning of their theme Under the Sea. We watched a mermaid show on the dangers of making the sea dirty with rubbish, and then saw a variety of sea animals - I think we found the jellyfish and sharks to be the most exciting. The children really enjoyed themselves and talked lots about the trip afterwards. Well done! By Ms Saki Shibuya
The Reception children have enjoyed playing in our outdoor learning area with all the new toys. They learnt how to use the equipment responsibly and had fun sharing with their friends. By the Reception teachers
The children are really enjoying our minibeast topic. We have been learning about different insects and their habitats, sharing fun minibeast stories and practising our addition and doubling skills in Maths. The children are becoming so independent and confident in their learning! By Ms Hannah Kuusik
Year 3 were working on practicing the spelling rules in Russian making their own sentences to demonstrate the differences in spelling. By Ms Alina Plaktova
Year 2 students have been learning numbers in Thai under 1,000. In the lessons, students revised big numbers in a fun way. First they played a guessing game using counting blocks. Then we made numbers, stuck them on the ice-cream sticks and raised them up when they heard the teacher saying the numbers out loud. This activity has helped students to memorise their numbers very well. By Kru Sue
This week the Year 9 students in the ‘Thai as a First Language’ class studied on the topic of ‘Phuket Our Province.’ Local food is one part of the course so the students engaged in learning the names and origins of the different foods. They also had the chance to practise cooking one dish called Bpor Bpia Sod, otherwise known as fresh spring rolls. Both the students and myself would like to express our gratitude to Associate Professor Jira Teesauwannajak (Kapom in Year 8’s grandmother) for being our guest speaker and teaching us how to make very delicious spring rolls. By Kru Kan
