Weekly Update #22, 1 April 2022
Upcoming events can be found on the website under School Life → Calendar and are outlined here for easy reference. Good news! Our term 3 dates have already been uploaded to the school calendar so that you can plan your summer. If you have questions or require further assistance please email [email protected]
| Date | Time | Event | Who for? | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-16 April | 2 weeks | Songkran Holidays (offices closed 9-15 April) | ||
| 18 April | 8.00am | First day of term 3/ASPs & Academies begin | ||
| 21 April | 8.15am | UPrep Talk 5: Application & standardised testing | All parents | Secondary Hall |
| 21 April - 10 June | Timetable here! | External Exams (IGCSE, AS & A Level) | ||
| 27 April | 3.30-4.30pm | Year 9 IGCSE Options Presentation & Subject Fair | ||
| 28-29 April | 8.00am-3.00pm | Year 6 Residential Trip | Year 6 | |
| 07 May | 9.00-12.00pm | Saturday Thai Culture Club | Thai national students | |
| 10 May | 8.15am | Russian Speaking Parents Meeting | Parents | TBA |
| 17 May | 8.15am | Chinese Speaking Parents Meeting | Parents | TBA |
Songkran Holidays
We wish everyone a very happy Songkran holiday and hope that everyone stays safe. Please be informed that the school offices will be closed during 9-15 Apr 2022. We look forward to seeing you again in school on the 18th of April, 2022.
12 Hour Swimathon & Footie-athon Results
On behalf of the Panther Academies, we would like to say a huge 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to all the parents, staff and players involved in the 12 hour swim and football relays. Together we raised 𝟮𝟭𝟰,𝟰𝟬𝟬 Baht for the Oceans For All Foundation furthering the cause of ocean sustainability. We truly appreciate the time and effort you all put in before and during the event. This fantastic result would not have been possible without such a strong community! Let’s go HeadStart! Pictured left to right: Coach Frost (Head Football Coach), Coach Zak (Head Swim Coach), Mr David Martin (OFA Founder), Ms Mai (HeadStart Accountant) and Mr Nick Carter (Athletics Director).
UPrep Talk
Thank you to the many parents who came to last week’s UPrep talk on ‘Comparing Different University Systems’. If you were not able to make it to the presentation, you can access the download provided below. As always, if you have any queries regarding university applications, please contact our Head of Sixth Form Ms Indu Bedi by writing to [email protected]. The next UPrep talk will be at 8.15am on 21 April in the Secondary Hall on the 4th floor on the topic of ‘Application and standardised Testing’. We welcome anyone interested to attend this presentation.
Step by Step Tutorial on How to Access End Term Report & Smart Goals on the Parent Portal
| University & Higher Education Offers |
Congratulations to Natalie Eichinger, enroled at HeadStart since Year 1, on her unconditional offer to study fashion design at the Fashion Academy of Amsterdam.
“Natalie is very hard-working and dedicated to her studies, always strives to do her best and is a fantastic role model for her peers. Natalie always takes so much pride and care in completing her coursework, which has led to her achieving merits in every BTEC Business unit so far. Natalie also has also played an integral part in all of the BTEC Business Enterprise projects and volunteering opportunities that have taken place over the last two years. Natalie has displayed many integral skills such as leadership, teamwork and creativity, all of which will help her as she sharts this new chapter at university. Good luck Natalie!” -Ms Yardenna Jones
Congratulations to Alisara Whitley for being accepted for the Diplome de Patisserie with Le Cordon Bleu in Paris!
“Alisara has been enrolled at HeadStart since Year 3 and has grown into a beautiful young lady, ready to take on the world of baking and desserts in Paris! She is an independently minded learner and has a talent for free association. Alisara is a quick learner and a keen debater in class. We wish Alisara the very best of luck in her future studies and hope that we can benefit from the fantastically delicious desserts that she will no doubt be cooking up in the near future!” -Mr Richard Cramp & Mr Simon Downes, Alisara’s Subject Teachers
The ‘Panther All Stars’ have been working really hard on their tumbling and cheer skills and have already performed four times in term 2. I would like to say thank you to our lovely students for putting in such a great effort and to our parents for showing so much support. My team are looking forward to creating a new routine in term 3. If your child would like to become a Panther All Stars cheerleader, please sign up! Go Panthers! -Coach Mina To contact coach Mina, email, [email protected]
Football
We are excited to announce we will be running a 5 a side futsal League during the Secondary Lunch period 12:40 - 13:20 in the sports hall. To enter, teams must collect and fill in the sign up sheet which can be found on the Academy notice board or you can collect one from one of the coaches. Deadline for registration April 20th!
Stef Frost
My name is Stef Frost. I’m from Nottingham, England and football has always been my passion. Being a professional footballer was always the dream for me and this came true at the age of just 16 years old. As a young player I joined the academy of the English Professional club Notts County FC. I progressed through the academy ranks from U10s to eventually the Notts County FC first team making my debut against Carlisle United in front of over 11,000 fans. I was awarded the Notts County FC Young Player of the year award and the Youth team player of the year award that same year. I am currently the third youngest player to ever play professionally for Notts County FC. I have also been fortunate enough to play against the likes of Manchester United, Leicester City, Everton, Aston Villa as well as against many high profile players such as premier league goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, England defender Gary Cahill and Inter Milan’s Ashley Young. Due to an Injury which has halted my football career I turned to coaching and I now have over 13 years experience in coaching also gaining my UEFA Licence and FA Youth Award. My coaching journey has taken me from England to Thailand, Australia and New Zealand and has included roles with professional clubs Nottingham Forest FC and Wigan Athletic F.C. I am extremely excited to be the Head Football coach at HeadStart International school and to have the opportunity to build a fantastic footballing program for our players to learn and practice in a fun and positive environment. It is very important for every player to leave each footballing practice having learnt either a new skill either being technical, physical, psychological or social. It is a combination of all these skills which our young players need to improve and succeed in Football and through their journey in life.
12 Hour Footie-Athon for Charity
Friday the 25th of March marked the inaugural 12 Hour Footie-a-thon held by the Panthers Football Academy to raise funds for The Oceans for All Foundation here in Phuket. The event was a great success for all involved, as we managed to raise a fantastic amount for the foundation; we are still receiving the final donations, the sum total will be announced in due course.
The evening kicked off with an exciting, hard fought game between the Headstart women’s staff team and the Headstart Mum’s team. Both teams prepared weeks in advance. The game went ahead with the well organised staff team showing their skills and high intensity football against a Mum’s team that battled hard throughout the game.
After the Mums and women’s staff had set the precedent for the evening, with the sun setting, it was time for the Headstart staff men’s team and the U15 boys to take to the stage. With previous games between the two outfits being highly competitive, we were set for a fantastic display of football. The U15 players are always keen to give it their all, and then some, against their teachers, and expectedly the men’s team were not holding back for a second during the match.
Following the Men’s staff team and the U15 boys, It was somewhat of a very-local derby match to be held, with our own Headstart U13 Girls against our Headstart U11 Boys. As expected, the effort and determination from both teams was second to none, and both teams left everything on the pitch.
The atmosphere of the evening was said to be buzzing, and the crowd of spectators were eagerly awaiting the match between the Dad’s team and the Headstart U13 Boys. Mr Drew had rallied his Dads, and managed to get two full teams in preparation for their match against an energetic U13 Boys side. It was a brilliant performance by everyone who took part in this fixture, the crowd was cheering, and plenty of goals were scored. This match was followed by a game of “Lightning” to put the Dad’s shooting, goalkeeping and reactions to the test.
As the night went on, it was time for the academy players to go up against each other until sunrise. With all teams playing another 4 fixtures each, it was truly a footie-a-thon. Credit to all the players who took part, clearly getting more tired throughout the night to the early hours. In spite of the tired eyes and legs, the standard of football and intensity did not give an inch. The player’s determination and grit was fantastic as they pushed on through the night.
With the sun making its appearance, we concluded the night/morning with a penalty shootout, again with a huge effort by all involved.
We would like to give a huge thank you on behalf of the Panthers academy to all the parents, staff, and players involved, we truly appreciate the time and effort you all put in before and during the event, it wouldn’t have been able to happen without you all.
Basketball 5 V 5 Grand Finale!
The Kazighstan Snow Tigers boy’s basketball team won 3-1 in the series to take out the title in the first HBA finals series hosted by HeadStart international school Phuket. A great defensive game by the two teams which resulted in a low scoring affair. To their credit, the boys put on a show and spectators we were not left disappointed. In fact, we were spoiled once again with another thrilling basketball game.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the major sponsor HeadStart for putting on such a great event. Also thank you to everyone involved from the referees, coach Naomi, Mr Carter for all his help, the officials and the referees. A big shout out to all the supporters who came to any of the games, and last but not least, a big thanks to the boys from both teams. You guys were fantastic and it was a pleasure to see you in action and improve on every performance. Hopefully we can do this again in the near future. -Coach Mike
HeadStart vs BIS Swim Meet
On Saturday, March 26th was the long-awaited swim meet for our 9 & over swimmers! The Aqua Panthers headed up to BISP to take on the Sea Eagles for their first official meet of the season! Excitement was high…and the Aqua Panthers delivered. The team had several amazing swims and huge time drops from previous years. A big congratulations to Natalie Hallermann who broke the 50, 100, & 200 Freestyle records that were previously set in 2015! Overall the team performed outstandingly and we are gearing up for more meets before the end of the year. Way to go team! -Coach Brown
HeadStart vs UWC
This was the 2nd swim meet for our Secondary Aqua Panthers in just 2 days! UWC gladly brought the competition and we had a fantastic duel against them Monday afternoon at HeadStart. Leading the way with big wins were Artem Kiselev and Kirill Kochetkov, who won the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke respectively. Though the team was tired from their swim meet on Saturday, each swimmer stepped up and delivered! Now, the team has earned a few weeks of rest before our next competition. We are all looking forward to seeing more racing in the near future! -Coach Brown
| Year 8 Residential Trip |
Alexander Holmes
This term year 8 were lucky enough to be able to get off the island and go to Kao Sok for our annual residential trip. It was quite a long journey, but some music and singing helped while away the last hour or so.
Once there we got stuck right in with some shelter building, testing for protection against rain with the use of a hose. There were one or two slightly soggy students to be found after that test! This was followed by a campfire and a night safari through the jungle. On our safari we saw many a huntsman spider glowing in the light of our torches, as well as some groups being lucky enough to spot a slow loris or two high in the trees and even a yellow mango snake.
On day 2 we took a long tail boat out onto the lake and did some kayaking and swimming and visited a cave full of stalactites and stalagmites and…. huntsman spiders. By the last day, we were all pretty tired, but we mustered the energy for a long hike through the jungle to a beautiful spot on the river. We saw langur monkeys, orb spiders and lots of leeches! Our guide taught us how to make a wind instrument and a cutting tool out of a piece of bamboo and how to tell whether a stream is safe to have a wash in.
The staff at the camp were so knowledgeable and helpful; we all had a great time and learned a lot. Although there were some complaints at the beginning about having no aircon or hot showers it was lovely to see the Year 8 students quickly settle in and just get on with it. Some new bonds and friendships were made as well as some new life skills. Mums, I can reliably inform you that you can now trust your son or daughter with the washing up!
| Year 9 Residential Trip |
Mathew Sillett
I grew up in Southampton, England and moved to Canterbury to obtain my degree from the University of Kent. My teaching career began in Thailand, in 2008. What I expected to be a year of fun and travel became a life long passion for both teaching and Thailand. On returning to the UK I began teaching at a secondary state school in Kent where I honed my classroom practice as a teacher of English, film and media. From there I accepted a teaching role in a private school, teaching film and media before being promoted to the senior leadership team as Assistant Headteacher for key stages 3 and 4, both pastoral and academic. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this role, staff and students, Thailand was calling. So in 2016 I returned to Thailand, with my wife, to work at a top tier international school in Bangkok as Head of English as an additional language. Whole school pastoral and academic initiatives and leadership are where my passion lies and therefore, when the opportunity arose, I moved to another international school in the city as Head of Secondary. During my tenure I worked with my team to improve academic outcomes and restructure the pastoral model to ensure all young people were able to achieve their potential in a safe and embracing environment. Whilst at the school I introduced the BTEC from KS3 through to KS5 and worked with the Ministry of Education on a High School Diploma to ensure all students gained entry to further education and training. I also developed the community service ethos within the school, focusing on my own passion for environmentalism and social responsibility. Over the past few years (my wife would say decades) I have been completing my PhD in media ecology with a focus on South East Asian literature. This period of study has transformed my understanding of human cognition and communication. I will have also completed my NPQH in 2021, an internationally recognised qualification for senior leaders in education. With two young children, moving to Phuket was an important next step and to be able to enjoy the great outdoors every day is a significant change from life in Bangkok! I am very fortunate to have found a school like HeadStart that holds the same values and educational approach as my own; embracing differences, encouraging creativity and creating well rounded individuals. Working with young people and supporting them as they navigate the path to adulthood is an honour that I don't take lightly. The school years should be a time of happiness and development, both academically and pastorally and I look forward to being a part of that journey.
Year 9 were able to experience a wonderful residential trip this year despite the trials and barriers presented by the ongoing pandemic. Despite travel restrictions for schools, students were exposed to an exceptional on-island ocean experience of island hopping, snorkeling and scuba diving. Students began their trip with a slightly different environment for a Thai summer by going ice skating in freezing temperatures at Ice Arena Phuket. After an hour of skating and playing on the ice we went to Chalong for an exceptional lunch at Bite. This was followed by workshops on the ecology of the island and ocean. Students had two workshops - one by Eco City Phuket who taught the students about the damage of plastic pollution and the different ways these materials can be reused and recycled. Students had the opportunity to use the organisation’s machines to break down plastic, melt it down and create new products using bespoke molds. The second workshop was with the global organisation Shark Guardian, in which the students learnt about the role and importance of sharks in the ecology of the ocean, and how we can protect them. The day was finished off with a buffet dinner and movie evening in the hotel.
The next two days were an exciting marine adventure in the waters surrounding Phuket. Students had the opportunity to go island hopping with 5 Star Marine where we were able to snorkel with some beautiful coral and fish and some even got to see some truly beautiful pink jellyfish. Students got to swim and play on Kayaks and paddleboards and ended up on Coral island for some beach volleyball and more snorkelling. The second trip was a fantastic day of diving with Seabees diving in which we travelled to Koh Racha to explore bays 1 and 3. Students had the opportunity to swim and snorkel as well as experience 2 dives. Students were able to spot some beautiful marine life including some pufferfish, snake eels and a wreck dive! It was certainly not the average residential experience! Students were exceptionally behaved and proved once again that HeadStart is a supportive family community; students were engaged, respectful and supportive of one another. A fantastic experience for everyone!
History & Geography News from Secondary
Students in Secondary have been learning about the Russian Revolution. We were using the Russian Revolution as a case study to understand that events in history have multiple, complex causes and consequences. From the History Learning Menu, students had a choice of eight possible projects: some made a children’s book, an infographic or even a song! The project had to summarise some events from the Russian Revolution and connect these events to their causes and consequences. Below are some examples of their work.
- Julie / Julie Imura - Click here to see their Children’s Book on the Russian Revolution.
- Yejin / Yejin Lee - Click here to see their Infographic on the Russian Revolution.
Students are learning how we use different numbers and figures to compare countries. These are not perfect numbers, so we need to include a wide range of data to build a better picture. In class we have studied Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC countries). Students then had to create a presentation on Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea or Turkey (the MIST countries). Students had to create a Google Slides presentation introducing a MIST country and using the key terms which we have been learning about BRIC countries. Below are some examples of their work. -Mr Donald Pritchard
- Li / Lapassappon Liberto Heras-Gomez - Click here for their Google Slide on Mexico.
- Libi / Libi Wisnia - Click here for their Google Slide on Indonesia.
BTEC Programme
BTEC Business served the HeadStart community yummy mama noodles and refreshing sodas to celebrate the start of the Songkran celebrations and the last day of term 2. The food and beverages were a huge success, selling out fast! Look out for more delicious snacks and beverages in term 3, prepared and sold by our amazing entrepreneurial BTEC Business students. -Ms Yardenna Jones
English in Secondary
As their end of unit assessment, Year 7 students assumed the roles of Romeo and Juliet and delivered their updated 2022 versions of their monologues, showing not only understanding of characterisation but also consideration of delivery, gestures and facial expressions to enhance the text’s meaning. Mr Pollicutt, Head of English
| Volunteer Work on the Island |
Miss Jody has been busy; not only has she been volunteering at the dog pound every weekend for many years, but she also spends her time cooking dog food too - to make sure the hungriest pups get fed. Look how much these hungry little guys are enjoying the food! The dogs are very lucky to have Miss Jody, she is a real superhero! If you’d like to volunteer with Miss Jody, let us know by writing to [email protected] or [email protected]. -Ms Charlotte Myers
| Student Success Out of School |
Congratulations to Namon Luangnitikul in Year 4 who was the 1st runner up for the TJDT MASTER FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP at Pattana Golf Club, Cholburi on the 25-27th of March 2022.
