Dates for Your Diary

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]

Skorts Now Available in School Shop

Due to popular demand, the school shop is now stocked with ‘skorts’ for female students in Years 1 to 11. Skorts are skirts with shorts sewn into them. To find out more, please visit our school shop.

Vendors for the Annual Aqua Panthers Swim Invitational

The Aqua Panthers would like to invite food vendors to participate in our second annual Aqua Panthers Swim Invitational. The event will take place on November 11th and 12th at our city school campus. We are expecting a significant turnout, with approximately 250-300 athletes plus parents, and coaches attending the event. This means there will be a good amount of foot traffic, providing an excellent opportunity for vendors to showcase their culinary offerings. The rate for participating as a food vendor is 350 baht per day. However, we kindly request vendors to commit to both days of the event to ensure a consistent presence throughout.

To avoid any conflicts with our existing vendors, we kindly ask that you provide us with information about the type of food you sell. This will help us ensure a diverse and complementary range of food options for our attendees. If you are interested in joining us as a food vendor for the Aqua Panthers Swim Invitational, please contact Coach Brown at [email protected]. Feel free to include any additional details or questions you may have. Thank you for considering this opportunity, and we look forward to hearing from you soon. Have a fantastic day! -Coach Brown

Friday Market

On the 3rd of November we will be hosting a special edition of the Friday Market. Vendors specialising in home made or eco items, as well as members of the community wanting to sell second hand clothes, toys, books, etc. are more than welcome to come and register for a free table at the Friday Market. If you are interested in receiving more information and registering, please feel free to contact the events team by writing to [email protected].

Thai Parents Meeting

Thai parents are invited to join our parent meeting on Tuesday 3rd October 2023 at 08.15 am in the Secondary Hall on the topic of ‘Thai University Applications’. This presentation will provide important details and information about top international universities in Thailand, entry requirements and how to apply through the TCAS system. The information will be presented in English and Thai by our Thai Management Team. I look forward to seeing you there. -Kru Nee, Thai School Director

Thai University Fair

We are delighted to welcome you to the third Thai University Fair at HeadStart International School on the 6th of October from 08:30-11:30 in the Sports Hall. Students and parents from Years 10 to 13 have been invited to join the fair, as we are eager for them to learn more about their university options in Thailand after leaving HeadStart. If you intend to come to the fair, please fill out this Google Form.We are looking forward to seeing you there! -HeadStart University Guidance Counselling Team

Saturday Thai Culture Club

The Thai department extends its heartfelt gratitude to all the students for their enthusiastic participation in this endeavor. We are dedicated to continuing our efforts in organizing more engaging and enjoyable activities in the future, all aimed at enhancing our students’ cultural experiences. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in Thai culture!

Early Years and Reception

Last Saturday, the Thai department hosted a wonderful event known as the Saturday Thai Culture Club to introduce our Early Years and Reception students to the enchanting world of ‘Chang Thai’ or Thai Elephants. Students had the incredible opportunity to learn about these majestic creatures. They discovered captivating facts about various parts of an elephant’s body and sang traditional Thai elephant songs. The students enjoyed assembling elephant jigsaw puzzles, learning about their food, and even had the chance to feed model elephants while crafting their own elephant trunk horns. Witnessing the smiles on both the children’s and parents’ faces was truly heartwarming, as this event brought our school community closer together. Thank you to all students and parents who participated in making this day special!

Year 1 to 3

Last weekend, our students from Year 1 to Year 3 had the incredible opportunity to join the Saturday Thai Culture Club. This time, we delved into the enchanting theme of ‘Nadtasin Thai’ or Thai Dance, celebrating the rich tradition of Thai dance. Our young learners showcased their enthusiasm as they sang Thai traditional songs and were mesmerized by captivating Thai dance performances, skillfully presented by school nurse, Pi Kaew. They had an experience with Thai dance costumes and even tried out some Thai dance steps themselves. A heartfelt thank you to all students who joined us on this incredible journey through the Saturday Thai Culture Club.

Year 4 to 6

At the Saturday Thai Culture Club last week, our students from Year 4 to Year 6 embarked on a fascinating journey to explore ‘Marayad Thai’ or Thai Etiquette, an equally enriching cultural experience. During this session, students delved into the intricacies of the “Wai,” a traditional Thai greeting gesture, and learned when and how to appropriately use it for various occasions. This valuable lesson in Thai manners not only deepens our students’ cultural awareness but also equips them with the ability to apply these customs gracefully in their daily lives.

Year 5 Using Inquiring Minds to explore our solar system

Last week, Year 5 Blue had the amazing opportunity to explore space at the planetarium. They sat back and relaxed while they were transported to far away corners of the galaxy, where they learned about Earth’s unique place within our solar system, and our solar system’s place within our galaxy and our galaxy’s place within the universe! They were also taken on a space-themed roller coaster and participated in an interactive quiz. They also had the amazing opportunity to gaze through real telescopes.

Football

• Our U17 Boys played their first game this past Saturday against Republic Football Academy. It was an even game which saw plenty of goals from both teams, including one from a well-organised corner kick, finished off by Sean Corley. -Dave Francis, HeadStart Football Coach

• Recently our U9 Boys Team travelled for their first ever away game after now becoming an official HeadStart Panthers Academy Team. The boys were super excited about the game and what a game it turned out to be! We had a fantastic start to the game and it was great to see the boys using what they had learnt in training and then putting into the game. We went ahead in the game with two great finishes in front of goal but we then conceded a series of quick goal to put ourselves on the chase. The boys showed that never give up attitude and immediately responded another two great goals. The game ended in a 5-5 draw with both teams giving everything and with smiles on their faces after the game. Well done boys! -Coach Frost

• The U17 boys travelled to KIS on Wednesday, which was their third game in the space of a week. Each game has been a great challenge and the boys have had to adapt to each environment. It was the rainy conditions this time as the ball travelled very quickly on the astro turf and each pass had to be precise. We had a great start and to the game and we went ahead early with a nice lob finish from Oscar. KIS came right back and the game was very competitive throughout. Wearing the new HeadStart Panthers Football Academy Away kit for the first time the boy did really well to manage the game and claim the victory. Well done boys! -Coach Frost
• The U13’s travelled to UWC on Thursday. Due to a number of players not available, some of the U11’s also took part in the game. It was a close game, with the younger players in particular adapting well to playing against older children. -Coach David Francis

PE Curriculum Update

It’s been an action packed start to the year for our Primary and Secondary students in PE. With a wide variety of activities across the whole curriculum it has meant students have had the opportunity to try their hand at a whole host of sports. From swimming to gymnastics to rugby and badminton, there really has been something for everyone to get stuck in to. Throughout the term so far our students have demonstrated their courage to take risks, try new things and push themselves out of their comfort zone. After the fantastic start to the school year, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year will bring in PE. -Ms Maddison Carter, Head of Physical Education

每年农历八月十五日是中国的传统节日中秋节，今年中秋节是9月29日，月圆满，人美满。值此中秋佳节来临之际，中文第一语言班开展了各项活动一起庆祝中秋节，同学们猜谜语，做中秋骰子，绘制月饼图案，写书法，做挂件，用粘土制作月饼和中国美食，最后还一同分享了美味的月饼。“海上生明月，天涯共此时”，别忘了和家人一起赏月、吃月饼，给朋友送去问候和祝福。中秋节快乐！

The 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the traditional Chinese festival known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 29th. On the occasion of this joyful festival, students from the Mandarin as First Language classes joined various activities to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together. We guessed riddles, played Mid-Autumn dice games, created mooncake designs, practiced calligraphy, made festival decorations, made mooncakes and Chinese cuisine out of clay, and in the end, shared delicious mooncakes together. “Though miles apart, we share the same bright moon,” so don’t forget to enjoy the moon and eat mooncakes with your family, and send greetings and blessings to your friends. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! -Ms Wenhui Zhong and Ms Yue Yao

Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA)

As part of our continuous professional development, the CAPA faculty are working within our subjects to demonstrate areas of teaching and learning to our colleagues. This week the Design Technology team took the lead, teaching the faculty design and making techniques with a focus on differentiation and pace and challenge. This was a thoroughly enjoyable session that encouraged many of us out of our comfort zone and into the role of student, an incredibly important task to allow us to understand how our young people learn. Thanks to Mr Wells, Khun Krit and Mr Lategan. -Ms Alia Sillett, Director of Creative & Performing Arts

Year 11 PSHE News

This Monday, we had an outside speaker, Farhana, visit to get the Year 11 students set up on the careers platform Unifrog. The platform helps students with the whole progression process - from exploring their interests to recording the great things they’ve done, finding education and training opportunities, and drafting their applications for further education. Students can look at careers, the qualifications needed, and which universities worldwide offer these courses. The year 11 students will continue to use this platform in their PSHE lessons and as they move on into the Sixth form next year. -Mr Benham

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

The EPQ is an independent project that Sixth Form students can choose to undertake alongside their A Levels, and can be on any topic of their choosing. It is worth an AS Level and students can even achieve an A*. At the beginning of year 12, all students are taught skills that they need in order to undertake a project, such as designing a question, critically analysing sources, undertaking research and referencing. After a course of taught sessions, students can decide whether to take on their own written project (of approximately 6000 words), and independently complete it over the course of a year with supervision and subject specialist support.

Last year we launched the Extended project Qualification (EPQ) in the Sixth Form with great success. Two students successfully completed an EPQ project with incredible results; our students achieved an A* and an A grade, on ‘stem cells and heart failure’ and ‘surrealism and mental health’ respectively. We are incredibly pleased to be able to offer this to our sixth formers as it is a valuable qualification that supports academic writing, and builds vital skills needed for university and beyond. Our current year 12’s are busy thinking up their own research questions and topics. We look forward to seeing their projects evolve this year! -Ms Gratton

English Department News

This week, I had the pleasure of attending Mr. Benham’s Year 11 assembly about the benefits of his favourite subject: sleep. It was very informative to his year group and offered me a timely reminder on sleep’s central importance to learning. As we approach half term, I thought it apposite to remind all of the learning community of sleep’s cognitive benefits.

• Congratulations to Rita who came second in the ‘I DID IT SERIES’ at Blue Tree in the individual 5-9 Year old / 100M category.
• Congratulations to Whan Whan who competed in the Asia Open Dance Championship (AODC) and won the Silver Award for the Modern Jazz Solo category.