Weekly Update #9, 27 October 2023
| Announcements |
HeadStart Cherngtalay Expansion - Phase 2
Following the highly successful opening of our new campus in August 2023, HeadStart International School Cherngtalay Campus is excited to announce the next phase of our development plan as we look to expand our state-of-the-art facilities to ensure an even more enriching learning environment for our burgeoning school community in the north of Phuket. We are now excited to confirm the second phase of development due for completion by August 2024. This will see the expansion of our Foundation and Primary classrooms to two form entry (a total of 408 students) along with the introduction of a Secondary programme, with two classes (or 48 students) per year group from Year 7 to Year 9. The transformation to a two-form entry school marks a significant milestone. This expansion reflects our commitment to meeting the growing demand for quality education and allows us to welcome more students into our vibrant learning community, fostering diversity and enriching the educational experience for all - 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.
The Aqua Panthers Need YOU!
We are reaching out to you with an exciting opportunity for you and your son / daughter (Year 9-13) to be a part of the Aqua Panthers Invitational as a volunteer. This event promises to be an exhilarating experience for all participants. We understand the value of your time and commitment, which is why we are thrilled to offer an enticing incentive package exclusively for our dedicated volunteers. By joining us for both days of the event, you will receive a complimentary event t-shirt, showcasing the involvement in this memorable occasion. Not only will you (or your son /daughter) be part of the action, you will also have a stylish memento to cherish for years to come. Students who work both days will receive 600 baht to Central Festival. To keep energy levels high throughout the event, we have arranged for delicious meals and snacks to be provided. They can focus on enjoying the thrilling races and supporting the talented swimmers without worrying about going hungry.
Please take note of the event schedule:
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Saturday: 07:30 - 18:00 (approximate finish time)
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Sunday: 07:30 - 17:00 (approximate finish time)
By committing their time and skills as a timer for both days, your son / daughter will not only gain valuable experience but also contribute to the success of the Aqua Panthers Invitational. Their presence will be highly appreciated by the swimmers, coaches, and the entire organizing team. If you or your son / daughter is interested in this incredible opportunity, please fill out this link with the confirmation. Spaces are limited, so be sure to secure your spot as soon as possible. Thank you for considering this invitation to be a part of an unforgettable event. We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to the Aqua Panthers Invitational!
| Meetings & Presentations |
UPrep Presentation on 25.10.23
We hope that everyone that attended our last UPrep talk on the topic of ‘Comparing Different University Systems’ found it helpful. The presentation is now available here along with all of our other UPrep presentations to date. On 1 November, Wednesday at 8:15 our UPrep team will be hosting a drop in session in Nakita’s Coffee shop. We invite all interested parents to come and join and ask questions and seek advice if needed.
Year 1 & 2 Parent Phonics Workshop on 31.10.23
I would like to invite all our Year 1 and 2 parents to a workshop/information session, led by Mr Moore, to help you to better understand our approach to teaching phonics. This workshop will last for about one hour and will take place on Tuesday 31st October 2023 in the Secondary Hall. We will be starting at 8.15am. At this workshop you will have an opportunity to understand how phonics is used to develop your child’s reading skills, and look at ways that you can support your child’s reading skills outside of school. I look forward to seeing you all then. -Sam Khan, Head Teacher of Foundation and Primary
| Community Links - Term 1 Fundraiser for Phuket Sunshine Village |
Each year, as a school community we are committed to raising money for the children of Phuket Sunshine Village. Our goal is to raise 3,000 Baht for each child. This donation will cover a child’s new school uniform, socks and shoes, transport to and from school and school lunch for one whole year. Such a contribution can make a huge difference to the lives of PSV children and serves to strengthen our ties with the local community and develop ways in which we can educate our own students to share the good fortune that we enjoy. We welcome members of our community to donate individually, as a family, a company or as a classroom. Please consider joining this appeal and donating towards the living cost of a child in need. Our PSV donation drive has begun in full ernest and we already have 11 children sponsored since it’s launch at the beginning of the week! A hearfelt thank you to: Veerarat (Jom), the Ott family, the Bilous family, the Ernst family, the Fammilume family and a special mention to the
Lam family who has sponsored not one, but 20 children from the Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation!
| School Events |
Foundation Wai Kru
A sincere thank you goes out to our Thai Department for organising such a memorable Wai Kru event this year. Also to all of the support staff and most of all to all parents for your unwavering support. Your efforts in bringing in flowers and participating in the event contributed to the warmth and success of this special occasion.
Primary Wai Kru 2023
The Wai Kru event for our Primary children, parents and teachers was a truly wonderful occasion that brought our community together in a spirit of love and appreciation. Congratulations to Buahom and Sebastian, our Head Girl and Head Boy, who did such an amazing job of MC’ing the event, to Jagger and Pu for their heartfelt speeches thanking their teachers and to Saraphina for leading the student pledge and Prim for leading everyone in the student song. The students were followed by our very own teacher, Ms. Whitehead, who spoke so eloquently about her own childhood experiences and why she is so proud to have become a teacher.
The highlight of our ceremony was the children’s performance of the classic song from Matilda, ‘When I Grow Up’, a fantastic celebration of what it’s like to be a child. A sincere thank you goes out to our Thai Department for organising such a memorable event. Also to all of the support staff as well as our military cadets who represented at botht the Primary and secondary events. Thank you to all parents for your unwavering support. Your efforts in bringing in flowers and participating in the event contributed to the warmth and success of this special occasion.
Secondary Wai Kru
The Wai Kru event for our Secondary students and teachers was a wonderful occasion that brought our community together in a spirit of love and appreciation. Congratulations to Charles and Nae Nae, our Head Girl and Head Boy, who did such an amazing job of MC’ing the event, to Timofey, Seungha and Mehar for their heartfelt speeches thanking their teachers and to Alisa for leading the student pledge and Pan Pan for leading everyone in the student song.
The highlight of our ceremony was the Secondary Choir and Hypnosis band’s performance of ‘In My Life’ by the Beatles. A sincere thank you goes out to our Thai Department for organising such a memorable event. Also to all of the support staff as well as our military cadets.
| Eco School Update |
Robert Gratton
I am an experienced educationalist with over two decades working as a teacher, school leader, teacher trainer and researcher with the UCL Institute of Education. A History graduate, with PGCE in Secondary Education, a Masters in Guiding Effective Learning, and with a decade spent investigating the nature of Collaboration, I have been fortunate to work across numerous innovative and forward thinking projects within education internationally. This has included leading Curriculum development within Sweden, establishing new schools such as the UCL Academy and co-founding a centre for education in the outdoors focusing on wellbeing, creativity and sustainability in Wales. I am an advocate for the human centred approach to individual, societal and global sustainable practice. My passion for the Humanities is derived from a belief that we can utilise an education through the Humanities subjects to empower learners to become critical, compassionate and collaborative global citizens. To become life-long, life-wide learners and to become better prepared for an unknown future. To HeadStart I bring this commitment, this drive and this ambition to use the Humanities to transform the lives of each and every learner. My second year here at HeadStart will see a reinvigoration of the Humanities and a renewed drive to ensuring every learner activates their capacity to become a fully active and internationally aware learner.
“Sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you've been and remember the person you were meant to be. The person you want to be. The person you are.” - H.G. Wells
As we begin afresh after the Midterm break I wanted to introduce you to the latest HeadStart initiative; HeadStart Eco School.
HeadStart is well known for the work it does to minimise its impact on the environment and foster more sustainable practices. As a school community we are committed to ensuring we can work towards even greater sustainable practices, within the school and within the community. Working with the school leadership team we have created the HeadStart Eco School as a way of organising and enhancing our practices. Over the coming years we will work to raise Awareness, identify Actions we can take, Assimilate sustainable practices into the classroom and curriculum and Advocate for change throughout the community.
One of the most important parts of this is the introduction of Eco School Committees led by students and helped along by passionate educators. We have created 4 committees, Foundation & Key Stage 1, Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary and have been working to recruit student volunteers to represent their Homeroom and year groups in these committees as Eco School Ambassadors. These committees will help identify, plan and drive activities across the school. Our Upper Secondary Eco Committee meets every Friday in the atrium to run activities including repurposing plastics for craft, organising our monthly beach cleans (look out for information on how to join these soon) and facilitating Eco Journalism through our new student newsletter. Our Lower Secondary Eco Committee meets on the 30th of October at which time students will determine how they want to direct their activities. Recruitment for the other committees will take place in the coming weeks.
I am really excited about this development and I look forward to sharing our work with you and involving you in our activities as much as we possibly can.
Did You Know: HeadStart collects food waste, with students separating their food waste into different bins. This is then collected, every day, by local farmers to be turned into food for pigs and ducks on the island. A great example of sustainable circularity.
Request: Please collect plastic, washed (we can’t use dirty bottles), drinks bottles (with labels removed) along with the plastic lids. If providing milk bottles please wash these well. These bottles can be placed in the recycling bins to the left of the entrance gates. All bottles will be repurposed into items we can use in the school.
Something To Think About: With Halloween approaching you will be thinking about decorations and costumes. But what are the possible environmental impacts of these one off decorations? We can look to reduce plastic waste by not buying throw away plastic decorations and make a choice to buy or make paper or reusable decorations, and costumes. Fast Fashion such as plastic (polyester) costumes have a huge impact on the environment at every stage of the production process. So when making your Halloween choices over the next few days consider the hidden Horrors of a plastic heavy Halloween. See the links below for some more thoughts on a reduced plastic Halloween.
Interesting Links: Terrifying Trash – Halloween Costume Waste in the US and Haulternatives for a Waste-free Halloween.
| Primary |
This week in Year 4, we had our WOW day. We introduced our new humanities topic: Blue World. We will learn all about life in the oceans. Today we had a great time making sock octopuses, an ocean in a bottle and creating underwater sun catchers! -Mr Ed Mosley
Congratulations to Bogdan, Jemma, Nora, and Chloe in Year 4 for being Library Monitors this month.
‘Social Fitness’ sessions, run by the Parent Committee are in full swing on the running track every Monday morning from 8:00-9:00am. Come and join the fun!
| Student Success Out of School |
Congratulations to Jaya for winning medals for all three dances that she competed in at the Singapore Dance Alliance International Arts Festival 2023.
| Proomotions from Around the Island |
