Chaofah City
Chaofah City
Weekly Update #7, 4 October 2024
Announcements
Yearbook Photoshoot Happening Next Week
Our annual photoshoot for the whole school yearbook has arrived. This is your child’s chance to capture the smiles and laughter they share with their classmates and to preserve memories of friendships, achievements, and experiences at our Chaofah City campus. Our professional photoshoot will take place from Monday 7th October to Thursday 10th October. Your child’s homeroom teacher has communicate which day their class will have their photos taken. Please make sure your child is dressed in their correct uniform (light blue shirt, beige shorts/skort) and the are looking at their best. We look forward to capturing and sharing their bright smiles!
Community Beach Clean
We look forward to seeing you at our next beach clean held at Rawai beach, THIS Sunday 6th October (9:30am @ We Cafe). Bring with you water, suncream, a hat and reusable gloves if you want to wear them. We will provide collection bags and of course House Points for every participant.
So come join us for a fun and rewarding community event where we give back to our local community.
Parent Committee Meeting
On Wednesday 30th October, the HeadStart Chaofah City campus Parent Committee will hold their first meeting of the year with the school’s Management team. Should you have any questions you would like answered or points to be raised at this meeting, please contact the Parent Committee directly via email on [email protected]. The Parent Committee looks forward to hearing from you and working with you for the betterment of our school and its wider community.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival
The Phuket Vegetarian festival will take place from the 2nd to 11th October 2024.
All staff and students are invited to dress in white on Friday 11th October to join the Phuket community in celebrating the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a colourful annual event held on the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, usually in September or October. The festival celebrates the Chinese community’s belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants will help them obtain good health and peace of mind.
The festival is famous for its ‘extreme’ celebrations. These include acts that invoke the gods, from firewalking to body piercing. Acts of self-mortification are undertaken by participants who act as mediums of the gods.
There will be an additional 2 options of vegetarian meals during lunch on Friday 11th October.
Here is the website to look at to see what is happening for the festival. It’s well worth reading:
About the Vegetarian Festival
https://www.phuket101.net/phuket-vegetarian-festival/
Official Schedule (Warning of road closures and big traffic early in morning hours)
https://www.thephuketnews.com/official-schedule-for-the-phuket-vegetarian-festival-93836.php
Upcoming Events
Wai Kru (Teacher Appreciation) Ceremony
We are delighted to extend an invitation to all students and parents to join our Wai Kru (Teacher Appreciation) Ceremonies at our Chaofah City campus. This ceremony holds deep cultural significance and takes place in schools throughout Thailand at the start of each academic year. It is a special occasion where students express their respect and appreciation for their teachers by presenting them with flowers.
Students are encouraged to bring flowers to express their appreciation for their teachers.
Dates and times for our Foundation and Primary & Secondary Wai Kru Ceremonies can be found in the poster below.
October Half-term Basketball Camp
Join our October Half-term Basketball Camp from Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th October (3 days) at HeadStart International School Chaofah City campus.
This is the perfect opportunity for players to play fun basketball and develop new skills in a positive environment.
Camp starts at 09:00am (drop off after 08:30am) and finishes at 2:00pm with lunch provided! Open to students in Year 4 to Year 9. Players will be split into the appropriate groups, depending on their age and abilities.
Expect high-quality coaching, lots of fun and medals to be won! To sign up please contact Head Coach Mike [email protected]
Sign up today. Limited spaces available!
Russian Language Day
Dear Parents,
We invite you to celebrate the Day of the Russian Language, which will take place on Saturday, 26 October, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at our HeadStart Chaofah City campus.
Please fill out the following registration form where you will find details about the upcoming celebration by 8th October.
We would like to remind you that an adult family member must accompany your child during the event, who will be responsible for their safety at that time.
This year, the format of the shared meal at the end of the event will change. There will be no free treats for children and adults. Instead, we plan to hold a gastronomic fair where you can buy or sell food. This is a great opportunity for participants to promote their products. We encourage you to be an active participant in the event so that, together with the HeadStart team, we can make the Day of the Russian Language a fun and unforgettable occasion!
Sincerely,
The Russian-speaking team of HeadStart School
Уважаемые родители!
Приглашаем Вас на празднование Дня русского языка, которое состоится в субботу, 26 октября, с 9:00 до 12:00 в кампусе HeadStart Chaofah City.
Пожалуйста, до 8 октября заполните форму регистрации, в которой Вы также найдете детали о предстоящем празднике.
Обращаем Ваше внимание на то, что во время мероприятия с ребенком должен находиться взрослый член семьи, который несет ответственность за его безопасность в это время.
В этом году формат совместной трапезы в конце мероприятия изменится. Бесплатные угощения для детей и взрослых не предусмотрены. Вместо этого планируется гастрономическая ярмарка, на которой Вы можете продать или купить угощения. Это отличный способ для участников прорекламировать свою продукцию.
Просим Вас быть активным участником мероприятия, чтобы вместе с коллективом школы HeadStart сделать День русского языка веселым и незабываемым событием!
Meetings & Presentations
UPrep Meeting: Choosing Subjects & Careers
Thanks to the parents who joined us for our most recent UPrep meeting on the topic of choosing a university subject that is right for your child and the different career paths that they may lead to. Next week, we invite parents to join us for a chance to compare the different university systems across the globe. This meeting will take place on Wednesday 9th October in the Primary Hall (second floor).
Parent Meeting: Helping your Child with Behaviour in EYFS
Come join us! We welcome parents of our Foundation age children to join us for our latest parent meeting when we will discuss strategies and approaches to help your child with their behaviour and explain how these are used in the classroom. We look forward to seeing you there! Tuesday 8th October 2024 from 8:30-9:30am in the Primary Hall (second floor).
Meet the Team
At HeadStart Chaofah City Campus, our Languages Department is led by Ben Salmon and powered by a dynamic team of dedicated educators. Specialising in French, Mandarin, and Russian, the team includes Benoit Pierre and Domitille Rodts for French; Yuru Qiao (Mandarin Coordinator), Hengkun Fang, Wenhui Zhong, and Yue Yao for Mandarin; and Sabina Kiiamova (Russian Coordinator) and Tatiana Oparenko for Russian. Together, they teach students from Year 1 to Year 12, fostering a love for languages while preparing them for success in exams like IGCSE, A-level, HSK, and DELF. With their collaborative spirit and creative teaching methods, the Chaofah City Campus team makes language learning exciting and impactful for all students.
PE & Sports News
A Fantastic Football Trip for the U15 Girls
The first tournament of the new academic year and a first ever for one of our HeadStart Academy football teams to travel to Koh Samui for the International Samui 7’s Football Tournament.
Ten selected U15 Girls from our HeadStart Chaofah City Panthers football academy took the exciting trip to Koh Samui to compete against seven different football academies and schools from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
The tournament was an amazing experience for both the coaches and players and the girls certainly enjoyed their trip. The tournament itself was challenging; however, the girls showed great togetherness throughout and on the pitch there were some great moments.
The team narrowly missed out on the third position playoff match and that experience will certainly motivate them for future matches and tournaments. Overall, a fantastic football trip with some great football and forever memories made. Well Done Girls! Coach Frost – Head Football Coach
HeadStart Panthers Medal Up at U14 B’Ball Championships
At the PISAC U14 Championships held at UWC, the HeadStart Panthers Boys’ and Girls’ teams fought hard against the opposing competition – UWC, BISP, BCIS and KIS. After an afternoon full of intense basketball, the girls team came away with 2nd place and the boys finished 3rd. Both teams learned a lot from the experience and, as coaches, we are very proud of both squads. All on board are eager to bring more energy, skill and IQ to the court in an effort to come away with 1st place in the upcoming tournaments. Come out and support us in our journey! Coach Grant – Basketball Coach
U15 PISAC Volleyball
Really well done to our U15 mixed volleyball team who participated in the PISAC Volleyball Tournament at BCIS on Thursday.
Everyone had a smashing time and HeadStart finished the tournament in 2nd place. Well done!
O15 Volleyballers Place Third!
Our O15 team narrowly missed out on the final and placed 3rd in the PISAC Volleyball Tournament held at BCIS. They played with excellent determination, perseverance and teamwork. Well done to all those involved. Ms Carter – Head of PE
Thai Department
Thai Etiquette Competition
On September 25th, the Thai department organised our annual Thai Etiquette Competition, aiming to promote Thai etiquette and good manners in our young children. This event provided a great opportunity for our young students in Foundation to showcase their cultural knowledge and skills in Thai manners. We were privileged to have Khun Dao Boonyuen Frederiksen, a former HeadStart parent, and Mrs Warangrat Boontangjai, mother of Prem in Year 7 for joining us as an etiquette judge.
All the students performed a fantastic job at each station, impressively demonstrating Thainess in their own unique ways. We are so proud of the students who participated and gave their big efforts to this competition. We also invited Kwankao in Year 7 and Tiger from Year 3 as the representatives of HeadStart from last year to give a beautiful demonstration to our parents.
Here are the students who took part in each age group:
In the 3 – 4 years age group for boys:
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Andaman Ernst (Isaac)
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Phupha Jantharo (Phupha)
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Vmin Yorsaengrat (Harper)
In the 3 – 4 years age group for girls:
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Nara Jantharo (Nara)
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Ornmarin Chantrangsri (Marin)
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Chalisarat Sakornsin (Lalin)
A big thank you to Kru Lookpla and our Thai teachers for training our students for this competition and for working together to organise this beautiful Thai event. Additionally, we express our appreciation to our Thai parents for their participation and support our Thai programme as always. Sontana Baci (Kru Nee) – School Director
Languages Department
Using Games to Develop Mandarin Character-reading Skills
Students enhance their understanding of Chinese characters and culture through various classroom activities. Games like Chinese character puzzles and the “hammer game” help reinforce their memory of characters, while different types of hands-on activities provide deeper insights into Chinese culture. Ms Fang – Mandarin Foreign Language Teacher
Learning About Autumn in Russian Language Lessons
Our Year 1 students have completed a cycle of lessons about autumn as part of their Russian language lessons. We explored the seasons, discussed autumn signs, and named the autumn months. The kids eagerly shared their observations: some noticed how the leaves change color, while others recalled the rain and migrating birds. The children also learned poems about autumn and recited them from memory. We didn’t forget about the importance of fine motor skills either. During our lessons, we created beautiful autumn crafts that decorated our classroom. Each lesson is a step towards new knowledge and skills, and we embrace this journey with joy! Ms Kiiamova – Russian Language Teacher
Foundation
Celebrating our Thai First Language Learners in Foundation
Thank you so much to all the parents who attended our Thai First Language assembly. We are incredibly proud of all the children for their first performance of the year. They spoke with such confidence, showing great respect during the Thai national anthem, and their performance of the beautiful Thai meditation song was so calming and lovely to witness.
Once again, thank you for your support. We are truly proud of the children and all they have accomplished! Ms Hughes – Deputy Head of Foundation
Primary
A Chocolate Factory Adventure for Year 5
This week, Year 5 embarked on a delicious adventure to the Barada Chocolate Factory in Rawai, where they learned all about the fascinating journey of chocolate — from bean to bar! Students explored the importance of ethical farming in cocoa production and got hands-on in the chocolate-making process. After discovering the steps involved, they put their creativity to the test by crafting their very own chocolate bars. It was a truly sweet and educational experience for all! The Year 5 Teaching Team
Star of the Week: Kindness
Primary Homeroom teachers had a difficult job this week: they had to choose just 1 pupil from their classes to be the Star of the Week for ‘Kindness’. All our students show kindness to each other every day so to pick just 1 was very hard! These students’ kindness, empathy, and compassion have shone brightly this week. Well done everybody!
Secondary
Year 7 Science
Year 7 students have enthusiastically embraced the challenges of working in the Secondary Science laboratory, where hands-on learning is at the heart of the curriculum. Through practical-based lessons, they are developing key skills that reflect our school’s learner attributes of being inquisitive, collaborative, and, most importantly, courageous. As they step out of their comfort zones, students are learning to safely handle scientific equipment and apply their knowledge in real-world contexts. We look forward to seeing how these budding scientists grow and what they will accomplish as they apply their new skills in the future! Mrs Marsh – Head of Science
Developing Website Development Skills in BTEC IT
Year 13 BTEC IT students have embarked on an exciting project centered around website development. Tasked with analysing existing websites, they are not only honing their technical skills but also preparing to create their own for a real company. Recently, the students had the opportunity to visit The Percentage Company. This experience was invaluable, allowing students to engage directly with industry professionals. Hearing firsthand insights into web design practices and standards enriched their understanding of the field, providing real-world context to their academic studies. During the visit, students explored the functionality and purposes of websites, gaining knowledge that will greatly benefit their research efforts. As part of their project, they will compare and analyse existing hotel websites, investigating design elements, user experience, and best practices in web development. Following their research, they will present their findings in a detailed report before diving into the practical phase of developing and designing a website for a company. This project not only enhances their technical competencies but also fosters critical thinking and collaboration skills, preparing them for future endeavors in the tech industry. The insights gained from industry professionals, combined with their hands-on experience, are sure to elevate their learning experience and equip them with the tools needed for success in the digital landscape. Ms Jones – BTEC Coordinator
Literature AS Students Get Their First Ever Taste of a VIMA!
These milestone assessments are designed to prepare students for their examinations by emulating exam conditions and questions.
What sets them apart is the level of feedback they receive from their teachers: personalised feedback; whole class feedback; and a model essay written by the teacher, which also is designed to feed forward into their next VIMA: no Chat GPT here!
Here is what students have said about VIMAs in the past:
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“I think my assessment writing has improved, because I write more than 2 pages on most and I feel like my thoughts are a lot more organised when I write because of timed practice like vimas.”
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“I find the VIMAs very useful as they are like mini mock exams that prepare us for the real exam, so when I have a VIMA next it is like a jump-scare that catalyses me into revising as if it were to be the real exam. I would like to have them more as they are very helpful and we get good feedback that helps us see where we need to improve.”
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“Really useful, makes me summarise all my thoughts per topic or poem which I find useful. I wouldn’t want any other form of assessments.”
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“They are useful and maybe having a few every month would be quite helpful, (not sure about this! Mr. Pollicutt) especially when given some harder extracts like ones that are heavy in intertextual references in case they come up in the real exams.”
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“The feedback Mr. Pollicutt gave me was (and still is) useful because it’s straight to the point. If it’s straightforward it’s easy to understand and makes it faster to then work on them. It’s related to my biggest weaknesses which I am aware of so it’s good to pinpoint them.” Mr Pollicutt – Head of English & EAL
ECA News
2nd Student Chess Tournament
Fight for cash prizes totaling 4000 THB, medals and a bunch of other attractive awards for all participants! All HeadStart students are welcome and all players are going to be awarded!
🗓️ Date: Saturday, 12th October
🕘 Time: Attendance check 11:15am
📍 Location: Canteen, Chaofah City Campus
To register and reserve your place, act fast! Double entry fee if register on the day of tournament! Contact Coach Dawid.
HeadStart Eco School
Eco Committees
The Secondary Eco Committee, led by Alex (Y13), Peter (Y12) and Mr Dempsey, meets Fridays to undertake campaign planning and host activities in the Atrium. Activities will begin in Term 1.5 following the new theme of Climate.
The Upper Primary Eco Committee, led by Mr Stanbra, will have its first meeting week beginning 7th October. Activities will begin in term 1.5 following the new theme of Climate.
The Lower Primary Eco Committee, led by Mr Gratto,n will have its first meeting on Tuesday 8th October. In this meeting, we will seek to map out our year and choose our main campaign.
October is the Vegetarian Festival
This Phuket-based and original festival promotes healthy and balanced living through a reduction of meat and other stimulants within one’s diet. The festival offers opportunities all over Phuket to engage in a meat-free lifestyle. Not only is such an approach cleansing for the body but also beneficial to our local and wider community. Reducing our meat intake, especially beef and pork, reduces the negative carbon footprint we have as individuals. So, engage with the principles of the festival and do your bit to reduce the carbon associated with meat consumption.
Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution! Please Take Our Quick Anonymous Survey!
Hi HeadStart Community!
We need YOUR voice in an exciting international environmental research project that assists scientists in exploring the impacts of combined pollution on the beautiful oceans of Southeast Asia, specifically the Phuket Region.
- Why does this matter?
While plastic waste is visible and concerning, hidden dangers from some other chemicals found in sunscreen can exacerbate the damage to marine life.
- Your Contribution is Vital!
We invite you to participate in our anonymous online survey. Your input will help us identify trends in the usage habits of both plastics and sunscreens to optimise our future experimental design, and raise awareness about marine conservation where needed. Plus, you can skip any questions that make you uncomfortable—no pressure!
- Participate Now and Make a Difference!
Click the link below to access the survey and help us protect our oceans!
Thank you for your enthusiasm and commitment to help scientists help our oceans!
| Did You Know? | A final summary for our 5xR focus. AIS stores across Phuket will collect and dispose of your electrical items. Uniglo in Central will collect and recycle your fabrics. Hold onto reusable clothes ready for our Sunshine Village collection. Finally reduce your usage of plastic – say no to straws here in school at the cafe and within your wider community. |
| Something To Think About | As we move towards the end of the rainy season we move towards our new focus on Climate. What actions are you already taking to reduce your impact upon the climate of Phuket? Do you leave the engine running while waiting at pick up? Do you drive when you could walk or car share? Do you consume more water than you really need? |
| Interesting Links | A list of all upcoming beach cleans: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11de7WbKqnAfBrnqCvo2i73K-Hdc59iwC/view?usp=sharing |
| Request | Keep collecting those thin plastic bags, wrappers, crisp bags or plastic food wrappers please collect these at home, perhaps in a plastic bag. In the coming weeks we will be asking for donations of such material to help with our monthly Eco Brick Challenge. Better still make your own Eco Brick at home. |
Student Success Outside School
🏅 Congratulations to Ray (2 Blue) for winning the Gold prize in Section 3 of the free program (Infant B course) for the cello at the 25th Osaka International Music Competition (DVD audition). Ray performed the cello piece, “Rigadoon”, and was awarded the Gold prize so passing to the final round of the competition. He will travel to Japan next week to attend the final round on Sunday 6th October in Osaka, where he will perform “Etude”, live on stage. We all wish you the best of luck, Ray!
🥈 Congratulations to Whanwhan (3 White) for receiving the Silver Award for her Modern Jazz Solo performance in the Children B category at the Asia Open Dance Championship 2024 in Kuala Lumpur.
Important Dates
Noticeboard
