Weekly Update #16, 12 December 2025

Merry Christmas!

Dear HeadStart Community,

As Term 1 draws to a close, we wish you the happiest of holidays at this festive time of the year. I would like to thank you all for the never-ending support of our families, teachers and support staff who have contributed in no small way to making HeadStart the success that it is today. I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable start to the year, and had the opportunity to enjoy the many activities on offer in this first term. Whether that was at the AquaPanthers Invitational, the Soccer 7s, our Thai cultural events like Wai Kru and Loy Krathong, or the Christmas Fair to name but a few. It has been a busy, but I hope an enjoyable term and we are glad to have had you all as part of it.

May your holiday be filled with love, laughter and joy!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mr Drew and Family

Toddler Playgroup Returns

Our free Toddler Playgroup at HeadStart Cherngtalay campus is back! Parents with children aged 1-4 years are invited to join us on Wednesday, 14th January from 9:00 to 10:00am. Designed for toddlers, this session is guided by our qualified team and offers a range of play-based activities, including sensory stations, hands-on crafts, story time, and songs to develop motor skills and curiosity. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to connect and experience our school community. Please scan the QR code in the poster to register your interest.

Play and Picnic – Year 1 & 2

Join us for a joyful morning of fun, laughter, and togetherness at our Play & Picnic event! This special day is for the whole family to enjoy and will be packed with exciting games, a magical magic show, and of course, a delicious picnic on the grass.

Bring your picnic blanket, your playful spirit, and the whole family! Families are encouraged to join in the games, make memories, and enjoy a relaxed, community-focused day full of smiles.

This event is for Year 1 & 2 students and their families.

FREE to attend. To register for this event, please complete our Play & Picnic Registration Form.

📅 Date: Saturday, 24 January 2026

⏰ Time: 9:00 – 11:00 AM

📍 Location: Covered Football Pitch – Chaofah City Campus

What to Bring:

✅ Sunhat, sunscreen & water bottle

✅ Picnic snacks (finger food)

✅ Small blanket or mat for seating

Important Guidelines:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parental Supervision: Parents are required to accompany and actively participate with their children throughout the event.

⚠️ Responsibility: Parents are responsible for their children at all times during the event.

We can’t wait to see you and your little ones there!

A Day of Festive Fun

It was truly wonderful to see so many families come together for our Christmas Fair this week, creating a fantastic atmosphere of community spirit. We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended and to the many vendors who filled our market with such a great variety of Christmas-themed food, drinks, and gifts. The buzz around the stalls and the joy on the students’ faces made all the hard work behind the scenes worthwhile.

The event was packed with festive highlights, from the beautiful carol singing and stage performances organised by our CAPA department to the fun games and activities run by our Secondary Student Leadership team. It was lovely to see the younger students enjoying the activities and, of course, the special visit from Santa Claus. Thank you to our dedicated staff, the BTEC and Senior Prefect students from our Choafah campus for their service, and our supportive parent community for making this such a memorable celebration.

You can download a full gallery of pictures here: Christmas Fair 2025 Gallery

Karpenko Gymnastics Academy to Make HeadStart Cherngtalay its Home

We are thrilled to announce that from January 2026, Karpenko Gymnastics Academy (KGA) will make HeadStart Cherngtalay campus their operational base. This exciting development means we can offer additional classes to our ECA students, utilising extensive professional equipment to provide an exceptional gymnastics experience. KGA is currently working hard to instill the fundamentals of the sport with existing students and looks forward to introducing parent engagement sessions, competitive programmes, and overseas competitions as our gymnasts progress. To learn more about these opportunities, please contact [email protected].

Checkmate! A Record-Breaking Weekend of Chess at HeadStart

What an unforgettable event! We welcomed an amazing 96 players representing 12 different schools and clubs to our campus this weekend. The atmosphere was buzzing with energy, boosted by the surprise participation of players all the way from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which added a wonderful international touch. Our Under-8 category was particularly lively, featuring 21 brave young talents who played with incredible focus. Huge thanks to our sponsors—50 Fly Trampoline Club and Play Yard Restaurant—for their support in making this tournament exceptional.

On the competitive side, HeadStart students truly shone. HeadStart students captured 1st place in the U14 section (Tigran (9 Blue Cherngtalay)), and Girls categories, secured 2nd place in U8, U10, and U16, and achieved 3rd place in U12 and U16. A special shout-out goes toPoppy (9 White Chaofah City), who delivered an extraordinary performance by winning the Girls category and simultaneously earning 2nd place in the U16 section. Congratulations as well toRatmir (6 Blue Chaofah City),Nikolai (5 Blue Chaofah City), andRemy (3 Yellow Chaofah City) for their podium finishes. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next tournament on 17th January!

End of Term Chess Camp at Chaofah City Campus

Registration is now open for our End of Term Chess Camp, running from 15-19 December. This programme is open to students aged 7 and above and takes place at our Chaofah City Campus from 9:00 to 14:00. You can choose to book per day (2,000 THB) or for the full 5-day week (8,000 THB). Lunch is included in the fee. To sign up, please scan the QR code in the poster or email [email protected].

Making the Right Move: Expanding Our Chess Programme

Starting in Term 2, we are expanding our ECA Chess Programme to offer students more opportunities to develop their strategic thinking. We are introducing new Beginner and Intermediate classes every Friday at the Cherngtalay campus, along with an enhanced weekend programme available at both campuses for those wishing to advance their training.

The weekend sessions feature two distinct levels: a two-hour ‘FUN-damentals’ class for beginners and a three-hour ‘Chess Academy’ for advanced players. Designed to complement our weekday ECAs, these sessions provide the perfect environment for budding strategists to deepen their skills and progress rapidly.

End of Term 1 Fun Football Festival

Our Panthers Football Academy marked the end of a successful Term 1 with an action-packed Fun Football Festival. It was a fantastic opportunity to bring our football academy community together, with matches including a Parents vs Teachers face-off and several exciting games where students took on parent teams. We look forward to more community football events in Term 2, including the 24 Hours to Make a Difference event.

Blue Tigers Claim Victory at Primary Swim Gala

Congratulations to Blue House for securing the overall victory during our Primary Swim Gala week! It was an action-packed event with scores remaining close right to the end. Well done to the Blue Tigers for the win, and to all our students for their incredible effort and sportsmanship throughout the 3 days of swimming. The PE Team

Year 8 French Students Cook Up Collaboration

Our Year 8 French students recently put their language skills to the test in a delicious way. Working in two teams, students were tasked with baking traditional French Christmas biscuits. The challenge required them to rely on their teamwork and communication skills to follow recipe instructions entirely in French, reusing the specific cooking vocabulary they have been studying in class.

The session was a fantastic display of the ‘Collaborative’ learner attribute. Students supported one another through the steps, ensuring their measurements and methods were precise. As Jeason Cong (Year 8 Yellow) remarked, “I learned how to make French Xmas biscuits. It was nice and the biscuits were delicious!” The result was perfectly golden biscuits and a genuine sense of shared achievement.

Smiles and Songs at Christmas Stay & Plays

Thank you so much to all the parents who joined us for our Stay & Play sessions. Your presence made the day feel incredibly special, and we truly appreciate the time you spent celebrating with us. We are beyond proud of the children for their performances, Reception’s first-ever show was absolutely amazing. They worked so hard, showed so much confidence, and brought the whole story to life so beautifully. It was a joy to watch everything come together.

This year, we were inspired by our wonderful parent, Kiana Maggiolo, whose book highlights how Christmas is celebrated in different places around the world, especially in countries where the holiday season is warm. Living here in Thailand, many of our children experience a hot Christmas, so it felt important to share the message that Christmas can look different for everyone, but what truly matters is spending time with the people we love.

The children’s crafts, the festive activities, and all the excitement in the room made the day feel magical from start to finish. Thank you again for being part of such a joyful celebration. The Foundation Team

You can download a full gallery of photos here: Christmas Stay & Play Gallery

HeadStart Students Shine

We are delighted to congratulate our students on their significant achievements in recent sports competitions and community events.

• Andrei (1 Yellow) participated in the 22nd Run For Children 2025, organised by the Child-Watch Phuket Foundation.

• Aleksiia (3 White) won 1st Place for Breaststroke and Freestyle at the International Swimming Competition, hosted by Shark Swimming Center and Kinderville Nova International School.