Weekly Update #18, 16 January 2025

Save the Date – International Day 2026

We are delighted to extend a warm invitation to all our families to join us for our International Day celebrations. This event promises to be a vibrant and culturally enriching experience, showcasing the diversity that makes our school community so special.

📆 Date: Friday 13th March 2025

⏰ Time: 14:30-16:30

📍 Venue: Cherngtalay Campus

Our International Day event will feature a colourful array of cultural performances, international cuisine, interactive exhibits, and a warm atmosphere of unity. It’s an excellent opportunity for us to come together, celebrate our global community, and foster a deeper understanding of the rich tapestry of cultures represented at HeadStart.

We would be honoured by your presence as we celebrate diversity, promote cultural exchange, and strengthen the bonds that make HeadStart International School a truly international learning environment.

Call for Parent Volunteers: Find Your Feet Careers Fair at Chaofah City campus

We invite members of our parent community to take part in our Find Your Feet Careers Fair for Year 11 and 12 students, taking place on Monday 2nd March, from 8:00am to 10:30am, at our Chaofah City Campus. This event gives students the opportunity to explore career pathways and speak directly with professionals from a wide range of industries. Parents who are willing to share insights into their career or business are warmly encouraged to volunteer. No formal presentation is required – just informal conversations with students.

If you would like to take part, please register using the link here.

We would also appreciate it if you could share this opportunity with other parents or contacts on the island who may be interested. Thank you for supporting our students as they explore future pathways.

Join Us for the Year 1 and 2 Play & Picnic

We invite our Year 1 and 2 families to the Chaofah City Campus for a morning dedicated to community and play. This event offers a chance for parents and children to engage in organised games and enjoy a magic show together on our covered football pitch. It is an ideal opportunity to meet other families and enjoy a relaxed start to the weekend.

Families should bring their own picnic snacks and blankets to enjoy on the grass. As this is a family-focused event, we require parents to accompany and supervise their children throughout the morning. We look forward to seeing our younger learners and their families participating in this collaborative session.

📝 Action: Scan the QR code or register via the Play & Picnic Registration Form

☀️ Essentials: Please bring a sunhat, sunscreen, drinking water (or a re-usable bottle) and food to share.

Calling All Vendors – Lunar New Year Market

We are pleased to announce that our next market will take place on Friday 6th February from 2.40pm. The theme for this market will be ‘Lunar New Year’ – we are interested in home-cooked food and refreshments with a new year theme and handmade crafts that celebrate this important festival. If you are interested in becoming a vendor at this exciting community event, please contact Khun Newle at [email protected]”

Term 2 Mandarin Language Day

We are excited to invite you to a vibrant Mandarin Language Day event on Saturday, 7th February, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at HeadStart Cherngtalay Campus!

Event Highlights:

• Spring Festival craft activities
• Spring Festival riddle guessing
• Spring Festival Temple Fair

We kindly invite you to fill out this form so we can arrange the relevant activities for you. Please complete the form by Monday, 26th January. Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Half-term Football Camp @ Headstart Cherngtalay Campus

The Football Camp offers an incredible opportunity for players to tap into their football potential, enhance their skills, and enjoy a fun-filled experience at HeadStart International School, all within a vibrant and energetic environment!

The Camp starts at 09:00 (drop off only after 08:30) and finishes at 14:00 with lunch provided!

Suitable for girls and boys in Year 2 to Year 4. 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 Coach Frost at [email protected]. Limited spaces available.

Join ‘The Takeoff Run’ – PPAO Mini-Marathon at Mai Khao

We invite our HeadStart families to join over 2,000 runners already registered for “The Takeoff Run” at Mai Khao Beach. This exciting community event takes place on Sunday, 22nd February, set against the unique backdrop of the airport take-off point.

There are three categories to choose from: a standard 11.35 km Mini-marathon, a 6.16 km Fun Run, and a “Plogging Run” for those keen to help keep our beaches clean while exercising. Entry is just 200 Baht per person, which includes a running shirt, medal, food, and insurance. The event starts at 05:00 am, with races flagging off at 06:00 am.

To register, scan the QR code in the poster to follow the official LINE group or visit this link.

Parent Meetings in January

We have a series of meetings designed to strengthen the partnership between home and school. From essential details regarding upcoming Key Stage 3 residential trips to practical workshops on Thai homework and emotional regulation strategies, these sessions provide valuable insights for parents. We look forward to welcoming you to the Primary Hall to discuss how we can best support your child’s development together.

Delivering Hope and Happiness to Phuket Sunshine Village

On Saturday, Primary Student Leadership representatives from both Chaofah and Cherngtalay visited Phuket Sunshine Village to celebrate the success of our Term 1 fundraising. It was a day filled with energy and laughter as our students organised a fun sports day, engaging warmly with the children at the village. It was also wonderful to see our previously donated playground equipment being put to good use, serving as a central spot for play and joy.

The visit concluded with the official handover of the incredible 643,722 Baht raised by the HeadStart community. This event was a perfect example of our students understanding their ability to share good fortune and build strong ties with the local community. Well done to every student who participated and helped make the day so memorable.

Football Academy Success at the PISAC 7s Tournament

A huge well done to our academy teams who competed at the PISAC 7s football tournament this weekend. It was a remarkable experience for the Panthers Academy as we proudly fielded eight teams—three from HeadStart Cherngtalay and five from our Chaofah City Campus.

Congratulations to our trophy winners:

🥇 U13 Girls (Chaofah) – Champions with a dominant 6-1 final win!

🥈 U11 Girls (Chaofah) – 2nd Place after showing fantastic progress.

🥉 U11 Boys (Chaofah) – 3rd Place in a highly competitive section.

More importantly, this event demonstrated the true stregnth of the Panthers Academy with boys and girls from both campuses displaying their unity as spirited performances truly shone throughout the tournament. Whether facing triumph or challenge, our players showed incredible camaraderie and togtherness, representing our school with pride.

Lastly, a huge thank you to the parents and our footballing community who came to support our teams at the tournament! Well done HeadStart Panthers!

Go Panthers at the U9 Soccer 7s!

Good luck to our Cherngtalay Panthers U9 team at the U9 Soccer 7s. Remember that teamwork, friendship and enjoyment are the keys to creating great memories! We look forward to great support from our fans joining us at BISP for all the action this Friday and Saturday. Go Panthers!

Saturday Chess Academy

We are pleased to announce the launch of Saturday Chess Academy sessions this term, offering students an opportunity to deepen their skills beyond regular ECA lessons. Sessions will take place at our Chaofah City Campus. The Saturday Chess Academy is designed to build on and expand the material covered during weekday ECA lessons. For students who are keen to make steady progress, the ideal combination is participation in both ECA chess and the Saturday Academy.

There will be a total of 13 sessions on selected Saturdays from 24 January to 13th June. FUN-damentals (2 hours, 13 sessions, 10,900 THB) is for Beginners and Intermediate players who already know the rules and moves. Advanced Chess Lab (3 hours, 13 sessions, 12,850 THB) is for Advance players and is by invitation/approval only.

Registration

Parents can register for FUN-damentals (Saturday session) via this link.

Places in the Advanced Chess Lab are limited and recommended for students who have placed in the top 10 of school chess tournaments. Exceptions may be considered, but students must already be comfortable with core chess concepts and terminology, as sessions will focus on advanced ideas. Registration is available only via this link.

Term 2 & 3 House Challenges Begin!

On Friday 9th January, we kicked off (pun intended) the Primary House Activities with a Penalty Shoot Out. The fabulous Year 6 House Captains were in goal and they did an excellent job of stopping their opponents scoring. However, we had some strong goal scorers who attended and so of course, some balls slipped past the House Captains. In fourth place were the Tigers, in third place were the Cheetahs, in second place were the Phoenixes, meaning that in first place, scoring the most goals was Dragon House. Go Green Dragons!!

Year 5 Cultural Studies: Traditional Thai Desserts

Our Year 5 students recently dived into the delicious world of Thai desserts! The children had a fantastic time making Bua Loy Sam See (Three-Colored Rice Balls), with each vibrant color created using 100% natural extracts from vegetables and herbs.

It was wonderful to see the students collaborating so effectively and showing great teamwork. The classroom was full of excitement as they kneaded and rolled the dough, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed tasting their delicious, handmade Thai treats! Kru Way – Thai Teacher

Celebrating Success!

We are proud to congratulate five students who have successfully completed our English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme and are now ready to move on to their chosen language subjects.

This milestone reflects their hard work, resilience, and growing confidence in English. Throughout their time in EAL, these students have developed the skills needed to engage fully in the curriculum and participate confidently in classroom learning.

We are incredibly proud of their progress and wish them every success as they continue their language learning journey. Well done! We can’t wait to see what you achieve next!

Fire Brigade Visits Foundation!

This week our children were thrilled to welcome the local fire crew to school. The firefighters were brilliant with the children, showing their equipment, answering questions, and even letting everyone try the hose! We learned so much about how fires are put out and the important role firefighters play in keeping our community safe. Visits like this are a wonderful part of our year, helping the children understand the people who help us and sparking real excitement in their learning.

Toddler Playgroup

We loved welcoming families from across our school community to our first playgroup of the new year. The children had such a fantastic time exploring the different activities, playing alongside new friends, and enjoying a morning filled with curiosity and creativity. These sessions are a lovely way for young children to get to know our environment, meet our wonderful staff, and feel part of our wider school family. We can’t wait for the next one!

Measuring More Than Distance: Maths in Motion

This week, Year 3 maths class moved to the sports hall. Students swapped pencils for trundle wheels to tackle a practical problem: accurately measuring the distance of their bean bag throws. The challenge sparked immediate debate—how to measure a curved path? Teams collaborated to strategize, delegate roles, and verify each other’s work. When initial methods proved tricky, they demonstrated resilience by refining their approach on the spot. This hands-on session transformed abstract concepts into concrete skills, a perfect example of the engaging teaching standards that make us a White Rose Maths Champion school. The Year 3 Team

Structural Integrity Tested: Year 8 Engineering Challenge

Year 8 Design and Technology students put their engineering skills to the test this week by carrying out destructive testing on the bridges they designed and built. During the lesson, students carefully added weights to their bridges to see how much load each design could carry before collapsing. The activity encouraged students to think critically about materials, structure, and design efficiency. Well done to the winning bridge – designed and made by Mariia A, Sonia, and Mariia S from 8 Blue – which successfully supported an impressive 46 kilograms. Ms Leow – DT Teacher

Student of the Month!

Congratulations to our December Secondary Students of the Month, recognised for demonstrating the learner attribute of Open-Mindedness. Throughout their learning journey, these students have shown a willingness to listen, reflect, and engage thoughtfully with new ideas—both in the classroom and in their everyday conversations around the school. Their curiosity, respect for diverse perspectives, and commitment to learning exemplify the high academic standards and student-centred approach that define our school community.

We are proud of the way our students continue to grow as learners and individuals, and this month we look forward to recognising those who exemplify the learner attribute of Collaboration, particularly during our residential trips.

HeadStart Students Shine

We are delighted to congratulate our students on their significant achievements in recent music and sports competitions, representing HeadStart on both local and international stages.

• Jasmine (5 White) achieved incredible success at The Colours of Chopin International Piano Competition, earning a Gold Prize in the Prodigy category, as well as three Silver Prizes and a Bronze across various categories including Classical and Romantic music.

• Lea (2 Yellow) secured 1st Place and a Gold Medal at the Philippines International Judo Open.

• Daniil (3 White) also performed impressively at the Philippines International Judo Open, achieving a Bronze Medal.

• Anna (2 White) took First Place in the “Miss Smile” category for Rhythmic Gymnastics at the Alem Cup in Dubai.

• Kristina (5 White) earned a First Place Gold Medal for Rhythmic Gymnastics at the Alem Cup in Dubai.

• Kira (3 Yellow) achieved 1st Place and a Gold Medal at the International Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament (Alem Cup) in Dubai.

• Vladimir (1 Blue) won a Silver Medal for Trampoline Jumping at the 8th TTG Games in Bangkok.

• Liam (5 White) reached the Semi-finals in the Boys Under 10 category at the Greta Sport Club tournament in Pattaya.