Weekly Update #29, 24 April 2026

Step into Wonderland: Alice Tickets on Sale Next Week

Mark your calendars for a spectacular journey down the rabbit hole! On Wednesday 13 May, our students will bring the magic of Wonderland to the stage in our highly anticipated production of Alice the Musical. CAPA performers, the Choir, the HeadStart Dance Company and the entirety of Year 6 are pouring their energy into rehearsals, working hard to bring their characters to life, refine every dance step, and perfect every magical song for this spectacular showcase.

We are incredibly proud of our cast’s progress and look forward to sharing this adventure with you. Tickets will be available next week, so stay tuned for full booking details and showtimes.

Yearbook Photo Packages

There is still time to purchase your child’s Yearbook photos, as well as pre-order your family’s free copy of the 2025-2026 Yearbook (and purchase additional copies if required). Please note that the deadline to place your order is Friday, 1 May.

There are two photo package options:

• Package 1 (600 THB) containing your child’s individual and class photos displayed in the HeadStart Photo Folder; and

• Package 2 (1,050 THB) containing your child’s individual and class photos displayed in the HeadStart Photo Folder, plus additional class photos, a set of passport photos, and a flash drive containing digital copies of all your child’s Yearbook photoshoot images.

For our Year 6 and Year 13 graduating classes, we are also offering a:

• Graduation Special Package (200 THB), which includes your child’s individual graduation photo and class graduation image (when ordered alongside Package 2, these digital files will also be added to the flash drive).

This option is not available to parents of Reception children via this ordering system; however, our Reception children’s graduation photos will be shared via the Tapestry portal as usual in Term 3.

We invite you to create an account at the online HeadStart Shop: https://shop.headstartphuket.com/, from where you can place photo package orders for all your children.

Once we have received your order, your copy of the Yearbook and photos will be available for collection from 15:30 on Monday, 22 June. Please be informed that photo packages will only be handed to the legal parent or guardian of a child on presentation of a valid HeadStart Parent ID card or other acceptable form of identification (e.g., driving licence, passport).

We look forward to receiving your order and sharing these special keepsakes of your child’s time at HeadStart.

A Friendly Reminder About Lost Belongings

Replacing lost items can be frustrating, so we encourage all parents and students to regularly check our designated lost property areas for any missing belongings. Valuable items, such as watches, electronic devices, and keys, are securely held at the Administration Office. Meanwhile, general everyday items, including water bottles, P.E. kits, and school uniforms, are safely kept in a locker at the First Aid Room. If you are missing an item, please visit the relevant office and provide a specific description so our team can help reunite you with your lost property.

To keep our storage manageable and support those in need, any general items left unclaimed are donated to local charities at the end of each month. We proudly redistribute these forgotten items to organisations such as SOS Children’s Village and Phuket Sunshine Village. Please take a moment to label your belongings clearly and collect any misplaced items promptly before our next community donation.

Call for Vendors - Our Latest Friday Market is Coming!

We’re excited to announce the return of our Friday Market at our Cherngtalay Campus for Term 3. Our next market will take place on:

📅 Friday, 8th May

🕒 14:40 – 16:30

We warmly invite you to join us as a vendor! The Friday Market is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the school community and share products that support our values. As part of HeadStart’s commitment to sustainability and healthy living, all items sold must be eco-friendly and/or health-focused.

If you have any questions or would like to book a stall, please feel free to get in touch with Khun Newle in the admin office or email [email protected]. We’re looking forward to another vibrant market season and hope to see you there!

8th HeadStart Chess Tournament

Prepare your opening moves for the 8th HeadStart Chess Tournament! Welcoming players of all experience levels, this event challenges students to test their strategic thinking and resilience in a rapid “10 minutes plus 5 seconds” Swiss System format. The competition takes place at the Chaofah City Campus on 25 April, with attendance checks beginning promptly at 11:15am. Competitors can secure their spot with an early bird entry fee of THB 250, or THB 500 on the day, which includes free pizza to keep everyone energised. To register, please contact Coach Dawid directly via WhatsApp at +66 810486441, LINE at VIT-1977, or Telegram at @VIT-1977.

Coffee with the Headmaster

Join our Headmaster, Mr. Adam Drew, for our monthly Coffee Morning. Taking place on the last Tuesday of every month, this is a dedicated opportunity for parents to ask questions, share feedback, and get to know the leadership team in a relaxed setting.

Our upcoming sessions will take place on 28 April and 26 May, starting at 8:15am at Nakita’s. We look forward to seeing you there.

Little Steps Big Discoveries: Toddler Playgroup is Back!

Watch your child’s curiosity come to life at our upcoming Toddler Playgroup. We are pleased to announce four sessions taking place on select Wednesdays this term, starting from Wednesday 29 April from 9:00am to 10:00am.

Designed for children aged 1 to 4 years old, these mornings provide a comprehensive introduction to our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) philosophy. Children engage in a variety of purposeful play stations including messy play, sensory exploration, and creative building, all facilitated by our warm and professional Foundation staff. Our teachers will be on hand to offer expert advice and guidance to parents, making it the perfect environment to connect, build a supportive community network, and see exactly what our play-based approach is all about.

Book your spot today via the registration form: Toddler Playgroup Registration Form

Upcoming Parent Meetings

We warmly invite parents to join our upcoming Thursday morning meetings, running from 8:30am to 9:30am. These sessions are designed to provide essential updates and answer your questions as we approach the end of the academic year. On 30 April in the Primary Hall, we will discuss end of year assessments, revision, reports and grades. On 7 May in the Secondary ILC, there will be a dedicated meeting for Russian speaking parents. Finally, on 14 May in the Foundation ILC, we will cover the transition from Reception to Year 1 alongside upcoming language options. We look forward to welcoming you and working together to support your child’s ongoing progress.

Conor Bowens - Enrolled at HeadStart since Year 8

We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Conor Bowens, who has secured multiple offers from leading universities for highly competitive courses in Physics, Mathematics, and Medicine.

Conor has received an offer from the University of Cambridge to study Natural Sciences, alongside offers from UCL for Mathematics with Physics and the University of Warwick for Mathematics and Physics. In addition, he has received an offer to study Medicine at the University of Galway in Ireland.

An exceptional and intellectually curious student, Conor has demonstrated remarkable academic independence, including completing advanced study in quantum mechanics and nuclear physics beyond the curriculum. His commitment to science is further reflected in his extensive laboratory work and his role supporting practical experiments as a science technician.

Beyond the classroom, Conor has shown outstanding leadership as Head Boy and Chair of the Student Council, while also contributing to the wider school community through mentoring younger students and delivering talks on complex scientific concepts.

We congratulate Conor on these exceptional achievements and look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish in the future.

Characters Come to Life as World Book Day Arrives

What a truly magical day we had celebrating World Book Day across the whole school! From the moment the children arrived, there was a real buzz of excitement. Stepping into the pages of their favourite stories, students and teachers transformed the school into a vibrant showcase of literary characters. From superheroes to wizards, dinosaurs to princesses, these amazing outfits became the perfect starting point to explore new vocabulary, share favourite books, and bring imaginative stories to life.

Overall, it was a day filled with imagination, creativity and a shared love of books. It was wonderful to see every child so engaged, and to celebrate reading together as a whole school community. A heartfelt thank you to our parents, students, and staff for your incredible support, imagination, and dedication to promoting a lifelong love of reading.

📸 Photo albums of the below events can be found here: World Book Day 2026

World Book Day Activities in Primary

Books took centre stage in every classroom as learners engaged in a full schedule of reading activities. A colourful costume parade across the Primary floors set the scene, quickly followed by the sudden hush of our campus-wide “Drop Everything and Read” initiative as everyone hit pause to open their favourite book. Students discovered new ways to engage with literature by exploring the constructed narrative setting inside our story grotto. Meanwhile, a teacher reading relay and special storytime sessions with Mr Lawler (or was it Frodo?) kept the plot moving forward by modelling expressive reading. The narrative then shifted to collaborative learning, as older and younger students paired up for buddy reading sessions to demonstrate mentorship, patience, and shared curiosity across the year groups.

Year 6 Assembly

To conclude the day, Year 6 White led a whole school assembly, delivering a performance that showcased their public speaking skills, confidence, and reading comprehension. A heartfelt thank you to our parents, students, and staff for your incredible support, imagination, and dedication to promoting a lifelong love of reading!

The Great Paper Caper!

Throughout World Book Day, children across Foundation and Primary immersed themselves in The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers. After conducting their own paper airplane competition, they were then treated to a special version of the story, read by their very own teachers. We hope you enjoy…

A Parent’s Guide to AI Safety and Online Trust

Navigating the digital world is changing rapidly as AI-generated videos become more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to spot. While these tools offer new creative possibilities, they also present unique challenges such as deepfake content, emotional manipulation, and the spread of disinformation. At HeadStart, we are committed to supporting our families in understanding these risks so that our students can explore the internet safely and with a critical eye.

To help your child stay secure, we recommend starting with a simple demonstration of how this technology works. By looking at side-by-side examples of real versus AI-generated clips, students can begin to ask important questions: “Who made this?” and “Is it trying to persuade me?” Beyond these questions, it is vital to encourage cross-referencing information with trusted news sources and checking for technical inconsistencies, such as unusual lighting or unnatural movements. These habits of inquiry and verification help build digital resilience, allowing children to identify potential scams or misleading content before it causes harm.

Ultimately, maintaining open lines of communication is the most effective way to nurture trust at home. We encourage you to create an environment where your child feels safe discussing anything upsetting they see online without fear of judgement. By strengthening privacy settings and being mindful of sharing personal media on public platforms, we can work together to ensure our students remain protected in a fast-evolving digital landscape.

Food for Thought: Reducing Waste and Feeding Communities with SOS

Through our ongoing partnership with Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Thailand, HeadStart is actively reducing food waste and supporting vulnerable communities. We manage our leftovers in two ways. SOS collects our untouched, edible food and shares it directly with disadvantaged communities and local charities, while our food scraps are repurposed as animal feed. This simple process makes a massive difference. Our recent donations alone transformed surplus school lunches into 1,143 meals, rescued over 272 kg of food, and prevented 689 kg of CO2 emissions, creating an environmental impact equal to planting 11 urban trees.

We encourage everyone in the HeadStart community to consider how they might get involved. If you run a local business or are hosting an event with surplus food, please visit the Scholars of Sustenance website to find out how you can join their redistribution programme.

Taking care of your health in Year 3

Transforming foundational health concepts into active learning requires meaningful, real-world connections. To bring these vital lessons to life, our Year 3 students welcomed Dr. Sopana to their Thai First Language class for a practical, community-led workshop on physical wellbeing.

Children learned about the importance of nutrition, personal care, and keeping active. To put theory into practice, students participated in guided physical movement to observe the immediate effects of exercise on their bodies. The visit also featured a hands-on “Little Doctor” role-play, allowing students to use medical tools to check heartbeats while developing early conversational skills. A huge thank you to Dr. Sopana for visiting and providing such an engaging, multi-sensory learning experience.

Year 5 Master Traditional Thai Dessert Making

As part of a Thai Department initiative inviting parents to share their expertise, Year 5 Thai First Language students stepped into the world of traditional culinary arts.

We welcomed special guest speaker Khun Irene Charoen to guide the class through the process of making “Ma-yong-Chid Loy-Geaw”. With Thailand’s tropical climate, this chilled Marian plum dessert has provided relief from the heat for decades. Students moved beyond textbooks, investigating the specific ingredients required and learning the step-by-step preparation method. They engaged in the practical process of preparing the fruit, balancing the sweet syrup, and assembling the final dish.

A sincere thank you to Khun Irene for volunteering her time to deliver such an engaging presentation. By sharing this generational knowledge, she provided a valuable opportunity for students to actively deepen their appreciation of Thai culture.

HeadStart Students Shine

We are delighted to congratulate our students on their significant achievements in recent dance, gymnastics and sports competitions, representing HeadStart with pride on both local and international stages!

• Mishel (6 Yellow) won a Gold medal for her group ballet dance and a Bronze medal for her lyrical dance group at the ATOD competition.

• Emiliia (4 Blue) won a Gold medal for her group ballet dance and a Silver medal for her solo ballet dance at the ATOD competition.

• Nicole (EY Yellow) earned a Bronze medal at the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition in Bangkok.

• Kevin (REC Blue) achieved a Gold medal, becoming the Champion of the Penang Judo Championship.

• Anna (2 White) won a Gold medal for her free-hand routine and a Silver medal for her ball routine in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Bangkok.

• Kristina (5 White) secured a Silver medal for her free-hand routine in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Bangkok.

• Kira (3 Yellow) took home two Gold medals, earning first place for both her free-hand routine and her ball routine at the 2nd MMC Gymnastics Competition 2026 in Bangkok.

Discover Your Home in Laguna Phuket

Banyan Living is currently offering curated long-term rentals in the Laguna Phuket area, providing a convenient housing option for families within the wider community. With rental rates starting from THB 29,000 per month, these residences offer excellent access to local amenities and a family-friendly environment. To secure a viewing or to find out more information about available unit types, please visit banyanliving.com or contact their team directly on 092 254 6018.

PHAB Infinity Dinner

Enjoy an evening of five-star dining and live entertainment while supporting a valuable local cause. The Phuket Hotels Association invites the HeadStart community to the PHAB Infinity Dinner on 16 May at the Courtyard By Marriott Phuket Town. This all-inclusive event features an exclusive menu from top hotel chefs, signature cocktails, and live music. All proceeds directly fund hospitality scholarships for local students, an initiative that has already supported 125 young people. Tickets start from THB 4,900 and can be purchased individually or as a table of 10. To reserve your seats, please register via the online form.