Weekly Update #6, 6 October 2023

First Ever Friday Market

Inviting everyone to attend our inaugural Friday Market at our Cherngtalay campus. Come and browse our parent community market stalls which will showcase eco-friendly products and a healthy food theme. See you in at the atrium on Friday 13th October starting at 2.40pm and ending at 5.00pm. This should be an unforgettable community event and a great way to end our first half-term together! Usually held on the second Friday of every month

Mid-Term Camps

Looking for a way to keep your little ones busy during the upcoming break? Why not enrol in our mid-term camps from 16-18 of October at our Chaofah City campus. We have fun and challenging swimming, football and basketball programmes available and all that’s left to do is sign up!

• Swimming - write to [email protected]
• Football - write to [email protected]
• Basketball - write to [email protected]

День русского языка (Russian Language Day at Chaofah City Campus)

28 октября (в субботу) с 9:00 до 12:00 пройдет день русского языка. Мы хотим уточнить у вас некоторые детали.

Пожалуйста, заполните данную анкету: https://forms.gle/TayEXv5t8kQNpcvZ8

С 9:00 до 9:30 пройдет конкурс талантов в атриуме.

С 9:30 до 10:05 игры для начальной и средней школы.

С 10:10 до 11:00 в Secondary hall пройдет инсценировка сказок.

И с 11:00 до 12:00 в столовой будет трапеза за общим столом, где вы можете поделиться с другими гостями блюдом, которое вы принесете.

Если вы не записались, вы можете прийти к 11:00 за совместный стол. Будем рады видеть вас на дне русского языка.

FastForWord Workshop for Parents of Primary EAL Students on 10.10.23

If your child is part of our English as an Additional Language (EAL) program at HeadStart International School, you are invited to a special workshop that will be given by our distinguished guest Mr. Naresh Indhewat, who is the director of BrainFit Thailand. Naresh is an expert on the FastForWord (FFW) reading program that your child is currently using as part of our EAL program at HeadStart International School. As you may be aware, FastForWord (FFW) is a research-based program that is designed to improve language and literacy skills for English as an Additional Language (EAL) students. The FastForWord program is designed to improve reading fluency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary skills, which are essential for success in all academic areas.

The purpose of the workshop is to provide parents with an overview of the FastForWord program, and to answer any questions that you may have. We will also be discussing how to ensure your child makes the most progress and how you can support them at home. The workshop will also provide you with an opportunity to practice and experience the program firsthand, with expert guidance available from Naresh to answer any questions and troubleshoot any issues. I strongly encourage parents to attend the meeting to learn more about the FastForWord program and how it can support your child’s academic success. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. -Tony Williams, Head of Foundation and Primary

Parent Meeting 6: Introduction to Sporting Programmes at HeadStart on 12.10.23

Come join us! We welcome all parents to join us for our latest parent meeting when our Sports department will talk you through our sporting programmes and offer hints and tips on how to ensure your child gets the most out of our programmes. We look forward to seeing you there! Thursday 12th October 2023 from 8:15-9:30am in the Indoor Learning Centre (ILC).

This week, we held our first ever Wai Kru (or Teacher Appreciation) Ceremonies at our new school.

Foundation Wai Kru Ceremony

On Monday, Foundation children, parents and teachers took part in a truly beautiful occasion that brought our community together in a spirit of love and appreciation. Eoin and Areeya from Reception class were so brave as they stood in front of everyone, delivering heartfelt speeches in English and Thai. They were followed by our very own Early Years teacher, Miss Rachael, who also spoke so eloquently in both Thai and English. The highlight of the event was the children’s endearing performance of the song “Thank You Teacher, Thank You”, a delightful gesture to express the children’s gratitude to their dedicated teachers.

Primary Wai Kru Ceremony

On Thursday, it was the turn of our Primary children, parents and teachers. Congratulations to Anna and Shanjin, our Head Girl and Head Boy, who did such an amazing job of compering the event, to Charlie in Year 1 and Jolie in Year 6 for their sincere speeches thanking their teachers and to Sophie in Year 6 for leading the student pledge. The students were followed by our very own Year 3 teacher, Ms. Davies, who spoke so eloquently about her own childhood experiences and why she is so proud to have become a teacher. Once again, the high point of our ceremony was the children’s singing, with a performance of the classic song from Matilda, “When I Grow Up”, a fantastic celebration of what it’s like to be a child. A special mention should go to Sophie and Bella in Year 6 for their solo parts and to Mr. Costello, our music teacher, for arranging this musical masterpiece!

A sincere thank you goes out to our Thai Department for organising such a memorable event. Also to all parents - thanks 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.

What an incredible showdown of strategic brilliance at our recent school Chess Tournament held at our Chaofah City campus! Relive the magic and see who emerged as the Chess Master of September 2023. It was a day filled with jaw-dropping moves and unforgettable moments. From daring openings to epic endgames, our young chess prodigies showcased their skills to the max! A huge shoutout to all the participants, parent supporters, and chess enthusiasts who made this event a roaring success! Stay tuned for more chess action and future tournaments. More information to come soon!

🏆 Champion - Andy - Year 6 City Campus

🥈 Runner-up - Aaron - Year 4 City Campus

🥉 Third Place - Luka - Year 5 North Campus

For more information on how to join Luka and Cherngtalay’s other chess aficionadas in their Thursday afternoon ECA, please contact our ECA team [email protected] or inquire at the school office.

Play-based Learning and Continuous Provision in Preschool

Play-based learning and continuous provision are crucial in early childhood education as they engage children in active, hands-on exploration, which helps to foster creativity, social development, and problem-solving skills. This particular morning, preschool explored painting with flowers and reading together. Circle time is our morning practice every day to engage our preschool students in group reading activities and songs. It encourages social, emotional, and cognitive development, promotes effective communication, and builds a sense of community within the group. - Ms. Koczor

Developing Core Skills with Numbers and Words in Year 1

In Year 1 this week, the children have begun our latest maths unit on addition and subtraction. To begin with, we have been learning how to use Part-Whole models and now understand that this links to addition. We also know that the Whole is always bigger than the Parts. In reading lessons, we have been continuing to develop our phonics skills, learning 20 phonemes so far this term. The children are also developing their ability to segment and blend to read words. - Mr. Williams

Courageous and Curious Investigators in Year 4

This week in Science, Year 4 learnt about the digestive system. They were courageous and curious investigators as they carried out a fun (and messy!) experiment to investigate the digestive process and the various organs that are involved in it. The Year 4s were engaged in their learning and did a fantastic job recalling the names of digestive system organs and their functions. Way to go, Year 4! - Mrs. Cotterell

Inquisitive Investigators in Year 5

Year 5 have been very inquisitive this week! They constructed a circuit to then test different materials to see which were electrical insulators and which were electrical conductors. If the bulb lit, it was an electrical conductor and if it didn’t, it was an electrical insulator. - Mrs. Williams

Congratulations to Jaden and Romeo who participated in the Tecnifibre-Schools Tennis Junior Tournament 2023 at Oceanic Tennis Club last weekend.

• Jaden made it to the Semifinals in the U10 Doubles and earned 3rd place.

• Romeo made it to the Finals in the U8 Doubles and earned 2nd place.