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Weekly Update #22, 24 February 2023
Upcoming events can be found on the website under School Life → Calendar and are outlined here for easy reference. If you have questions or require further assistance please email [email protected]
| Date | Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 February | 9.00am-12.00pm | Chinese Language Day | TBA |
| 27 Feb - 1 March | DofE Bronze: Group 2 Training and Practice | Ao Yon Beach | |
| 1 March | 8.30am | Parents Meeting: Year 7 Residential Trip | Secondary Hall |
| 02 March | 8.15am | Parent Committee Meeting | Conference Room |
| 03 March | TBA | Careers Fair | TBA |
| 2.30-4.30pm | Friday Market | Atrium | |
| 6-8 March | Year 7 Residential Trip | Splash Jungle resort | |
| 7-8 March | Track & Field Sporting Events | HeadStart | |
| 10 March | 3.00-5.00pm | International Day 2023 (No ASPs) | Covered Football Pitch |
| 11-12 March | DofE Bronze: Group 1 Final Journey | Ao Yon Beach | |
| 13-17 March | Maths Faculty Week | ||
| 15 March | 3.00-5.00pm | Year 12 & 13 Parent/Teacher conferences (PTC) | To be announced |
| 17-18 March | 3v3 Basketball | BISP | |
| 18 March | 9.00am - 12.00pm | Saturday Thai Culture Club | |
| 20-24 March | Science Faculty Week |
| Announcements |
School Fees
Dear Parents,
After careful review, we have decided that it is necessary for us to increase the School Fees for the 2023 - 2024 academic year. We have not increased the school fees charged for primary and secondary students since 2017 and it is now important for us to increase our fees in order to be able to maintain the quality of our educational programmes. Please check the following link for the updated fees information: School Fees
Year 13 Graduation Date
In order for students and parents to prepare well in advance, we are announcing this year’s graduation date to be on the 23rd of June starting at around mid day with a ceremony in the Sports Hall and continuing with a meal and continuation of the celebration until approximately 6.00pm. A more detailed itinerary will be announced closer to the time but for the time being, mark the date in your diaries!
International Day Update
A big thank you to the following countries who have registered a booth and stage performances for International Day, a dynamic community event taking place on 10 March from 3.00-5.00pm. A warm welcome to Thailand, the Philippines, Germany, France, Japan, Spain & Latin America, Nepal, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Israel, Hungary and India!
In preparation for International Day, here are some things that you need to know:
- Some countries may choose to charge up to 50 Baht per dish for food from their stall. Please prepare for this by bringing some cash.
- Due to this being an all-school event, there will be no after school programmes on the 10th.
- There will be one departure for all school buses at 3.10pm. If you are coming to pick up your child to attend International Day, please inform the bus nannies.
- Parents are welcome to pick up their child/children starting at 2.15pm in order to prepare for the event.
- It is imperative that parents oversee their children throughout the event. Children in Foundation and Primary who have not been picked up will be overseen in the dining room and observe the regular pick up procedure.
On 3 March starting at 8.00am, those participating in organising a booth or stage performances are welcome to come and meet with our events team in the front office to go over details and ask questions. Participants will be handed a general outline of information regarding the events as well as health and safety guidelines that must be observed.
To Contact us for more information or to book a booth or stage performance write to us at → [email protected]
| Meetings & Workshops |
UPrep Talk 10 - Show Me the Money
If you weren’t able to make it to our UPrep Talk on Thursday this week, a download of the presentation can be found here → UPrep at HeadStart. If you would like further information about our University Placement Programme or need to speak to one of our University Counsellors, please email Ms Bedi at [email protected] or Ms Gratton at [email protected]. To learn more about HeadStart’s history of university placements and where our graduating classes have gone on to study, visit our web page → here!
Thai Homework Presentation
Before the half term break, Early Years and Reception Thai parents were invited to join a presentation by our Head of Thai, Kru Dia, as well as teachers, Kru Poy and Kru Cherry. The Thai teaching team shared information about school expectations and how parents can support their child with home learning. The team also shared some tips on how to create a positive learning environment at home during homework sessions so that students can be motivated to learn Thai with a positive attitude. Parents also had the opportunity to see samples of students’ workbooks in Primary all through Secondary.
| PE & Sports |
To receive daily and weekly updates on the PE & Sports department, follow us on our Facebook page here!
It was an action packed weekend of football at BISP for the Thai International Youth Cup Phuket. We entered two teams, Panthers U11 Boys and Panthers U13 Boys, both teams did their coaches and parents proud. There was some tough competition which led to some brilliant football on both days. We would like to thank all parents for their support, Go Panthers! NGU! -Coach Rothwell
Football Camp
A massive well done to all the players who joined the fun football camp last week. It was a fantastic 3-day camp full of fun football games, competitive matches and every player was awarded a Panthers football medal! The much anticipated ‘World Cup Wednesday’ did not disappoint and it saw two teams crowned as the world cup winners for their age groups. Congratulations to our World Cup winners! We now look forward to the next one in April. Stay tuned for more information! -Coach Frost
Foundation Sports Day
Well done to all the Foundation students for participating in the recent Sports Day! Thank you to all of the parents who were able to come and support them and as always, we need to thank our teachers and support staff and also our students leaders who helped to organise and run the activities and ensure that our students ran, threw, and jumped their way to success. Here are the finishing results for Foundation Sports Day:
- 1st place - Green House
- 2nd place - Red House
- 3rd place - Blue House
- 4th place - Yellow House
📸A full album of high quality pictures can be found here!
| Foundation |
Early Years children in Thai First Language class have been learning consonants such as ‘Lor Ling’ (ล) and ‘Sor Sur’ (ส). We practiced our writing and listened to the fun story about a monkey and tigers which made learning the consonants so much more interesting.
| Secondary |
Year 11 English students hit the ground running at the start of the second half of term as we convened in the Primary Hall to explore the English faculty’s in-class revision schedule for the next seven weeks. The intention is to address areas of weakness identified in the recent mock examinations and give students opportunity to practise, receive feedback and (hopefully!) improve in these areas prior to their final examinations in May. Although he was talking about music and there is a certain lack of lyricism to his prose, I like the direct truth of Philip Glass’ words: ‘You practise and you get better. It’s very simple.’ -Mr. Pollicutt, Head of English
In order to help students with their acquisition of English and development of phonological skills and in accordance with the advice received from BrainFit Studio in Bangkok, we have extended the frequency which students spend on their interactive and bespoke reading programme, FastForWord. The avowed goals of the programme are to help develop students’ cognitive abilities, their social and emotional learning capacities, and develop their sophistication in terms of reading skills. This, in partnership with regular reading- both inside and outside of school- will help children better understand the world in which they live. -Mr. Pollicutt, Head of English
Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) International Award
The Year 10s had a fantastic training and practice trip. The students are excelling in learning kayak control and will be extending their travels around Koh Lon Island. Despite the rain during the night, the students remained in high spirits with the blue boat team winning this mornings relay race.
| UPrep News |
During one of our UPrep lessons the Year 12s were very lucky to have IDP IELTS deliver a workshop on the IELTS tests for us. IELTS is an English Language proficiency test that many of our students need in order to study abroad for university. Students found out more about the test, the different sections, question types, and the test format. They were able to practice some questions in preparation for the real test in the summer. IDP also gave students some top tips on the test and how marks are allocated. -Ms Gratton, University Counsellor
| Creative & Performing Arts |
HeadStar of the Week
Congratulations to Anica for being our HeadStar of the week. Anica was nominated for her commitment to improving in Drama. She has worked tirelessly to develop her drama skills and is dedicated to trying her best every lesson. Without doubt, our most improved Drama student! Well done Anica.
CAPA Jr Presents…
We are excited to announce our next CAPA production: CAPA Jr Presents Rock Bottom. Tickets will go on sale soon; we can not wait to welcome you all to see our fantastic Jr students and year 3-5 shine!
| What’s Going On Out of School |
Jasmine 4W participated in the Southern Thailand Swimming Championship, Songkla during 17th-18th February. She got 3rd place in her group 5 Female.
Tiger from 3Y was a winner of TGA SINGHA JUNIOR GOLF RANKING , Southern Hill & Country Club Hat yai Songkhla. He also got a HOLE - IN - ONE in this tournament. His parents are happy to share his success on our social media platforms.
| Teacher in Action Restoring Coral Reefs |
Tim Costello
Hi, my name is Tim and I am a Music Honours Graduate of Dartington College of Arts in England. I majored in Trumpet, Conducting and Sound Engineering. I have been playing the Trumpet since I was 6 and Piano since I was 11. I studied for my PGCE at Sussex University and my NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship), at the National College for School Leadership in the UK. I have been a classroom Music Teacher, Head of Department/Faculty and Senior Leadership for 27 years, initially in the UK, then in the Middle East, Malaysia, Philippines and now on the stunningly beautiful island of Phuket. I have previously played Trumpet with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Exeter Symphony Orchestra, UAE Philharmonic Orchestra, UAE Symphony Orchestra, Lionel Hampton’s Big Band and the Abu Dhabi Big Band. I am classically trained but also have a real passion for Big Bands and Jazz. I am a Yacht Master and am a keen sailor (if anyone needs crew). I also love to Scuba Dive and I am a PADI Rescue Diver. As a lifelong learner I am hoping to become a Divemaster in the next couple of years. I am passionate about empowering my learners to work hard using enquiry, independence, collaboration and as many learning styles as possible. My teaching style embraces fun, humor, differentiation, challenge whilst expecting the highest work ethic from my learners.
Over the half term holiday the DMCR (Department for Marine and Coastal Resources in Phuket), sponsored by the Phuket Rotary Clubs, lowered 39 ‘3D printed concrete’ Coral Reef Growth Structures from a barge on the north east side of Ko Mai Thon. There was a large crew on the barge that used a crane to lower the heavy structures into the water and I, along with 8 other volunteers were under the water 10m meters down receiving them on the seabed. We used ‘buoyancy lift bags’ to lift them up and we moved them carefully into the correct positions to promote the best coral growth/re-pollination. It was hard and quite dangerous work but our team (who were all qualified Rescue Divers or above), worked well together as a team and all put health and safety at the forefront of our work.
Once we had all 39 Coral Reef Grow Structures in place, our team then went around the surrounding area collecting living coral on the sand and placed and secured them to the new structure so that they have a good chance of fusing to and growing on the new structures that we have put in place. The whole process took 3 days, under the professional leadership of Puitoon (Pitul) Panchaiyaphum, the Director of the Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation and Restoration Division.
I have volunteered for the DMCR for 3 years now; taking pupils from my old school to help with hatching and rearing of baby turtles, beach and seabed clean-ups, coral reef restorations and planting, the rescuing of stranded marine animals, etc. If you would also like to volunteer to help out the DMCR then please get in touch with me by writing to [email protected]. I will need your name, dive certification level, phone number and email address.
If you would also like to attend a FREE 2 day ‘Coral Reef Restoration and Rehabilitation Course’ run by the DMCR in both English and Thai, then please also let me know at the above email address and I will inform you for when the next course will be held on the island (minimum Advanced Divers with 40+ dives).
Invitation to International Women’s Day Lunch
This year we invite you to join us for lunch at the Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort for International Women’s Day on Wednesday 8th March 2023. Come along and connect with like-minded guests and find inspiration and motivation from our speakers. Share your experiences and your ideas to inspire and stimulate the focus on our well-being: Our Health is Our Wealth. #EmbraceEquity Embracing equity is about recognizing all of the factors that feed into women being disadvantaged and under pressure, then finding ways to share the load and provide support. Our health is truly our wealth and we must focus on our wellness. Let us pledge to dismantle gender stereotyping and forge a world where we support women to put themselves first and to believe in themselves. We ask both women and men to join us by making a donation of 1,500 Thai Baht to book your seat or a table of 10 for 15,000 Thai Baht. To reserve a ticket please contact Tina at [email protected] and visit our Facebook page here!
Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation has a fundraising goal of 250,000 Thai baht which will mean the continuing employment of Khun Da, our English-speaking Thai Teaching Assistant for the 2023/2024 school year, and to purchase teaching aids. Thank you so much to our amazing supporters: The Australian Consulate-General Phuket, Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort.
