Weekly Update # 27, 28 May 2021
| Dates for Your Diary |
Upcoming events can be found on the website under School Life → Calendar and are outlined here for easy reference. For daily updates and news follow the HeadStart Facebook Page and You Tube channel.
| Date | Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 June | Mid-term Break | ||
| 11 June | Last day of free ASPs | ||
| 16-18 June | All day | LAMDA Exams | Music Rooms |
| 18 June | 6.00-9.00 pm | Prom (Secondary End of Year Party) | TBA |
| 19 June | All day | Filming of ‘Circle of Life’ Dance Recital (no spectators) | Sports Hall |
| 20 June | 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm | Performance of ‘Circle of Life’ for parents | Sports Hall |
| 23 June | 8.45 am | Reception Graduation Ceremony | Sports Hall |
| 25 June | Last day of fee paid ASPs, Academies & programmes run by outside providers | ||
| 1.30-8.00 pm | Year 13 Graduation Ceremony & Dinner | Sports Hall/Angsana | |
| 24 June | 10.00 am | Primary Awards Ceremony | Sports Hall |
| 26 June | All day | Foundation, Primary, Year 7, 8, 10 Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTC) | Classrooms |
| 28 June | 1.30-2.30 pm | Secondary Awards ceremony | Sports Hall |
| 29 June | 4.30-6.00 pm | Sports Awards Ceremony | TBA |
| 30 June | 8.00 am - 12.00 pm | House Winners Prize | TBA |
| 12.00-1.00 pm | House Captain’s ‘Thank You’ Lunch | TBA | |
| 1 July | 8.00 am - lunch | Activity Morning | |
| 2 July | Summer Holidays |
Note on Upcoming events
While we are very much hoping that the events shown above are able to go ahead as planned, there is the concern that things can change without much prior notice. We will do our best to give as much advance notice as possible in the event of cancellation.
Summer Camp
We are excited to announce a variety of Summer Camp options for the holidays and invite you to have a look at the details in the link: Summer Camp Information. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Ms Anisa Van Der Laan by writing to [email protected]
Indu Bedi
Swadee ka and Hello. My name is Indu Bedi and I am a Deputy Headteacher and a teacher of English at HeadStart International school. Having previously worked at HeadStart as the Head of English and Humanities, I am familiar with many aspects of this dynamic and creative school. I am excited to return in my new role to oversee the Sixth Form and Staff Development and once again work with a determined team of professionals to make this a successful school where all students thrive personally and academically. I learnt my craft as a teacher in England where I taught for 16 years holding a variety of roles including Head of Faculty, Director of Learning and Teaching, Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher. I embarked on my international career 10 years ago with my family and have since taught in Malaysia and Thailand. I am a certified Teacher Trainer with a specialism and a passion for developing pedagogical approaches to support language acquisition. I have written and led training in England and abroad. I have also worked for Sunderland University (UK) in supporting and assessing teachers training internationally. I have a BA (Hons) in the Humanities, majoring in English Literature, a PGCE in teaching English with Drama, an MA in Cultural and Critical Studies and I have completed my National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) in the UK. I have a genuine interest in how our pedagogical approaches in the classroom can be developed to enhance the learning of all students. As a teacher and leader, I am a strong believer in the growth mindset (Carol Dweck); I believe intelligence can be grown through using the right methods to teach and through developing student self-belief. I am also passionate about creating effective lifelong learners through making learning as transparent as possible so students know what steps to take to ensure their own success. With these key ingredients, choosing the right methods to teach, nurturing the growth mindset and making learning transparent, I believe all students achieve academic success and leave school with a belief in themselves. I also have a passion for teaching my subject, English, as I believe language and literature lie at the heart of individual empowerment. The study of language allows us to understand how language is used and how to use language effectively for our own purposes; this is central to one’s success in and beyond school. The study of literature, whilst contributing to improved language skills, also develops intelligence, imagination and the ability to view the world through different lenses. I am looking forward to working in partnership with the students, and their parents, in the Sixth Form to ensure they achieve academic success and they continue to enjoy their lives as students at the school. I am also looking forward to working with colleagues across the school to develop learning and teaching practice so we continue to inspire a love of learning amongst all of our students. Outside of school, I enjoy being a mum to my two young daughters, Anoushka and Taara Lily, reading (I have a particular interest in post-colonial literature and self-development books), spending time in nature, meditating and trying new recipes in my kitchen!
University Application News
We want to share with you the current status of the graduating class of 2021. We particularly want to share their successes in the applications to university so far.
Our current Graduate group of 38 students hailing from 15 different countries including: UK, Canada, America, France, Australia, Israel, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Korea, Japan, Ukraine, and Thailand is our largest ever graduating class. 35% of this cohort have attended HeadStart for more than 5 years; 2 students has been with us for 10 years.
In what has been a remarkable two year period in everybody’s lives our class of 2021 have truly set the bar high in terms of their future study aspirations. Whilst the world, Thailand, Phuket and therefore the school too has been challenged like at no other time before by the pandemic, these tenacious and resilient young people have managed to stay the course and prepare for their exams and submit an incredible number (87 to be exact) university applications with 12 still pending as we wait for the application windows to open in July 2021 in Australia, Korea, Germany, Luxembourg, Hungary, Belgium and Thailand.
As was the case last year, we know that every student who wishes to go to university next year, will do so. Students have applied to, and are holding offers from, 13 countries: UK, Norway, Netherlands, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, Canada, Scotland, Wales, Switzerland, Australia and Singapore.
Our students have applied for vast array of subjects including Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Law and Economics, PPLE (Politics, Philosophy, Law & Economics), Liberal Arts & Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, English and Music, Theatre Arts, Drama and Theatre Arts, Literary Studies, Psychology, Biology, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Business Management, Commerce, Politics, Political Science, Global Responsibility and Leadership, Media and Communication, Accounting & Finance, Business and Law, IT, Marketing, Communication Strategy & Ideation, Hospitality Management, Fashion & Business Management, Sports Studies, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Food Science and Biotechnology.
We also have a number of students who have chosen to take a gap year because of COVID 19 and they too have shown thought and maturity in making this decision; they too have been busy planning the pathways they intend to follow which include taking up internships, joining the military and plans to work for a year before returning to full time academia.
We are very proud of our graduates this year. They have managed adversity with grace and have come through this year with very promising plans for their future.
The graduation is scheduled to take place on 25 June. More details to be announced within the coming weeks.
Further Congratulations!
We wish to congratulate Pun Pun in Year 11 for receiving an Athletic Scholarship at Wingate University in the USA as the first ever Thai college triathlete!
“Pun Pun grew up a very active child and as a family, we encouraged him to participate in and enjoy all kinds of sports. One day, Pun Pun found his passion and told us that he wanted to become a professional triathlete, which at the time, was not a very popular sport in Thailand. As a family, we committed to doing whatever it took to help Pun Pun succeed and we are grateful for the support that we have received from HeadStart International school. As a family, we want to express our appreciation to the community and HeadStart and let everyone know that we are willing to provide guidance to any other families who have a passion for sport”. -Pun Pun’s Father
“As Pun Pun turns from the past and looks to his own future, he is excited. The other recruits in the Wingate triathlon team are a collection of athletes from around the world, including national team athletes on both the men and women’s sides. This will allow him to gain race experience in the US, as well as glean valuable wisdom from his coaches and older teammates. Within this group, he hopes to develop and improve as an athlete and target a spot on the Thai national team. While at Wingate, Pun Pun will study sports management, and develop his skills to be involved in sport at every level of the business”. http://www.theagencycollegerecruit.com/.../vorawuth.../
Education Development Trust Assessment 2021
As part of our ongoing commitment to excellence, HeadStart has been registered with Education Development Trust since 2014. EDT is an accreditation agency based in the UK.
“Our International Schools Quality Mark (ISQM) provides a rigorous inspections model and quality standard to help schools deliver the best for their students and the wider school community. The purpose of accreditation or inspection is to assure parents and students that the school has been judged by independent evaluators to meet rigorous quality standards. The process of seeking and gaining accreditation with Education Development Trust draws on our proven track record of international experience and expertise in supporting high quality and sustainable school improvement”.
Every three years an inspection takes place and, while this year the assessment has been conducted online, the process has been just as rigorous and time-consuming and management have been very busy with conferences and paperwork.
HeadStart is judged as effective in delivering an education in keeping with its stated aims in relation to the following areas:
- student achievement and progress
- student personal development
- teaching and learning
- the curriculum
- support and guidance for students
- leadership and management
- partnerships with parents and the community
We hope to be able to share feedback with the community once the assessments are complete and once we have received the verdict.
Dance Recital
We are extremely excited to be gearing up for the annual Dance Recital that will encapsulate the fantastic work that our students have done and hope that it will be a wonderful way of finishing off the year. On 19 June (Saturday), the students will have the unique experience of being filmed professionally without an audience and on the day following, 20 June (Sunday) the families of the children will be invited to watch the performance live. While we hope that things will have changed by then in terms of allowing large crowds to gather, we are remaining conservative with our panning and therefore will only be allowing parents of the Dance Academy children to watch the show live on Sunday either at 2.00 pm or 5.00 pm. Booking tickets will be open approximately 2 weeks before the event and more information will be shared closer to the time. Until then, time to practice! -Ms Fabienne Mester, Dance Programme Manager
| Foundation |
Welcome back to school, Foundation!
Although you did extremely well with your online learning, we were very happy to see you all back in school on Monday. I was very impressed with all of you, you all came back confident, excited and ready to play and learn, despite having 6 weeks at home! We even had some new children join us during the closure who have adapted to school life super quickly this week! This week you have been immersed back into play-based learning where you have had the opportunity to reconnect with your friends and teachers. Foundation is always a happy place to be, but this week has had an extra air of happiness about it. -Ms Hannah Brown, Head of Foundation
| Primary |
Student of the Month for Music
Congratulations to all of our Primary Students of the Month for May 2021. Although not all of the students were able to be in the photo, we wish to bring attention to the following students for their hard work and effort in Music! Fina, Rita and Punn (Year 1), Will, James and Puan (Year 2), Anna, Luke Nai and Ikkyu (Year 3), Tanyong, Taywin and Jak (Year 4), Jaya, Angela and Lincoln (Year 5), Anabel, Juliette and Julianna (Year 6). Well done and keep up the good work! -Mr Sam Khan, Head of Foundation and Primary
HeadStart’s Primary 2020-2021 Student Leadership team
Left to Right: Non as Deputy Head Boy, Abigail as Head Girl, Mason as Head Boy and Ivy as Deputy Head Girl.
“I am very grateful for being given the opportunity to be Head Girl this year. I have really enjoyed the role. It has given me the opportunity to work with a team, show responsibility and has brought me so many good memories”. -Abigail Sinclaire
“I have really enjoyed being Head Boy this year. Thank you for giving me the chance to do this job. I have had a great time leading the Student Council and it was an honour to deliver the Wai Kru speech”. -Mason Holmes
Robotics Club
Primary Robotics Club following step by step written instructions to help build the school’s brand new VEX IQ robots. The dream is to enter the Thailand VEX robotics competition next year with these robots and win! -Mr Dean Wells
| SOS Cooking Volunteers Needed |
Scholars of Sustenance are looking for volunteers that can cook from home! Can you cook? Do you have extra time on your hands and don’t mind using your time and resources to help others? The concept is very simple:
- SOS will drop off 2 baskets that contain food boxes for you to fill from home.
- SOS will pick up the food from your house once the food is cooked and deliver it to the communities dotted around Phuket that are in desperate need of sustenance.
All you have to do is inform Jack what day and time that you are able to cook and all the rest will be done for you! Email address: [email protected]
There are currently 6 volunteers cooking from home but we need 6 more! Please help us to help others and share this initiative with family and friends and encourage more people to get involved.
