Weekly Update # 29, 18 June 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 YouTube channel.
| Date | Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 June | All day | Filming of ‘Circle of Life’ Dance Recital | Sports Hall |
| 20 June | 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm | Performance of ‘Circle of Life’ for parents | Sports Hall |
| 22 June | 8.45 am | Reception Graduation Ceremony (students & parents only) | Sports Hall |
| 23 June | 8.45-9.15 am | Year 6 Graduation Ceremony (students & parents only) | Sports Hall |
| 1.30-2.30 pm | Primary Awards Ceremony (students & parents only) | Sports Hall | |
| 25 June | Last day of fee paid ASPs, Academies & programmes run by outside providers | ||
| 1.00-3.00 pm | Year 13 Graduation Ceremony (students & parents only) | Sports Hall | |
| 26 June | 8.00 am -4.00 pm | Foundation, Primary, Year 7, 8, 10 Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTC) | Classrooms |
| 28 June | 1.30-2.30 pm | Secondary Awards ceremony (students & parents only) | Sports Hall |
| 29 June | 6.00-7.00 pm | Sports Awards Ceremony | Online |
| 12.00-1.00 pm | House Captain’s ‘Thank You’ Lunch | Conference Room | |
| 1 July | 8.00 am -12.00pm | Activity Morning | |
| 2 July | Summer Holidays |
| Announcements |
A myriad of activities and events have been planned for the last two weeks of school. We are pleased to let everybody know that we are able to invite the students and parents of the award winners and graduates into school to celebrate together. Parents of the students involved will have been emailed personal invites. We ask that you confirm your presence with the relevant member of staff at your earliest convenience. When you do arrive at school, please wear a mask at all times and remain within a one-meter distance from other attendees.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding. We look forward to celebrating our student’s success together.
| Dance Academy Update |
Over six years ago, Ms Fabienne set up the HeadStart dance programme. Our programme has developed from a handful of children taking part to over 250 students developing their talents. You would have seen our incredible dance performances as part of our school productions as well as the dance showcase at the end of the year. This week we are looking forward to another brilliant show giving our students the dance to show off what they have been working on over the past year.
It is with great sadness that we are saying goodbye to Ms Fabienne this year. She has poured her heart and soul into the programme and has made it into what it is today - a roaring success that is up there with the top dance schools in Thailand. I would like to thank Ms Fabienne for all that she has done here at HeadStart. She will definitely be missed by staff and students alike and we wish her well in her future endeavours as she returns to Europe.
Please join me in welcoming our new Head of Dance - Ms Hayley Filsinger. Hayley brings with her a wealth of experience and talent and a real passion for the role. She is a professional dancer, previously based in LA. Equally versed in tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet and Latin dance styles, Hayley has performed and toured with many internationally known artists including Lady Gaga, Juan Gabriel, Ne-Yo, Nelly, P Diddy, Dirty Money, J Balvin, DJ Khalid, The Roots, Akon, Run DMC, Ashanti to name just a few. Her experience also includes dancing on music videos and television shows like Saturday Night Live. She also starred as a dancer in the films “English Vinglish”, “Dark Horse” and as Welma Hayek in “What Women Want” starring Cameron Diaz. We are looking forward to developing our dance programme even further in the years to come and hope that the fantastic work that Ms Fabienne has started will continue to be one of the pillars of our school’s programmes. -Ms Erika Cramp, Director of Performing and Creative Arts
BTEC Sales in Atrium
BTEC Business years 11 and 12 will be selling homemade gifts for the headStart community during the last week at school at the BTEC Bazaar. There will be a selection of baked goods such as brownies and cookies, candles and candies all available to purchase in gift bags and boxes. Students can pre-order and collect at the end of the day in the atrium where there will also be additional items for parents to buy. -Ms Yardenna Jones, BTEC Coordinator
| PE and Sports |
Zak Brown
My name is Zak Brown, and I have a deep passion for swimming. I hail from Bakersfield, California, where I discovered my love for the sport at the age of 10. Throughout my high school years, I had the privilege of leading our team to four consecutive league championships, a testament to our hard work and dedication. After graduating, I pursued my swimming journey at Bakersfield College while representing the esteemed Bakersfield Swim Club. As a part of this club, I had the opportunity to compete in various competitions across California and even ventured to different states for national level meets. These experiences shaped me both as an athlete and as an individual. Seeking new challenges, I made the decision to move to Niagara Falls, New York. There, I continued my swimming career at Niagara University as a Division One Swimmer. During my time at Niagara, I achieved remarkable accomplishments, setting three school relay records and graduating with a degree in marketing and logistics. Swimming has not only shaped me as an athlete, but it has also shaped me as a person. For over 19 years, I have been teaching and coaching swimming, working with athletes of all levels, from beginners to aspiring Olympians. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience, enabling me to meet inspiring individuals from all corners of the globe. Swimming is more than just a sport to me - it has become a lifestyle. The invaluable lessons I have learned through swimming have stayed with me throughout my life. In 2016, I joined the HeadStart team, and it has been an amazing journey thus far. I am thrilled to continue working with the students, supporting and nurturing their swimming abilities. Together, as a cohesive team, we will strive for excellence in the pool this year, pushing ourselves to new heights.
For a final HOORAH, the Aqua Panthers are having their second intrasquad meet today (Friday, June 18th). The last time we had an internal meet, the two teams TIED! So here is the chance to see which team can outrace their teammates and who will be victorious. On top of that, we finally got around to awarding our top earners for the 12-hour relay! Fleur earned third place and she opted to play 30 minutes of Sharks and Minnows! This was a very intense game and she even had Coach Sarah and myself get in and participate. We may be older sharks, but we still have shark grit!
Esther earned the second most and she had an hour to do whatever she liked! Esther decided to have the team listen to The 1975 (her favourite band), play Sharks and Minnows, and had a special Minecraft quiz to honour of Matvey who has left us to attend school in Finland! The practice concluded with cookies and cake.
It had been a very busy 2 weeks for the swimmers, but everyone is enjoying being back in the pool. Next week Nae Nae gets to run an entire practice for earning the most! Word on the deck is she is going to make the coaches will 100 meters of the butterfly! Wish us luck!
Alicia Niemand
Greetings everyone! I'm Alicia, and I've been a proud member of the HeadStart team since October 2018. As I embark on my tenth year of teaching, I'm filled with enthusiasm for the exciting journey that lies ahead. My teaching experience has traversed diverse landscapes, from my home country of South Africa to the Middle East and various parts of Thailand. I studied to become a teacher at the University of Pretoria; gaining a Bachelor of Education degree. Following two years of teaching ICT in South Africa, I ventured into the world of international education, spending the past nine years as a homeroom, IT, ICT, and IB MYP Digital Design Teacher. My commitment to excellence drives me both personally and professionally, as I strive to ensure exceptional practices and outcomes for both myself and my students. With an unwavering passion for my subject, I bring a wealth of knowledge to the classroom and deliver it in engaging and captivating ways. My teaching style is characterized by its stimulation, enthusiasm, and unwavering dedication. I possess a natural talent for building strong connections with my students, and my approach, grounded in differentiation, challenge, humour, and happiness, has consistently yielded swift progress and positive results. As well as being a passionate teacher, I also have a love for sports and fitness. I love training in a range of physical activity; including hiking, weight-lifting, team sports and coaching. With this, I have played provincial hockey for my country and also represented an established Emirates rugby team while living in Dubai. I currently play for clubs all around the world and train at Unit 27. I look forward to continuing touch rugby with the staff and students this year. As we approach the upcoming academic year, I am excited to reconnect with familiar faces and extend a warm welcome to all the new students. My time at HeadStart and in the captivating surroundings of Phuket fills me with joy, and I'm thrilled to be a part of this remarkable community. Here's to an inspiring 2023 ahead—let's make it extraordinary!
On Tuesday, weplayed a very exciting Touch Rugby match – Students VS Teachers!
The students played very well, demonstrating the fantastic skills they have learned in their weekly Touch Rugby ASP. The teamwork was brilliant, the passing, diving, defence and passes were incredible; with some super talent on show. Mika Caspi scored a fantastic try for the student team, with her whole team working together so she could get over the try line! The final score was 3-2 to the teachers, but it was certainly a close match, with the students really giving the teachers a run for their money!
The match ended with a small awards ceremony, with students receiving certificates for the outstanding attributes they brought to the team. This term’s Touch Rugby season has been exceptional, with the ASP rapidly increasing in size and all students constantly improving, becoming very skilled and impressive on the pitch. So much so, that Carry has now gone on to join a full contact men’s team outside of school!
Remember, anyone is welcome so please consider coming along to join Miss Niemand for some Touch Rugby ASP next year.
At HeadStart International School, we provide our students with the skills and confidence they need to progress into an exciting career. The Sports Industry is always adapting and growing, making it essential for our students to have the drive and resilience to adapt. The practical base of a BTEC in Sport will help our students shine as team players, coaches and leaders of the future.
| Foundation |
This week Early Years Yellow have been learning about rain! We have made musical rain sticks for the children to play with, they have made artwork and crafts. We also did a science experiment to show how the rain falls from (shaving foam) clouds. There has been a lot of conversation about where rain comes from and how it helps everything grow. We have discussed the cycle of rain and it took a bit of convincing that the water came from our oceans. -Ms Suzi Chaemchaeng
| Secondary English |
Students make excellent progress in their English lessons at HeadStart and in the English Faculty, we wanted to both celebrate and showcase this fact. On their arrival at HeadStart, students in this video were decidedly ‘emergent’ in their English level. Look at them now….Confident, articulate and developed in their language proficiency, studying in First Language IGCSE, Literature and A Level Literature. They should feel extremely proud of themselves; we certainly do in the faculty. We hope that this video will also serve as an inspiration for our developing English language learners in the school. Keep reading, keep speaking, keep going- you will get there in the end, and here’s the evidence! -Mr. Pollicutt, Head of English
Public Speaking Session
“The session with Able was quite inspirational. Rather than receiving a lecture, we were given the opportunity to learn certain practical skills and taught how to present and project ourselves. While remaining valuable in the skills we learnt, the session continued being captivating and fun- with participants reciting various experiences ranging from deeply intimate to hilarious, all thanks to skills we had gathered. Overall the various activities, from bonding to relaxation to projection, may all be applied in the future by everyone who was present”. -Dennis, Year 10 student
| Thai Language |
Year 7 Thai First language students studied the topic of ASEAN countries. The students did a project about the history of the ASEAN Community, the benefits of being ASEAN member states, and ASEAN greetings. They learnt a lot of things and enjoyed class activities. Well done to all! -Kru Kan
| Around the Island |
Eco Elephant Park Programme Invitation
Welcoming HeadStart families to the Eco Elephant Park for a fun day of outdoor activities in nature on Saturday, 26 June 2021, starting at 9:00 AM and finishing at 11 PM. The fee is 450 Baht per child and the programme will be as follows:
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Classwork (app 20 minutes). Learn about elephants through Q&A, small games
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At the paddock (app 40 minutes)
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Each mahut introduce their elephants ( Q&A )
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Learn what we can do and shouldn’t do with elephants
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Prepare snacks for elephants and feed them
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Move to the Lazy Coco on the beach (app 30 minutes)
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Meet Aussie (Mahut Gai introduces Aussie. Q&A)
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Play with Aussie in the sea
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Shower and lunch at Lazy Coconut
For the venue, please see it on Facebook For more details, download the flyer below.
