Dates for Your Diary

Upcoming events can be found on the calendar on the website School Life → Calendar but we have outlined upcoming events here for easy reference. For daily updates and news follow the HeadStart Facebook Page

Meeting Invitation

HeadStart School proudly invites you to the public launch of our U- Prep (University Placement Service) and BTEC (alternative to A Level) programmes. The event will take place in school on Thursday 6th June form 8:15 - 9:30am. The launch event will be a great opportunity for those parents who have not attended our U Prep Talks previously or BTEC launch last Tuesday to find out about these exciting developments at HeadStart that will start in August 2019. Below are some more details about these opportunities.

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No Single-Use Plastic Day

In order to make one last push on House Points we will be encouraging a No - Single - Use - Plastic - Day throughout the school day on Friday 7 June. This is also helps to raise awareness in support of World Oceans Day, which takes place on the Saturday 8 June. As well as there being a number of talks, presentations and beach clean ups around the island, HeadStart will be offering 2 House Points for every snack box which is free of single use plastic. To boost the House points, children must show their snack boxes to their teachers during morning time. Snack boxes that are free of straws, and plastic food wrap will earn extra points for their teams!

Prom 2019 News

On the 14th of June the Secondary students will have an end of year party at the Ramada Hotel on Chao Fah road, which is a two minute drive from the school going South. This year the theme is Hollywood! Dress to impress! There will be a photo booth, live Djs, food & drink as well as games and prizes to be won!

• 06:00pm- Arrivals & registration: make your way to the ballroom on the 7th floor.
• 08:30pm Year 7-9 students are picked up by parents from the ballroom on the 7th floor.
• 10:00pm Year 10-13 departures.

Guests of HeadStart students are welcome to join at an additional cost of 1,000 Baht but must provide full name and contact details to Khun Sa, Secondary Secretary, by Wednesday, 12 June. Students being picked up by other parents and going for sleep overs should inform their homeroom teachers beforehand via email or in person.

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Year 11-13 “Relax and Refresh” Trip

This year the Year 11-13 students and teachers will going to Bor Saen Villas in Phang Nga for our residential “Relax and Refresh” trip on the 17-18th of June. Students will undertake some team building exercises and will also be building on existing relationships and making new friends in anticipation of Year 11 joining the existing Year 12 Students in the Sixth Form, and as Year 13 get ready to leave HeadStart. There is no additional cost for this trip.

Please note that this year’s trip will include activities involving water and other adventurous activities, and your child will be staying in a villa that has a swimming pool that will not be supervised by a lifeguard. Students will be given instructions about safety around swimming pools and water-based activities which they will need to follow for the entirety of the trip.

Please confirm your child’s attendance by signing and returning the slip emailed out to parents. Hard copies can be physically returned to the Sixth Form office, or you can email the form and reply to ,[email protected]. in the Sixth Form office. Please return these to the Sixth Form Office or their homeroom teacher by Friday 24th May 2019.

We expect that all students in Year 11, 12 and 13 will participate in this important trip. However should your son/daughter not be attending please still fill in the section on the slip stating they will not be going. Students not attending the trip will have no timetabled provision in school for these two days. Once we receive confirmation of attendance, a medical form and further details about the activities will be sent to students and parents.

Annual Sports Awards 2019

Our annual Sports Awards ceremony will take place on 12 June between 4:30-6:00pm in the Sports Hall. This event is open to parents who have children in any of the sports academies or sports teams. Specific invites have been sent out to those required to attend. You are requested to dress formally. Food and beverages will be made available. As always, it promises to be a fun end of year celebration and we hope you can make it. If you are unable to attend, please inform the coach/es directly.

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Book Title Guessing Game

One of the many exciting events which will be taking place next month during the English and Humanities Faculty Week is a competition in which cryptic clues need to be decoded in order for people to identify the well know book title. I say ‘people,’ as this competition is one with a twist; it is also open to parents as well as HeadStart students. I won’t deny it; it’s very challenging. Some come on parents, can you rise to the challenge? Consider my gage thrown down!

Here are the clues below. They will also be on display next week by the main entrance to school and throughout Faculty Week in the same place. You can also pick up an answer sheet there. Of course, there are wonderful prizes on offer for students and parents alike. Get in your completed (or even partially completed) answer sheets to me by the 7th June to stand a chance of winning one!

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Year 9 Fundraiser–Get Involved!

It’s finally here! English and Humanities Faculty Week will be kick started on Tuesday 4th June with lots of exciting events throughout each school day. The faculty team have been working very hard to create lots of fun things for all ages to try and we can’t wait to see you all getting stuck in!

Some may call me biased, but I have been particularly excited about the project that the Year 9 students have been working on. For several weeks, the students have dedicated their time to planning and creating a huge range of fundraising activities to raise money for an amazing cause; UNICEF have launched an appeal to aid the people effected by Cyclone Idai and Cyclone Kenneth which hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe last month. The people of these African Nations have been left without basic supplies, shelter and access to healthcare or education.

The Year 9’s will be running events such as bake sales, a vintage sale, sports competitions and even a disco for you to enjoy and, most importantly, to raise money to help the UNICEF appeal in Africa. Any support, whether it be a donation of clothes to the vintage sale or purchasing a chocolate brownie at break time, will help to change someones life for the better.

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#Sports Department News

Football News

PISAC Tournament on 29th May, 2019

Under 9 Boys

The Under 9 Boys followed their excellent performance against BCIS last Friday with a mixed display at the PISAC tournament. HeadStart took a large group of players to the tournament due to the popularity of the Under 9s Football Academy. In future tournaments, HeadStart will consider taking two teams to the tournaments. Elliot and Nathee carried out the coaches instructions particularly well and are growing with each game.

Under 11 Boys

The Under 11 boys played three games in the PISAC tournament this week. After a disappointing start to the afternoon, the team recovered well to finish strongly. This week, the team learned that they need to develop their technical skills when controlling the ball in the air to compete against more advanced teams. The group also recognise that there is significant room for improvement in the teams preparations for matches. The players need to use less energy during the school day, hydrate well and have snacks at the tournaments if they want to perform well in matches. The team worked hard at times in the tournament, recovering well when possession was lost. Well done guys!

Under 11 & 13 Girls

Both under 11 and 13 girls teams were in action this week at BIS for the final PISAC tournament of the year. The girls have worked amazing hard all year and while the results didn’t go their way on the day, coaches and teachers from other schools complimented the girls on how much they have improved throughout the season. Special shout of to Mika Caspi for a great goal and a crazy celebration. Good luck for next year girls, you deserve every bit of success.

Under 13 Boys

The Under 13s played three games in a mini league format where the top two teams qualify for the finals at the PISAC tournament this week. In difficult weather conditions, HeadStart found a way to get good results in all the matches ensuring they qualified for the final. Unfortunately the final was cancelled due to poor weather conditions but the group were pleased with the progress they made. HeadStart competed well physically after a slow start to the afternoon. Tactically, the players adopted a range of formations depending on the stage of the game. HeadStart responded very well to set backs, staying positive and working hard to overcome difficult challenges. This was great to see and a real improvement from the previous PISAC event. The team captain, Krit has had a big impact on the team in difficult situations with players encouraging and motivating each other.

In this competition, HeadStart learnt that they need to prepare for each game thoroughly, be competitive from the start and work hard defensively. Nicholas worked particularly hard in this competition, his efforts were an example to the group whilst Lukas continues to use his long shots well to provide a constant threat.

Over 15 Boys

The over 15 boys played against KIS in a home fixture this week. The group were physically and technically more developed than their opponents and took responsibility for themselves well on the pitch. The teams preparations for the matches and training requires significant development to ensure HeadStart International School are represented in the best possible way at all times. All players are required to wear the full kit, bring shin pads, drinks, snacks and to arrive at least thirty minutes before fixtures. Moving forward these are the minimum expectations required in the academy. Natasha was an excellent example to the group whilst Alex demonstrated good leadership skills in the game - well done guys, great work.

This was coach Eric’s final game with the group that he has led so well. Everyone at HeadStart would like to thank Coach Eric for his professionalism, commitment and enthusiasm since working at HeadStart. Good luck coach!

Under 15 Girls Football Tournament

With all the year 10 students not taking part due to exams, we were very short on numbers and could only field 7 players. This meant no substitutions and so no time to rest! The first game was against KIS. The girls started off low in confidence due to the size of their squad compared to their opponents, however it didn’t take them long to play to their strengths and settle into the game. The match was very evenly fought with both sides creating chances to score but with a corner in our favour Tess managed to place the ball perfectly into the box for Salina to direct into the goal. Despite KIS ramping up the pressure, HeadStart managed to hand onto their 1-0 lead to win the game.

Their next game against UWCT was just as tough but yet again with the opportunity of corner the girls took advantage to take a 1-0 lead. Both teams continued to apply pressure but it was UWCT that managed to find a gap in HeadStarts defence to bring the score line back to a draw.

After a round robin the final was between HeadStart and UWCT. Myself and Mr Carter were on the edge of seats for the entire game. The two sides both fought incredibly hard right to the final whistle and despite chances from Tess and Sonya the game ended in a draw. This meant sudden death penalties. Sonya stepped up to go in goal and Lucy hammered home our first penalty shortly followed by Sonya and with UWCT missing their second HeadStart were crowned 2019 PISAC football champions.

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Student News

Secondary Student of the Month Awards

This week Year 1 Blue traveled to South Korea and thanks to Mrs Park we got to try some delicious Korean food. We also learnt about Taekwondo and Jiwoo showed us how to tie the belt properly. We found out about Korean animals and even did some dancing to ‘Gangnam Style!’ It was fantastic fun! We cannot wait for next week when we travel to Turkey!

Year 1 Yellow have has the most incredible time travelling lately. We traveled to Japan and what an eventful time we had there, experience all things Japanese! The children learnt all about the art of origami, had a go at painting calligraphy, created a flag, played a very funny traditional Japanese game, tried on Japanese dress, learnt exciting facts and of course tried lots of delicious Japanese food - which was an absolute hit with the children and the teachers alike! We had some special parents helpers in class too which was so exciting and made the day extra informative. We also had a guest visit from Miss Saki who impressed the children with her origami skills! After that, we made a swift move to Australia and wow, we certainly enjoyed our time down under! Not only did we get to learn all about the amazing animals there are in Australia, we also got to explore beautiful landmarks, sing lovely songs and try some truly delicious Australian food! Children enjoyed creating their own boomerangs but mostly enjoyed the pop quiz at the end where they had the chance to win Australia-patterned balloons. Be sure to ask our class how to do Australian accents as I am sure they will be more than happy to wish you a, “good day, mate!” A wonderful time all around. Next stop…Turkey!’ By Ms Charlotte Myers

Reception Yellow love learning about Pirates! They have been great at solving problems in Maths and recording their own addition and subtraction number sentences. In Literacy the children made ‘Wanted’ posters for the naughty pirates after they stole our class teddy! They also wrote letters to the pirates (a message in a bottle) to ask for Cocoa back. The children have been creative in their art work and produced some lovely Pirate flags and treasure maps. Well done Reception Yellow! By Ms Hannah Kuusik

Students for Key Stage 1 and 2 have been working with donated plastic items to create sculptures of sea creatures that will go on display for World Ocean Day to help raise awareness of the effects of plastic pollution on marine life. Students have also been working with Oceans for All to design Artwork for their upcoming book, Artwork to be displayed soon. By Ms Jody Leow

This term the Eco Club tried their hand at growing some fruits. They planted passion fruit, mulberry and melon and although the passion fruit and mulberry did produce flowers and fruits, sadly birds may have got to the fruits before they had a chance to grow and ripen. However this week the Eco Club were extremely pleased with their single harvest of Galia Melon. The melon was cut and prepared yesterday, and the fruit enjoyed by the whole team. The abundance of new seeds were replanted in the hope of an abundant harvest in the near future. Well done to our Primary gardeners for their patience and enthusiasm. By Ms Fiona Scott

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Healthy Treats Now in School Coffee Shop

Hello! My name is Alexandra and my son Elijah, goes to HeadStart.

Elijah likes cookies and candies - just like every other child. And as a parent I am concerned about the availability of addictive, commercial products affecting the minds and bodies of our younger generation. To help combat this, I have created a line of healthy treats now available in the school cafeteria. Free tasting at school, coming soon… keep reading.

Most people know that white sugar is highly addictive and linked with high rates of diabetes and obesity in Asia. Thailand in fact, now has the worst obesity rate in South East Asia, with children aged four to 10 consuming twice as much sugar as recommended and teenagers consuming three times as much.

I believe our kids are our future, and nourishing them with tasty nutritious, wholesome food is a wise move. This is one of the main reasons I created Healthy Treats that you can now find in the cafeteria. To enjoy some free samples, and ask me any questions, mark your calendar:

Free Healthy Treats Tasting on Tuesday, 4th June between 3.20 - 4.40 p.m. in the School Coffee Shop.

I look forward to meeting and talking with you on Tuesday - come and say Hello and enjoy some Healthy Treats!