Weekly Update #4, 15 October 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-18 October | Online ASP Booking for Parents & Secondary students | ||
| 18-25 October | Mid-term break/Camps/Teacher INSET | ||
| 23 October | ASPs are enrolled on the Parent Portal | ||
| 26 October | All ASPs and Academies begin | ||
| 29 October | Halloween Dress Up/Activities | Within classes | |
| 8.15am | UPrep Talk - Applying to US, Canada, Australia, Asia | Secondary Hall | |
| 31 October | TBA | 2nd Dose of Vaccines for 12-18-year-olds | Saphan Hin |
| 13 November | 8.15am | UPrep Talk- Applying to Thai Universities | Secondary Hall |
| Meet the Team |
“My name is Alicia and I have been working at HeadStart since October 2018. I am entering my ninth year of teaching. I have taught in a variety of settings; including my home country of South Africa, the Middle East and other parts of Thailand. I strive towards perfection for both myself and my students, working each day to ensure outstanding practice and outcomes. I am very passionate about my subject which means I have a breadth of knowledge to share and can do so in engaging and stimulating ways. I am a stimulating, eager and dedicated person with a natural ability to build rapport with students. With a devoted outlook towards lessons; through differentiation, challenge, a happy and humorous approach, my teaching style has been positively welcomed by learners over the years. -Ms Alicia Niemand, Teaches ICT in Secondary
“My name is Dale and this is my third year teaching at HeadStart International School. I am passionate about Geography as a subject; I was inspired by my Geography teacher at school which led me on the path to becoming a teacher. I am enthusiastic and a great believer in providing exciting and interesting lessons to all of the students that I teach. I want them to become independent thinkers, gaining knowledge by learning through their mistakes and making marginal gains in everything they do. I am dedicated to creating a safe, fun and challenging learning environment where the students are at the centre of a positive learning experience.” -Mr Dale Benham, Teaches Geography in Secondary
| Vaccine Update |
The rollout of the Pfizer Covid -19 vaccination for HeadStart students aged 12–18 took place on Sunday 10th October at the Saphan Hin Gymnasium. Over 190 HeadStart students received their first Covid-19 vaccination. Thank you to our Thai team for helping coordinate this event and reassuring our students each step of the way and a big thank you to the medical staff for making the process run so smoothly. The next appointment for the 2nd dose will take place on 31st October. -Kru Nee, School Director
| After School Programme (ASPs) Notices for Term 1 - Repeat of Last Week’s Announcement |
We are happy to announce that the After School Programmes (ASPs) and LAMDA classes will be starting up again after the mid-term break. For a general overview of policies, procedures and how to sign up, visit our webpage HERE.
If you have questions or need support with your child’s after school activities, please email Ms Anisa Van Der Laan at [email protected] or come visit in the front office. Detailed information for term 1 ASPs is provided below.
- Free ASPs - Primary and Secondary students can select up to three activities from the ‘free ASP’ list. Bookings will be on a ‘first come, first serve” basis.
- Fee Paid ASPs - Sign up your child up to a fantastic range of activities including Dance, Gymnastics, LAMDA, Instruments, Mandarin, Tennis, Jiu-Jitsu, Chess, STEM and Advanced Arts Clubs.
- Additional free ASPs - A number of additional activities are set up for our passionate or gifted and talented students including Project Recycle; Aqua Cubs (Pre swim Academy); the school choir, orchestra and band; Thai traditional dance; academic and sports competition teams.
- Pre enroled ASPs - Students will be pre enroled into academic Boosters, EAL sessions, Academies and VAPs.
- important Note - please do not select a free ASP if your child is enroled in an academic booster.
| Dance Programme |
Amina Sanden
Hi everyone! My name is Mina and I am the new Head Dance Coach. I am thrilled to be a part of the HeadStart family and I can’t wait to work with everyone and take our Dance Academy to the next level. It is a pleasure to be teaching these wonderful students, to share my experiences and knowledge with them, and most importantly, to have fun! I have been dancing since I was 6 years old. I studied Jazz dance at Bangkok Dance Studio and Contemporary dance in many different studios. I started competing in dance battles when I was 15 years old. I have performed as a professional dancer in music videos, commercials, and events. I also worked as a dance soloist, choreographer, coach and manager for events and competitions. I have travelled to many countries to take dance classes from dance masters in various dance genres to further my teaching and dancing techniques. I am able to teach many dance genres such as jazz-funk, contemporary, hip-hop, and more. My goal is to help all of our students find their own characteristics and to be able to express them through dance. I will guide them through pathways that will help them achieve their optimal level of success. Dancing saved my life and I would like to pay it forward by helping others achieve something greater.
“Hi everyone! My name is Mina and I am the new Head Dance Coach. I am thrilled to be a part of the HeadStart family and I can’t wait to work with everyone and take our Dance Academy to the next level. It is a pleasure to be teaching these wonderful students, to share my experiences and knowledge with them, and most importantly, to have fun! I have been dancing since I was 6 years old. I studied Jazz dance at Bangkok Dance Studio and Contemporary dance in many different studios. I started competing in dance battles when I was 15 years old.
I have performed as a professional dancer in music videos, commercials, and events. I also worked as a dance soloist, choreographer, coach and manager for events and competitions. I have travelled to many countries to take dance classes from dance masters in various dance genres to further my teaching and dancing techniques. I am able to teach many dance genres such as jazz-funk, contemporary, hip-hop, and more. My goal is to help all of our students find their own characteristics and to be able to express them through dance. I will guide them through pathways that will help them achieve their optimal level of success. Dancing saved my life and I would like to pay it forward by helping others achieve something greater.”
If you would like more information regarding the Dance programme at HeadStart, please contact Amina by writing to [email protected]
Updated Dance Programme Information
A handful of dance classes require students to audition before being accepted. The classes requiring auditions and timings are shown below:
| Black Ballet | Thursday 28 October | 15:30 - 16:30 | with Miss Anna in the Primary Hall |
| HDPG (HeadStart’s Dance Performing Group) | Tuesday 26 October | 16:30 - 18:00 | with Coach Mina in the Fitness Studio |
| Cheer development team | Friday 29 October | 16:30 - 18:00 | Kru Dew & Miss Queen |
If your child has been accepted into the classes mentioned above, you will be notified by email whether or not the child is invited to join. If the class doesn’t require an audition, you can enrol your children via the Parent Portal, the same way all other ASPs are enroled.
In June 2021 Headstart students were entered for our first official LAMDA exams. Students took part in classes in Communication (public speaking, reading for performance), performing (acting) and musical theatre. Congratulations to our superstars on their fantastic results! -Ms Erika Cramp, Director of Creative and Performing Arts
| Eco News |
Our rooftop growing garden has yielded some delicious basil (โหระพา) that chef used as the perfect complement to the Caprese salad served for lunch on Tuesday. As the rain dissipates, we expect more beautiful fruits and vegetables from this eco-project. -Miki Edouard
| PE and Sports |
Swimming Lessons
The PE department is offering additional swim lessons for students. Each lesson will be 30 minutes in length and will begin Saturday, 30th October. The cost is 350 baht per lesson and the cost for all 7 lessons is 2,450 Baht. There are 4 time slots available (shown in the poster) and the dates for term 1 are as follows: October 30th, November 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, December 4th and 11th.
This program has been developed primarily for those children who lack water confidence and need extra help outside of regular class. Our goal is to help each child gain the ability to swim independently and become more water safe. Please sign up through the parent portal, once you have signed up, pay the office directly. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Coach Brown by writing to [email protected]
| Spotlight on Social and Emotional Learning - Being intentional about change and dreams |
Did you know…Writing goals is a proven way to lift your self-determination, you will be 60% more likely to overcome challenges to actually accomplish them. In the Homeroom sessions this week we focussed on our dreams and how to plan to achieve them.
Primary and Secondary students were asked to set goals, which were not only academic but related to all aspects of their life. Student’s learned that goal setting can be a powerful tool in developing their emotional intelligence and having a goal to strive towards gives us direction and a sense of accomplishment when we achieve them. HeadStart invites you to discuss these goals with your child and work with them to help them turn their dreams into reality. You may even want to set yourself some targets to act as an inspiration to your children. When we set goals we must ensure they are SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time -based. You may also want to ensure you set goals for different areas of your life, such as your relationships, health, career, spirituality and of course, academic goals. As we strive to make the world a better place for ourselves and others during this unprecedented time, Mahatma Gandhi said it best; “If you want to change the world, start with yourself.” -Pastoral Care Team
| Foundation |
The children in Foundation have been learning about their emotions and how their emotions can help them to make good choices. Children have considered the kind of person they would like to be and made some goals for the year. See our display board in the Play Center for samples of artwork highlighting the children’s goals! Help your children to understand their emotions at home by naming your own. When your child is making choices, discuss how their choice could be influenced by their emotion. Reflect on choices that were made and talk about how they could be even better next time! -Ms Hannah Brown
Preschool has been making the very most of the sunshine this week exploring the garden, looking for minibeasts, playing with water and taking the opportunity to make and eat ice lollies that we made from fruit juice to keep us refreshed and cool in this heat. The children made the ice lollies themselves by pouring the fruit juice into the ice lolly moulds, and carefully carrying them to the freezer and putting them in themselves. Did you know that filling, scooping, measuring and pouring play activities help children develop their fine motor skills, they also help children grasp early math concepts such as less or more, comparing quantities and even capacity! -Mrs Amy Drew
Children in Early Years participated in water play in their ‘Messy Play’ session. Not only does water play engage children’s creativity and imagination but it also has a range of benefits for children’s physical and social development. -Ms Suzi and Ms Jasmine
| Secondary |
Andrew Ferris
Born and raised in the UK to parents who are both teachers. I completed my degree at Loughborough University, where I played a lot of sport, and desired to be a hedge fund manager. However, the family gene didn’t fall far from the tree and after working with children on summer sport camps, trained to be a teacher at Leicester University. I enjoy my job and love helping students find a love of Mathematics and also of learning. I believe in learning through mistakes and having a positive mindset along the way. I love mini white boards so expect to use them in my lessons. I have been Head of Mathematics in two schools in the UK and also worked for 5 years in Kuala Lumpur and a fantastic year teaching in Porto, Portugal. Outside of teaching I have a passion for all sports, food, cooking, travelling and many things besides. Finally, I look forward to working with the fantastic Mathematics staff at the school and getting to know all of you.
Highlight on Maths
“Why do we need Maths?” A question every maths teacher has been asked throughout the years. The Year 7s have the answer…..To design and build a city! Using not just their maths skills but other important skills such as creativity, communication and leadership, the year 7s have 1 task. To design a city within a budget that must meet the following conditions:
- City has to be within budget
- No citizen should be ill from any pollution source
- The city should have some form of ‘clean’ energy generation
- City should have all the facilities expected from a city
- City should have industries, residential and commercial areas
- City should have the ability to attract tourists
The maths skills they have to learn and apply range from statistics - where they have to research and analyse data to assess the best energy source for their city - to perimeter and area where they have to work out where to position sources of pollution such as water sewage, energy sources and garbage disposal as to not be too close to their residents. They also need to budget accordingly and prioritize as they only have a finite amount of money. The students are also responsible for the design of the city.
This activity also engages students working from home as each team has an online participant who is able to carry out tasks that support the team. By learning in this manner, the students do get to see the real life applications to the mathematics they learn in class and gain an appreciation of the relationship mathematics has to other subjects such as physics, engineering, design, economics and business.
English
This week in English, Year 9 Austin demonstrated their expertise on the themes of the play DNA. They worked together on group presentations and then had to puzzle over which themes, in their opinion, were most prominently presented in the play. It was great to see some confident public speaking and discussion skills back in action! -Ms Kelly Tuppen
Revision can take many forms but for English Literature, I am of the opinion that it is most effective when it is an active process, be it planning extended responses; actually writing essays; or- as here- collaboratively revising content in a methodical and organised way. Year 13 English Literature students have worked extremely hard over the last two weeks and they are well- prepared for their AS examinations over half term and later this month. Together with Ms. Tuppen, I wish them the very best of luck. -Mr. Pollicutt, Head of English
Keep your minds sharp by trying to solve these riddles. The answer to each one is the name of a famous author. Prizes are on offer for students in every year group in Secondary who get the most correct responses. If you get them all, why not try reading a few…? Riddles
| Around the Island |
World Food Day Activities - From Scholars of Sustenance
October 16th is World Food Day which is celebrated every year to raise awareness for poverty and hunger and ensure the need for food security and nutritious diets for all. We are calling everyone to celebrate this World Food Day together by hosting a virtual fair, SAVE FOOD GOOD FUTURE, on the 16th. This weekend will be packed with fun activities by the young food system game-changers. We would like to invite people of all generations to come and learn more about the value of food, a sustainable food supply chain, and ways to reduce food waste at home. Schools, students, and parents are more than welcome to join!
- 10:00-11:00 - Zero Waste Kitchen 101: A very fun class by Chef Celia and ‘Happy Grocers’ that will open your eyes on how to waste less food by transforming leftovers or surplus food at home into a new menu! This activity is non-interactive and participants are encouraged to donate what you can. Register at: https://forms.gle/aQCMtSEThpN9bCrw6
- 11:00-12:30 - Plant-based & Less Waste cooking by ‘Deliconcious and Global Youth Biodiversity Network’ (Thailand): Learn how to cook a delicious meal with more plants and less waste left behind with a great discussion on the impact of food and natural biodiversity. Participants are enouraged to donate what you can. Register at: https://forms.gle/C19zKfdNbjFnmr1MA
- 13:00-14:30 - Fusion without confusion: Cooking Western food with Thai ingredients by Chef Daniel Bucher, ingredients supplies by Happy Grocers. Learn to cook a delicious Western menu from local ingredients and discuss the importance of the local food supply chain and food loss issues. 1,050 THB - all the gross profit goes to support SOS Foundation. Register at: https://happygrocers.co/store/event/Cooking-for-Charity-with-Chef-Daniel-Bucher-Fusion-without-Confusion
- 14:30-15:30 - Compost Workshop by SOS Thailand: Learn how to easily manage food waste at home. Participants are encouraged to donate what you can. Register at: https://forms.gle/8g3EwwW9DdpajpaHA
- 15:30-17:00 - Homemade and No Waste Lemonade by Wasteland Bangkok: Becoming a mixologist at home using pantry staple and kitchen finds. A waste-free workshop for anyone who wants to make homemade lemonade and drinks that leave no waste behind. You will also learn bits on how to get creative and conscious with a beverage that has the environment in mind. Price 250 THB. Register at: https://forms.gle/qLwTuBzMjdaeeNQT8
- 17:00-18:30 - Save Food, Good Future Panel Discussion: Engage with industry experts on how we all as consumers can build a better & sustainable food system. Meet the representatives from SOS Food Rescue Foundation, Laika Pet Food, Happy Grocers, More Meat, Wasteland, the COMMONS, Taste Bud Lab, and Yindii. Participants are encouraged to donate what you can. Register at: https://forms.gle/oYSkDJbZjP6B6Yf56
Also, PlanToys is going to run a Toys Library during that week, which welcomes parents to rent the ‘PlayBox: Grow Green Family’ toy set back home to play with kids. It’s a very fun way to learning about food waste at home! Every 200 THB from the rental price will go to support SOS Foundation. Book at: https://shop.line.me/@planneramit/product/1000064995
For more details please visit: https://msha.ke/savefoodgoodfuture/#links
Hotel Promotion for HeadStart Families During the Break
From a HeadStart Parent: As of the 16th of October, Phuket has lifted the negative Covid test requirements which means travelling across the bridge to Panga has never been easier! We are offering the perfect mid-term break Staycation option and have a special promotion for HeadStart families. See below. See you in Khao Lak!
