Weekly Update #13, 25 November 2022

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]

Where are we up to with the construction of the 2 storey car park and sky football pitch? Right on track to finish in time for the beginning of Term 2!

✅ All concrete structures are complete. ✅ All steel work, including on the roof is complete. ✅ Louvers are being installed. ✅ The safety barrier is now secured and galvanized.

What to look forward to: The installation of bleachers that can sit over 200 supporters comfortably in the shade and more green spaces for children to play once we move the car park away from its current location.

Russian Speaking Parents’ Meeting Invitation on 29.11.22

We would like to invite Russian-speaking parents for a meeting on Tuesday 29th November in the Dance and Drama studio on the 4th floor from 8.15 - 9.15 am. There will be a presentation about the Russian First language program, and interventions from Primary and Secondary leadership teams, and we will provide the answers to the questions that have been asked on the survey sent to parents. The meeting will be presented in Russian and English, and members of Senior Management will be in attendance.

Presentation on ‘7 Reasons Why Students Do Poorly in School’ on 1.12.22

Welcoming Secondary parents to a presentation by Mr Alan yip on ‘7 Reasons Why Students Do Poorly in School and how you can help your teen to score high marks and enjoy school’. Places will be limited to 100 attendees. A Googel link will be sent out to parents to sign up. The talk will be on 1st of December at 8.15 - 9.45am in the Secondary Hall. Please check your emails to access the sign up link.

Primary Pupils allowed to wear PE kit on swimming days

I have received feedback this term from parents, Primary teachers, the HeadStart swimming team and pupils that it is more practical for our Primary pupils to wear their PE kit on the days they are timetabled for swimming. One important point raised was that when swimming lessons are cancelled due to weather conditions, pupils can more readily switch to a PE lesson if they are in their PE kits. Starting next week, your child is welcome to wear their PE kit on swim days, in the same way, that your child comes to school in PE kit on the day they have their timetabled PE lesson. Thank you once again for your feedback regarding this matter. I am sure that you will all agree that this is a practical and sensible change to our current procedure. -Mr Khan, Head of Foundation and Primary

We are excited to present the opportunity for members of the HeadStart community to book a stall at the Christmas Fair which takes place on the 15th of December from 1.30-4.00pm on the covered football pitch. There will be a total of 14 4 X 4 size tents designated for parents to sell popular food items or Christmas gifts (no cooking on site, must be pre-cooked) or organise crafts & games for children to participate in.

• Items provided by the school: Basic decor, two tables and chairs, power outlet for small electrical items.
• Items to be provided by vendors: Christmas themed red, green or gold table cloths, small extension cords (if you plan to bring a fan), additional tables and chairs if the 2 provided are not enough.

If you are interested in booking a tent, or would like more information, please contact us at [email protected]. The deadline for booking is the 30th of November. A confirmation email will be sent to confirm the space within the first few days of December.

A big thank you to all of the families and homerooms who have supported children at the Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation! as part of our term 1 fundraiser. Here are some highlights from the Homerooms who have sponsored children:

1. Well done Ms Lauren and Year 7 Yellow!!! Keng is a 12 year old boy who wants to be a legend one day. He loves playing football.

2. Homeroom teacher Ms Harvey-Graham, deputy teacher Shea Sagpaey and all of the children in Year 3 White have done an excellent job of coming together to sponsor Fern, a 16 year old girl living at PSV who is very clever at school and has learned sign language to be able to communicate with one of her friends.

3. Ms Meck and Year 2 Yellow are on the way to hitting 15,000 Baht sponsorship! They have chosen to sponsor Tong, a 16 year old girl who has lived in Phuket Sunshine Village her whole life. She really wants to go to college and become a chef! They hope to make her dreams come true!

4. Thank you to homeroom teacher Sean Clarke & Deputy Teacher Ayce Rico and all of Year 6 Yellow for coming together and sponsoring Wat, a 15 year old boy living at the Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation hoping to become and chef one day and work in Japan. You are stars!

That’s a wrap for the inaugural Aqua Panthers Invitational! 215 swimmers from 9 teams from around Thailand came to race on our campus over the weekend. Many great swims and countless smiles in and around the pool. Thank you to the teams who attended: BCIS, BISP, Darasamuth, Kajonkiet, Phuket Country Home, Phuket Thai Hua, Samui Sting Rays and Thanyapura/UWCT. A special thank you to all the coaches, parent volunteers and student helpers who helped make this event spectacular.

The top 3 finishers are:

• BISP- 4,998
• Thanyapura/UWC- 3,043
• Aqua Panthers- 2,930

Special congratulations to two of our very own high-point earners:

• 9-10 boys 1st place: Pavel Sashehenko 117 points
• 9-10 boys 3rd place: Fima Krivousov 93 point

Honourable mentions:

• 13-14 boys 5th place: Colin Wanamakok 94 points
• 15 & Over boys 6th place: Ryan McKellar 87 points

Football News

The U11 and U13 Boys Panther teams went to play at Republic Academy this past weekend. Great heart and determination from both teams and some great football on display. Well done boys! -Coach Nueng and Coach Paul

The children in Year 3 have loved stepping back in time this week and learning about the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter. The children were able to explore the treasures that were found and used exciting vocabulary to describe the artefacts. -Ms Donna Wintersgill

To bring their learning about the geography of the Americas to an end, Year 6 children took part in a project day in which they worked in groups to plan and construct 3D models of the Americas, including physical and human features. It was a fun day had by all and the final results were creative and impressive! -Ms Carla Whitehead

One week ago BTEC Travel and Tourism and Business students were in the midst of an incredible university experience at AIHM Bangkok. The trip consisted of a tour of the university facilities and a breakdown of the Hospitality 3.5 year Management course which is offered in partnership Les Roche which opens the door to world class hospitality careers worldwide. Following this the student experienced the style of teaching by attending theory and practical classes.

AIHM provides the education and tools students need to become the executive of their career. The well-rounded curriculum brings Swiss-standard courses to students in South East Asia, placing students at the forefront of hospitality education. Offering real-world modeling and hands-on classroom experience, with courses that range from hospitality forecasting to food and beverage management, AIHM encourages students to dream big! We had a lot of fun and learnt that there is so much more to the industry than we had ever imagines. Students leave with a BA Honours degree and find themselves working at multinational well known luxury brands and in corporate positions, as well as working in the hospitality sector. -Ms Yardenna Jones

Yet another busy session at the Young Farmers club this week we had over 20 students joining. This week we have been tasked with potting some Yam Beans, which are also known as Jicama and originate from Mexico. These root vegetables look like Yams but are sweet and taste like apples. We then planted some Lemongrass in the beds. Students learned about the uses of Lemongrass and that it is good for keeping snakes away. The students learned how to plant it correctly and the leftover leaves made for some food for our worms in the wormeries. Everyone is welcome to join in with Mr Benham and the prefects every Thursday lunchtime. -Mr Dale Benham

Our CAPA HeadStar of the week went to Anoushka this week. Anoushka has been making excellent progress in Drama, working hard on feedback and creating considered and imaginative characters in relation to the exam criteria. Well done Anoushka!

Dear parents,

I am a HeadStart mother of two and love baking delicious treats. I have prepared creative gingerbread decorating kits for you and your children. A set contains 15 homemade gingerbread cookies, 4 icing colors and 2 types of sugar sprinkles and cost only 350 Baht. Please contact me at <065 8915276> to pre order your kit for December. Hope to see you at the Christmas Market 15th December where you can find cookies and authentic gingerbreads.