Weekly Update # 15, 11/12/2015
Season’s Greetings from Mr Adam Drew, Director of Studies!
As we come to the end of the first term, I am writing to you to wish you all a pleasant and restful break and
to thank all parents, students and staff for their continued support of each other at HeadStart. Working as
a team we have always been able to achieve so much at HeadStart.
Since joining the school I have always been impressed with the ‘family vibe’ of HeadStart, the strong
connections that exist between the school and parents, and the ‘community feel’ that exists within the
school. With the move to the new larger campus, there was always a danger of the family and community
feeling becoming lost, however, I have been pleasantly surprised as the term has progressed by how much
stronger the links now appear to be.
With many parents using the gym and sports facilities before school, staying around to talk to each other and teachers, and then
coming in in the afternoon to both watch their children in the academies or simply to spend time with other parents while their
children play in the playground.
The happy and positive feeling around the school is possibly the best I have experienced in any of the schools I have worked in.
The start of the term was tough for all members of the school community with many parts of the school site not being quite ready,
particularly some of the outdoor areas, the library, gym, swimming pool and of course the café! As the term has progressed and more
and more of our new features came ‘online’ the excitement of what it means to come to HeadStart and be part of our community has
really shone through.
We now come into a world class facility each morning, and whilst there are still things that are yet to be finalised (did I mention a
Café?) the school as a whole is going from strength to strength. In this first term we have successfully launched our Swim and Football
academies, and I hope parents agree that under Charlie and JR’s guidance, we are already seeing some of the many benefits that
these bring. In fact, this weekend, our students will be travelling to Bangkok to once again take part in a prestigious swimming gala at
Bangkok Patana School and our Football teams will be participating in the JSSL Tournament this coming Sunday at Thanyapura.
In Term 2 we see the launch of the Creative Arts Academy to allow our talented musicians, dancers and budding DJ’s the chance to
shine. In March, we enter the World Scholars Cup for the very first time, under the guidance of a former ‘World Coach of the Year’ Mrs
Beanland who is hoping to lead our teams of gifted and talented students into the Global Rounds later in the year.
What I am trying to say in this update, is that not only does HeadStart now have a stunning new campus with superb facilities, but we
also have great programmes to offer for all students, whether they are academically gifted, talented at sport, or gifted in music or art.
Along with this, we have a superb atmosphere filled with supportive parents, hardworking children and dedicated teachers. There is
not much more that you could ask for in a school, and despite the tough start at the beginning of the year, we have all pulled together
strongly to make HeadStart what it is today.
I wish you a very happy holiday. Please get the rest you deserve, enjoy your time with the family, and I look forward to seeing you all
again in the new year, ready to continue to move forward together with the HeadStart family.
Office Opening Hours During the Holiday
Please be advised that the school Office is open until the 23rd of December. The school Office will be closed for holiday between the
24-4th of January and reopen on the 5th of January for Term 2.
End of Term 1 Reports by Mr Goodman, Head of Secondary
HeadStart has not issued reports in paper format for the end of Term 1.
In trying to save as much paper as possible, HeadStart has uploaded the reports to the Parent Portal.
All the Secondary School reports have been uploaded except Year 11 (they get uploaded after the Mock iGCSE exams in January). We
have changed the way we give information to parents. For term 1, in line with schools in the UK, we now produce just a data report
(just the grades). The homeroom teacher sums up the grades with a written comment. Any other teacher who feels they need to, can
also comment. If a child's grades change during the year, the teacher will email you and copy in the Head of Faculty. We feel that this
is a quicker way of communicating, rather than waiting until the end of Term 1 and 3. At the end of the academic year, each student
will get a full written report where every teacher comments on it.
We have also changed the way in which the Parent Teacher days are run. Each class gets at least TWO parent teacher days
throughout the year. Years 7, 9, 10 and 12 will get THREE opportunities to meet the teachers at school. We feel that the initiatives
above will enable us to communicate important information to parents in a far quicker manner.
I thank you for your continued support and wish you a Happy Christmas and New Year
Christmas Carnival 2015
On the 9th of December HeadStart welcomed the Junior and Senior Choirs, the newly formed Orchestra, the HeadStart band and the
beautiful Thai dancers on to the stage to perform for the first time. Their performances were followed by a grand festival of food,
music, balloons, a visit from Santa and a MINION! Thank you to everyone who came to support our musicians. We wish everyone a
Merry Christmas!
Shoe Box Send Off
The shoe boxes have been packed and wrapped, the truck has been loaded and is now on it's way to Kanchanaburi. By Friday, our
HeadStart truck will do a hand over of boxes and complete it's journey to the Thai / Burmese border where it will reach their final
destination to The Children of the Forest. The appeal has been fantastic and your generosity has been incredible. With around 300
boxes providing gifts for children who, without your kindness, would not have had the Christmas gifts that you have provided. I would
just like to say a huge thank you to all the children, teachers and parents who have donated gifts and treats. We have been
overwhelmed by your generosity. This appeal could not have been successful without the endless hours of help and support from the
teachers and deputy teachers and a generous offer from Khun Jit who provided the transport.
Thanks again, and on behalf of the Children of the Forest, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Sports Bags Offer
HeadStart is now offering a simple, water resistant, uniform bag that you can buy from the School Shop for only 100 Baht. Purchasing
the bag is not mandatory but highly encouraged especially for the Swimming and Football academy students as well all of Foundation,
Year 1 and 2. There is a small space to label the bag which will make organizing the children’s bags after a swimming lesson so much
easier!
Head Lice by Mr Andrew Whittaker, Head of Primary and Foundation
We have found a few children with nits and head lice in Primary. We therefore would like to ask you to check your child’s hair over
the holidays carefully, and if need be, treat your child with head lice shampoo. You can buy this shampoo in most pharmacies and
drugstores and it costs around 80 – 100 Baht. It is recommended that you repeat the treatment after 7 to 10 days and in case of eggs
and nits to dispose of pillows. A great natural way to keep the bugs away is to occasionally treat the hair with some coconut oil,
coconut conditioner or any tea tree oil products. Thank you for your cooperation!
House News by Ms Erika Cramp
As we neared the end of term more House points were accumulated to reveal the winners of the House competitions so far.
This term our students took part in a variety of inter-house sports competitions, weekly quizzes, ‘Weigh your Waste’ and other
competitions. Students also accumulated merits in class. These merits have also been added to the House totals and I can now
reveal the house competition winners for Term 1:
Total House Points:
Yellow Cheetahs
794
Green Dragons
775
Red Cardinals
818
Blue Tigers
788
Congratulations to everyone who took part. Next term there will be more exciting activities and loads more House points to be
gathered.
Creative Arts Academy by Ms Erika Cramp
If you are interested in joining our new activities on offer please email Mrs Cramp as soon as possible at
[email protected]. Places are very limited so book your place now to ensure you can join us. We are offering a variety of
drama clubs, DJ, Music Technology and Fashion Design.
A Fond Farewell…
Farewell to a Dear Friend...
It is with a heavy heart that HeadStart bids farewell to one of our
longest serving, and most respected and loved teachers; Mr Richard
Allenby. Richard has been with us for the past four years and will be
sorely missed by students and staff alike. We would like to thank
Richard for being part of the HeadStart family and for his hard work
and dedication in helping to build the school into what it is today.
I'm sure you will join us in wishing Richard and his family the best of
luck in their next adventure back in the UK.
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must
keep moving" - Albert Einstein
Free After School Programmes (ASPs) for Foundation – Y1 Students
Class
English Booster Year 1
Languages
English Booster Year 1
Thai Basic
(EY/Reception)
Thai Advanced
(Early Years)
Thai Advanced
(Reception)
Art
Creative Arts
(Rec / Year 1)
Music Exploration G1
(Rec / Year 1)
Music Exploration G2
(Rec/ Y1)
Music Exploration G3
(Rec/ Y1)
After School Activity Club
(EY / Rec)
Little Swimmers Group 1
(EY / Rec)
Sports
Little Swimmers Group 2
(EY / Rec)
Swimming 4 Beginners G1
(Levelled by Swim Coach)
Swimming 4 Beginners G2
(Levelled by Swim Coach)
Acti-Fun Level 1
(Rec/ Y1)
Teacher
Days
Location
Min-Max
Nicola Fallows
Tuesday
Year 1 Yellow
2 to 12
Megan Barnum
Thursday
Year 1 Blue
2 to 12
Kru Dia
Friday
Reception Y
4 to 12
Early Years B
4 to 12
Kru Euw
Tuesday
Thursday
Kru Euw
Monday Friday
Reception B
4 to 12
Kru May+1
Friday
Early Years B
4 to 14
Myriam Adams +1
Monday
Early Years Y
4 to 10
Myriam Adams +1
Wednesday
Reception Y
4 to 10
Myriam Adams +1
Thursday
Reception Y
4 to 10
Deputy Teachers
Tuesday Friday
Indoor Play Centre
2 to 20
Wednesday
Small Pool
4 to 16
Atthit /Jamie /Poi
Friday
Small Pool
4 to 12
MB / Nut/ Poi
Tuesday
S / L Pool
4 to 24
Nut / Poi / SK
Thursday
S / L Pool
4 to 24
Daniel Redley / Erec
Monday
Pitch 1
6 to 20
Fiona Whittiker/ Atthit
/Bailey /Poi
The Littlest Christmas Tree Production News
Foundation to Year 2 students worked hard to make an adorable production called 'The Littlest Christmas Tree.' We thank everyone
for the great effort that was put into it and to the parents for your continued support. Merry Christmas to all!
For video of the event click the link here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8EpgSjDtQU&feature=youtu.be
Primary Student of the Month
We congratulate the following students for achieving Student of the Month in Primary!
Year 1 Blue
Year 1 Yellow
Year 2 Blue
Year 2 Yellow
Year 3 Blue
Year 3 Yellow
Year 4 Blue
Year 4 Yellow
Year 5
Year 5
Year 6
Year 6
Primary Student of the Month - English
Roman Shishlov
Aiden Jiang
Egor Kvitikin
Namo Luangnitikul
Pawit Hanpipat
Dmitry Golyanitskiy
Kristina Lashchenova
Alyana Heppell
Dayu Kim
Fleur Masson Sauter
Stella Sgroi
Jomkwan Vettayawaikoon
Year 3 Egyptians by Ms Frankie Massey
On Friday 4th December Year 3 had our own Ancient Egyptian Day. The children learned how to write in hieroglyphics and decode
some of the ancient Egyptian writing. They also added and subtracted using hieroglyphics and some children discovered that they did
not use zero in ancient Egypt. The children had a small party where we played some ancient Egyptian games, had a mummy making
competition, made masks, danced and ate some yummy snacks after lunch. Thank you to all the kind parents for contributing snacks,
we had a wonderful time.
Year 4 Make Environmentally Friendly Decorations by Ms Samantha Dear
Year 4 Blue have been learning about the environment in science, so we made some environmentally friendly tree decorations. The
birds will be able to enjoy Christmas this year too!
Warm wishes for a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas & a very Happy New Year to all students and parents.
Thank You and Merry X’mas
The P.E. department wishes to say a big thank you to all our parents for your continued help and support of Sport and P.E.
programmes at HeadStart. Your enthusiasm and contributions are very much appreciated by both staff and students. Have a great
X’mas and a happy new year!
Swimming news
We wish the very best of luck to all our Academy swimmers as they compete in the Bangkok Patana ‘Feeding Frenzy’ this weekend.
This event is held at Bangkok Patana School so if you are in the area this weekend it would be great to see you at the meet too. The
more support the better.
Football news
JSSL soccer 7s final reminder for Sunday December 13th
Coach Erec, Chai and Nut will be co ordinating and coaching the teams.
If you intend to take your son straight to PIA and do not need the school bus, please be there at the following times:
U12 and U8 must be at PIA at 8:00 am
U10 and U15 must be at PIA at 12:00 pm
Transport arrangements for taking school bus
If your son needs the school bus to get there these are the arrangements:
U12 and U8 teams to leave on school bus at 7:00 am with Coach Chai and Erec
U10 and U15 teams to leave on school bus at 11:00 am with Coach Nut and Coach Lolo
Return
Coach Nut and Coach Chai will bring U12 and U8 teams back on school bus by 1.30 pm
Coach Lolo and Coach Erec will bring U10 and U15 teams back on the school bus by 6:00 pm
Good luck to all the boys who are playing and please remember to bring a copy of ID with you to the event for proof of age.