HoS Highlights: Welcome Back, VERSO Families!
Dear VERSO Community,
Welcome back, VERSO families! We're thrilled to kick off an incredible new year together!
We hope your holiday break was filled with joy, laughter, and precious moments with loved ones. Now we're ready to dive into another amazing year of growth and discovery at VERSO!
We're absolutely delighted to welcome 12 wonderful new families joining our vibrant VERSO community this January. Our community keeps growing stronger and more diverse with each passing day, and we couldn't be more excited to have you all as part of our journey!
Class of 2025
As of November 2024, our Class of 2025 have been actively submitting their university applications to schools and countries far and wide. The five seniors have been using the Concourse Global platform to receive offers from participating universities. Each month these offers are shared with the learners, often accompanied by partial or 50% scholarships. Thus far, our 5 seniors have received over 30 offers from universities in the US, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.
The TCAS (Thai University) process has begun for those seniors applying to local schools and if their applications meet the initial qualifications, they will move into interview rounds in February. We have applications pending to the Netherlands, Canada, and Saudi Arabia that will send results anytime from February to May. This year the seniors are applying for a range of subjects from music, creative arts, computer science, to psychology and politics. This is a tense time for our seniors as the application windows are closing and academic pressures are adding up at the end of the semester. If you see a grade 12 student, share some hope and good feelings with them as they cope with the uncertainty of university applications.
Professional Learning Day
On 6 January, we started off the New Year with our Professional Learning Day. We spent the first half of the day engaged in first aid emergency response training. Our training was provided by First Aid Training Bangkok, a reputable training organization that has worked with many International Schools in the city. The entire LDT and some operations staff were trained in CPR, handling wounds and broken limbs, and a variety of other emergencies that we may have to deal with.
In the afternoon we spent time speaking with Mark Hevland, Director of School Safety Spot. Mark has worked with international schools around the world in areas of safeguarding, fire safety, and campus security protocols, and spoke with our LDT about campus security. He is actively working with us to review key campus safety policies.
VERSO HACK 2025: Pre-HACK Day 1 Feb, HACK Days 8-9 Feb
We're proud to welcome over 110 students from 40+ schools in Thailand for this 2.5-day innovation journey, which brings together students aged 13-18 to innovate solutions around this year's theme: "Future-Ready Spaces: Innovating Tourism, Homes, and Transportation for All." This year, we're collaborating with Singapore's Reactor School, renowned for their youth entrepreneurship education programs.
We have a special Parent Session on 1 Feb (8:00am-12:00pm), featuring an interactive talk on parenting in the digital age, movement and mindfulness activities, Design Thinking for life workshop, and collaborative gaming session. This is open, free of charge, to both HACK participants' parents and VERSO parents. More details to follow soon.
We also have a stellar lineup of distinguished mentors and judges from leading organizations including Bitkub, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Agoda, BTS Group, Kenan Foundation, and more.
Limited tickets are still available for participants at www.verso.ac.th/hack and you can follow updates from www.facebook/versohack. Come support our young innovators at the final pitching round on 9 February at 1:30pm - Free Admission!
School Withdrawal Policy
Please find below the updated version of the VERSO learner Withdrawal Policy mentioned in the Family Handbook. This change will take effect in August 2025, at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. The updated version will be reflected in the Family Handbook 2025-2026.
VERSO recognizes the right of currently enrolled learners and families to consider other educational options, and if a transfer is initiated by the family, the school will provide appropriate documentation and support in a timely manner, including reminding the family of any policies related to contractual obligations to the school. Families leaving the school are required to clear all contractual obligations to the school before final school records will be forwarded to the learner’s next school or university.
If a family wishes to withdraw their child(ren) from the school, the family is required to provide the Admissions Office in writing, minimum 45 calendar days prior to the date of withdrawal. The family must also complete a Notice of Learner Withdrawal available in the Admissions Office, and return the form to be acknowledged or endorsed by the Head of School.
A Learner Withdrawal Checklist will be provided to the family one week prior to the date of withdrawal to facilitate a smooth transitory process for the learner. After the checklist has been completed and concurred by both the departing family and the Front Office, the Finance Department will finalize a statement of accounts detailing applicable refunds (if any) to the family.
Refund of Fees
It is important for families to realize that any partial refund of tuition fees will only be possible if the school receives the required notice in writing, minimum of 45 calendar days prior to their child(ren)’s date of withdrawal. If a notice period is shorter than 45 calendar days, the total number of days short of the notice period will be calculated as tuition fees with the outstanding amount payable to the school.
Please also note that the one-time option (refundable) capital development fee is not refundable if the notice period is shorter than the required 45 calendar days.
Tuition Fee
The tuition fee is prorated based on the remaining instructional days within the school year and refunded accordingly. Please note that prorated tuition fees begin in September. August tuition is not prorated.
Lunch & Snack Fee
The lunch and snack fee is prorated based on the number of instructional days remaining in the school year, less 15 instructional days to cover administrative costs.
Capital Development Fee (One time Option)
Deductions may be taken from this fee for any of the following reasons:
Any outstanding payments that have not been settled
(i.e. tuition fees, lunch & snack fees, extracurricular fees, etc.)
Any school items that have not been returned
(i.e. library books, ID cards, parking passes, athletic uniforms, etc.)
Any damages to school property by the learner or family that needs to
be settled
After the statement of accounts has been sent to the family by the Finance Department, all refunds will be made within 30 calendar days.
Please note that this policy will be in effect in August 2025 and will be included in the 2025-2026 family handbook. If you have any questions please email admissions@verso.ac.th.
Best regards,
Dr. Ryan Persaud
Head of School
Important Reminders
14 January: C1-2 and C5-6 ShowTime
15 January: Coffee Morning: The Importance of Well-being
15-17 January: School Photos
24 January: Lunar New Year @ VERSO
25 January: 3x3 Charity Slam Jam hosted by Namin G6 and Mona G9
1 February: Pre-HACK Day
8-9 February: VERSO HACK
10 February: VERSO HACK Holiday for Learners
18 February: Open House
24-28 February: Spring Break