Family Vacations

• Family vacations are great and help learners strengthen their family connections and decompress from academics.
• We are noticing that often some of these vacations are during school time.
• From a holistic perspective, we would like to advise against planning family vacations [classified as unexcused absences according to our Family Handbook] during the school program.
• Specialty Labs such as Math, Research, and AP classes are challenging to get caught up in, especially when multiple days are missed in a row.
• Learning Labs are even more difficult to catch up in because they are 9 week projects that are designed as a sequence of phases, each one building upon the previous phase.
• When a learner misses out on significant amounts of project time, especially with short notice, their learning progression becomes disrupted and sometimes even derailed. 
• This has a negative impact on learning and, therefore, grades.

If a family vacation is unavoidable, please make contact with your learner’s Advisor as soon as possible so that we can help the learner design a strategy to minimize the impact of the loss of class time.

🙏VERSO Community Appreciation Message 

• On behalf of VERSO+ Activism Club and Upper Loop Learning Labs, thank you everyone for contributing to the VERSO community's donation drive between February and March. 
  
  
• We have received well over a hundred items that will go towards supporting the Second Chance Bangkok social enterprise!

Vertex (with Gideon & Thomas)

Brace yourselves for events showcasing our senior learners’ creativity, talent, and insights as they unveil their VERTEX projects! 

• Start the journey with Prim's talk on the rediscovery and conservation of Neptune’s Cup Sponge on 2 April at King’s College. Then, catch her at the Thai Dive Expo at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center during May 16-19, where she’ll spotlight her project and fundraising initiatives.
• Step into the future of fashion with Moe Moe’s "INTERCONNECT: Modular Fashion for a Sustainable Style" exhibition, at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), 5th floor, from 28 May to 2 June.
• Be moved by Pan Pan’s musical journey, which reflects pivotal life moments and beloved musical genres, in a mini-concert at the Goethe-Institut on 29 May.
• Witness Kyoka’s art activism project, a reimagination of an inclusive future through the stories of the LGBTQIAN+ community, at the Broccoli Revolution, Charoen Krung Branch, from 28 May to 9 June.
• Explore the world of Thai Superstitions through Peachy’s artistic lens at the BACC, 5th floor, from 7-19 May.
• Participate in Selina’s transformative Neurodivergence talk and workshop at Art4C on 25 May. Mental health care kits will also be distributed to participating schools on this day.
• Pu’s exhibition, featuring original animation and illustrations raising awareness on mental health, will be on display at BACC, 5th floor, from 28 May - 2 June. Artist's presentation will be on 28 May.

Power Hour (with Coaches Joe & Thomas)

• This past week, learners finished up a series of swimming sessions with several team relays.

• As learners move into Q4, they will continue with physical fitness activities alongside time based activities.

• While Q3 explored more group HITT (High Intensity Interval Training) based physical exercises, Q4 will have learners begin identifying their physical fitness goals and establishing a routine they intend to follow.

• They will create a program, identifying exercises that they will do on a weekly basis. 

AP Courses Exam Schedule

• AP Comp Sci

  8 May, 12:00 pm

• AP Precalculus   

  13 May 13, 12:00 pm

• AP Bio

  16 May, 12:00 pm

• AP Physics 

  17 May, 8:00 am
  

• AP 2D Art & Design (Portfolio Submission) 
  2 & 3 May

UniVERSOlly Well (with Greg)

• In the past two weeks, we have had university visits from Les Roches & Glion Schools of hospitality. They presented the education for working with luxury brands and hotels around the world.

• We had a US Public University, Ohio Northern University present to our students, and they were so impressed with VERSO that they want to set up a scholarship for engineering just for VERSO students!

• Today we had a visit from a large private university, Xavier University.

• Both ONU and Xavier have made offers to our seniors in the direct admissions platform Concourse Global. 

   

• In Q4 we are transitioning from mental illness and psychology to resilience and academic counseling. We are starting to refine our four-year plans as the 2024 schedule of courses is being finalized.

• The AP exams have arrived to VERSO and we are ready to start our mock exams in April to prepare our students for the exam experience in May. 

•  

  We have begun a transition from Unifrog (our college counseling software) to a more streamlined and easy to use software called SCOIR.

• All students in the high school are uploaded and will be taking advantage of career interest surveys, university searching, and eventually, the sending of documents for applications.

Life Skills (with Joseph)

• Learners have been busy preparing for life after VERSO with a focus on overseas student experiences.
• A major focus has been practicing their cooking skills with a variety of challenges.
• There has been a one-pot challenge, a 30-minute challenge, and a 5 ingredient challenge.
• We have looked at life in university dorms, healthy eating and how to construct a nutritious and satisfying meal, travel booking, international finances, and learning racquet sports (badminton and tennis) as they are best for combining health and community building.

By Jarret Voytilla