Patana News Volume 19 Issue 29

Patana

NEWS

Under 11 Girls’ BISAC Grand Slam Page 2

Extra-curricular Activities Update / French Breakfast / CATs Corner Bangkok Patana is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

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xtra-curricular Activities (ECAs) are a highly valued part of the school programme here at Bangkok Patana. If you ask our students what they love about school they often mention their participation in ECAs. As the Assistant Principal for Extra-curricular Sports and Activities, nothing makes me happier than walking through the campus after 2:30pm and seeing the huge range of varied and exciting activities taking place, it’s as if the school transforms into a vibrant community centre.

As such, it’s important that from time to time we take a good look at our provision to ensure it meets our students’ needs. Throughout Term 1 and Term 2 2016/17 a group of staff members representing the whole school conducted an extensive review of our current ECA provision at Bangkok Patana School. In addition to meeting as groups and sub-groups, we conducted research within our community including: last year's survey to parents, students and staff; hosting a parent forum; visiting four student councils and speaking with colleagues. We also conducted market research of other comparable international schools in the region.

Below is a summary of our recommendations.

There were some very clear themes which emerged from our research and discussions. Our community want ECAs that are:  High quality and competently run  Sometimes student-led and teacher facilitated  Enquiry and project based  Teach life skills. For example, riding a bike or cooking a meal  Provide opportunities for students to engage with the local community and “give back” from an early age  Challenge students to apply their academic knowledge in real-life situations  Promote and embrace Global Citizenship  Promote and embrace Home Languages for as many students as possible via effective community partnerships  Sometimes offer an outside and/or internal certificate/accreditation or opportunities to undertake an examination  Available at various levels of ability reflecting progression pathways. For example, Robotics for Beginners or Intermediate Photography Here are just some of the exciting, positive changes you can expect to see implemented gradually over the course of 2017/18:  We are very pleased to announce that during the summer we will be constructing a state-of-the-art

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Dance Centre, which includes a Martial Arts space to allow for extra classes.

More balanced offerings across the three focus areas of our Guiding Statements; Well-being, Learning and Global Citizenship. In particular we will look to expand our provision in the following areas, where we feel we can do more: Dance, Home Languages, Fitness, Digital Citizenship, Environmental Awareness and Action and Community Service.

ECA feedback will be sought from students, in an age-appropriate manner and shared with relevant providers / teachers after each ECA block.

Online recognition system for students’ ECA commitments and history of participation to guide tutors when preparing references.

An ongoing commitment to high quality communications surrounding the ECA programme, key dates, policies and procedures, including but not limited to parent forums, open days, drop-in help desk, email, Patana News, publications and social media alerts.

Expand the use of our existing software into the ECA timeslot to ensure student safety is paramount.

Due to the new end of school day arrangements, ECAs will no longer be available for Foundation Stage.

Students in Key Stage 1 will be able to participate in two ECAs per week. However, time spent on engaging activity programmes won’t be lost as they will gain two hours of Curriculum Enrichment time within

the school day. This will be structured as a carousel of activities which each class will participate in, on a rotation. This will give each student a broad range of experiences, free of gender bias and the hassle of sign-up, which we hope will help guide them when it’s time to choose a full programme of ECAs in Key Stage 2.

A new approach to categorising, colour-coding and describing the contents of ECAs to align with our Guiding Statements and make for a better end-user experience when logging in to sign-up for ECAs. New ECA timeslots of 2:30 - 3:30pm (Session 1) and 3:30 - 4:30pm (Session 2) or 2:30 - 4:30pm. Consequently there will be a new bus timetable with 2:30pm, 3:30pm and 4:30pm departure times.

Due to an expected increase in ECAs available during Session 2, students in Key Stage 2 and above, who are taking a 3:30pm ECA, will have the option of joining a 2:30pm “Me Time” ECA. This provision will involve a cool and quiet place to read, relax, and reflect on learning, all fully supervised, as well as a healthy after school snack. (This ECA will not be available for general sign-up or for students in Key Stage 1).

These changes will be implemented over the next 12 to 18 months. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the review. The ECA programme at Bangkok Patana School continues to be a real asset to everyone in our community.

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nce during my time at Bangkok Patana we have held all Under 11 Girls’ BISAC awards but never during a single school year. The new honour of BISAC Grand Slam Champions for the five sports that we look after in Primary PE belongs to this years’ Under 11 ‘wonder women’ alone. Congratulations to all of our Year 5 and 6 girls who have represented Bangkok Patana at any sport for the school this year, as even if you did not represent the Tigers squad it is your competitiveness which pushes all of our girls to consistently perform above and beyond.

This tale began with a fine win at the BISAC Cross Country held at Harrow with our first four girls past the post all scoring valuable points to secure victory. Next up was the BISAC Basketball where our girls played some great basketball to land the winners plaque at NIST. We also had two girls’ teams in our B event held at Bangkok Patana who also played very well at their event. During the tricky mid Primary Residential Visit weekend our Under 11 Girls maintained their unbeaten run in all football events with a sound BISAC Under 11 win at Shrewsbury to keep the dream alive. Next up was a nerve racking BISAC Athletics at ISB where our small team performed admirably to secure their well-deserved top of the podium spot for this event. Four down with only the BISAC Tee Ball to go and I kept the possible Grand Slam to myself. However, we certainly left no stone unturned during training which paid off with a fine BISAC Tee Ball win at Harrow in both the Championship and B event once again underlying our incredible strength and depth in girls Under 11 sport this year. Phew history had been made!

A huge well done once again to all of the girls who have attended our many ECAs and put themselves forward for team selection. You have all been amazing!

A special mention must be made to the three girls who attended all five events as part of our Patana Tigers Teams and represented the school at Cross Country and Athletics. Take a bow: Lily-Anne Boucher, 6S, Ame-

lia Ahl, 6W and Leti Polastro Martinez, 6F, you have been stars! Whilst celebrating our girls’ achievements it would be amiss not to also mention our Under 11 Boys who have dug very deep in every event to produce some excellent results of their own as shown below; BISAC Under 11 Event Cross Country Basketball Football Athletics Tee Ball

Girls Placing + Total Bangkok Patana Teams Entered Champions (25 Girls) Champions (3 Bangkok Patana Teams) Champions (5 Bangkok Patana Teams Inc. Under 9s) Champions (10 Girls) Champions (3 Bangkok Patana Teams)

Boys Placing + Total Bangkok Patana Teams Entered 3rd Place (21 Boys) Champions (4 Bangkok Patana Teams) Runners Up (7 Bangkok Patana Teams Inc. Under 9s) Champions (10 Boys) Runners Up (4 Bangkok Patana Teams)

Year 3, 4 and 5 students the challenge of maintaining these amazing results is all yours.

Go get ‘em Tigers!!!!!

Mr Tatam, Leader of Learning, Primary Physical Education

The Tiger Shop has some great new products in, perfect for you, your children or even gifts for the family!

Check the PTG Facebook page for opening times.

New Black Adult Polo Shirt Available in Ladies and Men's Cut Ladies size 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 Mens size S, M, L, XL, XXL 350 baht Did you know that our umbrellas feature a heat-reflective silver lining and are now available in two different sizes?

Large Golf Umbrella Orange and black with Patana Paw 600 baht

Small Handbag Sized Umbrella Black with Patana Paw, ideal for keeping in your bag for those unexpected Bangkok showers!

350 baht

A5 Lined Note Book Available in Orange and Black 150 baht

Patana Pen 30 baht Have you picked up your LIMITED EDITION Patana 60th Anniversary Pint Mug yet?

Made from Stainless Steel which won't rust or shatter and are BPA and Toxin free.

60th Anniversary Mug 400 baht Going to an event soon? Grab a bleacher cushion for extra comfort! Not pictured so why not pop in and try one out!

Bleacher Cushion 300 baht

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s of next year, our Community Action Teams will be considering how their activities and actions tie into three specific areas:  United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  Bangkok Patana School Guiding Statements  Bangkok Patana School Key Stage 3 pastoral programme Over the next few weeks I would like to share with you some of their thoughts and ideas around the SDGs.

RISE supports the Place of Grace by supporting the first two development goals: No poverty and Zero hunger. RISE volunteer at the Place of Grace to support the valuable work they do in running a youth club and providing a safe environment for the children in the local area who are disadvantaged and living in poverty. The Place of Grace also runs a Food Bank for the seven communities in the Bangna slum area, only 20 minutes from our school. RISE will continue to support this valuable initiative by donating food to the program.

Here's how Habitat for Humanity are working towards the sustainable development goals: SDG11: Sustainable cities and communities - Habitat aim to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Homeowners work together with Habitat volunteers to construct their own house, and pay off their loans in gradual instalments.

SDG17: Partnerships for the goals - Staff from Habitat for Humanity Thailand, volunteers from Habitat at Patana, and local people combine efforts and funds to build a better future.

The Sustainable Development Goal that is best suited to PAWS would be SDG15: Life On Land, as PAWS is an animal welfare group dedicated to improving the living standards and the treatment of various animals in Thailand. This year we are focusing on dogs which are land animals whose lives we are striving to protect and improve. To improve life on land and life for animals in general, PAWS has held numerous fund raising events such as our recent bake sales with profits going towards supporting animal shelters.

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n Friday 28th April, Year 8 French students brought food to school to participate in a “French Breakfast” in the shared area of Modern Foreign Languages. Afterwards they went back to their classes to discuss what they liked, disliked and what could have been better about the breakfast. We would like to share with you three articles written by our students.

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ujourd'hui nous avons mangé le petit déjeuner avec notre classe! C'était très bon! Pour le petit déjeuner, nous avons mangé des crêpes avec du nutella, du chocolat chaud, un jus de pomme, une brioche, des croissants, des pain au chocolats et des fraises! C'était délicieux! Nous avons adoré les crêpes parce que c'était sucré! Pour faire des crêpes, Aimée a utilisé du lait, du beurre, des oeufs, de la farine et du sucre. Pour nous, des crêpes était plus meilleur que du brioche parce que nous avons trouvé la brioche très sec!

Normalement, pour le petit déjeuner, nous mangeons des céréales avec du lait mais le petit déjeuner aujourd'hui est mieux que dans les maisons. De temps en temps, nous mangeons une tartines avec du beurre; toutefois, nous détestons ça parce que ce n’est pas bon pour la santé! Mais, notre ami

n’est pas d’accord parce qu'elle adore les tartines!

L'année prochaine, ce sera mieux parce que nous allons manger du yaourt et du pain au chocolat.

Nous allons boire du chocolat chaud et ce sera fabuleux! Nous voulions un fruit mais Pavanee voulait une mousse au chocolat qui nous détestons.

Nous ne sommes pas d’accord parce que une mousse au chocolat est trop sucrée et ce n’est pas bon pour la santé! Si nous pouvions, nous mangerions du sandwich avec du jambon et du fromage. Ce sera le meilleur petit déjeuner!

By Pavanee Kalvakalva et Suhela Ranawana

Un petit déjeuner français L

a dernier semaine d’avril, mon prof de français a organisé un petit déjeuner en groupe pour la classe.

J’ai fait mes courses le dernier jour. J’ai acheté du pain, du fromage et du jus de raisin. Mon partenaire Daniel, il a acheté des croissants au chocolat. Le matin, après l’appel, je suis allé dans la classe de français avec la nourriture. Ensuite, notre professeur nous a expliqué qu’on peut essayer tout ce qu’on veut. J’ai essayé du fromage que Sujash a apporté. C’était délicieux, même s’il ne sentait pas très bon. Beaucoup de gens ont bu le jus de raisin que j'ai apporté. Les crêpes ont fini le plus rapidement car elles étaient les plus délicieuses.

En fin de compte, nous n'avions que du pain qui restait que nous avons stocké dans le frigo.

Nous avons tous passé un bon moment et nous avons adoré essayer de nouveaux plats de France.

Par Adil Parvaiz, Christian Sarfelt et Daniel Tye

Le petit dejeuner francais A

ujourd'hui, nous avons mangé un petit déjeuner français, c'était délicieux. D’abord, j’ai goûté crêpes nutella banane, c'était fantastique. Pour faire des crêpes faut de la farine, des œufs, lait et du beurre. J’aimerais manger des crêpes aux champignons. J’adore les champignons et les crêpes, mais je ne sais pas si je les aimerais ensemble. Ensuite j’ai bu du lait, je n’ai pas aimé le lait car j’ai préféré le chocolat chaud. Pour faire du chocolat chaud, il faut du chocolat, du lait et de l’eau. Enfin je n’ai pas aimé la brioche car elle était trop sucrée. Dimanche je vais manger un croissant avec un chocolat chaud.

Par Roisin Sehmar

Fiction

Comic Books

Fiction

Chapter Books

Oversized Books

Senior fiction

Non-fiction

Young Fiction

Non-fiction

Non-fiction

Home Languages

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very year, despite our best efforts, we are left we a large number of unwanted and unclaimed Yearbooks.

This year as usual each child will automatically receive a book each but in an effort to waste less we are asking you to let us know if you would prefer just one book per family.

Please email publish@patana.ac.th and tell us if you only want one Yearbook for your family. Many thanks for your support.

The PTG are looking for parent volunteers to help with Staff Appreciation Day on Wednesday 24th May. If you could volunteer an hour between 9:30am and 1:30pm please email ptgvolunteer@gmail.com

On Wednesday 24th May please bring your homemade or store bought baked goods either to the Primary Hall or leave them with security at each entrance.

Please ensure there are NO NUTS or nut products included.

#59 Digital Citizenship – Blue Whale Challenge There’s a disturbing online challenge game that has recently hit the news headlines that I would like to bring to your attention. Details of the game can be found here on this BBC news article. In addition the page gives information on how you can spot the signs and what to do.

Please read it and discuss with your child(ren).

Link: https://goo.gl/NywJGs Brian Taylor, Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

Source: https://www.childline.org.uk/

Invoices for school fees for Term 1 2017/18 were sent to families/companies on Thursday 11th May 2017. If you have not received your invoice please contact the Accounting Department or email accounts@patana.ac.th Please note that the due date for settlement is on Friday 9th June 2017 and payments received after this date will be subject to a late payment charge of 1% per month.

Thank you, Accounting Department

You can also have a look at the current lost property via our website: https://community.patana.ac.th/community-events/lost-property Or scan the QR code Please note that all remaining unclaimed lost property will be donated to charity.

Contact Reception@patana.ac.th

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re you available to help with the PTG Bus Inspections? Every year the school buses that are over six years old undergo an additional inspection by the school and we invite parents to join and take part in these inspections. This is a very important but simple job that helps ensure the safety of the children using the school buses. This year the inspections are taking place on Tuesday 6th June from 8:00am – 10:00am and we would like to ask for your help in completing these - especially from those parents whose children use the school Transport Service. If you are able to help please contact Khun Pa in the Services Department phca@patana.ac.th to confirm that you are able to assist. A check list is provided to help with the task and further details will be provided.

The process of Annual Bus Checks by parents has been in place since Bangkok Patana has been running the bus service. It enables parents to comment on and be aware of the safety of the older buses. This is a check that could easily be done by the school but many years ago parents wanted to be involved in these checks to ensure the safety of their children travelling on these buses and it is nice to see the school and parents working together on this important aspect.

All buses that are contracted to drive for school undergo a number of safety checks and the PTG inspection gives parents the opportunity to look at the internal and external areas of the buses over six years old and check areas such indicators, seat belts, quality of the interior of the bus etc. We do not use buses that are over 12 years old for our Transport Service.

The school buses are also required to visit a garage that we select at the start of the school year for a full service and safety check. All buses must pass this inspection to enable them to work for us. We also do internal inspections by senior staff in our Transport Department as well as spot checks throughout the year.

A checklist is provided by the Transport staff and any recommendations by parents will be looked at and buses will be asked to improve certain areas. We are often asked why these checks are done at the end of the school year. The reason is that in approximately 4 - 6 weeks time we will be looking to renew contracts of buses for the 2017/18 school year and if any buses over six years are not up to our high standard they will be notified and given time to improve or look for alternative work.

If you have any questions in relation to the PTG Bus Inspections please contact Genevieve Ahl, Services Manager geah@patana.ac.th

【ジャパニーズグループに参加しませんか】 バンコクパタナスクールのジャパニーズグループは、日本人の父親あるいは母親を持つ生徒の保護者により運営 されているグループです。現在54家族が加入しており、毎年行われるインターナショナルデーなどの学校活動に 協力しています。また、情報交換の場として親睦会を年に数回行っています。参加ご希望の方は、西田までご連 絡ください。 salut.kyoko1102@gmail.com

There are 54 Japanese families who are members of the group, and we support International Day and other school activities. If you are a Japanese speaker or married to a Japanese speaker then we would like to invite you to join our group.

Please send an email with your details to add to the group list for future correspondence to Mrs Kyoko Nishida at salut.kyoko1102@gmail.com

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Please note that that Thai schools will return from their school break from Monday 15th May onwards. Traffic from this day onwards will be increased and it is important students are not delaying the bus in the mornings.

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Please remind your child/ren about the importance of keeping their seatbelt on for the duration of the journey. Students not abiding by this strict safety rule will be reported to their class teacher/tutor.

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Please ask your child/ren to ensure they check the bus before getting off to make sure they have taken all of their items with them. There are an increasing number of items being left on the school buses. All left items will be taken to Lost Property the following day.

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If you will be in school to pick up your child please remember to inform Transport in advance. Last minute cancellations cause unnecessary work for staff at an already busy time that could be avoided if Transport are given more notice. Your help is much appreciated.

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If you are planning to move house please note that Transport need a minimum of five days notice to change the bus route for your child/ren.

Contact Us The Transport Department’s direct phone number is 02 785 2470. The office is staffed from 6:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday. You can also contact us via email at transport@patana.ac.th

26th May

30th May

Come along to the annual Tiger Sports Awards Dinner!

ANAPANA MEDITATION COURSE FOR CHILDREN Anapana (Mindfulness of Breathing) teaches children improved concentration skills and enhances calmness of the mind. This technique helps to relieve anxiety and is very useful at exam time to calm those nerves, but also for everyday life.

The next Anapana Meditation course will be given on Sunday 14th May for students aged between 8-16 years.

The course is completely free!

To enroll or for further information, please contact Eva Sophonpanich at evasophon@hotmail.com This site www.children.dhamma.org/en/children/about-meditation.shtml will give further information about the course.

BOOK DONATIONS NEEDED Please drop off at Neilson Hays Library

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643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna, Bangkok 10260. THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th