Patana News Volume 20 Issue 24

Our mission is to ensure that students of different nationalities grow to their full potential as independent learners in a caring British international community.

NEWS Patana

Friday 16th March 2018

Volume 20 Issue 24

www.patana.ac.th

The Importance of the ‘Right’ Environment Page 2

2017/18

Also in this issue

Smile Day - Smile and Sparkle / Reading Out Loud / Real Life Science in Year 9 16/03/2018

Bangkok Patana School News

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School, accredited by CIS, NEASC and ONESQA

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The Importance of the ‘Right’ Environment Mick Smith, Secondary School Principal

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t seems that everywhere I look right now, I am reminded of the importance of the best possible environment to enhance learning and our wellbeing. At Bangkok Patana we are very fortunate to work and study on an absolutely beautiful campus where simply crossing between lessons from one building to another can be a genuinely uplifting experience. On Monday, Mr Mills almost physically accosted me in sheer excitement. This isn’t an entirely unusual experience in itself, but on this occasion rather than talking about a brilliant lesson he’d seen or sharing a keen student insight, it was to ask me to come and admire the tree behind the Sala, that had burst into vibrant purple flower for the first time in ten years. Everyone who walked past looked in wonder at the glorious tree.

Anyone who has spent any time in my office will know that I have the best view in the school –wall to wall glass

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that gives me a spectacular outlook but is almost impossible to see in. I sometimes feel like I’m in a David Attenborough documentary as amazing wildlife passes by just beyond the glass. This week I’ve had my first 2018 sightings of a beautiful kingfisher darting in and out of a palm tree, sometimes over the heads of the students working in the community garden, hunting for fish. Most days I see monitor lizards climbing up and down trees or sunning themselves on the grass. Today, a very large one, well over a metre in length, appeared on the bank as though from nowhere. It’s a wonder I ever get anything done!

Over the course of the last week I’ve experienced other aspects of our environment that make it ‘just right’ for our students and remind me how special Bangkok Patana is.

A team of students, with very little guidance from staff, organised, promoted and ran a superb TEDx event around

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“We are very fortunate to work and study on an absolutely beautiful campus where simply crossing between lessons from one building to another can be a genuinely uplifting experience.”

the topic of ‘Chances and Changes’. The Black Box provided the perfect backdrop to superb presentations by students, staff and an inspirational parent. I also dropped in on the first FOBISIA Climbing Competition at the climbing wall in the Sports Centre.

I found it difficult to comprehend how students from Patana and around the region were able to contort and pull themselves up the wall at such alarming speed. Climbing was once quite ‘niche’ at Bangkok Patana, but through the vision and dedication of a number of teachers over the years, we are now in a position where students are able to develop and demonstrate their skills in the perfect setting. Enhancing the physical environment still further was a wonderful, supportive atmosphere amongst all the teams, encouraging each athlete to even greater feats and heights!

This leads me to the Waste Less Weeks initiative currently underway across the school. Mr Penstone, Cross Campus Principal, and his army of student and staff environmental advocates, have been sharing their vision for a less wasteful, more sustainable environment at Bangkok Patana and beyond. There are many aspects to the initiative and the students will reflect on this soon so I won’t steal their thunder.

However, essentially they are asking us what small steps we can all take to protect the environment and challenging us to commit to them. From Water Bottle Wednesday to Turn It Off Thursday, we are encouraged to question how we can make practical, sustainable changes in our everyday lives. The SEC are doing a fantastic job and are having a real impact across the whole school.

Finally, the wider environment around Bangkok has been very much on all our minds in recent weeks, as we have suffered from poorer air quality than usual. A combination of low winds, high temperatures and even higher humidity has left Bangkok spluttering due to less than ideal air quality. Even though conditions are better out in leafy Bangna, we have been monitoring air quality closely and have taken the opportunity to review our policies and procedures and to enact them as appropriate. Please take time to look at the Air Quality Policy here which shows the different levels on the air quality index, the procedures that we follow and how we communicate with our community. If the air I could go on! Each day I walk along the English and Lan- quality index on any given day indicates an ‘Orange’ alert guages corridors where invariably students are clustered or worse this will be highlighted on the Parents’ Gateway in small study groups in the superb collaboration spaces. as the default ‘go to’ communication point.

Crossing the bridge into Humanities or Mathematics I see Hopefully, the current air quality situation will soon imthe same thing. Cutting back through the Science Centre prove to enhance still further the wonderful learning enviinto the Library I see students learning both formally and in- ronment we enjoy here at school. formally in simply inspirational surroundings. The classroom Have a great weekend, where I support my Year 12 CAS students transforms into a student boardroom the second we leave, as it’s taken over Mick Smith, Secondary School Principal by the Student Environmental Committee (SEC).

click here for the Canteen

Please note the menu is updated for the following week on Friday at 1pm

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Bangkok Patana School News

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Reading Out Loud Stephen Murgatroyd, Primary Teacher Librarian

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ow many of us, as parents, have read to our children from a very young age, often from birth? I suspect it could well be the great majority of us. However, how many of us continue to read with our children once they are confident (independent) readers themselves? I suspect the numbers are lower than we would imagine. In fact, a 2013 poll of 1,200 Australian parents reportedly found that 40 per cent of parents with toddlers or preschool children read to their children every day. However, this figure dropped to 23 per cent for early Primary children and 4 per cent for children aged between nine and 12. If Bangkok Patana School shared similar numbers, then that would mean a lot of children missing out on one of the most special gifts we, as parents, can give them.

discussing the wide variety of issues raised from within the pages. This alone is something that would make the continuation of the evening-time story reading routine from their younger years being kept on the family timetable.

Another aspect of reading out loud to children is that you can expose them to books that are beyond their age-related reading level and outside their comfort zone. Books that investigate new areas of interest, widen their vocabulary, introduces them to aspects of life they are unlikely to experience themselves, all of which helps and encourages them to become the true global citizens we want them to be. After all, reading, as a key part of their literary development is massively important. Back in 2016, the Director-General of UNESCO stated that, “Literacy is a foundation to build a We may all understand the importance of reading stories more sustainable future for all.” The world would indeed be to very young children so that they are exposed to new vocabulary and have the reading ‘modelled’ to them along with sharing new worlds and investigating and solving real (and out of this world) problems. How many of us, though, understand and appreciate the importance of reading to our children into their teens? Studies have shown that children and students retain more information, and also gain a greater understanding, when they hear someone read to them than when they read it quietly themselves. There is also the ‘specialness’ of being able to spend time together, sharing the ins and outs of the latest favourite book and

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a much better place if the children entering the adult realm to illustrate why reading out loud to children of whatever were widely read readers who read for the sheer pleasure age is a great thing to do, both for the child (or the teenager) and the parent. of picking up a book.

I would like to finish with a quote from Mem Fox, the wellknown Australian children’s author, who says about young children on their first steps of their reading journey: “Read at least three stories a day: it may be the same story three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories before they can begin to learn to read. Or the same story a thousand times!” Now that is a whole lot of books, an enormous amount of time invested and a long time spent sharing special time together. Just like any investment you make, it is the long term you are looking at, so go on, take a risk and continue to do something that you and your children will If you are still not convinced about the power of reading both enjoy and benefit from long after you think they have out loud to your children as they grow, why not watch this grown out of it. Because, as the research suggests, there TEDx Youth Talk, by Rebecca Bellingham on YouTube. It is a actually is no such thing as growing out of story time, all wonderful talk that lasts nine and a half minutes and it helps you need is some time to spare and a good book to read.

“Children and students retain more information, and also gain a greater understanding, when they hear someone read to them than when they read it quietly themselves.”

R E M I N D E R TO

SWITCH OFF

YOUR ENGINE WHEN IN THE SCHOOL CAR PARK Please help us to protect the health of our students 16/03/2018

Bangkok Patana School News

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Real Life Science in Year 9!

Alexander (Coke) Smith, Head of Environmental Science

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othing in science completely makes sense without real life, hands on experiential learning. Our Year 9 Science students are currently in the middle of their ‘Pilot Studies’ during which they investigate the effect of abiotic factors on a living organism.

Students are taught ethical treatment of organisms to ensure none are injured or killed during the investigations. Prior to starting students are expected to research various abiotic factors and how they might impact a biological organism.

Students then design their investigations focusing on their variables and experimental design. Once they are cleared to go, they carry out their investigations, collect, process and present their data in the form of a detailed lab report.

The Year 9 students are studying such factors as the effect of temperature, light intensity, light colour, music type and many other factors. They carry out their own individual investigations throughout and are expected to submit unique work. Here are some of my Year 9 students having fun with their investigations!

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Sustainability and Global Citizenship

Alexander (Coke) Smith and Joel Lodge, Secondary Science Faculty

ear 8 students are studying the concept of sustainability currently using the water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa as a case study and are learning this in conjunction with their compounds and mixtures topic of their syllabus. Students are learning that many places in the world are lacking clean water necessary for life and have learned about distillation, desalination, reverse osmosis and filtration and other purification techniques that many nations employ to create and maintain a viable water supply.

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In class now, the Year 8s are designing and building their own water filters using recycled or repurposed materials. Students were challenged to think of their own unique independent variables that would possibly make their filter more effective than others’ in the class. They thought there should be a contest to determine the best filtration system design. Our students love this sort of hands on experiential learning experience!

Upcoming University Visits UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE

COUNTRY

Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality (SSTH)

Switzerland Eilanne Januth

University of Exeter

UK

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

US

University College Cork The University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam University of Cambridge 16/03/2018

Ireland

REP

Christopher Dean Jackson Moore Gearoid McCarthy

Netherlands Hyam Falconi UK

LOCATION

DATE

TIME

Senior Studies, Second Floor

19.03.18

12:15

SEC 203

19.03.18

12:15

Senior Studies, Second Floor

26.03.18

12:15

Senior Studies

27.03.18

12:15

Senior Studies

27.03.18

12:15

29.03.18

12:15

Claire Canning TBC Bangkok Patana School News

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CATs Corner Tania Leyland, Youth Club and Community Services Coordinator

DID YOU KNOW...

...Approximately one in every 700 babies in Thailand is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. ...In as little as 60 minutes, and for approximately 25,000 THB, one cleft lip surgery can change a child’s life forever.

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peration Smile at Patana is a student-run Community Action Team (CAT) that raises money to help children with cleft lip and cleft palates. In Thailand today, there are around 500 children who are born with these facial deformities, scarring them both physically and emotionally. It only takes one simple operation to change their lives forever. Every year, Patana Operation Smile organises several events which allow them to raise and donate money for these operations. So far this year the committee have helped at the Patana Fun Run and organised and run the Haunted House at Fun Day. Our aim is to fund operations for as many children as possible so that they can have a happier brighter future. Read more here.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, Operation Smile are holding their Campaign Days in the Secondary Lounge.

The purpose is to enable us to inform and engage with students from across the Secondary School about Operation Smile. As Tuesday is the International Day of Happiness, the Smile team will be encouraging students to participate in activities to ‘make you smile’ and have their photo taken in the ‘Smile booth’. There will be lots of information available on the work that Operation Smile does in Thailand and how you can get involved to support this amazing cause. Come along, have some fun and most importantly…Smile!

Please note that SMILE Day in the Primary School is on Wednesday, see opposite page for more information.

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he annual Bangkok Patana ‘Masterchef’ competition takes place on Thursday 22nd March in the Secondary kitchen during lunchtime. World Food Project (WFP) have challenged the contestants to produce a nutritious meal for two people in 40 minutes with only 200 THB to spend on ingredients. The aim of the event is to raise awareness of food poverty in Thailand and to enable students to empathise with people who face this challenge every day, many of them with a budget much lower than 200 THB. WFP hold weekly meetings every Tuesday lunchtime at 12.35pm in Ms Bailey’s room, CAN 314 (in the English corridor). Don’t be afraid to pop into a meeting! It is amazing what you find when you open a door. Read more about World Food Project here.

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From Classroom to Kitchen Kru Somchok Ongsakul, Thai Department

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o fully appreciate the teachings of the Thai Language and Culture course it is sometimes necessary to get out of the classroom and into the kitchen. In class, our Year 9 students have been learning about the ingredients of the popular national dish, Pad Thai so we headed to the cooking room to try and recreate the dish.

This activity allowed our students to not only study but to also experience cooking by themselves. Pad Thai is a traditional Thai dish which has a great combination of three major flavours; sweet, sour and salty. The unique combination makes Pad Thai very yummy!

Pad Thai is a very well-known dish among locals and also popular with foreign visitors. Many students commented that it is usually the first Thai dish that foreigners want to try. The students learnt a lot and had good fun. We hope that they will be able to make their own Pad Thai at home in Thailand or even abroad.

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the m o r f t s The late

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PTG

Bangkok Patana School News

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EW N R E U R O HE CH EO AT ID W V

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OVER THE HALF TERM, OUR TIGER SHARKS COMPETED IN THEIR SEASAC SWIMMING EVENT. NOTABLY, THEY PLACED 3RD IN THE GIRLS’ TEAM RANKING, AND HAD SIX SWIMMERS ON THE INDIVIDUAL SCORE RANKINGS.

FOBISIA

Climbing

SEASAC

Swimming

THIS PAST WEEKEND SAW THE FIRST EVER FOBISIA CLIMBING TOURNAMENT, WHICH WE HOSTED HERE AT BANGKOK PATANA WITH SUPPORT FROM HARROW AND WILD PLANET. EACH MEMBER COMPETED AMAZINGLY!

Congratulations to these athletes who placed or came top in their events: HARUNA KITABATAKE CHRISTA PRASERTSINTANAH JOSH MILNE SURYA WIJAYA ELLIE WEBBER PLUME PLUME KASHEMSRI NA AYUDHAYA FERN TANTIVESS

OUR GOLFING TEAM HAS ALSO BEEN COMPETING IN THEIR OWN FOBISIA THIS PAST WEEK. GREAT RESULTS FROM DC (2ND FLIGHT A), TINA (3RD FLIGHT B), ROANNE (3RD FLIGHT B), JENNIFER (3RD FLIGHT C), AND ESPECIALLY WIN WHO GOT A HOLE IN ONE!

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FOBISIA

Golf

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UPCOMING S P O R T I N G EVENTS SENIORS SATURDAY 17TH @ ISB JUNIORS SUNDAY 18TH @ NIST

BISAC SWIMMING VARSITY TEAMS @ NIST BADMINTON SATURDAY 17TH SOFTBALL SATURDAY 17TH AND SUNDAY 18TH

FALCON INVITATIONALS BISAC TENNIS SINGLES UNDER 15 GIRLS SATURDAY 17TH @ HIS UNDER 15 BOYS

BISAC TENNIS

SATURDAY 17TH @ BANGKOK PATANA

...AND THE UNDER 13 FOBISIA GAMES WILL COMMENCE IN PHUKET ON MONDAY

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DAYS ‘TIL SEASON 3 SEASAC

SEASAC SOFTBALL WILL BE HOSTED AT BANGKOK PATANA OVER THE WEEKEND STARTING FRIDAY 23RD MARCH. GOOD LUCK TO OUR BADMINTON AND GYMNASTICS TEAMS TRAVELLING ABROAD!

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KEEP UP

W I T H T H E AC T I O N . . .

@BPS_ATHLETICS _COUNCIL

@BPSSPORTS

@BPSSPORTS

TIGER SPORTS TEAMS

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#85 #ChooseKind

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was working with one of our students last week and noticed she was using the Chrome extension called ‘Wonder #ChooseKind’. We had a really good chat about the reasons why she had installed the extension after she’d watched the movie based on the best-selling novel Wonder. This Chrome browser extension uses machine learning to replace offensive comments and abusive language in Facebook, Twitter and YouTube feeds with expressions of kindness, positive and uplifting words.

If you’re not familiar with the Wonder film, it’s based on the New York Times bestselling book and tells the inspiring story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream school for the first time. I urge you to seek out a copy and watch or read it with your family – be warned though – you’ll need a box of tissues to wipe away the tears.

Links in this article: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wonder-choosekind/glfalbkbpidnhcopbgacabkcjloncdah?hl=en-US https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngiK1gQKgK8

Have a great weekend!

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Cross Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

Dates for your Diary...

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Wednesday 21st March Smile Day Wednesday 21st March Patana Jazz and Blues Wednesday 4th April Patana Unplugged Friday 1st June Bangkok Patana School AGM Wednesday 6th June Patana United Bangkok Patana School News

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Lockdown and Fire Drill Procedure Bangkok Patana School takes the safety of our school community very seriously. We have a management team that meet and discuss many different crisis scenarios and we have processes and procedures in place for these. We have strong links with the local police and the various embassies who alert us to any security concerns and also visit our school to review our existing procedures and provide advice on security measures.

One of the areas that we practise regularly throughout the year is the Fire Evacuation and Lockdown procedures. In Term 1 and 2, we have ‘announced’ and ‘unannounced’ drills. This enables our community to practise reacting appropriately in the event of an alarm sounding on the school campus.

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY SO YOU ARE AWARE OF OUR PROCEDURES SHOULD YOU BE ON CAMPUS WHEN AN ALARM SOUNDS. WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS WHEN AN ALARM SOUNDS? Lockdown Alarm If you are on campus and hear the ‘lockdown’ alarm (similar to a siren), please follow instructions from nearby staff. If you are not in a building, please enter the nearest building and follow instructions from staff. In a lockdown, you should be out of sight until you hear three clear whistles from the security team or are instructed that it is all clear from a security guard or member of staff. You will not be allowed to enter or exit the campus during a lockdown.

Fire Alarm If you are on the school campus and hear a fire alarm please act immediately and follow the Evacuation Route sign to the nearest assembly point, (see example).

Please make sure that you report to the Zone Fire Point Person who will be wearing an emergency jacket and have radio communication. They will be located in the middle of the zone area and will take your name and tell you where you need to stand. There are seven zones – green, yellow, blue, white, red, purple and orange. Look for these signs when you are next in school to familiarise yourself with the evacuation routes.

If you are outside the school grounds during a Fire Evacuation please note that you will not be allowed entry into school until the all clear has been given. Please follow instructions from our Security team.

WHAT DOES THE FLASHING RED LIGHT MEAN? If you see a flashing red light on the wall or ceiling it means that an alarm has been activated somewhere in school.

When the light is just flashing you do not need to do anything or leave the building but be on alert to listen for an audible alarm which will let you know what to do next. The activated alarm will be checked by the guards and if necessary the fire alarm or lock down alarm will then sound for you to respond to as normal. So you only need to respond if you hear the actual siren or if a guard or senior member of staff gives you instructions to follow. If it is a false alarm the flashing red light will stop shortly without any alarms sounding.

WHEN WILL THE ALARMS SOUND? Luckily anytime you may have heard the alarm it has been a drill only. We hold announced and unannounced Fire and Lockdown Drills throughout the year and these procedures are for the safety and protection of all students, staff and visitors. If you are on the school campus during the alarm sounding please help to set a good example to all students by responding quickly, remaining quiet during this time and following instructions from Senior Staff.

Many thanks for your cooperation.

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Term 3 2017/18 School Fee Invoices Invoices for school fees for Term 3 2017/18 were sent to families/companies on Tuesday 20th February 2018. If you have not received your invoice please contact Accounting Department or email to accounts@ patana.ac.th Please note that the due date for settlement is on Thursday 22nd March 2018 and payments received after this date will be subject to a late payment charge of 1% per month.

Thank you, Accounting Department

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN RECYCLE BATTERIES AT SCHOOL? Place any old batteries into the special recycling box near the Secondary Snack Bar. 18

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e h t e v a S e v a s o t e t a d ! e f i al

Friday 30th March 8:30am-3:30pm Bangkok Patana School

CLICK HERE

to check if you are eligible to donate and to sign up 16/03/2018

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Community

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Community

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Community

BRITISH SCOUTING OVERSEAS

Would your child like to join UK ​Cubs​ (Ages 8 10½) or ​Beavers​ (ages 6 8)?

There is now a British Scouting Overseas group in Bangkok!

These new Cubs and Beaver groups run from 9am to 10:30am on Saturday mornings at Regent's International School, Pracha Uthit Road. If any adults are also interested in helping out, we would love to hear from you too.

Please email all enquiries to ​1stBangkokBSO@gmail.com​.

What is BSO? British Scouting Overseas is a UK Scout area, providing UK Scouting to UK citizens (and in some cases other nationalities) who are living overseas. BSO exists to support families around the world where, due to cultural or language barriers, it is not always possible for young people from the UK to join local Scout Groups in the country where they reside. Our aim is to ensure that all members of BSO will feel they are full members of UK Scouting. They will enjoy their activities in a safe and secure environment best suited to their local circumstances and will have access to high quality support and advice no matter where in the world they may be situated. There are a number of groups around the world including KL, Jakarta and Singapore however ​1st Bangkok​ is

the first group in this area.

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For daily updates, snapshots and news on life at school you can find us here...

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 24

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