Patana News Volume 21 Issue 11

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 9th November 2018

Volume 21 Issue 11

www.patana.ac.th

SEASAC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL TEAMS WHO REPRESENTED THE SCHOOL AT TOURNAMENTS LAST WEEKEND, ESPECIALLY OUR VARSITY BOYS’ FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS!

Also in this issue...

Cross Campus Principal, Ms Thew, showcases examples of how our students live the school value of being ‘Active Volunteers’ 09/11/2018

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Bangkok Patana School News

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

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LIVING OUR VALUES: WE ARE ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS

Helen Thew, Cross Campus Principal

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ur vision states, ‘We develop global citizens who shape their world through independence, empathy, creativity and critical thinking.’ This week, I am sharing some examples of students who are clearly showing that they are living our vision statement by being very passionate active volunteers.

nity to express their own creativity, and for me to become part of their development stage in both their mental and physical health as well as building a closer relationship with them. It was a fantastic experience and I felt that I was able to become a part of a small change and give something back to Thai society.”

When Bangkok Patana students enter Year 12, one component of the IB Diploma programme is Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS). This year, I am really enjoying being the CAS mentor to two CAS groups and helping my students to develop as active and reflective volunteers.

Talking to each of the students and asking them about their service experience, getting them to explain what an active volunteer means to them, why they do it and what they think they and others gain from it, I received some truly inspirational answers.

Pasut (Proud) Sudlabha (13D), “Being an active volunteer to me means being able to help those in need in any way possible, whether just raising an awareness or getting down to the direct volunteering. Habitat for Humanity is one of the many clubs that is able to help directly; we do this by building houses for families of low income and in need of a new home, providing access to electricity and clean water. The main reason I do this is because I want to help local communities of my home country in order to improve the living standards of Thais.”

CAS STUDENTS ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE THAI COMMUNITY

Isaree (Kara) Chewter (12M), “Being an active volunteer is something I am very passionate about because it allows people to improve the society we live in whilst learning as we go. I believe we are the future of this planet

Alisa Zainal (Sa) Ungpakorn (12T) said, “At the start of the term, I had a chance to reflect on my own personal goals for Year 12. One of them was to become an active volunteer. For me, an active volunteer is a person who is willing to sacrifice time and effort, in a long term, to help the community or even society to become a better place. I decided to join the Thongbai Day Care Centre ECA where weekly I contributed my time with a group of 3-5-year-old children who came to visit our school and play in the Foundation Stage. I found this a great chance to help the children, who had much less opportunity than I, to learn something new and for me to give something back to them. This also enabled them to have an opportu2

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and in order to continue to live a peaceful and sustainable life, we must get involved in working on the issues we are most passionate about. To me, it is social acceptance of the mentally disabled. Being an active volunteer at Farm De Lek has spread this message as well as teaching me many more things about mental disabilities and the different forms of therapy. Furthermore, it helps prepare me for my future studies in neuroscience and allows me to

being an active volunteer does not mean you just turn up to a club or session it means you actively partake and engage in whatever you are doing to help the community. It also means you keep going back and partaking not because you have to for some university application or grade but because you genuinely care about what you are doing and the people involved. I have been

become an active member in the Thai society by trying to educate others on acceptance and different forms on disabilities. In order to better the lives of everyone we must become involved and participate ‘hands on’ in working towards our goal of sustainability, equality and peacefulness.”

helping out with reading with and teaching Year 1 and 2 children for a few years now and I do it because it is not only genuinely fun but it gives you a new outlook on learning as well as helping develop skills with younger children.

I have gained so much from supporting the children over the years, such as the ability to find new ways to deal with a problem, as well as being able to see the children grow and develop, which in itself is a wonderful thing to take away.”

Blanche Boucher (12S), “For me, being an active volunteer means standing up for what you believe is right, and taking the steps you can, however small, to make a change. As a co-president for One 4 One, a club which fundraises in order to support children lacking a further secondary education in the North of Thailand, I have learned that if you have an idea for a project, it is possible to make it come true if you are passionate enough. We started the club because we saw an injustice in the system and wanted to give back to the community to help break the poverty cycle, and it is one of the most rewarding concepts; knowing that the direct steps you are taking is helping a child achieve their dreams elsewhere.”

CAS STUDENTS ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE BANGKOK PATANA COMMUNITY

As Ari states, she has been an active volunteer for several years now. At Bangkok Patana we do not want the students to wait until they get into Year 12 and CAS becomes part of their curriculum to start engaging with our ‘Active Volunteer’ value, instead it is important for students to recognise the importance of this value at a younger age. To help involve the younger Secondary students there are a range of Secondary Community Action Teams (CAT clubs) and it is good to see students from all Year groups getting involved in the different CAT groups that inspire them into action. Feedback on what specifically these different groups are doing can be read in the CATs Corner feature each week in the Patana News.

You will have read in the Patana News last week how both Secondary and Foundation Stage students are benefiting from the experience of meeting together and speaking to each other in their Home Language. The Secondary students do not only volunteer to teach a Home Language to the younger students but will volunteer to be involved in other aspects of the curriculum as well.

Henry Brosnahan (11K) reflects why he is a member of a CAT group: “To me being an active volunteer means taking action in order to make a difference for something I believe in. An active volunteer does not wait to be told what to do by someone else, they take the initiative to go and make changes on their own. I have been an active volunteer throughout my time in the CAT group, Spectrum,

Arianwen (Ari) Brinn-Hetherington (12L), “To me,

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by taking action and coming up with new and exciting events, partnerships and activities, even when no one knew whether it would be successful or not. By this process of risk taking, I have learned that becoming an active volunteer helps develop creativity, risk-taking, social and leadership skills, allowing anyone to make a difference or show support for a cause they believe in.”

Patana Community to become more green.

to support them on the floor, this trust from my coach really inspired me to help grow the students love and passion for gymnastics. If all the gymnasts continue to persevere and keep trying their best, I know that they will reach their full potential, and I feel honoured to help them reach it.”

Utkarsh Bagaria (7S) said, “To me an active volunteer is a person whom frequently volunteers to help out at events.”

The other photo that caught my eye was the one showing the Year 6 clothing drive (working with the charity A21) that took place last year but was so successful the students are asking to do it again this year. After the collected clothes had been delivered to support refugees in Poipet, on the border with Cambodia the Year 6 students were told the following story about one little girl’s reacTHE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S INTERNATIONAL tion to receiving her new clothes. She turned up when they AWARD – SERVICE STRAND Speaking to Kieran Clarke, our new Outdoor Education, were handing out donations. She was around 5 years old, Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Leader he told wearing a dirty, tatty old t-shirt, the one item of clothing she me, “Being an active volunteer is an essential component possessed. After been handed a new t-shirt and skirt she for successfully completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Inter- started running round the room doing cartwheels. She had national Award at any level.” Once more it is impressive to never received a gift, something that was entirely for her see what our Year 10 students are doing to complete their and was clean and not full of holes. It is when these stories Bronze service Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award are shared back it allows the active volunteers to really strand. Many students thrive on the opportunity to be ac- gain a true understanding for the importance of what they have done and why it is important to do it again. tive volunteers by co-coaching younger sports teams.

As two students now in Year 7 say as they reflect back at Roisin Sehmar (10G), “In my last session, as I was coaching gymnastics for the younger students. I learnt how their Year 6 clothing project:

Keira Lee (7M), “I think being an active volunteer means that you don’t hesitate to help make the community a better place. You can do a task with responsibility and you PRIMARY STUDENTS don’t need to be told to do so in the first place. Also, you Being an active volunteer is certainly not a value only don’t mind if you’re not getting a prize or reward for it. for the Secondary students to engage in. Some of our Such as donating to charity, or helping out in school.” best active volunteers are our Primary students. For the last As you can probably imagine I could fill the entire Patana week Jason Cooper, Primary Principal, has been showcasNews this week with further examples of our students realing photos that show Primary students in action. One group I am particularly proud of, because I work with them each ly living our values and being dedicated active volunteers week, are the Primary Student Environmental Committee which in turn really shows that our students are living our (SEC) group. They certainly show that they are engaging Vision. I for one am very proud to be a member of the with the literature on climate change and critically thinking Bangkok Patana community where we really do develop about what they are seeing and reading and coming up pragmatic global citizens who shape their world through with some creative ideas to help encourage the Bangkok independence, empathy, creativity and critical thinking.

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SHARING THE LEARNING: COLLABORATIVE AND CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS Carly Peart, Leader of Learning and Curriculum, Year 6

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very year, each Year group in Key Stage 2 gets the opportunity to share their learning. This is a wonderful chance to celebrate what we have been doing in the classroom but it can also be hugely overwhelming; where do you begin? At this point in the year, we have had 12 weeks of school involving nearly 390 hours of learning. How do you even begin to fit that into 40 minutes? Well, Year 6 decided to focus on our main vehicle for learning, which this term has been the book ‘The Journey’ by Francesca Sanna. It is a wonderful story, telling the journey of a family escaping conflict, largely told through illustrations. This linked directly to our main theme which has been ‘human migration’. Once this was decided, the assembly then wrote itself (well almost!).

Each class took on a different part of the journey, right through from the idyllic family life, to escaping over the border towards a new, safer home. We chose a few key highlights to show off with some classes sharing the artwork they have produced, whilst others focused on a few of the Literacy skills we have learned. The whole story fitted together seamlessly, with one part flowing into the next. Although many of the Bangkok Patana values were demonstrated, one in particular stood out; the student’s ability to be ‘collaborative and confident communicators’.

The assembly may be over, but the learning certainly isn’t. Year 6 will continue to look at how migration can impact people in many different ways and we are also exploring how we can support people in similar situations in our local area both within Bangkok and across Thailand.

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SEASON 1: VARSITY BISAC AND SEASAC CHAMPIONS Mark Potter, Head Football Coach

“The hard work was done and if they pon arrival at Bangkok Patana School I was quickly thrust into the Varsity and Junior Varsity try outs. showed all the qualities they had Not knowing the students and hearing about some mixed results over the past few years I approached those after- throughout the season it would be fine.”

Our first big challenge was the BISAC tournament on 7th noons with some trepidation; however, I was pleasantly October at NIST where we battled against other internasurprised by the technical ability of the boys on show. tional schools in Bangkok. We started slowly which was to We chose our final squad of 11 players and set about become a reoccurring theme but we really grew into the trying to compete. In this time I devised a bespoke playing tournament. Technically we were superior to other teams philosophy on how I wanted the boys to play and my exso it came down to how much desire and resilience we pectations of them as a team and individuals. I am pretty had. Thankfully, we had that in abundance and went on to sure that in the first few weeks they thought I was a hard beat the host school, NIST in the final. task master but I was keen for us to do things properly in We then had a couple of weeks to prepare as we every aspect of our training. Once the players began to understand how I wanted them to play, the sessions be- aimed to become the best international school in South East Asia. We attended the SEASAC competition at Harcame easier and I was actually allowed to smile.

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I was very keen to build a team bond away from the field where players were expected to contribute to discussions, arrive together and leave together. They are expected to shake hands with coaches and always tidy up after themselves. We agreed individual and team sanctions when they were not meeting the expectations of “Patana players” this was also the case for when the coaches were not being “Patana coaches”. My personal view is this really stood us good stead when our backs were against the wall and we need to support each other.

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row last weekend where we would face Tanglin, NIST and Stamford. Again, we started slowly losing to Tanglin and completely forgot to play the Bangkok Patana way.

However, this was soon remembered and we went on to beat NIST and Stamford setting us for a quarter final with UWC East. Believe it or not, we started slowly again, even conceding two goals very early on in the game. However, we showed a great deal of resilience getting the game back to 2-2 before scoring a golden goal winner.

We had a lengthy discussion about starting strong and believing that we can win the game from the outset, thankfully this came to fruition against UWC Dover in the semi-final. We went 4-0 up quickly and were very comfortable in the game however being Bangkok Patana, we had to add some drama and conceded three goals in quick succession. We did score another wining the game 5-3.

The final took place against Tanglin, the team that beat us in the opening game of the tournament. The boys were tasked with simply going out and enjoying representing their school at the highest level. The hard work was done and if they showed all the qualities they had throughout the season it would be fine. Thankfully the players put into practice everything we had worked on over the season and won 3-0 crowning them SEASAC Champions 2018!

OTHER RESULTS SEASAC Girls Football @ Harrow International School, Bangkok Plate Champions – 5th - Division I SEASAC Boys Volleyball @ Stamford American School, Singapore Plate Champions – 5th - Division I SEASAC Girls Volleyball @ International School Yangon, Myanmar Cup Silver Medallists – 2nd - Division I First ever Bangkok Patana Girls Volleyball team to reach a Cup Final!

The Varsity girls were also in attendance at the tournament winning the plate competition with a very young and injury hit team. I was hugely proud of how they represented the school and want to thank Ms Chalcroft for her great work with the team across the season. I cannot wait to work with these players in the future.

Season 2 is another exciting one for myself and the Football Academy. We will be running the Under 13 and 15 teams, continuing with our Saturday morning sessions with regular fixtures and tournaments. I will also be supporting the FOBISIA and Primary football teams in Phuket later this month. Primary ECA’s will continue and hopefully we can keep producing players that play the ‘Patana way’.

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CELEBRATING CPL

Scott Tooley, Head of Secondary Mathematics

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angkok Patana School hosted the first meeting of the Leaders of Secondary Mathematics Network last week, a network created by Dr Scott Tooley, the Head of Mathematics at Bangkok Patana. Eighteen members of the network were in attendance representing international schools from Bangkok, other regions in Thailand, China, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The agenda for the first meeting was simply: • Introductions – Find out more about the Heads of Mathematics, their schools and the way Mathematics teaching and learning looks in their schools • Big Questions – Each member of the network received feedback from other Heads of Mathematics on a question/issue that they are currently facing.

• CPL – Dr Scott Tooley provided the group with some professional development on a way of promoting STEM within the Mathematics Curriculum.

The first meeting was a complete success, full of extremely useful discussion throughout the day. It was great to find out how other schools work, what developments

other Mathematics faculties are currently working on and generally sharing good practice. The day really cemented the way in which the network can be used in the future to support future decisions that Mathematics middle leaders are making.

The visiting Heads of Mathematics were shown around our wonderful school and they were extremely impressed with the facility and resources that we have.

The future development of the network will be based on the following plan.

• One large meeting each academic year, hosted by different schools within the network • Two smaller hub meetings based on locations of schools involved • An online forum of discussion to help share and support each other in the development of excellent teaching and learning in mathematics For further information on the Secondary Mathematics Network please feel free to contact Dr Scott Tooley scto@ patana.ac.th

For more information about Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) at Bangkok Patana, please contact Katherine Hume, Cross Campus Assistant Principal kahu@patana.ac.th

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LIBRARY NEWS

Helen Thew, Cross Campus Principal

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n 2012 the first Library Knowledge Sharing Workshop was held at The Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur and was attended by around 30 participants. Seven years on we picked up the baton here at Bangkok Patana and on Thursday 8th November we welcomed over 90 librarians and those interested in the important role of the Library from around the region to work collaboratively together. The overall theme for this year’s conference being that of global citizenship.

In the context of global citizenship, literature is not just a way of sharing factual knowledge, it is also a way of sharing cultural knowledge, emotional knowledge, it is a way of sharing the best of ourselves. To me, promoting literature does two vitally important things in this context. Firstly, it allows us to meet thoughtful people from cultures other than our own.

It broadens the scope of our world. Secondly, there is solid evidence that reading literature makes us more empathetic – more open to others – more able to accept differences with a positive frame of mind.

Planning for this Library Knowledge sharing Workshop has taken place over the last few months firstly under the vision and leadership of Sally Flint and more recently under Stephen Murgatroyd. At this time, it is my pleasure to be able to announce to the Bangkok Patana community that our new Head of Libraries is Stephen Murgatroyd. Stephen will continue working with both the Primary and Secondary Library teams to ensure there is excellent provision of library resources and materials, which in turn will help to maintain the inspiring Library learning environments, that support the learning and teaching needs of all students and staff. I look forward to working with Stephen in his new role in the years to come.

DATES

for your

Diary...

09/11/2018

Wednesday 21st November International Day Thursday 22nd November Loy Krathong Wednesday 5th December HM King Rama IX’s Birthday Monday 10th December Constitution Day Wednesday 12th December Christmas Concert Friday 14th December Whole School Christmas Assembly

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UNI COUNSELLORS’ CORNER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

University College London (UCL), UK

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CL is a public research university in London, England, and a constituent college of the federal University of London.

A world-leader in research, UCL is home to centres of teaching excellence in subjects from medicine to languages, law to engineering, and history to astrophysics. Interdisciplinary study is encouraged and a belief that all areas of study can inform and enrich each other is woven into their programmes. A central London location gives students access not only to world-renowned culture and night-life, but also to academic resources. UCL is close to, and has teaching and research links with, countless hospitals, museums, galleries, libraries and professional bodies.

UCL comprises 11 faculties: Arts and Humanities, Built Environment, Brain Sciences, Engineering, the Institute of Education, Laws, Life Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Medical Sciences, Population Health Sciences, and Social and Historical Sciences. International students make up nearly half the student population and come from over 150 countries, giving UCL its cosmopolitan atmosphere. UCL works hard to embed a global perspective in their teaching and there are many opportunities to study abroad for a term or a year—approximately 25% of students spend some time in another country as part of their degree programme.

UPCOMING UNIVERSITY VISITS UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE Jacobs University

COUNTRY Germany

Kwansei Gakuin University Brock University

Japan Canada

Challenge 8

REP

LOCATION

DATE

TIME

Peter Tsvetkov

Senior Studies, second floor

12.11.18

09:15

Kokoro Hitokoto

Senior Studies, second floor 20.11.18

12:15

Helen

Senior Studies, second floor

09:15

NEW FOR PARENTS

Reflect on what you learned from your conversations at the November Fair

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21.11.18

There is a new Parent Corner on the University and Careers firefly page. You can find details of upcoming workshops and much more!

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SEASON REVIEW: JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL Samuel Moss, Year 12

THE LEAGUE

BISAC TOURNAMENT

At the start of the season, the team was new to the sport and it came to my attention that whilst there was potential in the team, there were also many improvements to be made.

After a long, hard season, BISAC was coming up. Although the team did not make it to the cup, we definitely had the skill to win it. Therefore, we took that initiative and wanted to go to BISAC proving that we were the best team there and win the plate.

Our first game against TCIS unfortunately ended in defeat although this did not bring the team down as we won the first set and it was a great experience for all members of the team. This game was a great learning curve and made it obvious where we needed to improve. Our second game also resulted in a defeat against Harrow, which was a little disappointing as the team improved so much and we expected a win. The team won the first set but it seemed that we could not finish the game.

After hard work and tough training sessions, we had a game against Bangkok Prep. The boys had their heads up and we had our minds focused on achieving our first win of the season. The first set was won and we were confident in winning the game, the next set was lost although we were confident that we would be able to win it. This put pressure on us for the final set as the team were so focused on winning the game and breaking our losing streak. The set started off with us dominating which got our motivation going, although Bangkok Prep fought hard to bring the game back, we fought harder and were able to achieve our first victory.

The following two games were both wins and we played Bangkok Prep again as a friendly, also winning. At this point I knew our team was at its peak and I could see the potential for us to win BISAC. Overall, I am proud that I was the captain of the team and saw great improvements throughout the season. The team has so much potential in the future and all of the players will make great additions to future teams. I would also like to say a massive thank you to Mr Blundell and Coach Nu for teaching me a lot about the sport and also for improving the team so much. We had little to no experience but the coaches managed to teach the squad so much volleyball to the point where this team was undefeatable in BISAC.

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Needless to say, the team won the first two games without dropping a set. All players had fair game time and everyone proved how good they are and how much we deserved to be playing in the cup. The next game against Bangkok Prep was very shaky as we had to win it to have a higher advantage in winning the tournament, after a defeat in the first set, the team brought it back in the second proving why we beat them twice and were ready for a third victory. In the final set, we were so focused on winning that we dominated the first few points proving that we were the better team. As the captain, I made sure the team was well motivated and want to thank the boys on the side-line for cheering us on while we played. This game turned out to be another victory and we could not have been happier when we took the winning point. The final game against ICS was expected to be an easy game although we were prepared for anything. Needless to say, we won both sets meaning that we won the BISAC plate!

Subsequently, it was amazing to know that we secured the BISAC title undefeated and that the boys truly proved that we belonged to play in the cup, I believe that this team might have won the cup considering how well we played and the improvements throughout the season. As this was the first time being the captain of a team, I am proud to bring an award back to Bangkok Patana School.

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LEARNING CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

Grace Chen, Primary Mandarin Teacher

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ear 6 Mandarin students were recently given the above mountains. opportunity to try their hand at Chinese Calligraphy, Not only were the students able to explore one of the using the traditional brush painting technique. oldest forms of art, they were also able to explore how to As a class, the students diligently wielded their bamboo properly write Chinese characters. Following the specific brushes, emulating traditional Chinese characters to cre- steps in order to complete a character is not only aesthetate their own posters. Not only that, but they also created ic, but steeped in the tradition of the language and culture whimsical landscapes, reminiscent of Imperial Chinese of China itself. paintings of flowers, bamboo forests, and whispy clouds

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#106: Turn an old smart phone into a security camera

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o you remember the baby shark eggs we had in the lounge area? Last term, in the Foundation Stage we set up a GoPro camera to take photos of the turtles laying their eggs. Like many families I’m sure you have one or two old mobile phones sitting in the ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’ drawer. I do and when the boys found a new nest in the garden before the summer we set up an old iPhone to watch the Weaver bird feed it’s chicks without disturbing them. Sadly I don’t have any photos or video from the event; the memories are good enough. The free app I used to live-stream from an old phone to my new one is one of the tips in the 4Ts today.

Here are my 4Ts for this week: 1.

a Tip: Turn an old phone or tablet into a security camera for free

2.

a Tool: Why you might want to check out Wakelet (watch time = 2mins 46 sec)

3.

a Text: Christie’s sells Artificial Intelligence artwork for $432,000 (read time = 2 mins)

4.

a Tutorial: Trouble Falling Asleep? (see below, watch time = 7mins 24 sec)

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to sign up for the Parents Workshop on Gaming, for more info see page 24.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Cross Campus Curriculum Technology Integration Links in this article: https://download.cnet.com/blog/download-blog/turn-old-smartphones-and-tablets-into-security-cameras-using-the-manything-app/ https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=qHKwMFiIVVQ https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/29/christies-ai-artwork-obvious-portrait-edmond-de-belamy-design/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1CWinr5AkI https://goo.gl/forms/pqGQH1EvFMxd5lmf1

click here for the Canteen

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

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CATS CORNER

Tania Leyland, Youth Club and Community Services Coordinator

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH PROJECT STAR are campaigning to raise awareness of the difficulty that people with disabilities face when attempting to enter the workplace and secure meaningful employment. They are passionate about informing students that the disability barrier needs to be removed and the stigma erased. They believe that role models need to be shared more frequently and openly and discussed and celebrated on a regular basis. Examples like Steven Hawkin and Stevie Wonder are easy to embed into our curriculum CRAFTING HOPE: At Bangkok Patana School, Crafting Hope@BPS is a CAS project run by a group of students. Their main motive is to help the female prisoners by providing them with an outlet for their hand-crafted goods, thereby giving them access to an income and ultimately helping foster stronger connections with their children. Whenever people hear the word “inmate”, there is an immediate negative stigma; people often assume that those who are serving a debt to society are “bad people” and are dangerous. The reality is that so many of them were ensnared at a young age by negative influences before they had an opportunity to build a strong life foundation. The exigencies of living as a member of the prevaricate often place people, especially women, in situations from which criminal acts seem to be the only escape. Crafting Hope endeavours to help build a bridge between those who have been caught in these unfortunate situations and a positive life of normalcy on the outside.

As many of these women are often young mothers, helping them build strong relationships with their children can aid in this process of establishing a normal life on the outside. Research has shown that it is fundamental for the development of the child that they are not separated from loved ones. As a society, we must do everything we can to both help these mothers maintain strong connections with their children as well as help the children understand the circumstances that led to their geographic estrangement. By providing visitation, we can help enhance quality of life for both mother and child while still allowing the mother to serve her debt to society.

Additionally, as time behind bars is often filled with many hours of boredom, Crafting Hope has worked to facilitate the development of productive hobbies which allow the inmates to develop skills they will be able to use upon their release, as well as provide income. Sadly, a common problem that occurs is that when the prisoner’s sentence is over, businesses are still unwilling to hire these people. This leads to a cycle in which a prisoner may be forced into a state where they feel the need to recommit the same crimes, as it is near impossible to sustain any type of humane living standard if no one is willing to hire them. The vocational skills learnt from hand-crafting products provides the women with opportunities, income, and hope through entrepreneurship. See the full product range here.

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RIGHT TO READ: FIRST TRIP TO THOMAS HOUSE

The Right to Read Team

NEVERLAND: This group of students have been providing business advice and routes to market for disadvantaged young people who have set up small enterprises in the Hub Saidek centre. They give advice on product development, marketing, pricing strategies and how to use social media effectively.

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uring the half-term break, five of the Right to Read members had the opportunity to visit Thomas House in Chiang Mai. It was a very great experience getting to know the children and interacting with them through fun activities including storytelling, crafts and a scavenger hunt. We were immensely impressed by how sweet and energetic the children were; always full of enthusiasm and engagement, contributing in all the activities and constantly eager to learn about new things around them. Sadly, some students weren’t able to participate in every activity due their physical and mental disabilities and required personal assistance which was quite a challenge for us. Despite this, the trip was very successful and unforgettable.

This week’s documentary in the ‘globe’ focused on ‘Financial Literacy development in young people’ to help them make sound financial and economic decisions in the future. Skills that are essential for a country’s economic growth.

HOW ELSE CAN YOU SUPPORT THIS GLOBAL GOAL? • Challenge yourself to live on a low income to help develop empathy and understanding of the impact of low wages. When you employ people in the future, treat them well and pay a decent wage.

• Think about where your clothes come from.

Working conditions and workers rights for clothing production workers are amongst the worst in any industry.

“The children at Thomas House have less opportunities than us and it would be great if Bangkok Patana students could help donate by buying handmade crafts from Right to Read which will be sold at upcoming events. These children have been rejected from every school even though they have the potential to learn and have a successful future. I feel this trip was worthwhile because I had an eye opening experience. In addition, I was able to do many activities with the Year 12 CAT students who were always caring and motivated to serve and do good for the community. This was one of the most memorable trips I have done in my life because there were many flavours.”

Kullakan (Kru Pu) Iamthadanai, CAT supervisor and Secondary Thai Teacher “Thomas House is a day care centre for handicapped children.

The trip to Thomas House was a good experience for both staff and students. The students especially learned the inequality in the real world and how “we” as part of global-citizenship can treat and support others. Students also learnt to solve unexpected probContinued over the page...

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lems which they were superb at dealing with. It was a noteworthy trip!”

Pinkarn (Kru Pim) Vajrapana, CAT supervisor and Secondary Thai Teacher “Overall I was very pleased with the trip, it allowed me to experience a new perspective which I would have never seen if it wasn’t for Thomas House. Throughout the trip we faced many challenges yet the children were always positive and motivated.”

Aticha (Amie) Prasongsukarn, Right to Read - President, Year 12 “I felt like overall this trip was very successful. It was incredibly eye opening for me to see those children with disabilities be so positive and happy. We got to work through many challenges and in the end, we were reminded that the real goal of our club is to provide any opportunity for everyone to have an education because everybody deserves a future.”

Natyada (Pammy) Julintron, Right to Read - Vice President, Year 12

again!”

Benyapa (Bam) Sukamongkol, Right to Read - CAT Representative, Year 12 “I’m very happy that I had the opportunity to visit the Thomas House School in Chaing Mai. Our members and I had an amazing time and the children and teachers there were very warm, welcoming and friendly. I was greatly impressed by how optimistic and sweet the children were, they always had a smile on their face and were very engaging and enthusiastic. Even though, it was a very short trip, the experience was very memorable to me and is something that I will look back on a lot in the future. It made me realise how fortunate I am which motivates me to give more to those who are less fortunate.”

Benyaporn (Bell) Sukamongkol, Right to Read - Marketing and Promotion, Year 12

“I’m really grateful for this opportunity to get to know Thomas House, the kids have really inspired me to move forward and not to give up on anything. I was also impressed with the efforts of the staff with their positive energy.”

Benya (Best) Sukamongkol, Right to Read - Community Engagement, Year 12 “This trip was very memorable and uplifting as we were able to spend quality time with such lovely children. Their disabilities didn’t stop them from having fun and learning new things! I’ve built some strong bonds with many of them and would definitely visit them 16

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BIG A N A T A P K O K BANG

S A M T S I R CH TOY DRIVE Please donate a new, wrapped* toy, game or book for a child in need aged 3 - 16

SPREAD THE JOY OF THE HOLIDAYS Please bring your donation to the tables at the Front of School between

26TH - 30TH NOVEMBER Give an extra gift this Christmas

TO THE DESERVING CHILDREN AT THE GIFT OF HAPPINESS FOUNDATION

!

*please label your gift with the age of child it is suitable for

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STUDENTS SPEAK

ARE MUSHROOMS THE NEXT PLASTIC?

By Ann Kanchanasakdichai, Year 12

Who would’ve imagined that one day, mushrooms could potentially replace plastics? The idea itself might sound absurd, but the science behind it is truly worth investigating.

5. After three to five days, the fungus will have taken the shape of the mould 6. The product is then “cooked” to stop the mycelium from growing any further

Evocative, a biomaterials company, creates products using Mycelium. Mycelium, as some of us may know, are the long extended strands that grow from the fungus which has the ability to attach itself onto other structure.

So is the material any good?

When Mycelium and agricultural waste is combined together, the fibres binds together to form this sturdy material.

But what makes it so good is that, it uses a lot less resources, no hydrocarbons and very little energy to produce compared to manufacturing plastics making this biodegradable material a much more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative.

How is the mushroom material made?

1. Agricultural waste (corn stalks) are steamed, pasteurised, and cut up 2. Nutrients and water are added 3. Mycelium is mixed in, and the mixture is poured into a mould 4. The mould is sealed and placed somewhere dark with no light

The material created that we get at the end of the process, has the same properties as any other conventional polystyrene materials.

How can we use this material?

Applications of this material includes: Packaging materials, tiles, panels and even coolers!

Let’s cross our fingers and hope that we’ll get to see more of this eco-friendly alternative in the near future!

Image source: https://phys.org/news/2013-03-fungi-plastics.html Information: https://ecovativedesign.com/faq https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ innovation/fungus-material-future-180962791/ https://shop.ecovativedesign.com/collections/packaging

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COULD OUR PROTECTIVE SHIELD BE REPAIRING?

By Karnsiree (Ling Ling) Chen, Year 12 chlorine reacts with the oxygen atoms in ozone and rips apart the ozone molecule. One atom of chlorine can destroy more than a hundred thousand ozone molecules, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. As a result, in 1985 a gaping hole in the ozone over the South Pole was discovered.

When it was at its worst in the late 1990s, about 10% of the upper ozone layer was depleted. Since 2000, the situation has worsened, with the amount damaged increasing by about 3% per decade, according to the UN report.

HOW IS IT REPAIRING ITSELF? The ozone is a layer made of a colourless form of an oxygen molecule that starts approximately six miles above Earth. It protects everything living on the Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that the Sun emits.

Without the layer of ozone in the atmosphere, enormous amount of UV light would be able to reach Earth, effectively making sure that most life couldn’t survive. To put this information into context, it would have the effect of the heat of the sun causing sunburn after long exposure multiplied by magnificent amounts. Plants cannot live and grow in heavy ultraviolet radiation, nor can the plankton that are a food source for a large majority of marine life. The ozone layer acts as a shield to absorb the UV rays, and keep them from doing damage at the Earth’s surface.

After gaping holes were discovered in ozone layer in the 1980s, alarm bells were rung at the obvious indicator of our rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions. However, after all this time, scientists believe that the ozone is finally showing signs of repair. It is though that by the 2030s, the Northern Hemisphere could be fully repaired and Antarctica by the 2060s.

The damaged ozone layer was due to human activities like the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), found mainly in spray aerosols heavily used by industrialised nations for the past 50 years, which ate away at the ozone. When CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, they are exposed to ultraviolet rays, which causes them to break down into substances that include chlorine. The

It is in part due to an international agreement called the Montreal Protocol which made sure that businesses and countries agreed to phase out chemicals like CFCs by coming up with non harmful alternatives.

This has greatly helped to reduce the amount of CFC going into the atmosphere and eating away at it.

However, it cannot be considered a success just yet, says the University of Colorado’s Brian Toon: “We are only at a point where recovery may have started,” he said, as some areas of the ozone have not yet been repaired. It is important to factor in increasing emissions of some chlorine-containing chemicals which would be detrimental to ozone health as it could slow down the progress made in healing the ozone layer.

These chemicals are usually manufactured in China to go into paint stripping products and are not regulated well.

All in all, the indicators of a repairing ozone is still a step in the right direction, as it shows that the limiting of CFC emission has been efficient, and the collaborative effort of countries has proved to be effective.

Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween - https://www.history. com/topics/halloween/history-of-trick-or-treating - https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/15169373 - image: pexels.com

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the m o r f t s The late

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Join the PTG Facebook page here!

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the m o r f t s The late

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AIR QUALITY AT BANGKOK PATANA SCHOOL Helen Thew, Cross Campus Principal

W

hilst our campus is at an advantage being on the outskirts of the city, we regularly monitor pollution levels using information provided by the Air Quality and Noise Management Bureau of the Thai government. We are fortunate to have a monitoring station quite close to us on Sukhumvit Road at Bangna BTS station, so the readings are specific to our location. The Air Quality Index (AQI) readings taken in Bangna are typically lower than those from central Bangkok. Additionally, when we compared readings on our campus to those from the Bangna monitoring station and the AQI readings at school were 33% lower.

Table 1 shows ranges of air pollution for both types of reading together with our responses.

PM 2.5

General Air Quality Index Good

Air quality is considered as satisfactory.

Little to no risk.

None

Air quality is acceptable.

However, for some pollutants, a very small number of unusually sensitive individuals may experience moderate health concerns.

People who are unusually sensitive to pollutants should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.

Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.

People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion.

Everyone may begin to Caution for All experience health effects; members of sensitive groups 151 to 200 may experience more serious health effects.

People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid prolonged exertion; everyone else should limit prolonged exertion.

0 to 12.0 0 to 50

12.1 to 35.4

35.5 to 55.4

Moderate 51 to 100

Caution for Sensitive Groups 101 to 150

55.5 to 150.4

150.5 to 250.4

250.5 to 500.4

Precautionary Actions defined by US EPA*

Health Effects

Unhealthy 201 to 300

Hazardous 301 to 500

Health alert is triggered: everyone may experience more serious health effects.

People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid any outdoor activity; everyone else should avoid prolonged exertion.

Everyone should avoid Health warnings of emerany outdoor exertion; gency conditions. The entire people with respiratory or population is more likely to be heart disease, the elderly affected. and children should remain indoors.

Bangkok Patana Response All Students: All outdoor activities unaffected.

Staff: Duties are unaffected All Students: All outdoor activities unaffected.

Staff: Teachers monitor students with unusual sensitivity to pollutants as identified through medical records.

All Students: Outdoor activities continue as planned. There may be some modifications to avoid prolonged exertion for those with unusual sensitivity to pollutants as identified through medical records.

Staff: Monitor students with unusual sensitivity as identified through medical records.

Primary Students: Nursery to Year 2 students stay indoors except for movement between buildings. Year 3 to Year 6 students have outdoor exposure limited to 30 minutes.

Secondary Students: Outdoor activities may continue but with modifications to avoid prolonged exertion. Activities may be reduced to lower intensity and/or shorter time periods.

Staff: Those working outside should avoid heavy physical work for prolonged periods of time.

All Students: All outdoor activities cancelled or moved indoors. Outdoor field trip decisions will be based on the local air quality at destination.

Staff: Those engaged in physical work outside should wear protective face masks.

Communication

None

None

None

Policy and Safety Reminder indicated on Parents’ Gateway, Staff Dashboard and Student Dashboard as an orange icon

Policy and Safety Reminder indicated on Parents’ Gateway, Staff Dashboard and Student Dashboard as a red icon

All members of the community (except SMS message to parents those responsible for security) to remain Policy and Safety Reindoors unless moving between buildings. minder on Parents’ GateFurther safety measures will be taken based way Staff Dashboard on the situation. and Student Dashboard Outdoor field trip decisions will be based as a purple icon on the local air quality at destination. * Source: Environmental Protection Agency (USA)

EPA defines ‘prolonged exertion’ as activity extending over a period of a few hours and causes breathing to increase more than normal.

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OUR MONITORING PROCEDURES • As a school licensed by the Ministry of Education, we use the data provided from two official Thai government sites, both of which use data directly from the Air Quality and Noise Management Bureau.

• We refer to two sets of air pollution data: the general Air Quality Index (AQI) and also readings for PM 2.5. Measurement of PM 2.5 refer to tiny atmospheric particles that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers.

Type of pollution

Source

General Air Quality Index (AQI)

Air Quality and Noise Management Bureau (Thai government)

PM 2.5 Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers

Website air4thai.pcd.go.th http://aqmthai.com/public_report.php (Choose Station 05t, choose the time period, choose PM2.5 under Parameter and choose Table or Graph)

• The Health and Safety Office at school checks the information daily from both of the above two sites.

• Of the two data sets (AQI and PM 2.5), we will act on the reading which indicates the greatest level of risk.

• The Health and Safety Office communicates to the Senior Leadership Team who in turn will inform colleagues and students as appropriate, as well as our Marketing and Communications team for the management of relevant communications with our parent community.

• We are subject to regular environmental inspections at school for both outdoor and indoor areas, including those which focus on air pollution readings. These inspections have so far confirmed that our campus air pollution readings are in fact lower than those of the nearest official air quality monitoring station (Bangna).

• Typically, checks are made during the school day. If unhealthy levels are indicated, we will enact early morning monitoring.

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (I)GCSE ENTRIES: YEARS 9, 10 AND 11 STUDENTS If your child studies a language outside of school, either a Home Language or an MFL, and would like to consider taking an IGCSE exam in that language, please contact Celine Courenq ceco@ patana.ac.th. In the email, include: • the full name of your child • his/her tutor group • the language they wish to be entered for

TERM 2 2018/19: SCHOOL FEE INVOICES

I

nvoices for school fees for Term 2 2018/19 were sent to families/companies on Wednesday 31st October 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 Friday 30th November 2018 and payments received after this date will be subject to a late payment charge of 1% per month.

Thank you, Accounting Department 09/11/2018

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TRANSPORT CORNER POSSIBLE TRAFFIC CONGESTION ADVANCE NOTICE Please note that there will be university graduations taking place at BITEC on Bangna Trad between 13th – 16th November. Due to the number of people attending this event we anticipate traffic congestion around this area.

NOTICES FOR SECONDARY PARENTS/STUDENTS Only students in Years 12 and 13 can make changes to their Bus Schedules themselves. All other changes must be requested by parents/guardians.

Please note the following important information for all Secondary transport users for the week of Secondary Residential 12th to 16th November: • Monday 12th: Buses will collect students as normal, please cancel the bus if you are coming to school by private transport. Please note that the bus services for Year 9 students will be cancelled automatically for the whole week.

• Friday 16th: Afternoon buses for secondary students have been cancelled. Please contact Transport if your child requires a 2:30pm bus home on Friday.

• Year 11 and Year 13: School transport will be operating as usual for students in Years 11 and 13. As there are no ECAs, all students will be put on 2:30pm afternoon buses. Please contact Transport to change your bus according to your exam timetable or if you are making private transport arrangements to and/or from school.

Please remember to plan ahead and email transport in advance to make any changes transport@patana.ac.th.

Transport would like to wish all Secondary students a wonderful week of residential experiences and good luck with their exams.

NOTICE FOR PRIMARY PARENTS/STUDENTS Due to the Secondary Residential Visits taking place Monday 12th - Friday 16th November, the students on your child(ren)’s morning bus may be different for one week only. Please note that you will only be contacted via email or SMS if it is necessary to amend your normal pick up time.

Please also inform your child/children that there may also be some changes to the afternoon buses if your child takes a 2:30pm, 3:30pm or 4:30pm bus home. You will not be notified of these changes in the afternoon as this may be different everyday due to student ECA selections.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding for the necessary changes during the Secondary Residential week.

CONTACT US Direct phone: 02 785 2470

Email: transport@patana.ac.th

The Transport Office is staffed from 6:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday.

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Community

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Community

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Community

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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 30

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