Patana News Volume 21 Issue 15

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 7th December 2018

Volume 21 Issue 15

www.patana.ac.th

THE MONTHLY BLOG

Mr Mills final blog of the term includes Christmas, the Ploenchit Fair and the fabulous Hairspray!

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Also in this issue...

UNDER 15 FOBISIA 2018 / Thailand Friendly Design Expo 2018 / KNITTING FOR THE NEEDY 07/12/2018

Bangkok Patana School News

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

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Celebrating Christmas One of my favourite Monday tasks is doing my Year 6 lunch duty in the Primary Canteen. There is always such an excitable buzz in the air as hungry 11-year old’s tuck into their food, but for me the priority is the meaningful conversation that permeates around the ground floor.

Not that I was eavesdropping, but a group of girls were so enthusiastically discussing looking forward to a white Christmas and how snow is such an intrinsically stimulating event in winter. I guess it is even more valued for students who are suddenly living in Bangkok experiencing 35-degree days on a regular basis. I nearly interrupted them but that would have definitely highlighted my eavesdropping tendencies so I didn’t.

What I would have said to them was as a New Zealander, the thought of snow on Christmas Day sounds so foreign as we celebrate Christmas in early summer where it is light until 11:00pm. Christmas down under is about barbecues, the beach and eating ice-creams in your flip flops.

Christmas is also about celebrating tradition. One lovely family tradition I will always cherish involves my father who was a very keen New Zealand gardener and had green fingers. Every Christmas we would purchase a live pine tree as our Christmas tree to decorate and then on the 1st of January we would all go out as a family and plant the tree in the garden so it would continue to grow. I still love to go back and visit some of my childhood homes and point out our old Christmas trees to my sons observing how some of them were now nine meters or more high and still alive.

Ploenchit Fair A large number of the Bangkok expatriate community attended the 2018 Ploenchit Fair on Saturday 24th November. It was a stunning crisp morning in the beautiful historic grounds of the British Embassy as the ribbon was cut right on 10:00am. This is a major Bangkok fund-raising event which the school has been proud to host for a number of years now. The Ploenchit Fair originally used the leafy British Embassy grounds for many years and hosted the event for the very last time before it closes. The whole fair went very smoothly and I observed many very happy families enjoying a fun community day with all funds going to well-deserving charity groups in Thailand.

I hope that the Ploenchit Fair will be back at Bangkok Patana School in November 2019.

International Day One of my favorite events in the school calendar is International Day. We had 62 nationalities represented on this very special day as we celebrate diversity and global citizenship. A huge thank you to this year’s International Day committee, Michela Pianesi, Aki Roughley, Radhika Chawla, Sushila Kogar, Amelie Boussa, Vanessa Abdala Sales and their amazing team of

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helpers. The committee have continued making some positive changes to this year’s event which included a revamped parade and eight cultural group performances. One of my highlights of the day was observing Ana Bolakoso perform her solo Fiji dance in front of a packed Sports Hall. I also sampled the delicious cuisine in the International Food Hall with over 30 countries represented. Many thanks to the PTG and all of our parent helpers who put a great deal of time and effort to plan this very special day at Bangkok Patana School.

Hairspray

I had the privilege to watch the Secondary musical on Monday night and thoroughly enjoyed the show. The Rosamund Stuetzel theatre was transported back to Baltimore in the 1960’s as dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad (played by Momiji Uji, Year 12), auditions to get on a live TV dance show, The Corny Collins Show and wins a spot against all odds. The smoky 60’s jazz ballads bounced effortlessly along as the talented cast all gave polished acting /singing performances. This was a real dance musical and the quality of dancing within a large cast really stood out. A heart-felt congratulations to the talented Bangkok Patana cast and support crew for performing such an enjoyable and memorable school musical.

Christmas Assembly Not to be missed! Everyone is invited to the final assembly on Friday 14th in the Sports Hall starting at 8:00am. This is such a fun and exciting younger years themed assembly where each year we pose the question; “How is Santa going to arrive?” Last year Santa arrived in the Harry Potter ‘Flying Ford Anglia’ much to everyone’s surprise. This is one assembly that all the parents like to attend so make sure you get in early so you can get a good seat upstairs on the mezzanine floor.

Great Educational Articles to Share An interesting New York Times read on AI that Brian Taylor sent me, which is a hot topic currently and an excellent brief YouTube video on another very hot topic ‘Gender Perspectives’.

Wishing all of our Bangkok Patana community a safe and enjoyable festive season and a happy and successful 2019.

I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday 7th January as we start another exciting Term 2 together.

Best wishes, Matt Mills Head of School

click here for the Canteen

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

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BEST WISHES TO KHUN SOMSAK ON HIS RETIREMENT

Rachel Jones, Head of Admissions

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t is with mixed feelings that we announce the retirement of our much-loved colleague, Khun Somsak Preetiyathorn, at the end of this year.

Khun Somsak began his Bangkok Patana journey in October 1992 when he joined as Middle School Secretary, before being quickly promoted to Professional Administrative Assistant to the Head of Middle School. At that time Bangkok Patana was a school of 820 students and the Secondary School had only just been established.

After two years Khun Somsak left Bangkok Patana for another opportunity, but then returned in April 1997 in the new role of PR Supervisor working in customer services.

Khun Somsak’s dedication and professionalism have seen him continue to advance within the School, to Registrar/PR and finally to his current position of Admissions Supervisor, Administration.

respected by colleagues and greatly appreciated by the many families he has supported through the admissions, visa application and other administrative processes over the last two decades. On a personal level, it has been an Throughout his career at Bangkok Patana, Khun Somsak absolute pleasure to work with Khun Somsak, and we will has been commended for his commitment to the School, all miss him greatly in the Admissions Department. his expertise and his unwavering readiness to help a Khun Somsak has made an outstanding contribution to parent, student or colleague in need. The School may Bangkok Patana School during his 24 years of service, have changed a lot, almost tripling in size since he first and his achievements will certainly not be forgotten. started working here, but Khun Somsak has remained a Please join me in wishing him all the very best in his wellfriendly, welcoming and dependable face. He is well- deserved retirement.

“Khun Somsak has given his heart and soul to Bangkok Patana School over a very long period of time. He has often been the very first person a prospective parent has connected with and his warm smiling face has been reassuring to so many. We wish him all the very best for his retirement years and he will be greatly missed.”

Matt Mills, Head of School

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“Khun Somsak is one of the first people that I met when both my children joined Bangkok Patana School in 2001. I have known and worked with Khun Somsak for nearly two decades and during that time, his passion and dedication for the school and work could only be matched by his boundless enthusiasm for his colleagues and the school staff. As good a colleague as he is, Khun Somsak is an even better person who is genuine and kind-hearted. It will be very sad to see him leave the Patana community and his presence will be sorely missed. I wish all the best to Khun Somsak.”

Kulvadee Siribhadra, Director of the Foundation Board Office Bangkok Patana School News

“It was such a great pleasure working with Khun Somsak for 17 years. The memories of working with him will stay in my heart. He will be missed, but I know that I and everyone else in his life are excited to see him relax, and to get to spend more time with him. Happy retirement Khun Somsak!”

Bongkot Piyawiphat, PA to Head of School

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IN MEMORY OF HIS MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ Dr Surapee Sorrajakool, Head of Thai Programme

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very year, the 5th December marks the celebration of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Birthday. This day is also designated as the Nation Day and Father’s Day of Thailand. Different organisations organise activities in recognition of the late King Bhumibol Adjulyadej. One of these organisation is The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand. On 4th December 2018, Dr Surapee Sorrajakool (Kru Gai), Head of Thai Programme and Ms Pornpimol Charoen (Khun Nong) our School Manager, were invited to join the press conference for the launch of the English version of the book “The Wisdom of the Monarch: A World Leader in Sustainable Development Laws Supporting Royal Initiated Projects of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej” to disseminate the wisdom of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the knowledge derived from the Royal Initiated Projects and legislations supporting the Royal Initiated Projects.

At Bangkok Patana School, students in Thai classes also shared the wisdom of the late King Bhumibol Adjulyadej and everything he did for the country as part of their lessons and also to recognise his immense contribution to the country of Thailand.

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YEAR 8 SCIENCE!

Alexander (Coke) Smith, Secondary Environmental Systems and Societies Leader

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tudents in Year 8 Science spent this week in their various classes learning about what makes up the food they eat on a daily basis. Students came in with an impressive amount of prior knowledge of the various food groups and even some of the molecules that comprise their foods. But in this investigation, students took their curiosity to a much higher level.

Our Year 8 scientists learned about various chemical tests that can be used to show the presence of certain macromolecules such as fats, proteins, starches and glucose sugar. And through using a rigorous scientific protocol, students were able to

show what foods in their normal diets contained these various macromolecules.

As their teacher, I was very impressed with the way that my students conducted this actually quite complicated study and were able to reach detailed conclusions through there analyses. What I really enjoyed hearing was hearing my students evaluate the limitations of this investigation and the need for more detailed, empirical studies in the future. I was inspired by the enthusiasm and the interest these budding scientists showed. There really is nothing better to foster a love for science than hands-on realistic experiential learning like this!

KNITTING FOR THE NEEDY

Annie Keane, Secondary World Languages Teacher (and knitting enthusiast)

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uring the year small groups have been knitting squares and during the CAS for All days at the end of Term 3, students joined in and added their work to the piles that were stored at the back of Ms Keane’s classroom. Many students ask what they are for.

With the help of SILC, we have managed to get them crocheted into warm blankets which will be donated to the Red Cross who will pass them onto people in need. It is a great exercise which teaches the students a new and creative skill whilst helping less fortunate people.

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UNDER 15 FOBISIA 2018

Janelle de la Cruz, Year 10

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he Under 15 FOBISIA Games 2018 were held in Thanyapura Sports Facilities in Phuket. Our team and coaches left for Phuket on Thursday 22nd November. The Friendly Games started on Friday with Swimming in the morning and Athletics in the afternoon. The Girls’ team competed in football and the boys played basketball on Saturday. The last day of the annual sports event was basketball for the girls and football for the boys. The regional sports competition was highlighted with the gala night and a celebration of team’s achievements.

We thank our FOBISIA athletes, coaches, parents and supporters for all the opportunities, the team trainings and the achievements that the FOBISIA Friendly games have given us.

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IN NUMBERS:

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2 3 4 5

(st) Girls’ Basketball Athletics overall Swimming overall (nd) Boys’ Basketball Boys’ Football (rd) Girls’ Football Year 4 used to be the starting year for FOBISIA athletes, now participation begins in Year 5.

Host schools before Thanyapura included: 1. Our very own Bangkok Patana School 2. KLASS, Kuala Lumpur 3. Shrewsbury, Bangkok 4. Dulwich, Shanghai 5. KLASS, Kuala Lumpur

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Six girls and six boys were chosen from each Year group to make the Primary FOBISIA team until 2015 when the numbers increased to 10 girls and 10 boys from each Year group.

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Seven athletes from this year’s Under 15 team (last participation opportunity) were in their first FOBI team in Year 4 (the first opportunity to participate in FOBISIA!).

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IB DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY AND THE THAILAND FRIENDLY DESIGN EXPO 2018

Richard Smith, Head of Secondary Design and Technology

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he Secondary Design and Technology faculty has been committed to the concept of socially responsible design for several years at IB. This year, we are working with direct support from “Thailand Friendly Design“, an organisation led by Bangkok Patana parent Kuhn Krisana Lhal within Nation News that promotes awareness for products and services for the elderly, people with disabilities and rehabilitation patients with an emphasis on Access for All in Thailand.

identify areas in which products can be designed to help them.

Through a series of four visits to the home, the students identified a problem through interviews and observation, designed and tested concept models, developed and refined prototype ideas and evaluated the final product.

Because the visits were planned well in advance they also acted as strict deadlines for the completion of work.

The fact that the students worked closely with their clients Thailand Friendly Design put us in touch with Baan throughout the process makes the project very meaningful Nonthphum Home for Disabled Children in Prakket to them. The connection they made with the children they Bangkok. The home cares for and educates orphaned take on as clients was wonderful to observe. children who are physically impaired. The collaboration gave an opportunity for our students to work on a real-life design brief and make a difference to people who really deserve it.

The rationale behind this type of project is based on what we feel is the need for genuine global citizenship in action.

We want our students to experience a real-life design problem involving a client with whom they can develop genuine empathy for. The disabilities of the children force our students to think about the daily lives of their clients and

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Between 29th November and 3rd December, our Year 13 students exhibited their design work at the Thailand Friendly Design Expo 2018 at IMPACT Exhibition Centre as the only school in Bangkok alongside top universities in Thailand and commercial designers and retailers. On Friday 29th November, the opening day of the exhibition, our students attended the Expo and ran the Bangkok Patana booth. Throughout the day, the students talked through their designs and working prototypes with clients, experts, manufacturers and other exhibitors. Our students had a focus on collecting feedback regarding evaluation and marketing of their design proposals. It was a total success, a great experience for our students and a very meaningful addition to their projects.

and it begins to encompass socially responsible design on a national scale.

Meanwhile our newly formed Design Council, a Bangkok Patana student body concerned with design in the community organised a “Junior Friendly Design Competition” as part of the Thailand Friendly Design Expo 2018. The two main purposes of the “Junior Friendly Design Award” competition is to raise awareness amongst younger students of socially responsible design and the importance that it has in our society, and to further develop empathetic, problem solving skills that will help students in their approach to design in the future.

day of the Expo, Jasmine and Nook presented their ideas on stage in front of cameras and a panel of prominent designers, industrialists and doctors. Both of them presented exceptionally well despite the pressure of the occasion.

Jasmine was successful and was awarded a third-place runner up prize. The first prize going to a team of third year engineering degree students from Thammasat University. It was a very proud moment to see our students perform so well against such tough opposition.

In addition to the “Junior Awards” there was the “Senior Friendly Design Competition”, where 15 of our Year 13 design students were competing against top universities in Thailand. Initially 31 entries were selected, six of which were Bangkok Patana students. The entries were posted on the Thailand Friendly Facebook page and the public voted. Selection to the next round was based on 50% online votes and 50% on marks from the judges. I am pleased to say Nook Diskul, with a radical stationary holder design, and Jasmine Mahadumrongkul, with a very practical occupational therapy design, made it through to the final 16 students. On Monday 3rd December the final

We believe that the holistic approach to our IB Design Students at Patana in Years 7 to 12 were invited to submit Project and the overall experience is of great value to all designs and 10 designs were chosen by a panel of judges. students in preparation to their future studies.

On Saturday 1st December, Dr Tej Bunnag, the Chairman of I would like to thank the following people for their support: the Foundation Board at Bangkok Patana School presided Khun Dee and Khun Chun-li, of the Foundation Board over a Junior Friendly Awards Ceremony at the Expo Dr Tej Bunnag, the Chairman of the Foundation Board where students were presented with certificates. Next year Kuhn Krisana Lhal of Thailand Friendly Design we hope that many more schools will join this competition “I think the Thailand Friendly Design exhibition was an unforgettable experience for me because it allowed me to develop my skills. Firstly, it helped me grow my confidence with public speaking through introducing my design.

I think it also helped me understand how design exhibitions work which really helped me broaden my knowledge in marketing and communicating. This experience has taught me to feel proud of my project.”

Jin Ju Lee, Year 13 “An unforgettable experience that only Bangkok Patana offers which is a real eye opener to the design world.

Many innovative designs ranging from wheel-chair friendly cars to prosthetic legs. Most memorable D+T trips.”

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THAILAND ECONOMICS COMPETITION Helen Berghuis, Head of Secondary Humanities

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ast week, 60 Bangkok Patana students from Years 10 - 13 attended the first ever Thailand Economics Competition to win 15,000 baht worth of cash prizes. The competition itself was 30-minute multiple choice exam that tested the participant’s knowledge of current and past Economic affairs in Thailand.

The competition was a personal project for one of our very own passionate Year 12 Economics students, Chawin Asavasaetakul. Driven by the desire to improve students’ awareness of Thailand’s Economics current issues, Chawin dedicated countless hours to researching current issues and developing a range of questions that would challenge our most enthusiastic Business and Economics students. He also sought sponsorship for the prize money and was successful in securing 15,000 baht cash from Singha Water. Chawin created a website to support the marketing of the competition (https://www.tec2018. org/). This very professionally designed site contains important information about the competition and resources to support students in their preparation for the event.

After the competition, Chawin had the opportunity to talk to some of the participants. Initially, he believed that the prize money was the primary motivator for student participation, however was delighted to hear many say that they got involved because it was fun. He found it incredibly heartwarming to see such enthusiasm from the participants, as many zealously compared their answers with each other as they left the exam hall.

The eagerly awaited results of competition will be

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announced at the Secondary Awards Assembly on the last day of term. All participants did very well in a very challenging test paper and all will receive either a Bronze, Silver or Gold certificate. The first, second and third place getters will of course walk away with the 10,000, 3,500 and 1,500 baht cash prizes.

Many thanks go to Chawin for his tremendous enthusiasm and efforts in providing such an exciting opportunity for our students. Thank you also to Singha Water for their generosity in providing such attractive cash prizes.

Be sure to stay tuned for information on next year’s competition.

“Chawin has exemplified Bangkok Patana school values through and through. His whole approach to the competition, as well as the resourcefulness he demonstrated throughout the process, is an example of why we teachers and leaders love our job here. There was real excitement for the Economics competition amongst the students; they were highly animated and were debating long after the exam had finished – so much so, that I had to usher them along the corridors so they made it on time to their afternoon lesson! Chawin showed great ambition and passion, not only for the subject, but also to find ways in which students can further challenge themselves. We will no doubt hear more for Chawin in the future.”

Suzanne Lindley, Secondary Assistant Principal

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STUDENTS SPEAK Lucid Dreaming: Real or Myth?

By Karnsiree (Ling Ling) Chen, Year 12

Lucid dreaming is a concept which is now frequently discussed, and is the experience of being conscious while dreaming. Extensive research has gone into this topic and studies show that lucid dreaming is a result of an increased activation of parts of the brain that are normally suppressed during sleep. Lucid dreaming represents a state between Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and being awake, where you may be able to control the path and outcomes of your dream. However, this is a controversial practice as some experts believe it is better to let dreams occue naturally, as some who claim to practice lucid dreaming often experience fatigue and has been known to result in pathological reactions. Nielsen and Zadra (2011) note that some have experienced an overlap of dreaming and ordinary states, resulting in confusion and quasi-psychosis.

to discern the true validity of these reports, however, as dreaming is still not well understood, and patients may experience confusion between dreams and reality. Some who have ‘experienced’ these events often tout the benefits, claiming they get useful and valid information from their dreams, almost like predictions of the future. Due to the vagueness and unreliability of memory, psychologists often take these reports with a grain of salt, as it is possible that once the person learns of the event, their memory may be influenced to associate this knowledge with a hazy dream-like memory, creating the impression that they had previous awareness of something that occurred later.

Lucid dreaming first became widely known in the 1800s when people began to write about the ability to direct dreams and control their content. In the 1960s, Stephen LaBerge drew upon this and made an association between lucid dreaming and REM sleep, bringing the concept into the public eye. He conducted experiments where research participants used voluntary eye movements to signal researchers that they were conscious during a dream. The signal could be checked and verified to see if the person was in a state of REM sleep. This worked because we are in a state of paralysis during sleep, with the exception of a few muscles like those which move our eyes. This voluntary movement could be used by the dreamer even from the depth of REM sleep.

Many people have reported the experience of feeling conscious in a dream, where they are aware that the dream in not reality and are able to direct some aspects of the dream. Some people claim they have been able to develop lucid dreaming to high levels, like David Jay Brown, a Science Fiction author who often refers to his lucid dreaming experience as an avenue of psychological or spiritual exploration.

Some commonly reported characteristics of lucid dreams appear to be traveling to other parts of the world, and sometimes even to other realms or dimensions. However, this does not provide objective evidence that lucid dreaming is a real, achievable phenomenon. Such experiences or images may be produced by the mind in the dream state, like in regular REM dreaming, but for the person experiencing it, it may feel like reality. It is difficult 07/12/2018

Lucid dreaming is a field that requires extensive research, but appears to hold potential to improve life, solve problems and deal with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as it may have therapeutic qualities.

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UNDER 15 GIRLS’ FOOTBALL REPORTS

Janelle de la Cruz, Year 10

TIGERS BITE FALCONS 5-0

TIGERS VS ICS

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ur team started with a solid defence and had multiple aggressive attacks. We finished the first half with a solid lead of 4-0. The second half featured more passes and goal attempts with the ball finding the back of the net many more times. ICS also had a few attempts at goal, however we pulled together and our defence managed to handle the situation well. The game ended with a score of 6-0 to Bangkok Patana. Overall, it was a great start and I look forward to the rest of the season. Our next game will be on Thursday December 6th against NIST. Go Tigers!

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he Under15 Girls’ last match of the year was against NIST. They made some early attacks which were met with good defending of our goal. The first half ended with the Tigers up 1-0. In the second half, more aggressive attacks resulted from the solid defence, good passing and wide spacing and positioning which yielded four more goals. A good display of outstanding teamwork as five players contributed a goal, and the defenders and goalkeeper conceded zero goals. The final score of the game was 5-0 to Bangkok Patana. The Under 15 Girls’ have been undefeated for the past two games and we look forward to a positive start in 2019.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE

2019/20

CALENDAR 14

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CATS CORNER

Tania Leyland, Youth Club and Community Services Coordinator

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS) KEY STAGE 3/4 STUDENT CREATIONS COMPETITION

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his competition aims to encourage students to “reflect on sustainable development from his or her own perspective, express it through a creative piece, and share it with others.� We welcome entries that tell a story; they may come in a journalistic form, presenting a clear problem, or may be abstract and creative, representing your ideas and thoughts.

FOR THE REMAINDER OF TERM 1

UPCOMING EVENTS

What can you do to change the world? How will the SDGs influence the way you think or act? How can you inform your friends, family, and community members of social issues and prompt them to take action? The answers to these questions will become key to achieving the SDGs. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity. Follow this link for more information about the SDG competition.

Mercy Centre Christmas Party Saturday 8th December Human Rights Day: Amnesty Patana Tuesday 11th December Christmas Market at the Christmas Concert Wednesday 12th December World Food Project Food Drive Donation trip Saturday 15th December Gift of Happiness Toy Donation Monday 17th December

A massive thank you for all of your support in Term 1. The Bangkok Patana Community Action Teams have developed a range of skills and competencies during the planning and implementation of their activities and are working hard to be active volunteers and respectful contributors to our local communities.

I am really looking forward to Term 2!

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COMPUTERS FOR EVERY CLASSROOM UpSkill, Bangkok Patana CAS Team

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e are UpSkill, a newly formed CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) project that aims to build PCs out of unwanted electronic components and donate them to less privileged schools, in order to help the next generation (who don’t have access to technology) adapt to the presence of technology in our society. We will be teaching underprivileged children how to use a computer, and the importance it plays in increasing our efficiency in knowledge acquisition and production.

OUR WORK WITH NEVERLAND Recently, we have donated our PCs to Neverland.

Neverland is a group of students who want to help under-privileged young adults at Hub Saidek by giving them an opportunity to pursue their own interests and create a fully fledged business that can sustain in the long term and provide them with the finance they need. Organisations such as Sai Dek aren't given enough resources to teach their teenagers skills that they may apply in their future such as entrepreneurial and business knowledge. As Bangkok Patana students we recognise the privilege and luxury we have been given and strongly feel that by being active volunteers we can help these students find an alternative path to finding a passion and creating their own business.

Therefore, we wanted to donate computers and printers to aid their business endeavours, as they can use them to create logos, posters and an online website for their business. In the future, we hope to help Saidek become self-sufficient and will be able to expand and grow and set an example for other small businesses.

GIVE US YOUR E-WASTE! Not only do we help children acquaint themselves with technology, but we also aim to do so in an eco-friendly manner! At UpSkill, we collect all sorts of e-waste (your old, unused technology), refurbish it, and donate them to people who can’t afford computers!

And most recently, at Bangkok Patana’s CAS/CAT fair, we were also there to raise awareness to the issues of e-waste, and the role we can play in reducing it!

SEASON 3 JV AND VARSITY SPORTS TRIALS

Due to an unavoidable clash with the Year 12 Biology Field trip the Junior Varsity and Varsity Season 3 Sports Trials (Badminton and Softball) are taking place in January: Friday January 11th Friday January 18th Please register here.

Student Daily Notices will also be shared to remind everyone. Under 13 and Under 15 trials will continue on the “traditional” dates at the end of Season 2.

BLOCK 3 ECA SIGN-UP

Block 3 ECA Sign-up will go live on the first day of school after the holidays - 7th January at 12:00 midday.

Phase I will run until midnight on 10th January. Our ECA Helpdesk will be available in the PTG room from 7:30 – 8:30am on 8th and 9th January if you need assistance or advice.

Cindy Adair, Assistant Principal, Extra Curricular Activities and Sport

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VISITING AUTHOR: OLIVER PHOMMAVANH

Teeramet (Zheng) Yupoonsup, Year 6

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his week, Oliver Phommavanh visited Bangkok Patana School and spent time with Year 3 to 6. At the beginning of the year, Year 6 were studying his book, ‘Thai-riffic!’ which is loosely based on his life. We were studying him because it relates to our current theme, ‘Migration’. He is Thai/Australian but grew up in Western Sydney and as a young adult, Oliver Phommavanh had a conflict between his two cultures but now he is proud to be both.

He also taught us writing tips such as write heaps and write often - it doesn’t matter what you write, if it makes you happy then keep writing; read a lot as well as observe interesting things in the world to get ideas about basing characters and settings on real people and places so the story seems more realistic and believable. He plans and writes his stories by making maps, storyboards and images of the ‘journey’ a character takes and using them as the set up for his writing. I enjoyed his presentation as it was interesting and hilarious, which certainly kept us engaged.

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How will Santa arrive?

Get into the festive spirit at the Christmas Assembly, Friday 14th December at 8:00am in the Sports Hall!

Everyone welcome!

Permission to get festive!

Don't forget to grab those reindeer antlers and pull on that Christmas jumper!

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the m o r f t s The late

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PTG

Bangkok Patana School News

Join the PTG Facebook page here!

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GYMNASTICS ACADEMY Will Preston, Gymnastics Programme Coordinator

JUNIOR FALCONS 2018

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he Junior Falcons Gymnastics Competition is the first external competition of the year for our junior gymnasts. Our juniors had a great start to the year with some strong team and individual performances. We have started a new sticker award challenge to recognise individual success.

If a gymnast can get a score of nine or above on an apparatus they can earn a sticker. Three stickers mean a gymnast can win a special individual award achievement. This year we had more gymnasts than ever getting scores higher than nine! Well done gymnasts! Go Tigers!

TEAM RESULTS: Boys’ Level 1 Team – 1st Place Boys’ Level 2 Team – 1st Place Boys’ Level 3 Team – 1st Place Girls’ Level 2 Junior Team– 2nd Place Girls’ Level 2 Senior Team – 2nd Place Girls’ Level 3 Junior Team – 5th Place Girls’ Level 3 Senior Team– 1st Place

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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

TRAMPOLINE COACHING COURSE

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riday Night Lights is a new competition format that Bangkok Patana Gymnastics Academy has created for our senior gymnasts. We invited senior gymnasts from all the international schools to perform a floor only competition with disco lights. We mixed the teams with gymnasts from all the different schools and different levels to compete. The aim of the event was to provide more opportunities for our senior gymnasts to perform their routines, but more importantly to socialise and have fun. The event was a great success and we look forward to hosting more fun events!

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angkok Patana Gymnastics Academy has coordinated with British Gymnastics to run a Trampoline Coaching course. This course has now qualified all our coaches to teach on the big competition trampolines. Next academic year the Gymnastics Academy plans to add trampolining as a training component. We are excited to bring this new addition to the Academy!

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WILD ANIMALS COLLABORATION

Patricia Calmels D’Artensac, Primary World Languages teacher and Marie-Claire Redman, Secondary Art teacher

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n our ‘Wild Animals’ unit of learning, Year 5 French students have been developing their language abilities by describing an animal using words including fur, stripes, scales, feathers, beak and trunk, as well as explaining where the animal lives and how it moves.

focused on the animals living in the National Park of Khao Yai to prepare the Residential Visit in January.

The aim of this collaborative learning project was to link an art technique with a word. By doing so, the Year 5 children associate a gesture with the word and then Learning new language and structures is always assimilate more easily. It is also a way to realise that challenging, especially when you don’t use the language collaboration is efficient and useful in their learning as regularly, that’s why it is crucial to implement a meaningful, well as in their future life. For the Year 8 students, it was an engaging context to embed the language. This unit of opportunity to increase confidence in their communication learning was the perfect occasion to link the students new skills when describing best practice of familiar Art knowledge some practical art techniques. We had the techniques. Describing the techniques to a new audience chance to collaborate with Secondary Art teacher Ms proved to them how much they know themselves!

Redman and her Year 8 class. For this special session, we

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#110: How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas

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e often reminisce as kids how little we needed to entertain ourselves.

There are reflective glimpses of this ‘innocence’ when on holiday all our children need to entertain themselves is a sandy beach, a stick and their imagination. When we find ourselves in this state of creative ‘flow’ hours can pass by without us knowing. With this in mind, I urge to take a chunk out of your busy day and watch this TED talk by Manoush Zomorodi. She was inspired enough to create this website: Bored and Brilliant, with a series of challenges you can set yourself. Why not try one of them a see how you get on.

Have a brilliant weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Cross Campus Curriculum Technology Integration Links in this article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c73Q8oQmwzo https://www.wnyc.org/series/bored-and-brilliant

DATES

for your

Diary...

07/12/2018

Monday 10th December Constitution Day Wednesday 12th December Christmas Concert Friday 14th December Whole School Christmas Assembly Monday 7th January Term 2 Begins Monday 7th - Friday 11th January Primary Photo Week Monday 14th - Friday 17th January Secondary Photo Week Bangkok Patana School News

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UNI COUNSELLORS’ CORNER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

Haverford College, USA

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ith its close proximity to the busy metropolis of Philadelphia and its small student body, Haverford embodies a friendly community that encourages its students to not only dream big but to achieve big things. Haverford students are known for their tremendous integrity and good fellowship. Students take charge of their own academic future and are encouraged to work collaboratively with each other and with the dedicated faculty. In keeping with the close-knit feel of a small liberal arts school, the majority of the courses at Haverford are taught seminar style to foster intellectual debate and discussion. From anthropology to physics, there are academic pursuits available to satisfy a wide range of interests.

One aspect of Haverford life, both social and academic, that sets it apart from other colleges is the Honour Code. The Honour Code is not a set of rules but rather an articulation of ideals and expectations emphasising genuine connection and engagement with one another, and the creation of an atmosphere of trust, concern and respect. Students can also sign up to take classes at Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr and the University of Pennsylvania.

Challenge 12

Students! Make sure you are following Bangkok Patana University Counselling on social media. Click the icons and follow!

CLICK TO READ THIS MONTH’S CAREERS NEWSLETTER 26

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Festive NEW IN AT THE LIBRARY EARLY YEARS’ LIBRARY

PRIMARY LIBRARY

SECONDARY LIBRARY

Fiction

Fiction

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Non-Fiction

Senior Fiction

Chapter Books

Graphic Novels

Non-Fiction Christmas Collection

DID YOU KNOW THAT WE ALSO SUBSCRIBE TO THESE MAGAZINES?

TRANSPORT CORNER NO ECAS 11TH-14TH DECEMBER No ECA activities will run next week. Students will be put on their default bus home at 2:30pm.

NOT IN SCHOOL If your child will not be in school on any days, please kindly inform the Transport Department at transport@patana. ac.th to avoid any inconvenience to other bus users and transport staff.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT – WEDNESDAY 12TH DECEMBER If your child(ren) will be staying in school to attend the Christmas Concert on Wednesday evening, please remember to cancel their bus home with the Transport Office in advance.

CHRISTMAS ASSEMBLY – FRIDAY 14TH DECEMBER If any parents would like to join the bus ride with your child(ren) in the morning to attend the Whole School Christmas Assembly, you are more than welcome but please ensure that you book a seat at least one day in advance to avoid disappointment.

CONTACT US 07/12/2018

MOVING HOUSE If you will be moving house over the Christmas period, please don’t forget to contact Transport as soon as possible so the routing can be amended accordingly. A minimum of five days notice is required. Please note that confirmation is subject to route and seat availability.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR The Transport Department would like to wish all our transport users and their families a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year for Term 2 on Monday 7th January 2019.

Direct phone: 02 785 2470 Email: transport@patana.ac.th The Transport Office is staffed from 6:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday.

Bangkok Patana School News

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the m o r f e r Even mo

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

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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.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your respective school principal.

Click here to view the presentation to parents on ‘How to Talk to Teenagers’ which was delivered at the Parent Workshop by Matt Conroy on Monday 3rd December.

07/12/2018

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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 32

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