Patana News Volume 21 Issue 23

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 8th March 2019

Volume 21 Issue 23

www.patana.ac.th

WE ARE BALANCED AND FULFILLED

Page 2

Also in this issue...

ISB Black & Gold Gymnastics Competition / Waste Less Weeks / Year 8 Chemists in Action!

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Bangkok Patana School News

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS

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WE ARE BALANCED AND FULFILLED

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VISIO

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Jason Cooper, Primary School Principal

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s a school we are committed to the well-being of our community; students, staff, and parents, and this was the focus of our Key Stage 2 ‘Healthy Me’ Assembly on the 27th February. As I entered the Theatre I was expecting to hear the usual messages relating to making healthy food choices and exercising regularly, but I was pleasantly surprised by what the students in the Year 6 Health and Fitness group shared with us.

The diagram above provided the framework for the important messages that were shared through the assembly.

Of course healthy food choices and regular exercise are included, but what really impressed me was how the students had broadened what it means to be balanced and fulfilled. As the students spoke about each area and shared their top tips, I found myself thinking about my own daily routines and adjustments I need to make to ensure that I maintain a balance across the six areas outlined in the diagram.

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your brain processes all that it has learnt and experienced throughout the day. Please read Mr Taylor’s Patana News article from February 15th to find out more about the importance of sleep.

It is easy for us to underestimate the value of having good friends and the impact that these friends can have on our mental health. During the assembly, the students shared that, “…research shows that people who have others to talk to, share their good times and bad times with and doing things together with, lead healthier and Our students are now recognising the importance of a happier lives. Everybody needs friends.” They then went good night’s sleep and how important this is for growth, on to share their top tips on how to make and keep friends: development and learning. Sleeping is the time when • Spend time together

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• Share ideas • Have fun • Respect one another’s differences • Listen to your friends • Be loyal and stick up for each other • Be caring and kind Wise advice indeed!

I have to admit that I find it hard to sit and do nothing, and sometimes I have to force myself to relax, which actually isn’t very relaxing. In our busy, busy lives it is very important to take some time out to relax and free ourselves from the sensory stimulation that surrounds us. Finding solitude (‘freedom from inputs of other minds’ according to Cal Newport)

can help us to refocus and be more productive.

Taking time out to relax is an investment, not a waste of time, and it seems that our students understand and appreciate this perhaps better than we adults do.

I would like to say a very big thank you to the Year 6 students; Emily, Lucille, Hal, Pira, Xavi and Mary, for leading this assembly and helping us all to see how important it is to be deliberate in leading lives that are balanced and fulfilled. Thank you also to Ms Cindy for working with the students in preparing for the assembly.

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WASTE LESS WEEKS AT BANGKOK PATANA 11TH - 22ND MARCH 2019 Helen Thew, Cross Campus Principal

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he next two weeks are marked in the school calendar as Waste Less Weeks where the Student Environmental Committee (SEC) encourages the whole of the Bangkok Patana community to think about the small steps that they can be doing to make a positive impact on the environment. You may have noticed that the banner on Firefly has changed ready!

The SEC have planned the following activities – we hope you like their catchy titles for each day to help us all remember the daily focus:

L E S S MEAT MO NDAY There will be one less meat dish served in the canteens. The students will discuss why we are doing this from an environmental point of view.

T E R MI NAL TUES DAY We will focus on what and how we recycle. We will be asking students to bring in old batteries (hence the terminal tag). We will also ask them to support the can pull tabs project. All the can pull tabs that are brought in will be donated for the production of prosthetic limbs.

WAT E R BOT TL E WED NES DAY Although we have a one day focus on water bottles, we would like all students to bring in their water bottle every day!

T U R N I T O FF TH UR S DAY On both Thursday’s we will be looking to see what we can turn off when not in use or needed e.g. lights, air con units, projectors etc and then we will look to see how much less energy we used on those Thursday’s compared to the other days of the week.

F I NI S H I T FR I DAY We will be weighing the waste food thrown away in the bins at the canteens every day and having a competition between Primary and Secondary to see who wastes less food. Again, we will be educating the students about where their waste food ends up and how we should try to minimise what we throw away.

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WHAT ARE YOUR SMALL STEPS? TAG #WLW4 We will be taking photos during the two weeks to show what the students and staff are doing during Waste Less Weeks and posting them on the SEC Instagram account (@bangkokpatana_sec) so please follow us! Get involved by adding your own photo to Instagram and tag #WLW4 showing your environmentally friendly small step or email it to me (heth@patana.ac.th) and I can add it on to the SEC Instagram account. It is always great to see the Bangkok Patana community supporting environmental initiatives both inside and outside of school and we’d love to see your small steps!

Thank you in advance for all the support that you will give to SEC and to the environment during these two waste less weeks and beyond!

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GYMNASTICS ACADEMY ISB BLACK & GOLD GYMNASTICS COMPETITION 2019

Will Preston, Gymnastics Programme and Academy Coordinator

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n Saturday 2nd - Sunday 3rd March 2019, Bangkok Patana’s Gymnastics team attended the ISB Black & Gold gymnastics competition. This was the first of three competitions in March with SEASAC Gymnastics up next.

The weekend saw 70 Bangkok Patana gymnasts compete across Levels 1-8. The Boys won first place in every Level! Our Boys’ programme is the strongest in Bangkok. The Girls also remain at the top of their game taking podium spots in all levels.

Boys Team Overall Results Level 1: First Place Level 2: First Place Level 3: First Place Level 4: First Place Level 5: First Place Girls Team Overall Results: Level 2 Junior: Second Place Level 2 Senior: Second Place Level 3 Junior: Second Place Level 3 Senior: Third Place Level 4 Junior: Third Place Level 4 Senior: First Place Level 5: Third Place Level 6: First Place Level 7: First Place Thank you to all of our gymnasts, coaches and parents who made the weekend a fantastic success.

Make sure you check out the Patana Gymnastics website for regular updates about the Gymnastics team and for some great photos.

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UNI COUNSELLORS’ CORNER IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

Sewanee: The University of the South, USA

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n midst of beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee lies this liberal arts paradise. Known familiarly as “Sewanee” by its students, faculty, staff and friends, The University of the South offers a supportive learning environment coupled with a friendly and laid-back social scene.

One of Sewanee’s biggest draws is its nurturing and accessible academic community. Professors are friendly and accessible and willing to meet with students at any time. Perhaps Sewanee’s greatest academic strength is the relationship between students and professors. Sewanee offers approximately 110 clubs, including community service, publications, theatre and outdoor activities.

UNI OFFERS...

Elizabeth (Betsy) Flint Smith, Year 13

Congratulations on offers from the University of York, University of Hull, York St John’s University and Coventry University

“What led me to choose the University of York as my firm choice was down to a number of things. It has an absolutely stunning campus, surrounded by smiley faces always willing to help out and welcome me to the university. Also, when I went into a mini lecture being given by specialists in the Social Science faculty, all of the content really caught my attention; it had some aspects of Childhood Studies and Special Needs that I had been interested in at other universities, but also had other modules which I had no clue about, but excited me. Another bonus is that I really enjoyed walking around the town of York, filled with more friendly people, and it is very near my family home in England.

Some of the work I have done in CAT clubs at Bangkok Patana such as Project Star and LET’S really engaged me towards the Applied Social Science (ASS) programme.

The clubs centre around the well-being of people, and the ASS course looks at how that can be improved in different areas of society such as criminals, children, those with mental health issues or physical disabilities. Other activities that I have participated in at school that have led me to my course of choice include my work experience at the Village Education Centre where my interest in special needs came from. I hope that this is something I have the opportunity to look into further in York.”

Challenge 20 More and more universities are expecting you to demonstrate your love of your subject. Admissions tutors will be looking for evidence that you are passionate about the subject you are applying for.

What super curricular activities are you doing?

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Follow the Careers team...

08/03/2019

UPCOMING UNIVERSITY VISITS UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE

The University of Warwick The American University of Paris NYU Abu Dhabi Kyoto University Youngstown State University Hofstra University University of Bristol Cornell University

COUNTRY

UK France UAE Japan USA USA UK USA

LOCATION

Senior Studies, second floor TBC Senior Studies, second floor Senior Studies TBC Senior Studies Senior Studies, second floor Shangrila Hotel

DATE

TIME

14.03.19 14.03.19 20.03.19 22.03.19 22.03.19 25.03.19 26.03.19 30.03.19

09:15 12:15 12:15 09:15 09:15 09:15 12:15 13:00

OXBRIDGE MONTH!

The Careers and Universities Department will shortly be launching our Introduction Seminars to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. We encourage the attendance of all students who are interested in learning more about academics, student life and admission at two of the world’s most prestigious universities. Each seminar will take place at 12:30pm on the dates below. Please be sure to bring your lunch.

Wednesday 13th March: Oxbridge alumni panel (SEC 205) Wednesday 20th March: Year 13 students’ Oxbridge journeys (SEC 302) Wednesday 27th March: Introduction of POPP programme (Year 12 students only- SEC 302) We will be advertising these events in the daily notices and encourage all students to come along out more. Year 12 students who will apply to Oxford or Cambridge next year MUST attend ALL sessions. Please contact your link counsellor if you have any questions.

CLICK TO READ MARCH’S CAREERS NEWSLETTER

2019 Guiding Statements Survey This month, we are conducting a survey of our community’s understanding of our Mission, Vision and Values.

Last Friday, all parents received an email requesting your feedback with this important survey to help us understand how well we are fulfilling our Guiding Statements. Please click here to complete the survey, alternatively you can also find links to the survey via the Parents’ Gateway and PTG Facebook.

Thank you for helping us to shape meaningful experiences for your children here at Bangkok Patana School.

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Bangkok Patana School News

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STUDENTS SPEAK

How Has Evolution Favoured Tolerating Dairy?

By Karnsiree (Ling Ling) Chen, Year 12

a lot of discomfort, but as humans evolved, some people began to keep the lactase enzyme into adulthood. This “lactase persistence” allowed them to drink milk without side effects. It is the result of mutations in a section of DNA. The lactase persistence trait was favoured by evolution and is now extremely common in populations northern Europe, where more than 90% of people are lactase persistent. The same is true in a few populations in Africa and the Middle East.

Once you consider what dairy truly is, you become conscious of the fact that it’s a strange beverage to consume, considering that it’s a liquid that must be squeezed out of a cow. Humans are not biologically evolved to drink milk, as evidenced by some ancient cultures like those in Asia (China, Japan etc.) where drinking milk only became known because of foreigners who introduced the beverage. To this day, many senior Chinese people may regard dairy with suspicion, particularly cheese which can make many feel sick.

Drinking milk regularly began amongst early farmers and pastoralists in Western Europe who adapted to this as they lived amongst domesticated animals, including cows. The practice has spread and now it is common in northern Europe, North America and other places.

Biological Issues There is a biological reason why drinking animal milk is odd. Milk contains a type of sugar called lactose, which is different from the sugars found in fruit and desserts. As babies, our bodies make a special enzyme called lactase that allows us to digest the lactose in our mother’s milk. But after we stop needing to drink our mothers’ milk, most people experience a halt in the production of lactase. Without lactase, we cannot properly digest the lactose in milk. Because of this, we have lactose intolerance where adults who drink a lot of milk will experience flatulence and cramps.

However, in Asian populations, lactase persistence is much rarer. Evolution most likely favoured lactase persistence because milk gave people a new source of nutrients, reducing rates of starvation. The clear trend behind the evolution of lactase tolerance is that populations who raised livestock tended to have the gene, while hunter gatherers who do not keep animals, did not acquire the mutations. It is reasonable that people who did not have access to animal milk would not have adapted to drinking it.

However, there are also pastoralist populations who did not inherit the trait. An example of this is the Mongolian herders who have some of the lowest rates of lactose persistence though they depend on milk from animals for food. Some experts speculate that drinking milk might have had medicinal properties in addition to nutritional ones. People who keep livestock are exposed to their diseases, which can include anthrax and cryptosporidiosis. It may be that drinking cow’s milk provides antibodies against some of these infections. Some of the mysterious absences of lactase-persistence could be explained by chance: whether anyone in a group of pastoralists happened to get the right mutation.

There is constant debate as to whether the human body is still evolving to accept lactose, as recent food trend shows the decline of milk consumption in Western countries and increased consumption of plant based milks instead. Only time will tell if evolution will continue to favour the lactase persistence gene.

The first Europeans who drank milk probably felt

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Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dairy-health-food-or-healthrisk-2019012515849

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This is a great opportunity to see the fantastic work produced by our students in Design & Technology. On display will be work from the IGCSE classes, both Resistant Materials and Graphics as well as examples of the Internal assessment work produced by the IB students.

When:

Where:

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NEW IN AT THE LIBRARY Dear All, Please access the links below to see the Library New Arrivals for this month including links to access the trial of two new digital library subscriptions.

We have launched a trial for NewsBank (a research website), running until the 5th April, and a trial for PressReader (a newspaper and magazine service), running until the 15th April. Please feel free to try these new offerings – for use both at school and at home. There will be an opportunity towards the end of Term 2 for you to give us feedback so that we can make a decision whether or not to subscribe to the services.

Join the trials now!

Hope you enjoy the new collection and the trials.

Happy Reading.

The Library Team

EARLY YEARS LIBRARY

PRIMARY LIBRARY

SECONDARY LIBRARY

Fiction

Fiction

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Non-Fiction

Senior Fiction

DVDs and Games

Graphic Novels

Oversized Books

Non-Fiction

DID YOU KNOW THAT WE ALSO SUBSCRIBE TO THESE MAGAZINES?

TERM 3 2018/19 SCHOOL FEE INVOICES

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nvoices for Term 3 2018/19 school fees were sent to families/companies on Wednesday 20th February 2019. If you have not received your invoice please contact the Accounting Department or email accounts@patana.ac.th

Please note that the due date for settlement is Friday 22nd March 2019, payments received after this date will be subject to a late payment charge of 1% per month.

Thank you, Accounting Department

LOST Property 12

Please remember that if your child has lost anything (including water bottles) you can check on Firefly to see if it has been found or handed in.

Scan the QR code to view or visit https://community. patana.ac.th/community-events/lost-property Bangkok Patana School News

08/03/2019

YEAR 8 CHEMISTS IN ACTION!

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

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ear 8 students are currently deep into one of their Students were also investigating solutions and how Chemistry topics. This week, students were creating to separate their components by distillation. Hands on various chemical reactions to learn about how reactions chemistry is an essential part of the learning process and proceed from reactants to products and how to observe helps to instil in our students a real passion for science! and describe evidence for their observations.

SEASON 2 SPORTS 2019/20

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lanning has now begun for next year’s Sports Calendar.

This includes setting the dates for SEASAC. Season 2 SEASAC next year will fall over the first weekend of our half term break (Thursday 6th – Sunday 9th February 2020).

Therefore please keep this in mind if you are booking family holidays including ski trips and are likely to be involved in a Season 2 Varsity team (Basketball, Rugby, Touch and Tennis).

click here for the Canteen

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

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Bangkok Patana School News

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#115: Viral Challenges

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ver the past couple of weeks, several viral challenges have reared their ugly head again. I’ll not mention them by name (or provide images) in this piece as it will only add ‘fuel to the fire’. The one thing they all have in common is that they ride on the back of the human emotion called fear.

As Catherine Knibbs (BSc, MBACP (Accred), Cyber Specialist Therapist and Cybertrauma Theorist) puts it: “Well, you see the stress response in adults is important, for us to be able to regulate the smaller people on the planet, it’s kind of in our job description. When we are unable to regulate our emotions and responses, we fall foul of the fear response which we pass down to the little ones, who are so very unable to regulate their emotions, fears and control these. This is entirely what happened regarding the spread of the recent debacle of fake hoax news. And schools, police, charities, and media bought into it, some of whom redacted their articles.”

In her excellent article on The ‘Human algorithm’ that schools and parents feed through fear concerning social media ‘trends’ she unpicks the ingredients behind the moral panic created behind these challenges; it’s well worth a read.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? If something like this is reported to you, as sinister and shocking as you might find it, be careful with your reaction; children will react in the way that you react. Don’t fob it off, but treat it in an upbeat way. Tell them how fantastic they are for letting you know, that you’ll do some fact checking and get back to them. Naturally you’ll want to check-in with other adults as to the prevalence, but before you share forward, do a little research. I find, outside of the reputable news agencies, these site are worth checking first: • • • •

https://www.thatsnonsense.com/ https://www.snopes.com/ https://www.truthorfiction.com/ https://www.hoax-slayer.net/

When we discussed the recent viral challenges with our student Digital Leaders this week they had knowledge of them and, as one student succinctly put it, “yeah, we know about that – it’s just clickbait”.

Have a safe weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Cross Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

DATES for your

Diary...

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Thursday 14th March Patana Jazz and Blues Concert Friday 15th March Red Nose Day Monday 18th March IB Art Exhibition Opening Thursday 4th April Patana Unplugged Friday 5th April End of Term 2 Bangkok Patana School News

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CATS CORNER

Tania Leyland, Youth Club and Community Services Coordinator

ENGAGING WITH ISSUES OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE: LIVING THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PRINCIPLES

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orward Film is a new CAT within Bangkok Patana School that uses film to bring light to serious issues within today’s society and promotes ways in which these problems can be helped by promoting different associations and charities related to the chosen issue.

Forward Film believe that many people are unaware of many sensitive issues in the world and so this group of students have come together to raise awareness through film. Social media is a big influence in today’s society and as most people have access to most social media platforms, Forward Film uses platforms such as YouTube and Instagram to get across these issues to our school community and provide a place to discuss issues, movements, news and raise awareness of current topics. The club’s first film, which you can watch here, explored the issue of gender inequality.

Most recently Forward Film has produced a film about the LGBTQ+ community and coming out. The club chose this topic as they felt that this was something that many young adults may struggle with and wanted to promote the importance of being able to express yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin. They wanted to have another form of promotion of self-love, besides being talked at, or reading a pamphlet, and felt that making a short film about a persons coming out journey would promote the idea of self-love and the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.

Watch the film in full here.

Forward Film are available to support other CAT/CAS clubs with their videography skills to help raise awareness of other activities and campaigns, contact Omeesha Kandlapelli in Year 12 for more information.

EVENTS COMING UP IN MARCH

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Today:

Operation Smile Bake Sale to raise funds for operations

International Womens’ Day

9th

PAWS trip to TMTRD (The Man That Rescues Dogs) Dog Shelter Chonburi

12th/13th

SDG 5 : Gender Equality campaign days

15th

Red Nose Day - Do Something Funny for Money

20th

International Day of Happiness - smile for life

21st

Downs Syndrome Day - Project Star awareness and respect event

22nd

World Water Day - water filters save lives

26th/27th

SDG 6 : Clean Water and Sanitation campaign days

29th

Operation Smile FUNdraiser

Bangkok Patana School News

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m the o r f t s e The lat

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PTG

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Join the PTG Facebook page here!

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the m o r f e r Even mo

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PTG

Bangkok Patana School News

Join the PTG Facebook page here!

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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 22

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