Patana News Volume 22 Issue 22

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

Patana

NEWS

Friday 28th February 2020

Volume 22 Issue 22

www.patana.ac.th

A WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITIES IN ECAS

by Cross Campus Assistant Principal Cindy Adair

Page 2

Also in this issue...

The Impact of COVID-19 on Sport/Becoming Global Citizens/Students Qualify for Thai Nationals 28/02/2020

Bangkok Patana School News

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

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A Wealth of Opportunities in ECAs Cindy Adair, Cross Campus Assistant Principal, Extra Curricular Activities and Sport

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ne of the fantastic things about Bangkok Patana School is the wealth of opportunities students have to explore a range of activities and find what truly makes them happy, motivated and engaged. From our broad and varied curriculum, as well as our rich and diverse extra-curricular offerings students can sample new sports, the arts, contribute to their local community via CAT Clubs, explore the great Outdoors via Scouts and Duke of Edinburgh International Awards and debate world issues as a member of MUN. As the late, great Kobe Bryant said, “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.”

As parents it can be tempting to try to influence your child’s choices of extra-curricular activities, maybe choosing activities you enjoyed or partook in as a child, or those that you know are highly prized by university admissions teams. However time and time again, we see that when students are given space to follow their interests, they surprise us with their vigour and dedication. Here at Bangkok Patana we strongly encourage you to sit down with your child and plan their schedule together and choose their ECAs with this philosophy in mind.

Joy can be found in unexpected places and lead to fantastic life skills and life-long friendships: • A water colour painting class will nurture creativity, teach mindfulness, relaxation and the value of persevering.

• A cooking class will allow your child to explore tastes and textures, science and safety and may just ensure they can keep themselves well fed through University or cook a romantic meal for their future life partner.

• A dance class will build confidence, gross motor skills, team-work and an appreciation of patterns and music.

• A Minecraft ECA will allow your child to step into an alternate reality and become whatever he/she can imagine, engaging with concepts in new and interesting ways.

• A martial arts class will teach self defence but also the ability to take a hit and fight back with the appropriate force, strengthening the mind-body connection.

BALANCE AND DIVERSITY IN ECAS FOR YOUR CHILD Another key piece of advice is to consider striving for some diversity in your child's ECA week. Our programme mirrors our Guiding Statements which place well-being, learning and global citizenship at their core. There are ECAs available in each of these areas. Your child's ECA report is available on the Parents’ Gateway and gives a visual 2

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insight (via a pie chart) into the balance your child is achieving across the week. If you notice your child's activities are heavily academic, why not try something active and outdoors? Likewise if your child only has sporty ECAs, consider adding a service activity or creative pursuit.

One of the best measures of whether your child has found their true calling is when you find them doing that activity for pleasure without prompting or nagging.

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COVID-19 FAQs What does self-quarantine mean?

Does being in transit in one of the high-risk locations count?

Is it safe to use the swimming pool?

Where can I find out about Continuing Learning?

If you have any suggestions for FAQs about COVID-19 please email chre@patana.ac.th

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Sports Cindy Adair, Cross Campus Assistant Principal, Extra Curricular Activities and Sport

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he dynamic and ever-changing Covid-19 situation has had a big impact on our competitive sports programme. Luckily our students are resilient and positive and have been extremely mature with regard to the various cancellations.

Some key information for you which we know, as of this week (subject to change as the situation develops).

1. All SEASAC events with the exception of Junior Swimming have been confirmed as cancelled by the hosts, even the AGM is going to be conducted virtually. We hope to have a clear answer for our TigerSharks regarding Jnr SEASAC Swimming before Songkran so families can plan accordingly.

2. All FOBISIA events with the exception of the Primary Games in June have been cancelled. FOBISIA is working with all member schools to ascertain the viability of going ahead with the Games in June and will notify us in due course.

3. Season 3 BISAC trials have all taken place, students selected and training has commenced. We had a record turn-out which is fantastic!

4. Season 3 BISAC fixtures are currently taking place with only some schools.

Others have been heavily affected by the government mandates and are struggling to field teams with many staff and students in quarantine for the next 14 days. Please check www.patanasport.com on a regular basis to check on the status of your fixtures. If a fixture is cancelled we will have training at school as usual.

5. Many of the Friendship tournaments and invitationals we often attend at this time of year have been cancelled. Your coaches will communicate with those directly affected. We are still attending those that we can in Bangkok.

6. We are hopeful that BISAC Tournaments will go ahead; however ,this will depend on the ability of schools to host and others to attend. Right now we continue to train hard to be ready to compete. Your coaches will notify you if the tournaments/meets are cancelled.

7. Secondary Sports Awards on 22nd May will still go ahead; however, the Athletic Council is looking at a revised format to better suit the current situation.

8. We are still hiring our facilities to community sporting organisations as usual, those organisations have all agreed to strictly comply with the same government mandates we are following within our community, this means events like Bangkok 10’s are still going ahead but without visitors from the identified high-risk countries in attendance and with extra health and safety protocols in place.

Regular participation in physical activity continues to be highly recommended. It can reduce stress and anxiety, boost your immunity and it’s fun to be active with your friends. In the event that BISAC is abandoned we will endeavour to host fun internal tournaments on the dates already reserved for those events.

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The Writing is on the (World Languages) Wall

Virginie Turner, Home Languages Coordinator

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riday 21st February marked the beginning of the celebration of International Mother Language Day with Year 7 students. In class, we discussed what other languages they spoke at home. We saw that we have a wealth of languages here at Bangkok Patana School. Wealth is the word; in a global village languages are an asset to the community for understanding cultures, developing open mindedness and feeling protected and secure as an individual.

Over the weekend, students involved their family in the project, gathering proverbs, sayings and mottos from their cultures. Back in class, they shared their sayings, the melody of their varied languages, their different scripts and enjoyed finding connections between cultures. Many also understood the danger of losing indigenous languages due to external pressures, such as government pursuing a policy of one dominant language; or when the members of a community have a negative attitude to their own language. In the final stage of the discussion, it was inspirational to see how readily students linked learning a language (native or foreign) to the majority of the Bangkok Patana values.

It was truly heartwarming to watch Year 7 students showing such curiosity and feeling “empowered by their multiculturalism�. In parallel to this initiative, Bangkok Patana’s Home Language Secondary students, who make weekly visits in Foundation Stage to keep their language alive, shared a story, a song or an object from their country.

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Becoming Global Citizens in Foundation Stage Clare Hooper, Foundation Stage Teacher

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e are very fortunate to have our Secondary students visit us in Foundation Stage every week to read, play and speak in their home languages. This can be a highlight for our children’s week as they might be able to more fully express themselves in their first language, or it’s a chance for them to learn more about their language. It is also a wonderful opportunity to develop our children’s characteristics of being global citizens as they learn about their friends’ languages.

This week, the Secondary students brought an item from their home culture to share with Foundation Stage as a means to share culture in addition to language. Some students shared money from their home country, which our Foundation Stage children were fascinated by and loved the opportunity to look at the detail on the coins. Another student brought in chopsticks which enabled some children to demonstrate their skills in a chopstick challenge, while their friends asked to learn how to master these tools. In one class, the children learnt a new dance from their student’s culture, while others listened to information about how Divali is celebrated. Every class was delighted to listen to stories brought in by their students. In one class, they learnt about all the different cultures in Singapore through storytelling. I particularly liked the opportunity this gave for students to shine a spotlight on minority languages and cultures, giving them equal value to our majority population. For example, a class listened to a Vietnamese story read by their Vietnamese student; we really appreciated this rare opportunity!

Thank you to all our students: you bring language and culture to our Foundation Stage, and make all our children feel valued and recognised. We are always looking for new volunteers, so if you would like to enhance the learning in Foundation Stage, please contact me on clho@patana.ac.th 28/02/2020

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Amnesty Donation to help Under Privileged Women Faisai (Prin) Pulkes, 12G

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or International Women’s Day on 8th Marcgh, Amnesty is helping collect donations for the women’s rights shelter “The Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women” (APSW). The APSW is an emergency shelter for women, children and refugees located near Don Mueang whose aim is to promote equal rights and justice for women who are victims of abuse.

To help support APSW, the Amnesty Patana club has decided to collect food and items in need to donate to the shelter. APSW has requested items like milk, cleaning supplies, and some essential cooking ingredients. We started a donation for these items (as listed in the poster) and there are now donation boxes in every tutor base. You could make a huge difference by contributing to the donation; any of the listed items would be much appreciated!

The deadline for this donation is Friday 6th March. Thank you very much!

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RorDor Students Train in Kanchanaburi Dr Surapee Sorajjakool, Head of Thai Programme

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ongratulations to 53 students from Year 12 and Year 13 who successfully completed Khao Chon Gai camp training in Kanchanaburi on February, 2020; part of the requirement for RorDor Students (Reserve Officers Training Corps). During the training Director of the Foundation Board Office Kulvadee (K Dee) Siribhadra visited a few training stations and met our Year 13 students at the camp to cheer them on!

“I was the platoon leader at KCG and with all the demonstrations, it gave me an opportunity to better understand the skills required by a soldier as well as being a better leader. With the group of friends that went on this trip, it was nothing but a blast.” Oak - Year 13

“Although most of the days were spent covered in dust and under the tropical sun, each day was eventful as we took part in numerous activities; trekking, shooting and jungle survival skills. The five days went by much quicker than I expected and was a perfect way to conclude the past three years of military training. William – Year 13

“Getting the bad things out of the way like the very hot weather, the dust in the area, and the very cold early mornings, I found it overall to be quite fun being with friends in free time and I enjoyed the activities as well. It was tough at times, but us managing to pull through is an achievement in itself” Jerry - Year 12

“The final requirement of our third year of military training is to embark on a trip to KCG and of course, none of us were looking forward to it. The one thing that has gotten all through this was our friendship. Even in the scorching heat and coarse sand having someone to share the pain with made it bearable.” Rin – Year 13

“I enjoyed a lot of the activities especially the ziplining because it was like an amusement park ride. The soldiers were very friendly and cracked a lot of jokes throughout the trip. Although the trip was very tiring, when the trip was over, I can tell everyone was relieved but also grateful for the experience.” Pon - Year 12

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Bangkok Patana Students Qualify for Thai National Teams

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ongratulations to Year 10 student Matt Murphy who received a call-up to join the Thai National U16 Football team.

Matt has been training with the team for 10 days in an extended training camp in Bangkok as they prepare for an international and two domestic friendly matches.

Fantastic effort Matt, best of luck in your future matches representing Thailand!

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ear 6 student Jasmine Beroud, competed at the qualifying rounds for the Thai Nationals with the Thailand Gymnastics Association. Jasmine took home the Girls’ Level 1 Championship, winning every single apparatus (beam, vault, floor and bars). This ensures Jasmine’s participation in the Thai National Championships in July. Great job Jasmine, we will be cheering you on for more success!

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UNI COUNSELORS’ CORNER UNI OFFERS...

Maya Lemaire, Year 13 Congratulations on offers to study Biology from • University of Oxford, • Imperial College London, • University College London • University of Warwick

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arrived at Bangkok Patana in Year 6 after having done all my primary education in the French system. I am currently the president of the Student Environmental Committee and have been the president of the Patana Marine Conservation group. I have received conditional offers to read Biology at the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London, King’s College London and the University of Warwick. I am hoping to go on to study at Oxford University.

Biology is an exciting and rapidly developing field with great relevance to issues we are facing today. I feel that it is imperative to understand the ecosystems we are trying to preserve so that actions we take to save them will be effective.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

Northwestern University, USA

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university is also a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in 19 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division. The university’s former and present faculty and alumni include 19 Nobel Prize laureates, 38 Pulitzer Prize winners, 16 Rhodes Scholar and two Supreme Court Justices.

Twenty percent of the student body are international Northwestern’s School of Communication is a leading students and total undergraduate enrolment is around 8200 producer of Academy Award, Emmy Award and Tony students. There are 11 faculties offering undergraduate Award–winning actors, actresses, playwrights, writers and degrees and the school ranks highly in Chemistry, directors including George RR Martin, Stephen Colbert Materials Sciences, and Business and Economics. The and many more. orthwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois with a satellite campus in downtown Chicago just 12 miles or 19 km away. Established in 1850, this university has consistently ranked high in global rankings.

Times Higher Education World Ranking has it at 22nd globally and 11th in the US, while US News and World Report ranks it 24th highest globally and 9th in the US.

Upcoming University Visits UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE Loughborough University Durham University Gonzaga University University of Warwick

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COUNTRY

UK UK USA UK

LOCATION

Second Floor Senior Studies Second Floor Senior Studies Second Floor Senior Studies Second Floor Senior Studies

Bangkok Patana School News

DATE

TIME

12.03.20 16.03.20 18.08.20 19.02.20

12.15 12.15 12.15 12.15 28/02/2020

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#146: The Smithsonian Archive for Free!

Earlier this week the Smithsonian Institution launched Smithsonian Open Access. A platform where you can download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images. With new platforms and tools, you have access to nearly 3 million hi-definition 2D and 3D digital items from their collections. This includes images and data from across the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, nine research centres, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo. Open Access is different from a "permitted use" for educational purposes. A Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation indicates that you can use, transform, and distribute without asking permission. You could include a CC0 resource in an e-book or make it part of your new artwork, and you could sell those creations!

Have a great weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration https://www.si.edu/openaccess https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5vC2kweCNk

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Solution for last week

Submit your solution here

What’s New in the Library?

Early Years’ Library Visiting Author Fiction Non-fiction

Primary Library

Secondary Library

Fiction

Fiction

Non-fiction

Senior fiction

Professional Learning

Professional Learning

Oversized Books Graphic Novels DVDs & Games

Non-fiction DVDs

List of Magazine Subscriptions Here 16

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Are you Ready for Waste Less Weeks Next Month?

Did you know that there are lots of reusable items for sale in the PTG Tiger Shop?

Stainless Steel Drinking Straws – individual and in packs Bamboo Drinking Straws Bamboo Cotton Buds Bamboo Toothbrushes Cotton Produce Bags (sets of 3) Stainless Steel Klean Kanteen Insulated Drinks Tumblers Stainless Steel Klean Kanteen Water Bottles

Get your environmentally friendly products now!

Anapana (Mindfulness of Breathing) Course SUNDAY 8TH MARCH STUDENTS AGED 8 - 16 Anapana (Mindfulness of breathing) teaches students improved concentration skills and enhances calmness of the mind. This technique helps to relieve anxiety and is very useful at exam time to calm those nerves, but also for every day life.

The course is completely free!

To enroll please contact Eva Sophonpanich at evasophon@hotmail.com for all further information.

Learn more about the technique here 28/02/2020

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Desert Island Discs

With Tony Berghuis Senior Teacher Key Stage 3

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his column follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?

Today Tony Berghuis, Senior Teacher Key Stage 3 is stuck on a desert island.

MR BERGHUIS, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Around the World in a Day – Prince Art Official Age – Prince Controversy – Prince 1999 (1983) – Prince Diamond Life – Sade Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome – Parliament

Check our Mr Berghuis playlist

Motor Booty Affair – Parliament One Nation Under a Groove – Funkadelic PICK ONE LUXURY ITEM YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU. THIS ITEM MUST BE INANIMATE AND OF NO USE IN ESCAPING THE ISLAND OR ALLOWING COMMUNICATION FROM OUTSIDE. A sturdy hut, complete with bed, pillows, table, chairs, pots, pans and a BBQ out the back WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Tales of the Dying Earth – 4 Volume Omnibus Edition by Jack Vance Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. Have a list of your own? Let us know! Contact SHKN with your favourites.

DATES

for your

Diary...

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Saturday 7th March - Fun Day Thursday 12th March - Patana Jazz and Blues Concert Thursday 12th March - IB Art Exhibition Opens Thursday 2nd April - Patana Unplugged Concert

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the m 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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COMMUNITY

d e l l e c n a

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Learn about these events and more at Bangkok Community Theatre Here 28/02/2020

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PARIS IN THE SPRING

THURSDAY MARCH 26th AT 19:30 ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE BANGKOK TICKETS 600 BAHT / 100 BAHT FOR STUDENTS WITH ID FOR RESERVATIONS PLEASE CONTACT WWW.AFTHAILANDE.ORG

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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 Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th 26

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