Patana News Volume 19 Issue 11

Patana

NEWS

Also in this issue, The Chao Phraya Barge Expedition Bangkok Patana is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

Cindy Adair, Assistant Principal Extra-curricular Activities and Sports

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his year the Sports and Activities office have been charged with an important task – to fully review and re-imagine the ECA provision offered here at Bangkok Patana School. Our two main goals as identified by the Whole School Development plan are to ensure our provision is of high quality and that it aligns with our Guiding Statements. Our mission and vision have the cornerstones of Wellness, Learning and Global Citizenship at their core and we believe it is important to ensure our ECA programme reflects this.

The current ECAs that are academic in nature are very popular and often over-subscribed:

Should we expand the provision in this area and does this provide the required balance in a student’s life after a long day in the classroom?

We have over 80 sports teams entered in three major leagues (BISAC, SEASAC and FOBISIA): Is

Times are changing and children are spending less time outdoors with the loss of some important life skills…can your child ride a bike, set and light a campfire, build a tree-fort or a wooden go-cart? Could the ECA pro-

this the right mix and number of competitions gramme provide open, enquiry and do we offer enough based ECAs which allow modern recreational and non- day students to explore and mascompetitive sports? ter these skills?

Most of our ECAs are led by our academic staff or outside providers. Some schools successfully have students lead out in their ECA programme for the mutual benefit of all involved. Younger students are mentored by older students who share their passions and inspire the younger students while also meeting their CAS requirements. Could this model work at Bangkok Patana? One school in Australia actually employs their students to run their ECA programme to create an important link between preparation, hard work, high quality service and the generation of an income!

Schools are charged with the challenging task of preparing students for future that is unknown and jobs that don’t yet exist. Therefore, children will need transferable 21st Century skills and the ability to operate in an increasingly globalised world. They will also need a good understanding of environmental sustainability: Could the ECA

programme do more to teach these essential soft skills? We have some fantastic CAT clubs but these are mostly concentrated in Secondary – can we do more with our younger pupils?

To assist with the review, a group of 12 staff, including representatives from the Primary School, Secondary School and Cross Campus teams, as well as specialists in the areas of the Arts, Sports and CAS/CATs has been assembled. This group plan to meet throughout 2016/17 to do the following: Examine the current ECA provision Analyse the data from last year’s ECA survey and the online ECA sign-up system Conduct market research about what happens at other large international schools with regard to ECA provision For the past few weeks I have been fortunate to spend time visiting our students (Year 5 and 6 Student Representatives, JSRC, SSRC and Athletic Council) to find out what they value about our ECA programme and what they feel could be improved to better meet their needs. We have had some honest feedback and great suggestions, which we plan to incorporate into our review recommendations. One thing is for certain – our fabulous students really value the variety of quality activities they can choose from before school, during lunchtimes and after school.

We will also be putting together small focus groups of parents as a part of the review to chat about the pros and cons of the current system and gather new ideas.

One thing is for certain, the ECA provision in 2017/18 and beyond will be new and improved!

Coke Smith, IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) Instructor

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n October, the Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) classes participated in a very impressive study of the water quality of the Chao Phraya River. Students from Coke Smith’s and Caroline Ferguson’s ESS classes spent the entire day aboard “The Barge” traveling various locations along the river near Ko Kret. Students compared water quality along a transect in the locations visited and noted the correlation between water quality indices and biodiversity on the river’s edge and the center of the river. The students carefully collected data in the field and returned to class for in-depth analysis and discussion. They found very compelling data trends that showed the biodiversity was highest in parts of the river with the higher water quality.

Here are some reflections for our some of our students from that fascinating day: “I was glad we were given the opportunity to travel along the Chao Phraya River to analyse pollution in detail using new skills and equipment. It was a privilege to be the first Year group to experience this trip and I found it eye-opening to see how polluted my own city's water was despite the fact that it is beautifully scenic. I enjoyed the process of calculating the dissolved oxygen value as I learned the steps in mixing solutions. Although it was challenging to count various living organisms in the plant samples, I tried to overcome my fears to find all the worms, crabs and snails. Most significantly, we encountered a giant frog and two turtles in the plant sample at the second sight. The frog was a fright at first however, it quickly turned into one of the trip's best memories, whereas the turtles were quite the opposite. I realised the possible disastrous outcomes in releasing them back into the river, which is something that affected my environmental values and I will definitely consider in the future.” Damisara (Dame) Bunnag (13H) “During the ESS Barge trip, I was able to learn a lot more about the direct impacts of human activity on the environment. This was evident from observing the pollution caused by multiple industries, houses and transport systems. Moreover, I was rather shocked when we learnt that the Chao Phraya River used to have clear water, as it is now very turbid, showing the degradation of the environment.

Overall the hands on experience of being able to test the water qual-

ity ourselves was not only interesting but eye opening, highlighting the environmental issues faced today and the issues that will only increase in the future became much more realistic.” Reesha Jagdeo (13G)

“My main experience during the Barge trip was that I was given the role of checking for the oxygen levels in the middle of the river. It was interesting to learn how each section of the river, closer to and further from the source, can affect the quality of water. As well as this, learning about the ways water can be polluted by different factors like vegetation and construction work. Looking at the amount of species found really helped in determining the bio diversity in the area. As well as collecting the data, it was exciting to see the patterns that emerged when we analysed it during the next lesson.” Morgan Hughes (13H) “During the ESS Barge trip, we were investigating the pollution levels of the water in the Chao Phraya River, stopping at two different sites along the river. We measured a range of things including the water quality, amount of oxygen in the water and animals present at both of the sites. I was surprised to find that the data values collected at the two sites differed so greatly. It was also very interesting to see the positive correlation between the animals found at each site and the quality of the water. When the water was cleaner, there tended to be a larger range of animals present.” Kamira Pillay (13B) “On our Barge trip, I got the chance to critically observe the Chao Phraya River from a different perspective, collecting primary data by undergoing different tests on factors such as phosphate levels, dissolved oxygen and turbidity, which all contribute to determining the water quality at different sites. Knowing these determinants and where they originate from, such as phosphates from human detergents and cleaning based products and seeing this highly polluted river, I have become more aware of how significant human activity has on the sustainability and quality of our surroundings. Thus, it really heightens our need to help acknowledge other people, keep sharing the knowledge that we’ve gained to help improve and repair the problems that we humans have caused in the first place.” Wilasinee (Fifi) Tantipanichaphan (13K)

Tania Leyland, Youth Club and Community Services Coordinator

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he LETS team held a fantastic campaign day, raising awareness of mental health issues and the stigma that young people face when trying to deal with and overcome a range of issues. Their use of characters from the film ‘Inside Out’ was awesome and was very effective in drawing people into their campaign area. Centred around the theme of ‘OCD’, LETS campaign days were full of bright colours, interactive games, and tempting food prizes. Students from almost every Year group paid a visit to the LETS booths to participate in informative games such as impossible cup-sorting, attacking the stigma, or even just stopping by to take photos with the life-sized cut-outs of the characters. In the impossible cup-sorting game, students from all age groups worked either individually or in groups to try and arrange the coloured, numbered cups into the order they thought was most ‘correct’. The end result was a feeling of frustration, highlighting the feeling people with OCD may feel doing trivial tasks. LETS holds its meetings on Fridays lunch times, in SEC 205 at 12.35pm. The club prides itself on inclusivity and acceptance, and in fighting against the stigmatism of mental illnesses. New members are always welcome.

Chavisa (Dee Dee) Boonpiti, 12P Project Star is a group of students who campaign and raise funds to support children in the community with learning disabilities. They are a focused and resilient team who are passionate about their cause. On Monday they held their annual bake sale which was full of spooky Halloween goodies and tasty treats. Thank you to everyone who supported them. The funds will be used to purchase craft items that can be used in their activities with the children.

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t was with great honour that we welcomed HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to Bangkok Patana School last Friday to open our Science Centre. It has come to our knowledge that some students were disappointed that on this occasion they were not able to see HRH Princess Sirindhorn and so we wish to share with you how the students who saw her were chosen. Before the visit official members of the Royal Palace came to Bangkok Patana to walk through the route and let us know where students and staff were allowed to stand and how many were allowed in the different locations. Once we had this information we tried our very best as a school to ensure that as many students as possible were able to see HRH Princess Sirindhorn while strictly adhering to the requirements placed upon us with regards to permissible locations and numbers of people in each area.

On the Friday morning we were able to allow 500 Secondary students to either be on the route or in one of the three Secondary areas that she would visit. We ensured that students of all Year groups and all nationalities would be represented but in terms of which Tutor groups were selected it was a random process depending on what lesson they were having. For example, if the lesson the students were due to have just happened to be in one of the locations that the Princess would visit then they would be the lucky students to see her.

We apologise if the email that went home to parents indicated that all students would see the Princess which due to the restrictions placed on us was not possible. We are sorry for any upset caused to any students who did not see HRH Princess Sirindhorn on what was otherwise a really special day for the school community.

Matt Mills

Mick Smith

Helen Thew

Head of School

Secondary Principal

Assistant Principal Student Welfare

Please be aware that there is a Thai Graduation Rehearsal scheduled at BITEC on Tuesday 15 th November and Graduation Ceremony on Thursday 17th November. When these take place it is anticipated that there will be some traffic congestion on Bangna Trad near BITEC. Please plan ahead if you use this route to get to school.

There are regular updates / maintenances to the IT services that support the various systems that we use at Bangkok Patana School. The first update will take place this Saturday.

We are conscious of the number of emails that inform of the updates and maintenance and have decided to schedule a regular time on the 2nd Saturday night of each month from 8pm to 10pm for this maintenance to occur. Here is the Regular Maintenance Schedule for 2016/17.

Regular Maintenance Schedule Sat 12th November 2016 Sat 10th December 2016 Sat 14th January 2017 Sat 11th February 2017 Sat 11th March 2017 Sat 8th April 2017 Sat 13th May 2017 Sat 10th June 2017 Sat 8th July 2017

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS THE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK?

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS THE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK?

Kept calm, cool and collective in a moment of extreme high pressure.

I think I have been chosen to be athlete of the week because of my performance during BISAC and my commitment towards the team during the season.

WHAT WAS YOUR HIGHLIGHT AT SEASAC? Winning the game against RIS with my serve and celebrating as a team.

WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST SPORTING IDOL? Nick Cummins IF YOU COULD EAT ONE FOOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Steak

WHAT WAS YOUR HIGHLIGHT AT BISAC? My highlight of BISAC was our final game against RIS which we won to place 3rd.

WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST SPORTING IDOL? My biggest sporting idol is my sister (Serri Matula).

IF YOU COULD EAT ONE FOOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Tacos, I absolutely love tacos!

Which sporting events did you recently compete in?

Which sporting events did you recently compete in?

BISAC Cross-country

The sporting events that I recently competed in were Fun Run, Shrewsbury Aquathon and BISAC.

What was your favourite part?

Definitely when the run was over and I could rest, drink water and watch my other teammates cross the finish line.

Do you play any other sports and which sports would you like to play in the future?

I also swim and play tennis. I actually don't really know what sports I'd like to play in the future, maybe softball.

What is your favourite after-sport snack?

A fruit smoothie and sometimes a burger if I'm feeling hungry!

@ bps_athletics_council BPSSports

BPSSPORTS

Tiger Sports

Patana Tennis

What was your favourite part?

My favourite part was when I beat Mr Reid in the Fun Run!!

Do you play any other sports and which sports would you like to play in the future?

I do football, swimming and running.

What is your favourite after-sport snack?

My favourite after-sport snack is an apple.

Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Football- 6th Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Volleyball- 5th Junior Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Volleyball- 1st Junior Varsity Girls’ Football- 2nd Junior Varsity Boys’ Football- 1st Under 15 Boys’ Rugby- 1st Under 15 Girls’ Touch- 1st Under 15 Boys’ Basketball- 2nd Under 15 Girls’ Basketball- 3rd Under 13 Boys’ Basketball- 4th Under 13 Girls Basketball- 3rd

#45: Residential Blogs This one is aimed at those parents that are sending their loved one(s) off on the Secondary Residential Visits next week. You can find out about each of the day’s activities via the blogs for each Year group.

Simply subscribe at the top of each blog using your email address and you will be notified when a new post* is added to the blog. Use the links below to sign up for each year group:

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 12 *

Please note the first posts will be appearing early Tuesday morning for most year groups. Posts will also appear on the Parents’ Gateway home page.

Have a great weekend, Brian Taylor, Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

International Day Has been rescheduled and will be held on

Tuesday 13th December This year the event, including the Parade of Nations and the International Food Tasting, will be held on one day.

To find out how your country can participate in this event email ptgintlday@gmail.com

Weekly news and notices from the Transport Department Primary ECAs will commence on Monday 14th November, Secondary student ECAs will commence on Monday 21st November. Transport will be amended according to each student’s confirmed ECA selections. Please ensure that you and your child are aware of what ECAs your children will attend for Block 2. If you make any late changes to Block 2 ECAs please ensure that you inform the Transport Office. Please help to let your child know what ECA bus number they are on – you can find this on the Parents Gateway from Sunday onwards. The prefix to the bus number reflects the time of the bus: MK/MT – 1:50pm bus HK/HT – 2:30pm bus A - 3:45pm bus D - 4:30pm bus C – Bus cancelled. ECA finishes later than 4:30pm.

Morning transport on Monday 14th November will run as normal for Secondary students. Please inform Transport if you will bring your child to school on this day. When students return on Friday 18 th November, all afternoon transport home has been cancelled. If you would like your child to take the bus home on this day, please ensure that you inform Transport in advance.

Normal Transport service to and from school will operate for Year 11 and 13 students. Please request any transport changes in advance. Bookings for the BTS Shuttle bus service must booked in advance; 12:30pm and 3:45pm shuttle bus options are available from school to the BTS during 14 th-18th November.

Contact Us

The Transport Department’s direct phone number is 02 785 2470. The office is staffed from 6:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday. You can also contact us via email at transport@patana.ac.th

Invoices for school fees for Term 2 2016/2017 were sent to families/companies on Wednesday 2nd November 2016.

If you have not received your invoice please contact Accounting Department or email accounts@patana.ac.th Please note that the due date for settlement is on Friday 2nd December 2016 and payments received after this date will be subject to a late payment charge of 1% per month.

Thank you, Accounting Department

Paul Wadsworth, Mathematics Teacher and Golf Coach

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ine Bangkok Patana Golfers took part in the RIS Phoenix Golf Tournament on Sunday 6th November and had a successful day of competition.

Congratulations to Shaun (Year 7), Roanne (Year 8), Alex (Year 8) and Senna (Year 6) who made their Bangkok Patana Golf Team debuts. Thames (Year 10) and DC (Year 11) won a closest to the pin prize and DC was also 3rd overall in the Boys’ Under 15 gross score category with a fine 4 over par 76. Cue (Year 10) and Alex were winners of the Under 15 and Under 13 Boys’ nett score (handicap) categories.

Well done to all the golfers who participated!

NETBALL The most popular sport for girls in Australia and New Zealand, and a national sport in Great Britain, Netball provides loads of team work, fast action on the court, defence and attacking skills and of course is FUN and GREAT for fitness.

Bangkok Junior Netball Academy (BJNA) Bangkok Junior Netball Academy (BJNA) has returned to the courts of Bangkok Patana School. All girls aged 6-16 years are welcome to join, regardless of experience. We will be scheduling a 10 week skills development and match play program with a coaching staff (which involves volunteering parents). Training runs from 8:30am – 10:00am Saturday mornings (dates can often change and BJNA does not run during Bangkok Patana school break).

Registration can take place each week or request a Registration Form via email bjnetballacademy@gmail.com Returning Players please fill in Registration details and bring it along on with Registration fees.

Registration Fees are 500baht for returning players and 850baht new players (club t-shirt included and water bottle for new players) Any girls aged 6- 16 years old are welcome to join.

No previous experience needed.

We will divide players up into groups according to their Netball ability.

Skill development and match practice will be based around mini games.

All skills will be aimed at FUN TO LEARN developing into more competitive games.

Mini games, skill practices, full matches in accordance to age.

We aim to provide playing and mini tournament opportunities v clubs and schools To register or for more information contact bjnetballacademy@gmail.com or find us on Facebook

BJNA NEEDS YOU! We are looking for volunteers to help run our Saturday sessions as well as a volunteer to assist with administration. If you could help on a regular basis please email bjnetballacademy@gmail.com

Date: Saturday & Sunday, November 12-13, 2016 Time: 9:30am - 4:00pm The popular Neilson Hays Library Used Book Sale returns in November.

Thousands of high quality English language books will be on sale, kindly donated by supporters of the Neilson Hays Library. Our popular fundraiser offers books in all genres, with prices starting at 20 baht. There is also a small selection Thai books and a variety of other foreign language books.

For this Book Sale, there will also be a sizeable collection of classic and contemporary leather-bound books at very reasonable prices on Saturday, November 12. From Hemingway to Satre, GĂźnter Grass to Paul Theroux, choose a lot or single books ranging from very good to mint condition. Some are limited editions, and a few--by Norman Mailer, V.S. Naipaul, Anthony Burgess and more--are even signed by the author.

Gates open at 9:30am. Parking is available in the Voravit Building (Surawong Road, near Naret Road, approximately 20 metres before library entrance). NB. There will be no parking at the library and the no-parking restrictions on Surawong Road will be enforced by authorities.

All proceeds from the book sale will go towards upcoming renovation and restoration plans.

For more information call 02-233-1731, email neilson.library@gmail.com, or visit our Facebook page.

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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