Patana News Volume 24 Issue 18

www.patana.ac.th

PATANA NEWS

Friday 21st January 2022

The Power of Reading

By Sarah McCormack

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Also in this issue...

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New French ECAs Unleashing the Tiger Cubs!

Grad ‘24 IGCSE ESL Results Reading in Your Home Language Equity Partnership Programme

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

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The Power of Reading Sarah McCormack, Primary Principal

“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world” - Matilda Wormwood

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hen I was young, my favourite book was Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Captivated by the characters, plot and humour, I must have read it at least ten times. Truth be told, I probably saw a little bit of myself in Matilda Wormwood and I most certainly had the same sense of courage and mischief. Then when I trained to be a teacher, I found myself reaching back to the novel in literacy lessons. But, rather than looking to Matilda, I found myself in awe of the wonderful Ms Honey and the care and kindness she offered to her students. Now as Principal, well I promise not to be anything like Mrs Trunchbull, that is except on dress-up days! Books are magical - reading can shape and enrich our lives in so many ways. New research shows the wealth of benefits that regular reading can have: DID YOU KNOW? 1) Children who read for pleasure made more progress in maths, vocabulary and spelling between the ages of 10 and 16 than those who rarely read; 2) Reading for pleasure was found to be more important for children’s cognitive development between ages 10 and 16 than their parents’ level of education; 3) Participation in shared reading is linked to enhanced relaxation, calmness, concentration, quality of life, confidence and self-esteem, as well as feelings of shared community and common purpose; 4) Studies have shown that those who read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations; and 5) Reading for pleasure was also associated with better sleeping patterns (Source: readingagency.org.uk).

As an avid reader and educator, imagine the surprise when I discovered one of my sons clearly was not. For years, the offer of bedtime stories went unrelinquished and pages of classic tales left unturned. So, how do we support the reluctant reader?

THE PRIMARY TEAM’S TOP READING TIPS -Model the behaviours you want to see: Turn off the TV, put away the mobile phone and prioritise your own enjoyment of reading daily! Children are more likely to read if they see their parents doing so.

-Small gains: Research tells us that 15 minutes is the “magic number” at which students start seeing substantial positive gains in reading achievement; students who read just over a half-hour to an hour per day see the greatest gains of all.

-Mix it up: Students reading aloud, parents reading to them and audio-books are good examples of variety to keep children engaged.

-Key decoding strategies: Teaching a young child to decode is complex, watch this short video from our Year 1 team on the three key strategies.

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-Reading should never be a chore: Pick a good time when your child will enjoy reading, let them pick the book and favour quality over quantity.

-Pick high quality texts: Look for books that have characters your Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2 child can identify with, have plots that allow opportunities to explore dilemmas, morality and ethics, emotive story-lines, humour, rich language, power illustrations and a story that you can lose yourself in!

-Languages: Research shows that children who are read aloud to in their native language will have an easier time learning to read in a second language (such as English). The benefits are even greater for children who learn to read first in their native language.

-Family time: Reading time will start to shrink as more activities crop up in your child’s life. Involving reading in your home life is a powerful tool – read together in daily contexts (such as having them read a recipe to you as you cook), give books as presents, visit the library together as a family, have a family bookshelf and continue to read together.

-Book Talk: Talking about a book and using questioning helps to build vocabulary and understanding. Watch this short clip on the impact of all types of conversation.

A SNAPSHOT OF READING IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL At the heart of our school is the Primary Library – brimming with words, imagination and possibility. In our Primary classrooms, language and literacy underpins everything that we do. Encouraging reading at home goes a long way for your child but if you have a reluctant reader, like me, know that they will be supported in a number of ways: 1) Dedicated reading lessons that develop the skills of decoding and comprehension, including prediction, questioning, clarifying, visualising, summarising and making connections through prior knowledge and inference; 2) Shared Reading is used where the teacher and children engage in a text together; 3) Guided Reading is where a child is guided through a text by a series of questions and responses from the teacher focusing around a key skill; 4) Paired Reading enables the reading of a known text in pairs and check each other’s fluency, accuracy and punctuation; 5) The Power of Reading is used across age phases to develop our writing curriculum; 6) Reader’s Theatre is used to develop expression and performance; 7) Reciprocal Reading and Literacy Circles are introduced in Key Stage 2 to deepen the thinking around a text and to challenge children to think critically about what they are reading; 8) Weekly library visits enable children to develop research skills; and 9) Independent Reading allows everyone to enjoy a good book.

FINALLY….

Frank Serafini, Professor of Literacy Education and Children's Literature at Arizona State University, said “There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book”. The good news is that my son has, just this summer, found a series of novels he loves and is now fascinated by science and non-fiction. My final tip: never give up – somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.

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New French ECA Offerings T

he Alliance Française Bangkok is now offering two mother-tongue French ECAs, focused on the fundamentals of reading and writing, in Block 3. These ECA options are designed for French-speakers in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Students will cover the standard curriculum as defined by the French Ministry of National Education, and will be given the opportunity to take the DELF exam, which is valid for life and recognized worldwide.

Year 4 Wins Chess Tournament Amy Poon, Patana Parent

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eah Leung, 4H, won both the U10 and Overall Winner categories in the Red Knight Chess Tournament. There were 22 players with six rounds of games. Leah won five games and drew one game. She managed to stay calm and focused through difficulty and said she was very happy with her results. Great job, Leah!

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Primary Record Breakers Athletics Meeting 2022 Saturday 29th January 2022 -7am to 12.30pm

LETS BREAK SOME RECORDS! Athletes from Years 4, 5 and 6 will compete in all of the following events: *60m Sprint, 600m (Y4) or 800m.

*Long Jump, High Jump, Standing Triple Jump (Y5,6) and Standing 3 Springs Jump (Y4). *Tee-Ball Throw (Y4), Javelin (Y5,6), Basketball Chest Pass (Y4), Shot Put (Y5,6), Quoit Throw (Y4) and Discus (Y5,6).

Remember your hat and apply lots of sun screen before you ar rive at the track.

Bring a water bottle to and drink lots of water during the mor ning! *Letters will be available from the 10th

of Januar y.

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Unleashing the TIGER CUBS Mark Potter, Cross Campus Head Football Coach

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his weekend saw the continuation of our Football Academy Tiger Cubs programme, which is aimed at developing and nurturing the youngest football players here at Bangkok Patana.

The sessions are run by the Football Academy staff with the intention of giving the best introduction to the beautiful game to children in FS1, FS2, Year 1 and Year 2. For children in the Foundation Stage, the sessions are play-based with the freedom to explore and engage with a ball at every opportunity. We focus on holistic goals rather than football goals, for example, turn-taking and fundamental movement skills with the intention of creating a positive learning environment for all. As the children become more experienced and move into Key Stage 1, our sessions become more Football-specific with children learning basic skills, rules and tactics.

Again, this is often done through play with children reinforcing their learning in small scale games.

Cross Campus Head Football Coach Mark Potter went on to explain, “It is really important for us as an academy to provide opportunities for every child who We are also very fortunate to have access to this wants to play football. Working with young players in Primary School allows us opportunities to get to know amazing air-conditioned Sports Hall which allows us to the children and them to know us. We really want happy offer a fun and safe environment for the children.” and engaged children who love coming to play on a Mr Mills, who attended one of the pilot sessions last Saturday morning, when we have this in place the im- year, added: provement will look after itself.

“So good to observe our younger footballers learn new skills, including collaborating with their teammates in a safe and nurturing environment”.

The Tiger Cubs sessions run during each term on Saturday mornings in the Sports Hall (8:00 - 9:00 Foundation stage and 8:00 - 9:30 Years 1 and 2). If you would like more information on The Tiger Cubs programme, please email football@patana.ac.th

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Outstanding Thai Youth Award Dr Surapee Sorajjakool (Kru Gai), Cross Campus Head of Thai Programme

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However, Amy Ono, 8G, was chosen by the Ministry of Education to meet Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Royal Thai Government House. The encounter was filmed for broadcast on Children’s Day (8th January 2022). He led them on a tour of meeting rooms and other key locations inside the Government House compound.

ongratulations to six students who were chosen by The Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC) to receive an Outstanding Thai Youth award from the Minister of Education.

We are very proud of them!

“I feel very honoured and proud for having the chance to meet the Thai Prime Minister. For me, being able to have this chance means that I have achieved something very important, and it reminds me that resilience is the key to improve on anything. I believe that this shows how much playing the violin means to me, and that I am capable of becoming a violinist. I would like to thank all my teachers and my parents for always supporting me, and I hope to keep on working hard to pursue my dream” - Amy Ono, 8G

Outstanding Thai Youth Award: Pim Wongswan, 13A and Carolyn Suradejvibul, 13M Outstanding Thai Youth Award in Arts/Music: Narida Ekaraphanich, 6D; Svari Tejacharoenanan, 7W; Nara Sthapitanonda, 8C; Amy Ono, 8G (2019-2022) Normally, students would receive their awards on the 1st week of January in celebration of National Children’s Day at the Royal Thai Government House, but due to Covid-19, the event was cancelled.

Congrats Grad ‘24!

Iain Murphy, Head of Faculty, EAL

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ongratulations to Year 11 (Grad ’24) students for their outstanding results in IGCSE ESL, taken in October 2021.

All students showed admirable resilience and determination to adapt to the changing circumstances and between them achieved an incredible five A*s, one A and two Bs. Well done to you all!

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ENJOY READING In Your Home Language Stephen Murgatroyd, Cross Campus Head of Libraries

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aving books available to read in your home language is such an important part of children’s identities and helps them to realise that their ‘mother’ tongue is both valued and valuable. At Bangkok Patana, we have a growing selection of books in many different home languages and we are always looking to expand our collection. It is so important for children, students and parents to be able to access books from our libraries that they can relate to, especially when they first arrive and perhaps English is not something that they feel comfortable with yet. Home language books are also vitally important in helping them to stay connected with their language and culture, as well as continuing to improve their reading and c o m p r e he n s i o n skills.

To keep our collection relevant, with quality titles available for borrowing, we need to enlist the help of both the teachers on the staff and the parents, children and students in the school, to make sure that the books

we have on our shelves are ones that are popular and will help to serve the needs of the Bangkok Patana community. The Library allocates a budget each year for the MFL and World Language departments to spend on books they feel will be positively received and we are always grateful for their support. We also have the ‘Recommend a Book’ feature on the Library websites, which allows everyone in the community to make suggestions of books for us to buy and have on our shelves. Lastly, when we are able to, we run something called a ‘Books and Biscuit’ Club for parents.

This is where we invite parents to come into school (when this is possible) and bring books in to share with each other and with us, which they feel will enhance our collection further. If we are able to, we buy the titles suggested and therefore are able to add these wonderful books for everyone to read. During these sessions, we also explain that with books which can only be bought in their home countries, the library is able to agree for the parents to buy them when they go home. They will then be reimbursed, at the current exchange rate, after they present the receipts for the books bought when they return.

In these ways, we hope to be able to continue to grow our home language collection, with quality titles that will be enjoyed by all who read them. Please feel free to get in touch with me (stmu@patana.ac.th) if you would like further information, or have book titles to share. I will be delighted to continue to add further books to our shelves.

Want to recommend a book for our library?

Check out our new recommendation form here!

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CAT/CAS CORNER

Mien Made - Equity Partnership Programme Emiri Miyake, 12E

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s a student-led team representing Bangkok Patana School, we were tasked with working together with our assigned Thai school to provide a sustainable business model of financial empowerment for underprivileged schools in rural Thailand. After many months of collaboration and co-creation with the Thai school Baan Mai Pang Ka, located in Phayao, the northern region of Thailand, we were able to develop a tote bag. Our product combines the intricate patterns and colourful weavings of traditional Mien culture, resulting in a unique and functional product. Our goal was to provide financial empowerment and the preservation of the deep-rooted cultures in ethnic minorities through the intersection of entrepreneurism and the arts.

While there were many difficulties faced due to COVID-19 restrictions and workshop sessions conducted entirely online, we succeeded in creating a final product with the help of the teachers, professors and other staff in the Equity Partnership programme.

Our products are sold on exclusively on Shopee and can be purchased from this link: https://shopee.co.th/ep_ banmaipangka?smtt=0.0.9 Or you can search for Ep_banmaipangka on Shopee.

Buying a bag helps support the preservation of the Mien culture. It also makes for the perfect gift for your family and friends! We would greatly appreciate any support and all sales are counted towards providing the residents in this rural area a more sustainable future.

In order to craft our product, each bag was meticulously hand sewn and embroidered by the local community. This traditional practice has been done for many years and the skills required to embroider has been passed on from generation to generation. Furthermore, each embroidery design stitched in the garments contain motifs which reflect the cultural identity of the Mien people and portrays historical significance.

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NEWS FROM PTG

*Must be in Years 10 - 13 *

Contact ptgtigershop@patana.ac.th by the 26th January if you are interested!

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#206: What Parents Need to Know About Horror Games H

orror video games come in a such a variety that the genre can hard to define.

The overlapping element is that these games are designed to scare or unsettle the player through gameplay, atmosphere, story, music, setting and 'jump scares'.

The most common sub-genres are survival horror, action horror, psychological horror, jump-scare horror and reverse horror. These games originate from a range of developers, including smaller indie studios which release download-only titles (that is, they aren’t physically sold in shops) and therefore aren’t subject to age ratings.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as adult themes, psychological horror and violent content. I hope you find it useful.

Have a great weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

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Desert Island Discs With Mark Potter, Cross Campus Head Football Coach

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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 Cross Campus Head Football Coach, Mark Potter, is stuck on a desert island.

MR MARK POTTER, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?

Dustland - The Killers ft. Bruce Springsteen

Under the Cover of Darkness - The Strokes

Whatever - Oasis

Take Over the World - Courteeners

Maggie May - Rod Stewart

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

About Today - The National

Chinatown - Bleachers ft. Bruce Springsteen

Click to listen to Mr Mark Potter’s playlist

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. Photo album with a pillow for a cover!

WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? The Art of War by Sun Tzu Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. Now that you are stuck at home, what are you listening to? Have a list of your own? Let us know! Contact STML with your favourites.

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COMMUNITY

RECRUITING FOR CPD & SAFEGUARDING EXECUTIVE AT FOBISIA HQ IN BANGKOK RECRUITING FOR CPD & SAFEGUARDING EXECUTIVE FOBISIA is the premier Federation in Asia supporting and promoting high-quality British-style AT FOBISIA HQof IN BANGKOK international education. With more than 30 years shared history, the FOBISIA family is a diverse and inclusive community offering peer-to-peer support and extensive networking and collaboration FOBISIA is the premier Federation in Asia supporting andvalue promoting high-quality British-style high opportunities to its members.

It is FOBISIA’s Mission to deliver for its members by ensuring international education.

With more than 30 years of shared history, the FOBISIA family is a diverse and quality British-style international education through shared professional development, student inclusive community offering peer-to-peer support and extensive networking and collaboration enrichment, and mutual support between Member Schools in the region. opportunities to its members. It is FOBISIA’s Mission to deliver value for its members by ensuring high The Federation supports 85+ Member Schoolsthrough and 95+ Affiliate Members, development, as well as Individual quality British-style international education shared professional student Members, including founding and former Heads of FOBISIA Member Schools.

FOBISIA is looking to enrichment, and mutual support between Member Schools in the region. recruit a new CPD & Safeguarding Executive to join its small but dynamic and growing team at FOBISIA The Federation supportsThe 85+ Member and includes: 95+ Affiliate Members, as well as Individual HQ, located in Bangkok. full-time localSchools hire position Members, including founding and former Heads of FOBISIA Member Schools. FOBISIA is looking to recruit new CPD &Professional Safeguarding Development Executive to join its small but dynamic and growing- team at FOBISIA ● aContinuing (CPD) & Safeguarding Executive responsible for HQ, located in Bangkok.

The full-time local hire position includes: achieving effective networking and collaboration and to share and deliver relevant, high quality CPD and safeguarding initiatives, in order to promote best practice in FOBISIA Member Schools.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) & Safeguarding Executive - responsible for achieving networking and collaboration and to share deliver relevant, highfor quality this We are hoping theeffective successful candidates will be able to commence in and August 2022, with scope CPD and safeguarding initiatives, in order to promote best practice in FOBISIA Member Schools. to be brought forward to April 2022. ●

We are hoping the successful candidates will be able to commence in August 2022, with scope for this Applicants must have: to be brought forward to April 2022. ● a Bachelor’s Degree and be highly proficient in written and spoken English; Applicants must have: ● strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently; ● strong organisational and ICT skills; ● a Bachelor’s Degree and be highly proficient in written and spoken English; ● proven administrative skills including budget management; and ● strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently; ● strong organisational and ICT skills; Previous experience working in events management, administration and/or international schools would ● proven administrative skills including budget management; and be a distinct advantage.

Previous experience working in events management, administration and/or international schools would Please send a CV and any queries to Ms. Shana Kongmun – eom@fobisia.org. be a distinct advantage.

Closing date: Friday 18 February 2022. Please note early appointments may be made prior to the Please send a CV and any queries to Ms. Shana Kongmun – eom@fobisia.org. closing date.

Closing date: Friday 18 February 2022. Please note early appointments may be made prior to the closing date.

Federation of British International Schools in Asia http://www.fobisia.org/

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Federation of British International Schools in Asia http://www.fobisia.org/ Bangkok Patana School News

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