ISSUE 15 JANUARY 2015
WINTER ISSUE
Alumni Man Class of 2010
G11 School Build in Chiangmai
Halloween 2015
Ms. Loung Ung’s Visit to Concordian
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CONCORDIAN
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CONCORDIAN
Editor’s Note
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School Update - Festival of Love - New Parents Welcome Breakfast - Baan Na Kru Thani Family Outing
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Showcase - CIS Chinese Spelling Bee - Athletics News - Multiplying Concordian Spirit: Check out our Mathletes! - The 2015 Concordian Intramural Chess Tournament - 2015 KPIS Inter-School Spelling Bee - The Moon Represents My Heart - Junior Achievement Company of The Year Alumni - Alumni Want to Share Man Soravis Srinawakoon Class of 2010
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Tips & Expeditions - G6-7 Week Without Walls - Week Without Walls G8 - Week Without Walls G9-10 - G11 School Build
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Community Service - Mae Sot Operation Smile Trip
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Flash Back - The Fifteen Minute Hamlet - TISAC Orchestra Festival - His Majesty The King’s 88th Birthday - Halloween 2015 - Loy Krathong Festival - Wai Kru Ceremony - Ploenchit Fair at Bangkok Pattana School - K2 Walkathon for Charity 2015 - Le Petit Prince at Concordian - 6th Thanksgiving Dinner - Ramakien Big Fan - G11 School Build Project: Charity Concert Iridescent - Where Colors Meet - Student Spotlight! - Ms. Loung Ung’s Visit to Concordian
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DP - High School Student Goverment What’s going on? MYP - Concordian MYP Update
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PY - Serving Our Students: 56 The New PY Student Council - Professional Development in The PYP: 57 Encouraging Lifelong Learning EY - What Makes ‘Concordian’ a Special Place? - Making Sense of The IB Learner Profile - Message From EY Dean!
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บานชื่น (Zinnia) เป็นพืชใบเลี้ยงคู่ สูงประมาณ ๖๐ เซนติเมตร ลำ�ต้นมีช่อง กลวง ภายใน ผิวลำ�ต้นสีเขียวมีขนอ่อนปกคลุม ดอกเป็นดอกเดี่ยว กลีบ ดอกมีสีต่างกันมากมาย เช่น ขาว ครีม เหลือง ส้ม ม่วง แดง เป็นต้น เป็นต้นไม้มงคลที่จะช่วยเสริมให้ผู้ปลูกมีทั้งความเบิกบานและสดชื่น ไปตลอดทั้งปีและยังเป็นดอกไม้ที่แสดงถึงความคิดถึงต่อเพื่อนได้อีก ด้วย
CONCORDIAN
Dear Impact Readers,
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ow! It is hard to believe we have already completed half of the school year. Welcome back to second semester Concordian. I hope everyone had a fantastic winter break. I hope you all spent quality time with your friends and family to celebrate the New Year. Lastly, I hope our students took advantage of the break to “recharge their batteries” to be ready and motivated for second semester! As always, there have been a lot of activities and projects going on at Concordian. In this issue, you will read about amazing feats in athletics, great achievements in academics and community service, and important learning opportunities with trips and expeditions. In particular, this issue highlights the Grade 6 through Grade 10 week without walls trips and some of their activities and highlights. Also, this issue has a new feature article called, Student Spotlight. In this feature, we interview students to find out more about their lives at Concordian. Check out this issue’s article to find out what Concordian students did over winter break! We hope to make this a regular feature in IMPACT. I hope you enjoy this issue of IMPACT, and I wish each of you a happy and healthy 2016! Sincerely, Nicki Deidrick Editor
Please contact K. Ice at 083-049-1919 ice@concordian.ac.th
Nicki Deidrick Wanlapha (Prinz) Sa-ardwong Thanachaporn (Ice) Chayasatit
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School Update
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he 2nd Annual Festival of Love will occur on the Concordian Soccer field from 2:30-6:30 on Friday, January 29th. The Festival of Love is organised to bring together all members of the Concordian Community to support the Cardiac Children Foundation and student service clubs.
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n September 15th,the Concordian PTA hosted the annual Welcome Breakfast for parents of students that are new to the Concordian Community. PTA members and class parents helped welcome the new members to our school community in a cocktail style breakfast setting. Ms. Kathleen, the DP Coordinator and DP English Literature teacher, gave an uplifting and inspiring presentation about beauty in education.
Welcome all New Parents to the Concordian Community!
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School Update
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ust as the sun begun to warm the air, in Pathum Thani, on Saturday, November 28th, a group of K2-G5 Concordian students and parents were transported back in time to a farm in rural Thailand. Students and parents had the opportunity to learn about rice processing with traditional tools and the folk wisdom of Thai farmers. Our guide for the day was Kru Thani, who had the group enthralled with tales of Thai farm life. Parents and kids participated in many fun activities including boat paddling, buffalo riding, tree climbing, traditional cart and tractor riding, egg collecting and traditional games. After preparing and eating a delicious lunch together, it was time for the highlight of the day- planting rice in the mud! Thank you to all the organizers and participants!
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Showcase
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IS Chinese Spelling Bee (汉字英雄听写大赛) was designed to help students to enhance their character writing skills in a fun yet challenging way. Initially, all MYP students were encouraged to practice vocabularies from their HSK (Chinese Language Proficiency Test) levels. After internal competition in Chinese classes, on May 1st, 2015, a total of 42 MYP students representing their level groups (Phase 1-5) made to the final round of the competition at the Grand Theater. All candidates were divided into six colored teams; every team included one student from each phase. After two rounds of competitions, including character writing and a jeopardy game (radical and vocabulary writing), the blue team, which consisted of Gung Ging (Phase 1 G6) , Alyssa (Phase 2 G7), Ming Ming (Phase 3 G7), Santa (Phase 4 G8) and Inc (Phase 5 G9), won first place. All students contributed to their teams, even the students who only started learning Chinese a few months ago. Moreover, as one of the highlights, technology was integrated throughout the competition, which allowed candidates to interact with the audience. Through this event, students gained great confidence, collaborated with their teams and showcased their Chinese writing skills. We were delighted to see that students were fully engaged in this event. “我当了中文汉字英雄听写大赛的裁 判，我觉得这些学生们很了不起。因 为虽然他们才学中文一、两年，但是 他们已经认识很多字。他们还会写， 所以我觉得他们很厉害。我觉得这个活 动很好，因为能让刚开始学中文的人有 机会表现自己。I was the judge of the Chinese Spelling Bee. I found out that all of the students that participated in this event were amazing. Some of them only had studied Chinese for one or two years, but they still participated and wrote the words correctly. I think this event is very good. It allows students to show off their Chinese skill.” G10C Chinese Language and Literature, Eric 刘润泰 “汉字英雄听写大赛对我来说是一种非 常有趣的方法来增加学生的中文知识。 作为一个参赛者，我觉得这次比赛让我 获得了很多好处。我在准备比赛时练习 过的汉字对我以后的中文写作有很大 的帮助。The “Chinese Spelling Bee” competition for me is really new and interesting. I feel like it’s a really nice way to incorporate Chinese learning and knowledge into a fun game. As a contestant, I spent a lot of time understanding and practicing the vocabularies in order to be prepared for the competition even though I was really nervous on stage in front of all the people. However looking back, it has really benefited me. My understanding of Chinese
vocabularies has gotten wider than G7 Chinese Acquisition Phase 2, before, giving me a great advantage in Gung Ging 仇小星 my future Chinese writing tasks.” G9R Chinese Acquisition Phase 5 Bow 董诗艳 Written by: Ms. Agnes Wang & Ms. Susan Cao “It was very fun to be in teams and MYP Chinese Teachers be challenged against other teams as well. To prepare for the competition, I studied the vocabulary that I had learned in Chinese class. When competing, I felt excited and quite nervous, but it was a good experience. My team showed teamwork in the competition. The competition helped me in my Chinese learning because I was put in a team with different people from different Chinese phases. I also learned some new vocabulary through the competition. Overall, it was a great learning experience for me to participate in the Chinese Spelling Bee competition!” G11 Chinese ab initio, Carnia 柯妮亚 “I thought going to The Chinese Spelling Bee competition was quite an interesting experience because it really challenged me. It also helped me to gain knowledge and confidence as I was new to Chinese language. I am really proud of my team because we won a trophy. I felt that I was a success the moment the teacher announced the winner.”
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Showcase
By: Coach Martin Kane and Coach Nicki Deidrick The Senior Girls’ Volleyball team had an extremely successful season with a winning record of 9-7. This season the girls walked away with a 4th place finish in the Concordian International School Invitational and took home the CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY at the Ekamai International School Invitational! The girls showed great strides in skill and teamwork this season! We can’t wait to get back on the court, with a mostly returning team, next season! Go Dragons!
The season started at a fast pace with all twelve senior basketball boys training hard to improve their cardiovascular strength. Each training session on a Friday involved a challenging and high intensity work out followed by a basketball session in the gym. Over the season, the boys’ dedication and commitment to increasing their fitness levels contributed to their improved performances on the court. We played seven league games and participated in the TISAC Basketball tournament on the 15th of November. Our goal was to always have fun, play our best and always improve with each game. The game against Berkeley was a turning point of our season, we lost the game 41-42 but as a team we had developed how to maximize our team work, communication and shooting skills. The tournament was challenging after being away on the week without walls trip but our team played with great spirit and determination. We finished our season on a high with a convincing win against Bangkok Prep. We will be back next year with more determination and continue to play with integrity. The teacher team will also be challenged to more games! CONCORDIAN
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Showcase
By: Coach Scott Cairney The girls had a rough season, but it wound up being quite a fun season which inspired the new cheer before the game of, “Have fun!”. The girls gave their all, and I am proud of their effort. With most of the girls returning next year and a fair amount of girls coming up to the team from grade 9, we came up with a saying at end the season, “This season was just a warm-up for next season.”
Although we lost the championship team trophy this year, we still had fun and enjoyed the experience. We came in second place, probably because of the new point system in the round robin that caused Shin to get knocked out. May was fantastic and won 1st place in the girls division. Pena got third. A big thank you to Coach Tiew and Coach A who were still coaching us often after dark. Boys Team: Shin Krij Poom Jeff Girls Team: May - First Place! Pena - Third Place! Fasai Punch 2nd overall in team placing!
Written on Friday, November 12th (the day of the meet) By: Ms. Melissa Newell So very often I wonder if I matter and if I am making a difference. I think this is a common sentiment among teachers. Today, my class had a pizza party and also a birthday celebration with an ice cream cake. My track and field kids ran into my room and right up to me when they got back from the meet. I assumed they just wanted to make sure I saved them pizza and cake. In reality, they wanted to tell me all about their relay. I could see they were tired, but they were so excited and so proud of themselves. They didn’t care they missed the parties. They just wanted to share their joy and enthusiasm about their day.
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So, I know you all are probably exhausted, and I am sure it was a long hot day, but on behalf of my students, thanks for making a difference. It truly mattered to them!
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Showcase
U-11 Boys Basketball By: Coach Joao Delgado
The U-11 is a team that has been growing in quality since last year. Some of the boys have been practicing basketball for 3 years and their team work, cooperation and spirit of sacrifice has been developed in different sports. The players are all friends and know each other very well… I have high expectations for the U-11 boys in terms of sports, not only in basketball, but also in football and badminton! Some of them show to be ready to play for the U-13 next year and lift Concordian’s name to the highest place on the TISAC podium! Individual award winners are: MVP – Jaden MIP – Seiki Coach’s Choice - Brim
U-13 Boys Basketball By: Coach Raymond Nieva
U13 is a courageous team with a big heart! Their dedication and love of basketball is beyond belief. I call them “fast and furious” because there is no doubt that they are the fastest team in the league. I am proud of you! Individual award winners: MVP: Shin Coach’s award: Ben
U-13 Girls Basketball By: Raymond Nieva
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The teamwork that the girls showed is the beauty of their game. Win or lose, after the game, their smile showed that they tried their best and never gave up.... Hats off to these young ladies! Individual Award Winners: 12 MVP: Bei Bei Coaches award: Andra
Showcase
U15 Boys Basketball By: Coach Manny
Dragons U-15 Boys Basketball Team in general played their best with high hopes in every game. Though their stint in the League resulted in a dry spell, the boys stayed motivated looking forward for a good showing in the TISAC Basketball Tournament. With some adjustments in their defense and switching roles on the court, the boys claimed 3rd place in the Tournament held here @ HOME on the 31st of October 2015! Way to go U15 Boys Basketball!
U-15 Girls Basketball By: Coach Kim Howald
The U-15 Girls’ Basketball season came to a close on Saturday October 31st, with a 5th place finish by the Dragons! Finishing the tournament 2-2, the girls improved from their 1-3 regular season. Throughout the season, the girls showed off their strong defense, teamwork, and love of the game! Coach Kim and Coach Tatiana are very proud of the energy and determination of Almond, Fern, Jasmine, Kat, Kitty, Mew, Miw, Pheammy, Prim, and Vivi.
Pheammy Miw
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Top, left to right: Mew, Pheammy, Miw, Kitty, Coach Tatiana Bottom, left to right: Coach Kim, Kat, Prim, Jasmine Missing: Almond, Fern, Vivi
Showcase
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n November 17-18, 2015, students from both the PYP and MYP represented Concordian International School at the Pan Asia International School for a mathematics competition. The competition consisted of approximately 450 students from 35 schools representing 12 nations. The competition consisted of two rounds. The first round was an individual test. Students only competed in the second round if the sum of their individual scores placed their team as the top 4 teams.
By: Ms. Melissa Newell Concordian International School sent 2 teams from each grade level from the third to the eighth grades. A team from the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade qualified for the second round of competition. Our 5th, 6th and 8th grade teams placed First. Our 3rd grade team placed Second and our 7th grade team placed 4th overall. In addition, 3rd grader Titan, 6th grader Nick and 8th grader Jaokha received gold medals for their individual scores. Jaokha earned the top overall score of the roughly 450 students who competed. It was a great day for Concordian Mathematics! The competing students were: Grade 3: Austin, Titan, Jiho, Alice, Napee, Chate Grade 4: Manta, Stephen, Grace, Meg, Ade, Thomas Grade 5: Beck, Hui KhaoJao
Hui,
Rose,
Nano,
Kaoklong,
Grade 6: LK, Nicky, Nick, Monae, Ang Ang, JL Grade 7: Robin, Fahsai, Korn, JeTaime, Gungging, Best Grade 8: Jaokha, Poom, Mammoth, Pol, Lily D, Puthip
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Showcase
By: Mr. Tye Norbraten
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hat an amazing chess competition it was! At the end of October, the PY students eagerly participated in the Concordian Intramural Chess Tournament that included 25 magnificent players. With two divisions, junior and intermediate, the players had an opportunity to win the championship within their respective age categories. It was evident that many players delved into a significant amount of preparation. For instance, many of the players have been long-time members of our chess club. Additionally, some of the more experienced participants enrolled in Concordian advanced chess classes with one of Thailand’s greatest chess masters, K. Patchawaree. Without question, this in-house competition has prepared our chess enthusiasts for an upcoming inter-school chess tournament that will be hosted by Concordian! We know other chess players in our school, especially from older age categories, will join us for this wonderful opportunity in 2016! The following are the winners from each age category: Junior Division: Pun (Champion) Napee (1st Runner-up) Yuro (2nd Runner-up) Intermediate Division: Ninja (Champion) Manta (1st Runner-up) Ty (2nd Runner-up) A big thank you to our PTA for their assistance with this unique event! It was certainly a day that we will never forget! Concordian Chess Team: Yuro, Yoyo, Tonchok, Ty (G3A), Bobby, Jerry, Gem, Napee, Chate, Edward, Gyn, Manta, Pun, Demo, Kate, Alice, Ninja, Wei-in, Kaoklong, Nampetch, Ty (G3C), Book, Austin, and Preut.
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Showcase
Spelling Bee By: Mr. Tye Norbraten an you spell gypsum gauze? Believe it or not, this C was one of the grade 5 to 6 words in the exciting 2015 KPIS Inter-School Spelling Bee. This two-day event involved 17 international schools from Bangkok and its surrounding areas. There were many memorable moments that kept us on the edge of our seats!
On the first day of the event, our 1st and 2nd graders found themselves in the midst of many other savvy spellers. Although the competition was fierce, our fellow Concordians performed well. Additionally, our super speller, Brilliant, got 2nd place out of 90 competitors! Grades 3 through 6, inclusively, competed on the second day. And what a day it was! The words were more difficult and some even seemed to be almost impossible to spell! Nevertheless, our spelling bee participants persevered and had a respectable showing! Ade, a 4th grader, was the second place winner in his age category which also included 90 students! Overall, this was an outstanding two-day event that displayed our students’ hard work, intelligence, and competitive spirit! What a great way for our spellers to represent Concordian! Well done! The following is the Concordian Spelling Bee Team: Category 1 (Grades 1 to 2): Clare, Pepe, Cartoon, Mark, Brilliant, and Pixels Category 2 (Grades 3 to 4): Grace, Memi, Kyla, Ade, Thomas, and Andy Category 3 (Grades 5 to 6): Geo, Matthew, Nano, Bloomy, Jean, and Nut
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Showcase
“You ask me how deep my love for you is, how much I really love you. My affection is real. My love is real. The moon represents my heart…” (“你问我爱你有多深，我爱你有几分，我的情也真， 我的爱也真，月亮代表我的心……”) Chinese have been using the moon as a metaphor to describe the love that unites family, friends and communities since thousands of years ago. The moon appears to change through time, but does it really change? It’s always the same moon, just like the love that connects us. Although the form may vary from time to time, nation to nation, but love is always the thing that supports every one of us. As a Concordian tradition, students again celebrated the Moon Festival at school in an effort to enhance their understanding of Chinese culture as well as show appreciation to their family and friends. Students shared moon cakes and had fun playing games during Chinese classes. For example, MYP students participated in three cultural activities - making Chinese lanterns, singing Chinese karaoke (The Moon Represents My Heart) and playing ping pong with chopsticks. “今年，我们在学校庆祝了中秋 节。中文课的时候做了三项活 动，就是：唱歌，做灯笼和一个 游戏。 七年级和八年级分成了 六个小组。这样让学生们可以同 时玩不一样的活动。我们的组先 唱了邓丽君的“月亮代表我的 心”。接着，我们用红绒线做成 了漂亮的灯笼。最后我们玩了一 个游戏。这个活动的的规则是用 筷子把乒乓球夹起来然后跑到另 一边。这一个游戏不但有趣，而 且热闹。玩这个游戏的时候，我 们笑个不停，因为乒乓球总是掉 在地上。用筷子拿起了乒乓球真 难呀，但是我们都喜欢了这个游 戏。 活动结束后，我们坐下来， 一边吃月饼，一边回味这有趣的 一天。啊！今年中秋节的活动真 丰富！”－Andra (G7)
“今天在中文课我们庆祝中秋 节了。我们参加了三个活动： 唱歌，做手工和传月亮。我们 唱了月亮代表我的心，有十一个 人在一起唱歌,一共有三个组， 我 们 用 一 个 录 音 的 app， 所 以 唱完的时候，我们可以听自己 的声音。我觉得很有趣，我也 很开心，因为我的组赢了！” －Zander (G6)
“我们用筷子把乒乓球从一边送 到教室的另一面，这很难，因为 乒乓球很滑。乒乓球也跟月亮有 关，因为从地球看月亮，月亮就 像一个白色的乒乓球。我们还唱 了“月亮代表我的心”，这首歌 很好听，人们都知道，我的家 人也很喜欢。这首歌让我想到 同学们，也想到我的家人。” －Cherry (G10)
“这次的中秋节活动。MYP 的 老师们安排了好多的活动，比 如：做手工灯笼、乒乓球接力、 中文卡拉ok。我觉得我最喜欢 的活动是做手工灯笼。因为在活 动中我不仅我学会了如何制作 灯笼，而且我还看到我朋友的作 品。我看到很多特别的作品。这 次中文老师们做的活动真的挺 好。希望在中国的节日我们还会 有这样的活动，这样我们就能 了解更多关于中国的节日。” －Fern (G8)
“今年学校组织了一个很好玩的 中秋节活动，这个活动是很容易 也是很好玩的。 每个活动有不 同的意思， 我想它们都是老师 用了很多时间想的......第二个 活动是做一个很好看的灯笼。 中国人都用灯笼来装饰家，做 灯笼也是很有创意的活动， 我 们用的材料很特别，我做的灯 笼很好看。我们一个小时玩了 又好又有意思的活动， 希望明 年我们可以再玩这些活动！” －Teddy (G10) Written by: Min Li Chinese Curriculum Coordinator
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By: Ms. Zoe Boonmag
Showcase
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ast Saturday a group of 26 students from G.9 - 11 went to compete with 9 other international Schools in the Junior Achievement Company of the Year program at Bangkok Pattana School. Junior Achievement Company of the Year Program provides basic economic education for high school students by allowing them to organize and operate an actual business. The programs helps prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which makes their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Our students’s product (ornaments made out of melted crayons from left over crayons in our elementary school) won the Eco- Friendly Product Award.
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Alumni
ALUMNI w aa n nt nt ao SHARE
Man - Soravis Srinawakoon
Consultant at Boston Consulting Group Stanford University
Master’s of Science in Management Science and Engineering 2014 Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science 2013
Concordian International School Class of 2010
“Concordian has been a lot lot more to me than a school. It is the place that instilled the value of leadership, ,responsibility, and compassion in me. Concordian taught me to believe in myself. It taught me I can and I will achieve the ‘farfetched dream’ I have - going to a world-class university and becoming an influential and compassionate leader in society. In terms of academics, Concordian offers the IB program which prepared me well to tackle the sudden shift to Stanford University. IB courses are similar to first year college courses so I received free credits for my first quarter at Stanford. I was able to jump directly into advanced classes, which ultimately allowed me to graduate within three and a half years with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
Besides rigorous content, IB also gave me the skills to think my independently and manage managemy time wisely. Thus, I was able to work hard and enjoy a lot of extracurricular activities. I was able to take on seven courses and, at the same time, managed to play sports on the weekdays and go on ski and hiking trips on the weekends. In addition, Concordian is unique because they truly emphasize the value of leadership. Because of the school’s support, I was able to start a charity to build libraries in a rural part of Thailand. My team and I renovated Bangkok Refugee Center, donated money to a childcare center, spent multiple weekends at an elder house, and the list goes on. Not only did I participate, but I had the opportunity to drive and lead these activities
—a one-of-a-kind experience a normal high school student will not receive anywhere else. Fast forward five years, I now work at a leading management consulting firm where we work with business leaders on critical problems challenging their businesses. The work is fast-paced and extremely stressful as I work directly with C-suite and senior executives to change and add values to their business. Thanks to Concordian, I am still able to manage my time, my stress, and able to take huge responsibility. And while this may be a lot for a 23 years old, I know there is a lot more exciting dreams and change I can bring to the world—as Concordian have s trained and taught me to believe.”
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Trips & Expeditions
By: Grade 7 Students (English LL)
M
onday was a great start for our Week Without Walls journey. We took a bus from school to Don Mueng Airport. After a 40-minute flight, we bused to Sukhothai Treasure Resort and Spa. After unpacking, we ate at the fabulous buffet and then finished the day with free time of games and even a yoga class. The following morning was rainy, so we changed our schedule. Instead of biking at the Sukhothai Historical Park, we rode the covered trams around the park and took pictures of all the ruins. We learned about the kings and their influence over the people of Sukhothai. After a quick tour, we went to the Sukhothai Historical Museum where we learned about the history of Sukhothai, artifacts of the time period, weaponry, and decorations used by the Sukhothai people. Once the rain stopped and we explored the museum to the fullest, we packed our bags and headed back to the park for our bike ride. We strapped on our helmets, gathered up our bikes, divided into our groups and off we peddled. It was fun to hop off the bikes at each of the six stations to get a closer look at the ruins and take selfies! The first station was the monument of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great. Built in 1971, this monument displayed the king sitting on the Managkhasila Asana throne with the Sword of Victory by his side. The second station was Wat Sasri, and station three was Wat Trapang Ngern meaning temple of the silver pond. The fourth stop was Wat Sri Sawai, a temple constructed with Hinduism influence. Next, we stopped at Wat Maha Thart, which was the most important temple of Sukhothai. Our last stop was Nern Prasart where we stood on the remains of the royal palace. The bike ride was easy, flat, and very educational…but hot!
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Trips & Expeditions
Later that night, we divided into two groups so we could enjoy Thai games as well as Ms. Phoebe’s sewing class. We had a choice of making pouches for our cell phones, pockets for jewelry, covers for water bottles, or items of our choice. The Thai department set up games related to the historical museum and park sites which tested our knowledge on Sukhothai’s uprising, including culture, architecture, language and more. We even learned how to tie a necktie! On day three, it was off to the Organic Farm where the scent of nature was in the air. After our morning snack and a brief history of the farm, we divided into groups and were trucked to various activities. We visited the duck pen where we gathered eggs in baskets after the ducks rushed off to the water, we rode the buffalo (in place), ventured around the organic herb garden tasting various herbs, and finally ended up in the wet, fertile MUD to plant rice. After a short lesson on proper planting techniques, we took off our shoes and waded into the thick mud. Squelching under our weight, the wet soil clung to our legs and sucked us in making it difficult to move. After prying ourselves from the thick pond, we washed off, changed clothes, and headed off to lunch with happy thoughts of buffalos, rice fields, and mud spas. Lunch was fabulous and we even made our own dessert of Gluay Buad Chee, Khao Greab Pak More, and Bua Loy. With full bellies, we moseyed over to the Krathong making station where everyone showed skill in making the perfect krathong for the night’s ceremony.
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That night we dressed in our fancy Thai outfits and headed back to the park for our Loy Krathong ceremony and dinner. Many of the krathongs actually floated and took worries away; some ended up like submarines. Dinner on the lawn by the lake was delicious and the evening ended with entertainment by Thai dancers. After a long day, we headed back to the hotel for some needed rest. Day four was a crafty day. We had another tour of some temples, where we raced for every piece of shade we could find. We then went to the Bann Ruen Thai culture center to learn how to weave rugs, make bamboo reed fish mobiles, and paint our own ceramic cups. The teachers at the mobile station were patient yet skilled as they wove their fish with TURBO speed. We weren’t quite as skillful at this new craft. As for the pottery, we can’t wait to see how each cup turned out once fired and delivered back to school. Afterward, a morning of crafts, and as usual, lunch was spectacular. That night was the awaited Talent Show. We practiced three times before the show, so we knew each act wouldn’t be perfect, but were excited to perform in front of our friends. Each act showcased the performers’ talents of acting, dancing and singing. Students not only entertained the audience, but also enjoyed themselves on stage. Most acts used their team name in some fashion. For example, Jungle Chickens’ comedy skit and creative dance, Mountain Dew’s dance battle act, and Dr. Salt’s singing were all hilarious. After a successful night of shows, all the students laughed and danced along with the teachers during our spontaneous disco. Students said they were amazed by their teachers’ cool dance moves.
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On the final morning before heading back to Bangkok, prizes were awarded for the talent show, Thai games, and the overall winning team. First place for the Talent Show went to MLG Mountain Dew, the winner of the Thai games was Unknown Allicorn, and the overall winning team for this year’s WWW 22 was Jungle Chickens. What a great trip this was, and we were all so thankful to the teachers for helping us enjoy it to the fullest. We can’t wait for next year.
Trips & Expeditions
By: Napat G8
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uring Week Without Walls (WWW), my most enjoyable moment was the second teambuilding activity, the Black Mountain water obstacle course. The course was very challenging for people who are not used to swinging around on ropes, balancing on wet ground, climbing structures, and jumping on floating islands. In the team-building activity, we had to use our teamwork skills in order to help people in our group get across each obstacle, and to help each other when we were stuck or trying to get back on the floats and out of the water. On the lake, everyone got wet and completed the challenges with positive and extremely happy attitudes.
Even if we all had parts of WWW that we did not like as much as other parts, the trip was fun and challenging, and helped us to discover more about our classmates and ourselves. I learnt that everything we do offers a lesson to learn: from uncovering an undiscovered skill, to learning about a new side of our personality. Every WWW is a new experience because the responses of each person to the trip are different. Each of these special WWW experiences help to further our discoveries of finding our true potential, and help us to learn that we have more to offer than we ever thought before.
Other than participating in challenges and things we never thought we could do, everybody also got closer due to our lack of technology. Instead of sitting on our phones listening to music or playing games, we communicated with each other. We played card games and did physical activities to keep us entertained and busy. We also got closer to the teachers and the staff because we got to enjoy all of our activities together.
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By: Min G8Y During Week Without Walls (WWW), every place that I went gave me new knowledge and experiences. The place that affected me the most, changed my mind about the importance of education, and made me more compassionate and empathetic was Wang Klai Kang Wan School. This school was created by the King of Thailand, and helps people to get an education by allowing them to go to school for free. When I arrived at Wang Klai Kang Wan School, I saw three big buildings inside the school’s gate. When I walked inside the school, I received a warm welcome from Thai students who wore uniforms and hair that was tied back neatly. The students waied and invited us to sit down while the school’s principal gave a presentation. During the presentation, I recorded any important information that I wanted to remember. Wang Klai Kang Wan is the first school in Thailand to have distance learning television (DLTV). DLTV was created by the King to give equal opportunity education to every kid around Thailand; there are many kids without learning standards, teachers, and effective ways to learn, especially in remote areas of the country. DLTV, therefore, provides students with standard lessons and education. The lessons broadcasted from Wang Klai Kang Wan School reaches over 30,000 small schools in different districts within Thailand, and are shown over 15 channels, 24 hours a day. In addition to the broadcasts, students can also learn their lessons through an application on their phone or on the school’s website.
After hearing what the King is doing with DLTV in schools, I reflected back on how lucky I am to have a great education and convenient education at a school like Concordian International School. We have teachers who always support and encourage us to be better people. The students who are receiving an education through DLTV may live in hard conditions and have less choice about how they receive their education, but they still try their best to learn.
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The values that I learned and gained from this experience are compassion and empathy. The things that the King has done for over 30,000 schools shows how he empathizes with students, and how he sees that, at a young age, students need to be educated. The King shows his compassion by creating this project, and shows me that he does not want to simply help schools to survive, but wants to also help kids in the outer parts of Thailand to have a better future. Compassion and empathy might not be the most important values, but they are values that everyone needs to practice in order to make big changes to the country 25 and the world. These values must be learned and practiced, otherwise this world will not be peaceful, we will not understand each other, and we will not do anything to benefit others.
Trips & Expeditions
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uang Prabang is a fascinating ancient city located in northern Laos. Our Grade 9 and Grade 10 students spent an amazing week there from November 9 to November 13. The theme of the trip was “Preserving Tradition in a Globalized World” and included fun hands-on activities like learning how to cook incredible Laos food and produce and dye Laos fabrics, according to ancient Laos tradition. There was also a lot of history and culture that included visits to museums, the Royal Palace and famous Luang Prabang Buddhist temples. For the trip, students were placed into nine different groups and they all competed in an “Amazing Race” activity. In their groups, the students were given different tasks throughout the trip so they could collect evidence and learn about the extent that Laos is managing to preserve its ancient traditions despite being a part of an increasingly globalized world. Ultimately, on the last day they all created and shared incredible videos of their experiences throughout the trip. One of the many highlights of the trip was a service trip to a local orphanage where our students helped lead fun and engaging activities with the students there.
If you want to learn more about this incredible journey, please watch the incrediblevideo created by Tawan, one of our Grade 10 students at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqYmzmPiuHk&feature=youtu.be.
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Trips & Expeditions
By: Eliz (Grade 11C)
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n November 22, 2015, the Concordian Class of Leg17tness headed out to the Northern part of Thailand with a definite goal: To build a school in the village called Om Koi. Despite the quick plane ride we had, we encountered rocky, steep and narrow roads that took us almost six hours to get to the school. In my opinion however, the car sickness and the pain of sitting for a long period of time was worth coming to Om Koi. Swept away from the city and into the deep parts of Chiang Mai provinces’ mountains, we didn’t have the comfort of our daily luxuries. We slept in tents outside of the school freezing from the bristle cold at night and facing swarms of daddy long legs (spiders) everywhere. There were three toilets, for almost forty of us to share. It wasn’t the fancy types of showers that most of us have at our home. The shower was a big bucket full of water and a smaller bucket to scoop the water and shower ourselves. We were isolated from the city, and we were surrounded entirely by beauty of both the people and environment.
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For the next three days, we helped the team of builders construct and paint the exterior and the interior of the library and the canteen. It was beyond exhausting; some of us helped to drill wooden boards for the walls of the school, while others created murals and painted the walls of the building bright and dark purple. It was a challenge for some of us who had not been exposed to the tools and materials used for construction. I myself had never picked up or used a drill, and there I was learning how to use a drill for the first time. It was a challenge for me but once I got the hang of it, I was able to drill holes in the right places. We played with the kids during our breaks. We befriended them, getting to know a little bit about their school, their villages and what they would like to do once they have finished school. We had also befriended the team who was in charge of the school build. Without their help, most of us would have been misguided on what to do during the school build. After the whole process of building the library and setting up the shelves and books 29 in place, we saw the faces of the children and the teachers light up with happiness.
Trips & Expeditions
During the four days we spent up there, our class got time to bond with each other. We shared and reflected about what we had both liked and disliked about each other as well as our own plans for our current IB journey. On the day before our trip back to Bangkok, we went around interviewing the local villagers. In some cases, it was difficult to understand as they spoke a different dialect from what most of us usually hear. They shared their stories with us: most of them marry by the age of sixteen and have up to almost ten children; they were a religious community devoted to Christianity. Their yearly income was less than 5,000 baht, but they grew their own food and only went to the nearest city to buy necessities such as meat. They were simple people who lived simple lives, but they were happy with what they had and that to me was truly beyond amazing. The night before we left, we had a talent show and the villagers and the kids showed traditional performances. They wore their beautiful hand-made clothes dancing and singing wonderfully. All in all, the trip was an amazing learning experience that exposed us to a society different from what we were used to. The villagers, the school, and the people in this trip had made this experience worth going to. Thank you to the Class of Leg17tness, Khun Varnnee, School Build and our Chaperones. Without you this would never have happened!
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Community Service
Mae Sot
Operation Smile Trip
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peration smile is an NGO that provides reconstructive facial survey to repair cleft lips, palates, and other facial deformities for children throughout the world. On November 3-5, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on one of their missions along at Mae Sot this year with 4 other classmates (Lothang, Kram, Pong, and Nam) and Mr. Harvey. While I was there I was able to visit and entertain the children at the wards, observed surgeries in the operating theaters, packed goody bags for the volunteers, and also visited Mae Sot Clinic. In my opinion the recovery room was the happiest room in the operation theatres because it would be the first room that the parents of the child would be able to see their child after the surgery. I was surprised to see how each parent reacted when they saw their child, some were happy others were scared. This trip really shows how one surgery saves a life and it’s a pity that a lot of the people who need it are not able to financially support it. by: Kevin
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Flash Back
The Fifteen Minute Hamlet
A workshop performance by IB Theatre
Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th November 3.30-4.00 in the Drama Studio Limited seating Based loosely on the script by Tom Stoppard Performed by Year 1 IB Theatre students
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n the 17th and 18th of November the IB Year 1 class presented their first public performance – a workshop adaptation of Tom Stoppard’s 15 minute Hamlet. Before the actual performance, the class of four – Big, Bart, First and Kan completed a number of workshops developing voice and movement. Learning the lines was a challenge and delivering them took considerable practice. At the same time the theatre students developed their stagecraft skills – learning blocking, how to breathe properly and elements of physical theatre. The ensemble worked with great energy and commitment in creating an entertaining 25-minute version of “Hamlet”. The cast enjoyed the experience and felt very proud of what they made. Although a very short piece of theatre, the script demanded quick changes of characters and a strong physical presence – it was a good first up effort by the ensemble.
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“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare By Big & Mr. Clynt Whitaker
Flash Back
By: Mr. George Konopik
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he TISAC Orchestra Festival was held in the Grand Theater on October 29th. Six TISAC schools came together to build a full, 80-piece orchestra that performed 8 selections for visiting parents and Concordian’s MYP student body. Concordian’s music department had 33 participants, ranging from grade 7 to 11. Nat Lee performed on outstanding rendition of Misty between the Intermediate and Advanced Orchestra performances. The directors, student performers, and audience members all agreed, that this Festival is one of the performance high-lights of the year. See you next year!
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Flash Back
Long Live the King
By: Kru Aim Sungkasuwan
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n the auspicious 88th anniversary of the King’s birthday, Concordian International School held the King’s Birthday Ceremony. This is an event that celebrates King Bhumibol Aduulyadej’s life and his commitment to Thailand. This is also a time and great opportunity to show our Love for the King.
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The Thai department presented the exhibition of his project “Sufficiency Economy” in the lobby. The beautiful art and crafts were created by our Grade 5 students who wanted to express their love for the King through their best works of art.
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By: Mr. Joe Savage Concordian Halloween 2015 Was the best Halloween we have ever seen. First the EY saw a show that was so scary. A Gorilla came on stage that was big and hairy. The poor K1 kids who sat at the show up front Got so scared when they heard the gorilla grunt The older children sat in the back They weren’t scared, they only laughed. The hallway parade seemed to last so long As we all moved to a famous Halloween song. The music was loud and the costumes were funny. We had witches, zombies, princesses and bunnies. The decor in the hallway was festive and fun The parents worked so hard to ensure everyone Of the students who were here on Halloween Day Were happy as all of the children made their way Through the hallways of school to find yummy treats They roamed through the building yelling “Trick or Treat.” At the PY show it was extremely clear That the primary students were filled with terrible fear How they cried out in terror at the terrible sight Of the giant gorilla with his eyes full of light They shouted from the crowd “Oh please make it stop!” When the beastly gorilla dropped the great rock. They all cried again when they saw the film of Gorgon’s Attack. And wailed in terror when their principal was turned into a snack The gym had magically changed in one afternoon. A Halloween festival arose in that giant room. Parents of Primary Students worked incredibly hard Decorating stations and designing grave yards. The students and parents played for well over an hour They made skeletons, zombies, red wounds of corn flour Teachers and parents worked together in such a way To ensure that different students all got a chance to play Halloween games that suited their different styles And ensuring that each of them had gigantic smiles. The early years students went to a haunted house. Each crawled on the ground like a little mouse. They crawled through a maze of spooky corners and paths. The scary music couldn’t be heard over the sound of the laughs. Not one of the students wanted to leave the room at the end All of them wanted to enter the maze again and again. Some parents and teachers stayed in the room to play They laughed and tried to scare the children all day.
Concordian Halloween 2015 Was the best Halloween we have ever seen.
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Only patents and teachers working together can make something this great. Thank you so much to all of you who chose to participate.
Flash Back
By Peeraya (10C)
F
lashing fireworks, the liveliness and happiness of people, and colorful decorative ‘Krathong’ flowers floating along the river are one of the most scenic views of Thailand. The Loy Krathong ceremony happens on every 15th night of the twelfth lunar month (that falls on every November). People often gather around rivers and canals to float their “Krathongs”, lotus shaped rafts of candles and flowers, and watch the most beautiful full moon of the year. It is a passed down tradition that has been with Thai people from generations to generations. There are several reasons why Thai people still keep this ceremony today. Back in the ancient times, we absorbed many traditions and beliefs from the Middle East, including the belief that there were spirits in everything. For example, we believe in Phra Mae Thorani, Goddess of earth and Phra Mae Kongka, Goddess of Water. For millions of years, water has been the basis of life. We use water for a great number of reasons, whether for drinking, cooking, cleaning, transportation, producing electricity and more. For this reason, many canals and rivers turn dirty and muddy. Therefore, one of the reasons that people create ‘Krathong’ is to show apology to the river and to raise awareness of water conservation as well as the natural environment. There is another belief that Loy Krathong can release all the badness and diseases away. People also celebrate Loy krathong to pay respect to Bhuddha.
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As the Loy Krathong ceremony has been with people for a very long time, it is difficult to investigate the origin of this tradition. The most reliable conclusion is that the Loy Krathong ceremony has been with Thailand since King Ramkhumhang of the Sukhothai era. Back then, the ceremony was called “Jorng Priang Chuk Koam”. The purpose was to pray for the king and Bhuddha. Later on, “Tao Sri Chulaluk” known as “Nang Noppomas”, King Phra Ruang’s first concubine modified lotus flowers into a bowl with candles to use in the ceremony. King Phra Ruang was very impressed, so he declared that, “from now on, on every full moon night of the twelfth month, everyone must create a lotus craft to pray for Buddha’s step for eternity”. This year, Concordian also participated Loy Krathong ceremony by hosting an event in the grand theatre. First, the representative students presented the history of Loy Krathong Festival and similar festivals in other countries. Then, there were performances about Thai traditional culture. Students dressed up in Thai native clothes and performed the way ancient people live. The coolest thing about this was when the student who dressed up into a monk with a temple boy walked in to receive alms from the people. It showed how Buddhism is peaceful in a way of
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it’s own. After that, there were beautiful Thai dance performances from the MYP girls. The highlight of the show was when the stage changed into a Sukhothai theme with King Phra Ruang, his concubines and soldiers appearing. The students performed the famous scene where Loy Krathong became the national ceremony and festival of Thailand. This event was very admirable and it could not happen without the cooperation of the teachers, administrators, and students.
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By: Kru Aim Sungkasuwan
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ai Kru Ceremony or Teacher Appreciation Day for CIS, was held shortly after the beginning of the school year, on a Thursday as Thursday is traditionally the day of wisdom which teachers display. Our school had a Wai Kru ceremony in August for DP, MY and PY and in September for EY.
“Wai” means to bow in Thai and it also involves bringing your hands together as if saying a prayer. Thai culture fosters a deep respect for educators and the “Wai Kru” ceremony is a brilliant way to start the academic year. On this day, the students bring flowers to their teachers as a symbol of their respect and readiness to learn, in the same fashion that students in the US would bring an apple for the teacher. This is in line with our August school value - ‘Appreciation’ month!
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Flash Back
28 nov 2015
Ploenchit Fair
by Pien Pien G10
at Bangkok Patana International School
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loenchit fair is a fair held every year at Bangkok Pattana and ran by the British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy with the assistance of students, teachers, parents, international schools, etc. The fair was first founded as a way for British expatriates to give back to the Thai community by raising money to help their population in need. Today the fair welcomes all nationalities, and a portion of the proceeds from the fair is still used to fund nonprofit organizations struggling to make the world a better place. All of the students who participated in the booth from Concordian International School, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Being able to interact with people with diverse backgrounds was certainly a beneficial experience. I think that for us students working at the booths on that Saturday, the reason we felt proud of ourselves was not because Pleonchit fair was a charity event, it was because we were able to see the children smiling and laughing, generally having a good time.
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Flash Back
By: Ms. Valerane Hanis
“Children helping Children”
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nce again for a truly successful third year, a wonderful new group of K2 children and their supportive parents and family members have cooperatively joined the K2 teachers in helping our children understand the true meaning of “compassion, caring and generosity”. As our fantastic Concordian School Community excitedly cheered us on and at times walked along side of us, we proudly walked around the PYP gym track in hopes of collecting funds for another worthy cause: to give to those children who have much less than we do. This year the fortunate recipient was The Pattaya Orphanage who received a generous pledge of 359,017 baht that our children earned from their hard work and their very supportive sponsors. At a welcoming ceremony attended by our K2 children and their parents and teachers at our school, The Pattaya Orphanage was presented with our children’s charitable donation. They kindly thanked us for our financial support towards their children and the center’s future needs. On behalf of our K2 Teachers and collective Concordian School community, we extend our warmest and heartfelt “Thanks” to all our K2 children and their families in bringing joy to those much less-fortunate.
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Flash Back
Le Petitat Prince Concordian O
n December 1st and 3rd, The Blank Foundation, a student found organization by the 11th graders, organized the Le Petite Prince Mixed Media Performance with the help of the school staff and the Thonglor Art Space. The show started off with the story of a pilot, whose airplane broke down on a mysterious planet. On that planet, the pilot meets a cryptic young boy, who seems to be “The Little Prince”, who starts off telling his adventurous and intriguing journey. The show’s use of object theatre, shadow theatre, paper cut animation, puppets and live performance left an impression on the mesmerized audience. After the show, kids beaming with smiles and laughters proved the show to be a success.
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Flash Back
By: Ms. Milichu Keats
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ollowing our tradition of previous years we had our Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 19th at the Function Room. Between 5:30 – 8:30, we were able to give course to this event. Our approach to it is not only to honor the historical American celebration, but fundamentally be able to thank the various institutions in Bangkok that open their doors to us making our community service program possible. Through this component of the CAS requirements for DP students and the participation of 9th and 10th Graders, we are able to put in practice the philosophy of our School mission statement. The dinner was a pot luck prepared by the teachers. The contribution of turkey and drinks was from the administration and Sodexo. Decorations this year were in the hands of the Chinese department. Tickets for the raffle were sold by the 10th, 11th and 12th graders. Prizes ranged from different venues, and they really fulfilled the expectations of the winners. By: Ms. Zoe Boonmag
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s every year, we were very fortunate to have 6 of our dearest institutions join our Thanksgiving Party, the highlights of the night were performances from Duangjai Nursing Home, whom engaged us all in their upbeat dance, and Camillian Home, with their heartwarming Thai and Western songs. We also had amazing performances from our MY/DP students, Ou and Jasmine from G.12 with their beautiful voices which grabbed the attentions of all the guests. Almond and Millie from G.9 who graciously contributed to our event by singing a lovely song called “A gift to a friend”. The Mercenaries (Mei, Kevin, Thai, Minsung and Shawn) also rocked the night showcasing their talents and not to forget our two fantastic Emcees, Oum and Kong from G.12 who entertained us all night. Thank you all for making this year’s thanksgiving party such a wonderful night for all of us. I would also like to expand my thanks to all the G.11 students who helped with taking care of the institutions and with organizing the event. Your contributions were highly appreciated by all our guests.
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Also, thank you to K. Aoh, K. Ice, K. Prinz, K. Pui, Ms. Jesusa, K. Tuk, K. Nat from IT and K. Wat from IT, all our technicians, maids, Sodexo team, and administration who have dedicated their time and effort to making this event a memorable night for all of us. “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” Rumi
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his event was the first big fan event we held at Concordian. ‘Ramakien Big Fan’ was held to test the student’s knowledge on Ramakien or Ramayana as MYP students study Ramakien every year in our Thai literature unit.
There were 4 teams, 2 students from each grade ranging from grade 6-10. What we had to do was to gather in our teams, look at the questions that we were given and answer correctly. The first set of questions were closed questions where we just answered factual information from the story. Then we had to look at pictures and name the characters. After that, we had to guess the picture, but we could only see some parts of the picture. Finally, in order to find the real Big fan of Ramakien, we had to answer various types of challenging questions that most of us never learnt about. The atmosphere of the event was very competitive and exciting as every team wanted to win. I think this was a very entertaining and well planned event for the students to participate in. This also shows how we can help preserve traditional culture in a modern and fun way so that we can keep passing on the story of Ramayana that teaches basic morals and Thai culture to our future generations. By: Chayanont (Max) G10P
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Flash Back
G.11 SCHOOL BUILD PROJECT: CHARITY CONCERT
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n October 9th, grade 11 held a charity concert for the school build project, raising 123,900 baht from tickets sales and donations. The school build project is where, every year, the grade 11s raise funds in order to renovate schools in rural (almost isolated) areas. Additionally, working along with ‘my school’ (Rong rean kong nu) organization, the grade 11s will also travel to Aom Goi and renovate the destined school themselves. There were three bands performing at the concert, Crimson Hall (performers: Pond G9, Kat G9, Shertam G10, Punch G10, and Jeen G11), Blackout (performers: Max, Boomer, Name, Chai, Tee, and Napat all from G9), and a guest professional band called Circle Square. The performances were both lively and sentimental, from rock songs performed by the enthusiastic and skillful members of Blackout to the tender and melodic music of Crimson Hall; not to forget the sensational and ebullient performances from Circle Square too. Not only that, the show was opened by a group of skilled dancers from the dance club (performers: Eye, Prim, Pena, May, and Ming Ming from G10) dancing to ‘f(x)’s Red light’, and reopening the show during its second half with ‘Bang Bang Bang’ by Bigbang (performers: Sung Ju, Peter, Eye, Prim, Pena, May, and Ming Ming from G10). Last but not least, the show also had a small, comical ‘space jump’ impromptu performance from the G11 boys (performers: Bart, Kan, Rut, First, Thai, Max). The concert would not be successful if not for the more than the 200 people who bought the tickets and attended the concert. The organizers of the concert (Waad, Reaw, Jeen, Mild, Ting and Shertam from G10) would like to thank anyone who helped support the concert. Additionally, we would also like to thank Milly from G3 for her genuine intention in helping the G11 school build project by selling adorable pencil cases to the school community. Written By: Mild N. G11
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Name: Ming Class: K2S What are your hobbies? “Singing the Poppy Song!” What is your favorite food? “Octopus” What is your favorite color? “Pink” What are you doing over the December and New Year Break? “I don’t know.” Name: Ken Class: K3T What are your hobbies? “I like to mix colors.” What is your favorite food? “Rice” What is your favorite color? “Orange is pretty.” What are you doing over the December and New Year Break? “Eat Gingerbreads!” Name: Peam Class: G3T What are your hobbies? “I like to draw and color.” What is your favorite food? “I like pizza.” What is your favorite color? “Green” What are you doing over the December and New Year Break? “I haven’t made plans yet.” Name: Paopao Class: 7JL What are your hobbies? “I swim and play computer games.” What is your favorite food? “Noodles are the best.” What is your favorite color? “Black and white” What are you doing over the December and New Year Break? “I am travelling to Hong Kong with my family.” Name: Almond Class: 9R What are your hobbies? “I like singing, dancing, playing piano, and sometimes playing the flute.” What is your favorite food? “Thai laab and namtok” What is your favorite color? “I like light blue.” What are you doing over the December and New Year Break? “I am going to church to decorate for Christmas, to participate in the activities, and to learn the real meaning of Christmas.”
Thank you to Ming, Ken, Peam, Paopao, Almond, and Ethan for participating in our Student Spotlight!
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Name: Ethan Class: 10P What are your hobbies? “I like playing music and occasionally drawing.” What is your favorite food? “Japanese food” What is your favorite color? “Black” 47 What are you doing over the December and New Year Break? “I am 47 travelling to the south of Thailand for a week.”
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n October 30, Concordian International School was fortunate enough to welcome Ms. Loung Ung to our school. Her visit as an author and lecturer was a delightful way for our students to hear a different perspective.
Recently, Ms. Ung and her story have been in the news. Angelina Jolie-Pitt, the famed actress and director, is adapting her film to the big screen. Ms. Jolie-Pitt is currently filming the movie in Cambodia alongside Ms. Ung, which makes our school even more fortunate to have hosted Loung Ung is the author of First her. Our school was the only They Killed My Father as well one she made time for in her as two other books in the same visit. series. They detail her experience with the Khmer Rouge oc- While she was here, the cupation in Cambodia, when a Diploma students heard her genocidal and communist govern- speak about her experiences ment took over, bringing suffering during the Khmer Rouge, the to the country. She survived this beauty of the country before the event, eventually moving abroad war, and the transition to new to the United States and writing places as a refugee. She spoke about her experiences under the about the idea of home and regime. Her book is one of the what a person can do to improve most popular stories of the time, the world, or at least their part and popular among travelers to of it. For the other high school Cambodia. students, grades 9 and 10,
she spoke again about her experiences and how to deal with the trauma that accompanies an experience like the Khmer Rouge. There was anger and depression, but also the management of these feelings. One of our students had a spectacular question: “What can we do to make the world a better place?� Her answer was fairly simple: Be aware of the world. Be aware of yourself. Make the changes that you can make, and be kind to every person. Her wise words of advice were received by students and teachers across Concordian. Her words align with our vision for our students, to have integrity, compassion, vision, and intellect. Her life has been so different to the lives that we live every day, and yet the advice matches us all.
By: Ms. Kelsey Hedrick
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Written by Oum and Calvin
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ife is well and the future is bright for the 2015-2016 school year. Why? Because this year’s team of elected officers and class representatives are eager to do their best to improve school life at Concordian - and seeing from what’s happened so far, we dare say, this may be one of the most active and independent years yet. From class unity to community activities, the Student Government has began the year with adjustments and reintroductions of a variety of projects and systems. Spirit Week is having a comeback, followed closely by Town Hall (where students raise issues they have regarding the school to a panel of school administrators); a Club System and a Medal System have been introduced; Class Logo and Shirts have been officialized, and we now have a Student Food Committee Representative! The most notable and memorable event of all was Spirit Week. Students from Grades 9-12 came to school each day dressed up in designated themes (such as Spirit Paint, Formal Wear, and Halloween), and zealously battled against each other to see which grade was the fastest at eating ice cream without hands, or which grade would beat everyone else at tug of war (just to name a few). Counting participation, best dressed, and activity rank, the current results in terms of gold medals are: Class of TR16E in first place, Class of LEG17NESS in second place, Class of V18ES in third place, and last but not least, Class of P19S in fourth place. But wait! These classes also hold other medals, as shown in the table below.
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And that’s not all! The Student Government has more in store. Prepare to look forward to printing on your personal computers, Sports Day, Club Fair, and Festival of Love. The Christmas break may be coming, but the Student Government is just getting started. On behalf of the HSSG, thank you very much for your continual support! P.S. If you would like to contact the Student Government, email us at studentgov@concordian.org!
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P19S
V18ES
LEG17NESS
TR16E
1 Gold
2 Gold
3 Gold
7 Gold
5 Silver
4 Silver
2 Silver
2 Silver
0 Bronze
5 Bronze
5 Bronze
4 Bronze
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Tug of War on Wednesday (Credits to Yammy)
Top Halloween Dress Up
One of the many Formal Dress Up Contestants why
Fashion Disaster Winners by Class of 2017 (LEG17NESS)
IB History Haunted House
(G11) Carnia and Mei on Spirit Paint Day
Class Shirt Logos!
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MYP
Grade 6
In Counseling and guidance lessons, students learn the benefits of doing homework by understanding the importance of building lifelong skills of responsibility, self-discipline, and time management through practicing different homework completion strategies.. Students get to explore their own learning styles and become aware of their learning preferences and apply specific strategies to learn more efficiently. When the learning environment matches their learning preference, they learn faster, retain information longer, and have increased confidence in their study skills. Students also learn how important self-discipline is to lifelong success. Self-discipline is: • The trait of being well behaved • The act of controlling your impulses • The act of disciplining one’s own feelings and desires.
Students learned the concept of delayed gratification, the ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward, and watched the Marshmallow experiment, a series of studies on delayed gratification. They are designing advertising posters that educate people of the many benefits of being self-disciplined.
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Grade 7
The Grade 7 students continue to develop and prepare their English units and lesson plans for their classes at Klong Kra Seang Toey school. This direct service of teaching English is very rewarding to our students. Grade 7 have been working with Concordian Grade 2 students on a Reading program.
Grade 8
Grade 8 service learning began during Week without Wall. During the trip they met people from different organizations whose main purpose is to help others. On November 19, the students attended a class at Bang Pu Environmental Center where they learned more about the ecosystem in Samut Prakan. Later in March we plan to return to the center to help clean up the trash washed ashore by the Chao Praya river. Service learning continued the following day when they visited the community of Bang Nam Pheung Nok. During the day, we visited Bang Nam Phueng Nok Wat and the local school to find out what their needs were. In December the Grade 8 will begin working on the Community Projects.
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MYP
Grade 9
It has been a busy start to the service learning year with the Grade 9’s assessing an environmental service need. In November, we assisted the Camillian home with service activities such as reading, painting, and physical activities. They also went to the Small Slum Welfare centre to clean and repair their playground.
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MYP
Personal Project Product Update #1
Grade 10
The G10 students are busy completing their Personal Project products. They are working on a variety of products that help achieve their individual goals for the project.The product exhibition will be held on January 19th when the will share their goals and products with all MYP Students. Here are some examples of the products in progress.
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By: Mr. Yuri Halushka
PY
Serving Our Students:
The New PY Student Council After an exciting student council election, which took place at the end of September, and a nail-biting voting frenzy, our collective body of PY Concordian students chose 5 individuals who they believed would best represent their interests, and add to the creation of a better school environment for all. These 5 individuals were recognized for their astonishing communication skills, ability to take risks
and bravely approach unfamiliar situations with courage and forethought, and share a clear vision, which they believed would transform our chool for the better. Here is what the 5 had to say in a recent interview we had with them: Q: Please tell us a little bit about your role and what you hope to do in the student council this year. A: “Hi! My name is Kaoklong (G5K) and I am the new treasurer. I am good at math and plan to organize many events like a bake sale to raise money for good use.” A: “Hi. My name is Khrista (G5Y). I am taking the position of the Media Officer. I am so excited to have this position because I want to make this school a better place. I am happy to help the student council and to make a change. We hope to create a gardening program and many other great things.” A: “Hi! My name is Palmy (G5K). This year I am very excited to join the student council. I am the secretary this year because I like to take notes. I hope this year I can improve the school, and make our school a better place.” A: “Hi. My name is Safe (G5M)! I’m the vice president! I am helping the president do his work. Right now we are working on a gardening program and on buying new equipment for the playground. This is my plan!” A: “Hello, I am Nano (G5K), President of the PYP student council. I am very excited to be serving our Concordian students. Right now the student council is looking forward to creating a gardening program. The gardening program will ask students to plant trees with hopes to use the fruits and vegetables for Sodexo.”
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56 We want to wish our student council a very successful school year and are looking forward to all the changes they hope to be a part of in order to make our school an even better place!
Good luck guys!!
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Encouraging Lifelong Learning
BY Ms. Nathalie Herve
Professional Development in the PYP:
In an ever changing world of education teachers are continually taking part in professional development. As lifelong learners, teachers are always eager to learn more, traveling around the world to collaborate with other professionals with the goal of bringing back ideas to share with colleagues for the benefit of student learning. While teachers at Concordian have the opportunity to travel outside Thailand for professional development, there are also ample opportunities within the school for professional growth. While we continually have IB Workshop leaders conduct PD's at our school, we also value the wealth of experience our own teachers have and recognize how they might support the entire PYP community. This school year, a range of PD's have been offered by our teachers including topics such as developing conceptual understandings through hands-on activities in math, reading models and assessment, differentiation in the classroom, use of the Interactive MimioBoard, Chinese Language development and more.
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EY
What makes ‘Concordian’
a special place?
“We can sing the songs.” Thunwa (K2V)
“I feel a strong sense of community here and it’s different from other schools because of the trilingual program.” Ms. Analiza (G2 Teaching Assistant)
“Friends”
“Because we learn and have a good playground. i like the monkey bars and the slide.” Ing Ing (K3)
Pearie (N)
“Because we learn about bugs!” Jacob (K2V)
“Concordian has always has been a wonderful place me to because it is always full of positive changes.”
Ivy (K2V)
“We can learn letters.”
Ms. Rachel (Grade 4 Teacher)
“It has 3 kinds of special: English, Chinese and Thai” BJ (G1A)
“Concordian is special because it is an IB School and it means we have the Learner Profile and Attitudes that help us to become better grownups.” Mimi (5K)
Kiri (3R)
Mr. Laurent (CEO & Elementary/Middle School Principal)
“The school has a commitment to encouraging students to become life long learners and citizens of the world.”
Mr. Tim (Dean of Early Years & K3 Teacher)
“We have a good mission statement and we try to make a difference in the world”
“Not only is Concordian famous for our trilingual program but we are special because of the strong values we have and the safe and trusting environment we create to ensure students can grow and learn.”
“Because it helps me to have integrity and compassion and because I get to meet new friends” Henry (G2S)
“This is a place I have grown to who I am right now, and I can share and support my experience with others.” Ms. Sally (PYP Coordinator & Director of Curriculum & Instruction)
“Because Concordian teaches students to help others.” Cathy (2N)
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“Because the school is big and lots of children can come and learn. And the teachers are good and know about a lot of things” Rome (K3G)
EY
Making sense of
BY Ms. Nathalie Herve
the IB Learner Profile
Among the beliefs and values that drive the PYP is a philosophy about the nature of International Education and the kind of students it hopes to send out into the world. The IB Learner Profile is at the heart of what it means to be internationally-minded and is a set of attributes that PYP teachers hope to instill and cultivate within students. So what does the Learner Profile mean to the teachers and students at Concordian and how do we interpret it across our Primary Years Program? Stephen (4J): “I think I am an inquirer because I like to research a lot and ask a lot of questions.” Putt (K3N): “I am principled because I can tell the truth.” Ms. Erin (Teacher Librarian): “Students show that they are caring by being respectful to the people and materials that are in the Library. Students are also risk takers and inquirers; when looking for books, they use the computers to help them find new books that they have not read before.” Nano (5K): “It is important because it can help us become better people and change the world when we get older. As president of student council I will need to be a thinker this year to think about new ideas for the school.” Mr. Joao (PE Teacher): “In PE students learn the importance of being caring and helping each other. They also learn to be open-minded in trying many different sports.” Putter (4J): “Being open-minded means you need to let others speak when you are working in a group or listen to them….”(Ninja 4J)”…and respect the other ideas even if they are different from yours!” Ms. Nicole (Grade 2 Teacher): “The IB Learner profile is a set of important words that can have a positive impact on the students’ actions in their everyday lives.” Khao Mai (2N): “It is important because these words help us to be better students.” Aood (2C): “It has some good words so we can do our best!” Dew (K3N): “When people fall we can be caring and help them.”
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Message From EY Dean ! Mr. Tim Byrum
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simple walk through the hallways of our Early Years section and seeing all of the amazing work that is displayed on our bulletin boards will give anyone a good idea of how our students learn and grow as they move up from year to year through our Early Years program at Concordian. Many parents and school visitors have been spotted looking at and appreciating all of the great learning that is happening in the classrooms and how this learning is so beautifully displayed on our bulletin boards.
Nursery
Nursery
Nursery
Kindergarten 1
Kindergarten 1
Kindergarten 1
Kindergarten 1
Kindergarten 2
Kindergarten 2
Kindergarten 2
Kindergarten 3
Kindergarten 3
Here is what the Early Years students have been learning: Nursery Who We Are Central Idea: I can identify my family and friends and treat others with care.
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K1: Who We Are Central Idea: People are similar and different.
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K2: How We Organize Ourselves Central Idea: Transportations systems connect Communities.
K3: Where We Are in Place and Time Central Idea: Every Family has its own unique history. K3: How We Express Ourselves (Year long Unit) Central Idea: There are many similarities in the way people celebrate around the world.
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Concordian Dragon Stickers
NOW AVAILABLE!
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