School Update
Meet Our
Secondary Principals & Director of College Counseling - Management Team Dear Concordian Community,
Starting the school year online was a big challenge for all and it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly without the collective effort from everyone in the community. This is my first year in the new role of Secondary Principal and, as always, I have been so touched to witness how Concordians excel in innovative ways when facing seemingly insurmountable restrictions.
The unique attributes and qualities of Concordians manifest through how we respond and take action in this unprecedented context. We develop transferable understand-
With the powerful tools and service minds, many of us have been working as active change agents, ensuring that we hold each other accountable and continue to have engaging and meaningful learning experiences, whether it’s online or on campus. Some of us have also been reaching out to support friends, families and communities that are less fortunate as we navigate together through this constantly changing time. The pandemic has made it more evident and pressing that we need to step out of our comfort zone to embrace change at all times, not only to survive but also to adapt and thrive. As I Ching illustrates, any circumstance hitting a limit will begin to change. Change will in turn lead to an unimpeded state, and then lead to continuity.（《易经》有云：穷则变，变则通， 通则久。）
18 16 CONCORDIAN CONCORDIAN IMPACT IMPACT -- ISSUE ISSUE 32 32
ings and skills that can be applied in unfamiliar and unknown situations. What’s more important, we nurture the heart and mind to actively tackle varied challenges and to support people and communities in need.
I am so grateful and honored to be part of the inspirational Concordian community. It’s my greatest pleasure to continue to change and grow together with you all towards our Concordian vision and mission. Ms. Min Li Secondary School Principal MYP Curriculum/ MYP/DP Head of Languages/ MYP/DP Chinese HOD
Sincerely, Ms. Min Li Secondary Principal
School Update
Welcome to the 21/22 School Year. Although we started off the year with online
learning, we were fortunate to be able to transition to a Hybrid teaching model. While implementing this model posed many challenges for the day-to-day operations of the school and created a lot of extra work for our teachers, we felt it was worth it to have our students back on campus for their social and emotional wellbeing, as well as receiving academic support that just can’t be done online. It also hopefully means that we are on our way to being able to have our students on campus full time. As the safety of our community is always a top priority, we worked with hospitals, government health officials, local governments, and other schools to ensure we exceeded the safety procedures mandated by our national and local governments to restrict the spread of Covid-19. We also registered with the MOE and CCSA so community members had access to vaccines as they became available. Plus, we provided ATK test kits on a weekly basis to our staff and students to help ensure that everyone on campus is Covid-free.
Mr. Bill Berry Secondary School Principal MYP/DP Dean of Students/ MYP/DP Faculty Affairs
I would like to thank our community for all the valuable feedback provided that helped ensure the transition from online learning to a Hybrid model was successful. I hope that when you read this we are back to on-campus learning, but if not, I know with your continued support we will continue to have a strong academic program that meets the needs and aspirations of our students. I hope to see you all on campus soon and wish you all a successful and healthy school year. Bill Berry Secondary Principal
The Concordian Management team has an open-door policy and is always available to students who need to reach out. L earning is a complex process with involvement from teachers,
students, parents and the whole school community. The experience of nearly three decades in the field of education has proved to me again and again one truth: there is always something we can learn and grow from, no matter what phase of life we are in. To continue and to move on, it is an honor and privilege to take the role as one of the Secondary School principals this year. Witnessing our students and Concordian as a whole grow during these many years is definitely an exciting and rewarding experience. Seeing students inquire into various topics in & outside classrooms, and provide service actions to the communities around us has convinced me over and over again that education opportunities are embedded in our everyday life.
Ms. Sally Wen Secondary Principal
19 17
Ms. Sally Ya-Hsin Wen Secondary School Principal DP Curriculum/ IB Continuum Coordinator
CONCORDIAN CONCORDIAN IMPACT IMPACT -- ISSUE ISSUE 32 32
All of this cannot not be accomplished without the dedication and commitment of our Concordian staff. With great pride, I am thrilled to be able to work with a compassionate teaching team together with the well-experienced office support team. No matter what will be ahead of us, I am sure the school year 2021-2022 is going to be another amazing journey for Concordian!
School Update
Director of College Counseling Management Team A warm welcome to everyone for our academic school year 2021-22.
Even though we are starting the school year online, it is still nice being able to connect and work with you this year. I know these past two years have proved challenging, yet our students have stepped up to meet those challenges successfully. Our recent Graduates received many offers to universities around the world. They headed off to 10 different countries, studying in more than 14 different programs. For a small class of 33 that says so much about Concordian International School and the opportunities available to every student. Yet those opportunities require diligence and hard work.
Dr. Tresa Virankabutra Director of College Counseling/ DP Counselor Emotional Counseling Advisor
Recently, reading an article on Cornell’s web page, it talks about how to be academically successful. I would like to share a few of those tips with you, as a way to start our school year. The first tip talks about attending class as the essential step for success. Why? It points to a commitment to learn, which leads into several other tips, of being serious about academic work and showing a willingness to put in the effort and time to learn. Yet, also enjoying that experience and viewing it as an opportunity. There is a future waiting, so grab hold of the opportunities. One tip, I really like, talks about students taking themselves seriously as a student. Not just any student, but a Concordian student. Recognizing that as a student, there are certain expectations and responsibilities that come with the title and also being proud to be called a Concordian student. Each year our seniors graduate and go to university with a 100% success rate. Our Alumni have studied at many great schools around the world and later, they have entered the workforce as successful young employees, while some have even started their own businesses, as entrepreneurs. So being a Concordian student carries many positive connotations.
September 5th, 2020
I would like to encourage all of our students to stay focused and motivated to learn. We have a great team of support for students to be successful ranging from teachers, assistants, counselors, language and learning support and the Administration itself. This year, in my own department, the Founding Director, Khun Varnnee Ross, will set aside time to support us as a College Advisor. Indirectly, she has been helping us for many years, but I think for her to officially list this as part of her title, clearly indicates how much students are valued at Concordian. So, let’s have a great year together, a happy year, and a very successful year! Dr. Tresa Virankabutra
CONCORDIAN CONCORDIAN IMPACT IMPACT -- ISSUE ISSUE 32 32
20 18
The Concordian Management team has an open-door policy and is always available to students who need to reach out. September 5th, 2020
School Update
Meet Our
MYP&DP Coordinators
We are pleased to re-introduce Ms. Rachel Samson and Mr. Markus
Mattila who are taking on new roles this year, as MYP Coordinator and DP Coordinator. Ms. Rachel and Mr. Markus have been valuable members of the Concordian community since 2017 and 2015 respectively, and we wish them success in their new roles! Please read on below to find out more about Mr. Markus and our DP results this year. And stay tuned, as in the next issue of Impact, we will find out more about Ms. Rachel and her work in the MYP.
Ms. Rachel Samson
Mr. Markus Mattila
MYP Coordinator
DP Coordinator
Interview with
Mr. Markus Mattila, DP Coordinator Impact: Please tell us about yourself. Markus Mattila: Hello everyone, my name is Markus Mattila and I come from the lovely city of Helsinki in Finland. As a teenager I used to spend most of my time playing football, until an injury from a slide-tackle forced me to stay away from the field. Since I couldn’t play football anymore, I suddenly had a lot of extra time on my hands. I used much of this newly-gained spare time to explore both Math and Physics. This later led me to study Theoretical Physics (B.Sc.) and Physics Education (M.Ed.) at University of Helsinki. After teaching in Finland for a while, I decided to pursue a career internationally which eventually brought me here to Thailand. It’s funny to think about the impact of the little things in life. Had the outcome of that slide-tackle been different for the 17-year-old me, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today – teaching at Concordian.
CONCORDIAN IMPACT - ISSUE 32
20 22
Impact: Why did you choose Thailand for your international career and what are some aspects that you enjoy most about living here? Markus Mattila: During my tertiary education I did a six-month-long exchange program in Bangkok at Kasetsart University. During this time, I got to know the city, the culture, and the people a bit better.
This was over 10 years ago and I still appreciate the wide variety that Bangkok has to offer. Nowadays, the aspects I appreciate the most are the general ease of living, the regular daytime period of 12 hours, and the people. Even though Finland is far away, you’d be surprised how similar Finns and Thais are in some aspects! Impact: How has being at Concordian made you a better person and a better teacher? Markus Mattila: At Concordian, I’ve had the opportunity to teach a wide variety of courses and the school has always been very generous with professional development. For this I’m very grateful. I’m surrounded by terrific colleagues from different backgrounds, all experts in their own fields. Learning from them has benefitted me a lot. There is great support for the teachers from both staff and admin. We are trusted to try new strategies in our classes to see what works and what doesn’t. Success can only come through a series of failures and allowing teachers this freedom to develop their classes is important. Impact: Please share some insights about Concordian’s DP results this year.
Markus Mattila: Concordian's DP results were outstanding this year, as usual. As no exams were taken in Thailand in 2021, the scores were based on a mix of predicted grades and components that were externally marked by the IB. The world average this year landed at around 33 points, while Concordian scored way above the world average with 37 points. This is very much in line with previous years as Concordian has always been ahead of the world average by several points even though we have a nonselective DP programme.* Furthermore, we had excellent TOK results and our EE results were also very good. * In a non-selective programme, all students are encouraged to take the full IB DP ccourse load and examinations.
School Update
Outstanding Results from the 1st International Chinese Language Festival 2020/2021 The first International Chinese Festival 2020/2021 was an online inter-
national Chinese competition organized by ESF Hong Kong, Education University of Hong Kong and China International Education; and coorganized by schools and education organizations worldwide. The competition was divided into two main groups: native and non-native groups. Participants’ entries could be submitted in various forms including writing, calligraphy, Chinese painting, singing, storytelling, etc. 3621 contestants from 450 schools all over the world participated in this competition. Concordian, as one of the co-organizers, sent a total of 55 secondary school students to participate and out of which, 33 students won prizes, including 7 champions, 2 runners-up, 10 third-placers and 14 certificate winners. Concordian International School has also been awarded the overall Outstanding Participation Award.
Melody G9: I am so glad to receive this award. I still remember the day I sent the first draft to the teacher. It was already very late in the night, but the teacher quickly gave me suggestions for revision. Finally, I received the runner-up certificate of writing. This activity made me interested in writing, and I hope I will have the opportunity to participate in such competitions in the future. I am very thankful to be chosen for the award! 这次活动让我对写作产生了兴 趣，希望以后还能有机会参加。真的非常 感谢，也非常荣幸获得这个奖项！！ Anna G11: I was ecstatic when I heard that I got first place in the Chinese calligraphy competition. It was great practice for me and we had lots of fun doing it in the class. I want to thank all the Chinese teachers for guiding me through this process. It was a wonderful experience to be able to compete amongst other international students and I encourage everyone to participate in further competitions! By Ms. Jing, on behalf of Secondary School Chinese Department
21 23 CONCORDIAN IMPACT - ISSUE 32