The Termly Magazine of Bangkok Patana School Bangkok Patana Magazine
Bangkok Patana
Magazine
Issue 52 Term 3, June 2017
Celebrating 60 Years
Learning
Well-being
Global Citizenship
Exciting Changes in Foundation Stage
The Annual Sports Awards
Small Steps Towards Big Change TERM 3 – 2016/17
Bangkok Patana School is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC
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LEARNING
CONTENTS
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Issue 52, Term 3, June 2017
10 Learning 8 Celebrating 60 Years of Bangkok Patana School 10 Class of 2017 Graduation 20 Exciting Changes in Foundation Stage 24 Alumni Profile: Romeo Romei, Class of 1997
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Well-being 12 Mentoring and SAQI in Secondary 18 Well-being in the Primary School
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Global Citizenship 14 Small Steps Towards Big Change 16 Students Giving Back to the Community 22 Sports Awards Dinner 26 Giving Programmes that Support Excellence Front Cover: Pichaya (Mint) Tositrakul (11D)
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CONGRATULATIONS TO BANGKOK PATANA ON YOUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY
L ELAORBNAI LN C G GI T I Z E N S H I P
FOREWORD
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ome was not built in a day…and the same can be said for Bangkok Patana School. The journey started with Rosamund Stuetzel who had a dream, a rather big dream; a school following the British system for her youngest daughter, Linda. Bangkok Patana School was founded in 1957 in the Stuetzel’s guest house in their back garden. When the class numbers increased, the students were taught in the hall and dining room of their spacious Ploenchit Road home. Four moves on and the School relocated to Chuaploeng Road, off Rama IV Road, on a rented 4.5 rai plot. Patana was regarded as a solid Prep School, preparing students for entrance examinations to boarding schools. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the expat community was transient with student numbers fluctuating between 200 and 400. I joined the Board of Governors in 1985. The Board consisted of eight members representing the British banks, Christ Church, British Council and British businesses. Bangkok expat life was changing, there were many families like my own who were choosing to make Thailand their home. There was a strong desire amongst the parents to have a secondary school at Bangkok Patana. If the school was to grow, a new campus was to be found. The Board members donned welly boots and sticks to guard off the snakes, and after long trudges through
643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna, Bangkok 10260, Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 Email: reception@patana.ac.th www.patana.ac.th
paddy fields, the present Soi Lasalle site was found in 1989. Due to good 30-year Board husbandry, we were able to buy 24 rai in the name of the newly formed Foundation. The School moved to the present purposely-built campus in January 1991 with staff and parents working through the Christmas holidays to get the school ready for the first day of the second term. The students’ reaction to their new premises made all the sacrifices well worth it! Derek, my eldest son, recently said, “Mum, we were the guinea pigs!” Yes, you were, your year was always the top year all through Secondary School resulting in the first Graduating Class in 1997 with 20
Editor: Rebecca Meadows Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Email: reme@patana.ac.th Advertisement: Finn Balslev Tel: +66 (0) 2943 7166-8 Email: finn@scandmedia.com
graduates – it was total magic! The teaching and administration staff took it upon themselves to make sure the Secondary School was a success; it was almost as if they were graduating too! Today, Bangkok Patana offers a niche to students in the arts, sports and academics. The ethos is ‘no-one is left behind’, striving for every student to reach her or his own potential. Alumni frequently return to Bangkok Patana as teachers, parents, grandparents and board members. Rosamund Stuetzel, 60 years on, your dream has reached its own potential! – Laura Stamp, Foundation Board Member, Alumni Parent, Student Grandparent
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Bangkok Patana Magazine is the termly publication of Bangkok Patana School published three times per year and distributed to 2,000 members of the School community. Reproduction of articles, artwork and illustrations by written permission only. 6
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LEARNING
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF BANGKOK PATANA SCHOOL “The first members were wonderful people. They had to work in a tiny cottage deep in the garden of a house, now pulled down, at the corner of Witthayu and Ploenchit Road.” – Rosamund Stuetzel, School Founder The new school logo and motto
1958 – With a growing student body, the school moves to a new site on Sathorn Road
15th May 1957 – Bangkok Patana’s first home, the Summer Bungalow at Ploenchit Road opened
In 1966, Bangkok Patana relocated to Soi Navin
1961 – Bangkok Patana relocates to Soi Ngam Duphli
Founder Rosamund Stuetzel with husband Dr Otto and their daughter Linda
“What fun those first early years were! We were 28 students and about eight teachers with small wooden desks, overhead fans, a vast view of the garden and klong and in the distance the Union Jack flying high on the flag pole of the British Embassy, our neighbour.” – Linda Roy (Steutzel), Founder Students 8
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Teacher and Principal (1961-1970) Mrs Quekett greets the children
Wooden classroom at Soi Ngam Duphli
“BPS is a living place where the children are not only happy but also learn… where they are likely to find that education is regarded as something beyond the classroom, encompassing as many experiences as possible, where the individual is important and where the staff genuinely care about the children and the subjects they teach.” – Bangkok Patana School Magazine, Vol. VI 1970
The new site had lots of potential but was prone to flooding
Bangkok Patana Magazine
“I must say that Bangkok Patana School is much more than just a ‘good’ school; it is a brilliant, wonderful, fantastic institution.” – Dr Paul Beresford-Hill, Headmaster (2000-2004)
The first International Day was held in 1974 January 1990 — The first day in the new school!
The much anticipated arrival of Santa has long been a Bangkok Patana tradition, seen here arriving by helicopter in 1996
Linda and Ariane Stuetzel unveiling a plaque in their mother’s honour. The plaque is now housed in the Sala
In 1992 the school logo we know today was created. The initial concept was devised by a Year 6 student with three characters representing the three sections of the school at that time: First, Middle and Secondary.
The first graduating class of Bangkok Patana, the Class of 1997
For the fifth and final time, Bangkok Patana was moving. This time to Soi Lasalle, the site we know today.
Baroness Thatcher opened the new Secondary School Science Laboratory in September 1993 Tiger Spirit Day, the annual celebration of our school mascot began in 2000
Students visiting the new site
Since 1994 the school has managed all its transport in house, now running around 400 bus trips a day
Building underway
Mr MacDonald and his Smartboard
“When we look back in the life of any school there is a rich, proud history that slowly evolves; from one small classroom and a teacher to a collection of classrooms, a new site with a growing staff and then eventually there is a Sports Hall and an Arts Centre and who would have ever thought we would have our own purpose built Science Centre!”... “Sixty years on the school continues to have a powerful heartbeat as we strive to develop global citizens who shape their world through independence, empathy, creativity, and critical thinking.” – Matthew G Mills, Head of School (2008-Present) TERM 3 – 2016/17
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L ELA C ARSN S IO NG F 2017
Class of 2017
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Bangkok Patana Magazine
TERM 3 – 2016/17
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WELL-BEING
MENTORING AND SAQI IN SECONDARY Helen Thew
Assistant Principal Student Welfare
Matthew Jones
Head of Year 10
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t Bangkok Patana School our Mission states: ‘Our mission is to ensure that students of different nationalities grow to their full potential as independent learners in a caring British international community.’ Whist our overall Vision statement reads as: ‘We develop global citizens who shape their world through independence, empathy, creativity and critical thinking’ In order to support Bangkok Patana’s Guiding Statements the Pastoral programme focuses on the well-being of the whole child and values each student’s intellectual, physical, social and emotional development. At Bangkok Patana we aim to ensure that everyone is: • • • • •
Protected, safe and secure Motivated and engaged Responsible and honest Kind and compassionate Balanced and fulfilled
For the last three years, we have run a system in Secondary where each Year 7 – 11 tutor group now have two tutors – their main tutor and a support tutor. The role of the support tutor is to complete the morning registration with their tutor group once a week to create time for the main tutor to mentor one of their tutees. What exactly happens during this mentoring session will vary from Year group to Year group. With our Year 7 students, the discussions are likely to be focused on their feeling safe and secure having made friends and settled in to the Secondary School. Moving up the Year groups the conversations may turn 12
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more to students being motivated and engaged in their academic and non-academic aspects of school life. To support the mentoring process, the tutor will make use of both the CEM and SAQI (Student Attitude Questionnaire Internet-based version) data that we collect each year on the individual student. The CEM data (MidYIS, YELLIS and ALIS) measures developed ability, i.e. students’ underlying learning potential, rather than achievement based on the curriculum. It offers a baseline assessment, enabling the tutor to help monitor and track their tutee’s progress throughout the different Key Stages comparing where they currently are to where they should be going. Tutors will work with their tutees to help them progress and fulfil their potential by helping them to think about the WWW (What Went Well) and EBI (Even Better If ) aspects which in turn helps them to set up SMART (ER) targets, where:
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S = Specific M = Measurable A = Ambitious rather than achievable R = Relevant T = Timely E = Evaluate R = Re-evaluate
The final ‘E’ and ‘R’ are seen as important for the student to have an active process in the mentoring experience and know whether the strategies are working for them. Tutor-Student Mentoring and the SAQI Parents and teachers share a common difficulty when trying to generate discourse about a child’s well-being: responses can be a single word (“fine”) or an expression of what they think others want to hear. Whether this is an avoidance tactic, or an inability to express oneself, the result is unhealthy: keeping any potential difficulties locked away.
Bangkok Patana Magazine
SAQI was developed in the early 1980’s by specialists at the University of Amsterdam. The 180 statements provide insight into three aspects of child’s attitude to school life: motivation, well-being and self-confidence. Responses can then indicate to the child’s tutor any areas that may require focus and support. Overall, we have found that a large number of students at Bangkok Patana School display high levels of motivation and engagement in school. As expected though, individual students may experience periods in which they feel less connected and the SAQI helps to highlight those instances. When a tutor has an
opportunity to meet one-to-one with someone in his/her class, they can discuss the findings of the questionnaire, recognising a difficulty or concern, and openly explore potential solutions together. For a tutor, meeting 22 students collectively every morning, and being presented with the common tight-lipped approach to the well-meaning question, “How’s everything going with school?” it isn’t always easy to know where concerns are and, therefore, can be difficult to know about any issues before they develop. This individual focus generated by the mentoring process has already resulted in alleviating concerns that previously may have grown into bigger problems
further down the line. What about the relatively large number of students for whom school life is engaging, motivating and catering to all their social needs? At least a positive conversation about these successes can take place, highlighting and encouraging the healthy attitude to school. Feedback on ‘Mentoring’ from the Junior Student Representative Council (JSRC): • The best thing about tutor mentoring has been the fact that you can individually talk to your tutor, giving you the chance to talk about not just academics, but also school life in general. • You get to learn about things that you don’t learn in class, and you get to spend time with your tutor. • We get follow-ups on how we are doing in school and it is a great chance to ask for any help or support. • Our tutor has got to know us even more, our tutor got to know our problems so that they could help us. • Talking with your tutor and knowing what you have achieved, and what other teachers think of you as a learning student. • Great, because my tutor helped me with what I did not know. • Everyone has a chance to be mentored. TERM 3 – 2016/17
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SMALL STEPS TOWARDS BIG CHANGE Helen Thew
Assistant Secondary Principal Student Welfare
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n March 2017 two members of the Bangkok Patana School community, Rebecca, a Year 10 student, and Helen Thew, Assistant Secondary Principal for Student Welfare, ventured to Antarctica to accompany polar explorer Robert Swan on his 2041 mission. For those unfamiliar with 2041, this is the year the treaty protecting the last great wilderness on earth, Antarctica, expires, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation. Robert Swan, the first man to
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Rebecca Leiler Year 10
walk to both poles unassisted, has dedicated his adult life to raising awareness of this plight and the terrible effect climate change is already having on Antarctica, whilst also inspiring people to consider the impact that they have on this faraway continent. Robert’s hope, and now mine, is that countries of the world will re-sign the treaty, which prevents any country from claiming ownership over Antarctica and keeps the region a place of peace and research.
Bangkok Patana has joined Robert’s mission for a number of reasons. Firstly, as an already environmentally conscious school, with students dedicated to taking small steps to positive change, taking on such a gargantuan adventure felt natural. Secondly, we pride ourselves on creating responsible global citizens, and this project emphasises that global focus. Robert told us when he visited in October 2016 that “You can’t all do everything, but you can do your 1%”, Bangkok
Bangkok Patana Magazine
Patana 2041 is our 1%. Lastly, as Swan said, “If Antarctica continues to melt, we will swim.” Here in low-lying Bangkok we would be some of the first to get wet, making the Antarctic’s problem our problem. Getting to Antarctica can take a while. First, we had to get as far south as possible. That meant flying from Bangkok to London to Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina, fin del mundo. From there, we boarded our ship, the Ocean Endeavour, hoping for the best! The Drake Passage is one of the most inhospitable regions of open water in the
world, the journey across often taking several days. We were fortunate to experience what is called “Drake Lake”- placid seas that expedited our journey and got us to Antarctica half a day early. For the five days we spent exploring, we grew to appreciate the Antarctica Peninsula more and more as we cruised around the area in zodiac boats and stepped foot repeatedly onto the seventh continent. Here in Antarctica, the wildlife is living quite peacefully, as it has for thousands of years. There is no permanent human interference and those that do traverse the land and water here do so in a respectful way. In Antarctica, there are specific guidelines for approaching wildlife; you have to keep a certain distance between you and animals. However, if you remain still and a penguin approaches you, that is absolutely fine. Penguins don’t know the guidelines, so you cannot really tell them off if they get too close! The purpose is to leave as little impact as possible; this is their home, not ours. We were fortunate enough to see lots of amazing wildlife, including the
spectacular Albatross with its impressive wingspan of up to four metres. From the seal world, we saw many Crabeater, Leopard and Fur Seals. The Leopard Seals are the apex predator of Antarctica, killing penguins and small seals by grabbing them with their feet. We actually witnessed this event – a very graphic illustration of the circle of life. The last major animal group that we had up-close and personal interactions with were whales. From the Ocean Endeavour we were lucky enough to see a pod of Type B Killer Whales swim past. Every time we had a zodiac boat ride, we had an encounter with Humpback and Minke whales. Both are very curious creatures; they liked to swim around our zodiacs to observe us. Throughout our time on the Antarctic Peninsula, we saw icebergs of all shapes and sizes. Icebergs are large pieces of freshwater ice that have broken off from glaciers or ice shelves. Seeing the Larsen B ice shelf was a real eye-opener in terms of its sheer size. When it broke off in 2002, it was 3,250km2 of ice 220m thick. What we were looking at was a section that was over 1.5km long. However, when you looked around you could see chunks of the Larsen B all around showing how much it has already broken up. As Robert Swan said, “If people do not believe in climate change, they just need to come and see this”. He also very powerfully said, “It should not make us depressed but give us the positive energy to not stop sharing the climate message”.
So what happens next?
As Robert and his son, Barney Swan, prepare to walk to the South Pole in November 2017, using just renewable energy, we must think that if they can use renewable energy in such a hostile environment, then what can we do in our home countries. We hope that by sharing our journey and photos others learn about the last earthly frontier, and maybe even care about protecting it as much as we do. To return to what Robert told us, “You can’t all do everything, but you can do your 1%”. We hope that you will join us in our journey and make your own pledge to the environment and to Antarctica. For more information visit www.bangkokpatana2041.com TERM 3 – 2016/17
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STUDENTS GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Clare Tomlinson
Primary School Charities Co-ordinator
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lobal awareness and empathy for others are just two of the skills that we aim to instil into our young learners in the Primary School through various charity events and projects. The Primary Community Action Team (CAT) organises termly fundraisers such as Tiger Spirit Day, Red Nose Day, Smile Day and Busking Day. The purpose of these events are shared with our students during assemblies to give them an empathy for others and an understanding of how fortunate we are. Events are fun, educational, memorable and raise lots of money which supports projects that improve the quality of life for other children. For each of these events, we ask our students to ‘do a job for money’ and earn their charity contributions, rather than simply asking their parents. It’s been 16
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wonderful to see the ways money has been raised; such as washing up, cooking, watering the garden, washing the car and even giving massages to family members. These small steps help our students to gain a sense of responsibility. In addition to whole school events, each Year group supports a different charity and holds extra fundraising activities to support their chosen organisations. In Key Stage 2, the fundraising ideas come from the students and they help to organise the events. These events range from bake sales, ‘twin days’, bring-andbuy sales and sponsored events such as Spellathons or times table challenges. The charity fundraisers are also integrated into the learning where students make something for a purpose; such as the ‘Business Matters’ project in Year 4 or the mathematics based ‘Temple Fair’ in Year 1.
Year group fundraising has provided the various charities with items and equipment such as bunkbeds, a surface for a basketball court, toilets, a music therapy room along with vaccinations, dental hygiene and nutrition for children and many other valuable projects. Student involvement is key for the charities to promote awareness within the Primary student population. Over the past couple of years, more and more students have contributed to the Christmas Appeal by donating a shoe box (filled with essential items and little gifts for a child) or buying a toy for a child. We strongly encourage students to have discussions with their parents, ask questions, choose their gifts and pack their shoe boxes themselves. In school, we stress the importance of keeping within the guidelines of buying only the items specified
Bangkok Patana Magazine
(tempting as it may be to add a little extra), because ‘how would you feel if your friends got extra gifts and you didn’t?’ Mr Mills set me the task of finding out who our student leaders are within the Primary school. It was quite an eye-opener to see the number of students who are personally involved with helping others. Three students were chosen to celebrate their charity work and experiences; two for their regular contributions towards an environmental organisation in Thailand and another for his passion in helping build homes in Cambodia – but you’ll have to read their stories in the Yearbook! I recently received a little bag of money from a Year 2 child who proudly told me that she wanted to donate it to charity. She had done some baking and sold her goods on her compound to friends and neighbours, she now wanted to help those children who couldn’t smile. I was very
touched and so proud of this little girl. Asking students across Year 5 and 6 about their good deeds or charity contributions proved to be an interesting and rewarding discussion for a lot of teachers, possibly even spurring others students to reflect and do similar deeds. Many students gave old clothes or toys to orphanages. Some students gave food or resources to other schools or to their local Thai temples. A few parents help out with charity organisations and therefore encourage their children to also be involved and give them opportunities to go to orphanages and day care centres to play alongside the children. Many students were using their initiative to have yard sales to sell toys and books they no longer played with, and donate their profits to charities. During an assembly, Mr Cooper shared how teachers make their contributions; some teachers’ sponsor children,
some pay into loans that support various projects, which then get paid back and passed on to another worthy cause. One very interesting story was a teacher who purchases chickens or elephant dung on behalf of her students through Oxfam to help local communities. The sharing of student and teacher experiences creates discussions, encourages questions and promotes reflection, posing the question ‘How do I contribute to the Global Community?’ Although we are on the right track to increasing awareness and empathy, there is still a way to go to raise the profile of these events and to celebrate what our young learners are already achieving. On our journey to becoming global citizens, our students need to have a clear understanding of why we are raising money and how their actions and contributions can improve lives. TERM 3 – 2016/17
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WELL-BEING
WELL-BEING IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL Jason Cooper
Primary Principal
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he well-being of our community and the individuals within that community is pivotal to our collective and individual success, but well-being can be difficult to define and often means different things to different people. One of the most accessible definitions is that well-being is the balance point between the resources at your disposal and the challenges you face. For our Primary aged students this would be indicated by them being able to confidently say, “I know what to do when I don’t know what to do.” One of the most important things we do for our students is provide them with challenge, and support them in developing independence as they grapple with these challenges. Well-being doesn’t come from the absence of challenge - it develops as a result of dealing with challenges and growing stronger by using what we have learnt from them. School is a place where students need to feel protected, safe, and secure so they can experiment 18
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with different ways of dealing with different challenges, without the fear of failing. They need opportunities to explore their emotions and feelings, and develop strategies for appropriately dealing with them. Sometimes our students feel anxious they don’t know they are feeling anxious because they haven’t associated that word with how it feels for them. So if they don’t know what the feeling is, how can we expect them to deal with it? Through Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) we help students develop the skills to know what to do when they don’t know what to do in a variety of situations. We focus on issues that develop kindness, compassion, responsibility and honesty. Through presenting scenarios and roleplay, the students are able to experiment with different ways of dealing with different situations, including how to deal with different emotions. We can’t teach our students everything they need and want to know, but we can
foster in them a burning desire to ask questions and arm them with the skills to find out the answers to their questions. This can only happen when students are feeling motivated and engaged with their learning. It’s also important to remember that not all learning takes place in the classroom. This is why we offer a range of opportunities for students to explore their sporting, artistic, musical, theatrical, and creative interests. Access to these opportunities ensures that our students are leading balanced and fulfilled lives, something that we as adults don’t always role model as well as we should. So why is well-being important? Well, research shows that students with higher levels of well-being are more likely to have higher academic achievement; better mental health; and a more pro-social, responsible and lawful lifestyle. I’m sure you will agree that these are worthy goals for all Bangkok Patana students, and positive outcomes for their future society.
BANGKOK PATANA SCHOOL CLASS OF 2017 152 42 CANADA
Celebrates Global
USA
USA
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1
UK 1
RUSSIA
9
IRELAND
1
THE NETHERLANDS
1 SWITZERLAND 2
SPAIN
JAPAN
8
6
HONG KONG
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THAILAND
PHILIPPINES
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GRADUATING STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED
437 OFFERS
SINGAPORE
2
Australia
NUMBER OF OFFERS BY COUNTRY
From 185 Selective universities and colleges (Data correct as of 19/05/17. Southern hemisphere applications are still in process)
Over 70 offers were made by the following institutions listed
in the Top 50 of The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-2017 UK Universities
USA Universities
Imperial College London
New York University
King’s College London
Northwestern University
London School of Economics and Political Science University College London
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Cambridge
University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Edinburgh
University of Pennyslvania
University College London
University of Washington
Rest of the World
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology McGill University University of British Columbia University of Hong Kong University of Toronto
Celebrating 60 Years of British International Education in Thailand Bangkok Patana School is a not-for- profit, IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC
643 Lasalle Road, Bangna, Bangkok | T: +66 (0) 2785 2200 T E R M 3 – 2 0 1 6 / 1 7 • 19 www.patana.ac.th | admissions@patana.ac.th
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EXCITING CHANGES IN FOUNDATION STAGE Julie Kelly
Senior Teacher, leading Learning in Foundation Stage
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his year, much time and consideration has gone into the planning of the new Foundation Stage, which will include a separate building for our Tiny Tigers and Nursery students plus a complete overhaul of the current Foundation Stage building. At Bangkok Patana, we are continually seeking to improve the quality of learning for the youngest students, and this message has been at the heart of our development plans.
Outdoor Learning
In this busy, rapidly reforming, hot city, everyday life often takes place indoors with the air-conditioning. However, we very much value the importance of ‘learning without walls’ as a means for developing healthy, active lifestyles and promoting a sense of well-being. Through taking the learning outside, children reconnect with the wonders of nature in a safe environment. Our new outdoor play spaces will 20
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have mud kitchens, bike tracks, stages, sandpits, water play and climbing frames as well as calm and quiet spaces including natural and shaded areas and zones to plant and grow. The outdoor environment offers
space and is therefore particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. Physical play also provides endless opportunities to build friendships, learn to manage conflict and collaborate.
Bangkok Patana Magazine
Role-Play and Expressive Arts
Imagination is a powerful tool for future life and learning and it is vital that we provide students with opportunities to develop their imaginations and learn with others. For children, roleplay is essentially learning through play as it allows students to reflect on their understanding of the world and supports the development of early communication and language skills. Through our new role-play spaces, the youngest students learn to express their ideas and feelings in a relaxed environment; developing an awareness of themselves and others.
Natural Environment
Although Foundation Stage learners are often attracted to bright, warm colours, they are not the favourable approach to creating enabling learning environments. Just like sound, we respond to colour with our
whole body and the overuse of vibrant colours is often the cause of over-stimulation. Consequently, we have aimed to create a sense of peace and calm in our new buildings through the careful use of mild and soothing colour and lines that reflect nature. We operate a ‘less is more’ approach to the environment by creating a sense of space, flow and minimal clutter, enabling children to independently access the environment and see the links between the learning.
Quiet Reflection Spaces
Just like adults, students need quiet, calm times during the day to stop, think and to be mindful. Our new buildings will have quiet spaces – both inside and out – so children can read, share a book with an adult or simply sit and wonder. Typically, young children are on the go throughout the day, physically challenging themselves, their young, inquisitive minds racing, therefore ‘balance’ is essential for developing a positive sense of well-being and happiness.
Parent Lounge
This space will invoke a sense of community and enhance the home-school partnership. At Bangkok Patana, we value the parent teacher partnership and understand the importance of reflecting a ‘home from home’ community within our school. We welcome families into our setting to share their interests, culture and expertise. In turn, our students begin to understand and appreciate the diversity of nationalities within our school, and learn from each other. The Parent Lounge is a space where families can make connections, support each other and continue to build a social and collaborative environment for children to flourish. These are just some of the new additions to the Foundation Stage buildings which will be completed this summer. However, the most exciting part will be observing the children as they engage with their new surroundings next academic year. TERM 3 – 2016/17
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SPORTS AWARDS DINNER Cindy Adair
Assistant Principal Extra-curricular Activities and Sports
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he Sports Awards Dinner is a very special annual event for students in the Secondary School (and a few younger students who play in our selective teams) to celebrate all things sporting. This formal affair gives us a chance to recognise those students who have shone in the sporting arena as well as those who have worked hard and improved over the course of a season and have displayed an excellent attitude and attributes such as sportsmanship, teamwork and resilience. The Sports Awards Dinner is also an important time for us to pay tribute to our fantastic coaches who guide and mentor our students and give their personal time generously, often giving up their early
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mornings, evenings and weekends to support our teams. Each of our teams are given three awards to give out; Most Valuable Player (MVP), Team Contribution and Coaches Choice. In addition to this, we recognise our Senior and Junior Sports Boy and Girl of the Year and our Individual Sport Boy and Girl of the Year. A huge congratulations to this year’s worthy recipients:
Junior Girl – Moniqa Nielsen Junior Boy – Danchai Axtell Senior Girl – Satu Penttila Senior Boy – Alexandre Lacrosse Individual Sports Girl – Joanne Gavin
Individual Sports Boy – Leo Vithoontien
As well as being an event to celebrate success, there is a lot of fun to be had at the Sports Awards. Our student-athletes get the chance to dress-up, enjoy various team videos compiled over the season, laugh along with our Athletic Council and seniors as they give entertaining speeches about their experiences playing sport at Bangkok Patana over the years and of course enjoy a fantastic meal with friends. Congratulations to everyone who took part in a sports team this academic year, we hope you had an enjoyable evening!
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LEARNING
ALUMNI PROFILE: ROMEO ROMEI, CLASS OF 1997 Nationality: Italian Years at Bangkok Patana School: I started in Infant 1 White in 1984, and left the school as part of the first ever graduating class in 1997-13 wonderful years that I constantly wish I could go back and re-live again! What are your favourite memories of school? In 13 years, there are many indelible memories that come to mind, but if I have to choose, I would probably say being cast as Danny Zuko in the production of Grease. It was an entire school production involving more than 300 children, such great fun! Another memory would be moving into the new campus, which was so exciting! In fact, moving away from the old school site was just as thrilling, because we knew that the buildings were going to be torn down to make space for a skyscraper, so we were allowed to literally demolish our own classrooms – how many children have had the chance to do that? It was so entertaining to be told to destroy things for once, and surprisingly, it never got out of control; both teachers and students joined in to smash up the past! How was it being the first graduating class of Bangkok Patana School? It was a true honour to be the very first graduating class. Back then, we were only 22 pupils completing the IB diploma. I was the only one who did a fully Bi-lingual IB examination in English and Italian so it was very exciting and also very scary, because no one had any previous experience of what was to come. There was a lot of stress and some trial and error involved, but we all came through nicely, and the great effort put in by our teachers was never in vain. Today, I can appreciate even more how much they helped to shape us for what life had to offer. We have been called the guinea pigs of Bangkok Patana, but I prefer the word PIONEERS. What have you been doing since leaving Bangkok Patana? I went straight to Italy for university in Pisa. Initially, nearing the end of school, I 24
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had a strong urge to leave Thailand. Growing up here, I had been in Thailand forever and I felt somewhat trapped in a bubble. We were learning based on curriculums created in
Europe which seemed so far away. The reality surrounding us locally was mostly, quite different; I felt I needed to explore my roots by going back to Italy and travel in Europe to witness first hand all the things I had learnt. Well, not long after that, I was already wishing I was back in this amazing country that is Thailand. I am 100% Italian, but once I was there, I had a strong calling to move back and work in the country where I had grown up and to which I felt I could contribute a lot to, so that’s what happened (hopefully the contributing part too). Europe is lovely for visiting family and for holidays but Thailand is my home and where my future is.
Bangkok Patana Magazine
Is there anything that you learnt/ experienced whilst at Bangkok Patana that you still utilise today? There are multiple things that I learnt at school that I still use today. One that pops to mind would have to be the use of the written English language. We would write and explore so much that still today I find myself using similar thought patterns learnt back in my schools days. Another aspect would be the ability to understand people from different nationalities more accurately; at Patana we would be in classes of students from multiple parts of the world and that experience is simply massive. Not to mention the various lovely teachers met along the way, who portrayed their subjects with such passion that it was almost impossible to leave without having learnt or gained from each lesson. The in-depth analysis on many levels, regarding both social life and text books, allowed us all to grow tremendously, and I am certain I would never have had this sort of experience back in Italy, had my family not moved out here and chosen Bangkok Patana School.
Your children now go to Bangkok Patana – why did you choose to send them here? There was never any doubt in my mind that I would want my children to have the same experience that I did. We always wish for something better for our kids, right? Well, I didn’t have to look very far, I knew exactly where to find it. Bangkok Patana has grown and developed into something even more beautiful than when I was here, that each time I visit, I wish I could go back in time and be a student all over again! I’m sure all alumni feel the same way as me. To be honest, for my family, this decision did have a lot of thought because we live very far from the school, past Don Muang airport and there are other schools closer by. My wife Nicoletta and I, did visit a few of them but that only had the effect of reinforcing our belief that nothing could beat PATANA, and it’s so true. Do you have any advice to Senior students currently trying to decide which university or career is right for them? It’s difficult to give general advice because we are all different. Some people
have talents and clear paths that they’d like to follow whilst others are still making up their mind. In my case, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life, all I knew was I want to chase down my roots and try to learn about my home country. It took me a while before I realised what I could excel at and engage with it. I can only assure you that after studying in Bangkok Patana School, I’m confident all our senior students are ready for whatever university or career they wish to pursue. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? I enjoy spending time with my wife Nicoletta and three children, Flavio, Giorgia and Paola. Other than that, I like staying active. Golf is one of my biggest passions, in fact, I think Bangkok Patana could further develop the Golf programme as this is a lovely country to learn the game. I’m sure there would be many children interested if we introduced this sport on a somewhat serious level from an early age. There are many courses around the school and if golf is taught at a young age, it’s a passion that will last a lifetime.
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Opening hours: Mon - Fri 11am - 12am, Sat - Sun 8.30am - 12am. Kai NZ, 142/22-23 Sathorn Soi 12, Sathorn Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok. Tel: 02 635 3800 Email: kainz@kai-bangkok.com Website: www.kai-bangkok.com
TERM 3 – 2016/17
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L ELAORBNAI LN C G GI T I Z E N S H I P
GIVING PROGRAMMES THAT SUPPORT EXCELLENCE Cheryl Rego
Development, Alumni and Marketing Manager
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angkok Patana School is recognised as one of the leading international schools in South East Asia. As we celebrate our 60th year, we especially thank those families and individuals who have given generously throughout the years to support our school in many different ways. Our two vehicles for giving, the Annual Fund and the Building Patana Campaign have been integral in pushing our school to the forefront of excellence by allowing us to grow our facilities and invest in the programmes that transform our students into global citizens. The Annual Fund was established in 2004 as a way to involve the community into the future development of the school. Every year the Annual Fund has a focus or project towards which the funds are targeted. Annual Fund projects typically work towards enriching the educational experiences and school life for our students. In 2016/17, the focus was on projects relating to Global Citizenship. In March of this year, just over THB 300,000 was put towards the 2041 Antarctica Project where
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Secondary Assistant Principal Helen Thew and Year 10 student Rebecca Leiler represented Bangkok Patana on an Antarctic expedition. In the build up to their voyage and after, the students, staff and parents have learned a lot more about the issues facing our southern-most continent, Primary students have delved into in-depth the natural environment whilst Secondary students have stepped up their efforts to raise awareness about protecting the planet. Bangkok Patana 2041 had an impact throughout our school, taking the focus of our local community and extending it to incorporate global activities. In previous years, the Annual Fund has provided for a wide range of projects including new recycling facilities at the front of school and at the Snack Bars, 3D printers for Design + Technology, outdoor play equipment across the Primary School, resources for the Youth Club, resources for Art, Music and Drama, gymnastics equipment, solar panels, equipment for the Outdoor Classroom and fitness room equipment. The range of resources funded by the
Annual Fund cover many areas of school and those beyond the academic curriculum. Our Annual Fund donors come from all areas of the school, including families of both staff and students. Participation in the Annual Fund is evidence that our community believes in the mission of the school: To ensure that students of different nationalities grow to their full potential as independent learners in a caring British international community. Annual Fund donations can be any amount and are accepted throughout the year. The Building Patana campaign was launched in 2007 during the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Money donated to this fund supports the building and renovation of facilities to keep the school at the cutting edge of international education and to provide cutting edge learning environments. Donations help to bring forward the completion of facilities that greatly enhance the education of all students, who can enjoy these benefits earlier and for longer. All donors to the Building Patana Fund receive a plaque in the facility they choose to support, which include the Arts Centre, the Secondary Library, the Primary Library, the 25m Pool and the Science Centre. It also includes the naming of seats in the Rosamund Stuetzel Theatre, which have become a way for many departing and graduating students to leave a named legacy. All donations to the Capital Fund receive double tax deduction on personal income tax and corporate taxes. To all of our past and present Annual Fund and Building Patana donors: A big thank you for your generosity and for helping us to maintain our long tradition of excellence. For information on the Annual Fund, please contact Cheryl at chre@patana. ac.th; and for information on the Building Patana Campaign, please contact Khun Dee at kusi@patana.ac.th