Patana News Volume 19 Issue 16

Patana

NEWS

Primary Pianist

/

Head of School’s Blog /

Dreamworld IB Physics Trip

Bangkok Patana is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

I do hope all of our Bangkok Patana School community had a wonderful Christmas break and a Happy New Year to all of you! The Mills family ventured down the far south/west of New Zealand and visited Otago University in Dunedin for our eldest son plus we got out to the Albatross colony and we were justifiably impressed; what amazing sea creatures who spend up to five years living at sea.

We have 2,213 students attending Bangkok Patana School this term and we welcome 30 new students starting at our school this week. I do hope our new students and families settle quickly into their new home and learning environment. I also hope Jason Cooper, our new Primary Principal, has a great start to the term in his new senior role, we are thrilled that he is leading the Primary School.

Rebecca Leiler, Year 10 and Secondary Assistant Principal Ms Thew are visiting Antarctica in March to learn more about climate change and what we can do to protect one of the last pure and protected continents left in the world.

There is an agreement across all countries that stops anyone exploiting the Antarctic Environment at the present time. In 2041 the Antarctic Treaty runs out. Helen and Rebecca are raising awareness to help keep the treaty going. If you are visiting school over the coming days, please pop into our incredible Libraries where you can observe some amazing Antarctica displays, take part in a variety of thought provoking activities and find out more about this worthy cause. You can find out more about Bangkok Patana 2041 here.

Term 2 is always a busy time of the year confirming which teachers are leaving us at the end of the academic year and recruiting outstanding new teachers to join us in August. I will be interviewing prospective candidates in London next week with my principals and aim to appoint teachers of the highest quality. James Penstone will be Acting Head of School during my absence. I will be back in my office on Friday 27th January.

An important event on the Term 2 calendar is our five year accreditation visit, which will take place from 27th February to 1st March 2017. Bill Parker, representing the Council of International Schools based in Europe, will be visiting the school, as will Mark Stapleton representing the New England Association of Schools and Colleges based in the US. They will meet lots of our teaching staff and will drop in to a number of classes to observe learning and teaching. A detailed report will be received after the visitation and I intend sending you out another update in due course.

“In Britain, more than half of 12- to 15-year-olds are on Instagram, according to OfCom, the country’s communications regulator. So are 43% of 8- to 11-year-olds. But how many of them understand what they signed when they joined? Pretty much 0%, according to “Growing Up Digital”, a report released Jan. 5 by the UK Children’s Commissioner.”

A lawyer rewrote Instagram’s privacy policy so kids and parents can have a meaningful talk about privacy. I thought you would value this educational article, read it here.

Have a restful weekend.

Matt Mills, Head of School

University / College

Location

Date

Time

Education UK GRAND Exhibition 2017

Royal Paragon Hall, 5th floor, Siam Paragon

14.01.17

12:00

University of the Arts London

Senior Studies, 2nd floor

16.01.17

12:15

Scotland Application Day

The Landmark Bangkok, BTS Nana

16.01.17

13:00

Arts University Bournemouth

Senior Studies, 2nd floor

17.01.17

12:15

Xian Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU)

Please contact University and Careers Department for location.

17.01.17

12:15

Australian Education Fair

Queen Sirikit Centre

21.01.17

13:00

P

una Anantaprakorn (5M) began his journey on piano at the age of seven with Dr Tretip Kamolsiri. With his passion and determination, Puna has received numerous awards and recognition from many national and international piano competitions as his achievements in 2016 demonstrate: November 2016 - SET Youth Musician Competition #19, Bangkok Picked as one of the top 10 finalists to be competing at the final round on 18th December, Puna outshone 109 candidates in the competition which is regarded as the most open contest in the country. The event is organised by the College of Music, Mahidol University and The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) who believe the competition benefits young musicians in Thailand by encouraging them to explore their inner musical creativity and artistry. The judges focus on pure musical expression as a basis for the competition results.

June 2016 - UCSI University International Piano Festival & Competition, Malaysia At his first overseas competition, Puna received the Preliminary Gold Award.

August 2016 - Golden Classical Award, New York, USA The Golden Classical Award is an international competition open to all nationalities and ages. Puna took 2nd Prize in the Junior Category (age 9-12) and consequently was invited to perform at the winners' concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, USA in March 2017.

October 2016 - The 17th Osaka International Music Competition, Japan In the Youth Category (age 10-12), Puna received 3rd Prize and was the youngest winner in the category.

November 2016 - London Grand Prize Virtuoso, England With a Second Prize win in his hands, Puna was invited to perform the winners' concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London in December 2016.

Besides competitions, Puna has also been invited to join master classes with renowned pianists such as Dr Giogo Latso (Steinway Artist), Professor Cathy Kautsky and Dr Eri Nakagawa. In addition, Puna is now studying under the tutelage of Thailand’s most prestigious pianist, Poom Prommachart and continues working hard towards his next musical milestones.

W

elcome back to CATs corner. We had such a busy time towards the end of last term and there is so much to share with you. Here’s a small selection, more next week.

S

tudents from Operation Smile gave up their time to attend the Operation Smile Fight Night and raised an amazing 197,000 THB selling raffle tickets. This is an awesome achievement and really shows what can be achieved when you are prepared to go above and beyond what is expected of you.

T

he next group of awesome students are from Playing 4 Change. They hosted a musical event for children from the Khlong Toey area and donated musical instruments and equipment to the Khlong Toey Music Project. The children played musical games, sang songs, played instruments and also enjoyed a pizza lunch. It was a fantastic day with smiles all around.

“Do you wanna build a …… gingerbread house?” The team from Habitat for Humanity sang this out loud and proud at their recent fundraising event. Instead of building snowmen they built gingerbread houses. For a small fee, students were able to purchase gingerbread and icing and use their imagination to build a house.

Such a lot of messy fun was had by all and the team raised funds for their next major build in the Spring.

T

hais celebrate National Children’s Day annually on the second Saturday of January, and with great pleasure, I am very proud to announce that two of our senior Thai students received accolades at the Award Ceremony of Children’s Day on Wednesday 11th January 2017 at Santhimaitree Building, the Royal Thai Government House.

Punn Tannirandorn (10G) and Sirinada (Irene) Wessels (13H) were each awarded an Outstanding Youth Award from Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha together with other Thai students from across the nation. I would like to congratulate Punn and Irene for the special awards they received, Bangkok Patana is very proud of them.

Here Punn and Irene tell us more about receiving this honour below: In honour of Thai Children’s day, every year, the Ministry of Education provides the National Outstanding Youth Award for various categories. This year, alongside 227 other students from all over Thailand, I had the privilege of receiving the award for contributing to Thailand’s International Standings, through sports and recreation. In October 2015, I had represented the Thailand National Figure Skating team, competing with over eight countries at the “Asian Junior Figure Skating Challenge” in Hong Kong, and was crowned the Basic Novice A champion.

At the Award Ceremony, Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-Ocha gave a long yet inspiring speech.

“Receiving the plaque today is a proud moment for you and your family, however, don’t only be satisfied

with this result, but find your passions and continue to pursue them. You are our future generation to move the country forward, so whatever you do in the future please think about the impacts on the nation as a whole.� This quote really impressed and motivated me to find my passion and strive for excellence in the future.

I am honoured to have received this award. As they say, hard work leads to success. I would like to thank my family, friends, Bangkok Patana School, coaches and the Figure Skating and Speed Skating Association of Thailand for making this all happen.

Every year the Thai Ministry of Education selects students from all over Thailand to receive the National Outstanding Youth Award. This year, approximately 780 students and I had the privilege of receiving this award. The day began with a speech from the Prime Minister, General Prayuth Chan-Ocha, where he reiterated the importance of education within our generation, as well as the national objectives he wanted to achieve such as stronger human relations within Thailand and the need for a rigorous education which would ultimately build a competitive nation. The ceremony was concluded with the Education Minister of Education, Dr Teerakiat Jaroensettasin, presenting us with our plaques of recognition.

I feel honoured to have received this award, and would like to take the time to thank my friends, inspiring teachers, and mostly my family for continually supporting me in all my endeavors.

T

ry a New Sport Week kicks is a favorite among staff and students as they are given the opportunity to choose and experience sports that are not usually covered in the curriculum.

Participating in different sports allows students to develop a very different set of skills as well as helping to develop cross over skills and understanding from games and activities that they already know. This can be particularly beneficial for students who are not confident in mainstream sports to find a sport they enjoy and then hopefully pursue outside of a school setting.

Students from Year 3 to 6 are offered six different sport options for each of their PE slots. They are encouraged to choose a sport or activity that they think they will not only enjoy but is different to a sport they would normally play, encouraging them to take risks.

The following very exciting sports and activities have been on offer during the week for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 (please note, not all have been available to each Year group): Bouldering Kabadi Lacrosse Flippa Ball Badminton Swedish Long Ball

Cricket Field Hockey Uni Hoc Circuit training Pilates Ultimate Frisbee

Dance Golf Circus skills Volleyball Gaelic football Tchoukball

Table tennis Trampolining Perlota Vasca Skipping

What a tremendous set of some great new sports for our Primary students to have a go at!

A very happy New Year to all of our students and Bangkok Patana Families!

P.S. Don’t forget your swimming and PE kits including hats and trainers for your practice and Aquathlon events during your PE lessons in Week 2!

T

he IB Physics trip to Dreamworld was one that the students will not forget. Dreamworld offered a variety of thrilling rides as well as other interesting attractions. Notably, the Hurricane and the Tornado were rides which really got the adrenaline pumping. Other attractions included an Animal Farm where the students could look at and feed animals and Snow Town, where visitors could sled down a snowy hill.

However, the trip wasn't just about having fun. Students were given a worksheet to fill in, where they had to use the ideas of linear and circular motion to calculate velocities and accelerations of rides. If they wanted to, students could also investigate what affects the vomit factor of rides.

This trip was not only educational but provided the students with much needed excitement and fun, considering the workload of IB.

W

e will upgrade our servers on Saturday 14th January from 8.00pm – 10.00pm to launch Firefly 6 which brings some changes to the look of our pages and increased functionality. Click on the links to see how the upgrade will affect:

Parents

Students

Staff

Click on the links to view all the library’s new arrivals this month.

Early Years

Primary Library

Secondary Library

Fiction

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Non-Fiction

Fiction Chapter Books

Non-Fiction

Senior Fiction

Chapter Books

Parents’ Collection Teachers’ Collection

Did you know that we also subscribe to these Magazines ?

【ジャパニーズグループに参加しませんか】 バンコクパタナスクールのジャパニーズグループは、日本人の父親あるいは母親を持つ生徒の保護者により 運営されているグループです。現在54家族が加入しており、毎年行われるインターナショナルデーなどの学 校活動に協力しています。また、情報交換の場として親睦会を年に数回行っています。参加ご希望の方は、 The Tennis Court 西田までご連絡ください。salut.kyoko1102@gmail.com There are 54 Japanese families who are members of the Japanese group, we support International Daywill andbe other floodlights school activities. If you are a Japanese speaker or married to a Japanese speaker, we would likeoperational to invite you tofrom join our group. Please send an email with your details to be added to the group list for future correspondence to Mrs Kyoko January 4th.

Nishida, email salut.kyoko1102@gmail.com

To operate, purchase a token from the cashier 【ＥＣＡ日本語のご案内】 for 250 THB. 日本人または日本語を母国語とする親を持つ生徒のためのＥＣＡ日本語が、新学期も引き続き開講されま

す。外部からの国語教師が授業を担当します。これを機会に子供たちの日本語力を高めませんか。詳細はＥ ＣＡ登録画面で確認願います。 A Japanese language ECA will be offered for students who are fluent Japanese speakers or those whose parents are Japanese speakers. Japanese teachers (not Bangkok Patana staff) will lead the ECA and help your child to improve their Japanese. Please refer to the ECA application site for details. Sign up through the ECA site when Block 3 registration opens on 16th January.

I

nternational Day 2016/17 was held during the last week of school before the Christmas break and was a wonderful day of celebrating multiculturalism and showcasing the students embracing their Global Citizenship. With over 60 countries represented, it was an amazing sight to see everyone converging on the Back Field for the Parade of Nations. There was a vast array of national pride on display as the students, teachers and parents, wearing their national dress and colours assembled under the tents and then marched out and on to the Sports Hall. Mr Penstone and Mr Smith provided fun and interesting facts on each of the countries as they trooped past and there was a live feed of the parade in the Sports Hall for everyone to watch.

A pair of penguins who represented not just a country but a continent, Antarctica, anchored this year’s parade to raise awareness of another highlight of the school year, Bangkok Patana 2041.

In March, teacher Helen and student Rebecca will be participating in the International Antarctica Expedition 2017, alongside Sir Robert Swan, to highlight international efforts to protect Antarctica’s future and promote reusable energy use.

Back in the Sports Hall Jeng Wood from Year 2 demonstrated his amazing knowledge of world flags with Mr Tyers in their "Whose Flag is This" video. I wonder how many of us could name as many flags as Jeng? Watch the video here.

Thailand, Ireland, Mongolia, the Philippines and India provided entertaining and informative acts that represented heritage, tradition and

pop culture from their counties. The hard work and hours of practice by students, teachers and parents was appreciated and enjoyed by everyone. I must give special mention Mr Tatam's Irish dancing cameo!

The ever popular International Food Tasting Hall did not disappoint this year with 25 nations offering bite sized tastes of their countries; satay from Malaysia, the chocolate fountain from Switzerland, cheese from France, the list goes on. There were some environmental changes made to the International Food Tasting this year, which we are very proud of and will continue, in partnership with the SEC (Student Environmental Committee) to build on for future years - we have started going "green".

Students were supplied with a biodegradable plate that was recycled, all booths reduced the amount of packaging used for the food and everyone was encouraged to reduce food waste. A water bottle station was set up and water dispensers were made

they served.

International Day is a very important event at Bangkok Patana School and on behalf of the PTG organising committee, I would like to thank all of the students, parents and staff who supported and participated in one or all components of the day. We have had some great feedback from the community and are looking forward to growing the event for the next school year and to continue ‘greening’ the event as much as possible.

available so that students could refill their water bottles and not use paper cups.

The SEC presented the first ever "Greenest Booth" award with Indonesia taking the top accolade for offering locally sourced ingredients and homemade food in banana leaf packaging. They had no plastic utensils; rather they were reusable or biodegradable whilst their decorations were reusable and made of natural materials such as banana leaves or fruits and vegetables.

The runner up was Malaysia who had a uniquely eco-friendly bamboo, cross section satay stick holder and have been using the same decorations for several years. Other countries that the SEC commended were:  for using Sloane's Sausages - an eco-food business committed to a natural process from farm to table.  for raising awareness about their country's efforts to greening their country in general.  for using eco-friendly/reusable cutlery made by local villagers out of natural organic materials.  for taking a meatless approach to the food

W

hat is mindful eating? The core principle of Mindful Eating is eating more consciously so you can eat just enough to be satisfied, this means not eating too much or too little. It sounds simple, but if you’ve ever tried it, you know it’s easier said than done. However, it’s an essential skill for managing your weight. “The process of mindfulness allows a person to wake up and be aware of what they’re doing. Once you’re aware, you can change your actions” said Michelle May, MD, founder of the mindful eating workshops “Am I Hungry?” Here’s a cycle of questions from May’s book Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat you should ask yourself to guide your eating decisions.

Hunger is the primary reason for eating but sometimes environment and emotional cues can trigger an urge to eat (or continue eating) whether there is a physical need for fuel or not.

You might ask yourself “Am I hungry?”. Identify and cope with emotional triggers causing over eating, such as boredom, stress, sadness, anger or rewarding yourself.

Ask yourself three questions when deciding what to eat: “What do I want? What do I need? What do I have?”

Make small, focused, incremental changes, for example, increasing fruit and vegetables, improving the quality of beverages, lowering saturated and trans fat intake and switching to healthier fats.

Image Reference

“Do you think you eat fast? Do you eat differently in private than you do in public?” Try to minimise distractions such as turning off the TV and eat at a table.

Your stomach is only about the size of your fist so it only takes about a palm-full of food to fill it.

Practice ending your meal when you are satisfied instead of stuffed.

The food you consume provides the energy and nutrients to live, work, play and exercise. When you eat more than you need, the excess fuel will be stored to be used for fuel later. Increased physical activity in daily life can impact on your fuel balance.

48: Firefly 6 and Photos for Class Over the holidays our IS/IT team have installed and tested the next version of our Firefly virtual learning environment. We are pleased to announce Firefly 6 will be installed this Saturday night (15th January) so that you can use it from Sunday onwards.

You’ll notice a fresher looking theme and students will see an improved student app and flow of feedback from teachers on their learning tasks. Access to your child(ren)’s profile can be found in the menu on every page.

Further details on the changes can be found here: http://helpcentre.fireflylearning.com/parents From the markers of the brilliant StoryboardThat comes a useful time-saving site that automatically credits the photo that you want to use in your work.

Photos for Class allows you to search and download properly attributed, Creative Commons photos for school projects. Not only does it automatically cite the author and the image license terms, all images are appropriate for the school setting, thanks to Flicker SafeSearch and their proprietary filter. As good digital citizens we should always respect and credit the creative work of others.

The Transport Department would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and we look forward to providing a good service to all our Transport users in 2017.

Block 2 ECA Transport is currently running.

Primary (Foundation Stage/Key Stage 1/Key Stage 2) ECAs will finish in two weeks’ time (27th January), Secondary ECAs finish 10th February.

If you are moving house, please ensure that you check with Transport if we have a route and seat available for your new location and give more than five days’ notice of your moving date.

Please start to think about your transport arrangements for the week of your child’s Primary Residential Visit. Will you bring them to school the morning they depart? If so, please cancel the morning bus for the student and any siblings if applicable. Will you pick them up when they return? All buses are cancelled on the Friday or return day unless you notify

transport that you will need the bus home for your child.

Please plan ahead and give advance notice to Transport to ensure we can run a smooth service.

Please ensure that if you wish to use the school bus with your child/ren, you are more than welcome to do so. We simply ask that you book in advance, so that the Bus Monitor can be informed that you will join the bus. Advance bookings help avoid confusion and disappointment if the seat has already been pre booked by another parent.

Please remind your child about the importance of wearing their seatbelt for the full duration of the bus journey. If they are aware of students who do not do this, please report this to Transport who will follow up and inform the teacher and parents to speak to the student.

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

Strings & Grapes: Masterpieces Wine Garage and Sam Production’s Sunday matinee resumes at Neilson Hays Library on Sunday 15th January

WHEN: 6 pm on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017 WHERE: Neilson Hays Library, 195 Thanon Surawong, Bangkok Wine Garage and Sam Production again team up to present Strings & Grapes: Masterpieces at Neilson Hays Library on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. The matinee program will feature string masterpieces Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, Serenade by Dvořák, Serenade by Tchaikovsky, Death and the Maiden by Schubert, Adagio

by Barber, and Nimrod by Elgar, which will be performed by the Bangkok Chamber Orchestra and conducted by the widely-admired fixture of the Bangkok music scene, Laurent Couson.

Tickets are 800 baht (700 baht for library members) and include a glass of wine from Wine Garage.

To reserve a seat please call 02 233 1731 or email neilson.library@gmail.com.

The event will start with a glass of wine at 5.30pm. Parking is available at the Voravit Building, about 20 meters before the library entrance.

An inaugural writing competition for young writers aged 10-18 years.

Submission deadline: February 28, 2017 The Neilson Hays Young Writers Awards 2017 is now open for submission!

The Neilson Hays Library is pleased to announce the launch of "Neilson Hays Young Writers Awards 2017" and invites students ages 10-18 to submit illustrated children’s picture books or short stories in English to our inaugural children's writing competition.

The theme for this 2017 contest is “Hope” and children may choose to work on their own or form teams of up to 3 students (except for the last category, E, which admits only individuals and not teams).

The categories are as follows: A. Original picture books 12 years and under (12 pages, 300 words), Thai/Bilingual schools students B. Original picture books 12 years and under (12 pages, 300 words), International schools students C. Original picture books 16 years and under (16 pages, 500 words), Thai/Bilingual schools students D. Original picture books 16 years and under (16 pages, 500 words), International schools students E. Original short story 18 years and under (800-1,000 words) – All schools (individual work only) The judging panel features respected members of the literary and publishing community, including:  M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, author, publisher, and environmentalist  Dr. Onchuma Yuthavong, writer, director, producer and associate professor of drama  Asst. Prof. Chaiporn Panichrutiwong, director and animator, Yak: The Giant King  Emma Larkin, journalist and author of Finding George Orwell in Burma  Janice Santikarn, author of The Little Blue Tuk-Tuk, Koko the Monkey; Lost in Bangkok, and more  Pieretta Dawn, author, Thailand's Writer's Hall of Famer  Kathy MacLeod, cartoonist and graphic novelist  Khun Nitta Chinalai, illustrator and publisher Furthermore, aspiring young writers and illustrators in the final round will be invited to participate in a workshop at Chakrabongse Villa, where the judges and other published writers and illustrators will critique and coach the students on their works. The workshop leaders include many of the judges, plus:  Khun Ngarmphan Vejjajiva, S.E.A. Write Award-winning author of The Happiness of Kati  Khunying Chamnongsri Hanchanlash, writer and translator  Alisa Tang, award-winning journalist at Thomson Reuters Foundation Winners of the competition will get to see their works read out loud by prominent figures in the literary and art world, as well as be presented certificates and a cash prize of 10,000 baht per category.

ANAPANA MEDITATION COURSE FOR CHILDREN Anapana (Mindfulness of Breathing) teaches children improved concentration skills and enhances calmness of the mind. This technique helps to relieve anxiety and is very useful at exam time to calm those nerves, but also for everyday life.

The next Anapana Meditation course will be given this Sunday 15th January 2017 for children aged between 8-14 years.

The course is completely free!

To enroll or for further information, please contact Eva Sophonpanich at evasophon@hotmail.com For more information look at http://www.children.dhamma.org

For daily updates, snapshots and news on life at school you can find us here...

Click here for the

Canteen Menu

643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna, Bangkok 10260. THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th