Patana News Volume 19 Issue 33

Our mission is to ensure that students of different nationalities grow to their full potential as independent learners in a caring British international community.

NEWS Patana

Friday 9th June 2017

Volume 19 Issue 33

www.patana.ac.th

Congratulations to the Class of 2017 Page 2

Also in this issue

2017/18

Save The Sea With Tea / Long Service Awards / The Shanghai Adventure

09/06/2017

Bangkok Patana School News

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

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Good Luck and Congratulations to the Class of 2017 Mick Smith, Principal, Secondary School

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raduation is always a real highlight, perhaps the single biggest event of the year in the Secondary School and acts both as a culmination of two years intense study for the International Baccalaurate, the most challenging pre-university programme in the world, and as a bridge to their future beyond Bangkok Patana. This year 124 nervous, proud, happy students took the path to adulthood when they crossed the stage, shook hands with Matt Mills and received their Bangkok Patana Academic Diploma from Dr Tej Bunnag, Chairman of the Foundation Board.

Graduation was the culmination of a hectic, high stakes month or so for the ex-Year 13s which began with the worst bit, the long dreaded but unavoidable final examinations. They passed in a blur of revision and late-night online chat groups, which I witnessed firsthand as my daughter was one of the students preparing to sit them. Lots of relief and substantial celebration was the order of the day at the end of May followed by the traditional Farewell to Year 13 in Senior Studies on Friday. This is an emotional day as the students share recollections and thanks with their tutors and Head of Year. There was a great deal of laughter and quite a few 2

tears, especially when some of the longer serving tutors such as Ms Berghuis spoke about her warmth and love for 13B whom she’d seen grow since Year 7.

The big day itself came round at last on Saturday as the students arrived in all their finery for early family photos in the grand surroundings of the Arts Centre. I spent the last couple of hours as a nervous parent and slightly stressed Principal, at my laptop chopping a further 500 words from my speech!

The ceremony itself was very special. We were extremely fortunate to have our school Patron, the British Ambassador to Thailand, HE Brian Davidson, in attendance as the guest of honour. In his address he recognised the achievement of the Graduates and the challenges they would face in the years ahead. He encouraged them to ‘be dreamers but also doers…to be confident but have the humility to realise when there is more to learn.’ Mr Roff, IB Coordinator and Mr Meadows, Head of Year 13, put the Graduates through one final ‘exam’. It closed with Mr Roff telling them they had ‘the rest of their lives to find the answers’ and Mr Meadows changing his famous catchphrase ‘it’s not worth it’ (which the students had printed on t-shirts

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with his face on), to ‘it’s been so worth it’ when describing his three years with them.

Our five Senior Delegates, Mimi, Madison, Sarah, Flo and Labeeb spoke passionately and eloquently of their years in school, their thanks to teachers for their support and inspiration, and to parents, family and friends for their love. Labeeb closed speaking of the responsibility of his peers, with all their advantages, to be ‘architects of change in the future.’

I always enjoy the opportunity to address the outgoing Year 13s one last time while they still feel obliged to listen and do my best to inspire them as they leave school for the last time. I followed Labeeb’s lead imploring them: “As global citizens of the future …to be active and informed agents of change, forces for good, not just passengers.” I was able to reminisce on seeing many of the Graduates at Primary Sports Days and at birthday parties around town at least until the venues changed ‘from Little Gym to Levels’. I spoke at most length of the strong identity that they have developed during their time at Bangkok Patana, where they have come to exemplify the key values of our community.

These, in my opinion, are sorely needed right now as 09/06/2017

much of the world seems to be facing a collective ‘identity crisis’ becoming more focused on national interest at a time when global co-operation is desperately needed. My speech concluded with: “You have a hard-wired belief in equality; ingrained qualities of compassion, integrity and humility. You can convince sceptics and haters that key, shared human values go beyond national interest or faith. These are part of your identity, what you are. Use your talents, expertise in international relations, your intellect, your passion, energy and inherent goodness to heal and unite where you can. The mid-21st Century needs you to build bridges, bring people from disparate political, linguistic, religious and cultural backgrounds together… We all know that the world will be infinitely richer with you there to shape it.”

Have a great weekend.

Mick Smith, Principal, Secondary School

Grad 17: All Graduation photographs are available to view on the Alumni Facebook here.

If you wish to download specific images, click here.

Bangkok Patana School News

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Long Service A wards

Angela Royle Primary

Robine Johnson Primary

Siraphassorn Pimpirat Primary

Barry Oakes Secondary

Dave Ogden Secondary

Katie Sloane Secondary

Owen McDevitt Secondary

Romeu De Barros Secondary

Aekapol Sumatha Swimming

Daniel Ahl Tennis

Anirooth Khantee Business

Ladda Ananjarungsuk Business

Putthaporn Smith Business

Saowalak Phatchuai Business

Siriluk Kunakornvichaya Business

Suriya Rasrifueng Business

Wilairak Pisroop Business

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Congratulations Clare Tomlinson Primary

Helen Ford Primary

Deepa Patel Secondary

John Burrell Secondary

Mark Willis Secondary

Mick Smith Secondary

Brian Taylor Cross Campus

Sally Flint Cross Campus

Nuanjan Taveechedchaisub Business

Panwarot Mueanmanat Business

Patnalakamon Nansontia Business

Srirat Chaophanon Business

Pramote Thongprarin Canteen

Oracha Pitakchaithum Business

Walaiporn Bungkerdpol Transport

Sudarat Panthong Transport

Ekanan Tao-Ut Transport

Paiboon Jampaphoo Transport

09/06/2017

Bangkok Patana School News

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The Shanghai Adventure The Very Proud Primary PE Team

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ore than 60 students started their FOBISIA journey back in November, committing to two afternoons a week in Block 2 and three in Block 3, to try and make the cut for Shanghai. The effort shown by all students was incredible and they made considerable progress across the four sports of athletics, tee ball, swimming and football. Unfortunately, the coaches could only choose 40 children and in March the team was finalised.

A big credit to all students who didn’t make it for the way they carried themselves after hearing the disappointing news. The team would not have been nearly as successful without your focus and commitment in driving standards and expectations.

On a very wet 16th May, 40 students from Years 5 and 6 left Bangkok for the 2017 FOBISIA Games in Shanghai, China. All the teachers, parents and students were buzzing with excitement as the plane took off from Suvarnabhumi airport. After a reasonably enjoyable four hour flight, a smooth process through customs and a short bus ride, we arrived at our hotel ready to check in and get a good night’s sleep for our Wednesday touring adventures.

After a very pleasant sleep in and a scrumptious buffet breakfast, the FOBISIA team left the hotel for a day’s sightseeing in Shanghai. The morning started with a beautiful walk along the Bund followed by a boat ride around some of the city’s greatest landmarks. We all stopped for a traditional Chinese lunch and then visited the Oriental Pearl Tower, which had a stunning view of the city, as well as a daunting see through glass floor observation deck. It was then back to the hotel for a quick change and a short bus ride to the Welcome Dinner at host school Nord Anglia International School Shanghai Pudong. Lion Dancers followed by a meal with all of the other competitors al6

lowed time for the students to make new friends from all over Asia. Back to the hotel and a good night sleep ahead of the busiest day of the Games completed a busy but excellent Wednesday.

Thursday dawned bright and clear as we left the hotel, well fed and ready for a big day of athletics and swimming. The athletics meet was held at an impressive venue in the heart of Shanghai with many of the students super excited about the opportunity to perform in a stadium. The meet started with boys on the field events and girls on the track. Whatever they had for breakfast must have worked because the team absolutely smashed their events. Every time the coaches or parents would look around there would be a Bangkok Patana student waiting for a medal on the podium. A very special mention to all students who ran the 800 meters who put in a huge effort to come away with an amazing 10 medals out of a possible 12 (eight of them being gold!).

We left the stadium just after lunch and headed to the host school for the swim meet. The students were able to munch their lunch on the way and switch their concentration on to their swim events. The effort in the pool was nothing short of astonishing, to do what they did on the track and then perform as well as they did in the pool was amazing. A lot of the athletes surprised themselves, coming away with medals they did not expect to win. A big shout out to all students involved in the medley relays winning four gold medals out of a possible four. After the swimming was concluded, the coaches took some very tired but proud children for dinner and straight to bed to get some rest before the next day’s football tournaments.

After a well-deserved half hour lay in and some carb loading, the team were all ready to kick, tackle and run.

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Again, the effort all students put in was incredible with some fantastic team play across all four teams against some very strong opposition. The boys had a hard day at the office where we struggled to score goals against some very good teams, the Boys’ A team finished fifth and the Boys’ B finished fourth. The girls’ teams displayed some absolutely stunning defence with neither team conceding a goal over 10 games for the whole tournament! The A team were resounding winners and the B team were very unlucky coming second by a single goal difference and certainly deserved to be at the top of the podium too.

After a much needed night’s rest, we were ready for the final days’ competition, which was tee ball. The students were tired, but summoned up their last stores of energy to produce some entertaining matches. The teams (which were mixed teams of five boys and five girls) became more confident as the day went on and this resulted in all teams winning silverware. The A team came first after a nail biting final game win against a very strong KLASS team, the C team second, and the B and D teams both came third.

After a quick trip back to the hotel to get showered and changed we then headed to the Gala Dinner.

The Gala Dinner gave the students time to mix with the other schools and reflect on their performances through as slide show of the previous day’s heroics. It was then time for the announcement of the overall winners of the Athletics and Swimming. After a large drum roll, we were awarded first place for Athletics and second place (by the smallest of margins) for the Swimming. This gave us a total of eight trophies from ten events, by far the most successful of the schools at the competition.

The PE staff would like to thank the host school, Nord Anglia International School, for running such a success09/06/2017

ful games. We would also like to thank all the parents for their time getting the students to training in the build up to the games, and also for the amazing support from those who travelled to China to be part of this memorable occasion.

Most of all we would like to thank all the students who were great ambassadors for Bangkok Patana School every one of you contributed to the Games and we are so proud of you. To all those students who are leaving Primary, we hope you remember this occasion for many years to come and wish you all the best for the future. For any current Year 4 and 5 students, we hope this Chinese experience has given you the motivation to try out for next year’s Primary FOBISIA Games in Phuket!

There are no requirements in Block 1 but we would certainly recommend football and swimming in preparation for the start of the selection process in Block 2. If any parents would like more information, please email Mr Tatam on antt@patana.ac.th to find out more.

Well done TIGERS!

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Desert Island Life Julie Birchley, Secondary Spanish Coordinator

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ear 10 IGCSE Spanish students were asked to imagine that they had been washed up on a desert island following a plane crash and write about their feelings and experience. The stduents were asked to explain how life had changed for them from before and after the accident. For example, how had their daily routine changed? Did they still have to do house hold chores? The Year 10’s submitted their writing and the best pieces were selected to feature in the Patana News which you can read below. Well done to Enaara and Lucy!

Enaara Pussegoda, 10T Querido diario, Quiero escribir sobre mi tiempo en la isla. He supervivido un desastre aéreo con mis amigas cuando viajamos a España. Vivo en la isla desde hace una semana.

Tengo quince años y soy esrilanqués. Pienso que soy una persona que bastante trabajadora y creativa. Además, soy amable y simpática. Hay cuatro personas en mi familia, me llevo bien con cada persona.

Antes del accidente, cada mañana lunes a viernes me levantaba a las cinco y media. ¡Que temprano! Luego, me duchaba y me vestía en mi uniforme escolar. Después desayunaba y salía a casa a las seis y media. La escuela empezaba a las ocho y terminaba a las dos y media. Era una vida programada.

Sin embargo, ahora soy muy relajada. Puedo despertarme cuando quiera y me acuesto tarde. ¡Que guay! No tengo que planchar la ropa ni pasar la aspiradora en la casa. Por otro lado, hay un problema, no hay una ducha así en vez me ducho en el mar. Normalmente, todas las mañanas pesco para mi desayuno y después barro las hojas. Generalmente, estas son mis tareas del día.

Lo que menos me gusta es que hace mucho calor y extraño a mi familia mucho. Sin embargo, lo que más que me gusta es no tengo responsabilidades, por ejemplo, no tengo que ir al colegio o hacer deberes. ¡Espero que alguien nos rescata pronto, tengo ganas de dormir en mi propia cama!

Lucy Thompson, 10G Querido Diario, Quiero escribir sobre mi tiempo en la isla.

He vivido en esta isla para tanto tiempo, no sé qué día es.

Todavía recuerdo el accidente – que horrible. Hemos sobrevivido, pero Kris rompió su pierna.

Mi rutina diaria es muy diferente que antes, por ejemplo antes del accidente, me levantaba muy tarde, y comía lo que quería.

Pero ahora, es muy diferente. ¡Dios mio! Me levanto con el sol, y desayuno. Si no estaba en la isla, comería tostada o magdalenas, pero tengo que comer fruta ahora. Después del desayuno, yo lavo los platos. Hace muy calor en la isla, y no hay servicio de teléfonos, ni wifi, ni tampoco electricidad!

Por la noche, cocino pescado sobre una roca caliente y luego yo duermo afuera, bajo las estrellas.

Si soy honesto, es muy tranquilo pero quiero estar en mi casa con mi familia.

La semana pasada, algo loco ocurrió - encontré un cerdo salvaje! El cerdo fue tan amable, pero todo el mundo tuvieron mucha hambre así que lo comieron. Yo estaba tan triste porque quería ser amigo con el cerdo.

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Save the Sea with Tea Amirlan Eljigen-Ullman and Ana Bolakoso, 2B

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ear 2 students Ami and Ana were so inspired by Year 13s Florence and Sara when they spoke to Class 2B about Patana Marine Conservation Group earlier this year that they decided to do something to help. The passionate youngsters organised a tea party to raise money. Here the girls tell us a bit more about their fundraising event!

“Ana is my best friend, we’ve been friends since Nursery and we love doing stuff together. When Flo (Lacrosse) and Sara (Markkanen) from Year 13 came to talk to our class about the Patana Marine Conservation Group (PMCG) we both felt really excited. I learned that there are five gyres as big as Thailand in the ocean, and they’re filled with rubbish! We decided to have a tea to raise money to help save the oceans. We did lots of planning and tried to use environmentally friendly resources to have fun. We were so excited because Flo and Max from the PMCG came too! We asked our friends to come and to bring some money to donate. We both care about the environment and Ana and I want to do the same thing in Year 3 because there are more endangered species in the land and the sea, for example the cheetah and rhinoceros in South Africa, which my granny taught me about. Please remember to save our oceans and don’t use plastic straws.”

Amirlan Eljigen-Ullman 09/06/2017

“When Florence and Sara from Year 13 visited our class to talk about the Patana Marine Conservation Group and all the plastic in our oceans, I began to get very worried about the fish and turtles in the sea. I wanted to do something to help.

My friend Ami and I decided to host a morning tea to raise money to help the PMCG to save the turtles.

It took us a long time to plan our morning tea as we had lots of big ideas. In Term 3, when we had a public holiday, we invited our class to attend a morning tea playdate. We played games like Pin the Tale on the Whale and Pass the Recycled Parcel, we did eco-friendly crafts like decorating a recyclable shopping bag and planting lemon trees, and we ate snacks that where decorated in an ocean theme.

Ami and I helped to make some of the snacks ourselves. Our guests of honour were Flo and Max from the PMCG as well as our class teacher Miss Michelle.

It was lots of fun and we raised 1,900 baht for charity. We want to have another fundraiser when we are in Year 3!”

Ana Bolakoso

Bangkok Patana School News

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CATs Corner Tania Leyland, Community Services Coordinator

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s we reach the end of another year, I wanted to share with you some of the activities and outcomes that have had such a positive impact on our community.

Presentations are now complete and next week I will give you a brief overview of each of the teams that will be operating next year. They have some awesome ideas and I look forward to working with them all.

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#61 Part 2 - Summer Holidays, Stretching Yourself

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ast week I mentioned some summer tech to take a look at. This week I’m still thinking about the summer. Here is a nice little free app called Super Stretch Yoga HD. If you can cast this to a larger screen you’ll soon find the little ones in your life getting involved.

Talking of stretching, the school have recently invested in a 360 degree video camera and our teachers have already started to integrate it into their learning resources. When you get a chance click on the images below. You’ll be taken to great examples of how the PE department have tagged videos on how to use the equipment correctly in a 360 degree image of our school gym.

Last call for a hands-on workshop for Secondary parents. The items we will be discussing, sharing advice on and supporting with, are listed below: Secondary Workshop: Parenting - screen time and multitasking in a Digital World - gaming and other digital distractions Date: Tuesday June 13th 2017 - inappropriate content, contact, conduct Time: 8.00 - 9.30am - difficult conversations and family media contracts Location: Primary Hall There’s an opportunity to suggest content for the meeting when you complete the RSVP here.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

School Shop Opening times during the School Holidays.

The School Shop will be closed from Monday 3rd – Monday 31st July 2017. It will reopen on Tuesday 1st August.

To beat the queues in August, you can buy your uniforms for the next school year now.

Please see Khun Duang or Khun Ying in the School Shop who will help you select what you need.

Please note that the Post Office service within the School Shop will be closed from Monday 26th July until Thursday 31st August and will reopen on Friday 1st September 2017.

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Swimming and Gymnastics Well done to all!

What have the TigerSharks been up to this week?

Over 190 TigerSharks competed in the internal gala on Friday. Some excellent swims and many personal bests! Good luck for next Friday.

What have the gymnasts been up to this week?

The gymnasts have been busy competing at the Falcon Gymnastics Invitational and did extremely well with a clear sweep for the boy and four first places for the girls!

Congratulations to all who participated and well done!

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A Word From the Athletics Council The Athletics Council is a group of talented, creative athletes and teachers that aim to promote sports and improve sports participation around the school. The council has been known for putting together award dinners, lunchtime activities and promoting health and fitness in and out of school.

Malachi and Aryan, President and Vice President of the Athletics Council

With the graduation of the Class of 2017, the committee has elected a new President, Malachi Frye and Vice-President, Aryan Jain. They have also added more studentathletes to the council, bringing increased diversity in terms of the sports they play, in an effort to promote lesser-known sports in school as well.

Next year, the council will also focus on engaging more with Primary students to help create a more special bond between Primary and Secondary athletes to cement us as one big Tiger Family. This new approach aims to enhance the bond among all students and athletes and improve overall tiger spirit.

Go Tigers!

Good luck to all athletes this

SUMMER!

Make sure you stay fit over summer and do some sport wherever you are!

Keep up with the action... @bps_athletics _council

@BPSSPORTS

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C heck out these E xciting N ew S porting O pportunities at S chool ...

• New volleyball nets have been put up on the Front Field. Feel free to come on down and play at lunch time and break time.

• Absolute Yoga is starting next year for some relaxation.

• Morning training continues on Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6:45

• New fitness activities held

by Mr Reid are starting on Wednesday and Monday morning. Come and join to boost your fitness in a fun way.

Tiger Sports Teams @BPSSPORTS

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What’s New in the Library?

Early Years’ Library

Primary Library

Secondary Library

Fiction Non-fiction

Comic Books Oversized Books Fiction Non-fiction

Carnegie Shortlist for 2017 Fiction Senior fiction Non-fiction Parents’ collection

Click here to see all the magazines we subscribe to!

University Visits Careers and University Faculty University / College Webster University

Representative Natchayaa Weerawat

Location 2nd Floor, Senior Studies

Date 15.06.17

Time 12:15

Calling all Mandarin Speakers!

Do you speak Mandarin at home with your children? Do you speak some Mandarin because you have lived in a Chinese speaking country and your children have been schooled in Mandarin? Does your child speak Mandarin because s/he has studied it intensively at school or in a bilingual programme? Does your child have extended family in China (or a Mandarin speaking country), and spend some holiday time there with relatives?

We would like to invite you to a meeting on Tuesday 13th June at 8:00am in Con 306 (in the Conference Centre) to tell you about Home Language Mandarin ECA options for Years 1-6 for the academic year starting in August.

For more information please contact Jen Peppard at jepe@patana.ac.th

click here for the Canteen 14

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Transport Corner Weekly news from the Transport Department

Bus Inspections

Thank you to the Parent Volunteers who took part in the annual PTG Bus Inspections this week. Your time and help completing this task was very much appreciated.

Dance Extravaganza

All students participating in the Dance Extravaganza on the Wednesday 14th June have had their bus home cancelled. Please remember to cancel the bus home for siblings or friends who will be going to watch the show.

For the rehearsals, please ensure you read the information emailed carefully and contact Transport if there are any changes to your child’s transport arrangements.

Bus Numbers

Students in Years 3- 13 can now view their bus number by going to their dashboard and clicking on Transport Information. Please let your child know that they can check the bus number before going to the Bus Park if they do not know it. This is very useful for the last week of term when buses change back to default buses and also in the new school year when they return to school. The bus numbers will be updated during tryouts, when the selective sports start and the ECA programme starts. This will save them time at the Bus Park waiting to find out what bus they are on. Please encourage them to use this when needed. Parents can access bus numbers via the parents gateway.

Events

There are many events and activities in the final weeks of school. Please plan ahead for any changes to your child’s transport arrangements.

Feedback

If you have any feedback about our School Transport Service please email transport@patana.ac.th. We continually aim to improve the service provision and your views are important.

C ontact 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

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Fulfil your potential with Bangkok Patana School Position Available: Social Media and Alumni Relations Coordinator The Social Media and Alumni Relations Coordinator is a newly created position, reporting into the Development, Alumni & Marketing Manager. We are looking for a dynamic and innovative individual to join the team and drive the School’s social and online media presence and enhance the school’s alumni programme to create a culture where alumni relations are an intrinsic part of the School’s fabric.

Key responsibilities will be split 60% on alumni relations and 40% on social media.

For complete details and full job description click here.

Skills and Experience: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Marketing and Communications or a related discipline.

Native or first language English speaker with strong interpersonal skills.

Solid experience of developing and implementing innovative social media campaigns through various communication channels in an international organization.

Previous experience with community or alumni engagement.

Event management experience.

Practical experience of design software and video editing (eg: InDesign, Adobe, Illustrator, Photoshop).

Project management skills with the ability to work autonomously and get projects delivered to time and to budget.

Analytical with a strong attention to detail in order to maintain quality data and produce meaningful “value add” reports for management.

Extensive knowledge of and experience with online community management and social media management best practice.

Content creation and curation. Ability to maintain a regular schedule of posts, coordinate with other writers and also have the ability to create content independently.

Consistently demonstrates high energy, a sense of urgency, decisiveness and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment A self starter with the proven ability to work across different audiences, cultures and levels of experience

Applicants are invited to send their C.V. by Tuesday 13th June to: Talent Manager- HR Department, Bangkok Patana School, 643 La Salle Road, Sukhumvit 105, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 Tel: 02 785 2437 Email: hrdepartment@patana.ac.th Visit our website www.patana.ac.th Interviews will take place in English; short listed applicants only will be contacted.

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Community

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Community

ANAPANA MEDITATION COURSE FOR STUDENTS

Anapana (Mindfulness of breathing) teaches students 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 course will be given on Sunday 18th June for students aged between 8-16 years.The course is completely free!

To enrol, please contact Eva Sophonpanich at evasophon@hotmail.com for all further information.

You may also find this site useful: www.children.dhamma.org/en/children/about-meditation.shtml

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

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 20

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