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 15th March 2019
Volume 21 Issue 24
www.patana.ac.th
WE ARE MOTIVATED AND ENGAGED
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Also in this issue... TigerSharks Back on Top / Climate Action Day: What Can You Do? / Martin Luther Makes a Mess! 15/03/2019
Bangkok Patana School News
Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS
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WE ARE MOTIVATED AND ENGAGED
Mick Smith, Secondary School Principal
D
ear Parents,
Although I only wrote in Patana News last month, there is such an enormous amount taking place every week here at Bangkok Patana that it seems like ages and ages ago. If there is any kind of event or visit taking place in Secondary then I get to know about it very early on as whoever is planning it needs my sign off on their planning form and risk assessment. Since my last article on 8th February, and bearing in mind that we had a half term holiday for one of those weeks, the following have all taken place in Secondary alone…deep breath: • Two Bronze Hiking Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award practice expeditions (DoE) • One Silver Kayaking (DoE) Assessment • One Gold Hiking (DoE) Assessment • An IB Design and Technology factory visit to Triumph Motorcycles • The Ski Trip to Verbier, Switzerland • South East Asia Mathematics Competition in Singapore • Year 10 Geography Fieldtrip • SEASAC Athletics - Malaysia • SEASAC Model United Nations • KPIS Arts Challenge –our first Dance Academy
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competition (read more on page 8) • PAWS Community Action Club visit to TMTRD Dog Shelter in Chonburi (read more on page 19) • SEASAC Swimming (read more on page 9) • A History Bee and Bowl at NIST • BIS Junior Maths Competition at Shrewsbury School (read more on page 16) • FOBISIA Golf –Hua Hin • FOBISIA Climbing –Malaysia • STEM Challenge –Regents School Bangkok • International School Theatre Association (ISTA) Drama trip to Manila • Countless other sports fixtures, Community Service, ongoing ECAs and commitment to the Tennis, Football, Gymnastics, Swimming and Drama and Dance Academies. ...stop, breathe. Our students are incredibly motivated and engaged. They seem to have an almost limitless capacity and thirst for opportunities and challenges. They are lucky that we are able to offer so many experiences where they can test themselves individually and in teams. They are fortunate also that we have an amazing body of professionals: teachers, coaches, instructors who are equally motivated
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and engaged and who are prepared to give up additional time planning, leading, accompanying and encouraging them after school, at weekends and, in their holidays. I always ask prospective teachers about the kind of school environment they like to work in. If they enjoy an intense, fast-paced school, where the whole community is superengaged and motivated to support student learning then they should fit in well. During the regular school day, I also see this motivation and engagement within our community. This week, I sat in the monthly meeting the PTG hold with academic and business leaders in the school. What an amazing, passionate, innovative and supportive body of parents! They are absolutely motivated and committed to doing all that they can to contribute to the success of the school.
asked if we would allow them to raise funds for a school in Nan Province. Their motivation? A recognition that they have been incredibly fortunate to receive a Bangkok Patana education and they would like to provide resources to support students who haven’t had that opportunity. I was invited by Alec Bien to conduct a formal learning observation of his Year 9 Music class this week. Nothing unusual in that, I’ve observed Alec teach many times and know what a great learning environment he provides for his students. This lesson was different. Alec challenged the students to self-teach and perform a piece of music (from the Hunger Games) that they had never seen before, by the end of the lesson. His role, almost entirely, apart from explaining the task and the success criteria, was to sit back and watch. Great risk-taking from Alec, especially in a lesson on which I would give him formal feedback. Except it wasn’t really, Alec knew they could cope. As we watched on leaders emerged; ideas were suggested, tried out and evaluated. Genuine collaboration grew from a collective, intrinsic motivation to do a good job, to solve the problems of bringing together different instruments and levels of musical proficiency to produce a piece they could be proud of. There was absolute engagement, not a single student off task for the whole 45 minutes. When they performed, beautifully as Alec knew they would, the students were as proud of themselves as Alec was of them.
Every day this week our Secondary Environmental Committee students have been promoting the annual Waste Less Weeks. Ms Thew will talk about this in the next Patana News issue but through Less Meat Monday, Terminal Tuesday, Water Bottle Wednesday, Turn it off Thursday and Finish it Friday our students have shown how much they engage with environmental issues, how passionately they care, how organised, self-motivated and committed they are to making a difference in the school and beyond. For any students who may not be convinced it has any impact, look at the huge investment the school continues to make into solar energy, inspired by our students, (read more on Would you like to see some motivated and engaged pages 4-6). students and the work that they produce? Come along to the IGCSE and IB Design and Technology Exhibitions, the Our Year 13 students, who in a few weeks will go off IB Visual Art Exhibition and the IB Theatre Solo Performances on study leave to prepare for their final IB examinations, all taking place next week. met with the Secondary Leadership Team this week. At a time when they are still under tremendous pressure to meet Have a great weekend, deadlines, complete courses and get down to revision, they Mick Smith 15/03/2019
Bangkok Patana School News
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CLIMATE ACTION DAY: WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Yuqing Wu, Year 13
“WE, THE YOUNG, HAVE STARTED TO MOVE. WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE FATE OF HUMANITY, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. UNITED WE WILL RISE UNTIL WE SEE CLIMATE JUSTICE.” 1
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oday is March 15th. For people across all five continents, it is Climate Action Day. Today, the youth will take to the streets to challenge the inaction of world decision makers in tackling climate change. And, as the excerpt above from an open letter written by the youth leaders shows, they are dedicated to their cause. Although Bangkok Patana students are, clearly, not about to skip school in protest, I would like to take this opportunity to advocate for more sustainable practices. Fortunately, Patana has been making enormous strides to improve sustainability. During my time in the Energy Subgroup of the Student Environmental Committee (SEC), I have been honoured to participate in several student-led projects, such as our successful “Turn-it-off Thursdays”. This academic year, we also launched a project to fundraise over 150,000 Baht to support the very remote Pang Wua village in northern Thailand, enough to purchase solar kits
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for 20 households to enable them to generate electricity for themselves in a sustainable manner. Inspired by the 26kW solar array on the Science Centre and how it reduced the carbon footprint of the building, students from the SEC approached the school’s leadership team and advocated for the school to invest in solar arrays on the roofs of other buildings. We were delighted that the school made a huge investment of 23 million for solar arrays on the roofs of the HuM building, the Admin building and the Sports Hall, adding a generating capacity of 727kW and demonstrating a firm commitment to lowering our environmental footprint. Over the summer holiday in July and August this year, Bangkok Patana is investing an additional 31 million Baht in installing solar arrays on another 5 buildings, bringing our energy generating capacity to 1.2MW. We are tremendously proud to say that Bangkok Patana is now a regional leader in solar
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power generation, and the only International School in investment is indirect, made by well-meaning organisations Thailand that has shown climate leadership by making a investing in banks and pension funds without realising the significant investment in solar. final destination of their expenditure. Currently, however, a limiting factor on the amount of solar generating capacity that we can install at our school is the fact that the Metropolitan Energy Authority (MEA) does not allow Feed-In Tariffs. Feed-In Tariffs are payments to businesses in return for power generated being fed back to the grid. During weekends and holidays, the school has limited power usage and we need a way of disposing of the excess power we generate. At the moment, the rules of the MEA mean the excess power generated from our solar facilities cannot be used elsewhere. If you have any idea how we could encourage the MEA to adjust their stance, we’d love to hear from you; please email me at the address at the end of this article.
I’m sure most people have heard of the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature increases to 2°C. Fewer know about the more recent IPCC report, which states the impact of global warming is much worse than previously estimated. According to the report, a 1.5°C rise in temperatures, as opposed to 2°C, will prevent corals from being eradicated, ease pressure on the Arctic, and mean 50% fewer people will be affected by water stress, just to name a few consequences. The danger of fossil fuel use, however, is frequently underestimated. If the world is to stay below even the less ambitious target of 2°C of warming, the maximum amount of carbon dioxide emissions permissible is 565 gigatons. The total carbon dioxide present in reserves is disconcerting: 2795 gigatons. This number is terrifying - if the fossil fuel industry continues with their business plan to extract and burn all their resources, the planet will enter a phase of uncontrollable warming as positive feedback loops cause runaway climate change. Historically, fossil fuels have been seen as a way to alleviate poverty and to allow nations to industrialise; but these numbers show that our continued use of fossil fuels is leading to an existential threat to humanity.
Overall, Bangkok Patana’s activities demonstrate that our community is embracing the mission statement of the Student Environmental Committee: “to come together as a community, take small steps towards positive changes, protect our environment and move towards global sustainability”. First, we are reducing the impact our own actions have on the environment. Second, we are supporting other communities to reduce their environmental footprint as well. However, I believe there is a third objective to be tackled: the global emission of greenhouse gases. All three tasks are truly necessary to However, the true message of the IPCC report is even combat climate change and achieving these is certainly more sinister. If we don’t act within 12 years, the opportunity in our power. to prevent 1.5°C of warming will have already passed. 12 To understand how we can mitigate the worst effects years is shorter than you think; it’s the time for a Year 1 of fossil fuel use, we must first recognise the cause of the student to graduate from Bangkok Patana School. It is truly global rise of fossil fuels. The greatest reason why the imperative to take immediate, sustained and collective industry prospers is the huge investments made in them. In action in order to counter the potentially catastrophic 2017 alone, a staggering US$115 billion was invested in effects of climate change. the fossil fuel industry by banks worldwide. Much of this Continued over the page...
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objective of managing a not-for-profit school’s finances is to improve financial security and protect the school’s assets. To achieve this, funds are spread across a number of banks. So, to be committed to the values mentioned earlier, it would be a positive step to only choose banks that are committed to divest their investment portfolios. In many countries, there are ethical banking options, but what options are available for us in Thailand? If you know of ethical banking opportunities for Thai Baht deposit accounts that our school may be able to consider, please contact me at sec@patana.ac.th. It would help to demonstrate our values further if we could be secure in the knowledge that the banks we use invested ethically and sustainably, did not perpetuate the fossil fuel industry and show consideration to the net rate of return available.
Fortunately, an ever-increasing number of leading organisations are acting on the moral imperative to reduce fossil fuel investment by choosing not to invest directly or indirectly in the fossil fuel industry. Over 1000 institutions around the globe have already chosen to divest, a word which means “the action or process of selling off subsidiary business interests or investments”. Recent examples include France’s public pension fund, insurer AXA, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. A close inspection of Patana’s funds reveals over 1.6 billion Baht worth of cash - all of which could be contributing to the fossil fuel industry. As Thailand’s premier and oldest international school, I strongly believe we should live up to our values by joining the divestment movement. As a school community, we are ‘inspired to improve global sustainability’, however can we be totally sure we are not unwittingly contributing to climate catastrophe? Can we be even more ‘ethical and informed’ by being certain of the destination of our funds? It is a challenge to ensure we are fully “protected, safe and secure”, and we should be certain that our schools’ money is not being used to perpetuate the morally bankrupt fossil fuel industry. Consequently, I feel impelled to argue in favour of the divestment of all of Patana’s funds, as a demonstration of the values we firmly support. With divestment in mind, I investigated how Patana invests its money and I am extremely pleased to report that Bangkok Patana does not invest directly in fossil fuels, demonstrating our commitment to integrity.
What can you do? The first step toward reducing our indirect impacts is recognising the consequences of our actions. If you are a parent or teacher holding cash abroad, consider investing in banks which have announced a plan to divest. Furthermore, consider banks which, in addition to having an investment portfolio that is fully divested, specialises in renewable energy investments and financing other sustainable practices. If you are a student, share this message with your family to raise awareness! On this day of Climate Action by students all over the planet, I hope you feel inspired by the actions that our school has already taken to help save our shared future. FURTHER READING / VIEWING WE HAVE 12 YEARS TO LIMIT CLIMATE CHANGE CATASTROPHE, WARNS UN (via the Guardian) A summary of the main points of the IPCC report IPCC CLIMATE REPORT Read the IPCC special report on the global impacts of 1.5°C of warming DO THE MATH A fascinating movie on the fight for a fossil-free future and the climate catastrophe DIVESTMENT-RELATED ORGANISATIONS Some examples of excellent divestment campaigns around the world: Go Fossil Free 350
But what about indirect investment? The primary 6
Bangkok Patana School News
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INTRODUCING THE STUDENT ARTS COUNCIL I
Charlotte Masson, Year 12
am pleased to announce that Bangkok Patana now has its first Student Arts Council! Back in 2018, whilst working with the Drama and Art Department on various projects, I realised how important the Arts were to me personally and how much they have helped me over the past six years in every aspect of my life. I wanted to find a way to acknowledge that and make more people aware of the benefits that the Arts provide. I sent a proposal to Mr Smith and Mr Bien outlining my plan to establish a Student Arts Council for our school community.
We want to encourage more students to participate in and come along to all the fantastic showcases of creativity that our school has to offer. At Bangkok Patana we are fortunate enough to have extremely talented students, amazing staff and some of the best Arts facilities in Asia. I believe that we should be celebrating that to as wide an audience as possible. I am really excited about heading up this council and I can’t wait to get started. The first thing the new council needs is a logo, so we are running a competition open to all Bangkok Patana students to design a logo. The chosen design will be used on all marketing material as well as t-shirts and hoodies. More details of the competition will be announced soon in the Secondary Daily Notices.
The primary role of the council is to promote the benefits of the Arts and to showcase student creativity through Drama, Art and Music. Our newly formed council will initially involve teacher nominated students from across all Secondary Year groups, those who are passionate about Although we are still in our early stages, collaborating the Arts and demonstrate creativity and talent, both in and with the Arts Faculty to develop this council has been such out of the classroom. an exciting experience. I am so fortunate to be working Our council will get involved in many projects, anything alongside such a creative group of students who, like me, from helping to organise and promote musical events have a deep appreciation for the Arts and a passion for to speaking at Secondary assemblies about upcoming celebrating Arts throughout our school community. performances or exhibitions. We will also actively promote the benefits of getting involved in the Arts by speaking to Here are the upcoming Arts events: th students and parents in workshops and coffee mornings; 18 March – IB Art Exhibition Opening we will look at how taking creative subjects at IGCSE and 20th March – IB Theatre Solo Performances IB can benefit students and complement other areas of 4th April – Patana Unplugged their studies, both at Secondary School and beyond. 15/03/2019
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FIRST COMPETITIVE DANCE COMPETITION
Yu Xin Tan, Year 13 n 8th March, the Bangkok Patana Dance Company sent two groups of dancers, the senior and junior dance groups to compete in the annual KPIS International School Music Challenge which included a dance category. This is the first time that Bangkok Patana has sent dancers for competitive dancing. Due to the rising talent and reputation of the Dance Academy, Patana has been given tremendous amounts of dancing opportunities this year thus discovering hidden talents according to their skills, abilities and the types of dance. Moreover, it is incredible to see many students so passionate about dancing, allowing Patana to deepen and expand their dancing capacity, leading dance to be part of the competitive sports in the near future. Throughout the process of training, practising and preparing for this competition, we have become more open-minded to others suggestions, increasing our awareness of each other’s spacing, timing and expressions. Dancing as a group can be challenging at times, as we have to coordinate and cooperate using our performance skills and techniques. As most of us come from different dancing styles/background we have to be adaptive and
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flexible with the music and dance we are told to perform. Ultimately, this first dance competitIon was an amazing experience, both groups worked really hard and had persevered, throughout all of the training sessions from lunchtimes to weekends. Although there are still improvements to be made, we did our best and what’s most important is the experience and progress which is already the reward. Congratulations to the Juniors who came fifth with 79% overall and the Seniors who came eighth with 72%, both teams placed in the top 10 out of 17 schools. Lastly, I would like to thank Miss Spalding and our student coach NiKi who have helped in the choreography of both dance groups. I hope there are still more opportunities to see our school dancers shine on stage and bring glory to Bangkok Patana! “This is a great effort considering this was Bangkok Patana’s first ever international Dance competition. I am really proud of both groups and their efforts. Special thanks to Niki in Year 13 for working with the senior group.” Tamara Spalding, Head of Dance and Drama Academy
Bangkok Patana School News
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TigerShark
NEWS TIGERSHARKS BACK ON TOP Richard Molloy, TigerSharks Head Swim Coach
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he TigerSharks team headed to Ruamrudee International School last weekend for the annual SEASAC Senior Swimming Championships. SEASAC continues to be a tough prospect with powerhouse school UWC-East occupying the number one position in world international schools, after claiming both boys and girls titles for the past five years.
they stormed through morning prelims on Day Two. Chloe and Claire took wins in distance events as well to maintain a slender advantage going into finals. As the events progressed and big performances continued to roll in, the Girls entered the event finale with an ‘unassailable’ 19-point lead. The final relay was again a close battle with UWC-East, which ended with TigerSharks taking the overall The 2019 TigerShark cohort began Girls’ title for the first time in seven the weekend determined to improve years. The boys were equally inspired on last year’s performance and get and tussled all day with UWC-Dover back to challenging for titles. This was and Stamford American School for evident in the first individual event, the silver medal. In the end, that battle 400m freestyle, as TigerSharks took ended with a fourth place finish, just first, second and sixth to jump straight 10 points behind second and a real into the lead of the girls meet. The belief that we can challenge for top boys were equally inspired, with honours next year. swimmers moving up the rankings to secure A Finals and boost our points It has been a great journey this tally at every opportunity. year for the seniors, turning potential into reality. Congratulations and Day One was highlighted by the best wishes to Girls’ captain Jasmina Girls’ 4x50m Freestyle team, who Barron who graduates this year, took the title in dramatic fashion. The having been a fantastic leader and relay team of Prim, Claire, Misol and roll model for the team throughout her Jasmina went head to head with the time at Bangkok Patana. What a way UWC-East quartet, winning by 0.03s. to finish! Captain and Senior Jasmina finished the relay off in her eigth and final SEASAC. That moment was a turning point for the girls and the points tally proved it as they led the meet going into Day Two. The TigerSharks began each day focussed on securing A Finals to ensure guaranteed points finishes and 15/03/2019
Bangkok Patana School News
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UNI COUNSELLORS’ CORNER UNI OFFERS...
Congratulations on your offer from the East 15 Acting School (University of Essex) to study Acting and Contemporary Theatre
Joseph Wood, Year 13
“I have a vision for the future, I would like to be an actor as well as direct my own work with a collective of artists. The course at East 15 Acting School develops me as an actor that is able to retain creative independence and make theatre. This is perfect for me, as I love to act and move my body, but I am also extremely passionate about directing, realising certain artistic visions and seeing the process of theatre unfold in front of me. I knew that drama school was right for me, as it heightens my chances of making a career out of what I love to do by giving me legitimate and reputable training. The drama department at Bangkok Patana has nurtured the fire of my passion in various ways, such as school productions, workshops, and IB related projects in the theatre course.”
IN THE SPOTLIGHT...
University of Navarra, Spain
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ocated in Pamplona, this private not-for-profit university with a strong Catholic ethos is one of Spain’s most prestigious universities with a distinguished record in teaching and research. The University of Navarra was founded in 1952 by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei, to transmit the movement’s values, and now has around 11,000 students, of whom some 8,700 are undergraduates, across four main campuses in the north-eastern Spanish city. Initially starting as a law school, it now has 14 faculties, two university schools, 17 institutes, a business school and other centres and institutions. The university offers more than 120 degrees, but all courses include theology. The university also runs a teaching hospital, where around 2,000 qualified professionals handle more than 100,000 patients each year, as well as carrying out world-leading medical research focused on four main areas - oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular sciences, and gene therapy and hepatology. It’s mission is broadly defined by the search for truth; contribution to the academic, cultural and personal education of its students; the promotion academic research and healthcare activities and providing suitable opportunities for the development of its staff – all with a culture of outreach with a clear goal of service.
Challenge 21
Follow the Careers team...
Year 12s - what are you doing this summer? The summer of Year 12 is an ideal time to pursue professional or enrichment opportunities. Begin the process of researching opportunities as soon as possible.
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UPCOMING UNIVERSITY VISITS UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE
COUNTRY
Jacobs University NYU Abu Dhabi Bristol University- Atmospheric Chemistry Kyoto University Youngstown State University Hofstra University City University of Hong Kong University of Bristol Cornell University
Germany UAE UK Japan USA USA Hong Kong UK USA
LOCATION
Senior Studies, second floor Senior Studies, second floor SEC 302 Senior Studies TBC Senior Studies Senior Studies, second floor Senior Studies, second floor Shangrila Hotel
DATE
TIME
18.03.19 20.03.19 21.03.19 22.03.19 22.03.19 25.03.19 25.03.19 26.03.19 30.03.19
09:15 12:15 12:15 09:15 09:15 09:15 12:15 12:15 13:00
CLICK TO READ MARCH’S CAREERS NEWSLETTER
2019 Guiding Statements Survey Closing date Friday 22nd March This month, we are conducting a survey of our community’s understanding of our Mission, Vision and Values. All parents will have received an email requesting your feedback with this important survey to help us understand how well we are fulfilling our Guiding Statements. Please click here to complete the survey, alternatively you can also find links to the survey via the Parents’ Gateway and PTG Facebook. Thank you for helping us to shape meaningful experiences for your children here at Bangkok Patana School.
DATES
for your
Diary...
Monday 18th March IB Art and Design and Technology Exhibition Opening Monday 18th March Block 4 ECA Sign Up Opens Saturday 30th March Solo Festival Thursday 4th April Patana Unplugged Friday 5th April End of Term 2
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STUDENTS SPEAK
Could the Belly Have an Effect on Mental Health? By Karnsiree (Ling Ling) Chen, Year 12
stay closer to the edge where they felt more secure rather than exploring the center of the box. Once again, this demonstrated the lethargy and lack of curiosity characteristic of patients with depression. Julio Licino from New York Upstate Medical University commented, “What was remarkable was that the animals that receive the ‘depressed’ microbiome, behave depressed. If you change the microbiome, you change the behaviour.”
The link between gut health and mental health was first investigated by British doctor George Porter Phillips in the early 20th century when he noticed that his patients with depression shared similar traits of lackluster hair, brittle nails, constipation and a sallow complexion. He deduced that these could be the result of a turbulent digestive system and conducted an experiment to test this. He fed them Kefir which contains good bacteria to aid digestion, and the results showed that 11 out of 18 patients were cured completely. However, we cannot consider the gut to be the sole answer to problems in finding a cure as depression is also effected by many other factors, and not all patients will respond favourably to this treatment. More recent experiments include transferring a sample of gut microbes from patients with Major Depressive Disorder to germ free, specially grown mice in Chongqing, China. These mice exhibited behaviour where they were quicker to quit, on a “forced” swimming task – a behaviour that is often considered a sign of depression as it displays signs of lethargy and hopelessness. Furthermore, when the mice were placed in a box, they preferred to
Recent epidemiological studies also correspond to this idea, with the most recent one published on February 4th 2019, showing that different gut bacteria correspond to the presence of different mental illnesses. Certain species of gut microbes can protect the gut wall by maintaining the mucous membrane that stops spillage into the blood stream. Without that barrier, a “leaky gut” may occur which triggers the release of proinflammatory proteins that increase the blood flow around sites of infection and regulate the body’s immune response. These proteins can lead to a low mood and lethargy. A common example is how we often feel tired when we’re ill, which helps us to preserve energy in the short term. However, in the long term, it leads to lethargy which is linked to depression. Gut microbes also influence how we digest serotonin and dopamine, with a direct line of communication to the brain, through the vagus nerve, which has receptors near the gut lining. Microbes in the intestine can therefore send signals to the vagus nerve – and, resultantly, alter the brain’s activity. Scientist are attempting to investigate this link further because there is still a way to go before the effect of gut microbes on mental health can be widely accepted in the scientific community. Image Source
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE
2019/20
CALENDAR 12
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This is a great opportunity to see the fantastic work produced by our students in Design & Technology. On display will be work from the IGCSE classes, both Resistant Materials and Graphics as well as examples of the Internal assessment work produced by the IB students. When:
Where:
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REINTRODUCING THE SNACK BAR STANDARDS
Jiraprapa (Prim) Boonpan, School Nutritionist
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ver the last few years, food and drink options at Bangkok Patana have changed a lot. You may notice that some items in our Snack Bars were removed and replaced with other more healthy items. Instead of labelling what are good or bad items, we try to work on categorising food and drink by the ‘traffic light’ system; green, amber or red. Red items are not permitted to be sold in our Snack Bars, you can read more about the traffic light system here. The Bangkok Patana School Snack Bar Standards were announced at the end of Term 3 of 2016/17. We would like to remind everyone of the system that we have been using for assessing food and drink available to the community at Patana. To make sure that we create a good nutritional environment, a range of appropriate choices must be available for our students. We hope students enjoy the options available but we always welcome your comments and suggestions, please contact Khun Prim, School Nutritionist, jibo@patana.ac.th or Khun Wichit, Food Service Manager, wiar@patana.ac.th.
REMINDER: TERM 3 2018/19 SCHOOL FEE INVOICES
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nvoices for Term 3 2018/19 school fees were sent to families/companies on Wednesday 20th February 2019. If you have not received your invoice please contact the Accounting Department or email accounts@patana.ac.th
Please note that the due date for settlement is Friday 22nd March 2019, payments received after this date will be subject to a late payment charge of 1% per month. Thank you, Accounting Department
LOST Property 14
Please remember that if your child has lost anything (including water bottles) you can check on Firefly to see if it has been found or handed in. Scan the QR code to view or visit https://community. patana.ac.th/community-events/lost-property Bangkok Patana School News
15/03/2019
MARTIN LUTHER MAKES A MESS Julian Brosnahan, Secondary History Teacher and Curriculum Leader
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ear 7 History students recently started learning about the Tudors. They have examined the ‘King in the Carpark’, the incredible story of the discovery of Richard III’s remains, and the problems his successor Henry VII faced. However, to understand the Tudors, students need to understand the religious divisions in Europe in the sixteenth century. To help explain these the German monk, Martin Luther, recently made a surprise appearance in some classes. He explained what he considered to be some of the problems in the Catholic Church in the 1500s and what should be done about them. The students asked him interesting and thoughtful questions.
The students also prepared beautiful images to create stained glass ‘windows’. Many beautiful features were created as they listened to the dulcet tones of monastic music. They were, however, shocked to see their creations destroyed by Martin Luther, as an illustration of the conflict between fifteenth and sixteenth century Catholics and Protestants. Students then followed up on this by recognising the features of Catholic and Protestant beliefs and how they were different. Religious conflict like this between Catholics and Protestants in Europe is (mostly) consigned to history. However, this example of intolerance is a crucial reminder of why tolerance for the views of others is so important.
click here for the Canteen
Please note the menu is updated for the following week on Friday at 1pm
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BIS JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE Scott Tooley, Secondary Head of Mathematics
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ight intrepid mathematicians, travelled to Shrewsbury School and grappled with the toughest questions that their senior students could put together. They were taking part in the annual BISJMC (Bangkok International School Junior Maths Challenge), an event originally created by Bangkok Patana Alumni. Eight students from Year 7 and Year 8 formed two teams:
The students took part in a mixture of individual and team rounds throughout the day, each consisting of problems to solve across numerous topics. Why don’t you have a go at one of the individual questions, to see how you might have got on? Individual Round BISJMC 2019 Shrewsbury International School – Question 23 The Fibonacci sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, …..is a well-known sequence.A term in the sequence is equal to the sum of the two terms before it. Among the first terms of the sequence, there are 47 terms which are multiples of 3. Find the sum of all the possible values of. All eight Bangkok Patana students represented the school extremely well and had a lot of fun exploring some great mathematical problems. TK, Si Chao, Terry and Justin performed consistently well throughout all the rounds and as a result, they ended up as true champions by coming first in the team event. On top of this excellent result, Si Chao had an outstanding performance which earned him first place in the individual competition. The whole event was brilliantly organised by the Senior students of Shrewsbury International school and whilst it was certainly a win for Mathematics, it was also a win for Bangkok Patana School.
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Bangkok Patana School News
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Bangkok Patana School News
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CATS CORNER
Jessica Montgomery-Day, Year 13
L
ast Saturday, our CAT club, the Patana Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) took a trip to Chonburi to meet The Man That Rescues Dogs (TMTRD), a shelter that takes in strays. Comprised of a large enclosure, hundred of canines and a few passionate helpers, the shelter helped us grasp the true reality of what stray dogs are faced with. Several of the dogs were wounded or ill; due to accidents and mistreatment, some were suffering incredibly heartbreaking injuries. There was a dog who was missing two back legs, but she still managed to scramble around enthusiastically. Another dog was missing an eye, but he would still nudge your hand until you pet him. Even spending half a day was enough for me to get emotionally attached to the cheerful animals.
We helped the dogs go through water therapy; those with the wounded legs needed exercise, so a shallow pool allowed them to utilise their forelegs in what would usually be a mostly sedentary lifestyle. We also painted a concrete slope for the dogs, adorning it with a massive blue paw. The paint, for some reason, was loved by the dogs, and they kept trying to lick it (not to worry though, as most paints are safe). It was a sure sign that they appreciated our efforts. After a long day at the shelter, we returned back to Bangkok Patana. Here are a few things our members had to say:
“As my first ever PAWS trip, I found it to be very enlightening. It showed me struggles stray dogs are put through as we met many with several disabilities and illnesses. Ultimately, it was a very enjoyable trip as we got to paint our symbol and played with the dogs the whole day.” - Zara Mansoor, 11C “I went on the trip with the initial intention that I just want to pet and play with dogs. However, during the trip and the tour we took through the shelter, I realised that other than playing with dogs to satisfy my own happiness, I wanted to take part in helping these dogs as well as other animals who are in need. The trip itself was an enjoyable and memorable experience as it is my first trip as a member of PAWS, but it also left an impact on me ” - Yunnan Dumnernchanvanich, 11C “I found the trip positively thrilling. We were all having such a good time with the sweetest and friendliest dogs - I would go back in a heartbeat.” - Sophie Frapin, 13C
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Bangkok Patana School News
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15/03/2019
Bangkok Patana School News
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#116: The Next Fortnite?
I
n my opinion there’s a new ‘free to download’ game that will surpass Fortnite in popularity with your children. With 50 million players in its first month (Fortnite was about 12 million), Apex Legends is one we need to become familiar with.
Read the parent and kids reviews. You can read more about the rise of Apex Legends and the reason why it is so popular here. Have a great weekend. Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Cross Campus Curriculum Technology Integration
Did you know that there are lots of reusable items for sale in the PTG Tiger Shop? Stainless Steel Drinking Straws – individual and in packs Bamboo Drinking Straws Bamboo Cotton Buds Bamboo Toothbrushes Cotton Produce Bags (sets of 3) Stainless Steel Klean Kanteen Insulated Drinks Tumblers Stainless Steel Klean Kanteen Water Bottles
Get your environmentally friendly products now! #Tag a picture of your Tiger Shop reusable item in use on Instagram with #WLW4 for the chance to be celebrated on @bangkokpatana_sec 20
Bangkok Patana School News
15/03/2019
15/03/2019
Bangkok Patana School News
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m the o r f t s e The lat
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PTG
Bangkok Patana School News
Join the PTG Facebook page here!
15/03/2019
15/03/2019
Bangkok Patana School News
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the m o r f e r Even mo
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PTG
Bangkok Patana School News
Join the PTG Facebook page here!
15/03/2019
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Bangkok Patana School News
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COMMUNITY
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Bangkok Patana School News
15/03/2019
The BWG will donate proceeds raised from the charity lunch to; Gift of Happiness Foundation in Thailand and Steps with Theera
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Oven Baked Tiger Prawn and Scallops โ Pot au Feuโ ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย วก ย ย ย ย ย
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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 Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th 28
Bangkok Patana School News
15/03/2019