Patana News Volume 21 Issue 7

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 28th September 2018

Volume 21 Issue 7

www.patana.ac.th

ENERGY AND PERSISTENCE

Understanding, nurturing and maintaining linguistic diversity.

Also in this issue...

The Enormous Crocodile 28/09/2018

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Roots and Shoots: An Update

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Page 2

Patana University Fair

Bangkok Patana School News

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School, accredited by CIS, NEASC and ONESQA

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ENERGY AND PERSISTENCE

Ondine Ullman, Leader of Language Acquisition, Primary School

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t Bangkok Patana, we have the privilege of a glo- “The challenge for us as parents becomes riously diverse linguistic landscape, with over 60 how we understand, and manage to nationalities within our community speaking a larger nummaintain and nurture this ber of languages. For many of our children, using multiple languages is the norm, and for all of them, English is the linguistic diversity.” medium of learning and sharing. The challenge for us as parents becomes how we understand, and manage to then a second/subsequent language(s) that is not as well maintain and nurture this linguistic diversity. Here are some developed. They might read and write at a high level in these languages, but not at a native level and not as well key factors to consider: as they can in English. Unbalanced multilinguals are very KNOW YOUR TERMINOLOGY common in international schools such as Bangkok Patana.

We often call our children ‘bilingual’, which technically Receptive multilinguals are able to understand a second means that they can use two different languages. It would language, but can’t really speak, read or write in it. Rebe more accurate to refer to them as ‘multilingual’. Multilin- ceptive multilinguals are very common, especially if only gualism refers to the use of more than one language, and one parent speaks the language and language exposure therefore includes bilingualism, but also acknowledges is limited. Very often, if they are immersed back in the lanthat we have children that comfortably use three or even guage, they begin to speak. four languages.

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT

YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN

There are different forms of multilingualism and each one is as valid as the next. Ambilinguals have age-appropriate native level reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in each language. This is quite a feat and more common in children educated in bilingual schools. Unbalanced multilinguals have one age appropriate language, and 2

I know, I know…anyone who has ever talked with me about maintaining home language (HOLA) will know that this is my catch phrase. It’s essential that parents think ahead about what they want their children to do with language(s). If you want your child to be able to return to your home country and study, then they need native level literacy skills. Supporting this vision needs careful planning

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and access to specialised language learning support.

YOUR CHILD WILL SPEAK ENGLISH BACK TO YOU

This is perhaps the most frustrating aspect for many parents. How many of you speak to your child in your language, and they answer in English? Or perhaps siblings only speak to each other in English? Rest assured that you are not alone and that this is a very common aspect of raising multilingual children in an English-dominant environment. The danger is that this is the point at which many parents throw in the proverbial towel and give up with

have better attention spans than monolinguals.

LANGUAGE NEEDS CONTEXT AND MODELLING

Language needs context and practice. If you want to keep your HOLA strong, your children need a language model. The ideal is that the language model (which is usually a parent) never uses English with your children, although it is perfectly fine to use it around them when speaking to others. HOLA begins at home, and you can’t

their HOLA, switching over to English only. Take a minute to consider that, when your child answers you back in English, they are showing you that they are understanding what you are saying, but they are responding in the language that has become the most dominant/comfortable for them. Take a deep breath, count to three, and carry on in your HOLA. The more you can model your language, and the more exposure you provide, the better off your child will be.

rely on language teachers alone to provide the scope of exposure that the children need. A strong HOLA supports the development of subsequent languages. Ways to increase exposure include HOLA television programmes, HOLA reading, Skype chats with relatives in HOLA, community and cultural gatherings, and returning to your home country for visits. Websites such as www.uniteforliteracy. com and www.childrenslibrary.org provide online books in multiple languages for free. Support the PHLH (Parent Home Language Helper) programme in the Primary IT’S NOT EASY…BUT IT’S WORTH IT School and speak to us about how the HOLA ECA proBenjamin Franklin is purported to have said ‘Energy and gramme can help too. persistence conquer all things’ and this, for me, sums up raising multilingual children. Because, truth be told, it does DON’T FEEL GUILTY – ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL take a LOT of energy, and a LOT of persistence to continuNot everyone decides to raise their children as multilinally provide language models and exposure. But you are guals, and that is their choice. Each family is unique and handing your children the gift that keeps on giving. Stud- their needs are different. And for those of us that do raise ies have shown that multilinguals are better problem solv- our children with more than one language, be gentle on ers and multitaskers (just think what their brains are doing yourself. It’s different for everyone and there is no onewhen they listen in one language and reply in another), size-fits-all solution. Continue to do the best that you can are more empathetic, find learning languages easier and and know that there are many of us right there with you.

click here for the Canteen

Please note the menu is updated for the following week on Friday at 1pm

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Bangkok Patana School News

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WORK EXPERIENCE: AQUATIC ANIMAL HOSPITAL, CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY The wonderful staff at the Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Centre, within Chulalongkorn University, have generously supported Bangkok Patana students through our Year 11 Work Experience programme for the past seven years. The ‘hands-on’ experience of working closely with animals in a professional setting is almost a necessity for students who intend on pursuing Veterinary Sciences as pathway at university. We are incredibly grateful to the team at the Aquatic Animal Hospital for providing our Veterinary hopefuls with this incredible opportunity.

“I had the opportunity to work with Chulalongkorn University and their veterinarians in the aquatic animal facility. I was assigned to do a variety of jobs there, such as washing and scrubbing buckets, bringing turtles outside for a sunbathe, or wiping baby turtles down after their daily swim. In addition to this, we had to care for ill and disabled turtles. There was one turtle whose face was sliced off, so all there was left was a hole for a mouth. My co-worker and I had the task of feeding it shrimp with forceps, as it couldn’t eat by itself. This task took a lot of patience, and formed in me a realisation of the fragility of animals like these turtles, and how humans can greatly impact their survival.

One highlight was watching one particularly ill sea turtle slowly get stronger and healthier over the five days we were there. On the first day, it could not dive down in water and had trouble eating its food. On the last day, it was able to dive down and eat by itself. On the other hand, one low point was losing one particularly speedy turtle when we were taking them out to sunbathe.

My co-worker and I spent half an hour looking for it, panicking all the while. Luckily, someone had found it somewhere else and returned it to the hospital; we apologised profusely to the bosses.

The experience was also in some ways therapeutic: spending time away from all forms of electronics and focusing on one task

at a time reset my brain to be more motivated and logical. I have learnt so much from this experience, and it has made me realise that I would like to work with the environment in the future.”

Emily Simons, Year 12 “During work experience, I received the amazing opportunity to intern at the Chula Aquatic Vet Clinic. During the work days, our routine was very structured. Our first job was to clean the habitats of turtles and fish then feed them. After, we would clean wounds and feed special diet to specifically ill animals. Then, we would take the animals to bathe in the sun before lunch and would repeat the same process afterwards. Towards the end of the day we would get to shadow and help the veterinarians on special cases such as injections and/or biopsies.

I enjoyed the workflow routine and also the very relaxing atmosphere as we had the same number of animals to care for and we would only have extra work when new cases arrived. This allowed us to learn new things but also relax when there were no new cases. This is why I really enjoyed and would like to be a part of the veterinary field in the future as I have the skills of communicating well with owners and a love for chemistry and biology.”

Kara Chewter, Year 12

Our Year 11 Work Experience Programme runs in the final week of the school year (17th – 21st June, 2019). We are always seeking to secure placements for interested students and we also strongly encourage and support those students who are able to arrange independent opportunities. We are incredibly grateful to the individuals, businesses and organisations who have supported our initiative over the years. If you are interested in discovering more about how you and your organisation could possibly place one or more Bangkok Patana students next June, please get in touch with the University and Careers Team.

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THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE

Dominique Chandler, Leader of Learning and Curriculum, Year 3

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storytelling approach is used throughout the Primary School to develop a range of narrative writing skills.

Each term, children learn to tell age appropriate stories with actions. Drama, art and other forms of exploration are used to make the stories memorable. Once they have internalised a fluent version of the basic story then children are taught how to use their imaginations to innovate the story and make it their own.

across the Year group. The story was shared in Thai, English, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Swahili, French, Dutch, Swedish, Portuguese, German and Russian.

The reading afternoon instilled a sense of pride amongst students who celebrated their multilingualism. Many of the teachers could not understand the discussions but were able to read body language and nonverbal cues, listened for familiar words, enjoyed the laughter and realised Storytelling is one of the most enjoyable and effective how helpful drama and actions can be. This was a great ways to strengthen students’ language. It is known that the chance for them to stand in the shoes of some of our new most successful bilingual learners listen to and read stories to English learners. at home with parents in their native language as well as in At Bangkok Patana we encourage and support students English. Having a strong understanding of one language, to become better global citizens through our school valallows the successful adoption of a second or third lan- ues. This was certainly apparent during this inclusive, interguage to ensue with much greater ease. cultural afternoon of reading. If you would like to be part Year 3 drew upon the expertise of our linguistically di- of the Parent Home Language Initiative please add your verse community this week to share their key text, Roald details here, we’d love to have you join us.

Dahl’s ‘The Enormous Crocodile’ in a variety of students’ Thank you to all of our wonderful Home Language home languages. A group of parents skilfully translated the Helpers for their invaluable support. text then shared it during a wonderful afternoon of reading

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Bangkok Patana School News

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YEAR 2 SCIENTISTS: HABITAT HUNT

Michelle Brinn, Assistant Leader of Learning, Year 2

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ear 2 have been exploring what it means to be a scientist. They began by considering what they already knew about scientists and sharing their knowledge.

Most thought that science was almost always done in a laboratory and focused on potions, tests tubes and explosions. However, thanks to many Bangkok Patana alumni and staff, these ideas were soon changed when they ‘met’ a whole range of scientists from chemists and cosmologists to marine biologists and zoologists. Year 2 were amazed to discover the varied interests and passions of scientists and began to reconsider what it meant to be ‘a scientist’.

After all, if you did not have to stay in a lab and make things explode (exciting as that was) what made you a scientist? The students decided that a scientist is a person who, after carefully observing the world around them, asks many questions about that world and finds different but rigorous ways to find the answers.

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Having now defined what it means to be a scientist, Year 2 set off to explore their world. Through the book ‘The Snail and the Whale’ by Julia Donaldson, they had been introduced to the concept of ‘habitats’ and wanted to use their scientific skills to learn more. They began by exploring and carefully observing the amazing habitats found within Bangkok Patana School and, having meticulously collected and recorded their data, began to formulate some questions of their own. The range and diversity of the questions was amazing and illustrated the powerful curiosity of a young child’s mind. Here a just a few examples: How do fish see in this water?

Why do frogs lay their eggs on leaves and why are they sticky?

Why do trees have so many leaves?

How do tadpoles turn into frogs?

Why are the trees green?

How does a fish breathe in water?

How do spiders make webs?

How do the webs catch flies?

Why do frogs have long tongues?

How do birds use their wings to fly?

Why do snails hide in their shells?

Why are some mushrooms big and some small?

How do fish eat when they have no teeth?

Having asked the questions, now it was time to try to find the answers. Many children had different hypotheses

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about what the answers may be and began to consider how to see if they were right. Trying different experiments was contemplated, but quickly rejected, as it was realised that this might actually harm the creatures they wanted to

their questions to Ms Thew and went to meet her to find out if she had the answers. She did...and many more besides.

Year 2 were amazed to find that many of their hypothesise were correct and astonished to learn lots new things as

learn about and may not even give them the answer. Maybe, a Secondary rather than Primary source was needed.

Reflecting on all the incredible scientists they had already met, it was realised that there are a host of scientists at Bangkok Patana that might be able to help. Luckily, Cross Campus Principal and Biology teacher, Ms Thew was just such an expert and happily offered to assist. Year 2 sent

well – who knew that some fish, like sharks, are unable to actually distinguish different colours!

Now, Year 2 staff have the task of trying to answer all the other questions, it may take a while! Thank you Ms Thew, Year 2 hope you enjoyed supporting such incredible scientists.

“I was very honoured to be invited to take part in Year 2s Habitat Assembly especially after receiving the excellent questions that they were curious to learn more about. When the first Year 2 class came out they did double check that I was a ‘real scientist’ as I was not wearing a lab coat! Fortunately, they soon accepted that scientists did not have to wear lab coats outside in the hot weather.

Gathering around the pond habitat, outside the Thai Sala, where lots of their questions had been generated, I asked their questions back to them to see what they had learnt for themselves during their habitat hunt. I was very impressed that as a group they could share their ideas and support each other to build up very clear scientific answers. What I really liked was the fact Year 2 students do not just accept the first answer as having to be correct but would come up with alternative answers that could be equally feasible. For example, when asked to think, ‘Why snails move so slowly?’ their answers included: They have a heavy shell which slows them down.

The slime they make is sticky and that slows them down.

They have no legs or arms to help them move.

They have a large area of their body (which we called the foot) in contact with the ground which has to be moved.

To hide from the birds (predators). If they move slowly their movement will not be spotted from the air.

They eat plants so do not need to move fast to catch their food (prey).

Throughout my time with the Year 2s they were definitely fulfilling their definition of a scientist as they had indeed carefully observed the habitats around Bangkok Patana, asked many questions about those habitats and explored different ideas to answer their own questions.”

Helen Thew, Cross Campus Principal

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Bangkok Patana School News

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ROOTS AND SHOOTS: OFF TO A GREAT START!

Alexander (Coke) Smith, Environmental Systems and Societies Leader

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angkok Patana School is home to Thailand’s only Roots and Shoots club and we’re off to a great start this year!

Roots & Shoots was started by Dr Jane Goodall some years ago in Tanzania to try to instil a conservation ethic in the minds of young students all over the world. Roots and Shoots is very prevalent in China and other nations but for some reason never quite made it to Thailand…until now.

As many of you may be aware, our local Roots & Shoots chapter has been working very hard to generate funds to provide solar power to Pang Wua Village, remotely located in the far western edge of Chiang Mai. Last term, students raised over 30,000 THB, still a long way from our goal of one million THB but enough funding to supply three to four homes in the village with power. However, there are over 20 more homes in serious need.

The very remote location of the village makes simple travel very challenging, and considering installing a full solar array almost unthinkable. But our team has recently found a far simpler option – household solar kits! Each kit can provide

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enough energy to supply three LED lights (providing enough light for the small houses in the village), a fan and even a TV. We are working out options to even include a small centrally located refrigerator.

Aside from logistical considerations, we’ve decided to go for the smaller individualised solar kits as they will give each household a sense of “ownership”. A problem that has plagued many well-intentioned projects that have provided full solar arrays, is that there is no sense of ownership by each household. Consequently, over a short period of time, many of the systems become dysfunctional due to neglect. Our hope is that by providing each household with their own power source, the families will take more direct care of their own equipment.

Our Roots & Shoots team will be traveling to the village from 8th – 10th December and are very excited to meet the villagers they have worked so hard to help. Our goal is to actually present and install as many solar kids as possible during our visit.

Last year, our campaign to sell rights to name a brick of the new and finished earthen building was very successful and we are hoping to continue this lucky streak in to this year as well. With this in mind, if you wish to donate to this very worthy project, here’s how you can get involved:

Categories of Sponsorship: Bronze Plaque: Donation of 200 THB Silver Plaque: Donation of 1,000 THB Gold Plaque: Donation of 5,000 THB We are also hoping to find an interested party who would be willing to give a more substantial donation in return for naming rights to the Earthen Building in the Outdoor Classroom that is now completed and in use by students.

Please contact cosm@patana.ac.th for more information.

How to Donate: Submit donation in cash/cheque to the school Cashier: Internal account name: Roots and Shoots (under Cross Campus) Account code: OTH059 Please keep the receipt for your reference from the cashier.

Donate by bank transfer:

Please pay to school account with a notification for “Roots and Shoots” written on the payment slip

School account: Bangkok Patana School SCB Saving: 015 269 0206 Email pay in slip to: keni@patana.ac.th; sasu@patana.ac.th; cosm@ patana.ac.th

Please join me in applauding our students for working so hard to improve the quality of life for the villagers of Pang Wua Village, “we are active volunteers”. The Bangkok Patana community has yet another reason to be very proud of our students and we are very excited for the opportunities to help this village achieve full power in the coming months and years.

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Bangkok Patana School News

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UNI COUNSELLORS’ CORNER

ALUMNI EXPERIENCE

IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

Queen’s University, Canada

Queen’s is a hub of academic research on the shore of Lake Ontario near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The campus is dotted with charming limestone buildings in Romanesque revival and neo-Gothic style, several more than 100 years old. Modern structures coexist alongside, such as the athletic centre, which houses three gyms, a food court and a coffee shop. The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts regularly attracts award-winning performers. “We have more than 300 student-run clubs and associations, which I think exemplifies the initiative and leadership of our student body,” says Principal Daniel Woolf.

The university has an extensive international program, offering the chance to study at 245 different institutions in 45 countries: a popular choice is Queen’s Bader International Study Centre in 15th-century Herstmonceux Castle in southeast England.

The Queen’s campus is surrounded by rows of brick houses, most of which are rented by students. It’s a 10-minute walk downtown and a short stroll to Lake Ontario’s scenic waterfront.

UPCOMING UNIVERSITY VISITS UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE

COUNTRY

Eli White graduated from Bangkok Patana in 2014. After completing his undergraduate degree in Toronto he is now at Queen’s Univeristy studying in the Faculty of Law. “I moved to Kingston in Ontario, Canada at the start of September 2018, to go to the Queen’s Faculty of Law. I’d been at Bangkok Patana for nine years, and then gone to University of Toronto for my undergrad, in Psychology and English. Each move I was going to a smaller city, from eight million in Bangkok, to three million in Toronto, to only one hundred and twenty thousand in Kingston. I was worried about making the move; would I find a place like Kingston too boring or provincial? Luckily, the skills I’d picked up at Bangkok Patana, of appreciating the differences in all of us and approaching each new person as having something new I could learn, I’ve found Kingston and Queen’s to be incredibly welcoming.

Queen’s Law has been a great fit for me so far. Each year has only two hundred people, and you do all your first-year (or 1L) classes with the same twenty-five students. Though you don’t get to pick your courses, as everyone needs the same foundations, I’ve found all my professors to be both brilliant, and incredibly generous with their time, helping all of the first years come to grips with the new field we are studying.

It’s not all study of course. Kingston is small enough that the downtown is entirely pedestrian accessible with waterfront, parks, escape rooms, and more to occupy you. Queen’s also has a variety of clubs like the choir, theatre clubs, or even a beer tasting club, punily named Beyond A Reasonable Stout. I’ve tried to get involved with the Pro Bono Students of Canada movement, the largest chapter of which is found at Queen’s. I’ve been given an opportunity to use the skills picked up in the classroom in a practical way, to help organisations around Kingston. If you are interested in practicing law in Canada, I can’t recommend it enough.”

Challenge 3 Year 12 students - log on to Cialfo and explore!

REP

LOCATION

DATE

TIME

Success Canada Fair

Canada

Renaissance Hotel Bangkok

07.10.18

11:00

Dalhousie University

Canada

Senior Studies, second floor

08.10.18

09:15

Langara College

Canada

Senior Studies, second floor

08.10.18

09:15

Saint Mary's University

Canada

Senior Studies, second floor

08.10.18

09:15

University of Toronto

Canada

Senior Studies, second floor

08.10.18

09:15

Korea

Senior Studies, second floor

08.10.18

09:15

BITEC Bangna

11.10.18

Senior Studies, second floor

11.10.18

Yonsei University-Underwood Engineering Expo 2018 Middlebury College

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Thailand US

Nial Rele

Bangkok Patana School News

12:15

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PATANA UNIVERSITY FAIR

Lieve Perera, Secondary Careers and University Counsellor

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n Thursday 20th September, Bangkok Patana School hosted our annual university fair. We were joined by undergraduate admissions representatives from 153 colleges and universities from 18 countries across the globe.

Bangkok Patana School was one of four schools organising a university fair last week and all four schools decided to open their fair to other Bangkok schools.

Visiting college representatives were incredibly positive about the event. Here are some of the comments they have shared with us: • “The fair was tremendously well organised and I was delighted by how much many of your students already knew about our university.”

• “Thank you for all of the hard work you and your team put into holding a successful college fair and case studies program. It was a sincere pleasure connecting with your students and their families. I hope they found both events fruitful as well, and I hope your counselors are able to see that the case studies in particular has generated some interesting conversations for your families.”

• “Thank you so much for hosting the fair! It is a lot of work and headache on your part I want you to know it is worth it! I talked to many talented students. Some are the perfect fit for our university!”

• “I appreciate all of the hard work and enthusiasm of the students throughout the fair!”

As always, this event would not have been the success it was without the support of our students and parents. Your attendance, your enthusiasm and your questions made this event great. A really big thank you to students Kieran Jagdeo, Henry Phan, Koko Lotharukpong, Athena Intanate and Tye Thanunmanee who helped us during the Patana University Fair, you represented the school really well!

See you there next year!

Click here to read the October University Counselling Newsletter

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Bangkok Patana School News

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US COLLEGE ADMISSIONS: ADMIT, WAITLIST OR DENY

Lieve Perera and Kevin Keller, Secondary Careers and University Counsellors

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ast week, the Bangkok Patana Careers and University Counselling department hosted our first USA Case Studies Evening. The evening was open to Year 12 and 13 students and parents. Before the evening, all participants were asked to read four mock college admissions applications.

On the evening itself, parents and students were divided into small groups to run their own admissions committee and review the mock college applications. Each group was led by two very experienced international college admissions representatives. They led discussions on what colleges value and look for. As a group, they then had to decide which students would be accepted, denied or wait-listed.

This event gave parents and students an insight into a number of different things: • What do colleges look for in an applicant • Gain first-hand knowledge of how college applicants are evaluated.

• Learn the ins and outs of the college application process.

• What do colleges value • How difficult it is to choose between applicants The evening was a great opportunity for our students and parents to get valuable insight on the whole application process and we could not have done this event without the support of our colleagues on the other side of the desk. We were joined by 20 admissions representatives from the following universities: Barnard College Baylor University Bentley University Dickinson College Franklin & Marshall College Furman University Hamilton College Hawai’i Pacific University La Verne University Marist College

Mount Holyoke College Santa Clara University The University of the South, Sewanee Union College University of California Santa Barbara University of Redlands University of Richmond University of Washington University Southern California Wesleyan University

We hope to run this event annually. Thank you to everyone who joined us to make this event such a success.

PLANNING BEGINS FOR THE ANNUAL FEEDING FRENZY!

TigerShark

NEWS 12

The 2018 TigerSharks Feeding Frenzy Invitational swim meet will take place from 7th – 9th December at Bangkok Patana School. This event attracts over 500 student athletes from South East Asia’s top international schools, with a waiting list for teams to join. It is widely regarded as the best invitational swim meet in the region. We are currently offering organisations an opportunity to be a part of the event through sponsorships.

Please click here for more information.

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#102: Best Empathy Games, Apps, and Websites for Kids

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umanistic traits will become the most valuable commodity in workplace of the future. These are the things that will distinguish us from artificial intelligence and robots. So, in addition to the face-to-face activities that we do with our children to develop their empathy, why not leverage some technology to help us right now? Those helpful folks at Common Sense Media have thought of everything and curated a list of games, apps and websites, categorised by age, to help develop empathy. In addition to ratings, many of them are reviewed by teachers, parents and kids themselves. Click here to explore them yourself‌.

Have a great weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Cross Campus Curriculum Technology Integration Links in this article: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/best-empathy-games-apps-for-kids / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL99deFJYaI&t=8s

DATES

for your

Diary...

28/09/2018

Friday 5th October Tiger Spirit Day Friday 5th October PTG Big Night Out Monday 15th October King Rama IX Memorial Day in Lieu Friday 9th November Patana Plugged Wednesday 21st November International Day Thursday 22nd November Loy Krathong Bangkok Patana School News

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STUDENTS SPEAK

It’s More Than Just a Sport

By Wei Shen Teong, Year 12

This week on Sport’s News we cover an up and coming football club known as the Forest Green Rovers, a club that is reinventing the future of football.

Forest Green Rovers Football Club (FGR) is a professional football club in Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, FGR are currently members of League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and play at the New Lawn Stadium. Dale Vince, the current chairman of FGR, became one of the major shareholders of the club in 2010 which initially he thought only needed a kickstart of capital but he soon saw an opportunity to make FGR more than just a football club. “We thought if we’re going to do that, we’ll do it our way. We’ll bring all our work into the club and through that we’ll try to reach a completely new audience.” Not only did Vince reach a new audience, his club was officially named by FIFA as the greenest football club on the planet!

Here are what makes this football club truly unique: • The entire club is completely charged by 100% green energy from Ecotricity, some sourcing from their own solar panels on the stadium’s roof and the rest from sustainable windmills around England.

• They produce electricity sustainably, FGR boast the world’s first organic pitch!

• They are 100% vegan, from the players to the interesting, award-winning match-day food!

• Electrical vehicle charging points encourages the use of electrically powered vehicles for travel to all games.

Overall, this is a major advancement as Forest Green have managed to tie football with environmental awareness in such a way that has never been done before, hopefully other football clubs will follow suit!

Image and info source: Main image, FGR logo, info 14

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Stubby Thumbs: A Curious Case of Genetics

By Karnsiree (Ling Ling) Chen, Year 12

You may have encountered these thumbs in friends or family, or may even have them yourself, ceaselessly wondering how they’re caused and if any others have similar fingers. Well as a matter of fact, clubbed thumbs are known in the scientific world as Brachydactyly Type D, a type of thumb with a shortened distal phalanx (bone at fingertip), wide nail and fleshy tip.

Most people have a straight thumb, with a longer nail than those with clubbed thumbs that tend to be longer than the nails on other fingers. Some people have what is known colloquially as a “hitchhiker’s thumb” where the tip can bend back to almost 90 degrees.

Very few people (from 0.10 to 3 percent of the population have a shortened, clubbed thumb- also known as “toe thumbs” and “stub thumbs”.

Clubbed thumbs have always been a cause of intrigue, featuring prominently in both palmistry and noted amongst royal family members. These associations led humans in the past to associate these thumbs with certain characteristics, some of the most interesting being the association with murderers and royalty.

Indian palmistry associated such thumbs with brutality and callousness, and often said people with this trait were likely to lack empathy and be predisposed to murder because of a lack of ability to premeditate and perceive events. In reality, however, clubbed thumbs have no association with any specific aspect of personality and may have such a dark reputation due to analyses of the human psyche in the 19th century. Researchers may have felt pressured to link physical characteristics to psychological characteristics, but there is no real truth in these assumptions.

Another group affiliated with clubbed thumbs is past European royalty. They were found to have higher than normal incidence of clubbed thumbs due to inbreeding to keep bloodlines ‘pure’. This meant that the gene for barchydactyly was often cycled within the royal families and were not some mystical sign of royalty and some believed at the time. Inbreeding also led to other diseases, some of the most common being haemophilia which affected large numbers of royalty.

Though some claim clubbed thumbs as a marker of descent from European royalty, it occurs all around the world and is both the result of inheritance and random mutation. Overall, Brachydactyly “is a fairly common trait,” Robin said. It stays in the population because “it’s a benign variant,” meaning it is neither advantageous nor detrimental to those that express the trait.

Image source: Authors own

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CATS CORNER

Tania Leyland, Youth Club and Community Services Coordinator

PEACE ONE DAY

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t was great to see so many students and teachers involved in activities on Peace One Day last week. With links to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, Peace One Day aims to encourage everyone to think about the far reaching impacts of conflict and to work towards global peace.

Our in-school activities included: Secondary students reading stories with a ‘peace theme’ to children in Foundation Stage.

Screening of ‘The day After Peace’ documentary in the Secondary lounge ‘mini globe theatre’ Making friendship bands activity in the lounge World languages students looking at the issue of ‘Child Soldiers’ during their lesson.

Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to support the events and activities.

FUN RUN

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would like to say a massive thank you to all of the student volunteers who woke up very early last Sunday morning to cheer on the runners at the annual Patana Fun Run. This event would not be possible without you!

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UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL CAMPAIGN DAYS - SDG 11: SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

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or this campaign, Habitat For Humanity set up some fun activities such as Jenga to engage with Key Stage 3 students on the importance of sustainability and shelter. Habitat For Humanity aims to provide affordable housing for those who need it as we believe that every family deserves to achieve the strength, stability, and self-reliance needed in order to build better lives for themselves. We work towards multiple Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN, in the hope to transform our world positively.

Project Star took a different approach to the event as they encouraged students to try to imagine what life is like for children who are blind or partially sighted. The activity involved students placing their hands into covered boxes or sniffing the box to try to guess the contents. Project Star aim to raise awareness of their latest campaign ‘to plan and assemble elements for a multi-sensory room’ for children with impaired sight in Bangkok.

Enabling communities to be self-sufficient and not rely on charity donations is vital in the empowerment and self-respect of disadvantaged citizens. Everyone has a role in our society.

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TECHATHON FOR THE PATANA DEVELOPMENT BANK Syed Haroon Ahmad, Year 13

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n the 21st and 22nd September, a student lead micro-finance initiative called Patana Development Bank (PDB) hosted a first of its kind inter school charity coding conference, The Techathon. This event’s aim was to raise funds for the PDB initiative, who use an international non-profit organisation called “Kiva” to provide micro-finance loans to underprivileged people across the world.

We strongly believe that providing micro-finance loans not only empowers families by supporting their businesses, but also creates a self-sustaining ecosystem where the money is returned within an 18-month time frame ready to be loaned out again.

criteria including, realism, aesthetic, functionality, etc. We were glad to see participants create such unique solutions to truly important issues. This event helped inspire great interest in Computer Science and project development as participants got the opportunity to learn a lot of new skills.

The event included two categories: beginner and advanced.

Through the entry fee and the money raised by our generous sponsors (Move Ahead Media and East Choice Limited) we were able to raise 40,300 THB for PDB. These funds will support over 45 clients. This is a major accomplishment for us and we are extremely appreciative of everyone involved in making this happen. We look forward to making this event an even bigger success next year and hopefully involving more participants and raising more money for our charitable cause.

The beginner difficulty included teams from Primary to Key Stage 4, all attempting to solve a multitude of coding problems. After the teams had finished these challenges they had to undertake a demanding individual challenge, which intrigued even the most talented coders. The PDB team and the Computer Science department would like to congratulate Zahra Mansoor for winning the most effort award in this difficulty category.

The advanced difficulty saw teams from many schools participate. Their task was to develop an app based on issues that they face in their life and produce a sales pitch “selling” that app. This pitch was then presented to a panel of judges who gave it a score based on a variety of

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YEAR 3 AND 4 YEAR 4 7:40AM TO 9:45AM YEAR 3 10:05AM TO 12:10PM

YEAR 5 AND 6 MONDAY 8TH OCTOBER 2018 @ the 50m Pool YEAR 5 7:40AM TO 9:45AM YEAR 6 10:05am to 12:10pm

It’s time to dive into another Bangkok Patana Primary Sports event with this year’s Key Stage

KS2 SWIMMING GALAS

TUESDAY 9TH OCTOBER 2018 @ The 25m Pool

2 Swimming Galas! It’s Cool in the Pool!!

Remember to bring your swimming kit, goggles and towel to your gala and to apply plenty of sun cream!

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the m o r f t s The late

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PTG

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Join the PTG Facebook page here!

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the m o r f e r Even mo

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PTG

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Join the PTG Facebook page here!

28/09/2018

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FIRE AND LOCKDOWN PROCEDURE

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angkok Patana School takes the safety of our school community very seriously. We have a management team that meet and discuss many different crisis scenarios and we have processes and procedures in place for these. We have strong links with the local police and the various embassies who alert us to any security concerns and also visit our school to review our existing procedures and provide advice on security measures.

One of the areas that we practise regularly throughout the year is the Fire Evacuation and Lockdown procedures. In Term 1 and 2, we have ‘announced’ and ‘unannounced’ drills. This enables our community to practise reacting appropriately in the event of an alarm sounding on the school campus.

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY SO YOU ARE AWARE OF OUR PROCEDURES SHOULD YOU BE ON CAMPUS WHEN AN ALARM SOUNDS. WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS WHEN AN ALARM SOUNDS Lockdown Alarm If you are on campus and hear the ‘lockdown’ alarm (similar to a siren), please follow instructions from nearby staff. If you are not in a building, please enter the nearest building and follow instructions from staff. In a lockdown, you should be out of sight until you hear three clear whistles from the security team or are instructed that it is all clear from a security guard or member of staff. You will not be allowed to enter or exit the campus during a lockdown.

Fire Alarm If you are on the school campus and hear a fire alarm please act immediately and follow the Evacuation Route sign to the nearest assembly point, (see example).

Please make sure that you report to the Zone Fire Point Person who will be wearing an emergency jacket and have radio communication. They will be located in the middle of the zone area and will take your name and tell you where you need to stand. There are seven zones – green, yellow, blue, white, red, purple and orange. Look for these signs when you are next in school to familiarise yourself with the evacuation routes.

If you are outside the school grounds during a Fire Evacuation please note that you will not be allowed entry into school until the all clear has been given. Please follow instructions from our Security team.

WHAT DOES THE FLASHING RED LIGHT MEAN? If you see a flashing red light on the wall or ceiling it means that an alarm has been activated somewhere in school. When the light is just flashing you do not need to do anything or leave the building but be on alert to listen for an audible alarm which will let you know what to do next. The activated alarm will be checked by the guards and if necessary the fire alarm or lock down alarm will then sound for you to respond to as normal. So you only need to respond if you hear the actual siren or if a guard or senior member of staff gives you instructions to follow. If it is a false alarm the flashing red light will stop shortly without any alarms sounding.

WHEN WILL THE ALARMS SOUND? Luckily anytime you may have heard the alarm it has been a drill only. We hold announced and unannounced Fire and Lockdown Drills throughout the year and these procedures are for the safety and protection of all students, staff and visitors. If you are on the school campus during the alarm sounding please help to set a good example to all students by responding quickly, remaining quiet during this time and following instructions from Senior Staff.

Many thanks for your cooperation.

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Community

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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 26

Bangkok Patana School News

28/09/2018