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NEWS Patana
Friday 23rd August 2019
Volume 22 Issue 1
www.patana.ac.th
Mr Mills’ First Blog of the Year
WELCOME BACK!
Page 2
Also in this issue...
Secondary Sports Trials/New Filtered Fresh Air Systems/University of Oxford Visit 23/08/2019
Bangkok Patana School News
Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS
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WELCOME BACK Greetings Everyone, I am delighted to welcome you all back to the 2019/20 academic year. A special welcome to any new families joining us this August, we are so pleased you chose Bangkok Patana School. I am starting my twelfth year as Head of School and 35th year in education and it is really an honour to lead such a brilliant school. The new academic year has started very smoothly and I have observed lots of happy/relaxed students and teachers. One of the most enticing aspects of a new academic year is the opportunity for a fresh start. Returning to routines with a positive mindset and clear head can set the tone for the coming months, and the first few weeks of a new academic year can often provide just the right amount of perspective to set new goals and objectives. However, a fresh start means nothing if you don’t take the time to plan your approach. There are few times in life that we have the opportunity to truly start afresh, but Term 1 in the school calendar is one of them. With a new year come new teachers, new timetables, classrooms and subjects. Exciting and unexpected challenges present themselves on a daily basis and individuals have the opportunity to reinvent themselves based on the skills, experience and maturity they have gained over the previous year. To the students heading back to school this week, I challenge you to make the most of this opportunity. Ask yourself what you want to achieve this year – be honest – and then plan the steps you will take to realise your ambition. I do hope you have a BRILLIANT year ahead!
"Good Seasons start with Good Beginnings." -Sparky Anderson, Professional Baseball Player New Students and Staff We have 245 new students starting Bangkok Patana School this year! We hope your transition is a smooth one and we are so glad you are joining the Patana community! Our total school population is 2,260 students and we are the largest international school in Thailand. We have 35 new staff joining us for this academic year, the new staff have already spent a week at school attending a very well organized and informative staff induction programme which Katherine Hume and her team have done a superb job planning! We are delighted with the high quality of teachers joining the Patana community this year.
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IB Results 2019 It is a huge point of pride to be able to report the final results of our Graduating Class of 2019 in their International Baccalaureate Diploma and Courses - the culmination to their Senior Studies programme.
We are incredibly proud to announce that three of our students achieved a perfect score of 45. Prabhav Kumar, Anya Paopiamsap and Yuqing Wu deserve special mention for their amazing accomplishment. Take note of the names, as you will certainly be hearing them again in the future as these students, and their peers from Grad19, now spread their wings and continue their educational journeys all over the world. Special thanks to our amazing IB Coordinator Andy Roff and all of the teachers that supported our students through their Senior Studies so successfuly. (I)GCSE Results 2019
Our Grad21 cohort have made us extremely proud, and collectively they have achieved an overall pass rate of 96 % A*-C (CIE), and 95.1 % 9-4 (Edexcel). Overall, the proportion of the highest grades of A*/A/9/8/7 was an impressive 60 %, and over 80 % of all grades were achieved at Grade B/6 or above. Our early entry Year 10 Mathematicians all achieved their potential of A*. A special mention to two Year 9 and three Year 10 students who independently studied and achieved A grades in Mandarin Second Language - Luanne Poh and Cheyenne Lu (Y9), Mirabel Leong, Apollo Lu and Linda Sathirapat (Y10). Similarly, two Year 9 students, Temin Luangtana-Anan and Dol Manoleehakul, achieved an A* in Mathematics. Congratulations to our (I)GCSE students and we wish you all the very best for your IB programme.
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Summer Works An enormous amount of summer work has taken place while you have been on summer holidays. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking our Business Director Andrew Gordon, Buildings and Grounds Manager Khun Jo and all of our hard-working team for the good work they have done over the summer holidays making sure the school was fully prepared as we welcomed back all of our students on Wednesday 21st August. This year’s major summer projects include; •
Full whole school fit out of pre-cooled filtered fresh air systems that will ensure clean air for all students;
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Complete upgrade of the Senior Studies area almost doubling the student space!
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New oral exam spaces and large meeting room extension of the Conference Centre;
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Total Conference Centre refurbishment including new flooring and wall covers;
• Extended social emotional counsellor office space including a new student hub interaction space where the old oral exam spaces were located; •
Upgraded entrance to the Learn to Swim Pool;
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New Year 5/6 playground equipment;
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New staging and curtains in 5/6 collaboration areas;
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Complete upgrade of the Admissions Office;
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Thai Sala refurbishment.
Clean, Healthy Air Throughout Bangkok Patana School I am pleased to confirm with you that as committed, we have completed a full whole school fit out of pre-cooled fresh air filter systems, with Merv 14 filters, so even when we experience poor air quality days in December/January, our students will be breathing safe clean air inside the buildings. Many thanks to Andrew Gordon for conducting all of the research making sure we installed the best quality products to protect our learning community.
Great Educational Articles to Share
At my first whole staff welcome back meeting, I talked about the importance of well-being not only for our students but for staff and parents as well. Our whole school learning objective this year is Well-Being focused; How can we ensure that we promote, value and nurture Well-Being in our community to support student learning? I showed a brief video entitled “Emotion and Cognition in the age of AI: A well-being agenda for 21st Century Skills”, which I think you will find interesting. The school is currently writing a school Well-Being policy which I will share with the parent community once it has been finalised and approved. Bangkok Patana is a school that encourages initiative, competition and success and it is a school where every individual is cared for and feels part of the social group. Only when a student feels connected and happy with their lot, can they learn effectively. I want them to learn in the most constructive way possible. Enjoy your first weekend of this academic year. Matt Mills Head of School 4
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Committed to Well-being; New Solar and Air Systems Shana Kongmun, Communications Coordinator
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ver the summer Bangkok Patana underwent massive school-wide renovations adding pre-cooled fresh air filtering systems in every building and a large array of solar panels as part of its commitment to student well-
being.
You may remember that the school initially installed a few solar panels on the Science Centre as an example for Science students but, after proposals by the Student Environmental Committee to the board, further panels were installed last year. The school invested THB 23 million for solar arrays on three buildings, adding a generating capacity of 727kW. The success of these solar panels encouraged the school to install solar arrays on another five buildings this summer, bringing the school’s energy generating capacity to 1.2MW. In addition to the new panels, the school added filtered pre-cooled fresh air systems to 28 buildings on the campus. These new systems will not only filter the incoming air but also pressurise the buildings so that open doors won’t mean a rush of incoming unfiltered outside air. The new systems, which have shown to reduce sick building syndrome by replacing inside air with filtered outside air, will have two separate filters on the intake vents, in effect reducing the amount of PM 10 and PM 2.5 to levels to those set by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which has set the 24hour PM 2.5 standard to 35 Οg/m3. PM 2.5 is a tiny particle that is 2.5 microns or less in width and has been found to be carcinogenic while PM 10 refers to particles whose diameter is no more than 10 micrometres. By ensuring that every building in the school is equipped with whole building systems that not only filter the air but also prevent unfiltered air from entering, student exposure to air pollution will be lessened. The school remains committed to implementing long-term innovative solutions to ensure the health and well-being of its students.
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Season 1 Secondary Sports Trials All welcome, be bold, be brave!
Playing on a school team is great way to make new friends, learn new skills and experience team-work and leadership in action! Sports Trials August 26th – 29th from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm. Under 13 Tennis, Basketball and Rugby/Touch Under 15
Junior Varsity Volleyball and Football Varsity
Basketball and Rugby/Touch
Volleyball, Football, Cross Country, Climbing
Full schedule of trials and more info can be found online here
CALLING ALL SPORTS FANS! Are you active on Social media? Want to follow all the news related to our Sports Teams? FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Bangkok Patana Sports @BPSSports @bps_athletics_council @bps_athletics_council @bangkok_patanatennis @bangkokpatanaclimbing @bps_tigersharks @PatanaFootball
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LIBRARY RULES Bags to be stored in the cubby holes at the front of the Library.
Students are allowed to use both upstairs and downstairs areas for working or doing homework (laptops allowed).
You must sign in and out of the library after the school day and say hello politely to the staff.
IN
Computers are not allowed for YouTube or playing games and phones should not be out.
OUT
ECA If you don’t have an ECA you should go home at 2.30 (not later). If you travel on a school bus you should not wait for an older sibling without a good reason. If you have a 3:30 ECA, you need to go to “Me Time” in the Youth Club.
Be respectful that the library is a learning zone after school and older students are studying for exams.
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If you are in the library you should read silently or do home learning.
If you have any special situation where you need to be in the library please see Mr. M. for permission to use the space.
Bangkok Patana School News
Please remember that there is no food or drink (water bottles are ok) allowed in the Library at any time.
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University of Oxford Visit T
his free information session for students, parents and guidance counsellors will be held on Tuesday 5th September at 5:30 pm and will be delivered by Dr Samina Khan, Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach at the University of Oxford in the UK. In this session, we will cover applying to university in the UK and at the University of Oxford specifically. It will outline some of the distinctive features of the teaching and learning environment offered at the University. Oxford is the number one university in the world according to the Times Higher Education World Rankings 2017-2019 and therefore entry is competitive. This presentation will include details on every aspect of the application process including course choice, entrance requirements, admissions tests and interviews. This session will not cover graduate programmes at Oxford. These sessions are aimed at Year 9 and up for those considering undergraduate study at Oxford University and those who intend to start their studies in Autumn 2020, 2021 or 2022. There is a three ticket limit per student for themselves and their parents. Space is limited, please be aware that walk-ins will not be accepted. Space will fill up quickly so be sure and register now. Registration is required for this event. Please register online here
DATES for your
Diary...
Monday 26th August Season 1 Sports Trials, YearLong and Selective ECAs Start Sunday 8th September Patana Family Golf Day Friday 4th October Tiger Spirit Day, PTG Big Night Out Sunday 13th October King Rama IX Memorial Day Monday 14th October King Rama IX Memorial Day in Lieu
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Desert Island Discs With Will Preston
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his new column follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island? First off is Mr Will Preston, Cross Campus Head Gymnastics Coach. MR PRESTON, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? John Lennon - Woman Lynyrd Skynyrd- Simple Man The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band Neil Young - Heart of Gold Coldplay - Scientist Keane - We Might as Well Be Strangers E A Housman - How Clear, How Lovely Bright (Poem) PICK ONE LUXURY ITEM YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU. THIS ITEM MUST BE INANIMATE AND OF NO USE IN ESCAPING THE ISLAND OR ALLOWING COMMUNICATION FROM OUTSIDE. A telescope to gaze at the stars and planets although I did think of a jacuzzi! WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? The Odyssey by Homer Interested in learning what other people would take? Find out more on BBC. Have a list of your own? Let us know! Contact SHKN with your favourites and why!
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the m o r f t s The late
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PTG
Bangkok Patana School News
Join the PTG Facebook page here!
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UNI COUNSELLORS’ CORNER ALUMNI EXPERIENCES
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rad 13 alumni Thanisorn (Phet) Boonsoong, Kyle Harrison and Cabin Yim took different paths to reach the same destination; establishing and running Sul Gastrobar on Thonglor. The classmates went their separate ways during university, with Phet obtaining his BS/BA at Northeastern University in the US, Kyle at the University of British Columbia in Canada and Cabin heading to the UK to earn his degree at the University of the West of England. Although separated by distance and time, the three friends were drawn together by a love of the culinary world to start the restaurant and bar. Phet: “After Patana, I was in a rush to enter the workforce. I decided to speed through my five year university programme in three years, choosing to build a strong business foundation through a dual concentration of Finance and Entrepreneurship. Finance, to be able to understand the numbers and Entrepreneurship in order to innovate and adapt to our rapidly changing global technologies and economy. I always had a goal in mind, to start something of my own and veer away from the family business until I can prove to myself that I’m ready to take on a much larger responsibility. I decided to take a step back from finding another job and open my own company instead. It took about six months of planning, scrapping projects, brainstorming, finding a team, finding new opportunities, losing opportunities, traveling, networking and much more before everything came into place - and fast forward a bit, here I am now.” Kyle: “During my time at Patana I learnt a lot of skills that would shape me to who I am today. One skill that I was able to develop, through forcing myself to join the MUN club, was public speaking. At university this became an important skill to be able to confidently show off your projects and communicate during my internship programme at Ontario Power Generation, MUN gave me the confidence that I used to lack when speaking out in public. Another important skill is to be able to relate with various people from different cultural backgrounds; as Bangkok Patana is an international school all my friends came from different ethnic backgrounds, which allowed me to relate to lots of different people easily.” Cabin: “The journey towards starting SUL and FairPlay comes from a love of the Korean culture and a love online gaming. We saw that there was a gap in the market and all of us decided to act on it and try take advantage of the situation.”
Basic Thai Conversation Course for Parents This course is designed for non-Thai speaking parents who have absolutely no previous experience in the Thai language. Students will learn how to greet and introduce themselves, basic vocabulary for social contexts including ordering food and drinks, shopping, asking directions, the date, the time and engaging with Thai culture. Block 1/ 2019-20 Day: Monday Time: 8:00 - 10:00 am. Period: 16/09/19 – 11/11/19 (6 sessions) Cost: 4,200 Baht (700 baht/session) Places: 6-14 Teacher: Khun Nittaya Venue: FHC 201 (2nd fl. at Front Hard Court building) If you are interested please e-mail thai@patana.ac.th by Monday 2nd September. Invoices will be given out in class.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT... King’s College London, UK King’s College London has five campuses scattered around central London and was founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829. When the University of London was established in 1836, King’s became one of its two founding colleges. While remaining part of the University of London, King’s has enjoyed financial and academic autonomy since 1994 and has awarded its own degrees since 2008. The College has the fifth largest endowment of any university in the United Kingdom and the largest of any in London, and is considered part of the “golden triangle” of research universities which also includes Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial College London and the London School of Economics. King’s College ranks in the top 50 universities in the world with both the Times Higher Education World University and the US News and World Report Global Universities reports. The school has over 26,000 students from 150 countries worldwide and offers degrees in nine faculties; Business, Law, Nursing, Medicine, Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Arts And Humanities, Dental, Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Social Science and Public Policy. King’s College London boasts 12 Nobel laureates including Mario Vargas Llosa for Literature, and Reverend Desmond Tutu. Other notable graduates include Arthur C Clarke, Virginia Woolf, W. Somerset Maugham, Oscar winners Greer Garson, Grammy winners Peter Asher, Boris Karloff as well as numerous diplomats and heads of state from around the world. Famed academics and staff include Florence Nightingale, Joseph Lister and physicist Sir Edward Appleton among others.
UPCOMING UNIVERSITY VISITS UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE
COUNTRY
Nagoya University of Commerce and Business University College London Glion Institute of Higher Education Les Roches Intl School of Hotel Management University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Indiana University, Bloomington Rutgers University - New Brunswick University of Oxford School of the Art Institute of Chicago University of British Columbia University of Toronto University of Cambridge Annual Bangkok Patana University Fair Michigan State University Yale-NUS Claremont McKenna College Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Japan UK Switzerland Switzerland USA USA USA UK USA Canada Canada UK
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USA Singapore USA Ireland
LOCATION
Senior Studies Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Rosamund Stuetzel Theatre Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Conference Centre Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor
Bangkok Patana School News
DATE
TIME
26.08.19 28.08.19 03.09.19 03.09.19 03.09.19 03.09.19 03.09.19 03.09.19 09.09.19 11.09.19 16.09.19 18.09.19 19.09.19 01.10.19 01.10.19 17.10.19 01.11.19
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STUDENTS SPEAK Turn off your aircon. You’ll be fine Maya Lemaire, 13T
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ou’ll survive a hot day; you won’t survive a hot planet.
It probably won’t come as a surprise that July 2019 was the hottest month on record. The default response to heat from most people would be to turn on the aircon and stay indoors, protected from the scorching heat. However, this “first world” privilege has detrimental effects on our planet and everyone who isn’t lucky enough to be able to sit inside a cooled room. When sitting in a classroom at school, you’ll usually see me with a jumper on as my body hasn’t acclimatised to the air-conditioned environment. We live in an apartment and keep the windows open on both sides to allow for a cooling air current to pass through. At night, I sleep with a fan on medium or low, if at all. When it gets hot, we wear loose clothes and drink cold water. On the rare occasion where the hum of the air-conditioning is heard within the house, it’s usually because a guest will have asked to cool the room. And, as surprising as this may seem, we’re okay. The human body can survive for an extended period of time in temperatures of 47 °C in tropical air and 70+ °C in dry air (as long as they have access to cooler water). The maximum temperature ever recorded in Bangkok was 43 °C which although not pleasant, won’t kill you. Turning on your air-conditioning is a short-term solution to a problem to which it contributes. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the refrigerants used in air-conditioning units, are known as ‘super greenhouse gases’ because they have a global warming potential of up to 3000 times that of CO2. Furthermore, if we continue using air-conditioning at the rate we currently are, by 2050, air-conditioning alone will use up as much electricity as the entirety of China today. If that power is obtained through the burning of fossil fuels, air-conditioning alone will be responsible for a rise of 0.5 °C in global temperatures. Although many factors contribute to how long it takes your body to acclimatise to your surrounding temperatures, it usually takes about two weeks in an average, healthy individual, with the process being faster in response to heat. As much as I understand the discomfort of walking in the Bangkok heat when you first come back from a cold country, you’ll only have to ‘suffer’ for two weeks before having adjusted to the environment. What it really boils down to is that by turning your air-conditioning on, you are contributing to a long-term problem that will affect future generation. If you feel hot when walking outside, think about how your grandchildren will feel with the added 0.5 °C. So please, turn off your a/c and buy yourself a fan. Allow your body to naturally acclimatise. Drink cold water regularly and avoid the sweatshirts and jeans. In the meantime, turn your aircon up and off when you go out.
Ready to Play Some Football? Saturday football sessions will start 31st August. Follow this link for more information!
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Allergies
Pavitra (Rita) Hsieh, 13B
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he immune system is a crucial component of the human body for protection against dangerous diseases. However, people with allergies have hypersensitive immune systems that react to unharmful substances. Allergic disease is a common chronic disease that occurs in one in five people.[1] The common symptoms are swelling, red eyes, runny nose, and anaphylaxis. What are the causes? Causes for allergic reactions can be split into two categories: host and environmental. The host factor includes heredity, sex, race and age. This is the most common causation. There are four types of environmental factors: exposure to infectious diseases during early childhood, environmental pollution, allergen levels, and dietary changes. Exposure to allergens (substances causing allergic reactions) that are either inhaled, ingested or entered through the skin initiates the immune systems response by mass producing immunoglobulin E (IgE) which specifically react against certain allergens What are the different types of allergies? Allergies are classified into four types. • Type I: Immediate Hypersensitivity (Anaphylactic Reaction) • Type II: Cytotoxic Reaction (Antibody-dependent) • Type III: Immune Complex Reaction • Type IV: Cell-Mediated (Delayed Hypersensitivity
Find the rest of the article on Scientia here
Fit to Play From time to time BPSNet our computer management system, which holds your child's details will send you an automated email asking you to update your child's details. The "Fit to Play" section asks you to indicate if your child is fit to participate in Physical Education classes (these are a compulsory part of the curriculum), ECAs and competitive sports teams. It also reminds you of the insurance cover you need and the school provides in the event of a sporting accident. Please read these documents carefully. If you tick YES, your child will be able to participate in PE classes, ECAs and sporting teams. If you click NO, then our Nursing team will follow up and your child will be excluded from those activities until you get a medical clearance. The Fit to Play declaration online will replace the previous hard copy Sports Participation agreements you were asked to sign each year if your child was on a sporting team.
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#126: Turn Your Old Phone Into A Security/Nature Camera Brian Taylor, Cross Campus Assistant Principal
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trust your holidays were wonderful. We were lucky enough to come back early enough to catch weaver birds being born in a nest just outside of our kitchen window. Rather than disturb them we set up an old phone to monitor them remotely. We first live streamed them using YouTube but then I decided to use Alfred instead. YouTube was draining the battery far too quickly and required the screen to be on all of the time, causing the phone to get too hot. Alfred is free to use and gives you a remote view of your live feed, motion detection with alerts, free cloud storage, a two-way audio feed and use of both the front and rear cameras. To unlock additional features, like higher-resolution viewing and recording, zoom capabilities, ad removal and 30-day cloud storage, you can upgrade to Alfred Premium. To find out more, including links to the App to install on your phone (iOS and Android), please read here. Have a great weekend. Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration Links in this article: https://alfred.camera/ https://www.cnet.com/how-to/for-a-free-security-camera-look-no-further-than-your-old-phone/ Image of the screenshot courtesy of Chris Monroe/CNET
Brian is our resident technology pantomath (we call him a guru but he’s not keen on that word apparently!). The first Wednesday of every month you can find him in the PTG Room from 8:00 - 9:00am to answer any tech queries and offer advice and support on parenting in this digital age. Also keep your eyes peeled for his amazing parent workshops. If you have something that can’t wait until 4h September, email him on brta@patana.ac.th
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Bangkok Patana PTG is a closed group for parents and teachers 18
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the m o r f e r o Even m
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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 Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th 22
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