Promoting Student Well-being: The House System Lorna Conroy, Secondary Assistant Principal
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ell-Being is one of our core values at Bangkok Patana and a term that you hear used frequently around the school.
But what does ‘Well-being’ actually mean? Searching the internet will give you an extensive and diverse range of suggestions. My favourite, however, is from the World Health Organisation: “Well-being is present when a person realises their potential, is resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their life, takes care of their physical well-being and has a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to the wider community.” WHO 2001: Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope. The House System at Bangkok Patana supports well-being in a variety of ways. It creates ‘a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to the wider community’; it helps ensure students ‘realise their potential’; and it supports them to become ‘more resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their life’. All staff and students in Secondary are in one of four houses: Chang, Lanta, Phuket or Samui. These Houses compete against each other in a spirit of healthy competition. There is a strong sense of community within each House; in the words of Maddie Dewse (12F), House Captain – Lanta “Lanta House feels like a family to me because of the support system we have in common.” A connection and sense of belonging is created right from the outset with the, always much anticipated, House Assembly early in Term 1. This year’s theme was The Avengers and it saw students from each house compete in a range of activities and games to gain valuable points for their Houses. From that moment on, students have been earning themselves house points through their individual contribution to school life, effort in lessons,
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Bangkok Patana School News
07/02/2020
