Patana News Volume 22 Issue 5

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

Thursday 19th September 2019

Volume 22 Issue 5

www.patana.ac.th

FRIENDSHIPS IN SCHOOL Assistant Principal Carol Battram on Cultivating Friendships

Page 2

Also in this issue...

First Match Reports/International Day of Peace/PTG Tennis Charity Fundraiser 19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS

1

Student Well-Being: Teaching students to solve their own friendship problems Carol Battram, Assistant Principal, Learning and Welfare

I

wish I had been told that conflict is often a normal sign Every friendship will have its ups and downs. This is norof a healthy friendship when I was at school. I wish that mal.

I had been given the skills and language to honestly adFriendship Fact #2: Every friendship is different. dress a friendship problem rather than try my best to ignore, deny or deflect the concern. I wish that I had been We might see some friends every day and some once a taught that most conflicts can be resolved in a calm and year. We might meet up in person or connect via an app. respectful manner.

We might be part of many groups each linked to a differAt Bangkok- ent interest. Every friendship is different, and it is good to Patana, we try our have different friends. hardest to design opportunities for learning which excite, motivate and engage our students.

However, despite our best endeavours, interactions between friends can still be the most important part of a student’s day and can often influence whether a child arrives home feeling happy - or close to tears.

Friendship Fact #3: Trust and respect are the two most important qualities within a friendship.

These two qualities help to make and maintain healthy friendships. If spending time with a friend makes us feel happy, trusted and respected, then that friendship is healthy.

When our students hurry back into school at the start of each new term, we kid ourselves that they are looking forward to seeing their teachers and learning new skills.

However, we all know that what they really want to do is to reconnect with their friends.

Many students spend much of their time thinking, or even agonising, about their friendships without knowing how to respond when there is a problem. Often, they will not know why their friendship is in difficulties because the reason has not been communicated. Telling someone that, “I’m not your friend anymore,” without sharing why, doesn’t solve the problem.

If time with a friend leaves us feeling predominantly sad, excluded or anxious, then this friendship is heading for the unhealthy zone. Sometimes a friendship starts off well but there is a lack of trust and respect. Even our youngest students can use a Friend-o-meter to decide if a friendship is making them feel good about themselves.

Friendship Fact #4: Friendships change and that’s okay.

Dana Kerford set up URSTRONG in 2009 after helping Some friendships just fizzle out. Your every-single-day the students in her class face up to friendship troubles head on. Her focus was initially on girls in upper Primary, but her friend gradually becomes a once-a-month friend. You four Friendship Facts are applicable to all – whatever our outgrow each other. We need to teach students that there is no such thing as a “Best Friend Forever” or BFF and to age. take away the unrealistic, and sometimes harmful presFriendship Fact #1: No friendship (or relationship) is sure, to find that perfect, forever friend. perfect.

2

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

Teaching children the skills and language needed to develop healthy friendships We need to teach these skills explicitly so that our students can put a voice to their feelings and recognise when a friendship needs to be repaired. Often one half of the friendship pair will have no idea why their friend is feeling so upset with them.

Within Primary, we sometimes refer to a normal falling out between friends as a Friendship Fire. This is very different from ‘mean-on-purpose’ behaviour when someone is intentionally trying to cause hurt and distress, perhaps several times on purpose (bullying behaviours).

Most Friendship Fires can be put out using peaceful problem-solving strategies.

Students are explicitly taught to listen to the other person, understand a different perspective, and react in a positive way.

HOW TO PUT OUT A FRIENDSHIP FIRE Friendship Fire conversations should always be face-to-face - never online.

The aim of the conversation is for both friends to confront the issue, and then to forgive and forget, leaving their friendship closer and stronger. This is part of the normal cycle of friendship.

Find a good time to talk – using a calm, serious voice.

1.

Re-tell the situation

2.

Explain how it made you feel

3.

Talk it out, being respectful and honest

DEALING WITH MEAN-ON-PURPOSE BEHAVIOURS Mean-on-purpose behaviour requires a different response, especially right in the moment. It’s not uncommon for a child to respond in a very emotional way so that everyone ends up in some sort of trouble. When faced with mean-onpurpose behaviour, we want children to stand up for themselves without getting drawn in and so escalating the problem.

This is not a conversation.

1.

Say your Quick Comeback using a strong voice.

2.

Then walk away.

3.

Report the behaviour to an adult.

A Quick Comeback can be practiced at home and at school.

‘Stop that. It’s not nice.’

‘That’s unkind.’

‘It’s not OK to talk to me like that.’

‘Stop. I don’t like it.’

‘I’ve asked you not to call me that.’

For some children, their readiness to side-step any conflict is reinforced when the adults in their lives tell them to ignore the problem. Once they understand how to put out their Friendship Fires, or how to respond to mean-on-behaviours, they are less likely to engage in conflict avoidance.

When children learn to manage conflict and it becomes part of their skill set, it helps to shift the classroom and playground culture to a place of kindness, trust, compassion and respect.

We want our students to become master conflict-resolvers, not conflict-avoiders.

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

3

Mercy Centre Children Enjoy Visit

Charlotte Masson, 13S

T

he Mercy Centre is a daycare and orphanage based in the Klong Toey slums, here in Bangkok. Once a month on a Saturday, the children come to our school to play with a group of Bangkok Patana student volunteers. The afternoon is spent swimming, reading, rock climbing, painting, and using the amazing facilities that our school has to offer.

We also organize a Christmas party for the children in December where they take part in special festive activities and have a visit from Santa. Seeing how excited all the children get is always the highlight of my year.

The first visit of this academic year was on 14th September, the day was spent full of laughter and excitement as the Mercy Centre children were happy to see us all again and get to know our new volunteers. We were fortunate to have such a fantastic number of students and teachers that came along to help out, it was by far the highest turn out we’ve had.

Getting involved in a direct form of service is such a rewarding experience. The Mercy Centre CAS club is a wonderful opportunity for students, teachers, and families to build relationships with these children and it is an excellent way to give back to the local community here in Bangkok. If you are interested in coming along to one of our visits then please email chma20@patana.ac.th for more details.

Biology Students Get Back to Basics in the Outdoor Classroom Joel Lodge, Secondary Science and Biology Teacher

Y

ear 9 Biology students have been exploring the Outdoor Classroom, collecting organisms, photographing, sketching, classifying and describing the organisms they found. Just as Charles Darwin might have done on the HMS Beagle all those years ago.

4

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

Register Online Here 19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

5

First Match Reports of the Season: Touch Rugby, Tennis and Volleyball Hang Ching (Jocelyn) Kanjanapas, 10G

T

Manintorn (Pin) Manavutiveth, 8D

he Under 15 Touch Rugby team played the first match of the season against International School of Bangkok (ISB). Our game went a lot better than we had expected, with the score ending at 4-2 to International School Bangkok (ISB) However, even with our loss, we all played very well. Our defence was strong but we need to remember to all stay in one line behind the person with the ball making it easier to pass. Our attack was much improved with everyone trying tricks and taking risks such as diving, looping, etc. With that said, everyone played very well and we will train harder for our next match against Harrow.

T

he Under 13 Tennis team played very well together as a team against Bangkok Prep. Students who played in the main league match today included myself, Aim, Pip and Mila. We all fought very well and with a great Tiger Spirit that lead us to a success of 6-0 to the Tigers team. Pam played as a friendly but she still made a very well effort. Aim and Pip played together as a doubles pair which was a great experience. Mila played her first match tremendously well. The team score in total is 3-0.

We all played our best and brought the team for another win. Great job guys!

TIGER SPIRIT DAY IS COMING! FRIDAY 4TH OCTOBER BRIGHTEN SOMEONE’S DAY WITH ‘KINDNESS ROCKS’ •

WEAR SOMETHING ORANGE AND BLACK

• TRY TO RAISE YOUR 100 BAHT BY DOING SOMETHING HELPFUL AROUND YOUR HOME. • THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT AN INSPIRATIONAL COMMENT TO WRITE ON YOUR ROCK! THE MONEY RAISED FROM TIGER SPIRIT DAY WILL SUPPORT CHILDREN’S PROJECTS IN THAILAND.

6

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

A game against St Andrews International School: from the riveting perspective of the ball Lucy Thompson 13S

Volleyball match day; Whistle, pass, set, hit, kill, point.

We emerged victorious.

I

was thrown into the court, rolling along aimlessly until I met the guiding hands of the first server. A firm whack and I was off, passed back and forth between both sides of the net. Every now and then, the air around me froze - “Outside! Middle!” I heard before being slammed to the ground.

The first set was a relatively calm one for me, floating peacefully during serves, or being lifted up gently from the expert touch of the setters. You could say I was pumped with elation. Patana took the first set, starting strong with 25-6.

But it wasn’t over just yet.

As the match progressed, I was struck with more aggression, and tipped with more precision. Now, into the second set, I could tell the BPS girls were thrown into a losing streak. From the sidelines, Mr Thombs was not having it.

“Come on girls! You can do it!” His words of encouragement raised the girls’ spirits, and literally raised me over the net - winning the point. I was having a ball of a time.

Fast forward into the final third set. Coach Jang and Coach Cindy were on the edge of their seats. After giving much motivation and advice, now all they could do was watch. 24-16 to BPS. I reflected back on the highs and lows of the match, whether it was soaring like a kite from the receiver’s pass or squished up against the floor from the wrath of a hitter, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the game. The girls were truly on the ball.

Again, the whistle blew for what would be the final time. I was thrown into the air, and with it whipping around me, it almost whispered “Game over.” I was hit with a force greater than the match itself.

25-16. Even thought I was deflated from a lack of air, I was re-inflated with Tiger Spirit.

“A hit with such power dealt upon me, And BPS girls won triumphantly”

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

7

Chiang Mai Football Tour Proves a Challenging Success Janelle Lourdes De La Cruz, 11T

L

ast weekend, girls from Years 9 to Year 11 were privileged to go on the first ever Chiang Mai Football Tour.

The tour, organised by Coach Mark, focused on 11 aside football, in preparation for the Under 16’s next tournament - the Bangkok Cup, next weekend. The Chiang Mai Tour provided a wonderful experience for everyone involved and exposed us to new opportunities.

After arriving from our flight, we headed straight to the venue where we would play our first match against Grace International School. From the beginning we played aggressively and created multiple chances for goal, which we eventually received and took the lead. However, Grace was also able to equalise the score, and it made us work even harder to win the game. The game ended with a thrilling score of 4-2 and left the Tigers with their heads held high from their first win of the tour. It was also our first time playing on a field under the lights with a beautiful sunset on the horizon, which was truly an unforgettable experience.

As we progressed with the tour, everyone on the team

8

improved playing 11 aside football. Each game, we felt more and more comfortable playing on a bigger pitch, playing back and switching sides. We won the next two games against Prem International School (2-0) and Chiang Mai International School (9-0). Our last and final match was our only 7 aside game, against Lanna International School. The team was divided into two, and each team played one half. The game felt different, as we had been playing 11 aside matches most of the weekend.

The opposing team gained an early lead in the first half, yet our team kept on fighting to keep us in the game. The game ended with Lanna winning, 2-1. We all took the game as a good learning experience and to see how we can improve for our next match.

Personally, it was an amazing trip with equally amazing people. From playing on the field with friends to eating a New-York style pizza to celebrate a victory; I would not change a thing. I truly had so much fun with the team and cannot wait for the Bangkok Cup! Thank you to everyone who helped organise this trip and make it as fun as it was!

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

International Day of Peace and Our Small Steps to Mitigate Climate Change

Mariela Bianciotti, Primary Leader of Learning, World Languages/ KS2 Spanish Teacher ach year, on 21st September, the International Day stand together and take action because otherwise, it might of Peace is observed around the world. This year’s be too late. Let’s not wait any longer. If we don’t fight for theme “Climate Action for Peace” draws attention to the our future now, soon we won’t have a future left to fight importance of combating climate change as a way to for. Let’s DO IT NOW.” According to this environmental protect and promote peace throughout the world. champion, the number one thing people can do to help mitigate climate change is understanding how severe this Greta will be in New York for the first strike scheduled global climate crisis really is and using the power of deon 20th September, Climate Strike Thailand has organ- mocracy to make sure that people in power stop ignoring ised a climate strike in Bangkok. As this Friday is a holi- this crisis. Instead of arguing whether climate change is day at Bangkok Patana, I would like to invite those staying something we do or do not believe in, we should listen in Bangkok to join us from 8am to 12 noon at the Capi- to science and the overwhelming amount of research that tal Mansion Executive Living Suites and make our voic- confirms what we already know: climate change is real, is es heard. See Greta receive the Amnesty International a fact, not a myth.

Award here.

Greta has inspired millions of people around the world For the second Global Strike scheduled on Friday, 27th to take a stand against climate change and two more September, our Year 5 and Year 6 students are stepping Global Climate Strikes have been organised for 20th up to the challenge by organising an awareness raising September and 27th September, leading up to the Incampaign in our school. Following the first protest against ternational Day of Peace and a Climate Summit taking climate change last year, students and teachers will all join place at the UN Headquarters. Organisers expect next in the strike within school and sing the theme song “Do it week’s global strikes will be bigger than the previous ones Now”. because this time around there will be a much stronger World Language and Thai Primary students are presence from unions, workers and companies will join. convinced that peace can only be achieved if concrete action is taken to combat climate change. Using the target language, students have discussed and agreed on small steps to help promote peace by acting on Climate Change in our homes, schools and communities. Seemingly minor actions, turning off unnecessary lights, taking public transport, avoiding the use of plastic, reducing meat intake or water usage, can have an enormous impact on decreasing our carbon footprint.

E

After 15 days crossing the Atlantic on a zero-carbon yacht, climate activist16-year-old Greta Thunberg, arrived in New York with a powerful message: “We need to 19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

9

Home Language Goes Live in Foundation Stage

Virginie Turner, Home Language Coordinator,French and Spanish Teacher, Year 11 Co-Tutor

O

n Tuesday many of enthusiastic Key Stage 4 and Senior Studies students congregated in Foundation Stage to learn a little bit about how to build a rapport with their young friends. All were very attentive when Ms Sarah Gaughan explained how to engage with children that age.

They were also shown how children’s brains absorb information and continually create connections. Furthermore, they discovered that learning does not have to be in a formal setting but will be best achieved through play at that age (many were quite jealous of that fact and wished they could do the same!).

“The first session of the Home Languages Programme in Foundation Stage was simply magical! All class teachers were delighted to see our young children speaking in their home languages. There was a buzz throughout the building as the Foundation Stage children played, read and explored with their visiting students, with as many as ten languages being spoken throughout the building!”

Clare Hooper, Lead Teacher for CLL, Foundation Stage

The support Secondary bilingual students will give should help Foundation Stage children communicate better with their peers and teachers, foster well-being by removing some of the anxiety they may feel at times and demonstrate the value of having another language.

The programme started on Wednesday and one of the volunteers said that he had an amazing experience. He entered quite glum in Foundation Stage and came out happy and relaxed. An added bonus for our Secondary Students!

UPCOMING UNIVERSITY VISITS UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE

University of Melbourne Information Day University College Cork Medicine & Health Information Seminar University of Dundee LIM College Laboratory Institute of Merchandising Michigan State University Yale-NUS Management Development Institute of Singapore - MDIS Claremont McKenna College Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland 10

COUNTRY

LOCATION

DATE

TIME

Australia

The Westin Grande Sukhumvit

21.09.19

10:30

Ireland

Shangri-La Hotel

21.09.19

18:00

UK

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

24.09.19

12:15

USA

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

01.10.19

12:15

USA Singapore

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

01.10.19 01.10.19

09:15 12:15

Singapore

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

02.10.19

12.15

USA Ireland

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

17.10.19 01.11.19

12:15 12:15

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

UNI COUNSELLORS’ CORNER

ALUMNI EXPERIENCES: Timo Abrahams

I

very much enjoyed meeting and spending time with people from a plethora of different backgrounds and cultures. Even though everyone came from vastly different backgrounds, at Bangkok Patana School we all came together and mingled like there were very little differences between us. I also have very fond memories of all the extracurricular activities at Patana, I particularly enjoyed the sports and school trips.

I still use many of the things I learned at Patana on a daily basis. Something I have benefited from a lot is the experience and knowledge about different ways of thinking across different cultures. I feel my time at Patana has really helped my ability to empathise with people from different cultures. This ability has really helped me in my work-life, seeing as I’m currently working a country where the culture is very different from my own.

I studied Automotive Business Management at IVA Driebergen Business School in Utrecht, Netherlands. Cars are my passion, they always have been. A career in the automotive industry has always been my dream. At university however, I realised that in order to gain a competitive advantage in the automotive sector, knowledge from outside this sector is very helpful. For this reason I decided that when it was time for me to start looking for a company where I could write my final thesis, I would look for something outside of the automotive sector. I got connected to a company named Rabbit Finance in Bangkok, here I completed my final research project and thesis. After this placement I was approached by someone from the parent company of Rabbit Finance, VGI. I liked the position I was offered and decided to take it, since then I have been living and working in Bangkok. I am part of the business development team at VGI. The focus of my team is new product development to help the company reach its strategic goals.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

University of California, San Diego USA The University of California, San Diego is a public research university that was founded in 1960 and offers over 200 undergraduate or graduate programs and enrolls 30,000 undergraduate students. UCSF will be joining Division 1 of the NCAA and comprises of six residential colleges in addition to the famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography which was in place when the school was founded. UC San Diego ranks 15th in the US News and World Report Global Universities index and 30th in the Times Higher Education World University rankings.

UCSD is located in a residential neighborhood in northern San Diego and is home to the iconic Geisel Library named after Dr Suess. The university offers 125 bachelor’s degree programs organized into five disciplinary divisions: arts and humanities, biological sciences, engineering, mathematics and physical sciences, and social sciences. UCSD has two alumni who have earned the Nobel prize and 16 faculty members who have won the prize, five of whom are current members of the faculty. Other famous alumni include actors Benicio del Toro and Silas Weir Mitchell, director Mike Judge, activist Angela Davis, astronaut K Megan McArthur, and novelist/physician Khaled Hosseini among many others.

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

11

Desert Island Discs With Mick Smith

T

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?

Today Mr Mick Smith, Secondary Principal is stuck on a desert island.

MR SMITH, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Station to Station -David Bowie Perfect Day -Lou Reed Mr Blue Sky -Electric Light Orchestra Everybody’s Talkin’ -The Beautiful South Road to Nowhere -Talking Heads Cello Concerto in B Minor - Dvorak Chasing Cars -Snow Patrol

Mr Smith’s Spotify playlist here

Walls Come Tumbling Down -The Style Council 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 massive family photograph album if that wasn’t considered ‘communication from outside.’ If it was then I’d take my camera.

WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky 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!

Friday 20th September School Holiday

DATES

for your

Diary...

12

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 Monday 21st October - Half-term Holidays Begin

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

13

#130: VPN Explained

Brian Taylor, Cross Campus Assistant Principal

A short article for you this week, mirroring our shortened school week. I thought it may be useful to use this platform to explain some technology terminology we often hear about. This week it’s VPN. Watch the short video above explaining what VPN means. A longer and more detailed explanation can be found here. Take care though, there are plenty of so called ‘free’ VPNs out there that are malicious, often injecting viruses and malware into your device when you use them. For example, 80% of the free VPN apps in the Apple store break Apple’s data sharing ban. Learn more about the best (and worst) VPNs here.

Have a wonderful long weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

Links in this article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGX7gppVi1U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX1nM_p0m0I https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-investigation-august-2019-update/

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 2nd October, email him on brta@patana.ac.th

14

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

PTG and SILC charity fundraiser to benefit breast cancer centres Melissa Golden, PTG Chairperson

T

he PTG and SILC and are holding a charity tennis tournament on 10th October to raise funds to benefit organisations that benefit breast cancer. Last year they raised a grand total of 169,792 THB for the Queen Sirikit Center Breast Cancer Foundation. The foundation has two projects: The Slum Outreach Project and The Pink Park Village Foundation.

care and cancer rehabilitation centre.

This year the Pink Tennis Charity Tournament will be held on Thursday 10th October at 8am at the Bangkok Patana Sports Complex. Entry fee is 1,000 THB per pair and includes refreshments and lunch. You are welcome to join even if you don’t have a partner! Contact Coach Dan daah@patana.ac.th for more information and to sign up.

The Slum Outreach Project, which was founded 20 years ago, visits the poorest areas, where many women earn less than 200 baht a day, and provides education on breast and cervical cancer. They also provide local women the opportunity to discuss health issues and then take them for screening at the Queen Sirikit Breast Cancer Centre at Chulalongkorn Hospital.

The screenings cost 3,500 THB and are covered by your donations.

Importantly the centre provides child care services, staffed by a team of volunteers, to allow the women to take their children with them whilst they undergo screening. They also provide the mothers and children with free food, entertainment and make up for the mothers. This whole process from teaching to screening lasts three to four days and happens a few times a year.

The Pink Park Village Foundation is a new hospice and rehabilitation centre for underprivileged Thai women in Minburi. The centre, which provides hospice care for those in the last stages of breast and cervical cancer, also gives breast cancer patients from outside Bangkok receiving treatment in the capital a place to stay. There is also a diagnostic centre and learning and training facilities for medical staff. When finished, it will also feature a day

Join the PTG Facebook page for all the latest updates!

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

15

STUDENTS SPEAK How Does Weather Affect Your Mood?

Karnsiree (Ling Ling) Chen, 13I eather has been observed to reflect our mood and is so naturally incorporated into our evaluation of emotion that writing techniques like pathetic fallacy have developed due to its influence, where the weather is made so that it reflects the mood of the theme. Through delving further into the literary vein, there are also expressions referring to the ‘brightening’ or ‘darkening’ of moods, sunny dispositions and the classic setting of a dark and stormy night for thrillers. This is most likely due to the fallible nature of emotion, which can often be open to sudden change, much like the weather. This leads us to question: does weather really biologically affect our moods?

W

Sunshine is most commonly associated with mood, with the figure of speech likening a person to a ray of sunshine interpreted to mean a cheerful person. Sunlight has been proven on many occasions to be a catalyst for happiness and diminish tiredness. This may be due to a variety of factors, however, as it could be psychological: as all the often-heard phrases may have conditioned us into automatically linking sunlight with happiness. Scientifically, sunlight is thought to enhance serotonin production in the body, helping you to feel more alert and content.

A lack of sunlight can even cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which can affect people seasonally from October through April when daylight becomes more scarce. The body relies on the reduction of sunlight as a cue to begin producing the hormone melatonin which makes you feel drowsy. With less sunlight, your brain begins producing lower levels of serotonin, affecting mood, appetite and sleep. A dip in serotonin levels has also been linked to an increase in carbohydrate cravings.

Judith Wurtman, former scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has said that eating carbohydrates helps depressed individuals feel better because the carbs spark an immediate but fleeting serotonin increase, with a sharp drop shortly after - like a sugar high. Temperature can also affect our mind and behaviour, independently of sunshine.

Studies have observed that people are likely to act aggressively in higher temperatures.

Other dimensions of weather such as humidity tend to make people more tired and irritable. The resulting pressure fluctuations can trigger headaches. As atmospheric pressure decreases, clouds and rain become much more likely and allow bodily fluids to move between blood vessels to tissues, causing pressure on the nerves and joints, which leads to increased pain and stiffness. This is most likely the reason you have heard people talking about a pain in their joints when it rains.

It is evident that weather influences our psyche: through both biological and psychological means in myriad subtle ways. Excess heat causes discomfort by straining our homeothermic systems which causes discomfort leading to irritability and aggression. However, another reason heat is associated with aggression is that there are simply more interactions in public during hot weather months.

16

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

How the Food You Eat Affects You Physically and Mentally T Pasawat (Tang Tae) Sakulpanich, 13L

he connection between the food you eat and how it affects you, physically and mentally:

Let’s begin with the second brain, the enteric nervous system. This system is composed of a mesh-like net of neurons–which are cells which transmit nerve impulses to signal other cells what to do–within the digestive system. The reason why this nervous system is called our second brain is because it operates independently from the main central nervous system and controls extremely important processes such as digestion and keeping things in the gut flowing.

Enter the microbiome. The microbiome works alongside the enteric nervous system and is a community of trillions of bacteria and other small organisms which thrive in our digestive tract and weighs over 2 kilograms! But don’t be alarmed, these are all friendly bacteria that help with digestion improving your health by providing a sort of barrier that blocks all of the nasty stuff like bad bacteria and viruses (known collectively as pathogens) from entering the bloodstream. A damaged microbiome will cause something known as a ‘leaky gut’. As the name suggests, this condition is where tiny holes begin to develop in the walls of your intestine, making it more prone for bad pathogens to diffuse into the bloodstream, increasing your chances of getting infections and ultimately getting ill.

So, apart from our physical health, how does the food we eat affect our mood and thinking? Here’s some food for thought (pun intended): Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor at UCLA once said that "A big part of our emotions are probably influenced by the nerves in our gut.” If you’re wondering why the term ‘gut-feeling’ came about, or why you feel butterflies in your stomach, here’s it is: The food you eat affects your microbiome in the gut, and your microbiome is constantly talking to your brain through these nerve impulses (also known as the gut-brain axis). New discoveries have shocked scientists as about 90 percent of nerves in gut-brain axis carry information from the gut to the brain and not the other way around, so our gut is actually partly in control of our brain! An imbalance in the microbiome can lead to infections which disrupt the nerve-communication between the two, thus affecting our mood through the disrupted nerve impulses.

Below are foods you should avoid in order to protect your microbiome: •

Fried foods

•

Processed foods e.g. fast food

• Sugar •

Meats high in fat and salt

Eat healthy and you’ll feel good inside and out!

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

17

18

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

19

20

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

COMMUNITY

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS Join Year 7 Student Puna Anantaprakorn for the Concert for Kids: The Carnival of the Animals

Directed By Tasana Nagavajara with Narrator Kibtchan Pasit Wattanalekhawong (Piano) Puna Anantaprakorn (Piano)

SATURDAY 28 AND SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 14.00 and 17.00 DR. THAWORN PHORNPRAPHA AUDITORIUM (5TH FL. SIAM MOTOR BUILDING, RAMA 1) (ENGLISH AND THAI NARRATION) BOOK ONLINE HERE

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

21

22

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019

19/09/2019

Bangkok Patana School News

23

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 24

Bangkok Patana School News

19/09/2019