Patana News Volume 19 Issue 13

Patana

NEWS The Best Week of the Year!

Secondary Residential Week

Page 2

Gymnastics Team springs into action at NIST Junior Falcons Competition Bangkok Patana is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

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ur Secondary students absolutely love Residential Week. Excitement starts weeks ahead of departure when Heads of Year begin sharing details of activities, collecting shirt sizes and asking who would like to share rooms with whom. It is raised a notch or two in the week before when final pre-Resi assemblies are held, and it reaches feverpitch on Monday morning when cases are heaved onto coaches and the students themselves climb inside and buckle up. As I shared with a parent of a Year 7 student: “Their snacks will be half eaten before they leave Soi Lasalle!”

I’m very fortunate that each year I’m able to drop in on two or three of the Residentials to get a flavour of what the students and staff are experiencing over the course of the week. As Year 9 are in Chiang Mai I haven’t so far been able to join that one, although I actually ran it once back in 2002 (!!), and so I alternate between the others. This year I visited Year 8, Year 10 and Year 12 beginning with the long drive up to Kanchanaburi to join Head of Year, Yvonne Brown and Year 8. As I’m sure you know, Kanchanaburi province is stunningly beautiful but within this picturesque backdrop our students look closely at the many hardships forced upon the prisoners of war and thousands of Thai citizens who were forced to work on what became known as the ‘Death Railway’ linking Thailand and Burma, during World War II. As

Remembrance Sunday had only just taken place, the War Cemetery was full of flowers for the fallen and as always I was moved at seeing our young students respond so sensitively to their surroundings, each placing their own rose tribute on one soldier’s grave.

I hadn’t been to Hellfire Pass recently and so was keen to visit the wonderful on-site museum set in the most evocative of locations. Once again I was very proud of our students who, audio-guide in hand, moved carefully but eagerly through the museum, locating the information they needed for their research assignment. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit a new highlight of the Residential, an elephant sanctuary formerly catering to the ‘elephant safari’ market but now encouraging visitors to understand how to feed and care for the elephants instead. This proved to be really popular with the students and Ms Brown.

On Wednesday, having safely delivered two unwell Year 8s back to school the night before, I spent the day with Matt Jones and his Year 10 cohort in the equally beautiful Khao Yai. This is another very popular Resi where students are exposed to the great outdoors in the form of undertaking a two-day trek as an introduction to the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. It’s always interesting to see the students who love this and those who…don’t! All benefit from the experience though and there is a palpa-

ble sense of achievement as each group arrives back at camp after completing a day out hiking.

Another real highlight of Year 10 for me, as well as the visit to the excellent new waterpark, was the environmental sustainability focus taking hold at our resort. With the support and guidance of returning environmental guru Dr Mandy Heddle, our students were able to help the resort in the development of their on-site fruit farm. Students learned how to make compost heaps (no small task) and how to support the young fruit trees to ensure they remained healthy.

Finally, on Thursday, Suzanne Lindley and I spent time at the most academic of the Residential Visits, The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Camp for Year 12.

As part of their IB Diploma studies students have to complete a 100-hour TOK course and having a concerted focus on it during Resi week supports this.

Students were also introduced to the collaborative required as part of IB Science. The day is spent in lectures and tutorials where our in-house experts led

by Mike Brookes (TOK Coordinator) lead sessions on different aspects of TOK including links with other subjects and CAS. In the afternoons and evenings Tracey Barton, Head of Year, takes over, providing a wide range of activities for the students and staff – there were some very interesting pictures of Ms Dewse leading one session!

On Friday afternoon parents gathered (lots for Year 7, less for Year 10 and pretty much none allowed for Year 12) at the front of school to welcome

home their ‘babies’ and suddenly as the empty buses pulled away, Resi’s were over for another year to sighs of relief all round from the tired but elated Heads of Year.

The Residential Visits are a wonderful, unique enrichment to our school curriculum which I genuinely believe add substantially to the learning that takes place each year. They are the most frequently mentioned ‘best memory of Bangkok Patana’ at Graduation each year and have been the topic of much excited discussion in school this week. I would like to thank all of the teachers for their support and especially the Heads of Year, Senior Teacher for Key Stage 3 Lena Perriam, and Assistant Principal Helen Thew for their amazing dedication and organisational brilliance, without which the Residentials simply wouldn’t happen.

Sincere thanks also to those teachers led by Andy Roff, Karen McGuire and Suzanne Lindley, who back at base, guided Year 11 through their Trial Exams and Year 13 through Completion Week. For the students these are really critical times at (I)GCSE and IB and I know (I have a daughter in each Year group!) that they appreciated the staff who supported them so calmly and effectively.

See you at the Ploenchit Fair tomorrow, Mick Smith Principal, Secondary School

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n Saturday 19th November, Bangkok Patana’s Gymnastics Team performed at their first competition of the season, the NIST Junior Falcons Competition 2016.

The competition gave our gymnasts an opportunity to perform their new routines for the first time.

It was also a great chance for them to gain valuable competition experience and receive feedback on their performance.

The weekend saw 42 Bangkok Patana gymnasts compete across Levels 1-3. It was a really good start to the year, sweeping up six Overall Team trophies and many Overall Individual trophies across all the levels. The Level 3 boys still remain undefeated!

For the boys, Phillip Duckworth, Xavier Arkotxa Lakha, Thanan Chuwanon, Thomas Horton, Tristan Vandermeer, Matthew Murphy and Jacob Broadhurst all made the podium for individual allaround competitions, whilst Emily Cannon and Rachel Manda reached the podium for the super competitive girls’ category.

Special mentions must also go to Alexander Leiler for pulling off a fantastic vault and back hip circle on the day, Sofia Hilgert for exuding confidence and composure during the competition, young gymnasts Ami Eljigen-Ullman and Adam Girling for having the courage to compete at their first competition and finally, Tristan Vandermeer for having flawless control and execution in both technique and strength. As a result, Tristan placed 1st on almost all apparatus.

Thanks go to all of our gymnasts, coaches, parents and support staff who made this event such a success. Make sure you check out the Patana Gymnastics website for regular updates about the Gymnastics Team and for a full listing of results from the competition and some great photos!

The gymnastics competition was a lot of fun.

Teams from different schools competed against each other using all of the different apparatus. I was a bit nervous, but I think I did okay. I saw a lot of talented kids show their skills. Next time, I hope I can do better. Angel Lin, 5C

When I arrived I was feeling excited for the competition. I felt confident because I had practised lots and felt strong. Matthew and I were the only two in Level 2 seniors for Patana, it was unfortunate that we had to compete against each other but we still played hard! Our coaches gave us lots of support. I was happy with my scores, I won two 1st place, four 2nd place, one 3rd place and a trophy for overall 2nd place. I was very proud. Now I am working towards moving up into Level 3. Thomas Horton, 5C

I felt it went great because we all did well and persevered even if we did not win anything. At first I was really nervous. After the first apparatus, I loosened up a lot and became more confident. It was a tough competition but I did it and that is what matters. Hanami Roughley, 6M

It was an exciting experience to be at the NIST competition representing Bangkok Patana School. I felt nervous at the start. I had to think about all my routines in my head over and over again until I could remember them by heart. For my first effort at Level 2 I think I did okay but I know I can do better in the future. I won a great 2nd place overall. We had two top gymnasts, Xavi in 2nd overall and Thannan in 3rd. I think we a did great job for Bangkok Patana School. I think next time I will do better and win in future competitions. Beniam Piller, 4B

Boys Level 1 Junior Boys Level 2 Junior Boys Level 2 Senior Boys Level 3 Open Girls Level 2 Junior Girls Level 3 Junior Girls Level 3 Senior

2nd Place Team Overall 2nd Place Team Overall 2nd Place Team Overall 1st Place Team Overall 1st Place Team Overall 1st Place Team Overall Score 3rd Place Team Overall Score

I think the gymnastics competition went well because I got a good score and I also had lots of fun. I think that my skills were good and that I have improved after the competition. I was really nervous when it began but I started to feel alive when I finished preforming. Kirsten Shelford, 5C

In my opinion the competition ran smoothly and our Level 2-3 Boys’ did very well. I was very happy coming in 1st place in the rings and extremely pleased with coming 3rd overall considering I have only been doing the ECA for three months. One thing I can improve on is the parallel bar routines because I don’t feel so confident while swinging. Also another thing I’m always reminded of is to point my toes! Altogether the event itself was well organised, good fun and a fantastic first experience of a gymnastics competition. Matthew Murphy, 7W

James Penstone, Cross Campus Principal

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want to share a quick update with you re: Bangkok Patana 2041 and the Antarctica Expedition in 2017.

For family reasons, my wife, Kate, and I have requested a one-year contract starting next August so that we will leave Bangkok Patana in June 2018. Consequently, the school will now send another senior staff representative who is able to commit to the 2041 project for longer than one academic year after the expedition next March.

The good news is that Helen Thew will represent the school staff on the project. She has already met with Rebecca Leiler and her parents, and it is very clear to me that Helen will do everything she can to take great care of Rebecca, while supporting her to lead on project 2041 from here on in. Helen is the ideal choice to take on this important responsibility. Before I assumed my current role in the school, she led the whole school environmental portfolio. She is also experienced with accompanying students to extreme environments such as Everest Base Camp.

Since I became involved with this, I have been quite overwhelmed by the selfless support that has already been offered by some of our community to help the school get the very most out of this experience and help forge some purposeful environmental change. I'm sure you will join me in wishing Rebecca and Helen the very best of success as we rally behind them with this essential school-wide focus on climate-change mitigation.

James Penstone, Cross Campus Principal

Athletics- 2nd Swimming- 1st Boys Football- 3rd Girls Football- 3rd Boys Basketball- 1st Girls Basketball- 1st

Athletics- Moniqa Nielsen and Kenji Miyauchi Swimming- Misol Chueng, Niamh Flannery and Patrick Schaleppi Football- Remy Brandt and Danielle Rotenberg Basketball- Kris Dante and Julie Matula

Don’t forget to come get your Season 2 team photos taken next week!

Under 13 and Under 15 teams Thursday December 1st

JV and Varsity teams Friday December 2nd

Monday Varsity Girls’ and Boys’ Tennis vs RIS - HOME Under 13 Boys’ and Girls’ Badminton vs NIST- HOME JV Girls’ Touch vs NIST- HOME Tuesday Varsity Girls’ Basketball vs RIS- AWAY Under 15B Boys’ Football vs Ekamai- AWAY Under 15 Girls’ Football vs NIST- AWAY Under 13B Boys’ Football vs ISB- HOME Wednesday Varsity Boys’ Basketball vs ISB- AWAY JV Boys’ Basketball vs NIST- HOME Thursday Under 15 Boys’ and Girls’ vs NIST- HOME Under 15 Boys’ Football vs NIST- HOME Under 13 Boys’ and Girls’ Football- HOME Saturday and Sunday Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball, Rugby and Touch vs Falcon Friendship- AWAY

Good luck to our Varsity Cross Country runners and Golfers participating at their SEASAC events this weekend! Cross Country will be held at UWC East and Golf at NIST.

@ bps_athletics_council

BPSSPORTS

BPSSports

Tiger Sports

Patana Tennis

The Mercy Centre team held their annual campaign in the Lounge this week. The main purpose of the campaign is to encourage students to volunteer at Bangkok Patana once a month when the children from the Mercy Centre come to use the facilities, have lunch and participate in a bunch of fun activities. The team were as exuberant as ever with fun, games and brownies on offer. Their energy is tireless and they happily responded to lots of good questions. The next Mercy Centre visit is on 10th December.

We have two major community giving projects on the horizon and would like to thank you in advance for your support which is always awesome.

The first is a joint project between Project Star, SMILE and Mercy Centre. They want to give a gift to the children living in one of the garbage slums of Bangkok which will include both fun and practical items. Collections are under way with each tutor group collecting specific items which will be bagged up and delivered in time for Christmas. To find out more contact Marina maku19@patana.ac.th.

The second is the annual World Food Project food drive, collecting food items for some of the most disadvantaged people in the community. Donations can be left in Santa's Sleigh in the Library. To find out more contact Annie anfl17@patana.ac.th.

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angkok Patana Secondary Students present Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – one of the most popular and longest running musicals in the West End. The musical retells the biblical story of Joseph and the coat of many colours in a magical roller coaster ride through the decades. This is a fun filled show suitable for the whole family. Tickets are on sale now from Khun Ying in the Arts Office.

International Day Tuesday 13th December

This is a taste of what the students will experience at International Day on Tuesday 13th December. We encourage parents to join us for the Parade of Nations and Cultural Show and see why this event is always a highlight of the year for our students!

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his was the first game of the season for the boys in orange and black. After having only one practice prior to the game, there was still a strong bond between all players in the team and everyone was eager for the game to get started.

Bangkok Patana came out hot and took an early 7-0 lead. There was an intense atmosphere created by the players on court as well as the players off court. A fast paced first quarter saw the Tigers increase the lead to 21-7. There was a strong start defensively for both teams in the second quarter. However, soon enough, the Tigers’ used their strengths as a team and scored multiple baskets in transition.

There was a period of deadlock in the third quarter which Bangkok Patana managed to break to secure the victory due to the mercy rule at 49-19. A strong contribution from the boys on the bench allowed them to gain confidence and poise. A great win to start the season!

#46: Handy questions for wise parents Ok, so this is supposed to be Taylor’s Technology Tips, but this week, I’m going ‘old skool’, as they say, and I’m going to recommend a paper based resource. Having said that, I did use technology to find it and print out the bits of paper! Here is a quote from THE KEY JAR site: “Smart parents give their children a million answers.

Wise parents ask their children a million questions.

And so smart parents might know, but wise parents understand.”

Try these question yourself and like the site says, watch the nothings become everythings……

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

There will be a free shuttle bus service tomorrow (26th November) from BANGNA BTS station, Exit 1, to school from 9:30am – 8:00pm for Ploenchit Fair.

Please remind all bus users to collect all items as they depart the school bus. Items left on the buses include shoes, PE bags, books, headphones and other bags. This causes inconvenience to many people including bus monitors, transport staff, reception staff, parents and students. Your help to remind students is much appreciated.

If your child will not use the school bus home on Monday to attend the Year 9 PCE, please remember to cancel the bus with Transport.

If you would like to use the bus to attend school events or activities you are more than welcome, please remember to book in advance with the Transport Department.

Contact Us

The Transport Department’s direct phone number is 02 785 2470. The office is staffed from 6:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday. You can also contact us via email at transport@patana.ac.th

Anapana (Mindfulness of breathing) teaches children improved concentration skills and enhances calmness of the mind. This technique helps to relieve anxiety and is very useful at exam time to calm those nerves, but also for everyday life.

The next Anapana Meditation course will be given on Saturday 10th December for students 13-17 years and on Sunday 11th December for students 8-12 years.

The course is completely free!

To enroll or for further information, please contact Eva Sophonpanich at evasophon@hotmail.com You may find this site useful: http://www.children.dhamma.org/en/children/aboutmeditation.shtml Image Reference http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1508449/images/o-CHILD-MEDITATING-facebook.jpg

NETBALL The most popular sport for girls in Australia and New Zealand, and a national sport in Great Britain, Netball provides loads of team work, fast action on the court, defence and attacking skills and of course is FUN and GREAT for fitness.

Bangkok Junior Netball Academy (BJNA) Bangkok Junior Netball Academy (BJNA) has returned to the courts of Bangkok Patana School. All girls aged 6-16 years are welcome to join, regardless of experience. We will be scheduling a 10 week skills development and match play program with a coaching staff (which involves volunteering parents). Training runs from 8:30am – 10:00am Saturday mornings (dates can often change and BJNA does not run during Bangkok Patana school break).

Registration can take place each week or request a Registration Form via email bjnetballacademy@gmail.com Returning Players please fill in Registration details and bring it along on with Registration fees.

Registration Fees are 500baht for returning players and 850baht new players (club t-shirt included and water bottle for new players) Any girls aged 6- 16 years old are welcome to join.

No previous experience needed.

We will divide players up into groups according to their Netball ability.

Skill development and match practice will be based around mini games.

All skills will be aimed at FUN TO LEARN developing into more competitive games.

Mini games, skill practices, full matches in accordance to age.

We aim to provide playing and mini tournament opportunities v clubs and schools To register or for more information contact bjnetballacademy@gmail.com or find us on Facebook

BJNA NEEDS YOU! We are looking for volunteers to help run our Saturday sessions as well as a volunteer to assist with administration. If you could help on a regular basis please email bjnetballacademy@gmail.com

For daily updates, snapshots and news on life at school you can find us here...

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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