Patana
NEWS Hands on Science in Khao Yai Page 4
Decision Making
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Why we should all read ‘Iqbal’
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The Roar
Bangkok Patana is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC
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very day our students are faced with making a whole range of decisions – Noodle Bar or Canteen? How much effort should I put into this piece of work? Which ECA should I take for Block 3? How do I manage my time so that I can work hard in my studies, try out for a team and support a CAT club, as well as be a good friend and supportive to my peers? As parents and teachers, we have to enable our children and students to develop the ability to weigh up the options and make, what we hope to be, the right and best decisions.
sion-making for their younger peers, and the continued success of our CAT clubs that have run year-after -year are testament to that. In their weekly meetings, chaired by our Senior students, the younger students will have witnessed the decision-making process of how to run successful campaigns, where the money they raise should be spent, which causes to support. Again, it is fair to say that not all decisions made will have been the correct ones necessarily, but we should be wise, resilient and strong enough to accept that we won't always make the
Over the recent break, our Seniors were deciding the balance between relaxing/being with their families and revising for the six days of Trial Examinations. It’s guaranteed that not all of them will have got that balance right but at least the opportunity provided will have shown them how much time they will have to set aside between now and the summer examinations in order for them to ensure the final grade accurately reflects their potential. Older students are important role models in deci-
right decisions, and to understand that failure is not the opposite of success, but part of success. Year 9 and 11 have been busy making their (I)GCSE and IB options choices; making decisions that will shape and affect their future. These are important decisions to make; they should be making choices based on what they enjoy, where they want to be in the future and to play to their strengths. Last week we saw Year 8s involved in the launch of their collaborative Connections project. Now they
have responsibility for their very own group island, and with that responsibility comes some significant decision-making: should we use our funding to bid for geothermal, hydro-electric or coal-fired power stations? How do we generate income – tourism? Farming? Textiles? Fisheries? Some islanders are already seeing the benefits of the good decisions they made in the bidding process; others (Lian-Yu) are struggling to survive as they currently have little food for their islanders and have spent all their funding. What decisions will the islanders make next to ensure their survival, or better than that, their success in securing their long-term future and stability? George Lucas once stated that,
This can also apply to teachers. For each lesson, before we even step foot in the classroom,
we are making a multitude of decisions to ensure that the most effective learning takes place. That’s a huge undertaking and a great skill; something that Mr Mills, Mr Smith and Mr Cooper will be looking for when interviewing candidates in the UK, both this week and next, to ensure the next generation of highly qualified expert Bangkok Patana teachers. According to best-selling authors Chip and Dan Heath, whose books include there are “four vil-
lains” when it comes to making decisions: 1.We have too narrow a focus and miss important facts outside our immediate view; 2.We fall into confirmation bias by developing a quick belief about something and then seek out information that confirms that belief; 3.We get caught in short-term emotion and need to be appropriately detached; 4.We are guilty of overconfidence by assuming that we know more than we actually do and jump to conclusions. They suggest a four-step process to counteract the above, the WRAP process: 1.Widen your options; 2.Reality-test your assumptions; 3.Attain distance before deciding; 4.Prepare to be wrong. As with most things, the Heath brothers believe the more you employ this process, the better you get
at it, until it becomes second nature. So with all the examples given today, the ability for our students to grow as individuals and collectively, to be able to make good decisions, is enabling us to fulfil our vision in developing global citizens who shape their world through independence, empathy, creativity and critical thinking. Suzanne Lindley, Assistant Secondary Principal
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uring our first week back from our Christmas holidays, the Bangkok Patana Biology and Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) classes embarked on a remarkable field trip to Khao Yai National Park. About 74 students and eight staff journeyed to the highland forests of Thailand’s jewel national park with the purpose of exploring indepth the various ecosystems in this remarkable wilderness. There was a shared focus for the field experience. Students from the various areas of study learned field techniques and collected data in order to practice (and in some cases potentially complete) their IB Internal Assessments (IA). The IA is a required component for many IB courses and in the Life Sciences, and students are expected to design and implement an inquiry investigation of their own choosing. This generally involves the students learning various field data collecting techniques and then applying these skills in the design and completion of a full scientific field investigation. During our four days in Khao Yai, students learned skills such as stream macroinvertebrate studies; assessing the overall health of a nearby pristine stream in Khao Yai by collecting, counting and identifying dozens of species of aquatic macroinvertebrate species in different zones of the stream. Some of these species were indicators of stream health. Students generally determined that the stream studied in Khao Yai had many species that indicated that the stream was in good shape. Another technique studied was grassland sweep netting; where students collected and identified various insect fauna in Khao Yai’s managed grasslands. Students compared faunal biodiversity between low-cut and free growing grasslands as well as
forest edge and water edge grasslands. There were very interesting trends found during these studies and some students opted to present their findings in their very own IA. Students also learned how to empirically measure various abiotic factors in forest ecosystems as well as bird counting techniques in different levels of the forest structure. All in all the students received a very well rounded introduction to in-depth ecosystem measuring techniques as well as the overall biodiversity of the region. All of this culminated in a four-hour student-directed investigation whereby students conducted their own field investigations in the habitats we visited. Students collected sufficient data to answer their various research questions and will return to school to process and present their data in the form of an IA. Students also participated in an eight-kilometer trek through the forests and grasslands of Khao Yai. During our time in the field, students were blessed with sightings (and songs) of wild White-handed Gibbons, Asian Elephants, various species of hornbills and other birds as well as many squirrels and other
forms of wildlife. As an instructor, I was very impressed with the sheer joy and amazement expressed by our students when walking through the ancient forests with their massive old -growth trees and vegetation zones. Our students were truly impressed and humbled by the nature they experienced on this expedition. The students were superbly selfmotivated and were very much invested in producing quality science. And from this epic experience our students have much to be proud of. Kris Thongphakdi, 12B Myself, and the rest of Year 12 Biology and ESS students, were given the opportunity to experience what felt like an 'outdoor education'. During our study trip to Khao Yai, from January 9th to 12th, we explored the nature and wildlife of Khao Yai National Park to further our knowledge on the 'Ecology' unit. This involved eyeopening experiences such as bird watching and the fascinating study of organisms under fresh water. As well as the many teacher-led sessions that we had, students went on day-long treks during which they observed wildlife, appreciated the beauty that is nature and built closer relation-
ships with other students as well as teachers. Before the trip came to an end, students used their newly acquired knowledge to gather data on certain aspects of ecology that they wanted to investigate. Using this, students were able to demonstrate the information through write-ups that followed similar structures to that of the IA, that they would have to complete on a later date. This experience gave us an opportunity to appreciate nature, as well as further our ability to write our IAs and become well practiced before the final write-ups are due. Whilst the focal point of the trip was very much the expansion of our
opening experience. The Khao Yai National Park offered breath-taking vistas and a variety of organisms for our field studies. We had the opportunity to visit grasslands, rivers and various parts of the dense forest. Throughout the trip there was a strong sense of teamwork and bonding with my Biology class and forming relationships with my peers was the highlight of the trip. Bird watching, catching insects, observing freshwater organisms and investigating soils were led by teachers, which revealed previously unknown complexities of the natural world. Outside of fieldwork, trekking in the heart of Khao Yai National Park demonstrated its
Silvia de Gomery, 12G and Nicholas Roberts, 12C As keen Biology students, this trip provided a great opportunity for us to really gain experience of the natural world outside of the classroom. Being so fortunate to live in a country that encompasses such tropical diversity, we were able to truly integrate ourselves with nature by walking along and observing Khao Yai’s many different terrains and wildlife. We found it astonishing to encounter species that most of us have never seen before, as this truly expanded our knowledge of the rainforest. The ability to obtain knowledge outside of the classroom is vital to
knowledge, students also found this to be a great time for socialising and enjoying themselves. At no point was the trip anything less than entertaining, thanks to the humour-filled moments amongst students, the teachers and David Attenborough.
immense natural beauty and its diversity of wildlife. Academically the trip allowed students to sharpen skills important for the IBs Internal Assessment, despite this, the trip never proved to be anything less than a fun, rich and enlightening experience.
our self-development because we believe there is more to education than just textbooks; we have consequently increased our appreciation regarding the value of outdoor learning. Despite the fact that the trip was only three nights, we enjoyed getting to know the different teachers and listening to their passionate love for Biology and ESS, as well as spending quality time with friends. Most importantly, we both feel that we were greatly challenged due to the risks we took, such as creating our own investigations and working with different equipment and experimental methods. We departed with a final promise to commit to our duty of protecting and sustaining what Mother Nature has so kindly passed down to us.
Branislav (Branny) Planka, 12J Biology is by far one of my favorite subjects, so I was quite excited for this trip. The three days that we were in ‘nature’ were very interesting and it was a nice change to learn about biology first hand rather than from a textbook. It was a great opportunity to see what we learn in real life, and I feel fortunate for being able to be in a country where we can experience nature and the things we learn about. Mark Comer, 12C The Biology trip was an eye-
Sarah Lim, 12L It was an interesting experience running through shoulder-high fields of bloodgrass with a sweep net, hunting for the largest cricket. I never expected Ecology, which seemed rather dull in the classroom, to be so much fun in practice. The two hours spent wading through the river on the final day of the trip were both enlightening and exciting. Each small invertebrate caught was an adventure to observe and identify, even if our boots were filling with murky water the entire time.
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n Saturday 14th January 2017, Bangkok Patana’s Gymnastics Team hosted the In-House competition with 72 Bangkok Patana gymnasts attending. It was a great opportunity for them to gain more competition experience and receive feedback on their performances from real competitive judges from the Gymnastics Association of Thailand. Each team consisted of an even mix of gymnasts from the different levels, which was wonderful chance for our junior and senior gymnasts to work together. The seniors definitely inspired the younger gymnasts with their unique and highly skilled tumbling routines. Thank you to all of our gymnasts, coaches, parents and support staff who made this event such a success.
Student reflection from Sakooltipaya (Koko) Lotharukpong, 11G
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and2Heart (H2H) collaborated with LETS (Let’s Erase The Stigma) on a World AIDS Awareness Day to help raise awareness of AIDS and HIV. The event was a roaring success, here Jenny, the President of H2H tells us more: “The first scream of joy radiated against the darkness of the Black Box Theatre. A young girl eagerly widened her eyes as she ran towards a pool of colourful balloons scattered around the perimeter. Slowly, the fusion of positivity filled the midst of the room as the 20 children from the House of Blessing grabbed hands of a Hand2Heart member, pulling them towards their desired game, food stall or an empty space to run around. After playing personalised AIDS Awareness Day themed games developed by Hand2Heart such as ‘fact pong’, ring toss and musical statues, beads of sweat were falling from all the energy, shattering into droplets of joy against the mood of Friday afternoon. However endlessly enthusiastic they were, their ever-lasting energy was refuelled with the wide assortment of cookies, cupcakes and cotton candy. The House of Blessing, was not only a hospitable home for these underprivileged children, the blessing truly came from the happiness of the children themselves. World AIDS Awareness Day had really embodied our main theme of acceptance - to see everyone as family, where hands and hearts were filled with genuine love and care. Together, we are working towards a happier, healthier and HIV -free afternoon. Happy World AIDS Awareness Day!” Tarin Jenny Tungsubutra, President of Hand2Heart The Amnesty Campaign coincided with Human Rights Day this year and it was a perfect opportunity for new President Kentaro Constant to raise some difficult questions with unsuspecting members of staff. More on this next week, but for now here is a picture to get you thinking...
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qbal was written by Francesco D’ Adamo. It is a novel based on a true story about a brave boy. Iqbal was a slave, locked away from freedom in Pakistan in the 1990s. Iqbal’s dream was to free children like him from bonded labour and the harsh conditions of factory masters, the only thing he thought was that the world was unfair. In this book, children in Pakistan are forced to make carpets, do harsh work and go through unimaginable punishment from their masters such as going into a tomb for many days without food, water and light. Iqbal was a slave too, in a carpet factory. I really felt bad that we are not responding to these horrible things happening to children. They get tortured and hurt, just like cows working in the field, being punished for not doing what their masters order them to do. There is no age limit in slavery; a child, a mother, a father, a grandma. In slavery it doesn’t matter. It is really important to know that forced or bonded labour is still happening to children in many different countries today. Too often children are taken away from their homes and from their families.
This book reminds people that there needs to be a change. All children should be free, going to school and playing with their friends. Adding to this, people should be less greedy, not wanting more and more things whilst some people don’t even get to live a peaceful life. This book is also very encouraging; it makes me realise how brave Iqbal was when he was young by standing up for the rights of children. Iqbal says “So long as there’s a child in this world who is deprived of his childhood, a child who is beaten, exploited, nobody can say: It’s not my business. That’s not true. It’s your business too. And it’s not true that there is no hope. You, ladies and gentlemen, you must have courage.” This is a very effective quotation and I agree too, children aren’t puppets forced to do what the performers make them do. I think this book can encourage you to stand up for yourself. It made me wonder and realise that I should try to be a bit braver like Iqbal. Unfortunately, Iqbal’s life ended at very young age but his hope for freedom never died, he never gave up. Slavery is still happening around the world. All of this is true, and it is our business to make a change.
A team of seven sailors, Joanne, Aim, Alessandro, Alex, Jade, Patrick and Peter took Bronze last weekend in the Thailand Inter-School Sailing Championships. There were seven schools competing. The team won four out of six races on the first day, putting them in second place, but unfortunately lost against Regents Pattaya in the semifinals on the last day, placing them 3rd overall. Congratulations to our competitors!
“We had an In-House Competition and we competed in teams named after random skills. It was mixed age and abilities. It was a really fun experience getting to know the little gymnasts with all the team spirit going on. We had a crowd of parents, support and good food as well! So thank you to the gym coaches for organising and doing all the labour work of moving apparatus to make it a successful event.� Password Thepkanjana
Good luck to our Fobisia
@ bps_athletics_council
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#49: YouTube Advice and Quality Sleep YouTube is undoubtedly the most popular video streaming site out there on the Internet. All too often you end up watching something that has nothing to do with what you were wanting to watch in the first place; that’s their business model and how they generate revenue! Sometimes the suggested videos, and in particular the comments, can be inappropriate for particular age groups. If you need advice then take a read of this well written Parent’s Ultimate Guide to YouTube. In particular, the comments from other parents below the article are a worthy read.
I must sound like a broken record when it comes to advice about getting enough sleep. At Christmas I was lucky enough to be given a fitness tracker that can monitor your sleep patterns and give you data on your weekly average. Something I found on Twitter that I’ve been using for the past month that I find useful in controlling the amount of blue light your device emits is called f.lux. It runs in the background on your device and makes the color of your display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the daytime. It works on Mac, Linux, iPhone/ iPad and Android devices; particularly useful if you don’t have the latest Sleep well. Brian Taylor, Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration
IMPORTANT NOTICE: There will be no regular Foundation Stage 2 – Year 6 ECAs during the Primary Residential weeks (Monday 30th January—Friday 10th February) unless your Coach/Teacher contacts you to inform you otherwise. Only a small number of selective and government mandated programmes will continue. For more information see page 14.
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e upgraded our servers on Saturday 14th January to launch Firefly 6, over the next few weeks there will be some upgrades to this version on Saturday’s between 8:00-10:00pm. Click on the links to see how the upgrade has affected:
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【ジャパニーズグループに参加しませんか】 バンコクパタナスクールのジャパニーズグループは、日本人の父親あるいは母親を持つ生徒の保護者により 運営されているグループです。現在54家族が加入しており、毎年行われるインターナショナルデーなどの学 校活動に協力しています。また、情報交換の場として親睦会を年に数回行っています。参加ご希望の方は、 The Tennis Court 西田までご連絡ください。salut.kyoko1102@gmail.com There are 54 Japanese families who are members of the Japanese group, we support International Daywill andbe other floodlights school activities. If you are a Japanese speaker or married to a Japanese speaker, we would likeoperational to invite you tofrom join our group. Please send an email with your details to be added to the group list for future correspondence to Mrs Kyoko January 4th. Nishida, email salut.kyoko1102@gmail.com
To operate, purchase a token from the cashier 【ＥＣＡ日本語のご案内】 for 250 THB. 日本人または日本語を母国語とする親を持つ生徒のためのＥＣＡ日本語が、新学期も引き続き開講されま
す。外部からの国語教師が授業を担当します。これを機会に子供たちの日本語力を高めませんか。詳細はＥ ＣＡ登録画面で確認願います。 A Japanese language ECA will be offered for students who are fluent Japanese speakers or those whose parents are Japanese speakers. Japanese teachers (not Bangkok Patana staff) will lead the ECA and help your child to improve their Japanese. Please refer to the ECA application site for details. Sign up through the ECA site when Block 3 registration opens on 16th January.
Remember that next week is the final week of Block 2 ECAs for Foundation Stage – Year 6 students. These will finish on Friday 27th January. Secondary Block 2 ECAs will continue until Friday 10th February.
Please remind students that they must take care of their own property and ensure that they take all personal items with them when they leave the bus. Many items are left on the buses daily. Buses will not return left items to individual houses, they will be returned to school only.
Changes to afternoon buses MUST be made before 11.00am daily. More notice is preferred.
Dear Primary Parents, Please read below and plan in advance for your transport arrangements on the departure and return date for your child/ren’s Residential Week. Email Transport any changes in advance. Primary Residential Week 1 and 2 Transport and ECA Information for Students in Years 3 - 6 During Primary Residential Visits (30th Jan – 3rd Feb and 6th – 10th Feb) there are no regular Foundation Stage 2 – Year 6 ECAs unless your Coach/Teacher contacts you to inform you otherwise. A small number of selective and government mandated programmes will continue. Students not on Residential who are in school will travel home on a 2:30pm bus unless they have one of the above ECAs. During this week, the mix of children on each bus or the bus children travel on may change. You will only be contacted via email or SMS if it is necessary to amend your normal pick up time in the morning. Year 3 Residential Transport Monday or Wednesday departure day - Buses will be provided to school as normal. If you wish to bring your child to school using your own transport, please CANCEL the bus in advance to avoid delays to other users. Wednesday or Friday return day – all school transport home is cancelled for students coming back from Residential. If you wish your child to get a 2:30pm school bus home, please contact Transport to book them a seat.
Year 4 Residential Transport Monday of Residential Week – school transport to and from school as usual. No ECAs – 2:30pm bus home. Tuesday of Residential Week – buses will be provided to school as normal. If you wish to bring your child to school using your own transport, please CANCEL the bus in advance to avoid delays to other users. Friday of Residential Week – all school transport home is cancelled for students coming back from a Residential. If you wish your child to get a 2:30pm school bus home, please contact Transport to book them a seat. Year 5 and Year 6 Residential Transport Monday morning—school transport provided as normal. If you will be bringing your child to school please CANCEL the bus in advance to avoid unnecessary delays to other users. Friday afternoon—all school transport home is cancelled for those students coming back from Residential Visits. If your child is getting a school bus home, please contact transport in advance to book a 2:30pm bus home.
Foundation Stage, Year 1 and 2 Transport to and from school as normal. ECAs have finished and all students will be on their default bus home at 1:50pm. Secondary Students ECA programme will continue as normal until 10th February.
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
Salaya in the City: Classical Flute and Guitar Mahidol University College of Music presents flutist Hiroshi Matsushima and guitarist Paul Cesarczyk at Neilson Hays Library on Sunday 12th February 2017
WHEN: 6 pm on Sunday, February 12th 2017 WHERE: Neilson Hays Library, 195 Thanon Surawong, Bangkok TICKET PRICES: 400 baht, 300 baht for library members, 100 baht for students Mahidol University College of Music and Neilson Hays Library present Salaya in the City, a classical duet performance by Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra principal flutist Hiroshi Matsushima and Polish-American guitarist Paul Cesarcsyk. Their program includes pieces spanning continents and centuries: Gran Duetto Concertante, Op. 52 - Mauro Giuliani (1782-1829) Sonatina Mexicana (1986) - Carlo Domeniconi (b. 1947) Egloga - Ferenc Farkas (1905-2000) Trois Pièces - Eugène Bozza (1905-1991) Serenata al Alba del Dia - Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 - Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) Acrobats (2004) - David Leisner (b. 1953) Seating is limited to 60 people. Please reserve seats by calling 02233 1731 or emailing neilson.library@gmail.com. Parking is available at the Voravit Building, about 20 metres before the library entrance.
An inaugural writing competition for young writers aged 10-18 years. Submission deadline: February 28, 2017 The Neilson Hays Young Writers Awards 2017 is now open for submission! The Neilson Hays Library is pleased to announce the launch of "Neilson Hays Young Writers Awards 2017" and invites students ages 10-18 to submit illustrated children’s picture books or short stories in English to our inaugural children's writing competition. The theme for this 2017 contest is “Hope” and children may choose to work on their own or form teams of up to 3 students (except for the last category, E, which admits only individuals and not teams). The categories are as follows: A. Original picture books 12 years and under (12 pages, 300 words), Thai/Bilingual schools students B. Original picture books 12 years and under (12 pages, 300 words), International schools students C. Original picture books 16 years and under (16 pages, 500 words), Thai/Bilingual schools students D. Original picture books 16 years and under (16 pages, 500 words), International schools students E. Original short story 18 years and under (800-1,000 words) – All schools (individual work only) The judging panel features respected members of the literary and publishing community, including: M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, author, publisher, and environmentalist Dr. Onchuma Yuthavong, writer, director, producer and associate professor of drama Asst. Prof. Chaiporn Panichrutiwong, director and animator, Yak: The Giant King Emma Larkin, journalist and author of Finding George Orwell in Burma Janice Santikarn, author of The Little Blue Tuk-Tuk, Koko the Monkey; Lost in Bangkok, and more Pieretta Dawn, author, Thailand's Writer's Hall of Famer Kathy MacLeod, cartoonist and graphic novelist Khun Nitta Chinalai, illustrator and publisher Furthermore, aspiring young writers and illustrators in the final round will be invited to participate in a workshop at Chakrabongse Villa, where the judges and other published writers and illustrators will critique and coach the students on their works. The workshop leaders include many of the judges, plus: Khun Ngarmphan Vejjajiva, S.E.A. Write Award-winning author of The Happiness of Kati Khunying Chamnongsri Hanchanlash, writer and translator Alisa Tang, award-winning journalist at Thomson Reuters Foundation Winners of the competition will get to see their works read out loud by prominent figures in the literary and art world, as well as be presented certificates and a cash prize of 10,000 baht per category.
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