Patana News Volume 19 Issue 20

Patana

NEWS

Year 8 Connections Project ServICE Conference

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Page 2

Does Listening to Music Distract from Learning?

Bangkok Patana is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

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angkok Patana's Vision is to "develop global citizens who shape their world through independence, empathy, creativity and critical thinking". One approach towards achieving this aspiration in Years 7 and 8 is to have students engage in a "Connections" project as part of our Learning to Learn programme. For the duration of each project, all students in a Year group are taken off their regular learning timetable to take part in this large-scale collaborative learning experience. The Connections project challenges each Year group to collaboratively address a series of problems in a "real-world" context. To be successful, students need to apply their skills and understandings across a range of disciplines, and to continue to develop their ability to work collaboratively and resolve conflicts. In January, the whole of Year 8 took part in their Connections project, sharing their learning experience with parents on Wednesday 1st February, the Year 7 Connections project will take place in March. As has been the case in previous years, the Year 8 Connections project was extremely successful; both students and parents viewed it as a rich and positive learning opportunity.

Here, in the style of Catcher in the Rye, Senior Teacher from Key Stage 3, Antonius Berghuis tells us more about this exciting project.

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f you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is what this Connections Project back in January was about, what it was like, and how all us kids were occupied the whole time, and all that kind of stuff, and you know what? I actually don’t mind that much telling you all about it, if you want to know the truth.

In the first place, the Year 8 Connections project was where the teachers organised this terrific roleplaying simulation project that ran over near five full school days. On Tuesday 10th January, all us Year 8s got told we came from this made-up country that the teacher didn’t even tell us the name of. Then he told us our country got all sort of messed up and had some kind of civil war, and that all us kids hopped in these boats that just happened to be available and put out to sea as a bunch of refugees like you hear about in the news sometimes.

Anyway, so we were supposedly just drifting around in the ocean and then this storm came blew us all over the place. Then the teacher tells us the killer part – all us Year 8 refugees got split into four groups of about 40 kids each, and each group had been blown onto a separate island and we had to start a new civilisation. The teacher did a good job of selling this to us. He really did.

Each island was different. One island was geographically Scandinavian, another was like the UK, the third was like Greece, and the last was like Thai-

land. A Geography teacher told us about the islands.

I forgot to tell you that.

So us kids all scrambled and tried to get organised.

It was pretty crazy when I think back on it because we really didn’t know what we were doing, and the teachers were just watching us getting more and more frustrated. One thing more: all four groups

were totally mixed up. I didn’t even know some of the kids in my group. Teachers always think mixing kids up is good for us, they really do.

Eventually, we figured out what we were doing and we got ourselves into different roles which all had tasks to do that would help create our new island nation. There were roles like Media, Island Architects, Trade and Foreign Relations, and so on. You probably get the point. Some kids even got to be in the Government, if you can believe that. We finished

with a big, crazy auction where each island got to bid on assets which would help make our island countries successful. I forgot to mention that, too. Our goal was to make our island nations as successful as possible. All the Year 8s loved that auction. Everyone was in the Theatre hollering as the auction went on

depending on what was won. It was a great day. It really was.

After that first day, we started up again on Friday 27th and we were sort of inspired right from the start.

By Tuesday 31st January, all our work was done. It was incredible. I still can’t believe how much amazing stuff we created – videos, posters, research, national anthems… It was good quality work, too, if you really want to know. The teachers said they

were amazed and proud of us. And they weren’t being phoney at all - I think they meant it. I really do.

Having to work with other kids usually drives me mad. It really does. This Connections project was all about that, too – working with other kids. For three straight days. We all had our moments, but we pretty much all of us got through the tough, frustrating bits and got stuff done.

On Wednesday 1st February, our parents came to school to listen to a bit of a speech by one of the teachers before he let the parents loose and they all came to our displays and we got to tell them what we’d done and how awesome we actually were. The parents all came around and listened to us explaining this and that. They did their bit by being interested and asking us lots of questions, which made us say more, but we didn’t mind at all.

The whole Year 8 Connections project was a lot of fun, to tell the truth, and us kids got a kick out of the whole thing. It was worth all the time and blood, sweat and tears we put into it, and we were glad we got to share it with the parents. We really did surprise ourselves. It was a blast, if you really want to know. I get very happy when I think about it. Even now.

To find out more, read student feedback and more visit our Firefly pages here.

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he ServICE Conference is a platform for students to connect about issues important to them, whereby the acronym ICE in ServICE stands for Inspire, connect and empower. Students from around Thailand came together to take part in a three-day conference filled with direct action, workshops and keynote presentations, focused on student involvement and leadership. This year the conference was centered around the New Sustainable Development Goals so students could pursue their existing pasinterests or perhaps even find a new one!

In order to prepare for the conference in terms of marketing, we made goodie bags filled with customised t-shirts, pencils and a notepad packed into a brown eco friendly bag with the ServICE logo on it. We also created a photo booth with the sustainable development goals as props. It was truly amazing to see so many enthusiastic students participating, while sharing their interests and passions with others. Other aspects of preparation included communicating with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), key-note speakers and international schools all over Thailand.

Each day started with a student led ice breaker hosted by a different school. The days were filled with insightful ‘How To...’ workshops and inspiring keynotes from students as well

as NGOs. There was also a fair at which both NGOs and student led clubs set up stalls to tell others at the conference about their cause. This was a great opportunity for students and teachers from different schools to learn about the work being done at other schools and by NGOs around Thailand. However, the first day was slightly different as this is when students grouped into their ‘Burst Your Bubble’ (BYB) service activities.

The name alludes to how students from different schools were all mixed together for the trips to allow them to meet new people. The BYB team planned a successful 10 service trips, ranging from environmental action to teaching English to painting murals. Taking a whole day to get involved with direct action played an important role in the conference, as it meant that students could have a tangible impact on the community around them.

The core team, consisting of Flo, Oorja, Mishty, Sara, Navya, Scarlett, Suyash and Reesha, led the organisation of this conference, assisted by Ms Ferguson and Ms Leyland. Together, they are very proud of the successful conference and are now planning a similar one for Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students.

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he ongoing Year 9 Film unit of leaning gave rise to a great opportunity for cross-curricular collaboration this week between the English and the Science Faculties. Lara, 9F, describes the concept behind their group’s idea: “In our film study group we came up with this idea where a girl would faint during a science experiment and wake up in a dream. The girl would then go on a confusing journey to explore the themes of stealing and honesty.” The experiment that the students wanted to perform is called ‘Elephant Toothpaste’, involving a mixture of substances to produce a spouting volcano of foam.

The students were excited to film the experiment with the help of the Science faculty during their English lesson, as Pomme, 9F, explained: “It was really great when we had a cross-curricular English lesson since the English Faculty was able to join up with the Science Faculty to catch some great footage for our film. We were given all the equipment and help we needed from a nice Science teacher called Mr Ellerby. It was really important to us that we got to film in the science lab because otherwise our film would not have been as unique and exciting. We were very grateful for this opportunity of filming the experiment.”

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would like to start with a massive thank you to the Junior Student Representative Council (JSRC) for their donation of 23,495 THB from the sale of tickets for the recent Key Stage 3 dance. Watch this space for progress updates on some exciting new community action initiatives!

On Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th, Hand to Heart (H2H) organised campaign days to raise awareness for HIV and our CAT club, one that raises awareness for HIV and supports financially struggling families. Through AIDS-awareness themed games such as ‘Fact Pong’, an obstacle race, and ‘Hands Off’, we informed the school communities about how HIV can be contracted, transmitted, and prevented.

In ‘Fact Pong’, the player answered AIDS-related questions, thus gaining new knowledge about HIV. In the obstacle race, players would attempt to transfer water (representing body fluids) from one bucket to another without spilling it. From this, they learnt that it is imperative to be careful when dealing with bodily fluids, as it is how the HIV virus is transmitted. During the ‘Hands Off’ game, students were given an opportunity to receive a free donut if they could eat it without their hands! Hopefully, their hand was to their heart by the end of the game... Let’s strive towards a happier, healthier, HIV-free future!

Sakooltipaya (Koko) Lotharukpong

University / College

Representative

Location

St George's University

Peter Fiaschi

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

Date

Time

22.02.17

12:15

51: Does Listening to Music Distract from Learning?

One fact to note is that these research studies of media distraction are performed as controlled, laboratory experiments, comparing cognitive productivity in a quiet space with no distractions with the same productivity while exposed to music, TV, or other media. The reality of our homes is such that they are not distraction-free research laboratories – there are many environmental distractions, from talking between other family members to street noises, all of which, because of their unpredictability can distract from what one is working on‌..

Read more here

Every year in January there is a technology conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Consumer Technology Association host the conference and they showcase the technology that we may see in the forthcoming year.

There are many reports from the conference, but one that really caught my eye was some of the Tech Toys we may see this year, in particular this one that makes story books come to life using virtual reality. Take are look and see for yourself.

Have a wonderful half term break, Brian Taylor, Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

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n Friday 3rd February, ISB held a tournament for Under 13 development teams.

Bangkok Patana entered two teams into the five team tournament, Patana Black and Patana Orange.

Patana Orange started with a 3-0 loss against ISB Gold. The game could have gone either way and until the first goal went in was close, but after ISB Gold went 1-0 up Orange's heads dropped and they ended up losing by score that failed to show the closeness of the match.

Patana Black started with a 3-0 win against ISB Black and played some nice football to start the tournament with three points. The next game they drew against Shrewsbury 2-2 in a very open game where both teams could have scored a winner.

Patana Orange's second game was against ISB Black and they ended with a convincing 5-2 win, with Kai Martin scoring all five goals. In the next game they went down 2-1 to Shrewsbury in a very tight match and would have claimed a point if not for an inspired performance from the opposition goalkeeper.

Patana Black's third game of the tournament was against Patana Orange, who were playing their fourth and final match. The game was intense as both teams did not want to lose. The football on display was great to watch and both teams passed

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n Tuesday 7th February, Bangkok Patana held an Under 15s Invitational Development Tournament and welcomed Charter, St Andrews 71, TCIS and EIS to the competition.

The tournament was run as a league format with the winners being decided on overall points. Bangkok Patana started well with a convincing win against EIS, before two defeats against TCIS and St Andrews 71, saw them drop out of the running for 1st place. There last game was a very hard fought 22 draw against Charter.

Ten closely contested matches ended with TCIS finishing in first place with three wins and a draw.

the ball around the pitch well. In the second half Patana Orange took control of the game and ended winning 4-2 to finish the tournament on six points, winning two games and losing two.

Patana Black's final game was against ISB gold and both teams looked tired after a long afternoon of football. Black’s ended up losing 6-2 against the eventual champions of the tournament, ISB Gold.

After a very well organised afternoon at ISB, Patana Orange finished second overall with Patana Black ending up in fourth position with four points. Both teams played some good football and had an enjoyable afternoon, both on and off the pitch. Thanks to ISB for hosting a great tournament.

Thanks to all teams for participating in what was a great day of football.

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he Under 13 Girls’ Football team won their first BISAC match with a score of 4-0 against ICS. The Tigers’ demonstrated a high degree of focus in the pre-game drills, game preparations and tactics were discussed. When ICS arrived, our minds were set on being on the winning side. A quick team huddle was called before we played, it was an exchange of kind and encouraging words.

Soon after kick-off, the aggressive attacks and good runs resulted in numerous attempts that sadly never reached the back of the net. Solid defense prevented the opponents’ attacks; in fact, ICS had no goal attempts against us. Thanks to the solid defense, ICS had no chances of getting any goals.

Displays of good passes and quick runs continued and after multiple chances, Anika was able to score the first goal. It was a beautifully placed pass into the net. At the end of the first half, the score was 10, Bangkok Patana Tigers’ were happy to be on the winning side by the end of the first half.

The second half started with the usual defensive press and several goal attempts from the Tigers.

Soon more goals came rolling in; two goals were

scored by Janelle, who was moved up to right wing and a carefully placed pass to the corner by Siya.

Noticeable shot attempts were made by Anna, Beth, Lihi and Praewa. Unluckily, none of them managed to find its way, however most shots were very close.

The game plan, excellent execution and team work, exemplified by good communication, resulted in our first BISAC win. Here’s to getting more wins and the gold at the BISAC tournament.

Go Tigers!

Congratulations to our FOBISIA Swimming teamcaptained and tothe our Varsity Tennis Under 13 Football team players! and led her team unbeaten throughout the whole season, and won at BISAC. She displayed strength, balance, skill and great leadership qualities. Off the field, she was polite, dedicated and dependable. She was a great role model to the team.

Why do you think you have been chosen as the Athlete of the Week?

I think I have been chosen as Athlete of the Week for guiding the Under 13 Football team to victory at BISAC last Saturday, we were unbeaten and crowned Champions.

What has been your sporting highlight at Bangkok Patana this year?

Being a member of the Varsity Football team, because I picked up a lot of skills. I also enjoyed the whole season of Under 13 Football as there had been a lot of memories and banter.

If you could transform into anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

I would want to be the Flash because he can get everything quickly done.

What is your favourite after sport snack?

I usually like to drink orange juice after sports and games. I also like to eat anything Nutella :) Who is your favourite celebrity?

Dylan O’Brien.

Threes for trees Calling all basketballers! Watch out for further details in the Daily Notices about 3v3 Basketball coming up after half term.

A REMINDER THAT SEASON 3 TRYOUTS START THE WEEK AFTER HALF TERM!

has won three gold medals in the three Under 13 BISAC team events that she has participated in this year; Cross Country, Tennis and Badminton.

Why do you think you have been chosen as the Athlete of the Week?

I think I've been chosen as Athlete of the Week as I showed enthusiasm to all my team members throughout training and BISAC. What has been your sporting highlight at BPS this year?

Being part of the Varsity Tennis team and to win three gold medals in this year's BISAC tournaments.

If you could transform into anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

If I could become someone that can fly, I would, because I feel like it takes less time to travel from one place to the other.

What is your favourite after sport snack?

Smoothies as it makes me feel fresher and healthier than I currently am.

Who is your favourite celebrity?

It would have to be Cameron Dallas.

The time has finally come for our Varsity teams to head off to compete at SEASAC!

Under 9 Boys’ and Girls’ Football - 2nd Under 11 Girls’ Football - 1st Under 11 Boys’ Football - 2nd Under 11 Boys’ and Girls’ Football B - 1st Under 13 Girls’ Football - 1st Under 13 Boys’ Football - 2nd Under 15 Girls’ Football - 3rd Under 15 Boys’ Football - 4th Under 13 Girls’ Badminton 1st

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Under 15 Girls’ Badminton 4th

@ bps_athletics_council

Under 15 Boys’ Badminton 5th JV Boys’ Basketball - 2nd JV Girls’ Rugby - 2nd

BPSSPORTS

BPSSports Tiger Sports Patana Tennis

JV Boys’ Rugby - 1st

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angkok Patana School takes the safety of our school community very seriously. We have a management team that meet and discuss many different crisis scenarios and we have processes and procedures in place for these. We have strong links with the local police and the various embassies who alert us to any security concerns and also visit our school to review our existing procedures and provide advice on security measures.

One of the areas that we practise regularly throughout the year is the Fire Evacuation and Lockdown procedures. In Term 1 and 2, we have ‘announced’ and ‘unannounced’ drills. This enables our community to practise reacting appropriately in the event of an alarm sounding on the school campus.

Please read below so you are aware of our procedures should you be on campus when an alarm sounds.

What to do if you are on the school campus when an alarm sounds? 

Lockdown Alarm If you are on campus and hear the ‘lockdown’ alarm (similar to a siren), please follow instructions from nearby staff. If you are not in a building, please enter the nearest building and follow instructions from staff. In a lockdown, you should be out of sight until you hear three clear whistles from the security team or are instructed that it is all clear from a security guard or member of staff. You will not be allowed to enter or exit the campus during a lockdown.  Fire Alarm If you are on the school campus and hear a fire alarm please act immediately and follow the Evacuation Route sign to the nearest assembly point (see example).

Please make sure that you report to the Zone Fire Point Person who will be wearing an emergency jacket and have radio communication.

They will be located in the middle of the zone area and will take your name and tell you where you need to stand. There are six zones – green, yellow, blue, white, red, and purple. Look for these signs when you are next in school to familiarise yourself with the evacuation routes.

If you are outside the school grounds during a Fire Evacuation please note that you will not be allowed entry into school until the all clear has been given. Please follow instructions from our Security team.

What does the flashing red light mean?

If you see a flashing red light on the wall or ceiling it means that an alarm has been activated somewhere in school.

When the light is just flashing you do not need to do anything or leave the building but be on alert to listen for an audible alarm which will let you know what to do next. The activated alarm will be checked by the guards and if necessary the fire alarm or lock down alarm will then sound for you to respond to as normal. So you only need to respond if you hear the actual siren or if a guard or senior member of staff gives you instructions to follow. If it is a false alarm the flashing red light will stop shortly without any alarms sounding.

When will the alarms sound?

Luckily anytime you may have heard the alarm it has been a drill only. We hold announced and unannounced Fire and Lockdown Drills throughout the year and these procedures are for the safety and protection of all students, staff and visitors. If you are on the school campus during the alarm sounding please help to set a good example to all students by responding quickly, remaining quiet during this time and following instructions from Senior Staff.

Many thanks for your cooperation.

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Please be advised that regular ECAs commence on Monday 27th February.

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Only selective ECAs will continue on Monday 20th February.

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Transport have 2:30pm and limited 4:30pm buses running only.

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Season 3 Sports Tryouts will take place in Secondary. Please ensure that you have adjusted bus times accordingly and please note that if you did not sign up online there is no guarantee a 4:30pm bus will be available for you. It is subject to route and seat availability.

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If you will move house or require adjustments to your transport schedule after half term please advise Transport as soon as possible.

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

Our Lost Property gallery is now live in the Community pages on Firefly, so why not take a look and see if your lost property is there.

Click here for LOST PROPERTY

The course is designed for non -Thai speakers who have acquired some vocabulary and basic Thai conversational skills. Students acquire a range of vocabulary and a variety of conversational and grammatical patterns. Students will learn about greeting others and introduction themselves, food and drinks, going shopping, places and directions, time and date, daily life and Thai Culture Date: Days offered: Time: Taught by: Cost: Venue: Places:

27/02/17 – 07/04/17 (Block 3) Tuesday (Beginner) 8:00-10:00 am Kru Nittaya 3,300 Baht (6 sessions) FHC 208 4–6

Interested parents please E-mail to Khun Tip in the Thai Department at jaar@patana.ac.th http://www.patana.ac.th/Gateway/Forms/ ThaiCourse/LV1-2Tue.asp * Registration is open between 24/02/17 – 01/03/17 If you have any problems with registration please contact Khun Tip (Thai Department) at jaar@patana.ac.th

Thursday, Friday and Saturday March 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and April 1st 2017 at 7:30PM We are excited to be presenting Shakespeare's most popular comedy.

Shakespeare's plays were always intended to be experienced on stage and we hope that this production will give our audience new perceptions on the play and its meaning.

In this production A Midsummer's Night's Dream will be presented in a stripped-down, close up version. We are excited by this opportunity to make Shakespeare more accessible to our audiences.

Performances will be staged in the 3rd floor conference room of BNH Hospital on Convent Road. Performances will take place each night at 7:30pm and will finish by 9:30pm.

Tickets are 500bht per person and go on sale on Monday February 13th at www.bangkokcommunitytheatre.com You can order and pay for your tickets on our website.

Seating capacity is 60 seats and seating is open at each performance.

Michael J. Allman Director

Don Harrelson Producer

ANAPANA MEDITATION COURSE FOR CHILDREN 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 Sunday 19th February for students aged between 8-14 years.

The course is completely free!

To enroll or for further information, please contact Eva Sophonpanich at evasophon@hotmail.com This site www.children.dhamma.org/en/children/about-meditation.shtml will give further information about the course.

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