Patana News Volume 19 Issue 22

Patana

NEWS Inspired to Improve Global Sustainability Page 2

Bumrungrad Internship / CATs Corner Goes Fishy / Bangkok Book Awards Bangkok Patana is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

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ave you see the wonderful displays in the Libraries on Antarctica and our Bangkok Patana 2041 commitments? These have been part of the exciting build-up to the amazing expedition which Year 10 student Rebecca Leiler and Assistant Secondary Principal, Helen Thew have just begun. By the time this is published, they will be well on their way to Argentina. They will be just two days away from their ship’s departure across the Drake Passage towards Earth’s “last true wilderness”, as Sir Robert Swan aptly calls Antarctica.

Did you also see the environment-themed display at the front of school? It’s packed with information so you may not have had the chance to read it all. Let me share five of the displayed facts again here:

In terms of negative impacts on the environment, these facts are stark.

As a school we are increasingly aware of the need to act so as to limit our negative impact on the environment. For example, there were three big environmental assemblies in the last two weeks - one each for Key

Stage 1, 2 and 3. Not only did the many student presenters do a terrific job of sharing the problems we face, but they also offered realistic solutions that they have been busy collaborating on. Similarly, there has been a huge amount of excellent environmental learning across the school, from the recent Primary Residentials to Antarctica-inspired class activities.

In reality, all of the students’ impressive efforts may still only be a ‘drop in the ocean’ within this country for some time. It may yet be many years before Thailand commits to banning or taxing disposable plastic bags as a good number of other countries have done in the past decade. Similarly, we may need to wait a long time before the percentage of Thailand’s clean renewable energy sources outweigh the percentage of those that cause climate change.

Sometimes, positive environmental change seems like an uphill struggle when we look at the country-wide and city-wide situation which we live in. Even within our own school, the pace of change is slow - we ourselves are still significant contributors to plastic waste and we are also a big consumer of electricity derived from the burning of fossil fuels.

Despite the wider challenges that we face, we must push forwards.

We must allow all our students to be inspired to improve global sustainability - one of our new value statements. And this is something I feel very positive about. I am convinced that some of our students today will be major forces of positive environmental change in the future, perhaps long after they have left our school.

Hopefully, these same people will trace their passion for the environment back to the commitments which they were already making while they were students. This is one of our biggest responsibilities - to help them to realise their potential as change-agents of the future.

I want to thank all of the students, staff, and parents across the school who are doing what they can to not only raise awareness for taking greater environmental responsibility, but to actually make sure that solutions are realised, no matter how small these steps are at first.

James Penstone, Cross Campus Principal

In keeping with the school's green ethos and driven by the amazing Student Environmental Committee (SEC), there will be no disposable bottles of water available for sale at Fun Day. There will be water stations where you can refill your reusable water bottle, so don’t forget to bring one with you!

Mermaids Dive Centre are running sessions in the 25m pool Inflatable fun in the 50m Songkran Splash on the Field

Tickets 50 baht each and every ticket wins!

A laser tag experience where you compete with others in a simulated arena that makes you feel like you’ve fallen into the world of SCI-FI. Get your adrenaline going with awesome entertainment and excitement featuring fully modernised and the best Laser Games equipment by Lasermaxx. *Participants must be over 1m tall to play

While the kids play, take time to enjoy some cool refreshments beside the stage and listen to some great music.

10.15am - 10.30am

Clown Eckie

10.45am -10.55am

Bharya & group (singing- Year 4)

11.00 am -11.20am

Pom Pom Dancers

11.25am - 11.45am

K.A.L.M Band

11.45am - 11.55am

Joshua Martin (solo singing - Year 12)

12.00- 12.10pm

Contortion ( n'Kara - Year 5 )

12.15pm - 12.30pm

Carey Chomsoonthorn (singing- Year 13)

12.30pm - 13.00pm

Playing for Change Band

13.00pm - 13.30pm

Trooper Band

13.30pm - 14.00pm

Eclipse Band

14.15pm - 14.45pm

Kaiser Band

15.00pm - 16.00pm

The Threads Band

Come and enjoy a home baked cake and a cup of tea in the wonderful air-conditioned Tea Room.

There will also be the live auction in the Tea Room at 2pm from the Interact and Rise CAT Clubs, see page 10.

As part of the PTG and SEC’s drive to make Fun Day greener, there will be no plastic bags available. So if you’re planning on visiting ’Shopping Street’ please bring your own reusable bag.

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he Bangkok Book Awards Event is being promoted via our libraries and during lessons this week. It is a wonderful motivational tool for reading and exploring character, theme and genre generates a wealth of exciting discussion. All our Bangkok Patana students are encouraged to take part in this event and voting opportunities on the Bangkok Book Awards website will be created in lessons and library sessions. We would love parents to read along too and have hard copy and some kindle copies of the title available for borrowing.

This focus on reading is a wonderful lead up to our R.A.P. (Respect All People) and READ Book week celebrations commencing straight after Songkran. We are looking forward to sharing the full programme of exciting activities that will be available for your children about this in March. In the meantime an early heads up is that our Book DRESS Up day theme will include ‘Superheroes, book characters and book animal characters.

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uge congratulations to Pa, Usha, Anjali and Zoe who won first prize at Asia Books Readers' Theatre Final on Friday 27th January. They were judged on their ability to read a book out loud with creativity, imagination and emotional expression.

A further special mention to the other Bangkok Patana teams who made the final. Well done to Barbara, Ava, Sadi and Mahi and congratulations to the two teams who were awarded with Honorable Mentions: Thiti, William, Louis and Lenny's team and Erin, Scarlet Ruby and Niamh's team.

There were a few nervous moments before they had to perform but they all confidently took to the stage and captivated the audience.

They won a number of prizes including books and games, which they decided to give to the Library so that all of Key Stage 2 can enjoy them!

University / College

Representa-

Location

Date

Time

The London School of Economics and

Yohei Guy

Senior Studies, Second Floor

08.03.17

09:15

LSE Public Information Session

-

Pathumwan Princess Hotel

08.03.17

19:00

EDHEC Business School Senior Studies, Second Floor Les Roches and Glion International School Simon Phillips Senior Studies, Second Floor of Hotel Management Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Senior Studies, Second Floor

13.03.17

12:15

14.03.17

12:15

14.03.17

12:15

The University of Manchester

Fran Haliwell Senior Studies, Second Floor

14.03.17

12:15

UK Universities Application Day

-

Pathumwan Princess Hotel

15.03.17

12:00

Newcastle University

Dr Morris

SEC302

16.03.17

12:15

University of Birmingham

Jugjit Cheema Senior Studies, Second Floor

16.03.17

12:15

Fordham University

-

17.03.17

12:15

Senior Studies, Second Floor

#53 Eat, Sleep, Revise, Repeat

On Tuesday morning (7th March) I’ll be going through some of the new features in our Parents’ Gateway and the iParent app. In the workshop for Parents we will demonstrate how to use the app and explore other areas of Firefly. There will be an opportunity for questions at the end of the session. I hope you can make it.

It’s getting to that time of year where Year 11 and Year 13 students are starting to prepare for an important event in their lives. As parents we often want to know the best way to support our children in the examination season.

Getting the basics right is paramount. Have a read of this article on the importance of nutrition and sleep; they are often overlooked by students as stress levels rise. Reducing distractions on digital devices is also an important component in getting the atmosphere conducive to learning. There are some great tips on this post.

Have a great Fun Day! Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

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n Saturday, the Varsity Girls' Touch team competed in the International Bangkok 10's Women's Touch Tournament for the second time.

Despite the tiring heat, we made it through our four matches undefeated. Our day ended with an intense final, which resulted in a four versus four drop-off. By working together as a team, we managed to win the cup and become champions two years in a row!

We would like to give a special thanks to Ms Flynn for playing with us and to all the students, teachers and parents who came to support us.

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uring the half term break, we were given the opportunity to attend a medical internship at Bumrungrad Hospital, here in Bangkok. During this internship we were able to explore various departments and also acquire an insight on the steps needed to achieve our goals of becoming a doctor. Here are a few snippets from our journey…

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uring our connected learning unit in Year 9, we learned that many subjects interlinked and this was very much evident in one of the ICU rooms (Intensive Care Unit). As we observed the architecture of the room, we noticed how everything was optimised for the patient.

It was fascinating to see how three distinct subjects (bioengineering, architecture and medicine) were combined to help those in need. We noted the use of a positive pressure room that is used when the patient’s immune system has been compromised and conversely the use of a negative pressure room that is used to reduce the spread of airborne virus. An additional feature that displayed a hospital's attention to detail is that the pressure systems will automatically turn on once a patient is admitted to the ICU. Because these pressure systems are sometimes essential to a patient’s survival, turning them on automatically is more failsafe than manual.

Next year, we’ll be going into our first year of IB. One of the characteristics of the IB learner profile is “communicator.” It suddenly dawned on us, why our teachers put so much emphasis on this characteristic. We

learned that to work in the ICU at Bumrungrad, doctors had to undergo cultural training to specialise in communicating with international patients. Sometimes they would even have to leave Thailand to experience the cultural differences first hand. Cultural training involves learning etiquette, mannerisms and sometimes the language of country “x.” Other than cultural training, examples of efficient communications could be seen all around the room, whether it was the use of light coats around ICU rooms to display each patient’s specific needs or the meticulous floor planning that had the nurse’s desk in the center and ICU rooms lined all around the edges for constant monitoring.

Sophie and Angelika were the chosen representatives to watch the birth of a baby. This was a brief recount on Sophie’s experience - “My experience in the delivery room was mind-blowing. Witnessing a new life being brought into the world is not something you see everyday. It was my first time seeing a woman give birth. This woman was Thai and this was her second child. The birth was natural and happened surprisingly fast. When Angelika and I had

entered the room, the contractions had already started and you could already see the newborn’s head. The doctor had to cut open the patient a little to facilitate the procedure. This is called an episiotomy. After the child had been taken out, the umbilical cord was cut and the baby was cleaned. Two of several nurses checked on the baby to make sure she was healthy. After that, the doctor removed the placenta by exerting pressure on her stomach and proceeded to stitch her up. The mother gave birth to a healthy baby girl and the birth was a quick and simple case. I enjoyed it very much.”

Finally, the work experience came to an end. Day Three was our last day. We all were so nervous as we had our presentation to do but it went great. We also talked to one of the workers from the health screening centre tour and it was so great to meet her. She was lively and didn’t made us feel nervous and she really emphasised on how personality plays a huge part in whichever career path we choose.

As a team what we learned from the work experience was that interest, personality and lifestyle are key factors to choosing a career path. Also medicine is a field where you have to keep learning throughout your life along with patience, dedication and hard work. We learned that for most medical fields it takes 15 years to complete a medicine course and specialise in it and in some continuous travelling is required to learn about new technologies to provide the best services.

This work experience has been motivating for all of us and we all still want to pursue a career in the medical field and we would definitely recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the medical field.

Here the interns talk about their personal experience: “It was an amazing experience that’ll stay for life. I was so impressed by everything in the hospital; it was very organised and professional yet welcoming.

This experience has helped me have an overview on work life in hospitals. : “This was more than just an internship. This work experience taught me that there is more to becoming a doctor than just being smart. Passion, empathy and a constant thirst for knowledge is what drives any doctor to their full potential.” : “It was a motivating and educational experience for me and It gave me a better understanding of which medical field I want to pursue as my career in the future. I got an insight on the real medical world and opinions from different doctors about the characteristics needed to be a successful doctor. I will never be able to

forget this experience”. : “It was an enjoyable experience, it gave me an insight on doctors’ lives and a clearer idea on which medical field I want to pursue as my career.”

Genie: “It was a great experience for me and I learned a lot and this experience gave me the chance to talk to doctor’s and nurses from which I gained valuable information.” : “I really enjoyed my time during the Work Experience and I still want to be a doctor even after knowing that most doctor fields take around 15 years.”

: “A really valuable opportunity, the Bumrungrad work experience taught me much about the medical world and the varying fields within it. It revealed to me the different lifestyles that doctors lead and just how diverse a medical career can be. I now have a much stronger sense of the path I would like to take in Medicine and am certain it is the path for me.” : “It was a really valuable experience and I was given the opportunity to try a lot of things and I enjoyed it a lot.”

“Opportunities like these, allow us to explore our future career paths and give us a basic overview on working life. The Bumrungrad internship allowed me to not only narrow down a career but also showed me it takes motivation and perseverance to work towards what you want to do with life, especially in the medical field.” : “The Bumrungrad internship was a very wonderful and incredible experience. During the three days, we were privileged to have the chance to talk and observe the doctors at Bumrungrad.”

This wonderful programme benefited students and was made possible due to the generosity of the companies that support us every year. If you work for an organisation that would be willing to help with the Work Experience, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Ms Sentilhes, Work Experience Coordinator at vivo@patana.ac.th

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he second major House Event of the year took place on Thursday 23rd February, namely the House Quiz. Students competed for their House in one of four quizzes.

The Conference Centre saw students gathered in teams of 14 students from across the Year groups to tackle (unlucky for some!) 13 General Knowledge rounds. They faced rounds ranging from ‘country calling codes’ to ‘internet scramble words’. Whilst in another part of the multipurpose Conference Centre, Current and World Affairs questions were on the menu. Meanwhile in the Theatre our Science and Technology students gathered to battle it out leaving our Art and Culture students picking their brains in the Primary Hall. This year we made use of mini whiteboards so that all Houses had a go at answering all of the questions.

All students performed very well and the number of correct answers given was impressive. A special well done goes to Samui House Team 5, Phuket House Team 4 and Samui House Team 1 for being the top three tables (out of 20 tables) in the General Knowledge quiz. A sample of some of the questions that they were asked by the Year 12 and 13 student MCs are given below; I invite you to have a go and see how well you would have done!

1

Which country has the most islands in the world?

a b c d

Australia Finland Indonesia Canada

2

All tigers except, for white tigers, have what colour eyes?

a b c d

Blue White Pink Yellow

3

Which rugby team beat the New Zealand “All Black” in November 2016 to end their record unbeaten run?

a b c d

Ireland England South Africa Australia

4

Which European language gave us the words ‘cookie’, ‘nitwit’ and ‘sleigh’?

a b c d

Norwegian Dutch Czech German

5

Who was the first explorer to reach the South Pole in Antarctica?

a b c d

Ernest Shackleton Richard Bird Robert Falcon Scott Roald Amundsen

6

In which ocean can you find the Galapagos Islands?

a b c d

The Indian Ocean The Pacific Ocean The Atlantic Ocean The Mediterranean

7

What type of wood is a cricket bat traditionally made from?

a b c d

Willow Oak Maple Beech

8

What is the name used for a young penguin?

a b c d

Cub Trout Babe Chick

Once all the questions were asked and answered and the points all added together, it was a splendid win for Samui House.

Position 1st 2nd

House Samui Chang

House Points 200 150

3rd

Lanta

100

Phuket

50

4

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I would just like to say thank you to all the Faculties that submitted questions and to all the House Leaders who sorted out the team lists.

Our next major House Event takes place on the 23rd March, the Key Stage 3 House Swimming Gala. Keep watching this space to see how your House does.

In case you needed the answers: Q1B, Q2D, Q3A, Q4B, Q5D, Q6B, Q7A, and Q8D

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riday 3rd February, Fin Free Friday was a day where we, the Patana Marine Conservation Group (PMCG), set up a stall to raise awareness about shark finning. The purpose of the day was to highlight an underlying problem that still exists, mainly throughout Asia - but it is by no means the only threat to marine life and our environment!

The campaign had two components, both of which aimed to raise support for the banning of shark finning. The first was an interactive art piece named ‘Limb Soup,’ where students could place themselves in the ‘soup’, symbolising human ‘limbs’. This illustrates how cutting off shark fins for soup is conceptually equivalent to cutting off human limbs for soup - a terrifying notion! Next, students had the opportunity to sign a pledge for Fin Free Thailand, in which they agreed to:

Click here if you would like to support the Fin Free campaign

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n Saturday 25th March, 13 students and three teachers were all up bright and early, on route to Samaesan Pier, ready to spend the day diving and monitoring our artificial reefs. Patana Marine Conservation group has been helping coral grow in the area since 2012. This trip was to check up on the most recent addition to the reef, Opal the Octopus which was constructed and placed down in the December trip.

On top of that, we observed our other reef projects, Timmy the turtle and our cages and tables. All of the structures showed really good growth, with many more fish and other organisms living in the area. The most amazing improvement was perhaps the big fans growing on the tables. We all made sure to dive carefully to avoid any collisions with these fans. Overall, the trip with Patana Marine and the Mermaids Dive Team was as per usual, a very enjoyable experience and successful trip.

Mr Coke Smith, ESS Coordinator and Science Teacher, reflects on his first time participating in the dive trip: “When I was contacted by Ms Brown to take part in this dive trip I was of course very enthusiastic. But after seeing our students in action so carefully assembling our new "Opal the Octopus” structure, I was extremely impressed. But even more than that, I felt honoured to be part of such an awesome student team filled with conservation-minded young people who are willing to go the extra mile to truly make a difference. As an environmentalist myself, I was very pleased to hear the conversations the students were having during our weekend. These were mainly about how successful previous structures had been in helping restore the overall biodiversity of this section of reef. And seeing the evidence myself with the dozens of species using the older structures was very satisfying in deed. Bangkok Patana should be very proud of what are students are doing to make our oceans a healthier system.”

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f you would like to be involved in raising awareness about the importance of marine life and our environment, you can apply for a board position in the PMCG. The positions available are the following: Vice President, Marketing and Promotion, Firefly and Social Media manager, KS3 Liaison, Secretary, Research, Photos and Film.

If you are interested in any of these positions, please send an email to sama17@patana.ac.th AND yvbr@patana.ac.th, stating the position you would like to be considered for and outlining why you would be a good fit for this position.

7th March

7th March

4th April

26th May

2nd May

30th May

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Please remember to check your child’s ECA schedule is correct. Transport is arranged according to the this schedule. Any changes please notify Transport.

Many personal items are being left on the buses. Please remind your child to check the bus before they leave to ensure they have everything with them.

Does your child know the name of their Bus Monitor and Driver? If not, please encourage them to ask so they can greet them each morning and afternoon.

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

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 March 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