Patana News Volume 19 issue 7 by Bangkok Patana School

Patana

NEWS The Mastery of Mathematics

The Latest Match Reports

Page 2

Year 2 Piano Prodigy

FCD Returns

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

Mr Jason Cooper, Assistant Primary Principal

ave you ever suffered from Maths Anxiety? It’s that feeling you get when you look at a mathematical problem and it looks like something that has been written in a language that you have never seen before. Maths Anxiety often comes from a shaky foundation, a foundation that is not solid due to students moving onto higher level mathematical concepts before they are secure in the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to access these higher order concepts. This week in the Primary School we have had a Mathematics Consultant from the UK, Liz Gibbs, looking at how we teach Mathematics and sharing her expertise on how we can ensure that we are laying secure foundations with regard to our students’ mathematical learning. We have been exploring two main approaches with Liz: 1. A concrete, pictorial, abstract approach (CPA) 2. Teaching for Mastery (Sal Khan TED Talk) The CPA approach works on the premise that there are three steps (or representations) that are necessary for students to develop a secure understanding of a concept. CPA is not linear: Rather, students become secure in concepts by going back and forth between these representations.

Concrete

Pictorial Abstract

Teaching for Mastery ensures that students are secure in foundational concepts before applying those skills and knowledge to higher level concepts. Simply working with larger numbers is not an accurate indicator of proficiency in Mathematics. Students need to know, understand and be able to explain the relationships and patterns of numbers within ten before moving onto larger numbers. Using the CPA approach and Teaching for Mastery we are making sure our students do not become ‘fragile mathematicians’ by developing strong and secure foundations on which to build their higher order skills and knowledge in Mathematics. Mr Jason Cooper, Assistant Primary Principal

Image Reference: https://www.best7.in/Education/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Chalk-Board-Maths-Lesson-1600x900.jpg

Lakshya Goyal, 13K

volunteer at a daycare centre in Bangkok, Thailand. In doing so, I meet children between the ages of two and four. We plan and provide activities for them ranging from storytelling to dancing. But the activity that puts the biggest smiles on their faces is when we teach them music. One of us brings a guitar or a keyboard and performs for the children; which is often followed by bringing them up one-by-one to try and play a few notes. I love to see their eyes widen with amazement and excitement as they press the keys! One boy, named New, asked me to teach him how to play the guitar. He had seen his grandmother smile watching a man on the television play one, and New wanted to see his grandmother smile the same way all the time. He mentioned that his school does not offer any music classes nor do they have any musical instruments of any kind. This is the reason I joined Playing for Change; the idea that it allows children from all backgrounds to strive to be more than simply what society had intended for them. To not be tethered by the ropes of discrimination or blocked by a wall of wealth but to have the same right of any childâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to hope and to dream. Playing for Change at Bangkok Patana School supports the Khlong Toey Music Program (KTMP). Our main aim is to raise awareness and money to support the dreams of KTMPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students, whether it is Playing For Change Day in the Lounge using the money to provide new instruments or going to the school to actually teach the students music. Our next visit is in December. The non-profit Khlong Toey Music Program (KTMP) makes it possible for underprivileged children in Bangkok to learn a life-changing art, make positive connections with others, dream big and have lots of fun in the process. Through music, kids can open doors to new opportunities while inwardly building calmness, presence, joy and a drive to express themselves. We recently celebrated Playing for Change day in the school Lounge where aspiring musicians had the opportunity to step up in front of a crowd and perform. We were also able to raise funds through a bake sale that will go towards repairing instruments for the children. We are accepting any musical instruments, regardless of the condition, in the donation boxes at the front of school. Any instruments that you are willing to donate can change the life of a child. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions at Khlong Toey Music Program celebrating as well! lago17@patana.ac.th.

Harrow Invitational Golf Tournament On Sunday the 26th September, the Bangkok Patana Golf team participated in the Harrow Invitational at Bangkok Golf Club. Being the first tournament of the season for the team, this was a good opportunity to utilise the new skills developed during the summer holidays. Leading up to the tournament, there had been severe rains and consequently the course was extremely wet, making it more difficult for the players. Despite the unfavourable conditions and strong field, the members of the Bangkok Patana team did well. Tina placed third in the Under 13 division, while Cue won a ‘Closest to the Pin’ prize. Other notable scores included the boys’ team captain, Conor, who shot a 7-over par, (79), in addition to DC, who shot an 8-over par, (80). Thank you to both Mr Kelly and Mr Mooring who accompanied us to this tournament.

Under 13 Girls’ Basketball vs NIST Our second match of the season was against NIST. The game was tied for the majority of the time until the third quarter when we took the lead for a few minutes. Our team unfortunately committed quite a few fouls and we gave away points from the free throws. However, we had teamwork and sportsmanship to fall back on, allowing us to keep our heads up and fight until the end. Our perseverance and optimism paid off and at the final whistle we were a point up, 16-15. This was another win for the team and our coach was proud of us. There is always room for improvement but for only our second game as a team we were pleased with the result. For our future games we will work on looking up when we are dribbling and also improve our knowledge of the rules of the game.

Under 15 Girls’ Touch vs Harrow Our focus going into this match was consistency. If the captain or coach decided on a tactic, we would stick to it throughout the entire game. On Monday we decided to stick to settles because it was very efficient during training; we just needed to apply it in a game situation. As Harrow weren’t arriving until 4:30, the first half of the session was concentrated on skills. We worked a lot on settles, did many drills practising staying as a line, and focused on passing skills; last week's game we had too many dropped balls! We did really well on the passing drills, however we were a little too quiet and forgot the importance of social awareness and communication. We had a team talk for the second half of training, we discussed settles consistently, finding gaps to run through and no panic passing. We all felt very relaxed and focused on what we had to do, as Harrow had not arrived we decided to play a fun game of “duck, duck, goose!” to practice our scoops. However, at 4:30 (just two minutes into the first half) four of our player had to catch their buses, so we had to sub a lot, unfortunately at the wrong times. Despite the setback of losing four of our players to the buses, the team focused on remembering what we needed to improve, especially in the pressure of a game rather than solely focusing on wining. In the first half, the Tigers did really well on coming up as a line, pressuring Harrow to drop many balls, and played cautiously throughout the game. We had fast turnovers and active dummy halves. We used the wing efficiently, unlike last week when we were more focused on not getting wet! Surprisingly we drew players out and created gaps easily without having any practice at this. Our new team members quickly picked up on this tactic and performed it like pro’s! We ended the first half 4-0 right in time for the lighting to begin! Disappointingly it turned into heavy rain so we had to end the match there. The match against Harrow was a great example of not efficiently spreading players in defence and Bangkok Patana can learn a lot from this match. We also learnt the importance of having every player available; when four players had to leave, we definitely felt the difference! In our next match, we need to work on being more vocal during defence and communicating with each other and our coaches. Communication is essential on the pitch and needs to become second nature. The Tigers team still has to learn to trust and rely on each other to back them up, and not be offended or scared when another player asks for backup or the ball.

Varsity Girls’ Football NIST Falcons Friendship Varsity Football Tournament 2016 In the first game against ASB, Bangkok Patana kept a composed structure resulting in an impressive 6-0 win. There was great ball movement and player positioning which paved the way for the ball to hit the back of the net. We had a solid defensive stance on the ASB’s forwards which allowed the Tigers’ to not concede any goals in our 1st match. Our next match against RIS was an unlucky 1-0 defeat, resulting in the team being unable to place 1st or 2nd. However, the team fought unbelievably hard, with counter attacks and a fighting spirit. Numerous attempts on goal were made, unfortunately none of them finding the target. A lucky shot from the lefthand corner was the lone goal of the match in the second half for RIS. Ferocious attacks by the Tigers were triggered, eager to equalise the game. The attacks were good and shots were made but sadly never quite made it to the goal and the time ran out. Despite the loss, the Varsity Girls’ went on to win their final game against NIST. The girls played excellent football against the Falcons with a good display of both offensive and defensive plays. Game highlights were Satu’s hat-trick and strong defensive moves which made it hard for the opponents to score. The Patana Tigers beat NIST, the home team, 4 -0 earning us the bronze medal for the tournament.

Under 15 Girls’ Basketball vs Harrow Although we lost to Harrow by just a point (26-27), everybody on the team played their best and tried their hardest. Julie and Lynn played exceptionally well in this match and they helped gain many points. Overall, even though we did not win, it was a hard and tiring match and everybody kept going and played as a team.

Thank you to Mr and Mrs Tejacharoenanan for providing information and images

e would like to congratulate Svari (Teya) Tejacharoenanan from Year 2 who recently won two prestigious piano awards. Teya was awarded first prize in the Young Musician category at the Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso with the award ceremony held in Vienna, Austria on September 22nd. Teya also took first prize at the Golden Classical International Music Awards in New York, USA and will return to the US to collect her prize at the Carnegie Hall in November. What makes Teyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successes even more impressive is that in both events she was the youngest performer and also the only pianist representing Thailand. Well done Teya!

e are pleased to announce that two trainers from the Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) organisation will return to Bangkok Patana from Tuesday 4th October – Friday 7th October. Ms Sarah Burrill and Mr Jose Rowe Palafox will be working mainly with Year 9 students, meeting with them every day, but will also give presentations to Years 8, 11, 12 and 13. FCD is a non-profit organisation that provides substance abuse prevention education for schools. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages. Their mission is to: 

Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years

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Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use

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Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately

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Educate students, parents, teachers, and administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs

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Promote awareness of drug addiction, including alcoholism, as a progressive, chronic, and often fatal disease

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Provide educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention

The partnership between Patana and parents has always been a vital and crucial element in the pastoral care we provide. To this end an FCD session will be offered to all parents to meet and discuss common concerns about substance abuse prevention for their children in Bangkok. Some of the topics to be addressed include: 

Effective ways to communicate with your child about drugs and drug use

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Up-to-date facts about current drug use and trends

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What to say about your own experiences with alcohol and/or drug experimentation

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How to spot early warning signs of trouble and effective ways to respond This meeting will take place on Thursday 6th October at 4:00pm here at Bangkok Patana in the Conference Centre. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with the FCD educators and to hear their stories.

University / College

Country

Representative

Location

Date

Time

CIS University fair Bangkok

Shangri-La Hotel, Ballroom III

01.10.16

15:45

Bentley University

Catherine A. Forrester Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

03.10.16

09:15

Muhlenberg College

Senior Studies

03.10.16

09:15

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Senior Studies

03.10.16

09:15

Universita Bocconi

Italy

Veronica Sullo

Senior Studies

03.10.16

12:15

Carleton University

Canada

Andy Raeburn

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

03.10.16

12:15

James Luciano

Senior Studies, 2nd Floor

03.10.16