Patana News Volume 22 Issue 35

Our mission is to ensure that students of different nationalities grow to their full potential as independent learners in a caring British international community.

Patana

NEWS

Friday 19th June 2020

Volume 22 Issue 35

www.patana.ac.th

THE MONTHLY BLOG

Mr Mills final blog of the year

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Also in this issue...

D+T Awarded Design Mark/Farewell to Our Leavers/Stop Shark Finning 19/06/2020

Bangkok Patana School News

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS

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It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later!

Greetings Everyone,

2020 will go down as a year to remember as COVID-19 impacted all of our lives in such a deep and remarkable way. Who would have ever thought that face masks would become a standard requirement in our daily dress? Lots of families have been heavily impacted financially during the curfews and lockdowns and many businesses especially hospitality/travel related, remain closed indefinitely. I continue to be incredibly impressed with our Bangkok Patana School community in terms of our resilience and commitment in dealing with this challenging global pandemic and our unequivocal support for our students.

I was delighted to finally get the green light to reopen our school doors on Monday 15th June as this gives the school a wonderful opportunity to trial our new health and safety measures and our modified attendance schedules. It will also be beneficial for everyone to have some level of closure before we head into the summer holidays.

Our plan is to open school in Term 1 as planned and I will send you details of our opening arrangements in late July or early August.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been consuming our lives, we all observed an appalling act of violence when George Floyd died while being arrested by Minnesota police. Protests have erupted all over the globe in solidarity to state that Black Lives Matter.

The current protests around the world have been very effective in raising the profile of inequality and injustice. Our ongoing responsibility as global citizens and members of the Patana community is to role model our values, and to give our students opportunities to develop and demonstrate these values in their daily lives. In light of the current events, it is a good opportunity to revisit what it means to be diverse and inclusive, how we can truly be empowered by our interculturalism, and to demonstrate how to be respectful contributors to digital and local communities.

SENIOR DELEGATES 2019/20:

Chawin Asavasaetakul

Joycelyn (Jo Jo) Intanate

Arnav Jhaveri

Kenji Miyauchi

Lucy Thompson

Congratulations to our five Senior Delegates who have done a superb job in their roles this academic year and we wish them all the very best in their tertiary years.

THANK YOU: We are very pleased with our academic success over the years and have a high expectation that our results will be stronger than ever this academic year. Over the past 11 months I have observed: Confident polite students who are at ease in wanting to ques-

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tion to improve understanding; strong music and drama performances both solo and in groups; thought-provoking ‘celebrating the learning’ year group assemblies; great displays of sportsmanship and high success rates in sporting competitions in term one, both at home and away; amazing visual art shows that are unique and motivational; strong debating skills at the MUN’s; healthy numbers of students attaining their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award encapsulating outdoor education and numerous examples of successful student-led service projects. All of these student successes are beautifully showcased in the 2019/20 Yearbook, which is being published as I write this account. Many thanks to our editors, Cheryl and Shana who have spent hours putting together this year’s compilation. Our resident photographer Khun Rooth has done a splendid job taking literally thousands of photos of our students in action over the past year.

I would like to thank every teacher and staff member for their professional dedication in helping guide our students to reach their full potential. I have been extremely impressed with the effort and focus teachers put into their CSL programmes since 18th March, which was no easy task.

Special thanks to the myriad of Business Staff who continue to help and support the academic staff on a daily basis, what would we do without you?

Special thanks also go out to our wonderful supportive PTG who are so ably led by our PTG Chair, Melissa Golden.

OUR LEAVERS THIS YEAR: As usual being an international school, we have a number of students and families leaving us this year and we want to wish all of them the very best for their future wherever they are moving to around the world. Please stay in contact with us, as we are keen to stay in touch and welcome you to our worldwide Alumni group – please take a moment to register on www.patana.ac.th/alumni to receive the latest news and reunion invitations.

We have a number of teachers leaving us this year as we do every year and we want to wish them all the very best as they move on to new positions around the world.

Our Secondary Principal of 14 years Mick Smith will be leaving us at the end of this term to re-join his family in the UK. In the 18 years Mick has been part of the Patana family, he has been a History teacher, Head of Year and IB Coordinator. Mick has been an incredibly successful Secondary leader, a master recruiter who has hired most of the current Secondary staff and has also been instrumental in the school’s masterplan including the Lounges, Secondary Library, Science Labs and the Senior Studies. His annual graduation speeches will go down in Patana folk lore as the lucid orator sharing wellbeing, politics and of course lots of history. We wish him all the very best for his future. A special farewell to Keri Keelan from the Primary School who is leaving us after 29 years of dedicated service and we wish her all the very best for her future. Remember it’s not goodbye, it’s see you later!

On behalf of Jason Cooper, Helen Thew, Mick Smith and myself, we would like to wish all of our Bangkok Patana community a wonderful, safe, summer holiday and we look forward to welcoming you all back to school on Wednesday August 19.

Enjoy your last weekend before enjoying a “Summer in Siam”.

Matt Mills Head of School

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Farewell to Our Leavers!

PRIMARY SCHOOL Keri Keelan

Daniel Hatfield

Katie Sellens

Extended Learning Teacher 29 Years (1991-2020)

Leader of Learning and Welfare: Foundation Stage 7 Years (2011-2020)

Class Teacher 2 Years (2018-2020)

Staying in Thailand

London, UK

Cheshire, UK

Duangsamorn (Khun Noo) Rendell Teaching Assistant 25 Years (1995-2020) Retiring to Chanthaburi

Emma Gardner Class Teacher 6 Years (2010-2020) Taking some time out to rock climb

Colette Gawthorne ICT Assistant 21 Years (1999-2020)

Hannah Dickie

Retiring to the UK

Learning Support Teacher 4 Years (2016-2020)

Clare Tomlinson

NIST Bangkok

Primary Teacher 18 Years (2002-2020)

Sally Cox

Jakarta, Indonesia

Class Teacher 4 Years (2016-2020) London, UK

Helen Ford Speech and Language Therapist 18 Years (2002-2020) Retiring to Yorkshire and Australia

Monica Bien Supply Teacher 14 Years (2006-2020) USA

Clare (Soithongsuk) Hooper Lead Teacher for CLL 4 Years (2016-2020) Vienna, Austria

Sarah Horton Class Teacher 2 Years (2018-2020)

Gemma Thomas Class Teacher 1 Year (2019-2020) UK

Donna-Marie Fry Class Teacher 1 Year (2019-2020) Spain then Doha, Qatar

Kirsty Hallsworth Extended Learning Teacher 1 Year (2019-2020) Luxembourg

Hayley Hatfield Supply Teacher 7 Year (2013-2020) Cheshire, UK

Brad Coulter Supply Teacher 2 Years (2018-2020) Jakarta, Indonesia

Alderley Edge, UK

Raj Ladva Leader of Learning and Development: Foundation Stage Class Teacher 8 Years (2012-2020) Stay in Thailand

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Rebecca Carlzon Foundation Stage Teacher 2 Years (2018-2020) Switzerland

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Keep in touch...

CROSS CAMPUS Tamara Spalding Head of Dance and Drama 2 Years (2018-2020) UK

Siyabonga (Siya) Ntuli Assistant Head Dance and Drama Coach 1 Year (2019-2020) Bangkok

SECONDARY SCHOOL Lena Perriam Senior Teacher - Key Stage 3 (Student Welfare); Safeguarding Lead 5 Years (2015-2020) Vietnam

Mick Smith Secondary School Principal 18 Years (2002 – 2020) UK Alec Bien Head of Faculty, Arts; Music Teacher 16 Years (2004-2020) United States Antonius Berghuis Senior Teacher - Key Stage 3 (Curriculum and Assessment) 16 Years (2004-2020) New Zealand Helen Berghuis Head of Faculty, Humanities; Business Studies and Economics Teacher 16 Years (2004-2020) New Zealand Matthew Jones Head of Year 13; English and Theory of Knowledge 15 Years (2005-2020) Bulgaria Gabriel Henao Curriculum Leader, Asian Languages; World Languages Teacher 10 Years (2010-2020) Australia 19/06/2020

Bangkok Patana School News

Hannah Bailey English and Theory of Knowledge Teacher 4 Years (2016-2020) Spain Anthony Baldwin Business Studies and Economics 4 Years (2016-2020) China Laura Whaley Physical Education Teacher 2 Years (2018-2020) TBC Martin Devine Art Teacher 2 Years (2018-2020) Germany Carole Goodfellow Science and Physics Teacher 2 Years (2018-2020) Germany

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Sports Awards 2020 Cindy Adair, Assistant Principal, Extra Curricular Activities and Sport ix years ago US Olympic Swimmer Aaron Piersol visited Bangkok Patana School and conducted a clinic. During one of the classroom sessions he spoke about the importance of commitment over time for long term success. He shared a story about how he once went almost a full four year cycle, not posting a personal best time. He spoke about how it was his love for the sport and his team-mates that got him through. Aaron went on to be a three time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist (five gold, two silver).

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Sporting success is a marathon, not a sprint and COVID-19 has definitely thrown our student-athletes a curve ball in recent months. As Plato said, “necessity is the mother of invention” and many good things have come from this period. Students have embraced new ways of training at home, coaches have found new ways to connect with their student-athletes from online quizzes to interactive cooking lessons and our whole community have worked together to participate in virtual fitness challenges. One such initiative has been the recent Virtual Sports Awards. The lack of normal seasonal data meant we needed to brainstorm new ways to recognise our student-athletes. This year we chose to focus on commitment and legacy. We did this by following the lead of two of the UK’s most famous Universities (Oxford and Cambridge) and created some new awards or “colours”, which recognised commitment and dedication over time.

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Varsity Full Blue – An award given to students who took part in six or more Varsity teams whilst undertaking the IB Diploma Moniqa Nielsen Kris Dante Kenji Miyauchi

Varsity Team Blue – An award given to students who have been in the same Varsity team for 4 consecutive years, including in Year 12 and Year 13 Football Jeffrey Taylor

Volleyball Moniqa Nielsen Jade Martin Lucy Thompson

Basketball Kris Dante

Tennis Moniqa Nielsen Prae Thanunmanee

Softball Stephanie Davis Moniqa Nielsen Dan Axtell Neel Suphavadeeprasit Kenji Miyauchi

Swimming Napat (Oak) Kornsri

Climbing Varisa (Fern) Tantivess

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Golf Nuttawat (Password) Sudjitporn Chatchapee (Cane) Chinthammit

GCSE Full Blue – An award given to students who took part in 6 or more sporting teams whilst undertaking the (I)GCSE’s in Year 10 and Year 11 Nicolas Bocan Janelle De La Cruz Indy Isaac Anna Meller Vincent Sittl William Ahl Anne-Sophie Janssen Norapat (Earth) Kornsri Pammy Leenabanchong

Junior Team Blue – An award given to students who have been selected in a school team for the same sport for four years from Year 7 – Year 10 Swimming Max Stockdale Matthew Chandler Praewa Mollison Polly Nevin Atich Kittikul Shelly Kaplan Prin Chantarangkul

Football Matthew Chandler Matthew Murphy Lihi Rotenberg Praewa Taylor Jack Slater

Basketball Priscilla Jensen Hugo Cheng Jian-Siang (Shawn) Chen

Bangkok Patana School News

Tennis Peephat (Maple) Kusolphatna Celine (Gem) Ninsuvannakul William Painter

Badminton Peephat (Maple) Kusolphatna Prithvi Atcharya

Volleyball Peephat (Maple) Kusolphatna Louie Kelly

Gymnastics Evelyn Cannon Meja Stalberg Tund Theerawit

Golf Eric Appelberg Tanarawin (Win) Viravan

Softball Praewa Taylor

Track & Field Bianca Bertoli Siravich Chaiworamukkul

Touch Rugby Alyssa Arkotxa Lakha

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Bangkok Patana Awarded Prestigious Design and Technology Mark Richard Smith, Head of Factuly, Design + Technology

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angkok Patana School is just one of three secondary schools in the world that hold the prestigious D+T Mark from the Design and Technology Association. This mark is difficult to achieve but, according to the CEO, Tony Ryan, it really is only given to schools demonstrating truly outstanding practise.

Richard Green, the ex-CEO of the Association who carried out the validation process, was hugely complimentary of the work that was submitted, describing it as "one of the best that he has seen.� These comments were backed up by the D+T Association Curriculum Trainer Ryan Ball who checked the work as is prescribed by the awards process.

Year 5 Student Wins Gold Prize at Brilliant Talent Discovery Awards David Walton, Head of Year 5

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vari (Teya) Tejacharoenananwon, 5W, took home the Gold Prize for piano in the Young Musician category from the prestigious Brilliant Talent Discovery Awards 2020 in Singapore. She was the only winner from Thailand and was invited to perform at the Esplanade Theater on April 13, 2020.

However, due to COVID-19, the ceremony was cancelled. The committee mailed her the award from Singapore last week. We are all very proud of her hard work and growth mindset.

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STUDENTS SPEAK

Less Fins in the Bowl - More Fins in the Ocean

Torres Chou, 4D

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he Chinese started eating shark fin soup over one thousand years ago according to an article in The Guardian. The article further states that shark finning was popularised in China during the Ming dynasty around the 14th century. It was supposed to be a rare delicacy enjoyed by the imperial family, but during the Qing dynasty, other people started eating it too. Today, shark fin is served all over the world especially during special events.

Since I was young, I have been really fond of sharks. I remember giving friends in Foundation Stage presentations about different species of sharks as well as having shark identification competitions with the local PADI regional manager. One day, at a formal banquet, I was served shark fin soup and I was so appalled. So, I decided to do some research on the topic and find ways to convince people not to eat shark fin soup.

Sharks suffer from shark finning because, without their fins, they can’t swim properly and die. From WildAid Thailand, I learnt that human consumption of shark fin soup has been the greatest danger to sharks for years. According to National Geographic, approximately 100 million sharks are killed every year. Multiple species of sharks are targeted for shark fin. Though a traditional Chinese dish consumed only on special occasions in the past, shark fin soup is now regularly served, even for normal gatherings. This popularity is putting many shark species at risk of extinction which could seriously damage the health of our oceans.

Many people think of shark fin as a medicine, but it certainly does more harm than good. The soup is believed to stop heart diseases, lower cholesterol and fight cancer. But there is no scientific evidence for these claims. In fact, at least one study has shown shark cartilage to be of no value in cancer treatment and if consumed in high quantities, the soup could be harmful in humans due to its mercury content.

However, the popularity of the dish goes on and shark fin soup has become something of a status symbol, thanks to its high price. However, why should something that can potentially harm you, be so expensive?

This situation is going on and on, chopping off fins, making them into soup, and then eating it. If this continues, there will be no more sharks in the ocean.

Since serving shark fin is still legal and widespread in Thailand, I want to start a club at Bangkok Patana to bring awareness to this issue and campaign against eating shark fin soup.

Would you like to join me?

If so, contact me at toch29@patana.ac.th.

I hope to hear from you soon.

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UNIVERSITY OFFERS

NATNISHA (TESS) KITIYAKARA Congratulations on offers from

• Rhode Island School of Design • University of the Arts London • Pratt Institute • Savannah College of Art and Design

• School of the Art Institute of Chicago • Syracuse University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

To study Industrial Design

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ongratulations to Tess on her offers from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), University of the Arts London, Pratt Institute, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Syracuse University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign She plans to attend the Rhode Island School of Design to study Industrial Design. Read Tess’s journey here

Invoices for school fees for Term 1 2020/21 were emailed to families/companies on Wednesday 13th May 2020. If you have not received your invoice please contact the Accounting Department accounts@patana.ac.th. Please note that the due date for settlement is on Tuesday 30th June.

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UNI COUNSELORS’ CORNER

The Importance of Positive Self-talk

Karel De Cock, Careers and Universities Counselor elf-talk includes all the purposeful and random STOPPING NEGATIVE SELF-TALK thoughts that run through our heads of which we Controlling self-talk is a skill and negative self-talk haphave on average several thousand thoughts a day. We have a lot going on in our minds. It includes all the things pens automatically. Keep these thoughts to a minimum, said both silently and out loud. Self-talk can be catego- reducing the amount of damage it does to our daily lives. rised into two types: Positive and Negative.

1. Breathe – Being overwhelmed is a catalyst for negative thoughts. It’s important during those moments Positive self-talk is just that, the positive and motivational to take a step back, pause and take a few deep thoughts that we tell ourselves. “I can do this. I’m awebreaths. some.” Everything is going to work out fine.” Negative

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self-talk, you guessed it, are all the negative and harmful thoughts that we tell ourselves. “I can’t do anything right.

Nobody likes me.”

Of the tens of thousands of our daily thoughts, research has shown that more than 50 percent of those thoughts are negative ones. Doubtful or unproductive thoughts about our abilities, talents and/or success. We spend our time telling ourselves: we can’t achieve the things we want or that it won’t happen, that we don’t deserve better and that things won’t change. Such internal talk definitely does not help our performance. Keep in mind that negative self-talk is going to occur; the key is to not focus on the negatives rather on the positives. Self-talk is an intricate piece to success and focusing on the positives can determine whether we obtain the goals we strive for.

Practicing positive self-talk is not as easy as you might think. We need to train our minds to cultivate the positive thoughts and dismiss the negative ones. It becomes second nature after time, but you have to work at it. Positive self-talk doesn’t mean that you ignore life’s less pleasant situations. Rather your approach to unpleasantness is switched towards a positive and productive one. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.

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2. Acknowledge It – It’s not easy to admit that you may have feelings of doubt, concerns or are afraid.

However, you won’t be able to put these feelings at ease until you acknowledge that they exist.

3. Consider the Cause – Where are these negative thoughts coming from? Why are you feeling this way? Consider the root of these thoughts so you can properly address them.

4. Stop Expecting Perfection – Failures are a part of life and it’s only through them that we learn and improve. Everyone makes mistakes but it’s how we react to them afterwards that is important.

5. Surround Yourself with Positivity - Know what helps to improve your attitude, mood and perspective.

6. Build a Routine – Routines help eliminate uncertainty, allowing you to create a predictable and less stressful environment.

7. Conscious Effort to Silence Negative Thoughts – Keep these tips in mind.Remember to breath, to surround yourself with positivity and to remind yourself of the progress you’ve made every day.

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#158: Age Ratings for Books Have you been in a situation, like me earlier this week, when one of your children comes home with a book you are not familiar with? Books are not like movies; they don’t necessarily come with an age rating. Publishers don’t list the objectionable content on the back of the book, in the copyright statement, or even on their website. Some books will include an age recommendation on the inside front jacket flap, but that’s rare. Often, you’ll find the lines between middle grade books (ages 9-12), young adult book (ages 12-18), and adult books become blurry. So what to do? Other than reading the book yourself, or asking our friendly and knowledgeable librarians, there are some places you can go for help: Search for the paperback or hardcover (not audio) version of the book on Amazon. Scroll to the product details and you can often see an age range:

1. Search for reviews of the book on Goodreads

2. Search for category ratings on Compass Book Ratings 3. Search and read the parent and student reviews on CommonSenseMedia.org I hope this helps. Happy reading.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

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Desert Island Discs With Meadow Armiger, 10M, Senior Delegate

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his column follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?

Today Meadow Armiger, Senior Delegate is stuck on a desert island. after having completed her IBs! MEADOW, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? The Lovecats - The Cure Sleep Comes Down - The Psychedelic Furs Nude - Radiohead Common People- Pulp Tainted Love - Soft Cell Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve

Check out Meadow’s playlist here

Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles Ms Jackson - OutKast PICK ONE LUXURY ITEM YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU. THIS ITEM MUST BE INANIMATE AND OF NO USE IN ESCAPING THE ISLAND OR ALLOWING COMMUNICATION FROM OUTSIDE. My guitar WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. Now that you are stuck at home, what are you listening to? Have a list of your own? Let us know! Contact SHKN with your favourites.

Click Here For Updates and Information on the School’s COVID-19 Procedures 19/06/2020

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Coming Soon! School Shop Online Ditch the stress of coming to school for your shopping! School uniforms and other accessories will soon be available online. Stay tuned for details on the opening of the online school shop - emails will be sent to parents once the site is live.

If you wish to come into school to purchase uniforms please note that the School Shop will be open from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm weekdays after the end of Term 3. The School Shop will be closed from 1st to 3rd July and 27th July to 3rd August. The Post Office will be closed from 1st July to 31st August.

The new Boys’ and Girs’ shorts in Secondary are now available for purchase.

Claim Your Lost Property by 26th June

You still have time to claim your lost property. View Lost Property online here. Then make a comment on the photo in the drive or email lostproperty@patana.ac.th. Be sure and do this now as all remaining items that are not claimed by Friday 26th June will be donated. Don’t be late or it will be too late! Check for your lost items here

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the m o r f t s e The lat

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Click here to join the PTG Facebook Group

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COMMUNITY

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643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th 20

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