Patana News Volume 23 Issue 20

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 5th February2021

Volume 23 Issue 20

www.patana.ac.th

WE ARE PASSIONATE, RESOURCEFUL AND RESLIENT

By Jason Cooper, Primary Principal

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Also in this issue...

Sport at Bangkok Patana/UN Goals in Year 6/Pixar Mentors Grad’18 alumni 05/02/2021

Bangkok Patana School News

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

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We are Passionate, Resourceful and Resilient Jason Cooper, Primary Principal

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f January 2021 is anything to go by, it looks like we could be in for another challenging year. For some people this might be a daunting prospect, while others might see great opportunities amongst the challenges. As we navigate our way through the ongoing challenges of the global pandemic, it is important for us to find examples of people who are flourishing by using their resourcefulness and resilience to pursue their passions. They’re not hard to find, in fact we probably all have them right in our homes – our children.

Primary aged children in particular are not burdened with the daily worries and stresses that teenagers and adults tend to experience. While their brains are still developing, they seem to have more mental capacity for looking at problems from a number of different angles, they seem more open to discussion and accepting new information that is presented, and they appear to have an amazing ability to bounce back from disappointment very quickly. Have you ever witnessed a child in complete distress and upset, only to see them playing without a care in the world 30 minutes later?

In October 2020 the World Economic Forum published their “The Future of Jobs Report 2020” highlighting emerging and declining jobs over the next five years, as well as outlining the skills most highly valued by companies and organisations.

THE TOP 15 SKILLS FOR 2025: 1. Analytical thinking and innovation 2. Active learning and learning strategies 3. Complex problem-solving 4. Critical thinking and analysis 5. Creativity, originality and initiative 6. Leadership and social influence 7. Technology use, monitoring and control 8. Technology design and programming 9. Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility 10. Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation 11. Emotional intelligence

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12. Trouble shooting and user experience 13. Service orientation 14. Systems analysis and evaluation 15. Persuasion and negotiation The world of work may seem a long way off for our Primary students; however, the skills they are developing today are skills that will stay with them into adulthood and could have an impact on their success in the workforce.

As professional educators we deliberately design learning experiences that provide opportunities for students to develop and practice many of the skills listed above. You may have seen some of these skills in action as your children engaged with the CSL programme during the school closure. I wonder how many of the skills listed above you, as parents, were able to role model to your children during the period of CSL? When students get to see these skills practiced by their teachers and their parents, and then have opportunities to practice them at school and at home, the skills and mindsets get added to their toolbox. Not only will developing these skills make the students successful learners, but they will also enable them to be highly valued and sought-after employees in an increasingly competitive future jobs market.

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UKMT Maths Competition Moves Online Scott Tooley, Secondary Head of Mathematics.

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uring these difficult times, the UKMT Individual Mathematics Competitions have gone online. This certainly helps students in schools who are yet to open their doors whilst at the same time providing participation without large gatherings across Year groups which supports us. It is great to see students still being able to take part in the competitions that they love despite the ongoing situation we face.

Nothing should get in the way of the challenge that mathematical enrichment provides and so it is excellent to see how the mathematical teaching community across the world continues to look at new ways of continuing to share the love for this great subject.

What’s New in the Library?

Early Years’ Library

Primary Library

Secondary Library Fiction

Fiction

Fiction Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Chapter Books and Oversized Books DVDs

Senior Fiction Graphic Novels

Professional Development

Non-fiction Home Languages Parents Collection

Did you know that we also subscribed to these magazines?

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Sport at bangkok Patana and Beyond Cindy Adair, Cross Campus Assistant Principal, ECAs and Sports

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n 2021/22 Bangkok Patana will be moving in an exciting new direction. We are moving away from BISAC as an organisation to give us more flexibility to design a local programme that works for student-athletes from Under 11 through Varsity and complements our commitment to SEASAC and FOBISIA. We will be sharing more infor-

mation regarding our calendar of events in May/June so watch this space! We will still be playing our rivals from Bangkok’s biggest and best international schools on a regular basis and providing end of season tournaments should COVID-19 allow it. BISAC Season 3 2021 is going ahead as planned. Go Tigers!

Junior Tri Dash Series Champion

Jacqueline Baumann, Patana parent

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he last of the Junior Tri Dash Bangkok 2020 Series was held in December. A few children from Bangkok Patana participated and finished successfully. In the last race, Year 6 student Jaidee Baumann year came first

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place in the category 10 and Under. Year 4 student Charoen Baumann took third place in the category 10 and Under. Jaidee took home Overall First Place as the 2020 Junior Series Champion.

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Primary Musician of the Month: Yo-Yo Ma

Rachel Stead, Primary Leader of Learning, Music very month a new musician is featured in Primary School so that students are exposed to a wide variety of music styles and musicians. This month the feature is famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Yo-Yo is particularly interested in how music and culture can bring the world together. You can read more about it in this article in Time Magazine.

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He has participated in a number of projects aimed at highlighting how culture and music forge connections between people, for example The Bach Project (36 CONCERTS. 36 DAYS OF ACTION. 6 CONTINENTS. 1 EXPERIMENT: HOW CULTURE CONNECTS US), Pop-up Performances for Essential Workers, Committee of 100 and numerous online and in-person educational appearances (including Sesame Street!)

Although Yo-Yo is classically trained, you can see him making music with a wide range of musicians and styles, most recently in an American Bluegrass group.

Feel free to use our special YouTube playlist or to find your own music. Happy listening!

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Year 10 Balloon Debate Winner!

Kristen Meadows, Head of Year 10

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or the 16th year in a row, Year 10 held a balloon debate. Each tutor group selects a winner from a three minute presentation. Students take on another persona and then debate on who should not be thrown out of the balloon and why. They can select any persona or personality they want, and the personalities are varied!

The eight tutor group winners present to the Year group and special guests to select an over all winner. The final pair debated with each other on stage, it was great fun.

For the first time ever it was a draw between Amanda Ljungberg and Yerin Kang. The debate saw Santa and a mid-70 year old lady from Pakistan who was volunteering to take part in the trial for a COVID-19 vaccine debate on why they should be allowed to stay in the balloon. Both had very persuasive arguments.

Acting Secondary Principal Helen Thew called it the strongest set of presentations she had ever seen, and she has judged it every year.

Keeping Our Community Safe During this time of the year, we regularly have to deal with bad quality air. Last week in Patana News, as we were experiencing bad air quality and expected it to continue, we ran an article on the fresh air filter system installed in school.

This week residents in Bangkok and surrounding areas were faced with a new challenge, salinity in the tap water. We have a number of systems in place to filter

water in school, including reverse osmosis filters. As we encourage our students to keep hydrated, we also ensure that the water is potable with regular testing and regimes for monitoring and changing filters.

If you do have any questions about drinking water at school, do email communications@patana.ac.th for more information.

CHECK OUT CYPHER MAGAZINE - FOSTERING AN ENRICHING ENVIRONMENT TO SHARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

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Teacher Thank Yous During CSL

Suzanne Lindley, Secondary Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Assessment or the first two weeks of CSL students nominated a teacher to say ‘Thank You’ to. This week it was the turn of our Secondary teachers to acknowledge a colleague who has supported them in some way during CSL.

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They may have made them smile when it was most needed, saved someone from the sandpit, delivered a coffee, sent a virtual hug GIF, or any other reason.

“These are a real moral booster for all – such a lovely idea”

“This was the kindest thing ever, a wonderful way to start the week. Thank you! “

“Thank you so much for sharing, it has indeed brought a smile to my face and reduced me to tears!”

“My inbox today has been filled with so many “Thank yous” from other members of staff, acknowledging all the wonderful work you have done, going above and beyond expectations.

Each email has been so lovely to read and note that your work has been recognised beyond our faculty. I do know you all do a fabulous job, but it is wonderful to see others sharing my thoughts.”

Contribute your article for publication in the magazine and in the Patana News! scientia@patana.ac.th

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Year 6 Explore UN Sustainable Development Goals Tanya Peake-Hutchins, Leader Primary Extended Learning

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ear 6 Enrichment is where students have joined a global classroom project, facilitated by the goalsproject.org, to work collaboratively with classrooms around the world researching into the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The focus is on Environmental Stewardship and is an opportunity to showcase the talents, interests, and cultures represented in our classroom and community.

The students were introduced to our Student Ambassador who delivered an inspirational speech outlining the need to have an ‘infinite’ mindset in order to reach our personal, academic and global citizenship goals.

Sahiem: Many people in the world are good. But being good isn’t enough. You have to do good. Taking action means to not just say you will do something, but actually doing it and making a difference, either to a single person, or the entire world.

Edward: It means to get involved, to really mean it, to help people and the environment without any strings attached, if the will is there, we can do it, together, we can try unwind the clock, and reverse what the war did to people and to reverse what the industrial revolution did to the environment.

So far, we have introduced ourselves to the other Sanaa: The matter is in our hands now since we are the members of our team via Flipgrid and begun researching next generation and we have to speak out and show that into all 17 SDGs. Students have also reflected on how the SDGs inspire them and why they think it is important for we care about our environment. Also, we have to do our part to make a difference in the world so we can live in a students to be involved. better environment and community.

The project is set to take place over the next six to eight Kieran: It means to help people and the world. Also to weeks and will culminate in a presentation to our team about our specific goal: Goal #16 - Peace, Justice and help people less fortunate than us and people who are Strong Institutions. This is a wonderful opportunity for suffering from one of the SDGs. We need to show that we our students to showcase their commitment to Global know what is wrong with the world and be responsible Citizenship through a creative and collaborative about these problems. exploration of the SDGs. #Team16GoalsProject WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN TO BE WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE ACTION? Naoki: When we get involved it means that we care and want to help the planet. Taking action is going to change the planet step by step. You either have a choice to take action or not to. Power is held in your hands.

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INVOLVED? Hailynn: We will be the adults of the future and we are the ones who are going to be most affected as we are the next generation. We can also have a different point of view from adults as we could be more creative and open-

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minded. We have also learned from the adults’ mistakes and can do better.

pushes me to be more aware of my future and how the world could change if we don’t take action.

Naoki: We are the future generation. Children also need to know these SDG goals because when we grow up and we don't know about it, we can't make a change. Some adults did not learn about it when they were children, that is why some adults are not taking action. We can learn from their mistake and start NOW!

Sanaa: They are the future. It makes me persevere to help the environment to help create a better future for my generation. In addition, doing this will inspire many more children to take action in this large project and inspire many generations in the future to help.

Prann: Generally, all kids have a more creative imagination than adults because we are younger and more creative. In addition, us kids, in the future, can do more than adults nowadays.

Skye: Children are the next generation. They have a different mindset, and have amazing ideas. Adults do not usually think outside the box, but many children do, and it is their thoughts, their ideas, that will really help to complete the goals.

Edward: They give me a goal to work towards in the future, to have a real meaning to life and know that what you did helped countless other people, and the environment, in the future. We also know that these same SDG’s will inspire countless other children in other schools around the world, while also making our generation, and future generations, a better world to live in.

Kieran: The SDGs inspire me to do lots of things: donate to charity more, help orphanages and lots more. It also made me notice how unfair the world is and how much people suffer because of this. Adults need to notice this too; Edward: The old generation is done revolutionising, and not just work. Once adults notice this, they will understand the new generation, can help bring justice, and make the that what they are doing is what they are doing for the world a greener place, undo what the industrial revolution future. did on people, trying to find justice, and the environment.

We can also carry this into the future, when we grow up Sahiem: Before I heard about the SDGs, I never knew we can have better judges, better Quality of life in prisons, how I could make a difference to the world. All of a better ways of transportation ect. So we can help you do sudden, all that changed. The SDGs inspire me to help what the war did to some people. countless other innocent people, by aiding the Enrichment Team in forming a safer environment for those who are less Jiyun: It is very important that kids are involved too fortunate. because they are also a part of our planet. Also, I think they could think more creatively about the way we can Otys: They are all the goals that we should work toward make a difference in the world by 2030. Their ideas might to have a better future for everyone and everything that work better than the adults' ideas. As they are a part of lives on this planet. And I believe that everyone can help our planet, they also need to know what is going on in the so we could all have a better world to live in. world. I don’t think it’s good for kids to watch TV everyday Bradley: When I see them I feel touched and want to while the adults try to solve the problems in the world. help work towards completing the goals so we can all have a better world to live in and we all should live equal HOW DO THE SDGS INSPIRE YOU? Hailynn: The SDGs are the key to a better world and lives.

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UNI COUNSELORS’ CORNER

University Offers Emiko Araki

University of British Columbia, University of Bath, University of Bristol, University of Glasgow, University of Western Ontario, University of Toronto

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ongratulations to Emiko who received offers from the University of Bath, University of Bristol, University of Glasgow, University of Western Ontario, University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. She hopes to attend UBC and study Food and Resource Economics.

“I hope to attend the University of British Columbia next year because of the location and the major I intend to pursue: Food and Resource Economics.

Specialising in the economics of global food markets will allow me to examine critical issues in both local and global food production and distribution through an economics perspective.

Some of the factors which were important to me when applying were the quality of teaching, the clubs and societies offered and the availability of co-operative education opportunities. Doing a co-op will help me expand my knowledge by learning practical skills, which may not be taught in a classroom.

Economics has always been my favourite subject ever since (I)GCSE. What I find interesting is that it can explain the reasons behind decision-making due to scarcity. It has helped me gain analytical skills by seeing the cost and benefits of every decision, big or small. Essentially, economics explains a lot about the world we live in. It helps us to understand how we got to where we are, and how to get to where we want to go.

Throughout my nine years at Bangkok Patana, I have been heavily involved in sports. I love playing with my teammates as they always push me to train harder and it also helps clear my mind when I get stressed from IB.”

In the Spotlight...

The University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

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he University of Amsterdam was established in 1632 and is the largest university in the Netherlands. The main campus is located in central Amsterdam with new faculties located nearby. There are 20 undergraduate programmes taught in English including Business Administration, Archaelogy, Econometrics, Communication Science and Media and Culture. The UvA ranks 66th in the Times Higher Education Global Rankings and ranks highly in Life Sciences and Medicine and Economics and Social Sciences.

The university has a total of nearly 25,000 students of which 24 percent are international students. The UvA boasts six Nobel prize winners in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and a Nobel Peace prize.

Many former Prime Ministers and politicians and ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers are also alumni.

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Life After Patana: 3D Animation with Pixar Amanda Jayapurna, Grad’18

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manda Jayapurna, Grad’18, currently attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, was recently involved in the production of an animated short film mentored by members of the famed animation studio Pixar.

“Upside is a 3D animated short film about silver linings and finding light in unexpected places. It focuses on environment vignettes of a secluded midwestern town, accompanied with visuals driven by a collaboratively written poem. Each new setting is intended to portray a situation that is scary or beaten down but is then transformed into something beautiful and almost magical after the light source is revealed. Created within a 12 week timeframe from initial concept to finalized stages by a team of nine people, we wanted to pour in as much personality and weeks in however, we were able to get the hang of subtle details as possible!” coming up with makeshift solutions for these various issues, and one of our team members even coded a desktop “Last summer I was overjoyed at the news that I'd be application that would act as a visual UI "storage server" interning at Pixar Animation Studios—it's been a dream to transfer files! Even though we couldn't be together in of mine since childhood! When we got the unfortunate person, our group ended up meeting on zoom calls more news that the programme was cancelled in order to safely often for fun than for work discussions and it really felt like navigate the global pandemic, we didn't want to lose out I was experiencing the real thing.” on such an incredible opportunity to work together and learn from each other. That's how we decided to make “Probably the biggest takeaway from this experience the best of the situation and continue to collaborate with was learning the importance of taking a break (a real one). the help of Pixar mentors who helped guide us through the There is a lot of internal pressure to be super productive process during their free time. The project was a reminder that comes with having extra time during this pandemic, to both ourselves and anyone watching to stay positive and sometimes just squeezing in small breaks here and even in the most difficult situations!” there still wasn't sustainable. Our mentors encouraged us to periodically take full days off to just relax, go on a hike “Staying on a self-made schedule was definitely or literally do nothing for a bit and those structured breaks our biggest challenge working online. Not having really helped us come back with more energy and a clear the resources of a studio also caused extra delays in headspace to continue on!” Learn more about the project production and frustrating technical failures. After a few here

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174: Seeing AI A short video from me this week to introduce a useful little app from Microsoft called ‘Seeing AI’. It’s been around for a while now, but has just had a sleuth of updates, many of which combine tasks I would normally use several different apps for. Seeing AI narrates the world around you. Designed for the blind and low vision community, this free app harnesses the power of AI to open up the visual world and describes nearby people, text and objects. Watch this stepby-step tutorial on how to use Seeing AI.

Currently the Seeing AI app is only available for Apple devices here.

Have a great weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

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FOBISIA has two exciting design competitions running now, learn more about them here

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Desert Island Discs With Rachel Stead, Primary Leader of Learning, Music

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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 Rachel Stead, Primary Leader of Learning, Music is stuck on a desert island.

MS STEAD IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves Beim Schlafengehen by Richard Strauss - Jessye Norman What’d I Miss? – Hamilton, Lin Manuel-Miranda Quiet Uptown - Hamilton, Lin Manuel-Miranda In Paradisum, Requiem - Gabriel Faure

Listen to Ms Stead’s playlist here

Sibelius Symphony No 5 Stars - Eric Esenvalds and Sara Teasdale 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. Guitar WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 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.

Although the Thai government has announced new holidays, the school calendar remains the same.

2020/21 CALENDAR 05/02/2021

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

For further information and bookings please contact: Khun Prasert or Khun Supanut - Tel. 02 661 6470-3 ext. 504, 506 Fax. 02 258 3491 or e-mail: supanut@thesiamsociety.org

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

Cherubim Children’s Choir is ready to welcome new members We are looking for young singers (girls and boys) aged 7-13 years old who has the following qualities: • Enjoy singing • Can sing in tune • Has good listening skill • Confident and like to perform • Open minded and ready to learn new things • Ready to learn to work as a team We invite you to audition to be a member of our choir, learn, sing and perform with us.

Please fill in the application form and send us an audition video clip by end of February. (Note that the form says 31st January but the date has been extended).

For more information about our choir, audition details and application form, please click the link here

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For daily updates, snapshots and news on life at school you can find us here...

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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