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Patana
NEWS
Friday 23rd April 2021
Volume 23 Issue 27
www.patana.ac.th
GROUNDHOG DAY Mr Mills Reflects on the Pandemic
Page 2
Also in this issue...
Junior Achievement Finalists/Solo Festival Moves Online/A First for Under 11 Touch Rugby 23/04/2021
Bangkok Patana School News
Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS
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Groundhog Day Greetings Everyone,
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ne of my all-time favourite movies is a Harold Ramis directed 1993 film entitled “Groundhog Day”. Bill Murray plays a self-centred weatherman who experiences the same happenings each day he wakes up. I couldn’t help but think of the movie when I drove into school this morning and walking past the thermo-scan; a sequence I recorded for a health and safety mini-video during the first COVID-19 lockdown. It is starting to feel like we are all in a COVID-19 hamster wheel. On a positive note, things are different this time around as our well-developed CSL online learning platform is now well known by our school community. When I look at our current outlook compared to, say international schools in Indonesia who have not opened their school doors all academic year, we are still in a much better place. I am no expert on the pandemic, but it seems to me that if you follow the following recommendations, there is a high chance that you will stay clear of this despicable virus.
• Wearing a mask at all times • Not touching any surfaces • Washing your hands regularly with soap • Keeping a good distance apart from any human contact • Keeping way from any social gatherings including; markets, restaurants, pubs, night life entertainment areas, massage parlours, large shopping areas, wedding parties etc….. • Sticking to a family bubble • Avoiding public transport I am sure you could add to the list, but it is so important to try and keep yourselves as safe and protected as feasibly possible.
Front cover artwork by Rinka Bunsokuwan, 7G 2
Bangkok Patana School News
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To all of our Bangkok Patana community experiencing positive COVID-19 tests at this time, we send our best wishes and are hoping you make a speedy recovery. An important reminder to any of our parents or staff that if they receive a positive test, they must inform our Head Nurse Khun Patama, pach@patana.ac.th as soon as they can, so she can be the liaison between home and school.
New Students Starting Term 3 A special welcome to our 11 new Primary students and three Secondary students starting at Bangkok Patana School in Term 3. I’m sorry that we are not meeting face to face but I know our Head of Admissions, Rachel Jones and her team are working hard to make sure your transition to our CSL online learning platform goes smoothly for you all. I look forward to meeting all of our new Patana students and parents once school reopens again.
Royal Farewell On behalf of Bangkok Patana School, I would like to pay our respects to the recent passing of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A committed champion of young people, the Duke was Patron of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award programme, which has been inspiring young people for 65 years. The Duke of Edinburgh 10 June 1921- 9 April 2021 May He Rest In Peace
Covid-19 Article I am fully aware that you will have read copious articles on the COVID-19 Global pandemic, but I wanted to share this article here with you as it does leave a little light at the end of the tunnel. It does require signing up to read it, so let me share with you a few salient points: • Green shoots in the world’s two largest economies are signs that the world as a whole might be poised for a strong recovery from the deepest peacetime recession since the Great Depression. • As infection rates decline, the recovery of the world’s two largest economies will help drive growth elsewhere. World trade and industrial production began to revive last summer. • The response to COVID-19 has fostered technologies and innovations that could underpin increased global welfare and productivity. • To the extent that remote work becomes a global phenomenon, it could encourage growth in trade in services, including business services, because working from home can take place down the street from the office or around the world. And a new generation of global entrepreneurs could emerge from the present crisis. • Ultimately, COVID-19 may help knit the globe together by demonstrating the inescapability of a shared destiny. Stay safe and well.
Matt Mills Head of School
23/04/2021
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Junior Achievement Team is A Finalist for Company of the Year Nicholas Fieldhouse, Secondary Business and Economics Teacher
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angkok Patana’s Junior Achievement team won 2nd place in the Company of the Year Competition for Thailand on Saturday 27th March. Junior Achievement is a worldwide business programme and competition where students set up and run their own company working in liaison with external business advisors. Bangkok Patana’s team this year is called “NumNum” and their product is a uniquely designed, high quality plushie made from organic materials, which they have been selling in the local community since Christmas. Last Saturday they competed against other international schools from across Thailand in a competition where they had to produce a detailed company report outlining their business success, give a seven
minute online presentation to a panel of esteemed judges, and field challenging questions from the same panel of judges. The team were delighted to be announced as one of two finalist companies and they will now progress to the next round of the international competition: the Asia Pacific Final later this year. Congratulations and thanks go to all the students involved and to Patana parent Ann Baines who has been the team’s business advisor this year. Students involved: Svasti Jagannadhan, Nichapatr (Petch) Lomtakul, Kazuma Uji, Kamolchanok (Gene) Tangtrongchitr, Yi (Annie) Wang, Sara Okada and Catherine Tantapakul.
Term 3 has started, all holiday dates remain the same 2020/21 CALENDAR
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Equity Partnership School Network Programme Nicholas Fieldhouse, Secondary Business and Economics Teacher
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angkok Patana students won first and third places in the Equity Partnership School Network Programme, where each team from international schools across Bangkok pairs up with a Thai school to design, market and sell a unique product via Central Department stores. The competition final was held at Gateway Shopping Centre in Ekkamai on Friday 26th March. Pim Wongswan, 12Z, shares her experiences taking part in the programme. “I learnt about the Equity Partnership’s School Network Program (EP) after managing to set up a meeting with Equitable Education Fund (EEF) and thus invited nine other friends to partake in this project with me.” “The Equity Partnership’s School Network Programme (EP) is a long-term joint partnership programme between Thai local schools, Thailand international schools, JD Central, and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF). The purpose of this programme is to lessen the education gap within Thailand and provide the underprivileged Thai schools with the necessary education and opportunity needed to help them develop skills for a sustainable future. With this goal in mind, the Thai schools selected for this program are schools under the branch of EEF’s support and are schools categorised with the majority of their students living in ‘poverty’ or ‘extreme poverty’. “ “Over the nine months of the co-creation sessions between Thai schools and international schools, the Thai schools were given the responsibility of producing the product while international students improved the product through iterative design, marketed the product based on market trends and sold the product to appropriate target groups.” “Throughout the programme, we learnt from one another both within the team and from the Thai students; with the context of exchanging culture and learning practical entrepreneur skills. It was a very successful programme with Mukano Design placing first overall and Boarn in Th placing third overall.” “I would like to thank Ms Ferguson and Mr Fieldhouse for the constant support and guidance throughout this project and hope to partake in other similar competitions in the future.”
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Primary Musician of the Month Ladysmith Black Mambazo Lisa Mallett, Primary Music Teacher
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his month in Primary Music, we focus on the South African acapella vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Our Musician of the Month project enables students to connect with music and musicians from a range of countries and cultures, discovering new sounds and styles. Formed back in the early 1960s by its founder member Joseph Shabalala, the group quickly became one of South Africa’s finest vocal ensembles. They gained international recognition following their collaboration with the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon on the album Graceland in 1986. The group have five Grammys, recorded over 30 albums, worked with artists such as Stevie Wonder and Dolly Parton, and have been featured on film soundtracks including The Lion King 2. Each word in the group’s name has a meaning - Ladysmith was the name of the town Joseph was born in, Black refers to the oxen, the strongest farm animal and Mambazo is a Zulu word for ‘chopping axe’, a symbol of the groups’ ability to ‘chop down’ their singing rivals with their voices. In fact, the group were so good they were eventually banned from singing competitions! Their music is inspired by traditional Zulu music called Isicathamiya and features call and response songs with intricate harmonies and choreographed dance moves. Enjoy listening to their music on our playlist here and in the video below.
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Bangkok Patana School News
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Solo Festival Goes Online
Rachel Stead, Leader of Learning and Music, Primary ue to the current Covid situation, we are converting piece(s) can be recorded. Maximum time limit is five minthe Solo Festival 2021to an online format. This for- utes. mat was very successful last year. There will be no cost. Please limit the videos to one per student per instrument. Essentially, each participant should make a video of their If a piece is very short then more than one piece can be performance and upload it to a secure Flipgrid board us- included but should still be in one video. ing their school login details . Students will be able to see Students should wear smart clothes for the video, suitaeach other’s performances and leave encouraging feedble for a performance in front of an audience. back and messages for them. Each video will also have feedback from a Music Teacher. Further details about the They should begin by introducing themselves and sharuploading process will be sent nearer the time. ing the name of their piece. If they are performing more When choosing the piece(s) to perform, it may be bet- than one piece they should include the titles of all pieces ter to choose a piece which has already been mastered at the beginning of the video. At the end they should take by the student and is well within their capability. This will a bow.
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ensure that the preparing and performing is fun, which is particularly important at a time when many students are not having music lessons.
The Solo Festival 2021 Flipgrid will be open for uploading videos between Thursday 13th May and Wednesday 19th May. Links will be sent in due course. We hope that Students can practise their pieces, perhaps setting small, this event will help students to continue to engage with self-improvement targets. When the student is ready, the their music instrument and have fun even though they may not be having lessons at the moment.
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Year 10 Geography Students Explore Hua Hin Anoushka Mohanty, 10R
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uring Term2 all the Year 10 geography classes went to Hua Hin to collect data for our coursework. We stayed at Suan Son Resort, which was really nice as we were right next to the beach if we wanted to go down, and all rooms had an immaculate view. We spent our first afternoon venturing out into the city to get a primary understanding of the city; we went to hotels, restaurants and to the railway station, all on foot. The classes were combined and then divided into two groups, where one group visited the coast and the other went to the city.
methods, some of which included having to get all sandy and getting waist deep into the waves. We also visited a mangrove forest, which wasn’t a part of our coursework, but it was rather pleasant to walk though. We got back to the hotel wet and covered in sand and got ready for the next day, which was typing up the coursework.
This was much more engaging and enjoyable than expected. We were all working individually and typing our coursework with music, scattered over three rooms depending on our choice of study. We even celebrated three My group when to the city on the first day. The city data of the students’ birthdays over ice cream cakes. Since this collection was quite fun and relaxed as we were collecting was our last day and we did a lot of work over the day, data from our chosen sites in groups of four. We explored the teachers took us to the mall for the evening and dinner. local life, as well as common tourist locations where some Overall, I would say that this was a really fun trip, where of us bought some souvenirs and then we had lunch at our we experienced Hua Hin in a different way than how we choice of restaurant. We calculated traffic and pedestrian counts, took pictures and made sketches of the area. The do during a vacation, we worked with people with whom next day we went to three different beaches for our coastal we wouldn’t usually work and enjoyed with our friends. In data collection. We were collecting data by a variety of the end it left me waiting for our next trip with high expectations.
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Bangkok Patana School News
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Vaping and E-Cigarettes
Lorna Conroy, Secondary Assistant Principal, Student Welfare hen I was at school back in the 1980s I remem- boundaries and it’s part of growing up. Our priority ber being taught about the dangers of smoking therefore is to educate the students of the points above. cigarettes. I also knew which bathrooms to avoid as they We do this through the tutorial programme, the visiting were where the ‘smokers’ hung out. When I started my specialists from FCD, and information in the student teaching career in 1999 my first school had a ‘smoking bathrooms. We also aim to support them - if they feel room’ for staff, and cigarette smoke wafted out into the they can’t say ‘no’ or have become addicted either to corridors as students made their way to lessons. Thankfully, the nicotine in vapes or the habit, then our team of social times have changed since then and the number of young and emotional counsellors can help. Finally, we do issue people and adults smoking cigarettes has fallen dramat- sanctions if students either vape in school or have any kind ically. However, over the past 10 years we have seen an of vaping device or paraphernalia on campus. It is an enormous growth in vaping and the use of e-cigarettes, an illegal activity and therefore the school must take a hard industry estimated to reach a market size of USD 67.31 line on this. Our hope is that through education, support billion by 2027. and working in partnership with the rest of the community we can avoid these sanctions. CONCERNS ABOUT VAPING Despite being illegal in Thailand, vaping devices are DISCUSSIONS ABOUT VAPING readily available, easily accessible and fairly visible in I have had many conversations with the students over society. It’s legal status makes accessing accurate infor- the past few months in an attempt to find out the facts. It mation regarding trends difficult, but through conversa- appears that vaping is common among some groups of tions with colleagues at a range of schools in Bangkok, it students where the perception is that ‘everyone is doing is clear that this is an activity that some international school it’ and not common with others. Those that fall into the first students are engaging in. This is obviously a concern and category talk about vaping at home, at friends’ houses, something we are actively working with the students to re- parties, shopping malls and car parks. A number talk of duce. The main areas of concern are: it being something they started during lock down that has now become a habit; others use it as a form of stress relief. The health risks associated with vaping are not fully un- Whatever the reason our aim is that through education, derstood. There is increasing evidence to suggest that it support and guidance from both school and home your could be significantly damaging to health. children will successfully navigate their way through It is illegal in Thailand so students that are engaging in and stay safe and healthy. I encourage you to have this activity are putting themselves at risk. We are aware conversations with your children about vaping, particularly that some of our older students have been stopped and the health risks and legality. Below you will find links to a searched in the city recently and had they been carrying a number of useful resources containing information about vaping device could have found themselves in a very dif- vaping and e-cigarettes as well as advice as to how to ficult situation. The implications of this could be significant. broach the conversation with your child.
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If you have concerns about vaping or want further As it is illegal in Thailand it is also unregulated, therefore there is no way of knowing what is actually in the vaping advice on how to help support your child please contact their Head of Year. solution, therefore potentially magnifying the health risks. Nicotine is an addictive drug and some vapes contain exceptionally high amounts. Not only can this lead to addition but also has a negative impact on the developing teenage brain.
US Department of Health
DEALING WITH VAPING IN SCHOOL At Bangkok Patana we have a multifaceted approach to tackling this issue. We know young people do push
US Surgeon General Parent Tip sheet
23/04/2021
Stanford University Tips on talking to teens about vaping:
How to Talk with your Kids About Vaping Talk to Teens About Vaping
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What’s New in the Library EARLY YEARS LIBRARY Fiction
Non- fiction
PRIMARY LIBRARY Fiction
Comic Books
Non- fiction
SECONDARY LIBRARY Fiction
Home Languages
Senior Fiction
Non-Fiction
Graphic Novels
CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING LIBRARY Professional Learning
SCAN TO LEARN HOW TO ACCESS OUR SELECTION OF E-BOOKS IN SORA
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CAT/CAS CORNER
STOP: Slavery and Human Trafficking
Pon Pingkarawat, 12H he year 2021 brings hope for many people: new population in the country enslaved. Other countries with challenges, partnerships and possibilities await many similar percentages include Libya, Belarus and Sudan. people like you and me, while others can finally have the So how do we prevent or even reduce the prevalence chance to create their own. of slavery? Well, a significant majority of slavery-based The future looks bright for the ordinary person, but what jobs are part of the private sector. Getting corporations about the oppressed living away from it all? Those who to enact a minimum wage or allowing unions may reduce take refuge in the shadows and work inhumane hours, the chances of people living in poverty and turning to those who are treated like feral animals and risk their slavery. Furthermore, with many developed countries health and lives for little to no pay? As with the start of a such as Denmark and Sweden, there are social nets in new year and entering a new year full of social, economic place to prevent people from turning to slavery. There and political change, it is fitting to reflect on the thorn in are job search services, a guaranteed income and strict our side, slavery, and what has been proposed, enacted enforcement of regulations, resources many developing or implemented. and underdeveloped countries lack.
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In many countries, there are worker unions in place, agreements between government and business, multinational cooperation and community action to reinforce bills passed by the government or agreements between fellow countrymen. However, when your country has one of the biggest wealth disparities, with some people living in absolute hard line poverty while others reside in expansive six bedroom houses, combined with increasing political power given to the private sector, something must be done. Thailand has around 630 cases of slavery reported in 2019 alone [Kuo, J. 2019]. However, that is the count of only slavery cases reported, but according to the Walk Free Foundation, the suspected percentage of people living and working in slavery-like conditions, is around 0.5-0.75 percent of the population. This puts Thailand significantly behind other developed countries like the USA or UK, with 0.05-0.00 percent of their
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Even though governments have set their eyes on ending slavery, there is still much more that can be done to contribute towards the fight to end modern slavery. Non-governmental organisations and charities like the Walk Free Foundations is a good place to start, however, Bangkok Patana also has its own group dedicated to ending slavery, STOP. STOP or Stop Trafficking of People is a CAT club aimed at eliminating modern slavery while also empowering students, teachers and the rest of the community to recognise and respond to human trafficking. STOP gives people an opportunity to speak out and provides a safe platform to reach out about modern slavery. All profits raised by STOP goes primarily to local education charities such as The Mekong Club and the United Nations InternationalAgency Project on Human Trafficking, as well as UNICEF.
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Patana Tigers in Action! BISAC Under 13 Tennis Results Daniel Ahl, Head Tennis Coach
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t the end of last term, the Under 13 Boys’ and Girls’ teams who entered split into three divisions. We had four tennis squad took part in the end of season BISAC teams taking part and, as with the Girls’ teams, all showed Championship. good tactical ideas - notably in the Doubles pairs. The Girls played at ISB and had a team in both divisions. Both teams played some really good tennis using tactics and teamwork they had worked on during the season. The Girls had some tight matches throughout the day but managed to compete well and show excellent fighting quality.
The Boys’ A team who played in the Championship division competed hard and supported each other well and were narrowly defeated in their final match to finish runners up. The B team also did well beating a couple of A teams in their 2nd division but ended up in 3rd place. In the 3rd division the Under 11 team did exceptionally well to win all their matches and top the standings.
Both teams finished unbeaten winning four out of the four matches played which saw the A team win the overall From a Head Coach’s perspective, the Under 13 events title and the B team win Division 2. A great way to finish are always an important part of the students’ development the season! cycle as we are able to give more opportunities to get the Boys’ and Girls’ playing competitively against other The Boys’ event was played at Bangkok Patana with 15 international schools in a fun environment. 12
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A Bangkok Patana First in Touch Rugby! Andrew Tatam, Leader of Learning, Physical Education
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were involved from five schools and each team got to play a jaw dropping eight games of Touch which certainly meant plenty of action for our teams. The festival was played and refereed in great spirit so that all of the children involved had a very positive experience. Our teams certainly performed out of their skins with our Black team going undefeated scoring an amazing 34 tries and conceding just 6 whilst our Oranges got better and better, A total of 13 boys and girls who have been attending winning three matches, drawing four and losing just one our new Touch Rugby ECA formed two teams supported match. by Mr Tristan and myself. With only four sessions behind us, we entered the Festival with fun and gaining A super Bangkok Patana Primary first that certainly does experience at the forefront of our minds. Twelve teams not look like being the last! ith nearly 70 years under our belt, it is rare indeed to get the opportunity to do something for the first time at Bangkok Patana School. This remarkable feat was achieved on Saturday 27th March at the Touch Rugby Festival at St Andrews where two Bangkok Patana Under 11 Touch Rugby teams graced the field for the first time.
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Chess Players Shine in Rajapark Institute Tournament Panaporn (Jaa) Wutwanich, ECA Coordinator
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leven students from Bangkok Patana took part in the First Rajapark Institute Chess Tournament at the end of March. As a team, Bangkok Patana won the 2nd Runner Up Trophy, behind SISB who won the 1st Runner Up Trophy and the winners AISB. Individually, Kieran Leung was 1st Runner Up, Leah and Mia won the Best Girl trophies in Under 10 and Under 8 age groups out of a total of 120 chess competitors. Congratulations!
Karting Successes Race On in Rok Cup Thailand Maarten Vliegen, Bangkok Patana Parent
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hree students hit the Bira track for the first round of the Karting 2021 Rok Cup Thailand last month at the Bira Racetrack in Chonburi. At the start, Year 9 student Nandhavud (Jem) Bhirombhakdi raced in the Senior Rok class while Year 7 students Sra (JJ) Anuras and Taiyo Vliegen took part in the Mini Rok class. In his final, Jem outwitted the pole sitter and did a tremendous job winning the Senior Class. Quite a feat when you learn that to meet the minimum weight criteria, Jem carries an additional 25 kg. After a 10 second penalty in the heat, Taiyo kept his cool and cruised through the prefinal and final, ultimately winning the Mini Rok event. Unfortunately JJ was pushed off track during the heat and later suffered technical issues. JJ is in his first year and learned a lot in the past months. He is one to watch for in the future. The next Rok Cup Thailand race (hopefully!) will be on 8-9 May. 14
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Year 10 Golfer Competes in WPGA Tournament Peter Keil, Patana Parent ear 10 golfer Jenny Keil had a busy few weeks at the end of March! After winning the BG CLASS at BISAC at the Vintage Club in March she played at the TJDT Final Master Tournament at Alpine Golf Club, a three day tournament where she had a strong lead coming into the final day. Nevertheless, a 4 hole playoff was needed to secure the victory!
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Then, she participated in her first ever Pro Tournament organised by TWT - WPGA at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club in Pattaya; qualifying among the best 60 out of 112 to compete on the final day. A remarkable since most of the players in this Tournament were professional golf players and not amateurs - well done Jenny!
Basketball in the New Normal Reyce De La Cruz, 9D
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t has been a year since the global pandemic affected our way of life. It was on 18th March last year when our school shut down, abruptly ending the Season 3 sporting season and events. We successfully started with the CSL programme until mid-June. As we stayed and studied at home, my sister and I kept ourselves active in the kitchen and the basketball court in our compound. We created our own “bubble.” During the summer holidays, I engaged in basketball summer camps to play the game and stay active. Aside from practicing the 3W’s of Washing hands frequently, Wearing masks, and Watching distance, we had to sanitise our sneakers and our own basketballs and the game ball regularly. FIBA mandated the creation of “bubbles” in all tournaments. The NBA and NCAA March Madness started the season and tournaments with only the players and coaching staff allowed in the stadiums. Technology played a big role in live streaming these sporting events so fans, parents and relatives can still enjoy the games. In NCAA, there is a contact tracing device attached to the players jersey to measure the time and distance between players.
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The Leagues were also tight with health protocols with the mandatory swab testing requirement. My sister, who played football in the FA Thailand Women’s League, passed the tests twice, before the tournament kicked off last October and February after the surge of cases in Thailand last Christmas holidays. In this “New Normal” in sporting events I am grateful that our school and the leadership team have well prepared and instituted health protocols to ensure that we continue to play the sports that we love when campus re-opens.
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ARTS COUNCIL Overcoming Challenges in Music Mariana Lopez Moreira, 8M
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am a Key Stage 3 student, I play the trumpet for music and I am writing about a music piece called Duelling Dragons. We are still learning and performing in the school community, but I hope to be able to showcase it outside the school someday. This piece of music is the most recent one given to me and my peers. When we first received this piece, our first reaction was worry that we wouldn’t be able to play it. We had barely received our music and were already quite doubtful about it. There were new higher notes, accents and a lot of crescendos. The first time we had actually attempted to play the music piece, we were pleasantly surprised. Very quickly, we realised that it looked harder than it actually was. The most challenging moment of this piece was the new high notes that we had to play. It involved a lot of air whilst also having to memorise the new fingerings. This piece was tricky to get right, but we had a helpful website called Smart Music that tells us if we get any notes wrong. Even better, it tells us how to fix the note. So, after lots of in- and out-of-school practicing, we are now able to play this piece of music as an entire concert band. Even though we only had one full band practice lesson due to the recent situations, it was still really interesting to finally play all together and to hear what the song sounded like as a group. Overall, music can be difficult at first, but with practice, you can play any piece.
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ARTS COUNCIL Broadening Horizons in IB Visual Arts Tara-Bee Stephenson, 12H
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natomy is difficult, so naturally I strayed away from it in my pieces; my (I)GCSE works showcase mainly animals or landscapes. Although, since beginning IB, I’ve been pushed to broaden my skills starting with portraits. Self-perception was a concept that I wanted to explore in my pieces, and even my discomfort at first with the subject matter of people was, in itself, an idea I could portray. This project, though still in process, is a new experience for me - not just painting a person, but on a canvas size much larger than I have ever used. I tried this painting two other times on much smaller canvases before finally being pushed to truly ‘go big’. On top of that, I was working in oil paints, a relatively foreign medium to me at the beginning of this work, and something I had never tried before IB. Though painting people is still something I’m a bit hesitant to do, this process was nevertheless meaningful and at least I now have more experience with it. I even discovered a love for painting on fabric, another new thing to try out - even if it was entirely unrelated to what I was originally investigating. The course grants you the freedom to experiment and explore, in fact, it’s something that they really encourage. Even if you stumble through your explorations, it is simply an opportunity to learn and try again and to find out what you do (or don’t!) enjoy. Overall, IB Visual Arts is a great way to learn and practice independence and critical thinking, especially since investigations are critical in the IB diploma.
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UNI COUNSELORS’ CORNER In the Spotlight... Colby College, USA
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olby College, located in Maine, is one of the oldest liberal arts schools in the United States and boasts a carbon neutral campus, one of the few in the US. Around 95 percent of the roughly 2,000 students live on the large campus which has a large bird sanctuary and renowned art museum. Ranked 15th in the US News and World Report Best National Liberal Arts colleges ranking, Colby offers students unusual subject combinations in more than 50 majors across more than 20 academic departments. The most popular majors are Biology, Economics, English, History, Global Studies, Government and Psychology. More than two-thirds of students study abroad, and Colby runs its own programmes in Dijon, France; Salamanca, Spain and St. Petersburg, Russia. Notable alumni include several Pulitzer Prize winning authors including Annie Proulx, counsellor to President Obama Pete Rouse, journalist Bill Bradlee Jr and several Olympians including a member of the medal winning women’s ice hockey teams in 2002 and 2006.
Contribute your article for publication in the magazine and in the Patana News! scientia@patana.ac.th
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University Offers
Sasilada (Kiki) Srivikorn Middlebury College, Wellesley College, King’s College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Bath, University of British Columbia, Smith College, University of California Irvine, University of California San Diego, University of California Davis and the University of Sussex. Politics and Economics
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ongratulations to Kiki on her offers and her decision to attend Middlebury College in Vermont. “I am planning to attend Middlebury College. Not only was I captivated by its picturesque campus from my first visit, but Middlebury has strong programmes in environmental and international studies that were of my interest. In fact, Middlebury is home to the first Environmental Studies programme in the US, and the college is also greatly involved in several sustainability practices. Attending Middlebury will allow me to engage in a tight-knit and intellectually stimulating community that truly encompasses a Liberal Arts education. As Middlebury has “My extra-curricular activities include singing (both as campuses at 38 Universities in 17 countries around the world, I plan to minor in a foreign language a soloist and in the school’s Jazz Band), swimming, and before immersing myself in a new culture through their several community service activities such as Thongbai Daycare.” renowned study abroad programme” “Although I applied to universities in three different countries, I was especially drawn to the flexibility and the well-rounded nature of the US curriculum. US universities tend to provide students with the opportunity to explore multiple subjects for at least a year before deciding on a major. As someone who is still uncertain about her intended major, the US curriculum seemed the most ideal. “ “I plan on studying International Politics and Economics. I became fascinated with this major due to its interdisciplinary nature that will allow me to explore our increasingly globalised world through multiple lenses. Moreover, the courses within the Major cover themes ranging from Inequality and Justice to Ecocriticism, all of which directly align with my interests.” 23/04/2021
“Outside of school, I founded my own project named The Rising Sunflower Project which involves donating sunflower kits to local schools in rural communities in hopes that they develop the knowledge and skills to become self-sufficient. Growing the sunflowers sprouts not only helps them maintained a more balanced diet, but also allows them to generate income for themselves by selling the sprouts or sunflower seeds. I have also taken part in annual community service activities such as teaching English to young monks in the Northern provinces of Thailand, performing to refugees with my student-led band, and teaching blind children to swim at the Bangkok School for the Blind. I am also involved as both an SSRC (Senior Student Council Representative) and a Student Delegate.”
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#181: Heartbeat of the Earth S
ince it was Earth Day 2021 on Thursday 22nd April, I thought I’d share with you a series of interactive infographics. Heartbeat of the Earth is a collection of online artworks created in collaboration with five artists, the Google Arts and Culture Lab and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) responding to and interpreting scientific climate data. Eight artists - Giorgia Lupi, Fabian Oefner, Cristina Tarquini, Laurie Frick, Pekka Niittyvirta, Timo Aho, Sey Min and Felicity Hammond used key findings from a landmark UN report and data from scientific institutions, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the World Meteorological Organisation, to create eight interactive pieces of art about our climate. They’ve addressed the topics of declining biodiversity, air pollution, food consumption, melting glaciers and rising sea levels. You can watch a short compilation of them on this YouTube video. Have a great weekend. Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration
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Desert Island Discs With Dean Chaudhry, Foundation Stage Leader of Learning and Development
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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 Dean Chaudhry, Foundation Stage Leader of Learning and Development is stuck on a desert island. MR CHAUDHRY, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Hounds of Love - Kate Bush Don’t look back into the sun - The Libertines Let’s Dance - David Bowie This Charming Man - The Smiths Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash No Surprises – Radiohead
Listen to Mr Chaudhry’s playlist here
Monkey Man - Amy Winehouse 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. An endless supply of Dom Perignon WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 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.
Community Offers FIND SPECIAL OFFERS FOR THE BANGKOK PATANA COMMUNITY HERE
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Bangkok Patana School News
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Wildlife Spotting with Coke Wildlife Holiday!
Alexander Coke Smith III, Secondary Environmental Science Leader
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p to this point I have been focusing on nature and wildlife activities that area easy to accomplish near our homes here in the greater Bangkok Metropolitan area. And there are still many more that I will write about in future articles. But for this week’s addition, I’ve decided to take us on a journey a bit further out – to Thailand’s southern provinces. My son and I had a great time together exploring some of the Southern Thailand’s most spectacular nature hotspots over our Songkran holiday. Before all the latest COVID-19 news broke we were able to explore several incredibly biodiverse areas. These are areas I have visited several times in the past, so we already knew what to look for and how to look. With this in mind, I would like to share with our Bangkok Patana family some of the highpoints with hopes that you will someday soon do the same! When people think of Southern Thailand, they usually have visions of crowded beaches in Phuket or Samui and other places along those lines, and they are great. But for my family, we think of such places as Ao Phang Nga, Si Phang Nga or Khao Luang National Parks, just a small list of Southern Thailand’s amazing truly tropical biodiversity hotspots. And for the truly adventurous naturalist, there is the deep south and Hala Bala Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjoining wilderness areas hugging the Malaysian border, which I will highlight in a future article. In this article, I will present some images of our recent expedition down south with special emphasis three locations. AO PHANG NGA This is a vast wilderness encompassing countless karst limestone islands covered in tropical forests. The main draw however for naturalists is the large areas of mangrove forests. Here one can find a dizzying array of bird fauna.
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Spectacular species like the Mangrove Pitta, several species of Kingfishers and Broadbills are common along the brand new boardwalk trail that one can visit there. SI PHANG NGA Still in Phang Nga Province, this is a spectacular forest ecosystem with loads of flora and fauna that are easier to see there than virtually any place else in Thailand. A great place for Pittas and Kingfishers as well but also for hornbills! KRUNG CHING My favorite bio-hotspot in Thailand, however, is Krung Ching, a remote section of Khao Luang National Park in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. I have been visiting this incredible ecosystem for nearly twenty years now and even with that level of experience, I feel I have still just scratched the surface of what one can see and experience there. Over the years I have seen Pangolins, White-crested Hornbills, Cream-colored Giant Squirrels and so much more! Truly a nature-lovers paradise. To view these nature hotspots, one can easily start from Phuket and within a couple short and scenic hours be in a truly natural world of tropical biodiversity. Please feel free to contact me (cosm@patana.ac.th) for specific details and guide recommendations (always a good idea to have a guide!).
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Bangkok Patana School News
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Bangkok Patana School News
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