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 11th September 2020
Volume 23 Issue 4
www.patana.ac.th
BACK IN SCHOOL
BY MARK VERDE, PRIMARY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Page 2 Also in this issue...
Year 9 Student in The Voice Kids Final/Donation for Special Needs Schools/Tech in the Library 11/09/2020
Bangkok Patana School News
Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS
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Back in School
Mark Verde, Primary Assistant Principal, Learning and Curriculum
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n Friday 4th September I asked 40 children from Years 1 to 6, how they felt about being back in school. The first response from them all was just how wonderful it was to be with their friends again!
The children talked about how they had missed their class during the school closure and now that they are back in school they are happy to have so many opportunities to see, learn with, talk to, and play with their friends. It was wonderful to hear them talk fondly about their learning, but more importantly about meeting their new teachers, making new friends and welcoming new students into the Patana community. Hudson in Year 3 explained that his favourite piece of learning so far was Literacy because he really liked learning about Roald Dahl and the children in Year 2 were all very excited about “The Mystery Bag Challenges”. “I’m excited to be back because I missed my friends” Oscar, Year 2 The children were very pleased to be learning in school again, rather than online or through a screen and really valued their teacher’s help in class. They loved, once again having access to the outside learning environments where they can run, climb, exercise and play football! Our youngest new children in Nursery have settled in quickly and are finding out about and exploring the world around them. Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2 children transitioned smoothly into their building where the areas have been carefully structured to bring the spaces closer together and enable the teachers and children to get to know each other quickly. This has helped them feel protected, safe and secure so that they are happy to engage in their learning and think critically about everything around them. “It’s amazing being back because you get to see your friends.” Tent, Year 2 Collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking are occurring in all classrooms with teachers challenging, extending, supporting, and enjoying the learning with and alongside the children. Teachers are spending time talking to the children, listening to what they say and giving them careful feedback in response to their learning. “You have loads of friends and they give you a warm welcome” Tee, Year 3 These simple gestures mean a lot to our children and we are prioritising relationships, fostering social connections and
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encouraging kind and compassionate behaviours. A recent article in Educational Leadership stated that children are not going to remember what they learned in the lockdown period during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, but they will remember who helped them get through it.
Which leaves me to end by saying; we all are delighted to be back in school… learning together …. with our friends. Let us remember: “One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.” Malala Yousafzai
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Filtered Air Systems Effective in Reducing PM2.5 in Classrooms B
angkok Patana’s pre-cooled filtered fresh air systems installed in July 2019, covered here last week, have been effective in reducing PM2.5 levels in classrooms in line with our Air Quality Policy. PM2.5 numbers fall drastically when the units are turned on at 4am and stay low until they are turned off at 6pm. Even after the units are turned off, the residual air stays within the ‘Good’ Category. In the graph below, you can see the outside air quality goes into the ‘Caution for All’ category while the inside PM2.5 levels are still very safe.
Singha-SAT National 3x3 Basketball Championship Winner Keen basketballer and Year 11 student, Priscilla Jensen and her club team MPS, won the Singha-SAT Thailand National 3x3 Basketball Championship 2020. ECA providers Level Up Academy sent three of their coaches to the tournament to support her. Their coaches are as passionate about the game as Priscilla. Congratulations to Priscilla and her teammates on a great result at the championships.
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Year 9 Student is the First Runner Up in The Voice Kids Thailand
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ongratulations to Krista Shim in Year 9 as she came in as the first runner up in The Voice Kids Thailand. Enjoy her moving rendition of Leonaard Cohen’s Hallelujah in the video here or below.
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Bangkok Patana School News
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Bangkok Patana Donates to Special Needs Schools
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very year Bangkok Patana donates used computers and peripherals to schools and organisations around the country. For the school year 2019/20 donations were made to nine special needs schools under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn; Anusan Sunthon School for the Deaf, Kawila-Anukul School and Sri Sangwan School in Chiang Mai; Nonthaburi School for the Deaf and Sri Sangwan School in Nonthaburi; Wat Chengkhao School and Baan Blukasnor School in Narathiwat; Wat Praifah
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School in Patum Thani and Tungmahamek School for the Deaf in Bangkok. Representatives from the schools were on hand to meet with Mr Mills and Director of the Foundation Board Office Kulvadee Siribhadra and receive the donated items. Among the 159 items of donated goods were Chromebooks, tablets, Wacom screens and iPads. Bangkok Patana Foundation is strongly committed to our community and ensuring that children across the country have access to the resources they need to further their learning.
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PressReader and OverDrive to Access Digital Books and Magazines Stephen Murgatroyd, Cross Campus Head of Libraries
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n today’s ever changing world landscape, it is good to know that there is always somewhere you can go to access quality material to read, whether it is current affairs and interesting magazines or the book that you just want to dive into. However, this can be problematic if you have forgotten to go to the Library to collect the book or magazine and it is now closed. But you need worry no longer, as Bangkok Patana Library is now subscribed to two wonderful online resources that can be accessed anywhere and at anytime – PressReader, for newspapers and magazines, and OverDrive for a range of eBooks. PressReader is available for the whole school community to access, whereas OverDrive is just available for our children and students from Year 5 through to Year 13, and will only work using the children’s or student’s Bangkok Patana email address to login with. For both PressReader and OverDrive you need to ensure that the initial login is done at school to make sure that everything will work properly. Please remember to come and see us in either Library if there are any problems or email Mr. M. (stmu@ patana.ac.th), Mr. Damon (dapa@patana.ac.th) or Khun Duang (dutu@patana.ac.th). PRESSREADER PressReader is a wonderful resource of constantly up-
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dated newspapers and magazines that come from a huge variety of countries, in many different languages. It also allows you to translate magazines into different languages as well, so you can gain an insight into how other countries view similar world events. Please click on this PressReader link for instructions on how to access everything. OVERDRIVE We are now a member of a consortium of Thai International Schools, who have all pooled their resources to provide a rich and varied (and growing) collection of titles. Although the collection is still quite small, at just over 1,000 books and audio books, this will increase in size over the next few years so that we will be able to offer a really good selection of quality books and authors with a wide variety of genres to choose from. OverDrive, otherwise known as ‘Sora’, is a web-based system that works on all forms of computers and handheld devices. There is also an app available to download (for free) from the Apple App Store and the google Play Store. Please click on the following links to carefully follow the instructions so that you can have ‘Sora’ on a device of your choosing. There is one for Year 5 and Year 6 and one for Secondary. Happy Reading!
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Bangkok Patana’s First Virtual Fun Run! B
angkok Patana’s annual Fun Run is a popular fixture on the Patana calendar. This year, we are going virtual! Sign up online, register your time and see how you do! All proceeds go to charities so you can know you are doing good while you are having fun. Sponsorships are available from THB 5,000. More info on sponsorships here!
ary Year Groups can make their mark with most runners as well. Made a great time? You may win the Best Female Run or Best Male Run as well as Best Female and Male Runner in each Key Stage.
Do you prefer to run with friends? Then maybe you should try to win the Fun Run Selfie with the Most Number of Participants (wearing masks of course!). Other fun You can register for a 3K or a 5K run. You must complete awards in the Fun Run include: Most Sweaty Selfie (not your run between 26th September and 4th October and hard to do in Bangkok’s heat!) and Best Dressed Twin Runthen upload a screenshot recording your run to the webpage ners (dress twinsie style - you don’t need to be actual twins to particpate). coming soon. We have some great awards, including the Keen Bean Details to come on how to register online will be posted (first to post their run) and on the flip side Back of the Pack in the coming week, The cost is only THB 100 per par(last run submitted). There are also awards for Oldest and ticpant and your own unique medal as well as the chance Youngest Runners. Students can boost their House by win- to purchase a cool Fun Run t-shirt after the run for THB ning the Most Runners for their House, Primary isn’t left out 300. with Year Groups being given the same chance. Second-
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The Outdoor Classroom is Open for Learning! Alexander (Coke) Smith, Environmental Systems and Societies Leader
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e’ve been back at school now for only three weeks and Bangkok Patana’s Outdoor Classroom is already open and being used by our students. Our amazing Outdoor Classroom has been used now nearly every day since our opening by Years 2, 3 and 9 with well over 200 students already making use of this natural space. Bangkok Patana is an amazing school on so many levels, but our Outdoor Classroom is truly unique in the international school arena. It has been a feature for many years, but in the past four years we’ve invested an impressive amount of resources to make our Outdoor Classroom a truly state-of-the-art learning feature for our students. OUR OUTDOOR CLASSROOM INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING FEATURES THAT HELP THE LEARNING OF OUR STUDENTS • A nature trail that spans several hundred meters with full signage to showcase the ecological features of the space • A pond water feature that allows students to observe and measure biotic and abiotic features of an urban wetland • A structured secondary subtropical rainforest with areas of mature and closed-canopy tree systems filled with the flora and fauna one would expect in a typical subtropical Thai ecosystem. • An off-grid earthen building that was designed by Bangkok Patana students that is used as a learning space and a storage feature for the scientific equipment needed at the Outdoor Classroom • A sala-style outdoor learning space with tables and chairs enough to house two classes at a time. • All features are supplied with solar-power electric that allow for lighting, WiFi and fans. • A full-time outdoor technician with expertise in outdoor education and field research. • An on-line booking system to allow teachers to plan ahead in their curriculum. We are very proud of our Outdoor Classroom and invite our teachers to come take a look and book a time to bring their students over for some authentic experiential learning!
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UNI COUNSELORS’ CORNER
Email Etiquette
Karel De Cock, Careers and Universities Counsellor rom requesting information to asking questions about the admission process, students will be in touch with many university representatives and admissions offices. Lots of email messages will be going back and forth. How do you as an applicant make sure that this first impression of you is your best foot forward?
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rely on spell-check. Read and reread your email a few times, preferably aloud, before sending it off. Keep your fonts classic. Purple Comic Sans has a time and a place (maybe?) but for formal correspondence, keep your fonts, colours, and sizes classic. The cardinal rule: Your emails should be easy for other people to read. Refrain from using emojis.
Include a clear, direct subject line. People often decide whether to open an email based on the subject line. Use polite panguage. The recipient is taking time to Choose one that is concise and specific, a subject line read your email, provide you with information or answer that helps the recipient know exactly what to expect. a question. Show appreciation by using polite language Use a professional email address. You should always and write in a positive tone. If you have a request or queshave an email address that includes your name so that the tion, adding a "please" or "thank you" is an easy way to recipient knows exactly who is sending the email. Never convey that you appreciate their help and time. use email addresses that are not appropriate or ones that Do not wait until the last minute. Urgent matters and the recipient will not take seriously, such as "babygirl@” emergency do happen and are out of our control. If it is Use professional salutations. Do not use laid-back, in your control, ensure that you send your email in a timely colloquial expressions like, "Hey you guys," "Yo," or "Hi matter and understand that the recipient may not get back folks." Hey is a very informal salutation and generally it to you immediately. People are busy and they have other should not be used. Use Hi or Hello instead if you must. responsibilities, personal and professional, that they might Unless you are invited to do so, it’s best to address the be working on. Keep in mind that the recipient may not recipient by their title. It is advised to not shortening any- have the time to complete your request when you want it. one's name. Say "Hi Michael," unless you are certain he Is it email worthy? Can your request or question be unprefers to be called "Mike." derstood or answered in an email? Should a meeting be Proofread every message. Your mistakes will not go arranged instead? Before writing your email think about unnoticed by the recipients of your email. Depending on what you want to say and if it would be better to say in the recipient, you may be judged for making them. Do not person.
University Visits
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UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE
COUNTRY
LOCATION
DATE
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The University of Notre Dame
Hong Kong
14.09.2020 12.30pm
USA
Rice University
USA
Savannah College of Art and Design
USA
2nd Floor Senior Studies 2nd Floor Senior Studies 2nd Floor Senior Studies 2nd Floor Senior Studies
Bangkok Patana School News
TIME
15.09.2020 07.15am 16.09.2020 07.15am 17.09.2020 12.30pm
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In the Spotlight... Maastricht University, Netherlands
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his innovative university in the Netherlands has recently started a university-wide Bachelors’ degree in Global Studies that spans six faculties teaching equally in the course. The programme will enable students to understand global challenges from a variety of perspectives coming from Psychology, Law, Economics, History, Global Health, Politics and Sociology among others. The university also offers more traditional degrees and is well-known for degrees in Law, Clinical Health, and Business and Economics. There are over 16,000 students of which 54 percent are international students. Nearly half of all bachelors’ programmes are offered in English.
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STUDENTS SPEAK What is Social Anxiety Disorder and How Does it Affect School Life?
Jessica Bastin, 11L
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ocial anxiety disorder (SAD or ‘social phobia’) is everyone will make fun of them for that. one of the many anxiety disorders acknowledged in Not raising their hand to speak or ask questions: They the DSM-5 - the booklet that contains all the mental dismay feel as if everyone will turn to look at them Their anorders known at this time - as well as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder’ Agoraphobia, Separa- swer may be wrong and fear being humiliated. tion Anxiety. Overthinking every word of each conversation they have is another trait. They are very judgemental of themSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterised by an intense fear of being watched and/or judged or perceived selves and always overanalysing what they said to seek negatively. It is a debilitating fear that can take control out any mistakes they have made that could make the perover your whole life, dictating the way you see the world son they were talking to confused or take offence. This is around you and managing how you act. Often, it contrib- the main cause of most of the behaviours above. utes to your personality: you are usually seen as ‘shy’ or ‘quiet’.
IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH ANXIETY There are many people in school who are happy to BEHAVIOURS TO LOOK FOR Being overly quiet: They may feel as if, when they speak, listen,such as your tutors/teachers; Head of Year and of everyone is watching them. They may not want to draw course, your friends. (Also, there is the whisper button that attention to themselves. They may be afraid of making mis- you can use if you would like to get support for a friend). takes when they talk. They might find talking to be extreme- We have special counsellors who give a lot of support on a range of situations you may find yourself in. You can find ly draining, physically and emotionally. them and many more resources in The Hub (on the secAvoiding large groups: They may be overwhelmed by ond floor of the Secondary Library). There are also many the presence of too many people. They may feel left out books and YouTube videos on this topic if you would like as they don’t speak enough to be noticed/included. They to learn more. may think everyone is looking at them. They may think Don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like more inforeveryone is scrutinising their actions. mation on the subject, or even if you would just like someNot participating in group conversations: They may feel one to talk to about your mental health. Please contact me there are too many people listening to them and are more through the school. afraid of messing up and being judged. They may feel that What would I (a person with SAD) like to say to people their ideas are inappropriate and that they will be made without social anxiety? fun of. They may think that others’ ideas are more important than theirs. They may just enjoy listening to others’ ideJust because I don’t initiate a conversation with you as and not having to worry about speaking. doesn’t mean I don’t like you. In fact, I probably do; I’m Asking to be excused from presenting: They could be just afraid of being made fun of for what I say or how I terrified of being looked at/watched while speaking. say it. I will constantly go over our conversation, looking They may trip over their words and stutter, and feel as if for mistakes I made, and may speak very quietly, but I do not mean to be rude! 12
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The Peculiar Nature of Cryptocurrencies Patrick Ledoit, 12G
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n present times, the question of reducing one's exposed risk to currency devaluation and negative interest rates arises; options become more and more contemplated, including cryptocurrencies. First, a brief history, the idea of a digital currency in which transactions are decentralized using cryptography, rather than centralized by an authority, was first published by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009 under the name of Bitcoin. The two main properties of this type of currency: digital and decentralized, create a free market and anonymity in some cases. No wonder why 11 years later, the total market capitalisation (investment) of all cryptocurrencies totals US$341billion. Due to the rising popularity of cryptos, governments have started to regulate them by requiring ID when buying Bitcoin for example. Ironically, this was one of the main selling points - anonymity. As a result, private countermeasures have put in place, such as coin mixing and many others. From the figures below we can see how the national currencies are much less volatile than the private
currency - Bitcoin. In fact, within the span of July to September, the volatility of BTC to USD was 2.5 times more EUR to USD’s . Though this may concern some investors, it certainly proves that the bitcoin market is free, in contrast to national currencies. Research has been made regarding the feasibility of using Bitcoin as a method of monetary storage. Though the main difficulty lies with the high inter-correlation between each crypto, this makes it hard to strictly diversify within the crypto market. However, there has been success integrating cryptos with commodities and stocks in a 5-20 percent range. To conclude, current times are forcing a reshape of the way we perceive financial systems and cryptocurrencies are at the frontier. From the perspective of national interest and private interest cryptocurrencies hold many benefits such as reducing storage portfolio risk and government independence alternative from gold. Find this article on Scientia
Secondary Uniform Shorts SHORTS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS IN KEY STAGE 3 ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT THE SCHOOL SHOP! THE SCHOOL SHOP IS OPEN FROM 7.30AM TO 3.30PM WEEKDAYS.
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Desert Island Discs With Henry Brosnahan, 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 Henry Brosnahan, Senior Delegate, is stuck on a desert island. HENRY , IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Golden Brown - The Stranglers Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel) - Billy Joel Epilogue from La La Land - Justin Hurwitz Exist For Love - Aurora I Don’t Care Much from Cabaret - Alan Cumming
Listen to Henry’s playlist here
Chant from Hadestown - Hadestown Original Broadway Cast I Know Why and So Do You - Glenn Miller 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. Ukelele WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? I would choose 1984 but being alone on an island would be pretty upsetting anyways so I’d choose The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 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.
Have you bookedmarked the calendar? 2020/21 CALENDAR 14
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the m o r f t s e The lat
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COMMUNITY
email bjnetballacademy@gmail.com for more information
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You can purchase tickets oneline HERE or email info@neilsonhayslibrary.org
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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 18
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