www.patana.ac.th
PATANA NEWS
Friday 10th December 2021
Seeking the New Normear By Mr Mills
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Also in this issue... M
RorDor Training Begins Pony Jumping Championship STEM Projects in Year 7 CSL Provision Guidelines Christmas Cards for Sale Make Your Own Ukulele
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Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS
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Seeking the New Norm It has been truly amazing having all the students back on campus for the latter part of this term, even with all the new challenges we must face as we continue to deal with the global pandemic. First it was regularly washing our hands, keeping our distance, not touching foreign surfaces, and of course regularly wearing a mask. We have gone from predominantly wearing cloth masks to the easier to breathe surgical masks. We have adapted and become almost comfortable with the 3 W’s. Next on the menu was having to have a cotton bud up both nostrils on a weekly basis plus random selections when we get notified. Students are also being monitored on who they had lunch with and sat with in class, as close contacts are carefully scrutinised upon a positive COVID-19 case being confirmed. It does feel like a hardship at times, but it is all so worth it as we know that the most effective learning environment for our students to strive is at school, not at home. Our current ongoing challenge is to make sure we have a campus that is always safe for our students, and we scrutinise all of our health and safety procedures on a daily basis.
The New Normal So, what is our new norm going to look like? I personally believe that there will eventually be a new normal as humans gravitate and find a sense of comfort with the boundaries offered by normality. There are already some obvious clues of what the new normal is going to look like. It is rather like taking new pathways and wearing adapted footwear. For example, let’s take ‘meet the teacher’ evenings. Like Patana, schools all over the world have been trialling virtual ‘meet the teacher meetings’ during this current pandemic and have been shocked by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents and staff. Parents stated that they didn’t have to drive to school, which takes time, and when getting to school didn’t have to locate a car park, which again eats into precious time. Because they didn’t have to drive to school, they were also saving on their carbon footprint. They found the whole experience more relaxing and less stressful as they sat in the comfort of their living room, opening a laptop with a cappuccino ready to be sipped. Staff discovered it was better time usage for them as well and were genuinely surprised how many more parents they were getting to meet. They noticed an increase in fathers attending the virtual meetings as it was more convenient for both parents to connect from home.
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Bangkok Patana’s New Normal We now also have an excellent CSL learning programme which means that the school can provide high quality learning at home using the hybrid model whenever it is necessary.
The days of the heavy school textbook being carried home after school are numbered. More and more schools are opting for electronic textbooks that can be automatically updated and certainly saves students any long-term back issues. Thinking outside of the box and being optimistic, our new normal will include students travelling in electric vehicles for school transportation. Students will be learning in classrooms that are mostly powered by alternative energy sources. At Bangkok Patana School our wide array of solar panels is already giving us 30% of our total energy demand, which is impressive indeed. Hopefully our new norm will not include mask wearing or restrictions on hugs or shaking hands. Staying optimistic, I think we will get to a time where we can look back at our old photos and say, “Remember when we had to put a mask on every day?” What I think is guaranteed is that there will be a new norm and it might only be just around the corner.
Wishing all our Bangkok Patana families a safe and joyful festive season and a happy 2022! I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday,10th January, 2022. Best wishes, Matt Mills Head of School
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RorDor Training Begins Dr Surapee Sorajjakool, Head of Thai Programme
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ongratulation to 34 RorDor students who have successfully passed the physical fitness test rd on 3 December 2021 to join the Reserved Officer Training Corps course, or RorDor, as it is more commonly known. RorDor is open to Thai males from the age of 16. Completion of RorDor enables them to either join the Thai military as an officer or opt out of
the compulsory lottery draw for military service. Every year RorDor students take part in a variety of training exercises. You can read more about RorDor and Bangkok Patana’s RorDor trainer Khun Gigg here: https://www.patana.ac.th/our-female-leaders-thitiyaporn-pangpeng-ror-dor-instructor/
FOBISIA Visual Arts Competition
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ECA Notices Please note that due to the recently cancelled Primary Residentials, Block 3 ECAs will now start on February 28th for both Primary and Secondary students.
ECA Programme & Sports Season Dates 2021/22 ECA Schedule Dates and Times
BLOCK 1
Phase I Sign-up Commences - 12:00
BLOCK 2
BLOCK 4
10 January
18th August
th
Sign-up Help Desk
19 & 23 August
ECA Open House
20 August
Phase I Sign-up Closes - 23:59
23rd August
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BLOCK 3
rd
12 October
22nd March
th
th
Confirmations and Phase II Sign-up Commences - 17:00
25 th October
24 th March
24 January
29 th March
th
27 th August
Phase II Sign-up Closes - 12:00
19th January
3rd September
15th November
27 th January
Year-long and Selective ECAs Commence
23 August
8 November
7 th February
18th April
Regular ECAs Commence
6 th September
22nd November
28th February
25 th April
Primary and Secondary ECAs Finish
5th November
4 th February
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Sports Season Dates - Colour Coded to Blocks Above 23 rd - 26th August 30 th August 7th November 7th November
6th February 13 th February
and U14
Sports Trials U12 and U14 Commences Finishes
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For any queries please contact the Sports & Activities Department
Season 3
27 March 24 th April th
,
Block 3 Regular ECAs will be suspended for Primary for two weeks to facilitate Primary Residentials.
Season 2
14 th - 17th February 28 th February
25th - 26th April 3 rd May 12th June
17 th June
Block 2 Regular ECAs will be suspended for one week prior to the Christmas/New Year holidays 14th - 28th December.
Season 1
15th - 18th November 22 nd November
th
on +66 (0) 2785 2200 (ext: 2231) or email eca@patana.ac.th
Scan the QR code
to access the ECA web pages
Season 4
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Pony Jumping - Thailand Championship Monchaya Khuptawinthu, Patana Parent
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aethus (Alpha) Khuptawinthu (Year 5) won the Thailand Championship 2021 – Pony Jumping Category C. We are absolutely proud of his hard work! Alpha was also interviewed as a rising star by Cavalor (https://cavalor.com), the world-leading company for feed supplements and care products for horses, which will be launched on Cavalor channels around the world. Alpha was also interviewed by MaxwinThailand.
Sailing Championship C
ongratulations to Weka Bhanubandh (Year 10), who won the 70th edition of the Trofeo Ciutat de Palma in the Optimist class! Finishing first in four out of the six races, Weka dominated his competition. Way to go!
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Dance Academy - ATOD 2022
The Dance Academy invites any dancers who would like to enter ATOD 22 and represent the school to contact us before 13th December. Please be aware that the competition will take place during Songkran break (5th – 10th April 2022). The Academy will support registration and entry forms, training and preparation, rehearsals, transport on the days of the competition and costumes. If you are interested, please complete the form found here: Key info ATOD 2022.
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STEM Projects in Year 7 Science Joel Lodge, Secondary Biology Teacher
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ear 7 have been working on their interdisciplinary project to explain how they would prevent the extinction of some endangered animals. They explored a range of endangered animals and their conservaion stautus, incuding animals like the South China Tiger and the Red Panda. They applied their knowledge of sexual reproduction in the previous unit to explain how they would use zoos to breed these endangered animals and explain how the enclosures would be designed to help the breeding process. The advert they produced shows their application of knowledge to one of our school values, "being a steward of the natural world".
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CSL PROVISION GUIDELINES W
e want to emphasise the protocol for our CSL offering going forward. The details are linked here and shared again below. Unless government protocols change, when school opens for Term 2 on 10th January, CSL will only be provided to those students who are unable to return to school due to travel restrictions or who are under regulatory self-isolation due to COVID-19. Please inform your
child’s class teacher/tutor if your child falls into either of these two categories and they will confirm whether your child will be eligible for the CSL programme. We expect all other children to be on campus for their learning. Starting in Term 2, parents are welcome on campus to drop off /pick up their children and for scheduled appointments.
Scenarios for CSL Scenario
Learning Provision Primary School
Secondary School
Mandated school closure
Lessons will be taught ‘live’ via MS Teams. Primary - Will follow the CSL timetable Secondary - Will follow the normal school timetable.
School re-opening phase (A fixed period after a long closure)
A hybrid CSL model (some students in class, some at home) will be offered for a fixed period allowing for families to return to campus. Video learning will be provided for those at home via MS Teams alongside those learning in class. P - Information on the hybrid model will be shared by the Leaders of Learning and may differ across Key Stages. S - Students should follow their normal timetable.
Families who are unable to return to school due to travel restrictions
Learning will be provided for students. Parents should coordinate with the Leader of Learning / Head of Year to request hybrid CSL to support their family. P - The Leader of Learning will inform parents what provision of hybrid learning will be available. This may differ across Key Stages. S - Live video learning will be provided to those at home via MS Teams alongside those learning in class. Learning will be provided for students at home.
Self-isolation due to COVID
A student who is unwell
P - Information on the hybrid provision will be shared by the Leaders of Learning and may differ across Key Stages. S - Our hybrid CSL model will be offered to support students who are isolating. Video lessons will be provided for those at home through MS Teams alongside those learning in class. Live lessons will not be provided. Rest is of the utmost priority and students should not feel obliged to study whilst ill. P- Options for learning will be available on the class blog /email. S - Options for learning will be available on MS Teams channels / Firefly.
Families who choose not to attend in person
Live video lessons will not be provided. Work for completion will be available via: P - Class blogs S- MS Teams channels / Firefly.
Families on holiday during term-time
Work is not provided for families who take holidays during term time. P - Students will be able to access class work as normal via the blog. S - Students can access tasks as normal through MS Teams channels / Firefly.
Any other scenarios or individual circumstances which may require deviation from the above guidelines will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Leader of Learning or Head of Year. 02122021-4
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CAT/CAS CORNER
Patana Economics and Business Society Aryaman Gupta, 12S
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n October 19, 1973, an embargo was set by the OPEC members to stop exporting oil to the United States, which had long-lasting effects on the rest of the world. As a result, over the next half year, oil prices quadrupled from nearly $2.90 a barrel to $11.65 a barrel and remained high even after the embargo was lifted. The effect of this embargo can be seen by the graph of inflation-adjusted oil prices over time. The reason that this embargo was set was because in 1971, US president Richard Nixon went against the 1944 Bretton Woods Agree and decided to take the US off from the gold standard. This meant that countries could no longer redeem the dollar for gold. This sent the value of the dollar down, which hurt the OPEC representatives who depended on the petrodollar for their revenue. As a result, their revenue decreased while costs in other currencies stayed the same or even rose. Furthermore, in 1973, Richard Nixon requested $2.2 billion to aid Israel in the Yom Kippur War. As a result, the Arab OPEC members decided to halt oil exports to the US and Israel’s allies. Although this embargo was lifted, oil prices had already skyrocketed. Many blame this as the cause of the 1973-1975 recession and that US government policies of stop-go monetary policy and wage-price control caused recession, accompanied with stagflation. The wage-price control meant that workers’ wages stayed high, and as a result businesses had to lay them off to decrease
costs, while also failing to stimulate the economy. Also, the Fed constantly raised and lowered interest rates, which meant that businesses could not plan ahead and instead chose to keep high prices and worsened inflation. They were also afraid of hiring new workers, further worsening the recession. As a result, the oil embargo escalated the inflation in an already vulnerable US economy by raising prices. Domestic oil producers were not able to produce enough to make up the loss and to make things worse, non-OPEC oil production had declined as a percentage of world output. This further worsened the recession because firstly, higher prices of petrol meant that consumers had less money to spend on other goods and services, which decreased demand. In addition, consumer confidence decreased as people changed habits and this meant that spending decreased further. For example, people had to wait in long lines just to fill their cars with petrol and sometimes had to wake up before dawn to avoid this. Also, gas stations had colour coded signs to indicate how much petrol there was, and some states even had to ration petrol. To try and conserve gas, Nixon decided to reduce the national speed limit to 55 mph and instituted daylight saving time for a whole year from 1974 to 1975. The embargo gave OPEC the responsibility of managing the world’s oil supply and keeping prices stable. Since then, they have constantly raised or lowered supply to stabilize the ever-fluctuating price of oil.
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CAT/CAS CORNER
Christmas Cards for sale Students in Year 3 and Year 12
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hristmas cards made by children at the Thomas House are available for sale at the Tiger Shop. The Thomas House is supported by students in Year 3, as
well as a CAS group in Year 12. The cards are 50 THB each and all proceeds will be donated to charity. Here are some examples of the lovely cards!
Christmas Mornings with PTG
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Make your Ukulele and Play it too! Charles McLean, Primary Music Teacher
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he ukulele has dramatically risen in popularity over the past twenty years. Once seen as something of a novelty, an increase in pop stars such as Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift championing the instrument, coupled with a number of viral YouTube videos, have seen sales of the instrument skyrocket. It’s a fantastically accessible instrument on which the basics can be learnt quite quickly and children can play full length songs within a matter of hours. While sometimes seen as a gateway instrument towards guitar or bass, virtuosi such as Jake Shimakuro or James Hill, have demonstrated it can also be an incredibly diverse and powerful instrument in its own right. Here at Bangkok Patana, the ukulele has become an integral part of music making in the Primary School. All children in Years 5 and 6 first learn how to play a variety of chords to accompany songs before moving onto playing melodies. It’s a hugely popular part of our learning with many children extending their work by
coming to the music department to practice with friends at break and lunch. Alongside our existing ukulele ECA, we are also excited this term to have begun a collaboration with ‘Creative Ukuleles’, a fantastic initiative in which children design and make their own fully functioning wooden ukulele from a kit. Both of these ECAs happen on Mondays from 2:30-3:30 and are available for children in Years 5 and 6 for sign up in ECA Block 3. For more information please contact chmc@patana.ac.th Click HERE to learn more! Recommended ukulele viewing: Ukulele Weeps by Jake Shimabukuro Billie Jean Honoka & Azita - Misirlou (HiSessions.com Acoustic Live!)
“THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THE UKULELE THAT JUST MAKES YOU SMILE. IT MAKES YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. IT BRINGS OUT THE CHILD IN US.” JAKE SHIMABAKURU
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Transport Corner ECAs and Student Absences NO ECAS 13TH-17TH DECEMBER • ECAs will not run this week.
ABSENCES If your student will not be in school on any day, please remember to inform the Transport Department.
• Selective/Year-long ECAs will continue • If you are unsure about your student’s particular ECA, please check with the ECA teacher • Students will be placed on their default buses home at 2:30pm • The 4:30pm buses will only run for those in Selective/Year-long ECAs and Season 2 sports
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! The Transport Department would like to say thank you for your cooperation. We wish all of our Transport users and their families a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year for Term 2 on Monday, 10th January, 2022!
Varsity Football Fixture Mark Potter, Head Football Coach
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n December 4th, after what felt like forever, our Varsity Boys and Girls had a fixture and it was 11v11! We started with the Girls, who after following all safety protocols, made it onto NIST's brand new astro turf pitch. After a few rusty touches, we soon found our rhythm, moving the ball quickly and exploiting space in behind our oppositions defence. Amelia playing in a deeper role was influential when combining with Sayako and Lily. Anna after a stint in goal provided us with great width and Janelle was solid as ever. After creating lots of chances we ran out deserved winners scoring some excellent goals. Our Boys had a hard fought draw with their NIST
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counterparts, flying out of the traps with some excellent play. Will was pulling the strings in central midfield with Matt raiding down the left hand side. Our tempo was high in first third but unsustainable, leading to us having a few down moments in the second period. However, in the third we showed excellent grit and determination. A long range effort from Prompt and excellent cross and finish combo from the Matts was very pleasing to see. Unfortunately we lost a ceremonial penalty shoot out but there were a great deal of positives to be taken out of the performance. Watch the video here for all of our goals! https://youtu.be/FjFPvGzsTd0
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#204: Technology for Learning Weekly Review
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lick on the Tweets here to explore more about each topic - from Instagram, TikTok and Microsoft Teams, to the benefits of failure. Have a nice Holiday Break! Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration
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NEWS FROM PTG
CRAFT SUBSCRIPTION BOX RECEIVE 1 CRAFT ACTIVITY ONCE A MONTH A GOOD GIFT WITH A GOOD PURPOSE*
50% percent of profits goes to local charities
ONLY 2990 THB -.
January February With the subscription, each child will receive one surprise arts and crafts kit every month for the whole of 2022. We hope to spark the creative interest of children from a young age while refining their motor skills. Every packet has been designed and developed thoroughly, making it a sophisticated collection of products. Most May
Jun
March April importantly, 50% of all proceeds will go towards improving the education of the underprivileged including the NGO Fatima Home in Bangkok and Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, Cambodia. With your contribution, we could make a true difference in the lives of the more vulnerable. Thank you for your support! July
BANGKOK PATANA TIGER MASCOT
August
HELP US NAME OUR TIGER MASCOT! September
October
November
CLICK ON THE LINK OR SCAN THE QR CODE TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS
December
Th e w in ner g et s a THB 300 gi ft v o uche r t o t he Tig er Shop
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 17 DECEMBER 2021 WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY
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Desert Island Discs With Chris Ferne, Secondary Head of Arts
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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 Secondary Head of Arts Chris Ferne, is stuck on a desert island. MR CHRIS FERNE, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones Let It Be - The Beatles Heart of Gold - Neil Young
xxxxxxxxxx - - Bird Thongchai
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Hypnotize - The Notorious B.I.G.
Get Around - The Beach Boys
C.R.E.A.M. - El Michels Affair Click to listen to Mr Chris Ferne’s playlist
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. Basketball hoop WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson 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 STML with your favourites.
Looking for something to do for the Christmas Holidays? Check out the Community Offers on Firefly
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COMMUNITY
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COMMUNITY
THE SIAM SOCIETY PRESENTS
TUESDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2021 AT 19:00 Tasana Nagavajara, Violin Monique Klongtruadroke, Soprano Pongpat Pongpradit, Guitar
Music from the Land of Italy by Paganini, Puccini, Verdi, Neapolitan songs, Christmas songs and more!
VENUE: Auditorium, The Siam Society ADMISSION: Members
THB 600
Non-Members THB 800 Students
THB 200
Ticket price includes a drink and light refreshment TO BOOK: Khun Chuleeporn at 02 661 6470-3 ext 201 or E-mail: chuleeporn@thesiamsociety.org Seats available only by prior reservation. No tickets will be available at the door.
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COMMUNITY CY-2021-026
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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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