Patana News Volume 24 Issue 8 by Bangkok Patana School

www.patana.ac.th

PATANA NEWS

Friday 8th October 2021

We Miss YMrouMills’ ! First Blog of the eYar

By Primary Assistant Principal Page 2 Carol Battram

M Also in this issue... Year 13 Student Earns EARCOS Global Citizenship Award

Learn Dance Early! Meet Your PTG Reps Kingfishers with Coke

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Bangkok Patana School News

Page 5 Page 6 Page 12 Page 24

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

We Miss You!

Carol Battram, Primary Assistant Principal Learning and Welfare

aiting is frustrating. If, like me, you are eagerly awaiting news of schools re-opening, you may also have given some thought to how your child will cope with the switch back to in-school learning. My optimistic side hopes that the transition will be straight forward – just a matter of spacing, safety and logistics. My experience tells me that it won’t be so easy. We certainly can’t foresee every challenge that lies ahead, and we shouldn’t forget just how hard this extended closure has been for many students and their families. This recent Atlantic article looks at the potential impact on children and young adults when they hit pause on their social and emotional skills practice for an extended period. What happens when kids don’t see their peers for months. PRIORITIES ON RETURN Our number one priority is to try and make every child feels protected, safe, and secure once back in school. We look forward to welcoming back our returnees, and to properly greeting our new families, many of whom have yet to physically set foot on our campus. Several year groups were re-mixed back in June, including the current Year 7 cohort, and so there is the added excitement, and trepidation, of joining a new class or tutor group. Our new students, whether coming from overseas or transferring from other schools, have been truly stuck in limbo. They left their old school months ago but haven’t really started their new school yet. Online interactions are, in the main, between the student and their teacher and even break out groupings are no substitute for carefully structured in-class collaboration.

during their transition back on to campus. TRANSITION Transition is a process, and many students will be dealing with a whole lot of new. It takes time to re-build relationships, and we are all out of practice when it comes to forming social connections. Our teachers understand the importance of prioritising relationships and every child needs to feel that they belong to Patana and feel welcomed on their return. If you ask your child what they learnt at school and they can only tell you about a game of Splat, take a moment to consider the teacher’s intent. Teachers will be looking for ways to connect with their students, particularly those who were less vocal, or visible, during CSL. Playing is learning,

I am always struck by how quickly our students click back into school-mode and we will be aiming for a sense of purpose and normality right from day one. We may all experience our own ups and downs, but a calm learning environment will go a long way to smoothing some of the inevitable bumps over the next few weeks. Surprises can be wonderful – but not in this context. The more children know about what school will be like on their return, the better. This includes all COVID measures, daily timings, and routes in and around the school. Sharing these routines will help students regain a feeling of control

Bangkok Patana School News

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and a well-chosen game provides opportunities to learn most essential, the most crucial, the chief and the foremost names, take turns, establish rules, follow instructions, build – and so this will be a key focus in every classroom. class identity, speak and be heard, listen respectfully to Not every child will enjoy finding themselves suddenly others – all whilst having fun. one amongst many and having to relearn Patana expectations for participation and behaviour. Time will need to LIMITING POTENTIAL STRESSES Once re-opening dates are confirmed, consider re-es- be found to practice sharing resources, turn taking and tablishing some previous routines to limit potential stresses peaceful problem solving. during that first week. As far as possible, we have kept These key affective skills help children access the taught normal school timings in place – but nothing can replicate curriculum and are fundamental – Primary if you will - to the competing pressures of a regular school morning. successful learning. Purposeful talk, active listening and collaboration don’t just happen. They need to be mod• Helpful steps could include: elled – and strong social skills will only develop if we • A return to term-time wake-up and bedtime rou- give our students opportunities to practice with a partner tines. or group. • Helping your child to pack their own bag the day There are many articles about the negative impact of before. school closure on students, but I’d rather share something useful. Nicola Crompton, Senior Teacher/Lead for Stu• Allowing more time than usual to get ready. dent Support Services, has collated research about stu• Talking about the drive to school and choosing a dents returning to school, and I found this guidance for parents and carers full of helpful common sense: Practical quiet activity for the journey. Guide for Parents from the Australian Psychological SoSome social-emotional skills are going to be a little ciety. rusty – and we need to acknowledge and address those needs. It’s helpful to remember that ‘Primary’ means the

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Bangkok Patana School News

Gold Certificate in London for Year 7 Student Amy Poon, Patana Parent

ongratulations to Year 7 student Kieran Leung for his Gold Certificate in the London Young Musician Competition for Grade 7. The London Young Musician (LYM) is an international online classical music performance competition for musicians under the age of 28 from all countries. There are categories for different age groups as well as different grades. The competition looks for talented musicians who have excellent musical skills, a strong personality and fantastic creativity in their video performance.

Bangkok Patana School News

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EARCOS Global Citizenship Award for Patana Student Helen Thew, Cross Campus Principal

ear 13 student Patrick Ledoit has received the Global Citizenship Award from the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS). This award is presented to those students in East Asia who have embraced the qualities of a global citizen with a strong sense of community and engagement to make the world a better place and to those who communicate and interact effectively with people from all walks of life and has a sense of collective responsibility for all who inhabit the globe.

setting, in the sense that it is a blank canvas. There is so much to explore, the doors are open for those who are interested, the faculty members are extremely supportive and welcoming, creating an environment which nurture the exploration of new horizons and fosters the notion of service to the community. This emphasis on service is not related to academic grades, but it is very important to instil this from a young age, because the leaders of the future must lead with a strong sense of service. It is the only way to educate for the future.The time that Patrick His mother, Claire said, “What I most appreciate about dedicated to the SEC, SSRC and MUN, also made him Bangkok Patana and is that it truly is a very good rep- a better person.” resentation of the future life of the students in a university

CHECK THE CALENDAR FOR CHANGES!

2021/22 CALENDAR

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Bangkok Patana School News

The Key is to Start Learning Early Vallary Lokre, Head Dance Coach

STARTING DANCE IN KEY STAGE 1 ccording to the National Dance Education Organisation (NDEO) children move naturally. They move to achieve mobility, they move to express a thought or feeling, and they move because it is joyful and feels wonderful. When their movement becomes consciously structured and is performed with awareness for its own sake, it becomes dance. We barely need to look for an example of this outside of our school. A quick glimpse into our Primary Dance online ECAs proves just this fact. Huge smile, lots of excitement and eagerness to be spotlighted so that they can express themselves or perhaps just simply experience the joy that they felt in the movement and the music. The NDEO clearly identifies the many benefits of starting dance early some of which are as follows.

physical release while gaining awareness and appreciation of oneself and others.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT Dance involves a greater range of motion, coordination, strength and endurance than most other physical activities. This is accomplished through movement patterns that teach coordination and kinesthetic memory. Dancing utilises the entire body and is an excellent form of exercise for total body fitness. Young children are naturally active, but dance offers an avenue to expand movement possibilities and skills.

least 50+ young dancers in each of our LIVE dance ECAs ranging from Disney dances, Matilda Musical Theatre, Hip Hop combinations, Jazz dance, Thai traditional dance and even the Haka dance. This goes to clearly show the joy dancing brings in the lives of children and ewe see the importance of offering a wide range of in person ECAs designed specifically for our Year 1 and Year 2s in mind.

SOCIAL AWARENESS Dance fosters social encounters, interaction, and cooperation. Children learn to communicate ideas to others through the real and immediate mode of body movement. Children quickly learn to work within a group dynamic. As the ongoing and sometimes challenging process of cooperation evolves, children learn to understand themselves in relation to others.

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Young children will create movement spontaneously when presented with movement ideas or problems that can be solved with a movement response. Movement THE BENEFITS OF DANCE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN provides the cognitive loop between the idea, problem, or Dance is a powerful ally for developing many of the intent and the outcome or solution. This teaches an infant, attributes of a growing child. Dance helps children ma- child and, ultimately, adult to function in and understand ture physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. The the world. The relationship of movement to intellectual dephysical benefits of dance are widely accepted, but the velopment and education is an embryonic field of study emotional, social and cognitive attributes have only re- that has only recently begun to be explored. cently begun to be appreciated. With the above benefits in consideration and with at

The Block 2 sign up for ECAs goes live on Tuesday, 12th October! For parents who need further information, they can click on the description of the ECA to read more. EMOTIONAL MATURITY Alternatively they can contact us for any other information Dance promotes psychological health and maturity. they need. Children enjoy the opportunity to express their emotions and become aware of themselves and others through creative movement. A pre-school child enters a dance class or classroom with a history of emotional experiences. Movement within a class offers a structured outlet for 6

Bangkok Patana School News

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Bangkok Patana School News

Year 7 Student Wins Gymnastics Design Competition Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Cross Campus Head Dance Coach

t the start of the academic year, the Gymnastics Academy launched a leotard design competition. Oliver Mason, 7D, took part in the competition and his creation took the podium as most voted for design! All the coaches in the Gymnastics Academy loved Oliver’s design and wanted to use it within the academy somehow! Fast forward a few weeks to a creative meeting with the Marketing Team, who designed the signage for the new Foundation Stage Gym. We were discussing ideas for the design and all loved the idea of incorporating a student’s design into the new sign! So, without further ado, I would like to present to you a sneak peak of the new Little Paws Gym Tiger, sporting Oliver’s leotard creation, which will soon proudly hang in the Little Paws Gym! Oliver, your design will take centre stage for years to come.

FROM THE TIGER SHOP

Bangkok Patana School News

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A Love of Latin American Dance Vallary Lokre, Head Dance Coach

n the US it is the start of the National Hispanic Heritage Month which caused me to reflect on my own love of Latin dance. It started at the age of sixteen when I had my first taste of Latin American dances by dabbling in salsa, merengue and bachata classes. While I thoroughly enjoyed these classes, I had no idea that my dance instructor was going to ‘sneakily’ introduce me to a world I would become obsessed with for the next decade of my life - the world of DanceSport also known as Ballroom and Latin competitive style dancing or International Latin and Ballroom dance. The new dances that I began learning, such as the cha cha and the rumba, were very well structured. The thrill of competing in a sport, the music, the elaborate costumes, the makeup, the medals, the trophies…the whole package of ballroom and Latin dancing is simply incredible and nearly irresistible once you have a little taste of it.

power, floor craft and other criteria that reflect the quality of their dancing. LATIN DANCES The five Latin dances are the Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble and Jive. With their heritage in Latin American (Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha, Rumba), Hispanic (Paso Doble) and American (Jive) cultures, they each have their distinguishing traits but coincide in expressiveness, intensity and energy.

STANDARD DANCES The five Standard dances are the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep. Somewhat more formal than their Latin counterparts - and not just in terms of the athletes’ attire - they are generally danced in a closed position of the partners. The hold a Standard dance comUnless you know someone in real life who is a Latin/ mences with is maintained throughout. ballroom dancer, chances are you have never seen the world’s most prestigious British open dance champion- DANCE COMPETITIONS ships at the Blackpool Dance Festival, Blackpool EngAs a young dancer I was thrilled to learn that I could land. Most people would have watched more commer- compete as a dancer at state and national level and even cial versions of these dances on TV shows such as Strictly internationally, just like a tennis player, basketball player, Come Dancing, Dancing with the stars, So you think you a swimmer etc and that I could have a ‘ranking’ all the can dance. while wearing the most beautiful dresses and stunning hair We highly recommend watching the fantastic documen- and make up! The combination of artistry and athleticism in tary style TV series on Netflix called Baby Ballroom that DanceSport is really unique and opens up so many postraces the lives of dancers and teachers at an extraordi- sibilities. nary dance school in Wolverhampton, England. DANCESPORT IN BLOCK 2 There is a lot to talk about the evolution of ballroom We are so excited to announce that this exciting world dancing over the past 100 years, what shaped it, who of DanceSport has arrived at Bangkok Patana School. decided what stays and what needs to be changed and With the help of new part time coach Nanzie who has why certain styles were considered to become part of the had a hugely successful competitive dance career, we are umbrella term ‘DanceSport’ but that is for another day. To introducing Ballroom and Latin dance classes for all Key get us started here is what we need to know about Danc- Stages starting with Block 2 this year. It is important to note eSport. that students do not need to have a dance partner to join. Every ballroom dancer must learn the footwork and basic THE CLASSICS OF BALLROOM DANCING: LATIN movements by themselves and when the right time comes AND STANDARD they get paired with a suitable partner of their choice. We Five Latin and five Standard dances continue as the will also be strict about COVID restrictions and will refrain mainstay in DanceSport. Each of these dances is per- from pairing up dancers until it is very safe to do so. A formed to the prescribed music and tempi by couples DanceSport style dance championship at our own camdemonstrating not only proper technique but also poise, pus will be hopefully underway in Block 4! 01/10/2021

Bangkok Patana School News

CAT/CAS CORNER

Smile Club and the New Board

Aleeza Sherwani, 12S

he new board members of the Smile Club 2021/22 are President Estelle Kim,13G, Vice-President Aleeza Sherwani, 12S, Secretary and Treasurer Yerin Kang, 11R, Social Media and Firefly Manager Gao Kamalanavin, 12L and Community Liaison and CAT Representative Tatiana Skory. Operation Smile is an organisation that collaborates with the student body to raise the funds necessary to provide free surgeries to children with cleft lips/palates worldwide. Often many people confuse cleft lip and palate; the main difference is that cleft lip is the tissue of the lip that does not join completely before birth while the cleft palate is where the tissue of the mouth doesn’t join completely before birth. However, they both contribute to the same daily struggles such as eating, drinking and speaking clearly. Due to COVID-19 this year, we are unable to attend the annual Smile Trip, where we are given the opportunity to observe cleft lip/palate surgery (also known as cheiloplasty) and provide comfort to the patients before surgery. So, we decided to collaborate with Operation Smile to raise money for the Smile Box project. This project provides the resources necessary for preoperative and postoperative care patients. These Smile Boxes cost 1800 baht each and carry necessities such as diapers, instant formula, cleft bottles, face masks, and hand sanitiser for pre-op patients and UHT milk, stationery/toys, face masks, and hand sanitisers for post-op patients. Being in lockdown since the beginning of the school year has been challenging for both the board and the new members. However, as a board, we try to give activities to fellow members according to their skill sets and allow them to improve their communication, artistic and critical thinking skills whilst providing them a medium to work for a good cause. From the start of the academic year, Smile has had one event so far, World Smile Week. World Smile Week occurred from 27th September to 1st October, coming along with World Smile Day which is on 1st October. We spent this week holding an anonymous message service and a mini quiz which were successful across Secondary School. As a CAT club we plan on holding more virtual events, expanding towards Primary School, and raising more awareness on how important free healthcare is, especially for a surgery that can be life-changing. This is my fifth year in the privileged position of supervising Patana’s Smile Club. I have been lucky enough to work with some outstanding, community minded young people and the current Board are no exception. Although they have not been able to work together on campus yet this year, I have never seen a more cohesive group of student leaders. They have found innovative, exciting ways to use Teams to connect with the student body and I can’t wait to see them in action at our Smile Club ECA in the not too distant future. - George Beckley, Operation Smile Supervisor

Bangkok Patana School News

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Children of the Forest Christopher Perkins, Year 2 Class Teacher

he Children of the Forest Foundation was established in 2005 and is a registered non-profit Foundation based in Sangkhlaburi, an area close to the Thai – Myanmar border. It is nestled amongst a community of approximately 150,000 stateless refugees who have escaped years of oppression in Myanmar. Significant numbers in the community were born in Thailand but being denied Thai citizenship means their access to education, legal support and healthcare is denied. This makes the community highly vulnerable to all forms of exploitation and children are an especially vulnerable group.

ditionally, Children of the Forest provide a child protection centre for abandoned, abused or orphaned children. They also provide a mother’s refuge and healthcare clinic providing free healthcare treatment for families.

Children of the Forest supports families (particularly children and mothers) to break the repeating cycle of poverty. Their Free School offers kindergarten and elementary programmes for up to 250 children – resourcing them with educational supplies and a daily breakfast and lunch. Their preparatory education programmes enable children to eventually transition into the Thai education system. Ad-

Children of the Forest has provided education, healthcare, and residence to over 5,000 children in the last ten years alone. Without these vital safety-nets in place, a significant number of these children would risk human trafficking, forced labour, and exploitation.

Empowering children with an education gives them the vital opportunity to progress on to local Thai government high schools and possibly university, which in turn gives them the right to Thai citizenship. Hence, Children of the Forest are a vital foundation in helping to break the repeating cycle of poverty that families find themselves born into.

Bangkok Patana School have proudly supported Children of the Forest for over 10 years and continue to do so this academic year. We aim to provide not only financial support during our regular fundraising events, but support through appeals such as our Show Box Appeal at Christmas-time, which has been a particular success and will be repeated this year. Do please make contact with Children of the Forest and support them if you can. Website here, Facebook here. You can contact them via email at info@childrenoftheforest.org or by phone at +66 081 017 0014

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Bangkok Patana School News

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Bangkok Patana School News

ARTS COUNCIL

Facing Challenges in (I)GCSE Drama Loris Calmels d’Artensac , 10H

or one of my (I)GCSE choices, I decided to study Drama as I have always enjoyed being creative as well as producing different ideas and performing to an audience. My experiences of this subject in both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 thus far, have helped me grow as a person, allowing me to be expressive but also improving my skills and confidence in this art. Despite the challenges faced during CSL, I have still been able to work on and develop all of these key aspects.

tising thought tracks and putting that into practise when performing the real lines. I would find myself drifting away from the powerful emotions of thought tracks back to the lesser impactful emotions I use when performing the real script.

Nevertheless, with some assistance from my teacher and classmates, as well as personal analysis and perseverance, I managed to complete and perform a piece that embodied my character fully and the thought track and As part of the first task in (I)GCSE Drama, Year 10s must action verb emotions were clearly portrayed. This expeproduce an individual monologue and perform it. How- rience has been very valuable and amusing and it has ever, due to school closure from COVID-19, this became already taught me so much. With the rest of this year and a challenge. Even though working individually has been next year to come, I can visualise myself growing as a easier in times of CSL, giving/receiving feedback and person but most importantly enjoying myself. performing was much more of a challenge as I could never portray exactly what I wanted to through the screen, regardless of my efforts. Despite this obstacle I persevered to create a finished piece embodying a character from the play of Antigone. To achieve this final piece, I went through many stages to help me to embody my character. We used a naturalistic theatre system created by Konstantin Stanislavski to explore different aspects of my chosen character. For example, we had a long list of “action verbs” and experimented with these when using voice and facial expression to see which emotion worked best for this character during each specific scene. Furthermore, we also used “thought tracks” which are the inner thoughts of the character, but in this case, spoken out loud as a way for us to understand our character further and to then help us in embodying it. These techniques and styles of practise were very interesting to explore as it made me understand a lot about how to create and develop a character whether the character was similar to me or the opposite. It has always been a dream of mine to explore characters, voices, facial expressions etc and then to perform to an audience. However, apart from CSL aspects, using thought tracks to embody my character was a great challenge. I was often found in a position where I was not sure how to use the emotions and movements used when prac16

Bangkok Patana School News

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ARTS COUNCIL

Developing of Love of the Theatre with New Forms Ilka Andrasi , 13A

reativity within the arts and the ability to express it in ways that are unique to each individual initially drew me to the Arts. Taking Drama since Year 7 aided me to develop skills that helped me gain more confidence in myself and my abilities. Letting go of insecurities and doubts supported me through my creative journey. I have developed these skills since I first started at Bangkok Patana, and I further demonstrated them through the Research Presentation I am currently doing for my IB Theatre class. My Research Presentation is based on a theatre tradition form called Kabuki, a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki is heavily stylised and has an extra emphasis within the makeup. During my Research Presentation process, I thoroughly enjoyed applying my makeup for the Katakiyaku role, this is the ‘enemy role’ within Kabuki. I loved that through this project I was able to enhance and practise my creative skills through makeup. Kabuki is a theatre style that I initially knew nothing about. I began the project by researching as much as I could about Kabuki. Through my research, I decided that I wanted to focus on the convention of movement within the theatre form. Due to the ongoing pandemic, I was not able to perform my research presentation in front of an audience as lessons are currently being held online. As part of the IB course, I had to split up my research proposal into three separate sections which are then collated into a 15-minute presentation. This was challenging as it was not the standard way to perform a Research Presentation. With the continued support of my teachers this process was able to run smoothly. There is an amazing support system within the Arts Faculty ready to help you when ever you need, for which I am forever grateful. This experience further fortified my love for theatre and interest in different cultural arts.

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Bangkok Patana School News

STUDENTS SPEAK

Quarantine = Plastic Dilemma? Hui Ying (Ying Ying) Han, 5G

y second hotel quarantine began on Saturday, 25th September. During the hotel quarantine, they serve three meals a day, and all meals are served using plastic containers. Our daily drinking water is also provided using plastic bottles. Within the first few days, I saw that we had accumulated a huge pile of plastic! My mom kept all the water bottles in a corner of the room because she hoped that those water bottles would be recycled. However, due to the water bottles being used for quarantine purposes, we were not sure if those water bottles would be recycled or just thrown away. So, does that mean that Quarantine = Plastic Dilemma?

by solving one problem, we cause another one? How I wish that we could just turn plastic waste into green energy so that we can reduce the plastic and microplastic in our environment in one click. By generating green energy, the energy problem faced globally around the world would be lifted! Globally, the use of energy represents, by far, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. About two thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to burning fossil fuels for energy to be used for heating, electricity, transport and industry. Therefore, warming up the world and causing global warming.

We all know that plastic is very damaging to our enTo help prevent global warming, some people make vironment. During this pandemic, we use plastic for our efforts to help. You can too, these are some things that you quarantine, but by using plastic, we are damaging the can practice. Earth! We cannot just stop quarantining because that 1. Bring your own shopping bags to the supermarket. would increase our risk to COVID-19. Does it mean that Less plastic, less waste! 2. Save energy. Is there a light you don’t really need to be on? Turn it off! 3. Conserve water! Remember, it takes energy to draw and filter water from underground. 4. Eat less beef! Besides carbon dioxide, methane introduced into the air contributes to global warming. With meat consumed by the seconds, the number of cows breathing out methane is a huge contributor, thanks to our carnivorous diet and the billion-dollar meat industry. 5. Ride your bike or walk! If it’s just a short distance, why not have some exercise and help the world? If you liked these tips, you can find more here. Maybe there will never be a way to solve our damaged Earth problem, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and help it. Keep doing your part and help save the Earth! “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

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Stem Cell Therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease Palida (Pammy) Leenabanchong, 13L

s you sit here reading this article, tens of billions of nerve cells in your brain are busy at work, signalling to other neighbouring neuron cells and generating electrical impulses in communication networks responsible for your comprehension of these very words. There are 100 billion nerve cells connected at 100 trillion points - a neuron forest that supports the hypothesis of ‘strength in numbers’, powered by signals that form the basis of your identity, thoughts and memories. Microscopic changes in the brain are happening all the time but you feel nothing of these changes, oblivious to the intrinsic action of one neuron connecting to the other, one electrical impulse passing from top to bottom, one neurotransmitter released from side A to side B. Every cell in your brain is working akin to a well-oiled factory responsible for a steady stream of production. But what if one machine breaks down and delays the production process? What if communication in the factory is delayed and leads to machinery damage over time? What will happen if the neurons in your brain are harmed and are no longer able to communicate with each other effectively? WHAT IS ALZHEIMER’S? Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease of the brain in which memory, thinking and behaviour are impaired over time as a result of nerve cell damage and brain tissue loss. It is a form of dementia - a general term for “impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities”. The disease eradicates the ability to think, to remember, to make informed decisions. Common symptoms normally include memory loss, difficulty reasoning, mood swings and social withdrawal. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is akin to a death sentence in which the patient is stripped of their very identity. It erodes away at their cognitive skills, an invasive breach made even more frightening by the patient’s unawareness of their body cells turning against them. This condition normally affects those aged 60 and over and is believed to have a strong genetic etiology with lifestyle and environment acting as possible factors. NERVE CELL DAMAGE Our brain is composed of brain cells called neurons which communicate with each other and transmit electri-

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cal impulses to other parts of the body such as organs and muscles. They communicate with each other by releasing chemical messages called neurotransmitters across synapses, which are small gaps between one neuron and the next.

In Alzheimer’s disease, as neurons are injured and break down, there is a loss of neuronal connections and a breakdown of communication, resulting in portions of the brain shrinking. Although the exact cause of neuronal cell damage is still unknown, scientists predict that the main suspects are plaques and tangles in the brain. Plaques are clumps of protein fragments from beta amyloid which collect and build up between nerve cells. Beta amyloid is formed from the breakdown of a larger protein (amyloid precursor protein) and is chemically ‘sticky’, allowing them to form clumps. These clumps can disrupt and block neurotransmitters from travelling across synapses, leading to nerve cell deterioration. Tangles are caused from the abnormal accumulation of another protein called tau, which forms twisted fibres. In healthy cells, straight microtubule strands in neurons help the cell transport substances but in Alzheimer’s, the strands become twisted and block synaptic communication between neurons. STEM CELL THERAPY Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s; however, scientists have found a unique approach to treating this condition with the use of stem cell therapy. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the potential to develop and differentiate along different pathways into any cell type. For example, stem cells used in leukemia treatment can grow and differentiate into healthy bone marrow cells, and divide to produce copious copies of these bone marrow cells to replace the damaged ones. Continue this article on Scientia Magazine here.

Bangkok Patana School News

Desert Island Discs With Gemma Price, FS Physical Development Specialist

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 our Gemma Price, Foundation Stage Physical Development Specialist is stuck on a desert island. MS PRICE, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? My Caffeine - Faith Richards

I’ll be there - Jess Glynne

Butter - BTS

Cody Francis - It’ll Be Alright

Lego House - Ed Sheeran

I Wanna Dance with Somebody - Whitney Houston

Fly Away – 4 - Tones and I

Fast Car - Tracy Chapman Click to listen to Ms Price’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. A hammock WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 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.

Looking for something to do for half-term break? Check out the Community Offers on Firefly

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#197: Technology for Learning Weekly Review F

ind below some of the highlights of my digital travels this week.

Have a wonderful weekend. Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

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Bangkok Patana School News

Wildlife Spotting with Coke Tis’ Kingfisher Season in Bangkok! Alexander Coke Smith IV, Curriculum Leader Environmental Systems and Societies

oming from North America myself, I was never really invested in seeing kingfishers all that much. With only one species to speak of - the Belted Kingfisher – I was not driven to see it as it is not all that challenging or colourful. But now that my home is Thailand, home to 16 species, kingfishers are very high on my “target” list! And all of them are absolutely spectacular birds! Today’s article is not just about kingfishers in general. I would like to highlight one location in Bangkok where you can literally go today and find at least three species, and potentially more on a good day! Bang Pu Mangrove Forest and Recreation Centre is currently being visited by four regularly-spotted kingfisher species – the Common Kingfisher, the White-throated Kingfisher, the Black-capped Kingfisher and Collared Kingfisher.

very common now at Bang Pu. They are year round residents of all of the mangrove forest communities along the Gulf of Thailand and can be seen all year. Listen for their very loud screech. Another common year-round resident is the White-throated Kingfisher, which is usually found a few metres deeper in to the forests away from the coastline. This species loves power lines and can usually be found perching on one.

The two current winter visitors are also pretty easy to spot these days at Bang Pu. Seeing one perched is ideal as it allows for easier photography, but more often than not, I spot them flying by first and then watch where the land to try my approach for an image or two. The Blackcapped Kingfisher is a spectacular colourful kingfisher that is arguably the largest species in town now. Watch for a very colourful largish bird with a “black cap” and With a little effort and some decent spotting abilities, you have it! Using the same skills, if you see a smallish you can easily see the numerous gorgeous blue and blue bird zip back and forth in the lower regions of the white flashes of the Collared Kingfishers that are always

Bangkok Patana School News

01/10/2021

mangrove trees, right at their adventitious roots, you may have the spectacular “Common” Kingfisher. In my opinion, that name does not do this little kingfisher justice. They are very beautiful.

of mangrove forest situated within the madness of the greater Bangkok Metropolitan area. It is very accessible for all of our community in less than an hour and it can give a taste of what this magnificent and highly endangered and important ecosystem has to offer.

Now, if you are VERY lucky, you may be at Bang Pu at a time when the real rarities show up – the Ruddy Kingfisher Contact Coke Smith (cosm@patana.ac.th) if you have and the Pied Kingfisher will usually make a show in the any questions or would like some very specific tips on how forests once or twice a year. That is when you will see hun- to see these magnificent birds NOW at Bang Pu! dreds of photographers with their huge long lenses lined up for a photo-op! What I love about Bang Pu is that it is a protected swath

01/10/2021

Bangkok Patana School News

01/10/2021

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Bangkok Patana School News

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Bangkok Patana School News

01/10/2021