Patana News Volume 25 Issue 15

Promoting and Harnessing Student Agency

Promoting and Harnessing Student Agency

Andrew Roff, Secondary Senior Teacher, IB Coordinator

The International Baccalaureate Organisation’s Diploma Programme is at the heart of our Senior Studies Curricu lum at Bangkok Patana School. The IB’s mission aligns strongly with that of our school seeking to

“develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through education that builds intercultural understanding and respect” (IBO, 2022)

To do this, significant emphasis must be placed on promot ing and valuing student agency. The Organisation for Eco nomic Co-operation and Development (OECD) described student agency as “the capacity to set a goal, reflect and act responsibly to effect a change. It is about acting rather than being acted upon; shaping rather than being shaped; and making responsible decisions and choices rather than ac cepting those determined by others” (2019).

I have been reviewing our Senior Studies programme this term in preparation for our 5-year IB evaluation and have been reflecting on the development of student agency in our Secondary School. I am sure as you read on (whether you children are in Primary or Secondary) you will think of exam ples for yourselves where your children have been challenged to develop their agency in their learning.

YEAR 10 AND 11 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Our Year 10 and 11 students have been studying a new course this year, designed to specifically address our values related to Global Citizenship, and by so doing act as a tran sition from Key Stage 4 to Senior Studies. Students have spent time reflecting on their own strengths, attitudes and priorities and then considering those of others. This has culminated in a “Humanising Portrait” project where students choose a member of our community to interview and portray in an ef fort to understand and consider the perspective of someone else, from a different background to themselves. As the course continues over the coming terms, students will go on to learn more about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and undertake a personal passion project relating to one that they select and particularly engage with. This will harness the strengths, attitudes and priorities that they have identified as well as acquaint themselves with the academic research process that will be integral to the Extended Essay when they reach Year 12.

YEAR 11 IB OPTIONS PROCESS

Our Year 11 students are rapidly approaching the end of their (I)GCSE programme, and we need to start planning the next stage in their academic journey with them. Student agen cy is essential in this; as young adults, students are moving from a pedagogic to andragogic approach to learning, the

latter requiring significant emphasis to be placed on the stu dent as the owner of the process. We work hard to provide students with a guided approach, drawing on the vast pro fessional experience of our faculty to offer a wide variety of subjects for study that each student can be successful in. From here we devolve the decision making to our students, provid ing them with lots of information to help them research and inform their decisions, and ensuring that we are as supportive in the process as possible. Parents of Year 11 students, more to come on this next week. A very similar system in currently also underway with our Year 9 students as they begin to choose their (I)GCSE subjects.

THE IB CORE

The Extended Essay (EE) is one of three core components of our IB Curriculum, the others being Theory of Knowledge, which Grant Robertson wrote about three weeks ago, and Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS).

With the significant help of my colleagues, I launched the EE with our Year 12 students last week, hopefully in such a way that students felt excited about the prospect of flexing their academic muscles in a 40-hour, 4000-word independent research project, that encourages and allows them to delve deeply into an academic area of their choosing, supported by an expert supervisor. In this undertaking students will reac quaint themselves with the Super Six research skills, that our wonderful Library team first teach our students in Year 3, but remains every bit as useful and relevant a decade later as they undertake their EEs. Of particular interest to students, as evidenced by the buzz of conversation in the breakout session which followed the EE launch, was the World Studies Extend ed Essay. This is an option for students who want to draw on the knowledge and skills from two of their IB subjects and use them to investigate an issue of contemporary global signifi cance. These essays engage our students’ agency allowing them to focus on the wider impact that their education can

have for society, and like the personal passion project in the Global Citizenship course (which we will use as a platform on which to build the EE) link back strongly to the IB’s mission statement.

•Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively;

•Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance;

•Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

YEAR 13 COMPLETION WEEK

CAS is a programme that not only encourages agency, but depends upon it. It is a way of rewarding our senior students for all that they do beyond the classroom, ensuring balance and recognising the wonderful contributions that they are able to make to our local and global community. While the CAS programme provides students opportunity to define their cre ativity, activity and service experiences for themselves it does also require them to reflect on their growth in relation to a number of intended learning outcomes, and thus continual ly strive for development and impact. The CAS project is a fantastic example of this, where students must collaborate on an undertaking that they plan, initiate and lead. It has at least a month’s duration and again addresses the same intended learning outcomes, allowing for meaningful reflection along the way. Examples of some CAS projects which our Year 12 student are currently planning are:

•Creating an Art activity for children from Rainbow House, a centre for disabled orphans in Bangkok;

•A Christmas Photo Booth to raise awareness and funds for the Mae Tao Clinic, a medical centre for Myanmar ref ugees;

•Visits to Bangkok School for the Blind to work as Teach ing Assistants for the specialist teachers.

CAS INTENDED LEANRING OUTCOMES

•Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, develop ing new skills in the process;

•Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience;

•Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences;

Our Year 13 students are coming to the end of their edu cational journey with us and ready to be agents of their own futures. They are an independent bunch, adaptable and re silient with an excellent ability to appropriately flick between purposeful work mode and fun. This was all demonstrated to me during the recent Completion Week. While other Second ary Year groups dispersed to different corners of Thailand for their Residentials, Year 13 remained in school to complete the various elements of their IB studies that are needed before they can turn their attention to preparation for their final examina tions in May. In response to student voice this week remained reasonably unstructured to allow students work on what they needed to- each student having different subject options and current priorities. This agency was welcomed and reward ed with a wonderful purpose and work ethic demonstrated throughout the week, appropriately punctuated by student led activities such as a lunchtime effort to recreate classic album covers and culminating in a celebratory barbeque once all the final Extended Essays had been submitted.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

IBO, 2022. About the IB: Mission. [Online] Available at: https://ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/ [Accessed 29 November 2022].

OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030, 2019. Conceptu al learning framework: Student Agency for 2030, Paris: OECD Publishing.

Vander Ark, T., 2015. [Blog post]10 tips for developing student agency. s.l.:Retrieved from gettingsmart.com.

students sPeak

PeoPle WHo insPire me

Rosalia (Tian) Suthiwongsunthorn, 6B

Every time I swim in the school swimming pool, I al ways enjoy the cool, refreshing water gently brush ing my skin. The feeling of gliding through the water and adoring the familiar rhythm of my strokes relieves me. Some people think of swimming as a hobby; others are just too afraid of drowning. However, for me, swimming is part of me. It allows me to bring out my inner com petitiveness and work hard on my only goal, which is to quickly reach the end of the pool and beat my previous personal best timing record.

My swimming journey began when I was in Year 1 as a TigerPrawn (TigerPrawn is for the youngest swim mers in the swimming academy of my school, who are normally seven years old or below). Today, I have been swimming for almost six years and have been promoted to TigerShark (TigerShark is for decent swimmers, who will have a chance to compete in various competitions throughout schools in Thailand or Southeast Asia).

Looking back, I wouldn’t have come this far without these people, who have inspired, motivated, and influ enced me to be who I am today: my swimming coach es, my swimming buddies and the senior swimmers.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were so regretful, annoyed and disappointed with yourself for making a careless mistake, which caused you to miss the chance of winning? Yes, that had happened to me before, it was a very painful experience. However, I was lucky to have my swimming coach, who was al ways there for me. Instead of scolding me, the coach

comforted me and brought me back together, so that I could focus on my next race. I was very grateful and learned that there was no point of being discouraged by what had passed; and focusing on the present was more important.

When it comes to training, the coaches are very strict, disciplined and will show no mercy. No matter how tired you are, they will always try to push you out of your comfort zone, until you break through. They train you to become stronger physically and mentally. They let me realise that nothing is free, and achievement comes with hard work.

My teammates also play a big role in my accomplish ments. They go through highs and lows with me, through devilish training, through disappointing moments, but also share triumphant joy with me. We cheer, we con gratulate and we comfort each other. I am so thankful to have such a beautiful friendship with them.

The senior swimmers are my role models. Every morn ing, they will already be in the pool, regardless of the unfriendly, freezing water. Their determination and will ingness to take hardship encourages me to be as good as them one day.

If I had not joined the school swimming academy, if I gave up easily after failure, if I did not have these peo ple to accompany me along the way, then my life would be totally different. I am so thankful for everyone who has inspired me!

one green cHristmas goal cHristmas

Robine Johnson, Year 1 Teacher

As we approach the end of Term 1, it is wonderful to be able to reflect on our successes so far with the One Green Goal challenge. Across the school, Year groups and departments have been challenging them selves to make small, meaningful, sustainable changes. From recycling to wasting less resources, students and teachers have been learning more about their impact on the environment and challenging themselves to make a change. You can see our goals here

We were so pleased to invite our parent community to join us via the Patana News and at the Friendship Friday Market in November. The One Green Goal selfie sta tion was a big hit! If you have not yet shared your One Green Goal video, we would love you to join us. Please

upload your short, portrait style video here: My One Green Goal

Now, we are thrilled to extend our Green Goal challenge out to our wider community and invite our part ner charities to join us too. So far, we have been able to support Children of the Forest install a solar powered water pump, Mercy Centre to start renovating their sus tainable farm and Home of Praise install a self-cleaning water tank. You can follow our progress at the One Green Goal blog here

This festive season, we are challenging the Bangkok Patana community to share One Green Christmas Goal. At this time of year, it is easy to lose sight of our sustainable goals. Wrap ping paper, Christmas cards and stocking fillers can often end up straight in the bin, not to mention the uneaten brussels sprouts! Here are some wonderful suggestions from SEC for making Christmas just a little greener:

• Remember the true meaning of Christmas

• Consider giving an act of service instead of a physical gift

• Consider charity gifting for communities in need

• Be mindful of fast fashion and of purchasing items you may never wear again

• Choose LED or solar Christmas lights to save energy

• Shop Vintage and find a pre-loved gift with a unique twist

• Create a reverse advent calendar and then gift to a person in need

• Gift to others items that help them avoid single use plastics

• Plan a plant-based feast

• Give the gift of homemade baking

• Buy local - avoid shipping or air freight

• Wrap your gifts in fabric or recycled paper

We would love to hear your green goals for this Christmas! Please email Ms Robine at rola@patana. ac.th with your One Green Christmas Goal to be featured in next week’s edition of the Patana News.

Mercy Centre Farm

Children of the Forest

Junior acHievement team in AsiA PAcific round

Bangkok Patana’s Junior Achievement team participated in the Company of the Year Competition Asia Pacific round from Tuesday 8th - 10th November, after being announced as one of the two finalists in the Company of the Year Competition Thailand. Junior Achievement is a worldwide business programme and competition where students set up and run their own companies, working in liaison with external business advisors. Bangkok Patana’s team this year are called “Aruna”, established by 15 students, and their product is uniquely designed, fidget jewellery made of highly sustainable materials. The idea of fidget jewellery came after looking at the increase in people suffer ing from anxiety. Aruna also had CSR-driven motives and became a financial success within its first year of running, earning revenue of THB 77,000. From 8th -10th November competing against other top companies from all around Asia Pacific, they produced a detailed company report outlining their business success, presented a four-minute video to a panel of esteemed judges, give a one-minute pitch and fielded challenging questions from the panel of judges. The team were delighted to meet other entrepreneurs from around 10 different countries and to learn so many new skills!

Shiksha Srivastava, 11S

STUDENTS INVOLVED: Rada (Sammy) Anuras, Shiksha Srivastava, Nandini Mehrotra, Tanzila Sumaiya, Ananya Kaushik, Kasijutha (Ma-Proud), Muniza Parvaiz, Preeyanan (Pam) Jirarungroj, Rosaleen (Rose) Knox, Suh Yeon (Ashley) Uh, Tonnaam Simulthorn, Utkarsh Bagaria, Aksh Patel, Akshit Gupta, Kaavya (Kavu) Italiya

smile cat cluB Service trip

IT ONLY TAKES ONE OPERATION AND 60 MINUTES TO CREATE A SMILE

Last week, students from the Smile CAT club were able to participate in the Smile trip to visit the Mae Sot Hospital. Stu dents and teachers all describe how the trip was an incredible experience and a valuable one, after years of COVID restric tions and consequent delays for the trip finally eased.

Smile is a CAT club aimed to raise awareness about cleft lip and cleft palate while also raising funds for reconstructive surgeries provided by the Operation Smile foundation. Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when the tis sue that makes up the lip or the tissue that makes up the root of the mouth does not join completely before birth, respec tively. Children who suffer from cleft lip and/or cleft palate face problems eating, drinking, and speaking clearly, as well as ear infections, hearing problems, and problems with their teeth.

Every year, our club organises several events such as the an nual Smile Day, Bake Sales, and Fun Day (Haunted House) to raise money. All such proceeds go to Operation Smile. Once it reaches Operation Smile, the money could be used for op erative care, renting the hospital, buying medical equipment or toys for young patients, and sterilizing the equipment.

A few very enthusiastic members: Karin, Gao, Jiya, Yerin, and Tatiana along with teachers, Ms Ferguson and Ms Cody, were able to participate in the 2022 Smile Trip for four days. We first made an eight-hour drive trip to Mae Sot. Once we arrived, we were welcomed by a lovely, comfortable resort for a good night's rest to ease our backs from the lengthy car trip. The next day, we headed off to the Mae Sot Hospital’s screening room which was bustling with patients (mostly chil dren) and their families as the patients needed to get checked by different doctors and anesthetists whether they were eligi ble to take the surgery.

This meant that some families that couldn’t meet the doctors’ criteria were turned back with mixed feelings of disappoint ment and sadness. For instance, some children that weighed too little, were too young, or were sick weren’t eligible to take the surgery. On top of the worry that their children could get rejected from taking the surgery, there was evident fear amongst the parents as most of them had no prior experience of visiting a hospital at all, therefore limited understanding of the screening processes and in general how the hospital op erated. Therefore, we grabbed the stuffed animals and toy balls to go to the frightened children to spend time and play with them to make them feel more relaxed and entertained. Some Thai but mostly Burmese, families shared their personal stories with us and we spent time respectfully listening to men tally support the parents. Most Burmese patients had come from refugee camps, making the journey to try to guarantee

that their children will live a long, healthy and, comfortable life.

We then went to the ward to decorate the rooms for the pa tients to rest in before and after the operation. Lovely, cute de signs of animals, shapes, and colorful paper were put around the ward. Once again we spent time talking to the families and playing with the children until they headed to their surgeries. As well as this, we were given a Q&A session with Dr. Apicha to ask several questions. To show our gratitude for the effort the doctors were putting in and how they were changing lives by providing surgery, we drew thank-you cards, put them in a bag of sweets, and handed it over to the doctors, nurses, and staff who had volunteered to spend their time for this valuable cause. The trip allowed me to reflect on how different people with different backgrounds can still come together to form a large, amazing team for a valuable cause (like providing free surgeries to cleft lip/palate patients) successfully. Also, after we witnessed how the donations collected by Smile were used for such a consequential event, we were able to realize how every fundraising event and attempt to raise awareness had left a meaningful step toward supporting the patient com munity.

A BRIEF STORY FROM OUR TRIP

At the Mae Sot hospital, there was a 10-year-old Burmese girl named Mama sitting in the corner. It was her very first time visiting a hospital in general, and she had been waiting for her surgery for a day when we met her. Her eyes were sunken due to sleep deprivation brought on by her anxiety and fear. The only person Mama seemed to open up her heart to was the caregiver.

The caregiver came from the Mae La refugee camp. She mainly helps cleft palate/lip children from Burma who need surgeries and looks after them for several days in Thailand. Not only are her actions very kind, but they are also coura geous. Crossing the border contains difficult routes to avoid countless dangers…

Find out more about this person’s story on Instagram: @operationsmile_bps

Yerin Kang, 12R, Hikari (Karin) Kengpulsup, 13C and Kamolnisa (Gao) Kamalanavin, 13L

FoBisia gymnASticS invitAtionAl

Over the weekend, Bangkok Patana School welcomed eleven schools to the FOBISIA Gymnastics Invitational 2022. This was the first international gymnastics competition since before the pandemic, and for many younger gymnasts, their first-ever competition. We also welcomed spectators into the arena, which was also a first for many new gymnastics mums and dads! This event brought together just shy of 400 gymnasts from the following schools: Bangkok Patana School, NIST, International School Bangkok, Bangkok Prep, United World College of South East Asia – East, Harrow International School, Australian International School – Singapore, Shrews bury – Bangkok, British School Jakarta, British School Manila, St Andrew’s – Bangkok and Singapore International School – Bangkok.

**WAG = Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

**MAG = Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

Saturday 26th November began with the WAG Level 2 gymnasts with 105 gymnasts competing across both junior and senior categories. The Level 2 teams did exceptionally well and performed well under pressure, competing in the largest category of the competition.

WAG LEVEL 2 (JUNIOR AND SENIOR)

Team Award: WAG Level 2 Junior - 1st place. Team members: Natchanan (Ging) Watakeyanon, Worawaran (Khaosuay) Boonsong, Tisha Dhanuwongkarnkar, Esther Lee, Jatym Mahad umrongkul and Yu-Lan (Claire) Wang.

Individual AA: WAG Level 2 Junior - 2nd place Jatym Mahad umrongkul

Our WAG Level 2 Senior team came 4th out of 10 teams - well done to our WAG Level 2 senior girls.

The second session to take place was the WAG Level 3 gymnasts, bringing together 79 gymnasts. Our level 3 gym nasts performed beautifully, gaining several compliments from visiting coaches and judges.

WAG LEVEL 3 (JUNIOR AND SENIOR)

Team Award: WAG Level 3 Junior - 1st place. Team members: Tsz Yu (Dorothy) Yau, Rosemarie (Rosie) Hillaud, Ploynapas (Pam) Asawapiwat, Paola Romei, Mikayla Liu and Lyla Fowler.

Individual AA: WAG Level 3 Junior - 2nd place Rosemarie (Rosie) Hillaud & 3rd place Ploynapas (Pam) Asawapiwat

Team Award: WAG Level 3 Senior - 1st place. Team members: Molly Frazier, Jingqi (Nina) Sun, Jingtong (Angel) Sun, Freya Bidgoli, Ariana Hyman and Lauraine Poh.

Individual AA: WAG Level 3 Senior - 2nd place Lauraine Poh Paola Romei (L3 junior) and Jingtong (Angel) Sun (L3 senior) came 4th in the individual AA, a narrow miss of the podium and one of the hardest rankings to swallow; however, 4th is still an ex cellent achievement!

The final session on Saturday consisted of the WAG Level 4 gymnasts, bringing together 41 gymnasts. Our Level 4 gym nasts demonstrated determination and competed strongly in a tough category.

WAG LEVEL 4 (JUNIOR AND SENIOR)

Team Award: WAG Level 4 Junior - 1st place. Team members: Eu genia Sabatini, Jidapa (Jasmine) Thamprida, Athena Thamavara nukupt and Mona Parinyanusorn.

Individual AA: WAG Level 4 Junior - 1st place Eugenia Sabantini. Team Award: WAG Level 4 Senior - 2nd place. Team members: Isabella Knight, Sophie Schwaar, Isabella (Bella) Pek, Yuzuha (Jennie) Saito and Natalie Xin Qiao Thai.

Individual AA: WAG Level 4 Senior - 2nd place Sophie Schwaar.

On Sunday 27th November, we welcomed both MAG and WAG categories, beginning with MAG Level 1 and MAG Level 2 gymnasts, alongside the WAG Level 4.5 and WAG Level 5 gymnasts. Sunday morning saw 109 gymnasts com pete at the same time across six different levels - the atmos phere in the arena was electric, with many spectators cheering along from the stands! Mona (Level 4 junior) just missed out on an AA award, placing 4th overall!

MAG LEVEL 1 (JUNIOR AND SENIOR)

Individual AA: MAG Level 1 Junior - 1st place Thann Thamavara nukupt

Team Award: MAG Level 1 Senior - 1st place. Team members: Kabir Sachdev, Edward James Evans, Sebastian Barck-Holst, Christopher Sira Duckworth, San [Penne] Banomyong and Sahib Sachdev.

Individual AA: MAG Level 1 Senior - 2nd place Sebastian BarckHolst

MAG LEVEL 2 (JUNIOR AND SENIOR)

Team Award: MAG Level 2 Junior - 1st place. Team members: Caleb Ebrahim, Poomphan (Zea) Luenganantakul and Harper Collins.

Individual AA: MAG Level 2 Junior - 2nd place Poomphan (Zea) Luenganantakul & 3rd place Caleb Ebrahim

Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Cross Campus Head Gymnastics Coach

Team Award: MAG Level 2 Senior - 1st place. Team members: Nattakon (Glar) Watakeyanon, Techatat [Tate] Buristrakul, Peem aphat (Sun) Luenganantakul, Matthew Duckworth, Terry Lau and Darsh Gunecha.

Individual AA: MAG Level 2 Senior - 1st place Matthew Duck worth

WAG LEVEL 4.5 (OPEN AGE)

Team Award: WAG Level 4.5 - 2nd place. Team members: Naan Pidhchada Dai, Elizabeth Lee, Hailynn Park, Suri Natnaree Tiraratanakul, Quinn Tatiyamaneekul, Ronya Wallin. Elizabeth Lee missed out on an individual AA award by 0.10 and came 4th overall!

WAG LEVEL 5 (OPEN AGE)

Team Award: WAG Level 5 - 3rd place. Team members: Aya Haviv Buck, Sofiya Malik, Penelope (Penny) Jones, Karen Ka wasaki, Chanya Thienthong and Mizuki Tanaka Karen also nar rowly missed out on a podium spot, placing 4th overall!

The final ses sions on Sunday consisted of the high-level MAG and WAG gymnasts bringing together 50 gymnasts from across South East Asia. These gymnasts brought their A-game and fought hard through difficult skills and new routines to claim the podium places!

MAG LEVEL 3 (OPEN AGE)

Team Award: MAG Level 3 - 1st place. Team members: Frank Myers, Philip Duckworth, Samuel (Sam) Jones, Oliver Somanatha Arachchige and Oliver Mason.

Patana pArticipAteS!

Achievements from Our Community

Individual AA: MAG Level 3 - 1st place Oliver Somanatha Arach chige, 2nd place Sam Jones & 3rd place Oliver Mason. Philip Duckworth placed 4th overall.

WAG LEVEL 6 (OPEN AGE)

Team Award: WAG Level 6 - 2nd place. Team members: Saira Sachdev, Anika Jagota, Elsie Griffiths, Claire Tantapakul, Alice Jones, Jasmine Beroud.

Individual AA: WAG Level 6 - 1st place Jasmine Beroud. BPS’s only Level 7 gymnast, Emily Cannon, placed 4th overall!

WAG LEVEL 8 (OPEN AGE)

Team Award: WAG Level 8 - 1st place. Team members: Phisira (Paengrum) Chatchupong, Keira McKnight-Burrell and Evelyn Cannon.

Individual AA: WAG Level 8 - 3rd place Phisira (Paengrum) Chatchupong

An event this size takes a village, and the event ran seam lessly – a clear example of excellent teamwork! I would like to thank the amazing team of gymnastics coaches, the Sports & Activities Team, the IS/IT department, the Buildings & Grounds department, the catering team, the transport department and the fabulous parent volunteers! Thank you for giving up your time to provide an unforgettable experience for the gym nasts! Additional ly, I would like to thank the Thai National Gym nastics Associa tion for officiating the event and the Chula University helpers, who as sisted the judges with the scoring software.

Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Cross Campus Head Gymnastics Coach

Jasmine Beroud, 9K, recently competed in the JRC Stars Championships 2022 gymnastics competition. Jasmine achieved the WAG Australia Level 4 Overall Champion (1st Place Individual All-Around). She also achieved two additional medals in the apparatus events: 1st Place Floor and 3rd Place Bars. Congratulations!

getting to Know ButterflieS

It was when I was nine years old and living in Singa pore that I first started taking pictures like these. First with all sorts of animals as a way to pass the time while waiting for my sister's riding lessons, but I began to start specializing on butterflies and insects after some time. The book was honestly first a school project, where we were meant to make a five-page long book, but my dad and I took it a few steps further and published our own. All the pictures were taken in Singapore, so the book is mainly based about the butterflies in Singapore, but there is a lot of general knowledge about butterflies as well. I hope others will learn about these fascinating creatures and about the world around us through this book.

CLICK HERE TO READ NOAH’S

ONLINE BLOG!

I’ve been teaching Science for thirty years now, but this was the first time a Year 7 student showed me a book like this that they had made themselves. It is an impressive discussion of both butterfly ecology and identification that will be of use to other students and teachers that are trying to improve their own understanding of these spectacular insects. The species in the book are also common to Thai land, so it is great we have copies in our library now that can be used by both primary and secondary students and teachers. As I have taken an interest in butterfly ecology and conservation myself I really appreciate the work be hind the text and patience that goes into the photographs. For anyone interested in finding out more about Thai butter flies this kind of guide will provide a valuable introduction, many available guides in the English language a rather overly complex and detailed to make an easy introduction. Well done Noah!

Noah Srethapakdi Artpradid, 7S

Adrian Palmer, Secondary Science and Biology Teacher

FootBall triP off with A BAng At tHe tHunderdome!

Cross Campus Assistant Head Football Coach

On Saturday 26th November, the Football Acad emy coaches, Under 9 students and parents at tended Muangthong United’s 1-1 draw with Bangkok United in the Thai Premier League. It was a memorable evening filled with fun and excitement for our students, parents and coaches.

On arriving at their Thunderdome stadium, Muang thong kindly provided our students with striking red and black kits - their traditional colours, along with snacks and drinks. Following this, we walked to the VIP room, where we were due to watch the match! We had a perfect view of the pitch and enjoyed watching the warm-ups.

and paper the staff had laid on for the younger children in attendance.

After the game our students, parents and coaches were allowed onto the pitch to meet the players for autographs and photographs. The evening concluded with several parents, coaches and students having a mass kick-around on the pitch which appeared destined to last forever giv en the enthusiasm of the students. It was a great way to top a memorable evening.

22 of our students who had previously been chosen at random to be mascots walked to the tunnel area to meet the players. Before kick-off, they walked on to the pitch with the players, joined the team photos and stood for the Royal Anthem.

The game itself was a close, entertaining encounter, and our students gave Muangthong a massive cheer when they took the lead. Unfortunately, Bangkok United equalized prior to the game finishing, but it was entertain ing nonetheless, and I was extremely impressed with how engaged our students were in the match itself.

Of course, this engagement waned slightly when Khun Pok, the Muangthong United owner who had kindly invit ed us, mentioned that ice cream was on the way! How ever, towards the end of the game our students were urging Muangthong to score again. Some even created their own Muangthong United banners using the crayons

We hope this trip will inspire even greater interest and curiosity in our learners towards the beautiful game – es pecially pertinent given that one of the key school values is “we are motivated and engaged”.

Justin Jempson,

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Muangthong United for inviting us and treating us with such hospitality! Hopefully we can run similar events in the future.

WildliFe Spotting with coke

pittA BirdS!

Alexander Coke Smith IV, Secondary Environmental Sciences Leader

No, not the bread! Pittas are without a doubt one of the most sought after groups of birds in Asia, Australia and Africa. Their spectacular plumage amazes even those with little to no interest in birds. With anywhere from 40-42 species, Pitta tend to be the prize for birders. Thailand is in the heart of the range for several species of Pitta. And when they are around, they tend to draw large crowds of photographers and bird watchers.

With 14 species in Thailand, Pitta find their homes in a range of habitats from subtropical and tropical forests to mangroves and some even seem to do well in semi-disturbed habitats. They tend to be terrestrial, spending much of their lives on the ground. Their nests are often found the ground as well. Many species are threatened or are data-de ficient as to their conservation status. Sadly, one species, the Gurney’s Pitta, is considered to be functionally extinct due to neglect and habitat loss.

Aside from the Pittas being absolutely spectacular birds to view, they tend to be a challenge to see. In fact, the rel ative difficulty and sheer effort required to see many of these species initially kept my species list very short, with only the most common Blue-winged Pitta gracing my list. However, in the past year I have increased my effort to find and document several more Pitta species here in Thailand with some success. I am still missing a couple easy species and only dream about some of the truly challenging species, like the Giant Pitta…

A good way to find Pittas is to follow the birding blogs to see what people are seeing around our area. During the migration season, some species like the Hooded Pitta and the Fairy Pitta can even be found inside the Bangkok City Limits! There is actually a Hooded in town as I write this. And a Blue Pitta is showing very well just outside of Kaeng Kra chan as well! Check out the Bird Society Thailand for a start on the current sightings. Follow the advice of others in the group and soon enough you will start to build your own species lists.

And there are numerous awesome guides in our area who are very keen to show people these species and of ten know where to find them. Feel free to contact me for some good contacts. Nothing beats being deep in the for est and seeing these brightly colored birds hopping to and fro on the forest floor…. And if you are very lucky, they might stop long enough for a great picture! Good luck!

Coke Smith is our Environmen tal Science Leader and can be reached at cosm@patana.ac.th if you have any questions.

Christmas Market

cracking eartH’s layers - A ScientiA Article

The inner core, outer core, mantle and crust: the phrase we frequently hear when discuss ing the layers of the earth and it comes so easily to us that we simply don’t question it. Yet, this topic is extremely complex and has great implications for understanding the world we live in. To learn more, read the full article on our website here!

additional (i)gcse entry

mFl and Home languages

If your child(ren) (currently in Years 9, 10 or 11) study a language outside of school, either a Home Language or a Foreign Language, and would like to consider taking an (I)GCSE exam in that language this academic year, do contact Celine Courenq, Head of Faculty World Languages (ceco@patana.ac.th) before the 13th December.

In your email, can you please include:

-the full name of your child(ren)

-the tutor group

-the language you wish your child(ren) to be entered for -the syllabus code of the exam (for example "Cambridge IGCSE Chinese - Second Language (0523)")

Kamolnisa (Gao) Kamalanavin, 13L

Desert Island Discs

With

Suzi

Hobday, Secondary Geography Teacher

This 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 Geography Teacher, Suzi Hobday, is stuck on a desert island.

MS SUZI, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?

Feeling This - Blink 182

Sleepyhead - Passion Pit Want You Bad - The Offspring

Home By Now - Bombay Bicycle Club

Click to listen to Ms Suzi’s playlist

Changing of the Seasons - Two Door Cinema Club

Wildest Dreams - Taylor Swift

U + UR Hand - P!nk

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine

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 yoga mat

WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. What are you listening to? Have a list of your own? Let us know! Contact STML with your favourites.

#233: whAt pArentS need to Know ABout SociAl mediA And mentAl heAlth

An estimated one-third of children have a social media account, so it’s important that trusted adults know what content young people are consuming, what they’re posting and the interactions they’re hav ing. On social media, it can be easy to go down a rabbit hole that isn’t beneficial to our well-being. As platforms grapple with manag ing ‘legal but harmful’ content, lives are being impacted – sometimes to tragic effect. We might be daunted by the scale of the tech gi ants and their content which enthrals young people, but we can still help children to be mindful of their mental wellness: recognising when something isn’t OK … and knowing what to do about content that upsets them.

In the guide, you’ll find tips such as how to hide content, setting daily limits and discussing what children have seen online.

Our next PTG Tech Talk is coming up on the 6th of December and you can sign up here In the session we will be discussing how social media apps use persuasive design to keep you coming back for more, and our Student Digital Leaders will be giving tips on how they, and your children, can strive to achieve a bal anced digital diet. Hope you can make it.

Have a great weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

Dear Music Lovers, Together with friends and family, celebrate the resilience of Bangkok and experience the joy of live music by Pro Musica.The time has come to get outdoors, tote you kids along and enjoy the beautiful gardens of the Neilson Hays Library for a social Sunday morning having snacks and drinks with an hour of music by Johann Strauss, Astor Piazzolla and more! Coffee, tea, other drinks, and food are available for sale at the cafe in the library, Palam Palam Tamagno.

Tickets can be purchased online, at the library, or reserve seats by calling 02-233-1731 or emailing info@neilsonhayslibrary.org. Please note that reserved seats should be paid for within 3 days of the booking, after that they will be released.

With the limited parking space available at the library, it’s recommended that you take a taxi or use public transportation. If you do drive, parking is available at the Jewellery Center Building, 388 Si Phraya Road, a 5 minute walk to Neilson Hays Library. They charge a fee of THB 30 per hour for parking. (Click for Map Link)

For

daily

643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND