Friday 16th February 2024
Volume 26 Issue 21
www.patana.ac.th
By Lorna Conroy
Page 2
Also in this issue...
Happy Lunar New Year 2024
Community Engagement
The Season to Migrate
Fun Day Green Stall Awards
Drama Artist in Residence
Tech Talk
Patana Participates
Page 4
Page 6
Page 10
Page 13
Page 14
Page 20
Page 21
Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS
As we reach the halfway point of this academic year, I reflect back on the article I wrote for the Patana News back in September. It focused on the House Systems and why it’s so important and valuable here at Bangkok Patana. I discussed the aims of encouraging healthy competition; fostering unity and belonging; providing opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and take responsibility; encouraging participation and engagement, as well as the House System being a tradition that goes back many years at Patana.
Since then, a whole range of House related activities have taken place and the students have amassed a phenomenal 39,870 individual house points.
But have the aims of the House system been met? Are all of the students engaging and participating? Are they feeling a sense of belonging? Are they developing leadership skills? I decided to ask the youngest students who have only been part of a House for six months and the oldest who have been in a House for six and a half years.
This is what they said:
1. How much do you enjoy being part of a House?
3. Does being in a House give you a feeling of belonging?
4. If you have been a House Year Leader at any point did it help develop your leadership skills?
All of the Year 13 students who had been a Year Leader in the past confirmed that the role had to some extent helped them develop their leadership skills.
The House spirit is truly alive and well at Patana and the results clearly show that the students enjoy and value the competition and the sense of community it creates.
2.Do you feel the House system creates healthy and fun competition?
The House Quiz
Last Friday every student in the Secondary School took part in the House Quiz. The competition was fierce as the students competed against each in a diverse set of quiz rounds. While Year 7, 8 and 9 students were in the specialist quiz venues answering questions on World and Current Affairs, Art and Culture and Science and Technology, the older year groups were in their tutor bases working out the phases from dingbats, identifying the staff member of a body part, and other ‘fun’ topics. Then at the end of lesson one the big change over took place and students in Years 10,11,12 and 13 had their opportunity to shine in the quiz venues while Years 7, 8 and 9 eagerly completed in the ‘fun’ rounds.
Here is a little taster of the different quizzes:
• Art and culture:
1. Which of the following is not a convention of the Gothic genre?
a) Setting the narrative in an abandoned castle
b) Building tension
c) Choosing a clown as the protagonist
d) Featuring ravens and bats (answer: c)
• Science and Technology:
1. The hexadecimal value 2B in denary is..
A) 211 B) 44 C) 42 D) 43 (answer: d)
2. The DNA base sequence of a small polypeptide reads:
ATTGCATATGGGTTA
• World and current affairs:
1. Who won the 2023 Women’s Soccer World Cup
Final, defeating England 1-0
A) USA B) France C) Australia D) Spain (answer d)
A. Ireland B. Sweden C. Norway D. Switzerland (answer c)
• General Knowledge and ‘fun’ rounds:
1. Can you name the member of staff in the following photos?
(answers: Mr Seddon, Mr Sammons, Mrs Conroy)
2. Can you name the song and artist from this lyric? You were out of my league
All the things I believed You were just the right kind
Yeah, you were more than just a dream (answer: Out Of My League by Fitz and the Tantrums)
When the results were counted it was close but there had to be a winner and this year it was Lanta that took the top spot, with Chang and Phuket drawing in second and Samui a very close 4th place.
Bangkok Patana School was a wash of red and gold on Friday as we celebrated the start of the 2024 Lunar New Year, by welcoming in the Year of the Dragon. The assembly was a wonderful mixture of dance, music and stories, introduced and presented by our amazing students from across the school.
For the first time we were lucky to have members of our Senior School Gymnastics team and Secondary Dance Academy supporting and performing alongside our Primary students. They all demonstrated excellent leadership skills and were great role models for the primary students to aspire to. The assembly ended with a spectacular drumming performance followed by a Dragon and then Lion Dance.
The Lunar New Year is such an important festival in Asia and at Bangkok Patana, as it is celebrated by many of our communities who come from various different parts of Asia. In China it is celebrated as the Spring Festival. In Vietnam it is celebrated as Tet and in Korea it is celebrated as Seollal. This special time in the year is a great way of bringing our diverse communities together so that we can learn more about one another and our different and exciting cultures, festivals and countries.
The photos certainly show how united and joyful everyone was at being together and learning from and with each other. Here’s to wishing everyone a very happy 2024 Lunar New Year.
Thiti Bhanarai12H, President and Sunu Chang12B, Secretary of MiniMovers
MiniMovers is a Bangkok Patana community engagement group as a branch chapter of University of Delaware’s ‘GoBabyGo’ initiative. Our aims are to utilise the design minds of Patana to create modifiable toy engine cars for children, to involve student leaders into a hands-on initiative, to work with the community, and empower students with ‘little wheels for big dreams’.
We build cars that are modified for us to work with children aged four to nine years at the Samut Prakan Education Centre, with the stress of those physically disabled in our lower body. These cars have accelerator placements tailored for each specific client; insurance that car speeds don’t endanger the passengers; and provide comfort supports for seating and protection within the cars to shock-absorb reduce collisions for our mini-movers.
We are glad to talk to you about the various events we’ve held over the course of the current academic year. On 26th October, we had the opportunity to meet the Governor of Bangkok, Chadchart Sittipunt, to showcase our prototypes of our MiniMovers cars. “The insight that he brought to our goals for widening the scope of the disabled children, made us really reflect on our product. It put us back on the drawing board, however narrowed us on the right track!” said Max ,12S. The Governor continues to actively support our club by finding other less known branches of special education centres that we can contact to offer our support to help them move.
More recently, we opened our first awareness merch stall at the Le Marché de Mater Dei, and to hold our first public build at Fun Day. We sold totes, stylised shirts, pitched our ideas and cars, learned about the other community integrated volunteering groups at Mater Dei, and gained more links to more special education groups.
Similar to Mater Dei, we had merchandise items like mentioned prior for sale, and other cosmetic items like branded purses and bumper stickers for the cars we build.
The ‘public build’ constitutes the exhibition of our cars being built in-person, and to be able to engage students involved in Bangkok Patana, to test out the cars in real time, and give the BangkokPatana community a sneak peek into the design process. This recent Fun Day event marks the first international-school-held public build ever in Thailand. This event was especially challenging for the entire MiniMovers team, as organising such a large venue seemed alien to us prior, and the risk management and the build up to it all was very tight, but from our perspective post-event, it was a very moving experience and we hope that the Patana community feel the same as we do.
People who stopped by helped out with the build, were eager to know more about our mission, and towards the end, we were able to give some of the Patana students a test run of the cars. “Almost all of the students were very excited about our addition of the hand-held accelerator. Their faces brimmed with excitement, and I hope we gave them a fun time moving!” said Leo Alfaro, 12B.
We would like to thank the board members of MiniMovers for making the events possible and to be able to reach this level of success. Please keep supporting MiniMovers (Instagram @ minimoversbps) and look forward to future events.
But for now, we’ll just keep on moving!
People often say that there are two seasons in Thailand – ‘wet and dry’ or some of the more cynical types say the two seasons are ‘hot’ and hotter’! While I won’t disagree with either thought, for me, there is ‘nesting season’ and ‘not nesting season’. And if you tie that together with ‘migration season’ you have a good idea how birders think. And now is a great time.
Nesting, or breeding behaviour in general, is very species specific, there are definitely timings for various groups of birds to be very active at certain similar times. I specifically mention birds, as if you are discussing breeding seasons for many mammals and other groups of animals, they may be near impossible to see in the wild as they are often out of sight, deeper in the forests or other places and are therefore difficult to see.
There are three easily accessible spots for Bangkokers that are getting very active now and will continue to be so for the coming weeks. Khao Yai, for example has many active hornbill nests. I have included images of the three main species you can see if you are lucky and know where to go.
Kaeng Krachan is absolutely one of the most amazing hotspots in Asia currently, with many species beginning their courtship displays. Hornbills are nesting in many cases, and it won’t be too much longer that you will start to see various species of broadbills building their nests and raising their chicks. Kaeng Krachan is also really proving its value as Thailand’s newest World Heritage Site with very regular sightings of not only countless species of birds but loads of mega fauna as well. Sun bears are still seen very regularly as are yellow-throated martens, Malayan porcupines, various species of civets and the holy grail of carnivores, black leopards!
Now in terms of migration season, the hills outside of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are currently exploding with winter migrants in from China and Russia. There are dozens of species that are showing very well at such places as Doi Ang Kang, Doi Lang East and West (San Ju). Even beginner naturalists can find impressive varieties of fauna this time of year. For a better idea of where things are currently happening, I recommend eBird.com where you can look for recent sightings, very specific maps and species lists that are current to today in many cases.
I am hoping this week’s column comes in time for those looking for a nature/wildlife filled holiday this Half Term. While my family and I may not be jaunting off to a wild lo-
cation here in Thailand, we are focusing on the wildlife of northern and central Viet Nam, where I hope to get images of some of Southeast Asia’s rarest and most spectacular primates. Fingers crossed for my next column!
Hill Blue Flycatcher
Year13
IB Thai students had a chance to honour and welcome Khun Chart Korbjitti who was named a national artist in literature in 2004. He wrote the famous book called Khamphiphaksa (the Judgement) that won the S.E.A.Write Award in 1982. The Y13 students studied this book for their IB Thai course and they earn the implicit experience by meeting the writer. Our students has impressive moment with him to discuss about his idea and the theme that he put into this book. Specials thanks to Att, Krish, Neil, Punn and Tanya who were wonderful MC’s for this forum. Let the students share their memories
“This opportunity placed studying literature in its real-world context which I found very profound and valuable. While it undeniably helped us to better understand the novel we are studying which we will use in our final exams, it more importantly gave us insight into the purpose of literature: to evoke emotion and send thought-provoking messages to communities. The heart of most of Khun Chart’s works is rooted in timeless global issues that continue to persist in our modern society. Khampipaksa was a sombre read, but as Khun Chart said, it serves as a demonstration and reminder of how we ought not to act. It captures the very essence of the IB, hoping to forge conscious-minded students who will benefit society.
-Phisira Kashemsri (Paengrum) Chatchupong , 13E
“Being able to converse with the author himself was an invaluable experience. Through this visit, I was able to gain insights into both him and the book. Overall, it was a worthwhile experience that I will cherish as I write my Thai Paper 2 exam.”
-Tanyasuda (Tanya) Sastrasinh, 13G
Fun Day is an occasion our whole community looks forward to. Whether it’s the rides, the shopping, the delicious food or the stage show - there is something for everyone to enjoy. As we have for several years, the SEC aimed to encourage everyone to do their part to ensure that Fun Day was as sustainable as possible and the footprint we left was minimised. Thank you to everyone who brought along their own water bottle, reusable shopping bags and said “no thank you” to single use plastics.
The competition among our vendors was extremely fierce this year, to secure the coveted “Greenest Stall Award”. The judging team comprising Molly, Sasha, Saana and Ana had their clipboards at the ready and quizzed each vendor to see how their green credentials stacked up. Locally based produce, minimal packaging, use of natural materials, safe but sustainable transportation and waste reduction plans were just some of the strategies shared by our fantastic vendors.
After much deliberation the award winners for 2024 were decided. Congratulations…
1st Place - Sloanes
2nd Rembrandt Hotels
3rd Sunrise Taco’s
Sloanes were the runners up in 2023 and it was awesome to see the small incremental changes they had made in their quest to be #1. Their biodegradable cutlery and locally sourced organic, high welfare ingredients that had been ethically sourced were highlights.
Having worked in the international counselling field for over fifteen years, I have noticed how the role has evolved beyond the traditional framework of position. Navigating through the complexities of the admissions process along with the many factors that impact a family’s decision remains a core element. However, the approach to discussing these factors has altered and, in my opinion, improved. As students explore their way through this unfamiliar introspective journey, it is important to utilise an approach that emphasises the academic, cultural, and personal attributes of the student. For an effective relationship to be built between the counsellor and student, it is paramount that a tailored method which addresses the student’s skills, attitude and behaviour is applied.
Social-emotional learning is a thorough process, focusing on equipping students with the necessary skills to recognize and manage the following: emotions, develop positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. A holistic approach that emphasises a growth mindset which supports students throughout their life, not just in school. It addresses the versatile challenges students encounter, encompassing cultural adjustment, language barriers, and the difficulties of career planning. I have used this approach in offering relocation support, as many of our students/families are quite transient, fostering resilience and developing coping strategies. The promotion of well-being certainly aids in addressing stress, anxiety and encouraging positive and supportive thinking.
One of the foundational elements of social-emotional learning is cultural competence. A counsellor who embraces cultural diversity and demonstrates empathy creates a safe space for international students and families to express their thoughts and concerns openly. Understanding the cultural nuances that influence their perspectives on education and career choices enables counsellors to provide tailored guidance that respects individual backgrounds and values. Cultural competence also involves recognising the emotional impact of cultural adjustment. International students often face challenges related to homesickness, identity crisis, and the stresses of socialization. I have witnessed how a social-emotional learning approach allows me to address emotional aspects, develops motivation and offers a sense of belonging among
students.
As I mentioned above, international students often struggle with intense emotions related to academic pressures, cultural adaptation, and future uncertainties. Social-emotional learning focuses on assisting students to develop the required tools to handle such emotions, develop emotional regulation and resilience. I am grateful that I have class time with my students where I can dedicate the importance of such skills. The aim is to empower students to overcome such challenges and thrive in their academic and personal pursuits. A topic covered in our lessons is self-reflection and goal setting within a social-emotional framework allowing students to consider personal well-being and fulfilment. The approach highlights the importance of aligning their career choices with their values, beliefs and contributes a sense of purpose, reducing the likelihood of career-related stress and dissatisfaction. Promoting emotional intelligence enhances students’ self-awareness, enabling them to make informed decisions about their university choices and career paths. In my experience, an emotionally resilient student is better equipped to handle setbacks, adapt to new environments, and persevere in the face of adversity. All crucial skills for preparing students study at university and to thrive and be successful in life.
It was a fantastic experience to have Red Leap Theatre Company as an Artist in Residence in the Drama department over four days. The experience gave learning opportunities to support and enhance the Drama curriculum in a variety of ways including ensemble building, devising drama, creating characters and puppetry skills.
Red Leap Theatre Company is an award-winning New Zealand based theatre company, whose aims are “to create bold, highly visual and innovative theatre that inspire the next generation in a women-led organisation.” Here is their website if you would like to find out more: https:// redleaptheatre.co.nz/
We utilised their expertise in three key areas:
Student workshops
Exploring careers in the Performing Arts
Teacher CPL
Students in Year 7, 9, 10 and 12 were given the opportunity to participate in a theatre workshop with the artists, experiencing what it would be like to work in a professional theatre company.
Year 7 built on the puppetry work they have been creating in their Drama lessons this term. We explored scale by creating miniature worlds and physicalising landscapes using our bodies for effective storytelling.
Year 10 and 12 students took part in a full day workshop where they explored the devising and creative process in depth - they used the building blocks of devising to create different characters, both individually and as an ensemble
of actors.
It was fantastic to see our students across Year groups working collaboratively - it enabled all students to extend and push themselves further, working as a full ensemble, which gave them a repertoire of skills to apply to their assessments at IGCSE Drama and IB Theatre.
Sixty students in Year 9 who expressed an interest in taking Drama in the future, were selected to take part in an extended workshop to give them insight into IGCSE and IB Theatre. Here are some student reflections on the experience:
“I enjoyed doing the workshop because it expanded my knowledge of drama skills. We learnt about using scale to portray different settings that would be impossible to create in a normal production.” -Nico, 9M
“The Red Leap workshop was so fun, and it was interesting to see how professional theatre companies work. It was a great opportunity and I’m grateful to have taken part.”- Kate, 9J
“Being invited to the Red Leap workshop was a great opportunity to have an insight into different drama techniques and styles. It was a fun way to collaborate with drama enthusiasts across my year and develop our devising skills which I hope to utilise in GCSE Drama next year. One of my favourite moments was the chorus building exercise where as a group we had to use instinct and peripheral vision to navigate through the space.” -Ana, 9Y
“I found the Drama workshop fun and useful, it made me more comfortable working with people I don’t know, it required communication and teamwork. It was a really fun experience and helped me feel more confident” -Miller, 9M
“I really enjoyed the drama workshop because it was very active, I got a lot closer to my friends and also made new ones. The workshop was the fun I needed to get through my day.” -Lucas, 9M
The Drama department and the Careers faculty worked in collaboration to give students in Year 10 - 12 the opportunity to attend an open house Q & A session about moving forward with a career in the Performing Arts.
Aspects that were discussed:
- Drama school versus university courses
- What it is like working as a freelance artist or running a theatre company
- Differences in working in Film, TV and Theatre
- Various art forms in the Performing Arts industry and transferable skills to be taken into different industries.
These are all key for our students to consider as they progress with their future. The Drama department looks forward to working collaboratively with the Careers and Universities team and individual students to support personalising their future pathways.
“It was so good for the Careers and Universities team to hear from professionals from the world of the performing arts. We were lucky to have real-world insights on career pathways and necessary transferable skills which will help us guide our students to make the best possible decisions when setting themselves up for success in such an exciting industry. We hope to have more students consider studying Performing Arts at universities and embracing them as a viable career pathway. Our team looks forward to continuing to work with professionals and our own Drama department at Patana to provide a solid foundation of support for each student” -Kevin
Keller,Head of Careers and University Counselling
“What I took away from the careers in the Performing Arts session was that there’s a lot of flexibility in the paths and you can alternate between multiple things at once. You can create your own projects or work on other people’s projects. I got an insight on the life of a creative - the need to drive yourself, to reinvent your work to fit changing environments and keep yourself out there. I learnt about the joy of creating things with others, collaborating, and
never being bored because every project will be different than the last. Also, the skills you learn by being an actor can transfer to other jobs such as in marketing or communications” -
Benjamin Lu, 12ROne of our goals at Bangkok Patana is to become a hub for regional professional learning events by partnering with providers from around the world. On Monday 12th February, Red Leap concluded their residency by running a CPL day for 21 Drama teachers from schools across Thailand, alongside our five Drama Specialists at Bangkok Patana. It was fantastic to host teachers from around the city to not only learn and create together but also forge a sense of a Drama community and future networking opportunities.
This day entailed practical workshops that gave an op-
portunity for staff to learn and grow, putting ourselves in the shoes of our students by working quickly and collaboratively to create new work. We explored some of the same skills as our students including ensemble building, puppetry, and scale - as well as looking at ways of applying production elements such as light, sound and props. It made us appreciate the experiences and challenges that our students face when they are being asked to create work and try new ideas quickly - really putting ourselves in the mindset of a learner. In addition to learning new skills practically, Red Leap has provided all participants with a copy of their textbook with lots of activities that we can take straight back to our classrooms to try out on our students and develop their learning further - the Drama team can’t wait to get started!
Whata performance! Huge well done to the students involved in the Chinese New Year Assembly on Friday 9th February. It was particularly difficult to select who would be involved this year, and we decided to work with a range of boys and girls from Year 3 - 11. This represents the diversity of our whole team, and we couldn’t be prouder of them. Not only were the Gymnasts training for their competition at Harrow, but the Seniors also had two weeks of examinations, and Primary students had Residential weeks to contend with. Credit to all Gym-
nasts for showing such focus and determination over the past few weeks to make this happen. It has been brilliant to see some extra bonds made between the senior and primary students. We are fortunate to have some outstanding role models that younger students are able to look up to. It was also fantastic to try some different types of skills and group work that varies for the Gymnasts day to day training. Thank you to Coach Wah and Naam for their support with choreography, and to all the parents who provided accessorie! A round of applause to you all.
EXPLORE THE GLOBAL FLAVORS AT OUR SECONDARY CANTEEN! CHECK OUT THE EXCITING HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR MENU FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK.
HUNGRY ALREADY? COME JOIN US FOR A CULINARY ADVENTURE NEXT WEEK!
In this podcast episode, Dr. Ruston tackles some of the thorniest screen time parenting issues with social worker Charlie Appelstein. Appelstein is the author of the popular book No Such Thing As A Bad Child. Using the framework of strength-based parenting, they explore strategies to help when youth break screen time rules and lie. They talk about creating fair consequences and what to do when teens are overly dismissive and mean to their parents. With over 40 years of working with youth and parents, Appelstein has a wealth of effective interventions at his fingertips. I highly recommend you listen to it to help you navigate these, sometimes difficult discussions.
Time code of the episode
00:04 Introduction
01:15 Understanding Strength-Based Parenting
02:14 Applying Strength-Based Parenting in Real-Life Scenar- ios
02:38 Addressing the Issue of Chores and Screen Time
05:10 The Power of Positive Reinforcement
06:12 Dealing with Adolescent Anger and Separation
09:03 Setting Boundaries and Consequences
21:21 Understanding and Addressing Lying
25:57 Conclusion: The Power of Reframing and StrengthBased Parenting
Have a fantastic half-term break.
Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Technology for LearningPatana students won the primary division at the Red Knight King’s College Chess Championship last Sunday, February 11th, which drew over 250 students from 17 schools across Thailand to compete. Those participating included:
Aiden Choi Y5, Evie Choi Y4, Caden Cong Y3, Milo Huang Y4, Ronan Huang Y2, Leah Leung Y6, Anyou Liu Y2, Aly Sirichareonwong Y6, Nicky Srikhuekul Y1, Patiharn Tangburanakij Y5, and Ricky Wainman Y5
Trophy winners included Ronan Huang Y2, for the U7 age division champion, and Milo Huang Y4, the 2nd runner up in U9 age division. Congrats to all our exceptional students that participated!
