ISSUE 14 SEPTEMBER 2015
BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE
Welcome New Staff!
Lotus Graduating Shanghai Class of 2015 Internship 2015
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Editor’s Note
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Message from Admin Message from K. Varnnee Message from Aj. Vichitvong Message from Dr. James Message from Mr. Laurent
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Counseling Corner Greetings from Dr. Tresa University Acceptance
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Alumni Graduating Class of 2015
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School Update First Day of School New Leadership Positions MS Student Council CIS Selected for World-Wide IB Professional Development Videos Accreditation: Synchronized IB, CIS & NEASC Visit Academic Honesty Showcase UK Junior Mathematical Challenge, April 2015 Results 12th Annual International Crown Diamond Chinese Competition Congratulations Kiki Dragon Athletics 2014-2015 Winning the UK Space Design Competition The Junior Dublin Literary Award The RBSC Polo Club Pony Challenge &Thailand Pony Championship 2015 Flash Back PY Centerstage 2015 Thailand Model United Nations ll A Flashback to PYP Exhibition “Who We Are“ Dragon Swim Team Talent Show 2015 Concordian’s Songkran Celebration The Royal Songs Composition Charity Concert Art Week
‘ดอกลำ�ดวน’
(White cheesewood) พันธุ์ไม้มงคลพระราชทานประจำ�จังหวัด ศรีสะเกษ เป็นต้นไม้ที่ให้ความร่มเย็น มีอายุ ยืน มีใบเขียวตลอดปี ให้ร่มเงาดีและดอกมี สีนวล กลิ่นหอม กลีบแข็งไม่ร่วงง่าย เหมือนกับผู้ทรงวัยวุฒิที่คงคุณธรรม ความดีงามไว้ให้เป็นแบบอย่าง แก่ลูกหลานตลอดไป
Flash Back Learning Chinese in Meaningful Cultural Contexts Lotus Shanghai Internship 2015 K3 Graduation Grade 5 Graduation MYP English Speech Festival Wai Kru Day IB Retreat Tree Planting 2015 Community Service Donation to Concordia Day Care Center MYP Grade 8 Successfully Completed their Community Projects Welcome to the 2015-2016 Middle Years Programme
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Special Feature Welcome New Staff A Note to my son “Because of you”
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Dear Impact Readers,
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elcome back to the 2015-2016 school year Concordian community! I am excited to see and feel the life, excitement, and pure joy that the students, parents, faculty, and staff bring back to the hallways of Concordian International School after the summer break!
I am also excited about this year’s first issue of IMPACT Magazine. The pages that follow will take you down memory lane to the last days of the 2014-2015 school year, inform you of some amazing and unique accomplishments our students achieved over the summer months, outline some of the first events we have had within the first month of this year, and give you important updates concerning Concordian’s new faculty, administrative positions, and accreditation status. Every new school year presents new challenges, but also new opportunities for achievement, leadership, and growth! So I will leave the students of Concordian with this challenge for the new year: Take this opportunity to dream, try your best, read, smile, empathize, try something new, learn, make new friends, respect your community, play, explore, lead, have fun, and make this year your best year yet! Sincerely, Nicki Deidrick Editor Please contact K. Ice at 083-049-1919 ice@concordian.ac.th
Nicki Deidrick Wanlapha (Prinz) Sa-ardwong Thanachaporn (Ice) Chayasatit
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Message from Admin
Message from K. Varnnee
Dear Concordians, Welcome back to Concordian, and let us join together to welcome many that are new to our Concordian Family. In June 2015, I experienced one of the happiest days of my life, as my only son, Daven, Santiphong Ross graduated along with more than half of the class that he grew up together with from the first day or the first few years Concordian was founded: along with many others that joined the Class of 2015 over the past 14 years. I want to thank all of them for so many things I have learned throughout the years watching them grow up from 4 years old to 18 years old. It broke my heart every time I saw any of them hurt; and joys filled my heart when I saw the happy smile on their face. They have not given up on me. I have and will never give up on them. The Class of 2015 graduated with an outstanding average high score of 36 points (world average is 28), with no one achieving lower than 30 Points. Thank you for making Concordian proud. Dear Concordians, my passion and commitment to education and to my students is stronger and stronger over the years and will be stronger and stronger for many years to come. As once I had read a quote on a old wall of a hill tribe school far and hidden away in a beautiful mountain... “Neither matter nor important whose CHILDREN they are… My students are MY CHILDREN. Will Nurture and Love… Teach and Commit… to raise My CHILDREN to be GOOD. “
“ลูกใครไม่สำ�คัญ ลูกศิษย์ฉันนั้นคือลูก ฟูมฟักรักพันผูก จะสอนลูกเป็นคนดี” 4
It had be come a part of my heart and soul, and that is how I feel every time I look at my Concordian students. Every Concordian is very important to our community and very important deeply to me. Who are Concordians? Those who share our mission, who morally use their intelligence with dignity, integrity and compassion at our school. Thank you to all Concordians for your trust and your care...
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Sincerely, K.Varnnee Chearavanont Ross Director/Founder
Message from Admin
สวัสดีทุกๆ คน ในโอกาสที่เปิดภาคเรียนการศึกษาปีใหม่นี้ ทั้งคุณครูและนักเรียนคงจะได้รับประสบการณ์ใหม่ๆ ที่ดีๆ ในช่วงปิดเทอม ที่ผ่านมา หวังว่าคงทุกคนจะแลกเปลี่ยนประสบการณ์ดีดีในชีวิตกับเพื่อนๆ เพื่อจะได้นำ�ประสบการณ์การที่เราและ เพื่อนได้พบมาใช้ให้เกิดประโยชน์ร่วมกัน ประสบการณ์นั้นๆ ก็คือบทเรียนในชีวิตอย่างหนึ่ง ยิ่งได้มีโอกาสสร้างประสบการณ์ได้มากเท่าไหร่ โอกาสในการเรียน รู้ก็จะมากขึ้นเท่านั้น ก็อยากให้ทุกคนใช้โอกาสในการหาประสบการณ์ ให้กับตนเองอย่างต่อเนื่องในทุกโอกาส เพื่อการ ดำ�เนินชีวิตที่มีความผิดพลาดให้น้อยที่สุด ขอให้ปีการศึกษาใหม่นี้เป็นปีทองของทุกๆ คน อาจารย์วิจิตรวงศ์ ชนะรัตน์
ผู้อำ�นวยการโรงเรียนนานาชาติคอนคอร์เดียน
Aj. Vichitvong
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Message from
Message from Admin
Message from Dr. James
Dear Concordian, Welcome back to returning staff and students and a warm welcome to new staff and students. We hope you had an enjoyable summer vacation and ready to get back into the routine of school life. Congratulations to the 2015 Graduating class on their IB Diploma results; 36-point average compared to the world-wide average of 29.88 and the Asia-Pacific average of 33.22. Well done Alumni! I wish all the graduating alumni the very best as they begin their tertiary education in the Unites States, Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Thailand. As the school year progresses, please make a concerted effort to develop good time-management, review consistently and have a balanced life; academics with extracurricular involvement. Keep healthy by eating well-balanced meals and practice making good informed choices in your decision-making. I wish you all the best and seize every available opportunity in taking responsibility for your own learning. Sincerely, Dr. James Leung Director of Academics and Diploma Program Principal
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Message from Admin
Dear Parents, I want to personally welcome you to the 2015-2016 school year. I hope you have had an enjoyable summer with family and friends. Whether you are new to Concordian International School or a returning student/parent, we all look forward to you being a part of the Concordian Family and for your involvement in our school activities and in the school life of your children. I encourage all of you to help us make this another great school year! The entire Concordian staff has been very busy over the summer and at the start of the school year preparing for the 2015-16 school year. Teachers and administrators have participated in multiple professional development opportunities and are always trying their best to create great instructional opportunities for all our students. This year teachers, coordinators, and the administration will continue refining our curriculum and instruction, and focus on our most important goal which is to create the best possible learning environment for all our students! Working hand in hand with parents, we will help advance each child’s critical thinking, knowledge, skills, conceptual understanding, and ability to problem solve. If at any time you have a question about what is occurring in your student’s class, please contact your child’s teacher. Only by working closely together can we ensure the full benefits of our cutting-edge curriculum for our students. I look forward to an amazing school year. Thanks to our teaching team and great supportive Concordian community, and I wish all our students great success! Sincerely, Mr. Laurent Goetschmann School CEO / Elementary and Middle School Principal
Mr. Laurent
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Message from
Counseling Corner
Greetings from Dr. Tresa
Dear Parents of Concordian, As we start our new school year, it is again a pleasure to be a part of the Concordian Family. My role in the school has shifted slightly and now I am primarily focusing on the Diploma students (DP) in grades 11 and 12. In an advisory role to the counselors in the other sections, I am sure I will get to know your children through them, even if I am not directly working with those students. I feel your children are in good hands with the other counselors because they have many years work experience. Each Counselor brings with them a specialty that enhances their capabilities and ensures your child will get the best care. As Counselors in the school, we follow the International School Counseling Association (ISCA) guidelines that cover four domains: Academic, Career, Personal/Social, and Global. The ISCA Model supports the academic mission of Concordian by promoting learning for all students. Being specialists in the developmental stages of student lives, we advocate for students’ learning and success. We deliver our program through well planned guidance lessons that are aligned throughout the school system, through individual student planning, through responsive services such as individual and group counseling, and finally through system support. As we move into the school year, we look forward to meeting you, the parents/guardians, and partnering with you to make your son and or daughter’s stay at Concordian a successful one. Let the School Year BEGIN!!!!
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Sincerely, Dr. Tresa Virankabutra College/Career Counselor
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United Kingdom
Arts University of Bournemouth Brighton University (2) City University of London De Montfort University (2) Durham University Lancaster University London School of Economics and Political Science King’s College London (2) Queen Mary University of London (3*) Royal Holloway, University of London SOAS University of London University of London The University of York (2) University of Bath* University of Bristol (2) University of Birmingham (2) University College London (3) University of Edinburgh University of Essex University of Exeter University of Kent University of Leeds* University of Lincoln (2) University of Manchester University of Sheffield (2*) University of Southampton University of Strathclyde University of Sussex University of Warwick Westminster University (3)
Accounting / Finance University of Bath University of Leeds
Architecture
Carnegie Mellon University
Arts / Design / Animation
Case Western Reserve University Drew University* Drexel University (2*) Eckerd College* Emory University Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College George Washington University Loyola Marymount University Northeastern University (4*) Occidental College Parsons The New School of Design Pratt Institute* Savannah College of Art and Design (2**) Syracuse University* University of Massachusetts Amherst (2**) University of San Francisco (2*) University of California, Davis (2) University of California, Irvine (3)
University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz (2**)
University of California, San Diego (2) University of Virginia University of Washington (2) Wake Forest University Washington & Jefferson College* Wentworth Institute of Technology* Wesleyan University Worcester Polytechnic Institute* University of Tulsa*
Boston University Emory University Occidental College Wesleyan University
Business / Economics / Management Assumption University Brandeis University Drexel University Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College Glion Institute of Higher Education Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Northeastern University Queen Mary University of London Royal Holloway, University of London University of Massachusetts Amherst University of San Francisco
Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Northeastern University University of California, Irvine University of Massachusetts Amherst University of Washington Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Engineering
City University of Hong Kong University College London University of Bath University of Bristol University of Sheffield University of Strathclyde University of Tulsa University of Virginia
Linguistics
University of California, Davis University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Melbourne (2)
Canada
Carnegie Mellon University
Biology / Science / Chemistry
Australia
University of British Columbia (2)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology* City University of Hong Kong
People’s Republic of China Nankai University (2*) Tongji University Fudan University
Singapore
Singapore Management University Nanyang Technological University
Switzerland
Glion Institute of Higher Education
Thailand
Assumption University Chulalongkorn University (2) Thammasart University King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi Mahidol University International College Rangsit University
*
Scholarship offered (X) Number of offers
Divided by Areas of Study History
King’s College London University of Birmingham University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Kent
Law
Lancaster University SOAS, University of London Thammasat University University of Sussex University of York
Sociology
Boston University
Medicine / Pharmacology / Dentistry Nankai University Rangsit University Thammasat University Tongji University University of Bristol
Psychology
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Arts University of Bournemouth King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi Pratt Institute Savannah College of Art and Design Syracuse University University of Arts London University of Edinburgh University of Lincoln University of Washington
United States of America
Arizona State University Boston University (2) Brandeis University
Arizona State University Chulalongkorn University De Montfort University Drexel University University of British Columbia University of Lincoln University of Melbourne Washington & Jefferson College
Alumni
Graduating
Concordian’s sixth graduating class held their Farewell Celebration on May 25th of 2015 in the
Amphitheater. This event was followed by the official Valedictory Ceremony on May 30th where our graduates received their Concordian diplomas! The Concordian community was overjoyed by their achievements and particularly happy to see the pride in the students’ and parents’ faces that each of the students accomplished such a monumental feat! We are eager to see and follow the Concordian Alumni in the years to come and applaud their future achievements and endeavors! Congratulations Dragons!
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Alumni
Class of 2015
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@ CONCORDIAN
for boys DP and G9-10 New Rooms on the 4th Floor! • Supervised study hours • Research based schedule • Exercise time to improve academic performance • Proper sleep time • Weekends with family
A teacher supported, structured environment leads to improved performance.
• 10 Aug - 18 Dec, 2015 • Monday - Friday program • A cost of 69,900 Baht*
(Only 20,000 baht per month)
• Improve grades • Raise exam scores • Sign up now for 2015-16 Limited rooms available in new wing
For more information, contact Mr. Robert at robert@concordian.ac.th or Khun Alisa at 02-706-9000 ext. 501 or alisa@concordian.ac.th
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* Program fee excludes security deposit (B20,000)
School Update
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e would like to give a big warm welcome to all of our Early Years students and parents.
This is also a good time to welcome our newest nursery students who have just joined our graduating class of 2032. There is nothing that compares to a new fresh start! Anticipation, excitement, anxiety, and relief are a few of the emotions that we all experience during the beginning of a brand new school year. We have excellent students at Concordian International School and wonderful, dedicated teachers in our Early Years program. This year will be full of fun and challenging learning experiences for our students as the students continue to grow towards meeting our mission statement which is to become moral and intellectual leaders, people of dignity, integrity and compassion, who want to make a difference in our world. Wishing all of our Early Years students a year full of great learning and wonderful new experiences! Warm Regards, Mr. Tim Byrum Early Years Dean of Students “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” - Malcomb Forbes
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School Update
New Leadership Positions at Concordian
Ms. Nathalie Herve
Ms. Sally Wen
Mr. Gabe Kemp
Mr. Tim Byrum
Mr. Yuri Halushka
Mr. Bill Berry
PYP Director of Curriculum and Instruction ‘Tell me and I may forget Show me and I may remember Involve me and I will understand’ - Chinese proverb
EY Dean of Students (nursery – K3) “Teachers who love teaching 14 teach children to love learning.”
PYP Director of Curriculum and Instruction “Teachers not only lead children to the world of knowledge, we also introduce the world of multi-dimensions for children to explore. To prepare students to be a member of the expanding global village, teachers should equip them with the positive attitudes and critical thinking skills hence they will become an independent and life-long learner.”
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PY Dean of Students (grades 1-5) “I believe all students can learn if placed under the right circumstances and provided with the right opportunities. I also believe it is my responsibility to create these circumstances and opportunities.”
MYP Director of Curriculum and Instruction “We as a community of educators are tasked to shape the world we live in. Students must strive to become life-long learners with the skills and attitudes to make principled choices that make our world a more compassionate and sustainable environment for all.”
Middle School Dean of Students (grades 6-8) “I truly believe, if given the proper tools, every student can and will be successful. My job was created to help ensure those tools are available and motivate students to use them.”
School Update
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oncordian is committed to its cutting-edge IB program and mission statement. To better support our school community, Concordian is proud to announce the following members of our staff joining our pedagogical leadership team. These individuals will work closely with Khun Varnnee, Mr. Laurent, and Dr. James.
Mr. Rich Melamed
High School Dean of Students (grades 9-12) “I want to design learning to be inspiring, rewarding and relevant so that students become more intellectually curious and engaged citizens. As teachers, I think we do this best when we try to project ourselves into the minds of our students and work together to build a great learning environment.”
Dr. Tresa Virankabutra
High School College and Guidance Counselor “A Dream becomes a reality when you make it a norm.”
Ms. Kathleen Baertschy DP Co-coordinator “Educating the mind educating the heart education at all.” ― Aristotle
without is no
“Every morning I am awed wondering about the potentials existing when a class begins.”
Dean of Students – What does this position mean for my child? The Dean of Students will be your second point of contact regarding your child’s success at school (the first point of contact being your homeroom teacher or subject teacher as well as counselor). The Dean of Students will also be in charge of student behavior and safety around the campus and will work closely with the Principal and Counselors to make sure each and every student is able to have the best learning environment possible at Concordian.
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School Update
By Ms. Min Li G8JL and Ms. Agnes Hello MYP students of Concordian! Who are we? We are representatives from each homeroom from grades 6-8 who volunteered to contribute to enrich each student’s school life. We have 15 members in total, as well as our generous 2 teacher advisers, Ms. Agnes and Ms. Karissa. We work as a team, dividing up the work equally and sharing responsibilities. What do we do? We create activities and events most of which were suggested by the student body. According to the feedback of the students and teachers, the events we held were meaningful, yet fun, which allows the students to experience teamwork, sportsmanship, and various Concordian values. The following are the activities and events we held since the beginning of the school year: Halloween dress up, spirit week, Christmas gift exchange, Valentine’s Day, Jeopardy, PTA charity fun fair, Easter day, sports day, and the MYP/DP talent show. How did we make everything happen? Meetings and emails are the main ways that help us to communicate. Each time we hold a student council meeting, we start out by discussing and brainstorming our ideas for events that we want to try out, next is to plan out all the details, and finally we put our plan to action. By having this system of meetings where everyone contributes, we are able to accomplish our goals and what we aim for. You could say, teamwork is the key to success! What is our next step? The student council’s goal for the future is to continue making the students smile by rounding up new people each year to represent their peers and work together for the community. We will continue to be your voices and the ones who make your school life fascinating. We will have student councils every year, and for those of you who are interested in joining, we would like to encourage you into doing so. What is better than helping the school to become more than just a place you study at?
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“Stop waiting for things to happen, go out and make them happen!” - Anonymous
School Update
By Ms. Kathleen Baertschy
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ore than 4,000 schools have chosen to teach International Baccalaureate® (IB) programmes, with their unique academic rigor and their emphasis on students’ personal development. These schools employ over 70,000 educators, teaching more than one million students worldwide. Between December 2009 and December 2014, the number of IB programmes offered worldwide grew by 46.35%. With this in mind, Concordian is pleased and honoured to be selected to be one of the 26 videos available to IB teachers around the world as a professional development tool which shares effective ideas in Approaches to Learning, specifically; Collaboration, Differentiation and Conceptual Understanding. On March 10th and 11th, 2014, Jan Stipek, DP Head of Global PD and Kevin Augello, Filmmaker from New Earth Films, came to CIS for two full days of intensive filming with all facets of CIS. They then edited and created a film showcasing the TOK teaching team with their unit of PATTERNS. This film, among 25 others, was released to all IB schools in January of 2015 to enrich educators’ understanding and practices in Approaches to Learning. The impetus for the conceptual unit PATTERNS in DP TOK came from a TOK prescribed title prompt of 2014. The prompt reads, ‘“Only seeing general patterns can give us knowledge. Only seeing particular examples can give us understanding.” Discuss this assertion using two Areas of Knowledge.’ Kenny O’Kane, Martin Kane, Ravi Mathapati, Dr. Miguel Catasus and Kathleen Baertschy created a team to discuss this challenging topic and proceeded to give seven lessons from their subject areas. This was the beginning of a rich and rewarding exploration of the concept. The subject areas used were Math, Physics, History, Visual Arts and Language Arts (IB Literature). We agreed that we wanted students and teachers to collaborate in building consensus about the concept of patterns, give and receive meaningful feedback, to develop new skills and techniques for effective learning, to make connections between various sources of information and to be open to find, interpret, judge and create new information and understanding about our ideas of patterns. We wanted to transfer these skills by broadening our perspectives, apply them to new situations, and to create new connections between subject groups and disciplines. We agreed that we wanted everyone to develop
a new and greater appreciation of the definition of and the role of PATTERNS in our lives- and thereby use this knowledge to better understand our place in the world and leave a positive imprint. The classes began by sharing their definitions of patterns and related the concept to various disciplines and senses. Examples include gustatory, tactile, optical, olfactory, kinetic and auditory. We shared what we already knew and what we are curious about in the patterns world. Areas of interest included randomness, chaos, abstractions, anomalies of patterns, patterns in infectious diseases, biological versus nurtured patterns, patterns in nature and cultures and history. Examples of topics explored with the classes include fractals, AlanTuring, Benoit Mandelbrot, Schroedinger’s Cat, the Butterfly Effect, the Fibannoci sequence, spontaneous patterns, patterns in historical events, cosmic connections, chaos/order, -“Our little lives are rounded and squared with patterns” (a play on the words of Shakespeare’s The Tempest). Students also hosted “Local Wisdom” seminars where local community members shared their expertise. Ken Rosen, TCM, a renowned health guru in Bangkok, shared illuminating ideas about balance and patterns in health and well-being. In the IB ATL film, the Literature teacher uses only two criticisms of literature, Structuralism and Reader Response, (from among at least 8 various types), to understand a poem. The students concluded the unit with presentations of PATTERNS in a subject area of their choice and also wrote and shared their reflections of the unit
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The feedback from this experience from students, teachers and the entire CIS community, has been very positive. We are looking to expand units to Paradigm Shifts and International Mindedness next. Theory of Knowledge is an integral part of the IB DP Programme. We will be introducing concepts of how we know what we know in Middle School in the near future; primary teachers assure us that PATTERNS and ANOMALIES are taught throughout the school.
School Update
Accreditation:
Synchronized IB, CIS &NEASC Visit School Improvement through Accreditation by Ms. Nathalie Herve
School Profile • Founded in 2001, Concordian International School is fully authorized by the IBO (International Baccaluareate Organization) as well as CIS (Council of International Schools), NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges), and the ONESQA (Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment - Thai Ministry of Education). An overview of the School Evaluation and Accreditation Process • Throughout the International School Community, the accreditation process is recognized as an effective tool to initiate and maintain improvement within a school against a set of standards. The purpose of the accreditation process is to allow schools the formal opportunity to improve the quality of their educational programs through a process of self-study and then an official evaluation by a visiting team of peers. Schools are evaluated in terms of how successful they are in following their own guiding statements (Philosophy, Vision, Mission etc…) and against a set of written standards in different areas of a school’s operation. Benefits of the Accreditation Process • For any school going through the accreditation process, there are a number of benefits including first and foremost, the award of accreditation which is a sign to parents and faculty of a school offering quality education. It allows various members of the school community from different disciplines and school divisions to come together and improve as a whole through selfassessment. Moreover, it is an opportunity to receive an external evaluation from respected organizations and professionals who are familiar with the standards and indicators and nature and/or concerns of international schools.
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How does a school maintain accreditation? • A school that has already been accredited, as Concordian has been, goes through a prepatory visit. The school maintains accredited status throughout the visit while still having the opportunity to identify areas for improvement. The process allows the school to move forward and maintain a standard of excellence. The IB and ONESQA focus on the areas of curriculum and teaching while CIS and NEASC focus more on the structural and organizational aspects of the School. Concordian Self-Study (2014-2015) • Concordian requested and was granted a joint accreditation where all four organizations (IB, CIS, NEASC & ONESQA) would conduct their school visit of all three of Concordian’s IB divisions including PYP, MYP and DP. • In 2014, Concordian began a self-study in preparation for the joint accreditation conducted by IB, CIS, NEASC and ONESQA. In Phase 1 of the process, a school profile was created for the future visiting team. A school performance survey was conducted to help build this profile. The results were analyzed and a summary report was provided by Endicott College. In Phase 2, various committees, made up of different members of the school community, met to conduct further investigation into different areas including governance and leadership, curriculum, access to teaching and learning and so forth. Where are we now in the Process? (2015-2016) • We are now wrapping up phases 1 and 2 of the selfstudy, incoporating all new teachers into the process. We are currently in the last stage of consolidating our findings and preparing reports to submit for the evaluation visit which will take place from April 24th- 29th 2016.
At Concordian International School we are committed to giving the very best to our students and your children. We are grateful to all of our teachers throughout the PYP, MYP and DP for their dedication and commitmet to ensuring your children are receiving a world-class education. We also thank the entire Concordian community for the support they have given in preparation for our evaluation visit this April 2016.
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School Update
On Academic
Honesty
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magine this: You have a special treasure box that you’ve been keeping for many years. Every time there is a special event or occasion, you find a keepsake and put it in this treasure box. This treasure box has taken many years to perfect, and it is your pride and joy. One day, you go to put something new in your treasure box, but you can’t find it. You look everywhere you can think of, and finally, you find it… Your friend is using it to tell everyone fake stories about their life and their history. You are devastated, knowing that it has been stolen, but what can you do? If you steal someone’s words or ideas, you are taking someone’s treasure away. This is why Concordian talks so frequently about Academic Honesty. It is theft, and it is painful to people who have worked so many years to develop their vocabulary and ideas, only to have it stolen in a brief second with a quick copy and paste. Being academically honest means having your own ideas, adding your ideas to those you read about, and never copying from friends, old work, or the Internet. Plagiarism is sometimes deliberate, like copying and pasting a Wikipedia article into your work or copying off your friend’s homework. More often, though, it is accidental. Forgetting to put quote marks around words that aren’t yours, changing only a few words in a paraphrase, or not citing work throughout your paper are all types of plagiarism.
In university, the punishments for academic dishonesty are strict, often including suspension or expulsion. Most universities have a zero tolerance policy, meaning that just one incident can lead to serious disciplinary action. It is very important to learn the skills of navigating the world of online research and writing here at Concordian. The Concordian policies are strict for academic honesty, but there are always opportunities for growth. PYP and MYP are great times to learn about research, writing, and academic honesty before the students move on to other academic pursuits requiring consistent academic honesty. Now is the time for students to practice their academic integrity and uphold the values to which Concordian strives. Students, you have so much support from the library staff, the counseling department, the learning support team, and the wonderful teachers that are always educating you. If you are ever confused or unsure about your academic honesty, please inquire about the honest course of action. Parents, we hope that you can support your student by being aware of the academic honesty policies at Concordian and reinforcing the values that we set in our school. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at Kelsey@concordian.ac.th. Best, Ms. Kelsey Hedrick References: Kennedy, Maev. “In a Packed High Court, a New Twist in The Da Vinci Code Begins to Unfold.” The Guardian. The Guardian, 28 Feb. 2006. Web. 25 Aug. 2015. Nocera, Joe. “How to Monetize Plagiarism.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 June 2013. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
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With Google bringing the entire world to our fingertips, plagiarizing and taking ideas is simultaneously easier and more difficult. It is easier because there are millions of pages of information about your topic, hundreds of different ideas, and thousands of people creating content. However, it is also easier for teachers to search an unfamiliar phrase in a student’s work and find its origin. Turnitin.com and other plagiarism checkers can find directly-copied phrases without trouble. Recently, this type of dishonesty has been in the news. Jonah Lehrer, a famed author, used both his old material and fabricated quotes to write his book Imagine: How Creativity Works, leading to intense criticism from the media and his resignation from The New Yorker (Nocera). Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, has been sued four times for separate plagiarism incidents surrounding his book series (Kennedy). Even politicians in several countries have been scrutinized for plagiarizing parts of their speeches.
A message from your MYP/DP Librarian, Ms. Kelsey
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T
he math department would like to applaud the listed students for their achievement in the Junior Mathematical Challenge (JMC) organized by United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT). This academic year our students achieved 6 Gold, 8 Silver and 14 Bronze Certificates.
Congratulations! Ravi Mathapati Mathematics Team Leader Concordian International School
Grade 7
FIRST NAME LAST NAME Prippraodao Suwansingh Boonyaporn Dolritacha Varin Adhiphandhuamphai Tawit Choksitthikasam Tawin Choksitthikasam Panichanok Piyabenjarad Muchyanee Siriprawatkul Switt Wattanalekhawong Siriprapakorn Sanworanart Setthaphak Vamasiri Pittawat Sawatyanon Angelia Jafari Shin Jiraphongtrakul Neri Rattanachatta Surayuth Hirunviriya Phudhana Sarochanantchin
Grade 6
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FIRST NAME LAST NAME Rabin Palanuwech Thanakorn Sripratak Sybert De Los Santos Thitipat Iamvuthipreecha Nonthapat Arparpardh Apichaya Chiaravanond Chan Wasusopon Kankanich Runganantchai Kiartbordee Charoenpojvajana Teeraphong Chen Alisa Tangchalermkul Andra Huei Hsia Lye
NICK NAME Jaokha Lily D. Mammoth Poom Pol Bam Jenny Magga Muk Nippon Yang Angie Taley Ming Ming Tata Tee Tee
CERTIFICATE Gold Certificate Gold Certificate Gold Certificate Gold Certificate Gold Certificate Silver Certificate Silver Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate
NICK NAME Robin Korn Sybert Okii Non Tang-Kwar Au Gring Ken Jonas Lisa Andra
CERTIFICATE Gold Certificate Silver Certificate Silver Certificate Silver Certificate Silver Certificate Silver Certificate Silver Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate Bronze Certificate
Showcase
The 12th Annual International
Crown Diamond Chinese Competition 宝石王杯国际汉语大赛 T
he competition was held at Dhurakij Pundit University on the 9th of August 2015. A total of 12 Concordian students had participated in this competition and nine of them won the top 100 out of more than 4500 participants from all over Thailand. G11 student Bart got into the final writing and speech sections and was awarded the third place of High School Group. It was such a long day before school opened, starting from 7am lasting until 7pm. Thanks to all the students, teachers and parents that have worked hard during summer break and spent the whole day for the competition. It was the first year Concordian sent students to this international Chinese competition - we hope there are more participants next year! Congratulations to the following students: G7 陈运宝 (Paopao W)、庄梓 (Paopao J) 、蔡恭明 (Korn) G8黄宇杰 (Tata) G9郑名琦 (Jasmine)、郑名俊 (Santa)、董诗艳 (Bow) G11 黄济仁 (Bart)、陈章莹 (Inc) Written by Ms. Jennifer Zhu & Ms. Jing Zhi 我觉得获得了宝石王杯比赛的好名次，让我理解了我的中文 水平：我中文的优势和劣势，所以能帮助我的中文学习。因 为这是全泰国学校都来参加的比赛，所以获得了好名次让我 为自己感到骄傲。这对我来说真是一个很大的成就，我对自 己的中文更熟悉，因此还增加了我学习的自信。这次比赛真 是一个非常好的经验。 Written by董诗艳 (G9 Bow) On August 9th, more than 10 fellow Concordian students and I joined the Chinese competition called “Jewelry King” at PDU University. It was a fun and interesting experience for me, giving me a chance to make more friends from all over Thailand as well as showing my talent.
PDU University is a beautiful place and the students there are friendly. During that day, many volunteers from that university welcomed us with smiles, which made me feel happy to have come to the competition at that school. At the central park of the school, thousands of students gathered from all over Thailand wanting to test and discover their Chinese skill level. Some of them had only started to learn Chinese a few years or even only a few months ago, but I respected them because they had the courage to stand for themselves and joined this big race. Most of the questions of the first round in this test weren’t hard if you had practiced consistently before you went there. Many of them were about word usage and grammar. The second round was to write an essay on the topic “The Thailand in your “Heart”. In the final round, we had to give a speech about our perspectives on living in Thailand. During the preparation time, some contestants started to have conversations with me and we started to get to know each other. The thing that surprised me was that except for a few Taiwanese kids from other international schools, most of the contestants were from local Thai schools. They were learning Chinese because they loved Chinese history and their connection to Chinese culture. Even though some of them couldn’t speak fluent Chinese I feel that they had tried hard to learn Chinese language and were brave to join this competition.
Written by黄济仁 (G11 Bart)
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Although I didn’t win the first place, I still feel proud and joyful because I had the honor to represent our school and join this meaningful competition. I would like to thank all the teachers who worked hard for this and the administrators who gave me this chance.
Showcase
‘Congratulations Kiki’ (Concordian alumni class of 2013)
Winner of Second Prize & Most Popular Prize, March 2015 for Merton Mega’s Recycle Competition
Under Pawn to Queen concept Costume celebrates the powerful Queen in chess. Old video tapes have been woven together to make a shiny fabric, from which most of the costume is made. The sequin waste makes a huge flared skirt. About 98% of the materials are recycled. Ya-Chi Lin (Kiki) e-mail: kikidelvil@gmail.com University of Arts, London (U.K. 2014-2017) BA degree, Costume Design Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts(Singapore 2012-2014) Fashion Design Certificates. Concordian International School (Bangkok 2007-2012)
Visit her website https://kikidelvil.carbonmade.com
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Dragon Athletics
Showcase
2014-2015
(460 participants) Badminton Seniors CHAMPIONS OF TISAC 3 years in a row U-15 CHAMPIONS OF TISAC 3 years in a row U-13 CHAMPIONS OF TISAC 3 years in a row U-11 U-9
by Coach K.
CHAMPIONS OF TISAC 2 years in a row
Table Tennis Seniors CHAMPIONS OF TISAC 3 years in a row U-15 CHAMPIONS OF TISAC 3 years in a row U-13 CHAMPIONS OF TISAC U-9 CHAMPIONS OF TISAC Football Senior Girls CHAMPIONS OF TISAC Football and Futsal Senior Boys U-15 Boys SEAIS Finals, Myanmar U-13 Boys U-11 Girls U-11 Boys CHAMPIONS OF TISAC League Division 2 U-9 Boys Basketball Senior Girls Senior Boys U-15 Girls U-15 Boys CHAMPIONS OF TISAC League Division 2 U-13 Girls U-13 Boys U-11 Girls U-11 Boys Swimming
Seniors Individual Gold Primary Individual Gold
Volleyball
Senior Girls U-16 Girls Senior Boys
Champions of Invitational Tournament
Track and Field Seniors Primary
Dragon Sportsmanship Award – Chelsea Male Athlete of the Year – Shin Female Athlete of the Year – Naam
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Highest Honor Individual Award Winners
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M
y summer vacation was spent at Imperial College London. During my time there, I had a chance to work with many intelligent people and meeting people who share the same passion and thoughts. As I have always been tremendously passionate about biology, I applied to be in medicine and life sciences academic stream. I spent the first half of my summer learning about the component of cytoskeleton, the function of epidermal growth factor receptor and how stem cell is developed to angiogenesis or lymphagiogenesis. Yet, the second half of my summer was spent working on analyzing cells through multifarious microscopes.
by Shertam Banasanprasit (Grade10)
As part of the summer school, I had a chance to participate in the UK Space Design Competition which was organized by the contribution of Space Science & Engineering foundation, UK Space Agency and Imperial College London. There were 150 participants which were subsequently put into different companies. Dougeldyne-Fletcher was the company that I was allocated in. I worked in the department of human engineering as well as the marketing department. We spent about a week developing a space-based infrastructure before presenting it to the judge. In the fullness of time, the design consisted of overall settlement structure designed by the structural department, the livability function designed by human engineering department, the transport system designed by operation department and eventually network communication and robotics design by automation department. The judgment came out on the day that the presentation was given. As a matter of fact that our budget had exceeded to 3 trillion, either my colleague or I did not reckon of winning. Nevertheless, as the result came, it turned out to be that DougeldyneFletcher was the winner of the competition. It was this moment that I catch sights of joy, everyone starting to hug one another and appreciating each one for staying up until midnight everyday just to work on the project. I may not be able to conclude all the splendiferous moments that I had experienced, however, winning the UK Space Design Competition has supported my hypothesis that every achievement started with a dream, endeavor and hard work.
The Junior
by Shertam Banasanprasit (Grade10)
I
Awards
t was boredom during my long hospital stays that urged me to write. As I saw the announcement of the 10th Junior Dublin Literary Awards while I was checking my school email, I knew this was something productive that I could do to kill time. The theme this year was “two worlds�, and I realized that there were numerous topics that I could write about. Nonetheless, I chose to write about two distinct worlds, of a passenger on MH370 that has been missing and the mother of a passenger who is waiting for her son to return.
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On March 17, 2015, I was invited to attend the award ceremony that was 24 held on April 02, 2015 at Rembrandt Hotel. I attended the ceremony with my family, Ms. Baertschyl and another two of my good friends, Punch and Thon, who was also submitting his work to the competition. I was announced as the final shortlist for central region in the 10th Junior Dublin Literary Awards. Although my essay was not the winning essay, the experience which I have acquired from this contest boosted up my writing confidence.
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ongratulations to Weimin, Sirapong Kancvalskul (Grade 12)! Weimin showcased his equestrian skills at the RBSC Polo Club Pony Challenge & Thailand Pony Championship 2015 over the summer. Weimin rode Nicolas for 4 classes of show jumping during the competition on August 8th and 9th. He received 3 prizes in the two day competition: 1. 3rd in the 90 cm. class 2. 4th in the 80 cm. class 3. 5th in the 60-70 cm. class
Way to go Weimin!
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Flashback
“At Centerstage, we build your dreams; do it now, while you are young…”
O
n April 3, 2015, the PY Community bellowed and stomped in delight at the school Grand Theater, as
they watched our multi-talented PY students’ performances
during the 4th PY Talent Show, “Centerstage 2015”. The event showcased a variety of acts exhibiting the natural, the masked, and the refined talents not only of our students, but also of our faculty.
The following special awards were given out to deserving participants: 1) A Super Nova Award was given to the performers whose performances had the “WOW” factor, and outshown the rest, in every category with two or more entries. Our panel of five judges, Mr. Laurent, Mr. George, Mr. Ken, Ms. Agnes, and Kru Aim, helped determined the recipients of this award. 2) An Asia Books Voucher was given for the following: a) A 1,500 Baht voucher was given to the homeroom class that had the most number of students participate in the audition process, and b) A 3,500 Baht voucher was given to the homeroom class that had the most number of students in the final. Grade 3Y was the recipient of these two vouchers. The show melodically set out with the Centerstage theme song, “A Perfect Way to Shine,” and ended with the vivacious finale, “Do Re Mi,” flash mob dance by the PY faculty and staff.
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The amazing performances, surprises, and spectacles of our multi-talented grades 1 to 5 students, with the strong and solid participation of our administrators, teachers, TAs, and staff, and the unwavering support of our parents, made CENTERSTAGE 2015 an overwhelming success. Mr. Sebert and Mrs. Maricor Centerstage 2015 Organizers
Flashback
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Flashback
“a total of 165 delegates and 20 advisers from 18 schools in Thailand”
by Ali Bahrami (Grade12)
E
arly last April, a total of 165 delegates and 20 advisers from 18 schools in Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, India, Singapore and the UK flew to Bangkok to participate in the three-day rigorous Thailand Model United Nations II conference, hosted by Concordian International School. The international delegates didn’t only enjoy a great MUN but also got a chance to observe Thailand’s enriched culture and warm hospitality of Concordian International School. After the successful experience of hosting THAI MUN I in 2014, Concordian students and staff were ready to make THAI MUN II a memorable and outstanding conference. A total of 33 Concordian students became an integral part of the conference, with Fuji (G12) participating as parliamentarian, Chelsea (G12) as chair, 16 students (G9-G12) as delegates and 15 students as pages and photographers. Ali (G11) was recognized as the Best Delegate in ECOSOC committee. Concordian students demonstrated great responsibility, diligence, academic ability, awareness and tenacity. In the opening ceremony, Concordian students performed traditional Thai dance and music which was followed by speeches by keynote speaker, Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, and John Wood, the Chairman of the conference. Subsequently, delegates went to their respective committees to debate, lobby and submit resolutions. On the second and third day of MUN, all delegates participated in general assembly. The ceremony ended with a dinner party organized by CP. The feedback from international delegations regarding the chairs, delegates, art exhibition, opening ceremony, closing ceremony, as well as Concordian facilities was amazing. As this year’s co-Secretary General of the CIS MUN Club, I am looking forward to nurturing the MUN culture of our school even more by organizing a one day CIS MUN I in November 2015, run solely by highly experienced and diligent CIS students. We are excited to see Concordian students participating in governing roles of both CIS MUN I and THAI MUN III.
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Flashback
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Flashback
A flashback to PYP Exhibition
‘Who We Are’
People are unique in the way they learn and retain knowledge. By Ms. Nathalie Herve
T
he Exhibition, a culminating project in the PYP, requires each student to demonstrate engagement with the five essential elements of the program: knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action. It is an opportunity to synthesize all these elements and also a way for students to share their learning with the entire school community. Moreover, it is a celebration of their transition from the PYP into the MYP.(Making the PYP Happen, 2008) Under the mentorship of their grade 5 teachers, Ms. Inese and Ms. Dana, their TA’s, Ms. Rocky and Ms. Peachi and various teacher mentors, the grade 5 students celebrated the culmination of their time in the PYP on the 7th and 8th of April 2015. Under the theme ‘Who We Are’ students inquired into how people are unique in the way they learn and retain knowledge. Students explored this central idea through investigating the brain (form), different learning styles (connection) and ways learning could be affected (change). PYP, MYP and DP students, along with teachers and parents, came to celebrate the incredible learning journey of the grade 5 students. It was a wonderful way for the entire school community to come together as one! “As a mentor teacher for the G5 exhibition, I had a great time with my team exploring how the brain functions. I really liked seeing what they found out about learning difficulties and how it affects student learning. It also helped me to better understand my students and help them to learn with more ‘brain power!’”
“The students in my group who researched multiple intelligences were incredibly motivated and so well organized - they were always prepared and went beyond the ideas we discussed in our previous meeting to challenge themselves with more critical research and thinking for the following meeting. They were polite and truly shared a team spirit. Learning and Ms. Celina, Grade 3 Chinese Teacher growing was fun and inspirational.” Ms. Baertschy, TOK and English Literature Teacher/DP Coordinator
“Students were so proud of all their hard work! I could “The exhibition developed students to become tell that they were authentic inquirers and were really independent inquirers. It was an incredible experience passionate about the information they learned.” for the students and the teachers as well.” Ms. Roxanne, Grade 1 Teacher & English Subject Leader/Reading Specialist
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Ms. Peachi, Learning Support Teacher (previous Grade 5 TA)
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Flashback
Dragon Swim Team T
he goals of the Dragon Swim Team at Concordian are to enhance the individual performance and excel in their swimming dreams. Dragon Swimmers participate in numerous meets throughout the year. Every time a swimmer participates in a meet he/she gives their personal best time. We have a team of 43 swimmers from ages 5-11 in the PY Dragon swim team this year. Any child who thinks they are a good swimmer can contribute to Concordian; this is the team you can join any time!! This year we have the following meets to focus on: September 26 - Patana Tiger Prawns Invitational Swim Meet November 14-15 - Panther Swim Fest March 5-6 - Marlins Mayhem March 15 - TISAC Primary Friendly Meet (@Conordian) May 16 - TISAC Primary Swim Gala (@Concordian) Usha Mathapati Aquatics Coordinator
I wish all the swimmers good luck!!!
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Flashback
By Oum and Calvin (Grade12)
L
ast April, The Concordian middle school and high school had one of the best performances yet at the annual MYP-DP Talent Show 2015. Great skill and diligence was demonstrated in the time frame of two hours. The show was brought to you through the collaboration between the High School Student Government and the Middle School Student Council, with months of planning, weeks of staging, and days of rehearsal; last year’s show turned out to be one of the most successful yet. Our vibrant emcees, the ever-so-enthusiastic Kong and Mimi, accompanied by middle school’s Kitty and Fern, fired up the show with their comedic and dynamic spirits. With a total of 13 acts from 6th to 11th grade, the wide variety of talent ranged from dance teams to tech-savvy launch pad performances to the back-tobasics singing solos.
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The team of student organizers sincerely appreciates and acknowledges all assistance received - particularly the IT Department, emcees, equipment coordinators, both student governments and councils, and, most importantly, the participants.
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Blackout, the Class of 2019’s boy band, went home with 1st place. Following them was Crimson Hall in second place, and in third place, Four of Us. Look forward to another great talent show this year!
Flashback
S
by Kru Aim Sungkasuwan
ongkran is a New Year in Thailand and is greeted with a splash! It is also called the “water festival� as public water fights are enjoyed throughout the country. Water is believed to clean and wash away any sorrows from the previous year. On that day, our students came to school dressed in traditional Songkran costumes. They were colorful and lively. All students were able to celebrate this important event and attend the Songkran Ceremony where they paid respect to their elders (teachers) by pouring scented water over the palm of their hands. In return, the children would be wished good luck and prosperity. This is also the way to teach them about Thai culture and tradition. Later in the afternoon, the Early Years students took part in splash activities. They were having an amazing time throwing water with their friends and teachers! The PY showed beautiful Thai dance performances. The MY / DP students had a good time with the Thai games at different stations. Everyone had a lot of fun! After all, Songkran not only is just about fun, but also an event that teaches people about the meaning of respect.
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Flashback
The Royal Songs Composition
Charity Concert mances were of the highest quality. Ultimately, they achieved their goal both on and off the stage.
O
n Friday, the 15th of May 2015, Concordian International School’s Middle Years Program students held a charity concert, The Royal Songs Composition, with great success. The students beautifully performed King Bhumipol’s composition. The audience was thoroughly impressed with the concert. The students worked tirelessly prior to the concert to make sure their perfor-
By Kru Lek Marson
The objective of the concert was to support Peace for Life Foundation by donating bullet-proof vests and proceeds for Thai patrol soldiers and policemen along the border of Thailand. This charity concert was a result of the success of last year’s The Royal Songs Composition show. The previous concert aimed to support Informal Education Center, Bangna District in terms of books and educational supplies. The success of last year’s concert helped this concert gain further support from the school’s administrators and supportive parents. After the concert, the representative of the students handed all proceeds from this charity concert and bullet-proof vests to Second Lieutenant Tuan-AmmaranKruso, a former soldier in Yala province and a representative of the “Peace of Life Foundation”, to support Thai border patrol soldiers and policemen. In the end, the students experienced unforgettable memories and success which will surely motivate the Concordian community to continue to help and make positive contributions to society.
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Flashback
O
n May 21st the Arts were celebrated at Concordian!
Musical performances were given by the students of grades 6 through 10, followed by the dramatic creations of the grades 9 and 10 students. The works of the Visual Arts and Design classes of the PYP and MYP were on display for public and student viewing. In addition, Concordian’s incredible food technicians of grade 8 and 10 provided delicious food to enjoy during the exhibitions. This week was made possible by the collaborative efforts of Mr. Bill, Mr. George, Mr. Martin, Mr. Clynt, Ms. Deborah, Ms Lisa, and Ms. Phoebe. 2016’s Arts and Design week is already in its planning stage. It will be the third year in celebration of our Concordian students’ creativity and innovation. Make plans to celebrate with us next May! By: George Konopik Arts Team Leader
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Flashback
L
earning Chinese is not only about learning Chinese language. Discrete language skills and knowledge are the foundation to gain in an effort to communicate and express in Chinese. To achieve the cognitive academic language proficiency expected by IB, however, requires students to appropriately use Chinese language in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar contexts. China, with a history of over 5,000 years, is one of the world’s oldest and richest continuous cultures. Myriad cultural elements affect almost every aspect of Chinese’s thinking and interaction. Integrating Chinese culture into learning the language is thus a key in students’ Chinese language development. At Concordian, Chinese culture is always an essential part in Chinese teaching and learning. Students not only learn Chinese through cultural lenses in their daily Chinese class, but also experience Chinese culture in many carefully designed events throughout the year. After the Chinese-Thai wedding performance and the 2nd Voice of Concordian, students of grade six through eight visited the Thailand Chinese Culture Center in late April. They were excited to see the artful Chinese architecture and enjoyed learning Tai-chi, Chinese calligraphy and Guzheng with skillful masters at the center. Towards the end of May, all MYP students participated in Chinese Culture Week – a completely student initiated inquiry event. Students joined different interest groups based on a survey conducted before the event and took full responsibility of setting goals, researching and taking action. After a week of hard work, students put together amazing exhibitions demonstrating their understanding of Chinese cultural elements. Students will continue their Chinese cultural exploration in the new school year! Written by Min Li Chinese Curriculum Coordinator
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Flashback
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Max I felt passionate and inspired from going on this trip. I had the opportunity do a lot of things that taught me about real life work such as being a cashier and surveying customers. I got to know how employees actually felt. I synced my heart with the employees to work efficiently. I completed a lot of work. I felt tired but good. Kevin It was a good experience, and it helped me learn and improve my Chinese skills. At first, I was afraid but as I stayed there longer, I felt more comfortable and at home.
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Pun I felt the Shanghai internship was a door-opener in many ways. First, the trip allowed me to better understand Chinese culture and taught me how to adapt to their customs. Furthermore, from this trip alone, I’ve adopted several guidelines for myself that I will be able to use in other crossculture experiences. Secondly, after having spent a month within China, I felt that my command of the Chinese language improved greatly in areas such as reading, writing, and speaking. Compared to my nine years of learning Chinese in Thailand, I felt that I learned more Chinese in one month than in those nine years. In Thailand, I only use the language in Chinese class, while being in China required me to speak Chinese for all aspects of my daily life, from price bargaining to 38 38 ordering food. Lastly, the trip to China acted as a form of motivation to me, as it proved to me that if I was passionate about something, I could succeed.
Calvin Lotus Shanghai offered an inspiring amount of exposure to a variety of both business and social environments. The 4-week long internship generally gave me a clearer idea of how Chinese retail businesses operate. It also allowed me to absorb so much Shanghai culture. The multiple locations of workplaces and different career fields, from cashier training to supplier visits, strongly provoked interest in my understanding of the corporate world. Work aside, the after-hours of spare time spent in Shanghai forced interactions with many aspects of modern Chinese social and cultural customs and lifestyles. With enough determination, the simple benefits of these interactions include the assimilation of Mandarin Chinese and taste of Shanghainese cruisine. Despite the extended time period spent there, the Shanghai Lotus Internship program seems to be most suited for future rising junior students interested in Chinese business, language, and culture.
Poom After attending in CP Shanghai Summer Program, I feel that overall this program is a great program for students to attend. This program is filled with enjoyment, and great experiences. I think that the program itself was very useful to me because it taught me to do different jobs correctly, and it gave me a lot of valuable knowledge. I also gained a lot of experiences from attending this program, such as communicating with the customers and providing services to the customer. This also effectively helped me improve my Chinese skills in a different way. Beside from working and gaining new experiences, the city visits every weekend were interesting as well. Lastly, I feel that I had a great time there.
Flashback
Zen For me, the Shanghai trip was a great experience with a lot of work inside lotus and loads of exciting events. I would recommend this trip to anybody that wants to go in the future. The staff that took care of us was very helpful and nice. I felt happy, and P’Cindy really enjoyed the one month we spent there.
Krij Initially, confused with the basic term “顾客 (customer)”, the internship did not only allow us to see the whole process of a hypermarket, but also enhanced our Chinese communication ability and taught us necessary terms to live there. 39 39 This unparalleled experience has given us the insights toward Chinese consumer’s habits which would prove beneficial when we start doing our own businesses.
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First I feel very happy and lucky to be one of the students that was chosen to be able to participate in this program. I think that I became a better learner, and I can work really well with everyone. I hope there will be more programs like this one in the future.
Kram The trip was one of the best trips in my life. There are a variety of things you could do in Shanghai. Shanghai is a gigantic city and has a lot to explore. With the time I had, I explored every single corner of Shanghai. The job experiences we experienced was something that was not to be bought with money. I recommend this trip for the future Concodian students. GLHF! (Good Luck Have Fun).
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T
he K3 Graduation ceremony that took place in the Grand Theater was a culmination of the foundational years of learning spent at Concordian and was a celebration of many accomplishments. The students showcased their language talents by singing a song in both English and Chinese. In addition, they walked on stage and received certificates presented by Mr. Laurent. Once the ceremony was finished, the celebrations were not over. As part of their How We Express Ourselves UOI about celebrations, the K3 students got to plan their Graduation Celebration Party on the last day of school. They worked together to reflect on important features of celebrations and how they would like to celebrate their graduation. Everything, from the decorations to the games and food, was planned by the students. It was a great way to say goodbye to EY and prepare to move to G1.
“I remember the popcorn and pocky.” – Mary “and coke and sprite!” - Cake “I remember we sing a song, Concordian Song!” - Nina
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Flashback
by Inese Zvirgzdins
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he final important event in a Grade 5 student’s calendar is, of course, the Graduation. This happened in the last week of school-June 2015. At this point, students had completed their time in the PYP and were ready to make the transition to Grade 6 and the MYP. Graduation is always a formal event, and Grade 5 of 2015 looked very neat and excited in their graduation gowns and beaming smiles. Seeing the students all together on the stage of the Grand Theatre confidently singing the King’s song in Thai and our Concordian school song in both Chinese and English was a moving experience and truly reflected the sort of confidence and knowledge that they developed over their time in the PYP. The students also shared their memories of their time in PYP. These memories included small incidents in the playground in their time in the EY and PY, overcoming obstacles in their learning, as well as memorable field trips, friendships and special teachers. It was wonderful to see the students choosing their preferred language (Thai, English or Chinese) to share this information with the audience. The ceremony was an opportunity to share the memories as well as wish all of the students moving onto MYP, every success in their future learning.
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Flashback
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ast spring, representatives of the grades six, seven, and eight English Language Acquisition and English Language & Literature classes participated in our annual Concordian Middle School Speech Festival. They delivered their own oral compositions on various self-determined topics in a range of concepts: from survival in trying circumstances; to interpretations of different types of courage; to the nature of identity itself. Our student presenters showed the mastery they and their peers achieved in their units of work: in discussing the concepts; in marshaling verbal and non-verbal skills; and in using descriptive diction and imagery, to bring their audience into their visions. And the speeches made their impression. When in the hallways we ran into teachers who had borne witness. They said they were struck by your skill and maturity. This was your accomplishment. It was you who chose the subjects, you who determined the perspectives, and you who crafted the words in which to deliver them. This was your doing. In a way, we too were startled by how far you came as risk takers, thinkers, and communicators. We look forward to witnessing your achievements and growth once more in the spring of 2016.
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by Ms. Maria Ticinovic
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Flashback
‘
Wai’ has the meaning of ‘to show respect’ and ‘Kru’ means ‘teachers’ in Thai. ‘WaiKru’ can therefore be defined as ‘to show respect to the teachers’. “WaiKru” is a ceremony in which students pay respect and show gratitude towards their teachers and to commemorate them for their highly sacrificing and hard-working career. The ceremony also represents the students’ willingness to receive knowledge and wisdom from their teachers in order to realize the goals in their education. Concordian’s WaiKru ceremony took place on the 20th of August 2015 at the Grand Theatre in the SATC building. The ceremony starts with student representatives introducing the importance of Wai Kru and the symbolic meanings of flowers used in the ceremony. After that, all students recite a WaiKru poem together. They then had an opportunity to show respect and gratitude to their teachers on the stage. Teachers then blessed them with witty intelligence and wished them a successful studying year in return.
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Flashback
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n Friday, August 14th, the students of Grade 11 travelled to Balios Resort in KhaoYai for an introduction to an important new phase of their lives, the IB Diploma Program. Although the information sessions could have been done at school, holding them at the Balios Resort gave the program the prominence it deserves. At the same time, the class of 2017 was able to bond as a group over a shared goal: the successful completion of the DP program over the next two years. For those who are not yet in their junior year, the DP is completely different from the PYP and MYP. Each candidate must select 6 courses from 6 different subject groups as well as take a course called Theory of Knowledge, write a research paper of up to 4000 words, and complete the requirements of the CAS program which asks the candidate to participate in
activities in the areas of Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS). The main purpose of the retreat is to help students understand what will be required of them over the two year program.The retreat also offers a great opportunity to welcome new members of the class as well as the new teachers to the school. Saturday morning, we visited a school for the blind. It was through this short visit that we were first introduced to the idea of service which is a very important part of the CAS program. Later that afternoon, Mr. Michael Wilson, the new CAS coordinator, talked to us about CAS in greater detail. On that same day, Ms. Kathleen Baertschy, who teaches TOK and English Literature (in case you are interested), introduced us to the concept of TOK and also provided a brief look at what writing the extended essay will entail. Ms. Kathleen told us that students will be able to write on topics that interest them with the help of teachers who are also interested in the same topic. She stressed that the IB Diploma will give us a better understanding of ourselves, the world, and our place in it. Ms. Baertschy’s session was effective as it involved movement and interaction between the speaker and audience. Dr. James Leung, the High School Principal, provided information about the IB Diploma in Concordian, and Dr. TresaVirankhabutra, the High School Counselor, talked about the importance of preparing our college applications.
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While all the meetings were important and helpful, most of us found that the best part of this retreat was Mr. Clynt Whitaker’s session. These sessions involved movements, 44 freestyle acting, were often very funny, and particularly revealing in the role-playing phase. The students were asked to demonstrate, through drama, certain events and potential pressures that anyone might encounter while working through the two year IB Diploma program.
Flashback
In the end, the Grade 11 IB retreat was seen by all as an enjoyable and helpful experience. Aside from all the important elements of the IB being carefully and clearly explained to us, this trip brought the students, teachers, and staff closer together. Finally, if there is one thing we learned to be true, it is that for the class of 2017 to become truly successful over the next two years, we must work together, encouraging each classmate to stay focused on the goal, to do the best he or she can and, above all, to stay positive when things get tough. The trip was a great first step. In unity there is strength! Written and edited by Mei and Nat Grade 11 English Language and Literature HL under the supervision of Mr. Michael Wilson.
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Flashback
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DONATION TO
Community Service
CONCORDIA DAY CARE CENTER By Ms. Milichu Keats
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ast April, Tuesday the 7th, in the company of students Fasai, Purba, Chris, Shawn, Jar, Eliz, Pub, Ming Sung, Pat, DD, and Ben Ben, we went to Concordia Day Care Center to offer them our economic support. We have been working with this institution for the past 5 years. Every special day and every Friday after school, under the care of Mr. Jerry, a group of our students goes to Concordia Day Care Center. Our students prepare games and sports activities. The children in the institution, ages 4 to 15 years old, enjoy their company and spend a wonderful moment with our students. The Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation was founded in 1990 and since has been looking to the needs of underprivileged children throughout Thailand. The branch we work with looks after 214 homes in the slum community along the Bangna Expressway with a population of more than 2,200 people. The Concordia Day Care Center cares for 30-50 children in this area offering them nutritious food, a safe area to play, basic hygiene and medical care, as well as preschool education. Our contribution to them of 35,000 TBH will be used to expand and renovate the area. They will repair pipes, build better toilets and showers, and fix the floors. Concordian International School shares the same values with Concordia Day Care Center. We believe, as them, that education is the path out of poverty and a gateway to opportunities for a better life.
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Grade 8 MYP
Successfully Completed
their Community Projects
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” - Mahatma Ghandi
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he MYP community project is focused on community service. It is a year-long program that gives grade 8 students several things: 1) The opportunity to learn how they can serve their community. 2) How community service can support others while also giving them some benefits. 3) Some experience in performing community service. 4) Some opportunities to take the skills they learn in school and apply them to a new and challenging setting.
The introduction of the program began with awareness. Students became aware of the needs in various communities and how they could help address those needs by listening to a variety of speakers from different philanthropic groups working in Thailand. By listening to these groups and what they did and why they did it, students developed an understanding of the daily struggles and hardships some Thais face due to hunger, homelessness, living with disabilities, lacking educational opportunities, or even simply growing old alone. They also became aware of the struggle of the refugees and the deterioration of the environment. In short, they became mindful of the needs within communities and learned that there were numerous foundations and organizations whose missions were to help others less fortunate than themselves.
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H-Block discussion and lessons were not simply limited to community awareness. The students also learned some applied research skills that were much more than simply ‘Googling’ information. The skills they applied included gathering information from a variety of sources including media, conducting interviews, creating surveys and making observations (MISO). They learned there were various types of services they could potentially perform and later made selections to fit their preference.
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The day before the December holiday, the grade 8 students participated in a supervised selection process to form their community project groups. They interviewed one another to create compatible groups by asking such questions as, “Do you prefer to procrastinate or complete your work on time?”, “What is your learning style?”, “Do you like presenting in front of a large audience?”, and “What are some of your likes and dislikes?” Based on the responses, the students, thoughtfully selected their group members. Over the course of 11 weeks, these student groups participated in a project unlike any other they had done before. They implemented a multi-dimensional learning process that was self-directed and self-initiated. The students’ first challenge was to discuss and gather information on a variety of community groups they had prior knowledge of and/or wanted to work with. In the end their deciding factor was based on the connection between their interests and the needs of the community. During the next few weeks, the students collaboratively determined their goals, created a proposal of action, wrote a list of action plans, and carried out their actions, fulfilling each of the MYP Project Objectives; investigating, planning, taking action and finally reflection. The in-depth inquiry they led gave them new insight and a deeper understanding of their topics and the communities they interacted with.
The grade 8 students were all fortunate to have support and guidance from their parents during this project. The excellent parental involvement they enjoyed emphasized the power of community in making a difference for people in need. Any student who has not thanked their parents for helping should do so immediately. On behalf of Concordian International school, I would like to thank the parents as well. On March 14, 2015 the students shared their learning experiences, goal statements, proposal of action and action plans with attentive audience members. They presented descriptions of the communities they worked with and introduced some of the people they met. Furthermore, each presenter made their audience members smile and feel the cornucopia of emotions they felt. Finally, they shared their reflections with their viewers, and volunteered some advice for the next group of community project participants. In the blink of an eye the 15- minute presentations were over. March 14, 2015 was a day the grade 8 students confidently, excitedly, and successfully celebrated their service learning and accomplishments with the Concordian community. The following quote from Mahatma Gandhi capture the essence of Concordian’s Community Project. “Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.”
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Written by Ms. Melinda Henson MYP 1- 3 Service Learning and Community Project Coordinator
MYP
By Mr. Gabe Kemp
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he Middle Years Programme (MYP) at Concordian guides our students into becoming independent, selfmotivated and life-long learners. The MYP program focuses on building conceptual understandings, the big ideas that help us organise knowledge, and the approaches to learning; these are the skills and attitudes that will help students succeed in the ever changing world. One of the key aspects of the MYP at Concordian is service learning. Students from grades 6-10 will participate in developmentally appropriate service learning opportunities leading from teacher organised service activities to student initiated projects in the wider community.
MYP students at Concordian‌‌.
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Inquire
Seek knowledge
Think
Communicate
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MYP
Take principled action
Have an open mind
Care
Show courage
Balance academics and activities
Reflect
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We would like to welcome all new Concordian MYP teachers!
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Welcome
Special Feature
W
e are pleased to welcome our new Concordian faculty for the 2015-2016 school year! This year, we have 28 new educators to share their expertise, knowledge, and passion! We are also excited by the addition of our two interns who are Concordian Dragon Alumni! Please join us in extending a heartfelt welcome to the new members of our Concordian family!
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Kim Stuart Grade 5 English
Rachel Holtketter Grade 4 English
Rhiannon Doherty Grade 3 English
Ziyan Chen (Cindy) Grade 2 Chinese
Ziyan Wang (Caroline) Grade 4 Chinese
Wen-Hsin Wang (Yvonne) Grade 3 Chinese
Lingjun You (Lynne) PYP CLS
Jin Ma PYP CLS
Sue Ogilvie ELS
Liu Huan PYP CLS
Liyun Huang (Leyla) PYP CLS
Yafei Wei PYP CLS
Chih-Min Wu (Jossie) PYP CLS
Melissa Chavez MYP Math Support
Jared Lee MYP Science
New Staff
Special Feature
Cal Stuart MYP PE
Kimberly Howald MYP Humanities
Michael Wilson MYP/DP English
Scott Cairney MYP/DP Math
Jonetta Loo MYP Humanities
Oylum Ozunal MYP/DP English Language
Tatiana Cantillo MYP Science
Markus Mattila MYP Physics and MYP/DP Math
Beverly Alejandro Teaching Assistant
Shiella Barcenas Teaching Assistant
Sincere
Karen Tanduvan Teaching Assistant
Khaimook Sanamol Teaching Assistant
Nucharin Kantapasara Intern
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Bigaboyboy Teaching Assistant
53 Jirapat Taechajongjntana Intern
Special Feature
by K.Varnnee C. Ross
Dear Daven, Sometimes you may have felt bad when you heard many times that I did not found Concordian because of you. Yet many times you have thanked me for building this school so that you can study here. But it is me who has to say thank you to you, my not-so-perfect son. Over the years, as a not-so-perfect mom, I have done many good things and made many mistakes raising you, just like any first time mom; yet you have taught me so much over the years. Because of you, I know and understand how much my parents love me.... Because you are not perfect, you have taught me to have compassion toward many students, who may have problems learning. Because of you, I learned to have faith in every child -- that they can improve if we love and support them. Because of you, I have had the chance to share all the mistakes I made as a mother with other parents, in the hope that they will not make the same ones I did. Because of you, I learned that with love, kindness and understanding, a child can and will reach his or her highest potential. I learned that your dream should bring me joy; my dream is not what you must become. If you were a perfect student, I wouldn’t know how parents feel when their child is struggling academically, but because of you, I can talk to parents about how to cope and support their child. And because of you I can tell them that many things are possible, if they work hard together, as a family. Through your achievement today, you have proved to me that it can be done. Dear son, thank you for bringing so much joy to my life and for helping me learn so much through you. PS. It is also because of you that our Chinese language curriculum in the EYP and PYP is what is today and always improving. You explained and showed it to me when you were only in Grade 2, and over the years with many wonderful teachers, we have worked together to achieve the results we see today. Because of you my life is filled with love and joys, and I discovered my mission. It is all because of you... With all my love, Mom
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International Relationship/War Studies King’s College, London
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