IMPACT 25 by Concordian International School

ISSUE 25: JUNE 2019 - SUMMER ISSUE

University Acceptances Congratulations our Seniors

EY/PY Sports Day Go Dragons!

Two School Musicals and a Talent Show Exchange Students

from Shanghai

Sa-was-dee-pee-mai-Thai

with Pa-Khao-Ma-Tae-Tae

We oer our humble greetings on the Royal Coronation of His Majesty King Rama X

Long Live the King The Management and Employees of

Concordian International School 2 CONCORDIAN

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Contents Editor's Note

Message from Board of Trustees

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

School Updates Graduation Dance 2019 University Acceptances List of Class of 2019 Secondary School Update Middle school Student Council PYP Student Council Tournament of the Minds Early Years Update

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Athletics News Tennis/ Golf/ Strengh and Fitness G7U Boys Soccer/ Master Swimming Championships Varsity Girls Basketball/ G10U Girls Basketball Boys Volleyball/ G3U Football Varsity Boys Football Earth Day EY Sports Day PY Sports Day

21 22 24 29 30 32 35 36 38 41 42 44 46 48 50 52

Events and Activities Always on My Mind Dramatic Reading/ Piano Duet The Incredible Reindeer Concordian Festival of Love Grade 10 High School Musical The Voice of Concordian 3 Chinese Dragon and Lion Dance Beauty and the Beast Exchange Students at Concordian Chinese Writing Contest Temple Fair 2019 PY Chinese Writing Contest Thai MUN VI Interdisciplinary Units (IDUs) in MYP Sa-was-dee-pee-mai-Thai World Scholar Cup

53 54 56

Student Life Why are Mangrove Forest Important?

Operation Smile Trip to Mae Hong Sorn Service Learning

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Library Corner

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Dear Impact Readers, Welcome to the final Impact Magazine of the 2018-2019 academic year. This was my first year at Concordian and I have been thoroughly impressed by the talented students, faculty, and staff at this admirable institution. The Concordian community is far beyond what I could have possibly imagined!

This issue showcases a plethora of academic, athletic, and artistic achievements of our Concordian dragons this Spring.

We also have an extra-large Service Learning section in this issue where you can learn more about how Concordians are combining learning goals and service in a way that allows them to simultaneously grow as students and benefit the community.

Summer is an excellent time to put into practice everything you’ve learned this year. Continue to give back, volunteer, read, and unplug from electronics!

Megan Ames, Editor

"If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons."

- LLONA ANDREWS, Fate's Edge

Please contact K. Prinz at 091-889-8616 prinz@concordian.ac.th

Megan Ames, Editor Wanlapha (Prinz) Sa-ardwong, Graphic Designer

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Message from Board of Trustees

Message from the

Board of Trustees Dear Concordians, This year Concordian has continued to grow in all dimensions.

Perhaps the part that many students and parents are less familiar with is the continued development of all of our faculty and staff through various certified professional development programmes throughout the year. The quality of teaching and learning always carries the highest priority and such quality can only be delivered by assuring the quality of our educators.

Another major milestone this year is the completion of the new state-of-the-art sports facilities. Apart from the physical benefits, I am a firm believer that regular participation in any sport helps develop essential aspects of character for our children. My personal highlight was the football clinic by professional players from Bangkok United FC. It was such an intimate and inspiring moment for young boys and girls to get into sports!

The school has continued to receive strong support from all members of our community. The many exciting activities throughout the year would not have been possible without you.

I have been with the school since 2013, been a member of the Board of Trustees for three years and, for the first time, I am truly honoured to write to you as the Chairperson of the Board in the 2018-2019 academic year. We will continue to work to keep Concordian at the forefront of IB schools.

Thank you Concordian community for your continued support.

Dr. Chawin Chantharasenawong Concordian Board of Trustees Chairperson

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School Update

Dear Class of Knights,

:)

I would like to congratulate each and every one of you. You have made Concordian very proud. Many of you have proven to the world that students who joined Concordian as baby in EYP, through PY and MYP are all going to the very best universities of your choice. And all of our knights are prepared and ready to be on the way to explore the ever-changing world.

- Khun Varnnee

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these

Cornell

King's College

Pennsylvania State

St. Andrews

Chinese university of Hong Kong

Kasetsart

UC,Berkeley ImperialUBC Warwick Glasgow Chulalongkorn Nottingham Michigan Uc,San Diego Washington Monash University Carnegie Mellon

Boston University

University

UCL The Australian National University

Edinburgh

New York

Minnesota Twin Cities

State University

UC, Irvine

University

Birmingham

University of Southern California

50

(Out of 39 students)

(US)

*

*

*

* *

*

*

*

*

*

** *

*

50% are World’s Top 100 universities University of Maryland Baltimore County University of Michigan University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2) University of Oregon University of San Francisco (2) University of Washington (3) Univeristy of Southern California Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

*

10

100%

Thailand Universities

City University of Hong Kong (2) Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2) The Chinese University of Hong Kong (3) The Education University of Hong Kong The Hong Kong Polytechnic University The University of Hong Kong (2)

*

The University of British Columbia (2) University of Toronto

Birmingham City University Bournemouth University Cardiff University City, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London Hult International Business School Imperial College London Kingston University London King's College London (6) Lancaster University Queen Mary University of London Swansea University (2) The University of Edinburgh (3) The University of Manchester University College London (3) University of Bath (2) University of Birmingham Univeristy of Bristol (4) University of Glasgow University of Leeds University of Newcastle University of Southampton University of St Andrews University of Surrey (2) University of the Arts London University of Warwick (3) University of Westminister

New York University Abu Dhabi

*

Les Roches Global Hospitality Education

*

New York University Shanghai (6) Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (7) University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute University of Nottingham

*

Kyushu University

* *

Monash University The Australian National University The University of Sydney

of Technology Thonburi

Chulalongkorn University (8) Kasetsart University King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (2) King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (2) Mahidol University International College (10) Thammasat University (8) Webster University Thailand

*

Top 1-50 in the world Top 51-100 in the world Scholarships offered

As of May 2019

Rankings referenced: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 7 QS World University Rankings Language Course.net

CONCORDIAN

Arizona State University Babson College Boston University (3) Brandeis University Carnegie Mellon University Clark University Columbia College Hollywood Cornell University (2) Davidson College Drexel University Emerson College (2) Fordham University (2) Hult International Business School Indiana University Bloomington Iowa State University Lake Forest College Loyola Marymount University Miami University (4) Michigan State University (3) New York Film Academy Northeastern University (3) Pepperdine University (2) Pratt Institute Purdue University (6) Rhode Island School of Design Sacred Heart University San Francisco State University Stony Brook University Suffolk University Syracuse Univeristy (3) The George Washington University The Pennsylvania State University (3) The State University of New York at Buffalo The University of Iowa The University of Oklahoma University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis (5) University of California, Irvine University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Cruz (3) University of Cincinnati University of Evansville (2) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of La Verne

197

HKUST

King Mongkut’s University

Toronto

The University of Sydney City U Hong Kong

*

Leeds

Manchester

Bristol The Pennsylvania

56%

Purdue

School Update

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t’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is almost here. As a Secondary School we have been very busy after the winter break.

Although academics always play a major role in the day to day lives of our students, the second semester often adds extra challenges for all of our secondary students. For the High School there are PSAT, SAT, UKMT, ACER, and HSK exams to be taken, as well as our DP students taking Mock exams, IAs, and Final IB exams. Also during this time G9 complete their Individual Service Project, G10 complete their Personal Project, G11 start their Extended Essay, and G12 complete their Extended Essay. Middle School students are busy as well with G6/7 completing service projects, G8 completing the Community Project, as well as G6-8 taking ACER, UKMT, and HSK exams.

Our students were also involved with many service related clubs such as Operation Smile, Habitat for Humanity, Care, Tutoring, The Planting People, and Heart 2 Heart. Although not a club, the G10s started raising money for the School Build project they will complete in G11. This year they planned, organized, marketed, directed and acted in the production of High School Musical for their School Build. Students were also involved in other clubs such as Radioactive (the school radio), Science Magazine, Photography, World Scholars, and Model United Nations that gave them a venue to explore their interests and creatively express themselves.

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Sports have also played an important role in the social and emotional wellbeing of our students.

As a school we had several successes: The Varsity Girls placed 3rd at the CDNIS Volleyball tournament in Hong Kong; The G10U Girls won both the regular Basketball season and AISAA tournament; The G7U Girls won the AISAA Football tournament; The Mixed G7U and G10U won the AISAA Table Tennis Tournament; and Putter won the boys AISAA Tennis Tournament.

We also had several teams from many different sports take 2nd or 3rd in AISAA league or season ending tournament. As can be seen, our sports program for the secondary school is getting better and better each year.

Extracurricular activities also played an important part in our students’ lives. While our students take part in a wide variety of activities these are a few of their notable successes: Nina (G7) won the U14 Thailand Pattaya Youth Chess tournament; Kimi (G7) won the Tuagom Go tournament; Hui Hui (G8) took second place in the Sornthong Contest; Ryu, Kaka, and Gyn’s (G6) Hockey team won the U12 CCM Thailand Cup; Tonchok (G6) was selected to play the violin as a member of the World Youth Orchestra; Man and Mon (G7) earned their way on to the U15 Thai National Team for Table Tennis, and Putter (G7) is currently the #3 U14 boys Tennis player in Thailand.

As can be seen the Secondary School is a very busy place which is probably why the time seems to fly by so quickly. We strive very hard to expose students to as many different types of activities as possible to help them find where their interests and passions lie. Another important aspect of the Secondary School is teaching our students to advocate for themselves and both the Middle School Student Council and the High School Student Government have done an outstanding job of that this. Please read about their accomplishments on the following pages.

As this school year comes to a close, I wish the entire Concordian community an enjoyable, relaxing Summer break.

CONCORDIAN

- Mr. Bill, Secondary School Vice Principal of Student and Faculty Affairs

School Update

T

he Middle School Student Council (MSSC) has been very busy this past quarter! They collaborated with the High School Student Government to sell chocolates, balloons, and roses on Valentine's Day. They also participated and assisted with the production of the spectacular Talent Show on February 14th. The MSSC also helped to conduct the EY Sports Day in February. Lastly, the middle school students’ concerns have been heard by the MSSC, who submitted fourteen specific policy and resource suggestions to the school’s administration.

The MSSC’s fundraising dunk tank during the Festival of Love was the highlight of their work this quarter. Students and teachers, for a small fee, took turns attempting to dunk the 19 administrators, teachers, and select students who sat in the dunk tank. The narrow dunk tank was very scary for the victims and their screams as they plunged into the murky water elicited joy from all of the spectators. The MSSC thanks Ms. Tatiana who donated much of her salary to the MSSC as she repeatedly bought buckets of balls in her attempts to dunk Mr. Marcus. The students were also zealous to dunk their teachers, such as Manta, who tried to dunk anyone who sat in the dunk tank Mr. Nas was perhaps the most popular victim who was dunked so many times there was fear that he might drown!

Lastly, the MSSC organized a third house competition on March 4th, which consisted of stacking cups using only balloons and not hands.

The activity appeared to be easy, but participants quickly realized it was much harder than it looked.

With exasperated lungs, the Phoenix House emerged as the victorious cup stacking/balloon blowing house. The overall house leader for this year is the honey-colored Badgers! Many house points are still up for grabs though and any house could still win the annual house competition, especially during the all-day Sports Day house competition on June 5th. We hope to see you all participating and helping your house to win during our upcoming house activities and during Sports Day. If you want to become a part of the Middle chool Student Council and help to shape the activities and culture of your school, we strongly encourage you to apply to be class representative or run for election as a MSSC Officer. Talk to Khao Jao or William for more information about joining MSSC. We hope you have a rewarding next quarter and don’t forget to have fun!

Sincerely, Mr. Nas and Ms. Marijoy MSSC Advisors

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School Update

PYP

Student Council

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he Student Council is very busy. We have done a ton of things in the past few months. First of all, we organized several booths at the Festival of Love, a first for the PYP Student Council! Our booths raised a huge amount of money that we will use to buy school supplies for a local Thai school.

Another event that raised money for a local Thai School was our 1st PYP Book Exchange. When you donated a book, you received a discount to buy a new book. Each book retailed for 20 Baht so they were really cheap. We are going to visit a local Thai school on a field trip where we plan to organize and play games and activities with the children and also donate school supplies.

The Student Council has prepared for Earth Month.

Doing an activity for Earth Month has kind of become a tradition for the PYP Student Council. We created different challenges for the different grades so it’s more interesting. We have also used our survey information from our Sports Survey to meet with Coach K.

The Process

The students of grade 5 have reached another milestone by successfully completing their PYP Exhibition! To begin, all students took agency by selecting a special topic they felt passionate about.

They dove deep into their interests to promote awareness about their specific topic. Each group’s We the PYP Student Council have been very exhibition was a culmination of the PYP programme successful this year. We have completed various goals that showcased all of their knowledge and skills and helped our school community in many ways. they have learned within their PYP journey.

- Burger, President

Ted Talks After in-depth research the students synthesized their knowledge and prepared a dynamic Ted Talk style presentation to share with our school community. The students incorporated within those talks an artistic piece of their choice which represented their topic conflict and resolution. The 14 amazing presentations were spread throughout two wonderful days of teaching, learning, and passion. The school community is proud of the accomplishments of each group. These incredible public speakers are prepared to make the big leap into the MYP.

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- Mr. John, Ms. Dominik, Ms. Ashley, Mr. Craig, and Ms. Lindsay

School Update

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e are so very proud of our 14 students who represented Concordian at this year’s Tournament of the Minds. After working very hard for over 3 months, both teams placed 2nd in their divisions in the International Regional Final at Bangkok Prep on Sunday, March 3rd competing against schools from across Southeast Asia.

4 challenges 6 weeks 13 schools 63 teams 441 students

Our STEM team ‘The Dragon Scouts’ had to design a plan to announce a new species to the world in the challenge called ‘The Incredible Find’. The team needed to create a new species and a working model of the organism. The students also shot video footage and included full mathematical and engineering explanations for its creation. The final product was a combination of 3 different animal phylum: Porifera, Tardigrade, and Mollusca found living in the Sea of Doom in Brazil. They competed against 14 different teams faced with the same challenge and our Dragon Scouts placed 2nd! Amazing job Dragon Scouts!

Our Language and Literature team, ‘Dragon Films’ competed in a challenge called ‘Page to Screen’. The students had to select an age appropriate book and create a persuasive pitch on why this book should become a film and demonstrate a clip of what the movie would look like. The team chose Smile by Raina Telgemeir and did an incredible job showcasing their creativity and imagination. They competed against 9 others teams and placed 2nd! Way to go Dragons!

- Ms. Rhiannon & Ms. Ashley

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School Update

I like school.

I like learning and I can help my friends to work.

- Gilbert

O

ur Early Year students this year at Concordian have had an amazing school year once again!

Each morning as I stand out in front of the school greeting students and parents it is always rewarding to see the smiles on everyone’s faces as we start another day full of learning and being with friends.

I like PE and swimming and I like to learn about habitats.

Here at Concordian there is always a sense of -Ava belonging to a community that is caring towards one another.

I often say that I feel that I have the greatest job in the world to be surrounded by so many wonderful students, parents and faculty.

I would like to share some of the wonderful things that have happened in the school this year. It has truly been another great school year thanks to everyone who is part of our school community!

By Tim Byrum Early Years Vice Principal of Student and Faculty Affairs

I like my teachers.

I like learning about mammals and I do a good job.

- K-Ly

The Festival of Love: It was wonderful watching our students from Nursery to K3 show what school spirit is through the awesome cheers they performed. We were all so proud of them!!

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Early Years Sports Day: What another fun day for our students, parents and teaching staff as we watched our students learn how to compete and have fun and to experience the feeling of Team Spirit and the value of supporting and appreciating the skills of the other competitors.

rn a m e n t Tou

AIS

Tennis A A

Athletics News

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ennis. A Physical and Mental sport. Emotional to players and spectators around the world. At the AISAA Tennis Tournament, when Putter won in the Finals against a top ranked older player that had beaten him in all prior matches, there was not a dry eye in the dome. Tears of joy from Dragons Family. Everyone else had tears of empathy for the respectful opponent who gave it his all, sobbing after defeat.

Putter played each and every point with keen mental focus, poise, strength when needed, ragons Golf enjoyed a successful FOBISIA finesse, and when he lost a point, came back and Tournament this year at Black Mountain, got the next one. Putter made Concordian proud. Hua Hin. Puthip won low net in boys under 19 Congratulate him, please, when you see him. category. Zoe and Pei Pei were second and third Putter is an athlete. Putter is a Dragon. in U-11 girls. Our Team was just 4 points out of 3rd overall. Congratulations Dragons Golf!

Honor. Respect.

- Coach K - Coach Michael

D

W

e had three brave girls who, despite not getting a ton of time to train, chose to be risk takers and to participate in this years AISAA Strength and Fitness tournament.

Competing against 3 other schools, grade 9 Shana and Momae, and grade 8 Rose, gave it their all.

The girls tied with Wells for third place overall in points. Looking deeper, to personal accolades, Rose won the bicep curl competition with an impressive 21, 6 more reps than second place, while Momae finished second in burpees, completing 30 in a minute.

- Coach Jaren

CONCORDIAN

Be sure to congratulate the girls on a job well done!

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Athletics News

C

oach Earth won three silver medals at the First Southeast Asian Masters Swimming his year the Grade 7U Boys team had a big Championships where he competed in 50m challenge ahead of them. After two cups last freestyle, 25m freestyle and 50m butterfly. year, those boys moved up a division to grade 8 and so this year it was a whole new batch of Grade “I do appreciate all the support and an opportuni6s. They had to learn how to break their old bad ty that Concordian International School has given habits and learn to play defense the right way if they me. were going to win in a league comprised mostly of grade 7s. They did just that and I was very proud Also, I would like to thanks all of my teammates of how they worked for each other. They stayed who always support me. Last but not least, undefeated beating Berkeley 3-2 with a thrilling my performance in this meet would not be this three goal second half comeback led by Jerry and great without Concordian excellent facilities; outstanding swimming pool and fully equipped Stephen. gym. I strongly believe that these fantastic After that it was KIS in the final but KIS and their facilities can improve our students' performance import player proved to be too much and as well.

T

Concordian fell at the final hurdle.

In the tournament, Concordian met KIS in the final once Finally, huge thanks to everyone, you are again and with Kimmy marking the KIS top player important and biggest part of my journey.� out of the game and Ninja making great saves in net, it became a close and exciting match. It went - Coach Earth 0-0 down to double Overtime and in double OT, with just the last kick of the game, KIS scored off of a corner kick to win and begin wild celebrations.

Concordian kids can hold their heads high for a fantastic year in which they kept three clean sheets.

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The team: Ninja, Ji Ho, Zen, Thun, Paul, Jerry, Suu Suu, Kiri, Gumlaap, Kimi, Stephen, YoYo - Coach Neil

Athletics News

The team consisted of all Grade 11 players, some of whom were fairly new to the game. The players were open to trying different positions, defenses, and new skills. Their persistence and dedication was apparent through their communication and support at practices and games. As the season progressed it became obvious to us that each player's resilience, confidence and character was beginning to shine through.

The players improved in ball handling, defense, ability to see the court, and overall team chemistry.

It was a challenging, fast paced season and the girls dedication and teamwork brought them together.

Fern was the glue to hold this team together with her leadership skills and talented basketball abilities. Our new teammate Ping brought a fearless force that was awe inspiring to everyone.

T

During the season the girls played hard and came out with a win against Mahidol both during the season and in the tournament. On tournament day the girls came ready to play and gave it their all. They had the ability and knowledge to strategize and problem solve as a team. We are so proud of these athletic young women and are looking forward to continue to grow the program to be ready for next year’s Varsity season.

Way to go Dragons!

his athletic Varsity Girls Basketball team worked diligently to further develop their fundamental skills and knowledge of the game. They approached each game and practice with a growth mindset and positive attitude. The players demonstrated their ability to be balanced students with a strenuous academic schedule, extracurriculars and basketball team commitments.

- Coach Ashley and Coach Faye

M

ay the whole world hear the roar of the Lady Dragons G10U Basketball!!!! Please continue to train because when you are #1, everyone is out to get you. Congratulations TEAM! It was an incredible season with placing #1 in the league and #1 in the tournament. These girls are amazing both individually and as a team, and I don't doubt they'll only get better.

CONCORDIAN

- Coach Tatiana

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Athletics News

Humble, Hungry and Smart: T

G10U Boys Volleyball

he team had a difficult start in their first friendly match against BCIS which revealed a lot of skills and teamwork that needed to be built. The team had a focus of not only developing their skills but also becoming players that were “Humble, Hungry and Smart.” Throughout each practice and each game, the players nominated their teammates that embodied these attributes.

As the season progressed, the players really became a “Humble, Hungry and Smart” team. The players showed immense growth throughout the season and developed grit and tenacity that led them to place second in the league and third place in the tournament (following a close loss that came down to the wire in the semi-finals and a dynamic win in straight sets the third place game). This result, shows significant growth from previous years and shows great potential for the program moving forward.

Coach Jay

W

hat a wonderful year of Lady Dragon Girls Football it has been! Our young team first came together in September with fantastic returning players: Grade 3 Airi, Nina, Rita. Grade 2 Ploy, Jade, Emma, and Torfun.

We very happily added our new Grade 1s: Richy, Xiu Xiu, Name, and Imm. We began practicing ball handling skills, communicating with each other, positions on the field, and understanding the rules of football. During the month of September and October our team was very committed to practice and we learned how to work together. We added defence and offense drills, as well as strategies for passing and shooting.

By November and December, we were ready for our games, challenging Berkeley, Ekamai International School, and KIS. We had great wins and tough losses. There were some excellent moments of resilience, strength, enthusiasm, and teamwork. Our goalies practiced early on Thursday mornings and never gave up.

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After Christmas break, we kept becoming stronger together with twice weekly practices. By the time the February tournament came, we were ready to play hard.

It was a beautiful morning at KIS on February 26th.

Lady Dragons came out fast and fierce, and our defense of Emma, Rita, and Nina held strong, only allowing one goal. We lost the first game 1-0, but came out even more determined in our second game vs. Berkeley. We won 2-0, led by super attackers Ploy and Airi. Then we challenged KIS again in the playoffs, resulting a tie of 1-1. This led to 5 minutes of extra time for a golden shot opportunity. In the end, KIS was able to score a beautiful aerial goal to win the tournament, and Dragons took second.

CONCORDIAN

We are so proud of the excellent football players they have become. We love your fire for the game and your willingness to give 100% effort, while still having fun with each other. Keep being awesome and always double knot your shoes. See you next season!

Love, Coach Heather and Coach Wilmer

V

Athletics News

arsity boys had a very interesting setup this season. Shin had graduated last year leaving a big gap in the centre midfield. Nippon was out due to a very unfortunate injury and could not make his varsity debut this year. Eiffel, one of the strongest defenders in the league suffered from a back injury and Peem, a nightmare to many defenders, was going through knee surgery. Luckily, it was not all bad news. With this year’s G11s on the team and the addition of TK from G10 it looked promising after all. Shin G11, took over the centre mid spot with some unforseen speed and relentless tackling and TK quickly became one of AISAA’s most feared centre backs.

The boys showed their skills in the AISAA tournament where they advanced to the finals facing MUIDS for the second year in a row. This time Mahidol got the win but the boys earned a nice second place in a tough tournament. The season wasn’t over though and Coach K had a wonderful surprise for the whole team.

Somehow he managed to put together the biggest SEAIS tournament so far, with 10 teams attending from Thailand and Myanmar. No medal this time, but Dragons got sweet revenge by dominating AIS - the same team that knocked us out from the semi final last year. A big “thank you” to Coach K for putting together the tournament of the year!

Every year there is a group of players undergoing the metamorphosis from varsity to alumni Dragon.

However, it is rare that a team has to say goodbye to such a large and talented group of players, as this year’s G12s. Concordian Dragons will miss the talent and spirit that Eiffel, Leng, Pooh, Peem, Chan and Mac bring to the field every time they are on. Finally, a special mention to the team captain with a big football-heart and two magic feet – Tan. You’ve led the team by example and showed the younger dragons what a true role model looks like – both on and off the field. Thank you all for your sportsmanship, effort, and hard work. You will all be missed!

- Coach Markus

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Athletics News

T

wo month layoff? No problem. Lack of fitness? No problem. Forty degree heat at noon? No problem….no, hold on...yeah...sorry...that was definitely a problem.

The 3rd Annual Earth Day tournament was held at the home of the defending champions: Concordian on Friday, April 26th. Six teams were scheduled to play it out in the oppressive Thailand summer heat...which is not that different from the usual Thailand heat but anyway, just know it was super hot and humid and even some male spectators were carrying sun umbrellas.

This tournament was for Grade 8 and Under Boys this year and Concordian was represented by (Grade 8s) Tonnam, Pun-Pun, Touch, Thee, Kao Klong, (Grade 7s) Stephen, Kimi, Ninja, (Grade 6s) Ji Ho, Zen, Gumlaap, Suu Suu.

Concordian started strong against their chief rivals and toughest competition first: Berkeley. The game was even and although Berkeley had a lot of the ball they could not penetrate the defense and Concordian got two superb goals from Tonnam and Stephen to win 2-0.

The next game came after a 50 minute break and the team was lethargic in the heat and put in a very disappointing effort in a 2-0 loss to Thai Singapore.

They played so slowly it looked like a volleyball game.

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That meant that Concordian had to go right back out there and win their next two matches. After a quite...ummm ...I don’t want to say angry but ok... let’s go with angry...speech by the coach, the boys came out flying. First they played Wells and the team came out like they were on fire...and with the heat...they might have been literally...on fire. They played perfect defense and Tonnam, Pun-Pun and Stephen each scored and they won 3-0.

In the final match they had to beat Pan Asian to secure first place ahead of Berkeley and Thai Singapore and it was a tough slog. The heat caught up with them and the players were tired and worn out but they kept pushing and kept trying. Finally, Stephen scored a brilliant goal and then the team held Pan Asian at bay thanks to a super save at the end by the goalkeeper Kao Klong.

The 1-0 win meant Concordian won the Earth Day trophy for the third year in a row!! All the boys deserve a lot of praise for standing tall on a brutally hot day. Tonnam and Stephen were among the top scorers and Kao Klong won the tournament’s best goalie award with three clean sheets (no goals against). It was a hot and tiring day for the boys but it was worth it in the end.

Congrats to Concordian and thanks to Coach K for making such a great tournament (with a worthy message) happen!

- Coach Niel

Athletics News

O

ur Nursery and K1 students participated in 8 different activities demonstrating their loco-motor, gross and fine motor skills. They were great listeners and showed so much enthusiasm! Students enjoyed racing with their parents, dribbling football; riding tricycles and running and jumping on the obstacle course!

Our K2 and K3 students, in eight different colored sports hats of mascot colors, demonstrated many of the skills they learned in activities, sports, and games in PE class, showing loco-motor skills, hand-eye coordination and cooperation as they worked together to reach common goals!

They enjoyed playing Tug of War, Pinball, Memory Relay, Walking the Dog, Sack Races, Treasure Island and of course, participating in the obstacle course.

A great big thank you to our Grade 6 students for showing such great leadership and helping to run many events with the support of our special visiting students from the National Taiwan Normal University!

Thank you so much to all the parents that helped support our EY Sports Day. Thank you also to all teachers, teaching assistants, specialist teachers, nurses, maids, and the IT department for your assistance in making our EY Sports Day a great success!

Congratulations to all Early Years Students!

- Ms. Mari, Mr. Raymond and Ms. Ailene

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Athletics News

A

nother year and yet another amazing Sports Day! It was great to see so many parents at our PY Sports Day, witnessing how their children are evolving in sports and learning how important the school takes the IB Learner Profile attribute 'Balanced' in the PYP There were over 20 stations of different physical activities going on Grades 1 and 2 demonstrated their learning in the PY Gym, New Soccer Field, Basketball Court and Dome for their 8 Stations.

Grades 3, 4 and 5 demonstrated their skills in other areas of the school, making use of our brand new Sports Facilities including the tennis Courts, table tennis room, SC Gym, 100 meter track and new 11 side football pitch!

It was a great morning of fun with our Concordian students showing great sportsmanship, fair-play and willpower to complete all their stations They were all great risk-takers!

A big THANK YOU to the parents for showing up and in some cases even participating To our PY teachers and teaching Assistants for all their hard work running the stations, being DJ's, taking their classes around the stations and even playing sports with them Another thank you to our Concordian Staff & IT department involved in all the preparation that went into our PY Sports Day lead by Khun Zyne and Khun Peanut Lastly, a big thank you to our students for one more year of being open-minded and trying different sports and activities. You always give your best effort! An event like this could never happen without the support of our entire Concordian Community! GO DRAGONS!!!!

Looking forward to our next PY Sports Day! - Mr. JoĂŁo 20 CONCORDIAN

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My Dear Parents, Students and Teachers, Hi! My name is Kris from grade 11 and I am writing this article on behalf of my friends (Fern, Jaokha, Taro, June, Poongping, Poom, Pol, Kib, Rada, Tata, Napat, Ibeam, Muk and Bam). We were delighted to organize a charity concert called “Always On My Mind”. This project is a part of CAS and there were many purposes for arranging this concert. The main purpose was to learn to collaborate effectively with others and create good memories before we graduate next year. This concert was not organized only for entertainment purposes, but we combined our interests with helping others by donating all of our profits to “ Ban Dek Ramindra,” a school for blind and handicapped children.

We invited a very famous Thai artist called “Two Popetorn” to sing at our concert. At the beginning of the show, we had our wonderful MYP students (Khaojao and Geo, G8) perform for us.

Then we had our amazing MCs (Fern and Ibeam G11) run through the show. We were also very lucky to have Boomer (G12) and Khrista (G8) perform together with Two Popetorn. We hope that everyone enjoyed the concert and will always have this memorable day in their minds. I want to thank all the parents, students, teachers and school staff for buying the tickets and supporting us. I would also like to extend my thanks to my supervisor Ms.Zoe for helping me organize this concert. Many thanks to all the school administrators and staff who helped including Khun Zyne, Khun Fluke, Khun Fern, Khun Boonsri, Khun Peanut, Khun Word and all IT Staff, Khun Tuk, School Guards, Maids, and Maintenance Staff. We are very glad to announce that we raised 100,000 baht from this concert.

-- Kris, Grade 11

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n 3 March 2019, Zen (G6I) and Sun (G9S) had earned the Highest Mark Award for their Piano duet at Trinity College of London’s Trinity Awards Thailand 2018.

Dramatic Reading

he Dramatic Reading events were a great success this year. The usual nervousness of having to read in front of the whole secondary school didn't transpire in the students' performances, and everyone was able to share their favorite piece of writing with the audience.

The aim of the Dramatic Readings is to develop our community's love of books, to discuss different ideas, see other worlds, and experience other realities. It also allows the participants to address an audience with the help of a text that has relevance to them, and by doing so become more comfortable with public speaking.

It is also important that this type of event is managed, presented and participated in by students, developing in them a proactive approach to event organization and student led learning.

The celebration of their accomplishments was very enthusiastic. Overall, these events are now part of the Concordian community, embedding our spirit with the love of literature and reading from a young age.

- Ms. Ben and Ms. Susana

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ravo to the youngest members of our school community for the incredibly “happy, merry, jolly, and cheery� two-day celebration of learning, and bringing in the spirit of the season in their delightful performances in the EY Musical, The Incredible Reindeer!

Stunning in their Christmas costumes, our Nursery, K1, K2 and K3 students captured the hearts and smiles of everyone as they sang, acted, and danced with pride, showing to the audience how challenging, yet exciting, a night at the North Pole could be.

A huge and special thanks to all who have contributed in any ways, and were involved in making this event a massive success!

- Ms. Norylove, Ms. Shella, and Mrs. Maricor

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Concordian Festival of Love 2019: T

The Dragon’s Spirit

his is the 5th year the PTA has organized the Festival of Love. This year's theme, The Dragon's Spirit, was chosen because we wanted to show the strong spirit of Concordian. We had everyone wearing light Blue and one of the main features was getting the kids to do cheers. Hopefully, we will adopt some of these cheers to be taught to all Concordians through the years and whenever we hear one of these cheers, we will remember how proud and unified we are as Concordian Dragons!

- Gilbert Lim, PTA President

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Photos by Milie, Poom, Pound, and Tonkla

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he idea of performing a musical started when School Build project heads were throwing around ideas for raising funds. The overlying thought was that by only creating several short term projects, the process of money collection would be quite ineffective. It was then that one group member suggested we create a musical so that half of the required funds could be raised via We practiced with the main actors: TK, Gung one large scale event.

Ging, Title, Andra, Prince, and Lisa, twice weekly Concordian’s School Build is a project over lunch. Getting closer to the show, we bumped undertaken by all Concordian students, starting in up the rate of practices as well as the number of Grade 10 and culminating in a service trip during people needed to attend. All the while, marketing, Grade 11. The project sends our students to help backstagers, wardrobe and props were hard at build a school in a less fortunate area of Thailand, work planning out the behind the scenes, inner while simultaneously teaching and learning from workings of the show. We gave up many them. The Class of 2021 has just started this hefty afternoons and two weekends to practice project, which requires fundraising 400 000 baht for dancing, singing, lighting, and blocking, spending around 30 hours total in the Grand Theater alone. materials to be used to build the school.

Our show debuted April 23rd: a date looming in our calendars since early February, causing significant stress leading up to the performance.

Despite the anxiety, through hard work, phenomenal leadership from our directors, and the entire class pulling together and pitching in, we pulled through with a show that is still garnering praise from our audience. Without a doubt it was our The process was not always easy. Our main teamwork and dedication that allowed for its huge conflict faced in the midst of creating the success. At the end of the day, we’re all in this musical was everyone’s schedules, which were together. vastly different from one another. Thus, it proved almost impossible to gather together to rehearse The class of 2021 would like to send a big shout after school, especially considering our many out and thanks to the IT staff: Khun Game, extra-curricular commitments. One solution to Khun Max, and Khun Wat, for their endless circumvent this was to practice during lunch time. support, without which this show never could have happened.

A total of seven teams worked on different aspects of the musical. This was comprised of the actors, producers, directors, wardrobe and prop creators, marketers, backstagers, and dancers.

Each team selected a leader, and those leaders would organize their group and discuss the progress via the Line leader chat.

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If anyone would like to make a contribution to help fund Concordian’s 2019 School Build, please contact jaren@concordian.ac.th for more information.

Sincerely, Sybert, Lisa, Fahsai, and the Class of 2021.

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oncordian International School PY section successfully organized The Voice of Concordian – Chinese Singing Contest Season Three in celebration to the Chinese New Year 2019. What a spectacular event it was!

After auditions, sixteen performances were selected to compete in the Voice Finale on the 12th of February 2019. All the finalists’ voices were so beautiful. They demonstrated their wide voice range by accurately hitting all the notes, from the highest to the lowest. They put in true emotion in conjunction with solid singing techniques, making their performance truly heartfelt and amazing! Our four judges: Ms. Nathalie, Ms. Sally, Mr. Yuri and student judge Ang Ang, Grade 9, were so touched by their performances and they had only good words to say to them. Our audience enjoyed the show deeply and many students were inspired by the performer's passion towards singing.

Congratulations to the following students who won the Best Voice Awards : Ken G2M , Minnie G2S, CJ G1H, Plearn G2N, Ploy G2C and Pleng G1Y, Khao Wan G3W, Khao Mai G5J, Mind G5D, Pear G5D, Kaem G5C, and Candy G4S. Congratulations to the following students who won the Good Voice Awards : Namo G1K, Kin G1K, Korn G1K, Kumzub G1S, Candy G2S, Nita G2C, Tatar G2M, Jade G2N, Pao Pao G4S, Nina G3Y, Ami G3Y, Proud G3Y, Jane G3Y, Purit G5J, and Pote G5J. All of this surely would not have been possible without our awesome PY Chinese team. All the Chinese teachers, teacher assistants, and support teachers prepared for weeks to ensure the success of the event. They did all the work from stage decoration to sound and screen design. Of course I would also like to express the sincere appreciation to our school administrators, IT team, maintenance team and our extremely supportive Concordian parents. With all of your help, the Voice of Concordian Season Three was an absolute success. It brought the students passions of learning Chinese and singing together! We look forward to the Voice of Concordian Season Four next year!

- Ms. Ariel, Vice Principal of Learning and Teaching

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oncordian had an amazing opportunity to welcome one of the best Chinese Dragon & Lion Dance teams to perform on January,31st 2019. All students and teachers were thrilled to experience this exciting Chinese cultural event. We believe this auspicious performance to start the new year will bring good luck to our entire school community.

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“

Once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a Fairytale”.

To celebrate the spirit of Valentine's Day, the Middle School and High School Student Governments collaborated in the annual ‘Talent Show’ Project.

As I stood behind the stage curtains, I was fascinated by each act, as singers’ voices rolled over the crowd in powerful waves, movements flowed with dazzling grace, and performances that took my breath away, stealing the show in their own right. I look forward to many more brave souls to come and express their inner passion on the magical stage of a talent show.

- Kavin (Ken), Secretary of HSSG (G11)

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his year’s talent show was PHENOMENAL. Everyone's shows were thoroughly planned out, and even the Beauty and the Beast play between the performances was very entertaining. During the rehearsals, I saw each and everyone - performers, actors, and stagehands - practicing their parts over and over. I saw how each of these many wonderful components contributed to making this amazing show. Being a part of this event was so much fun and I encourage everyone to join the talent show next year!

- Khaojao (Tee), President of MSSC (G8)

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Tale as old as time True as it can be Barely even friends Then somebody bends Unexpectedly Just a little change Small to say the least Both a little scared Neither one prepared Beauty and the beast No longer a tale, but a miracle come true. It started from the heart, became a passion, and ended magnificently. As a person who was only a class representative in 6th grade, I never imagined myself running student government in my senior year as Vice President. It was a pleasure, to serve the student body and my beloved school. I am very thankful for everyone who contributed to the Talent Show this year: backstage, actors, performers, teachers, staffs, EVERYONE! It was a blast.

- Kittikul (Tan), Vice President of HSSG (G12)

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Remember, do everything with passion. Do it for the greater good, for others to be happy, and make your dreams come true. My efforts might not be remembered after a while, but I’ll relish this moment because sometimes a tale or a miracle only happens once.

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e are so happy to meet these exchange students from China! The exchange student program was one of my most exciting two weeks of school; it was a bonding between two different cultures. I have never spoken this much Chinese in two weeks. They helped me with my Chinese, and I tried my best to teach them a little bit of Thai. We exchange knowledge, especially cultural knowledge.

I remembered that I only ask them about the food, asking them what is the best place for Xiao Long Bao in Shanghai.

(HuiHui and Great, Grade 8)

2

weeks, 14 days, 336 hours. Many people will say "that's a lot of time". But in reality, it went away in just a blink of an eye. These short 2 weeks, are probably the best 2 weeks I've ever experienced.

From the exchange program, I met new classmates, made friends, and also learned new knowledge. They helped me with Chinese, while I helped them with Thai. Personally, I think that this is the best exchange program ever.

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两个星期，14天，336个小时，很多人会想 ”时间太长了“！可事 实是，一转眼就过去了。在这短短的两个星期里，可以说是过的最 开心的一段时间。通过这个交换学生项目，我们不但认识了新的同 学，当了朋友，还学到了很多的新文化。我们尽量让他们体会我们 泰国文化的同时，她们帮助我们更好地学习中文。我觉得这个交换 学生项目真的是太好了。 (Temmy, Grade 8)

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Chenkying: Overall, our stay in Concordian International School is pleasant. We’ve experienced a lot of new things here, including a different learning style and a different living condition. Concordian definitely has interesting art classes that are inspiring. Other subjects such as English and Science also provide us an opportunity to take a look at global issues that are connected to our lives in every way. The teachers and students here are friendly, kind, patient, encouraging and caring all the time. Without their guidance and help we would never have been able to have an amazing visit like this. Last but not the least, the food here is excellent. All of us enjoyed the food that the canteen made and the food that we had outside of school so much. This 12-day exchange is a precious experience that I will never forget. Thanks to everyone in this school for being such nice hosts. Hope to see you all in Shanghai this October!

Juliana: When we arrived at this school——Concordian International School we were all amazed because it is a very big school. When we walk through the school, we usually get lost! （But now we are much better. ）The first thing I remember in this school must be the little food corner. In the corner, I always can get delicious food and tasty drinks to supplement energy.

The lessons in this school are very interesting and useful. For example, we can learn how to get the most important information during the English classes.

We can learn more ways to answer a maths question in Maths class. We can learn Thai culture in the Thai classes. We can learn how to debate and study more science knowledge during the science classes...

There are many different kinds of equipment to let the students to study more comfortable and make the learning efficiency better. Concordian International School has a lot of rules. Some of them are very strict but all of us know these rules are help us become better. Anyway, I am glad to come here to be an exchange student. If I have a chance, I will come here again!

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Cian Hua Chen March 31st, we arrived in Bangkok. It was late at night when we arrived Concordian. Even though it's late, Ms. Min still waited us in the lobby. We went to our dormitory and it was surprising. I've never lived in a dorm, but I think it's really nice. CIS provided us several rooms so that we won't be uncomfortable about too much people in a room (thx a lot!!). I enjoyed those days in Bangkok and Concordian, especially students here are really friendly. My buddy is Gail, and she brought me to every class every day (even if we don't have the same class). I was worried cuz CIS is so big and the structure are complicated (in China we stay in our home room almost whole day), but thanks to Gail and all of my friends who helped me so that 12 days here are successful. There's something I couldn't forget, food that are provided are so delicious! Snacks at the snack bar, meals in the canteen, are delicious, and there are varieties of food that we can eat. Also, we had a very good time in weekends. CIS got plans for us and it was fantastic. We knew a lot about Thai culture after watching the show and going to the exhibition. After staying in CIS for two weeks, I kind of know this school better. Thanks for the consideration from all of the students. And come to Shanghai in October!!!

Amy: In April, we got a chance to go to a Thai school named Concordian International. And we spend two weeks here to experience Thai education and culture. In this school, we experienced many interesting courses. Even some of classes are simple, the way teacher teaching was cool and we enjoyed it a lot. The students and teachers in Concordian were kind, friendly and they really help us much. Without them, we wouldn't had such enjoyable time in Concordian. Food in Concordian was one of my favorite part. We had different dishes every day, it was delicious and sumptuous. Also, the snack shop supplied diversiform snacks: like pizza, chocolate milk, smoothie, etc. I liked it so much!

Concordian International School pays attention to global issues worth learning. The students did many projects focus on pollution, animal extinction, etc. I think that's really a nice way to promote awareness of protecting the earth.

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These two weeks in Concordian International School was my precious memory forever. We were looking forward to meet Thai student visiting our school to experience Chinese education.

Abby: During the exchange in Concordian International School, we experienced lots of things that we had never experienced in our school before. We met lots of new friends and teachers, they were all really friendly and willing to help us in the daily school life. We really appreciated their help and kindness. The classes here are also very unique and interesting to us. We definitely learned about how to communicate with others and work with others during classes. We can see that Concordian is a school that pays close attention to global issues. We can see students learning and talking about global issues no matter in the classes like Science and English or in their community project. There are lots of sports going on everyday and can help students to relax from all the hard work in school. The dormitory life in this school is definitely joyful. The school provided amazing food and everything we need in our daily life. There are also many rules to make sure our safety which is very important during exchanges. The activities that the school arranged for us during the weekend were sure excellent and we also learned about the Thai cultures.

Overall, these two weeks we spent an amazing time in Concordian.

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Chinese Writing Contest 2019 Concordian MYP-DP March 18, 2019 Chinese writing contest Reflection

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riting isn’t just a tool for the human to acknowledge more wisdom, but a path to express our emotion and feeling to this world. I like this competition because it gives us the freedom to think, create, and make decisions for our own stories, also I feel that his writing competition helps us to develop not only our Chinese writing skills but also our creativity and critical thinking skills. It's a fantastic way to enhance us interested in Chinese, and motivate us to enjoy writing as well.

- G10 Daniel

Princess Cup Writing Contest Reflection January 26, 2019

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aving a chance to participate in the Princess Cup writing competition is a great opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge and experience in writing essays. I learned the big concepts, techniques, imagination, and organization of writing prose.

I understand that sometimes writing prose could be boring, but if we were able to organize our ideas, and assemble good wordings and connotation, our opinion towards writing would gradually become more sensible.

This Chinese writing activity is very beneficial for my writing development. I suggest that the students can join the Chinese competitions based on their personal interest, since Chinese Department have held many events for the students to participate in. Just to summarize, “Follow your interest, and engage in school’s activities.

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乐佳 Great, G8 (the youngest winner)

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Chinese New Year

Temple Fair 2019 February 12, 2019

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had the honor to play Zhu Bajie in the Temple Fair performance.

Zhu Bajie is characterized as a large and fat pig-man, and is known to be gluttonous. He is one of the four main characters in Journey to the West. Becoming him was not an easy task, as it required me to move, sound and look like Bajie. For movement on stage, I needed to dance ballet whilst utterly lacking any semblance of grace. Additionally, I would laugh and pretend to eat food while dancing. For the looks, the Chinese department provided costumes that were incredibly fun to wear and move in. The skit went surprisingly well. I opened the performance with the ballet. Then Robin performed staff spinning as the Monkey King. Next was Best, as Sha Wujing, stomping around the stage, carrying heavy boxes.

Pao Pao, as the wise Sanzang, almost floated around the stage with a face of stone. Accompanying him was Mr.Roxy, as Bai Long Ma, the monk’s dragon horse, leaving the audience laughing in their seats. As these familiar and well known characters, we five wished Concordian a wonderful Temple Fair and a happy Chinese New Year.

- Sybert, Grade 10

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his is my second year contributing to the Chinese temple fair. This year, my friends and I worked really hard on our “G7 Journey to the West- Dragon Palace Bubble Milk Tea” booth. The outcome was outrageously better than expected.

We were able to serve a total of 150 cups of bubble milk tea with 4 different flavors in 45 minutes.

Although it was very successful, we all worked really hard to accomplish our potential. It took us one1 month of preparation to complete this task. We separated jobs based on the talents of each person. Through the process, we supported each other, especially on the real day where we served the bubble milk tea. I was glad that no one blamed each other when problems occurred.

Rather, we solved problems together.

I appreciate all my team members (Mon, Man, Grace, Fant, My, Matmee, Jinnie) from the bottom of my heart for being such cooperative friends, and all the parents for being merciful and fully supporting us. Collaboration is the best way to achieve our goal.

- Lina, Grade 7

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his was my first ever year in Concordian, as well as my first ever temple fair. I was one of the few students who was selected to be part of this year’s Lion dance show. To be honest, at first I really didn’t want to be part of the show. because I already have so much to do at school.

However, looking back at it, being part of the show was really fun and enjoyable for me. It was really fun getting to share the stage with all my friends, getting to rehearse and practice with them. There were some challenges throughout the working process, but at the end we were able to pull it off and deliver a wonderful show. I am proud to have been part of the lion dance show, and would like to thank all the Chinese teachers who made this show successful. Hopefully I can be involved again next year.

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- TK, Grade 10

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oncordian International School was very excited to organize its 6th “PY Chinese Writing Competition” in March. The contest was designed to encourage students to be proud of their Chinese writing skills, to showcase their writing abilities and to inspire others through their passion for learning Chinese. The Excellent Writer Award (the 1st place winner) and The Great Writer Award(the 2nd place winner) of each class was announced during the flag raising ceremony on Monday April 8th, 2019.

Congratulations to all the amazing writers and let’s hear what they would like to share with the school community about writing, winning and learning Chinese.

Dol G1K: 我很兴奋，我很自豪，我很快乐!

I’m excited, proud of myself and so happy!

Gywn G1K: 我很开心我赢了。I'm very happy that I won.

Don G1Y: 我很开心，我很快乐！I’m so happy and thrilled!

Brownie G1Y: 我想我很棒。在二年级我会赢第一名。 I’m proud of myself and I would like to win the 1st place in Grade 2.

Pun Pun G1H: 我很开心，也很惊喜。 I’m so surprised and happy that I’m winning.

CJ G1H: 我很开心，也很自豪骄傲。I'm very happy and proud.

Reiko G1S: 我很开心，也很惊喜。I’m so surprised and happy that I’m winning.

Ing Ing G1S: 我听到我的名字，我真的很惊喜，也很快乐。 I’m so surprised and happy when hearing my name(announced in the award ceremony).

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Sureen G2M: 我想如果我们要写好一个人，就要好好的观察他。 I think to write well about a person, you need to observe that person carefully.

Tatar G2M: 第一次得到第一名我很开心。 我写的时候有很好的想法。在比赛的时候有一点紧张，但是我很自信。 I am happy that I won the first prize. I had good ideas when I write. I was nervous during the contest but overall I’m very confident.

Aimee G2M: 我写的时候很紧张，但是我努力做到最好。 I was nervous in the Writing Contest, but I did my best.

Plearn G2N: 我们要认真学习，专心听老师，这样才能赢写作比赛。 If we want to win the Writing Contest, we need to study hard and listen to teachers with concentration.

Katie G2N: 我觉得我每天认真学习中文，所以我才能赢。 I think I study Chinese very hard everyday and that’s how I could win the Writing Contest.

Ploy G2C: 如果你好好学中文，就会像我一样赢比赛。 Study Chinese well, and you will be winning the contest, just like me.

Plus G2C: 我很爱写东西，可以赢写作比赛让我更喜欢写作文了。 I love writing and winning the Writing Contest made me love writing even more!

Emma G2S: 我在K3才开始学中文，现在二年级我赢了第一个中文比赛，我要谢谢我的中文老师。 I started learning Chinese only in K3. Now I won a Chinese contest! Thank you Chinese teachers.

Jasmin G2S: 我写的时候很紧张，怕写的不好。可是没想到我赢了！我很自豪。 I was nervous in the Writing Contest, worried that I couldn’t write well. Unexpectedly I won! So proud of myself.

Vera G3W: 我很兴奋因为去年我还是一个新生，今年我得了第一。

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I am so excited because last year I was only a new student and this year I won the first place!

Ryu G3W：我赢了两年写作比赛好兴奋。去年我第一，今年我第二。So excited that I won Chinese Writing Contest two years in a row. Last year I won the first place and this year I won the second place.

Diya G3W: 看见写作题目，我就决定写我的姥姥。她从北京来探望我们，刚走。这次写作是我的真情流露。 I decided to write about my grandma when seeing the writing topic “ The Person I Care about”. She just returned to Beijing after a short visit to us. My writing reflected my true feelings.

Ken.W G3W: 二年级和三年级我都得到第二名。如果我继续努力学中文，明年我就可以拿第一。 I won the second place both in G2 and G3. If I continue to study Chinese hard, I can won the first place next year in G4.

Pim G3R: 我很自豪因为这是我第二年得奖。I’m so proud because I won two years in a row.

Ing Ing G3R: 我很开心因为这是我第三年得奖。I’m so proud because I won three years in a row.

Airi G3A: 妈妈告诉我我赢不赢不重要，努力就好。然后我就很努力，我也赢了 ! My mom tells me winning is not that important, as long as you try your best. So I tried my best and I won!

Manie G3A: 我的妈妈告诉我，我没有赢。原来她只是想要给我一个惊喜！ I was really surprised because my mom told me I didn't win. Actually, she was just trying to surprised me.

Nina G3Y: 我很开心因为我每一年都赢。我要感谢我的中文老师们。 I’m so happy that I won the Writing Contest every year, thanks to all my great Chinese teachers.

Bibee G3Y: 我和家人都很开心，因为这是我第一次写作比赛拿奖。未来我会更努力学好中文，继续拿奖!

Me and my family are so thrilled because this is the first time I won the Writing Contest. In the future, I will continue studying hard in Chinese and winning prizes!

Lita G4J: 得到第一我很惊喜。我在写作时不紧张因为Ms. Sunnie教了我们怎么写好词和好句子。 I was surprised that I won the first place. I was not nervous about writing as Ms. Sunnie taught us how to use good words and write good sentences.

Maggie G4J: 我很快乐。我要谢谢Ms. Sunnie教我怎么写作。 I'm very happy and want to thank Ms. Sunnie for teaching me writing.

Pao Pao G4S: 我很自豪。我想把奖杯给爷爷看，可惜他已经去世了。 I’m so proud of myself. I would like to show my trophy to my grandpa, but he already passed away…

Pim G4S: 写作比赛让我感到越来越自信。Thanks to the Writing Contest, I’m becoming more and more confident.

Joanne G4S: 感谢我的妈妈因为她一直鼓励我多读中文书来帮助提高我的写作。 I would like to thank my mother who always encourages me to read more Chinese books to improve my writing.

Janie G4F: 我很开心。在今年的中文课，我学到了更多的字词和句子来表达我的想法。 I’m so happy I won. This year I learned many more words and sentences to express my ideas.

Rika G4F: 我很惊喜和快乐。今年特别高兴因为我的妹妹Reiko也得奖了。 I was surprised and especially happy because my sister Reiko also won the Writing Contest.

Chone G4B: 感谢中文老师们，我和全家都很高兴。 Thank you all the Chinese teachers! Me and my family are so happy.

Ai G4B: 我很开心我三年都得到第二名。不知道什么时候会得第一。 I’m very happy I won the second place three years in a row. I wonder when I can won the first place.

Meena G4B: 谢谢爸爸妈妈每天晚上和我一起读书，这帮助了我的写作能力。 Thank you parents for reading with me every night and this helped me to improve my writing.

Deen G4B: 谢谢妈妈教我中文。您对我很严格，可是我知道这是为了我好。 Thank you mom for teaching me Chinese. Thank you for being so strict with me. I know it is good for me.

Sheen G5D: 我喜欢写作比赛。它让我进步，提高写作能力。 I enjoy the Writing Contest. It helps me to improve my Chinese writing skills.

Pear G5D: 我觉得写作就是写出自己的创意，内心和想法。 I think writing is to show your creativity, heart and ideas in words on paper.

Pote G5J: 学习中文很重要。我们要努力学中文。因为我一直努力才能赢。 Learning Chinese is very important. I won because I always study hard in Chinese.

Pei Pei G5J: 非常高兴拿到这个奖！我要继续专心、努力地学习，不放弃。 So glad to won this prize. I will continue working hard in study and never give up.

Sofia G5A: 我很喜欢写作。写作能帮助我的学习，表达自己，练习中文。 I love writing. Writing can help improve learning, expressing myself and practising Chinese.

Grand G5A: 这是一次很好的机会。让我知道我学了八年中文，到了哪里。 This is a great opportunity for me to know my Chinese level after 8 years of learning.

Zoe G5C: 虽然写好中文不容易，但是我会继续努力，因为中文很重要。 Even though writing in Chinese is not easy, but I will continue to try my best because learning Chinese is very important.

Nam Petch G5C: 写作时，要把自己心里的感情写出来，让读者感动。 I think when we write, we need to write our true feelings to touch and connect with the readers.

Kurtis G5C: 我喜欢中文，学中文很有趣。中文写作时一个有用的和重要的技能。 I love learning Chinese and finds it very interesting. Chinese writing is a useful and important skill.

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Events and Activities

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steemed delegates, chairs, advisors, pages and honorable guests, welcome to the 6th Annual Thailand Model United Nations. Good morning, I am Kavin (Ken) Srinakarin and I’m currently serving as an executive officer of the MUN club and the President of the High School Student Government of Concordian International School.

I remember my first experience in Model United Nations. It was 2 years ago - where I was a page for the 4th annual THAIMUN. I was fascinated by the power of this conference to bring out the very best in people - their leadership, compassion, confidence and creativity astonished me. And again this year, we are all given the opportunity to solve these emerging crises around the world. Delegates - old and new, I wish you the very best.

We all have a tendency to doubt ourselves, to believe that we are incapable of making a difference in the world.

Well, I have something for all of you: There’s an old man walking on the beach. In the distance, he sees a boy - throwing something into the water. As he gets closer, he walks up on the shore and he sees millions of starfishes on the beach that has been washed up on the shore the night before.

He walks up to the boy and asks, “What are you doing? Why are you throwing starfish back in the ocean?”

The boy looks to the old man and says, “They got washed up, and if I don’t pick them up and throw them back in, they’re all gonna die.”

The old man looks at the boy and says, “You are crazy, there is no way that you will be able to do this before the tide returns, they’re all gonna die.”

The boy picks up one more starfish and he throws it back into the ocean and says, “Well at least I made a difference to that one.”

We all have an opportunity to make a difference. It doesn’t have to be the world right now, but we could go out and make a difference to one person today, and to me, that is a great life.

However, I do believe in the capability of all individuals here in this conference.

You all - delegates, old and new, chairs, pages, you all are individuals with great capabilities of changing the world.

Territorial questions and arguments of power, obsolete though they are, still prevail over the essential demands of common welfare and justice.

I simply hope that in the future, when we are in a position of power, when we are so vulnerable to the temptations of greed and dominance, we will make the right decisions.

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When there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. When there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the whole. When there is harmony in the whole, there is order in the nation. And when there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.

Thank you.

Ken, Grade 11

Events and Activities

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Events and Activities

Interdisciplinary Units (IDUs) in the MYP

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YP students engaged in interdisciplinary learning in a myriad of creative ways this year. Let us share how we took action in fun and meaningful ways!

Earn (G8) The refugee that my group and I chose to write about is Mila Kunis. We chose her because she is a famous and successful woman who also has the background of being a refugee. We thought that she could give hope to the children of Ritsona Refugee Camp who have dreams to become actors or actresses. Also, when Mila Kunis arrived in the United States of America, she did not know any English, but she tried really hard and put a lot of good effort into learning the language. She learned English from her acting classes which caused her to meet her manager and became a famous actress. I want the children of Ritsona Refugee Camp to know that if they try as hard as they can, they also can become famous or have a good life. I also hope that the children will have her as their inspiration. In addition, Mila Kunis is a beloved woman. Even she used to be a refugee. I hope that the children know that people do not care that you are refugees, so you do not have to worry and just be yourselves. I have experienced many things while writing this book. To write this book, we had to research the information about Mila Kunis and make sure that the information was accurate. I read the information about her and I found out that each person gets a fair opportunity. She has a background of Judaism which is the reason that she had to move to the United States of America. She was having a hard time, she tried so hard, and made a successful life for herself. I hope that the children will understand how important the effort is and that they can achieve their dreams.

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Events and Activities

Pun Pun (G9) Personally, I’m a descendant of a Chinese Guangzhou family, however, to be blunt I don't really know the historical origins of my ancestors, when, what, why or how they migrated to Thailand. This unit gave me insights into the origins of my family, the struggles that my family had to endure to finally settle down in Thailand. Surely all the Chinese traditions and culture still runs deep in my family and this unit means a lot to me. The school arranged a field trip to Chinatown for us to grab some experience of Chinese architectures, food, and cultures in Thailand. Such as how we went to the “วัดราชโอรส” in order to see the Chinese architectures in Thailand. We also talked about the golden ages that Bangkok was booming with Chinese immigrants. As well as the acceptance of Chinese immigrants in Thailand. I believe that this IDU unit has great significance since most of Concordian is Thai-Chinese.

It is also a great lesson for us as students to appreciate and understand our ancestors whilst utilizing the Thai, Chinese language as a medium of communication. We are able to practice our Chinese and Thai skills whilst appreciating and educating ourselves about our ancestors.

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TK (G9) During this unit, I have learnt many things between how Chinese and Thai culture as a mixture of culture is existent. Over this unit, our grade went on a field trip to some Thai temples in Bangkok that had implemented the Chinese culture and design elements.

Other than that, we also went to a Chinese restaurant to go eat our lunch which mainly involved Chinese traditions in the whole experience such as a spinning table, Chinese traditional food orders and how the different dishes were served in order. From my learning over this unit, I was also able to gain other knowledge on how the migration of the Chinese people to Thailand have impacted Thailand. For example. The exchange between the culture such as food, architecture and more. This unit is also quite interesting because my grandparents migrated from China to Thailand so learning about the mixture of Chinese and Thai culture. In conclusions, over this unit I was able to learn about the Chinese and Thai culture which are mixed together and was also able to relate it to my own life and understand more about the history of how it happened.

Sa-was-dee-pee-mai-Thai 2019

Events and Activities

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veryone was welcomed on the morning of Concordian‘s Thai New Year Day with a great performance from our Thai classical music bandi in the lobby area.

The Songkran Festival is to provide the opportunity for the school community to gather in order to join our unique ceremony.

Students express respect to the teachers by pouring scented water onto their then teachers in bless the students with good luck and prosperity.

Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days. Songkran is a Sanskrit word which means “move” or “change place” as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac. It is also known as the “Water Festival” This year, Songkran festival in Concordian International School was held on Thursday the 11th of April 2019.

EY/PY After the ceremony, EY/PY had exciting time enjoying the entertaining water station. Thank you everyone who made the Ceremony a wonderful event and we would like to give special thank to Mr. Savage for organizing the fun wet activities. Thank you for your help and support and being involved in Songkran festival 2019.

MYP/DP After the ceremony MYP/DP had a Fashion show in the theme of “Pa-Khoa-Ma-Tae Tae in the Closet”. We are so proud of you young designers; mentored by the Design Department and MYP/DP teachers.

Thank you for a wonderful time this year , it was really the unique !

Kru Dear

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Events and Activities

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ur school celebrates Songkran every year. It gets better every year, Concordian tends to follow the Thai tradition of Songkran even though we are an International School.

In the afternoon all the students got together in the Grand Theatre. The first session was the (Rod Nam Dum Hua) ceremony, where students would come up to the teachers and pour scented water on their hands to show respect to them.

After that the students watched the design department showcase their work on the Songkran themed Thai Masks that they made themselves. They made them with the help of the design teachers Ms. Charne, Mr. Eric and Mr. Jonathan. The mask was a simple design and had glowing lights. It was a unique experience.

To top that, the school held a fashion show featuring clothes made out of Pa-Kao-ma. The company Lalalove was nice enough to showcase some of their designs. We students modelled for the Lalalove fashion show. Our school also held our own fashion show and the students design the clothes, the teachers were modelling this time. It was extraordinary!

Khun Varnee said a quick speech to finish the ceremony up. Most of the students had fun this Songkran. Concordian has done it again.

I speak for all of the students when I say this was the most unique Songkran. We have to thank the Thai department and the Design department also we have to thank the models and lastly thank you Lalalove for the fashion show. Happy Songkran!

- Pim G6

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Events and Activities

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ndra: In 2011, I heard the clinking of medals. “We won the whole Bangkok round!”exclaimed my brother. I was filled with admiration for his accomplishments and his enthusiasm. This inspired me. I was curious. I couldn’t believe a competition could be fun.

I promised to immerse myself in this competition: I promised to learn more and represent Concordian in the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC).

Wandy: Last year, Andra ran enthusiastically towards me, shrieking about WSC. She explained to me that it was an educational and fun global competition. At first, it sounded tedious and boring.What fun is learning six subjects and doing a test? I was wrong. Attending WSC in 2018 with Andra and Sanjana was amazing, I gained more knowledge in six subject areas. I also met new friends and developed debate and writing skills. Joining WSC in 2018 inspired both Andra and I to encourage more students to participate. ************************************************************** Team Wandra, Wandy and Andra, directed a student-initiated after school club to prepare students for the WSC. From holding mock debates and honing our research skills, to sharing tips on the art of speaking (with a huge thanks to Ms. Baertschy for the wonderful tips and for her amazing support!), we were ready for the tournament. We are amazed and proud to have twenty four students, from Grade 6 to Grade 11, take part in the WSC.

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On March 24th and 25th, twenty six Concordian students took part in the WSC at Brighton College.

The students participate in four engaging events: collaborative writing, scholar’s challenge, scholar’s bowl, and the team debates. For collaborative writing, students convey their ideas with the power of their pen (or pencil) and their teammates. The scholar’s challenge is a multiple-choice quiz where students can make multiple choices! This year, the theme is “A World on the Margins”. The topics are abstruse; however, it is our own thirst for knowledge that quenches our inquisitive minds, shaping us to be erudites in learning. Last but not least, the team debates is where

we grasp and apply the ATL skills of creative thinking and critical thinking instilled throughout our years in the IB curriculum.

Despite this being Concordian’s first time bringing so many scholars, the students brought home numerous achievements, a total of 35 medals from the junior division, and 68 medals and a trophy from the senior division. One of the main highlights include Grade 7 Eclair being the only junior-division scholar selected for the debate showcase; only eight scholars from nearly 400 are selected. Another outstanding accomplishment is Grade 11 Mild winning first place in the senior division for the collaborative writing event. In addition, Puthip, Ken, and Sybert, earned third place (three gold medals and a trophy) for the team debates in the senior division.

The competition was long and challenging, yet, we all came out of the competition, smiles plastered on everyone’s faces, medals chiming around our necks, excitedly congratulating one another. From the WSC, we gained memorable experiences and new profound knowledge that we will cherish. (We also became parents that day, receiving an alpaca that we will keep forever!)

A message to the President (Andra) from the Vice President (Wandy): Andra’s dedication, hard work and self motivation made the club a success! I would like to thank Andra for introducing this education and amusing experience to me, as well as preparing all of us for WSC. It would not have been possible without her!

We would also like to thank our club supervisors, Ms. Baertschy and Ms. Maria, for their constant support, as well as Mr. Jaren and Mr. Eulalio for chaperoning on the tournament day.

- Wandy and Andra, Grade 10

Student Life

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Why are Mangrove Forests Important?

e are a group of students in grade 9, Act, Korn, and Otto, and we would like to raise awareness on this issue. This project is a part of our service learning. Our group has decided to raise awareness for mangrove forests by writing an article. Mangrove trees have a great impact on the ecosystem.Our goal is to prevent animals from harm by planting mangrove trees. We went to Bangpu Nature Education Center to learn more about their work in preserving the mangrove forests. In this case, we didn’t grow mangrove trees but Rhizophora Mucronata trees that reside in the mangrove forest. Planting trees and protecting the ecosystem is an ongoing activity that needs to be done every once in a while to help maintain the environment.

ทำ�ไมป่าชายเลนถึงสำ�คัญ ป่ า ชายเลนเป็ น ป่ า ที่ มี ผ ลต่ อ ระบบนิ เ วศหลากหลายรู ป แบบ ทั้ ง ระบบนิ เ วศทางทะเลและระบบนิ เ วศชายฝั่ ง ป่ า ชายเลนเป็ น ตั ว แปรสำ � คั ญ สำ � หรั บ การเจริ ญ เติ บ โตชองสิ่ ง มี ชี วิ ต มากมาย โดยป่ า ชายเลนนั้ น เปรี ย บเสมื อ นกั บ สถานอนุ บ าลของสั ต ว์ น้ำ � ต่างๆ เช่น ปูก้ามโต ปลาตีน รวมถึงนกอีกหลากหลายชนิดอีกด้วย การที่พื้นที่ของป่าชายเลนนั้นถูกรุกรานหรือถูกทำ�ลายนั้นทำ�ให้เกิด ผลเสียมากมายต่อระบบนิเวศ ดังนั้นพวกเราทุกคนจึงควรช่วยกัน รักษาป่าชายเลนไว้สืบต่อไปให้คนรุ่นหลังได้เห็นธรรมชาติที่งดงาม

Mangrove trees can also affect both the Marine ecosystems and coastal ecosystems by aiding the animals living there.

Mangrove forests are important for the growth of many living things, like a nursery for them to grow, for example, fiddler crab or mudskipper, including several species of bird, it’s to prevent them from larger predator. Saving the mangrove trees will help those animals with their food chain, allowing them to repeat the cycle. The invasion and the destruction of mangrove forest caused many issues towards the ecosystem. Therefore we should protect our environment for the next generation to see the beauty of nature. Birds and crabs also have an important role in the ecosystem, from being in the food chain to crabs aerating the mangrove floor.

การรั ก ษาป่ า ไม้ นั้ น ไม่ จำ � เป็ น ต้ อ งเป็ น เจ้ า หน้ า ที่ ป่ า ไม้ ห รื อ กลุ่มอาสาสมัครเท่านั้นที่สามารถช่วยป่าไม้ได้ การรักษาป่าไม้ นั้ น สามารถทำ � ได้ ตั้ ง แต่ เ ด็ ก จนถึ ง คนชราและไม่ จำ � เป็ น ต้ อ งเป็ น กลุ่มอาสาสมัคร อาจไปทำ�เป็นครอบครัว ในช่วงวันหยุด ทำ�เป็น กิจกรรมสานสัมพันธ์ครอบครัว ทำ�ให้ครอบครัวมีความใกล้ชิด กันมากขึ้นอีกด้วย เราจึงขอให้ทุกคนร่วมมือร่วมใจกันรักษาป่าไม้ ง่ายๆ โดนการช่วยกันปลูกป่าคนละต้น เพียงแค่นี้คุณก็สามารถ ช่วยรักษาธรรมชาติให้สวยงามสมบูรณ์ ให้คนรุ่นหลังสามารถเห็น ได้

If you want to help protect the forest you don’t need to be in a volunteer group or a forest officer. This task can be done by anybody. Both children and adults can do it. During the holiday many families organized their time to go plant mangrove trees while developing their relationships with each other. We would like everyone to help plant trees to help maintain the ecosystem. It doesn’t need to be mangrove trees, it can be any type of trees. Only you can help change the future, allowing future generations to see the beauty of nature.

“Bangpu Education Center is one of the last remnant patches of mangrove in the Gulf of Thailand, protected within the Royal Thai Army Recreation and Convalescence Centre at Bang Pu in Samut Prakan Province, was developed as Thailand's first urban nature education centre in partnership by the Royal Thai Army, WWF– Thailand and the corporate sector”. (Parr, 2012)

Act planting Mangrove tree at Bangpoo.

We planted 40 trees there.

Mangrove Forest at Bangpoo

- Act, Korn, and Otto (G9) Group picture at the Bangpoo Nature Education Center. The staff there provided lots of reasons why the Mangrove forest is important.

Project Presentation on April 5th

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Student Life

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he trip to Mae Hong Son was to learn more about children with cleft lips and cleft palates through seeing operations in the OR as well as interviewing the patients. The students who attended received a once in a lifetime experience at observing a closeup surgery, that is beneficial in helping them decide whether they truly want to be a doctor and if they can cope with blood and cutting of the skin. The interaction with the patient was also very valuable as it allowed personal involvement. The students could learn about the children's socioeconomic status, family history (to gain first-hand knowledge whether cleft lips and cleft palates was genetics based or not), as well as allowing the students to have a chance to observe what changes Operation Smile is bringing to their community.

Another highly beneficial experience is that the students got to interview the surgeons who operated the reconstructive surgery for the children with cleft lips and cleft palates. We had a Q&A session with Dr. Apichai Angspatt whose specialty is plastic, cosmetic & reconstructive surgery. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, 1987 with the board certification in the diploma of The Thai Board of Plastic Surgery, 1993. He gave insight into what it feels like to be a surgeon, his journey through medical school, as well as the job environment.

The mission is not as stressful as many think as we did have time to play with the children in the ward.

I think it truly is a valuable experience. It does not matter if you want to be a doctor or not, having the chance to observe a closeup operation and bring smiles to the faces of the children by playing with them in the wards truly is rewarding. The goal of this mission is not for CAS or for medical experience, but it is for the children, for their smiles.

- Kib, Club President

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his trip is such a great experience for students who are keen to learn about being a doctor and who are eager to watch live surgeries. Before going into the operation room, I was very excited since it is the first time for me as well as some of my friends.

I thought that the operation room would be very quiet and scary, but in reality, the doctors were very kind to tell us about the surgery while operating and let us ask questions. Moreover, we had a chance to interview an anesthesiologist and a doctor. It is a very good experience, and if I have a chance next year, I would want to go back.

- Mun Mun

Student Life

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his year was my second year attending the Operation Smile Medical Mission in Mae Hong Son. From the mission, I was able to step out of my comfort zone by interacting kids with cleft lips and watching an operation. This mission also helped me see the world in a different way, becoming more grateful of the things I have in life. During the mission, I learned a lot of things about the medical field. We interviewed a plastic surgeon and an anaesthesiologist, they gave us an insight to having a career as a doctor and the challenges of medical school.

Watching the surgery was one of the highlights of the mission. Not only did we watch the surgery in the OR next to the surgeon, but he also explained what he was doing. It showed us the different positions of doctors in an operating room and what has to be done as a surgeon. Handing out gift and interacting with families in the ward made me become more appreciative of the things I have. One family that I talked to was living in a refugee camp, originally from Myanmar. They could not afford to provide their child with a cleft palate surgery, so they had to seek help from Operation Smile. It was really great to see kids getting fully funded surgeries from Operation Smile because without these surgeries it would be difficult for them to have a normal life, such as having visible deformities and speech impediments. Overall, it was a great experience, the mission allowed me to learn about the medical field, become more aware of the world around me and helping those in needs.

- Wandy

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oing on this mission was an experience which I can’t get elsewhere. The time I spent at Mae Hong son during this trip will always be engraved in my heart forever. One thing that I liked about the trip was the OR, where we witnessed a real surgery.

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or this operation smile mission trip, I want to say that it was amazing because I got to watch the operation which I will not get to see in my daily life so I considered it as the highlight of the trip. Moreover, I also think that getting to meet a lot of people such as patients, doctors and officers helped me a lot in terms of understanding and appreciating other people. From my own opinion, understanding and appreciating others help me to grow up as a person because sometimes I already have more than others, especially being health. Also, I got to see how the doctors interacted with the patients, making me feel the empathy of the doctor as a career because doctor is like a full time job that we need to dedicate our own time for others.

- Muk

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he Operation Smile trip is an experience that I hold extremely dear to my heart. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I was able to witness an actual surgery, communicated with various doctors, and conversed with patients of multiple diseases and disorders. Though the patients were exhausted and wanted rest, they took time to share the story of their lives with us making the experience even more heartfelt. The doctors, who were volunteers from hospitals in Bangkok, allowed us to have a questioning session with them to ask about a career in this field, from this, we learnt the pros and cons of being a doctor, qualities required to become a doctor, and the lives of a medical student. I feel that this trip allowed me to further discovered myself and my likings. I am able to have a clearer idea of my future career because of this trip. These words are not enough to express my gratitude, thank you for this opportunity.

- Bam Bam

Going on this mission, aside from finding my inspiration to pursue my dream, I also developed my personal growth including working as a team and practicing my communication skills.

- June

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his year, the operation smile mission happened in February. Eight students of the club members are given chances to go to Srisangwan Hospital, Mae Hong Sorn. When we were there, we have such a great opportunity to see new things. I believe this gives my and other students more ideas of what a doctor is, recognizing pros and cons of being a doctor because there is not just positive side as we thought of.

Accordingly, I can learn more about medical working field by participating in this mission.

- Pim

Student Life

Grade 6 Service Learning Experience

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he culmination of this year’s grade 6 service learning program came to fruition on April 5th when the students gave a presentation of their learning to an audience of G9 students, teachers and staff members. The grade 6 students gave excellent presentations that demonstrated their growing awareness of environmental issues that are currently facing communities in Bangkok.

In January, based on all they had learnt from their field trip, grade 6 met for the third service day to identify a specific issue or problem that is harming Bang-kra-chao and the surrounding areas of Bangkok. Each group decided on a topic and conducted further research to broaden out their understanding. Each group planned a presentation that would advocate for their identified area of concern, as well as making suggestions for possible Grade 6 was first introduced to service learning back action that could be taken to alleviate the situation. in October. They had a full day in the function room learning about the service-learning cycle, which On April 5th, each grade 6 group had the opportunity incorporates: investigating an issue, preparing to take to advocate for their identified issue. Plastic pollution action, taking action, reflecting and finally demonstrat- proved to be one of their main concerns. Each group ing learning. At the end of the first day, the students had gave an excellent presentation that demonstrated decided upon a goal they were going to advocate for. just how much they have grown as students this year.

The goal was: To identify and raise awareness of a need Each performance was well received by the audience or a problem faced by people who live in the Bang-kra- who asked some great follow up questions. It was a chao area of Bangkok. wonderful day for both students and teachers alike.

Well done Grade 6 for participating in service and At the end of November, students and teachers set off advocating for environmental issues that affect every to Bang-kra-chao, just 10km from Condordian. This one of us. beautiful area of Bangkok is protected from large scale industrial or housing developments. Due to such Mr Steve, Miss Alex and the G6 service team. conservation efforts, large swathes of land in BangKra-chao are covered in lush greenery interspersed by meandering klongs.

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Two local people from the land department met the students at Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park. The students were informed about the environmental problems the people of Bang-kra-chao are currently facing. After lots of note taking and questions, the students walked and cycled around the park taking in one of the most naturally wild, clean and beautiful parks in Bangkok. After a visit to the museum to learn all about the habitat of animals and vegetation in Bang-kra-chao, it was off to the banks of the Chao Praya river to see first hand what local people have done to protect one of Thailand’s rarest trees, the Lamphu tree. The Lamphu tree has a symbiotic relationship with a species of firefly indigenous to Bang-kra-chao. Armed with a wealth of information, feeling happy, but a little tired, grade 6 made their way back to school.

Student Life

G7 Service Learning Experience

Grade 9 Independent Service Project

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or this year's Service Learning program, grade seven was setting out to tackle an issue with which every school is familiar: bullying. However, their approach was to be different. Grade 7 worked hard all year to develop educational programs which could be delivered to our Concordian PYP students and teach them about bullying and how best to mitigate it in their daily lives. They also were teaching our younger students about finding small acts of kindness which can be done for others on a daily or momentary basis in order to instill compassion and empathy and to discourage bullying behavior.

I am proud to say that their programs were a great success and that we received overwhelmingly positive feedback and support from our PYP teachers and students! Their work this year is a shining example of hard work and the the powerful impact which can be made when students work together to help others and better their communities. Great work this year, grade seven!

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Best regards, Mr. Aaron

his year the grade 9s showed great self-management skills by coming together to create small teams that shared a common interest and desire to change the world. They combined their skills and knowledge to undergo a process that was a fine balance between service and learning. This required a disciplined approach to undertake varied forms of research, address an authentic community need, and take purposeful actions that were refined through selfreflection.

Students were able to research and raise awareness about the following issues: responsible tourism in Thailand, orphanages and hill tribe communities that need ongoing support, dependence on single-use plastic straws, an autecological study of Mangrove trees, caring for street animals, the role diet plays in childhood nutrition, healthy lifestyles and cancer prevention. The students took actions like creating social media campaigns, planting trees, creating storybooks and recipe books, writing essays and successfully convincing others to join their cause by adopting some of the animals they rescued or donating necessary supplies.

The whole process was completely driven by student initiative. It was undertaken outside of school hours and it is a fantastic representation of their interests and capabilities as future leaders in our community.ABIG thank you to the visitors who came to the presentations, and to the students and advisors for their hard work!

- Ms. Rachel

Grade 10 Service Project

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his year, the grade 10 service project focused on supporting the blind community in Bangkok.The students built an app, which is still being improved, and will be available to upload audiobooks that can be accessed by mobile phone. These books were chosen by the students, who read them during their service hours. They also printed several Braille children's books, which will be donated to a school for the blind in Bangkok A lot of ideas for this project came from a visit to that school, and students are attempting to use resources such as the 3D printer to also develop games that the children can use.

Overall, this very challenging project wouldn't have been possible without the work and dedication of our students, and for sure their work will be continued next academic year.

CONCORDIAN

- Ms. Susana

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Library Corner

The PYP Library Buzz

Librarians Knowledge Sharing Workshop (LKSW)

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n 8th of November 2018, Concordian had the honor to welcomed 28 Librarians from different International Schools around Asia Pacific who joined the Conference Theme - 'Global Citizenship'. They visited our libraries (PYP & MYP) to see our collection and organization process and at the same time for personal benchmarking.

Fall Book Fair

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oncordian hosted a successful “Three Day Book Fair”, participated by nine book vendors around Thailand.

We were able to restock our shelves with around 41,000 THB worth of new and interesting educational products like books and games that our students, teachers, and parents would love.

All profit from the book fair was taken in product rather than cash to build a balance and updated library collection.

A big THANK YOU to all of you who continually support our library events.

- Ms. Mharvie

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“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

- Dr. Seuss

CONCORDIAN

MYP/DP Library

Facts!

Library Corner

After school, we often have at least half of the G6 cohort visiting the library.

Magazines can give you ideas for your Personal Project!

PYP students came to the MYP/DP Library in preparation for their exhibition. Of course, G12 students for their Extended Essays too!

- Mr. Roxy

Chinese Reading Programme 59 CONCORDIAN

中文阅读课覆盖六年级到十年级的所有学生。根据 学生中文程度的不同，Roxy老师负责Phase5以上程 度的班级，而Jun老师负责Phase2到Phase4。在阅 读课中，两位图书馆老师会根据当前中文单元的内 容，帮学生选取适合他们中文程度的阅读材料，并 且运用多样的教学方式来激发学生的阅读兴趣，帮 助学生消除中文阅读障碍。同时还会利用阅读课的 时间，引导学生使用并掌握一些切实可行的阅读技 巧，包括用中文来搜寻整理分析信息的方法。一方 面可以拓展学生中文阅读的范围，另一方面也帮学 生搭建起提升中文阅读能力的阶梯。

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CONCORDIAN