Issue 7

Summer ISSUE

TISAC Results Harmony 2013 G10 Personal Project

Unleash High School Musical PYP Center Stage G11 Barge Trip

Dear Impact Readers,

With every issue of Impact magazine, I become more and more impressed with the amazing achievements of our students, and with the huge variety of activities they are involved in. As someone who usually does not have direct contact with most of the students, I rely on Impact to keep me up to speed with what our students are up to.

We have athletes who excel in many different sports.

We have singers, dancers, and musicians who make the holiday season special, and who use their talents to honor Thai holidays and cultural traditions. We have ambassadors for peace. We have mathematicians, excellent Chinese-speakers, excellent English-speakers, and excellent Thai speakers. Did you ever think about the fact that our littlest learners can speak three languages before most kids can tie their shoes or ride a bike? Pretty impressive. We have book lovers who fly through book after book. We have artists whose exhibitions amaze us and make us proud. We have good-hearted kids who participate in so many community service activities that we cannot name them all.

And all of these achievements occur under the direction of our dedicated teachers, much of it after school, in the evenings, or on weekends.With all that’s happening at Concordian, it’s no wonder that everyone is always scurrying from one commitment to the next. Please take time to celebrate both Concordian students and teachers.

Nothing makes it worth all the time and effort like hearing “Great Job” from someone who really means it.

Happy reading.

Shelley Harris Impact Editor

Special Message to the Concordian community: It is said that no man is an island, to which we would add, no family is an archipelago.

Fortunately, when we found ourselves suddenly caught adrift in a sea of despair, a life boat of compassion from Khun Varnnee, Mr. Laurent and the whole Concordian community came to our rescue. Nobody knows what the future will bring, but we do know this: Because of the support we received by the good people of Concordian, a little girl could have yet another precious year in the arms of her mother.

Thank you, Bill, Xin and Katy

Cassia Fistula or Golden Shower

The traditional Thai belief is that the golden shower tree brings dignity and honor to the house it grows near.The Golden shower flower is also the national flower of Thailand.

ดอกราชพฤกษ์ หรือ คูน

คนไทยในสมัยโบราณมีความเชื่อว่าบ้านใดปลูกต้นราชพฤกษ์ ไว้ประจำ�บ้านจะช่วยให้มีเกียรติมีศักดิ์ศรี ด้วยคนไทยส่วนใหญ่ ยอมรับว่าต้นราชพฤกษ์เป็นต้นไม้ที่มีคุณค่าสูงและยังเป็น สัญลักษณ์ประจำ�ชาติไทยอีกด้วย Concordian Showcase

University Acceptances Words from Dr. James / Ms. Tresa Maths Challenge/UKMT Thailand’s Junior Ambassador / Piano Duet Gold Medalist TISAC Results

Impact the Community, the Nation, and the World Harmony 2013 G10 Personal Project

Fun & Fancy

Unleash Love of Reading Week EYP Sports Day Art Workshop PYP Center Stage EYP Winter Concert PYP Winter Concert MYP&DP Concert / Battle of the Bands Competition

6 7 8 9 10

14 18

20 21 22 23 24 26 28 30

Trips & Expeditions

G11 Barge Trip G7&G11 History Field Trip G10 Agriculture Trip to Koraj School Song

Special Events & Activities

10th TIEE Fair Feature Article Andy Fletcher Workshop / OSC Workshop HSK Testing Comes to Concordian

32 33 34 35

36 37 38 40

SCHOOL SHOP CHECK OUT

the

NEW ITEMS

White Shirt Long sleeves for students G9-12 >>> 450 THB

<<< Two new colors for HYDRO-TECH Polo T-Shirts Blue and Gray 400 THB

New >>> Concordian Flash Drive 4 GB 270 THB

Message from Dr. James & Ms. Tresa to G12 Dear 2013 Graduates, It seems like yesterday that we were talking to you as Grade 10 students about your Diploma course selections and here it is two years later; IB will soon become a distant memory. Hopefully not! Within the two years, you have been challenged academically as well as emotionally; you have found out things about yourselves that you never knew that you were capable of accomplishing. In a nutshell, it provided the perfect venue for preparing you for what is to come through the acquisition of skills that will be required to face the new challenges ahead with confidence.

Be individuals, stand up for your beliefs, do not be easily swayed and remain steadfast in your goals.

Life will bring joy and sadness but have a positive attitude throughout both and success will be in your grasp.

Congratulations on completing the IB Diploma program and we wish you all success at your tertiary

institutions and for those opting for a gap year, let it be filled with new experiences and invaluable learning.

Please be sure to be involved in your community and carry on service projects and give of yourself as you become true global citizens, and let TOK be a given wherever you are.

Dr. James

Dear Seniors, I have really enjoyed our time spent together. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to get to know each one of you! I have watched you grow and mature into wonderful young women and men. Your class is the first class I have had the privilege of working with all four years of High School. The laughter and smiles, and frustrations at times, that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had as we worked our way through preparing and finally applying to college have reminded me that time is precious and moves so fast. It seems like only yesterday that I entered your 9th grade class to introduce myself. Now you are ready to move on! I feel excited for the great opportunities that lie ahead for you and I want you to know that I will be cheering you on from the sidelines as you continue on to the next journey of your life! My hopes and aspirations for you is that you will fulfill your dreams and even find new dreams along the way! Blessings!

Ms. Tresa

Concordian Showcase

Concordian Mathematicians Achieve Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the UKMT Challenge Concordian International School and the Mathematics Department would like to applaud our students for their achievement in the UK Intermediate Mathematical Challenge (IMC) organized by United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT). Special congratulations to Grade 7 students who took part in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge; the IMC questions are designed for Gr. 8-10 students.

Overall, our students achieved 3 Gold, 12 Silver and 21 Bronze certificates. Gold certificates were awarded to Charlotte and Pat in Grade 10, and Nat in Grade 9.Silver certificates were awarded to Ju Seong, Chelsea, Naam, Fon, DD, Fuji and Volk in Grade 10, Krij in Grade 9, Mighty and Zen in Grade 8 and Gavin and Shin in Grade 7.

Bronze certificates were awarded to Pangpond and Pat in Grade 10, Wei-Min, PingPing, Danny, Ooh, Ou, Silvia, Noof, Oum, and Yammy in Grade 9, Earn, Nat, Kevin, Ting Ting, Max, and Mild N in Grade 8, and Pien Pien, Sa-e, Mawin, and Ohm in Grade 7. Well done, one and all! We are so proud of your achievements.

The UK Mathematics Trust is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics. Further information about the Trust and its activities is available at www.ukmt.org.uk.

MathsChallenge 2013

By Mr. Ravi

Congratulations G7 Team and G8 Team for winning the Math Challenge 2013 at Pan-Asia International School against 11 other International and Thai schools!! Well done G6 for your second place finish and G4-5 for your honorable mention!

8 CONCORDIAN

Concordian Showcase

Thailand’s Junior Ambassador Makes Concordian Proud

By Bhornpat (Fren) Waratrujiwong G5B

Congratulations Fern (Bhornpat Waratrujiwong) in G5B for being selected to become one of the twelve Junior Ambassadors representing Thailand at the Asia Pacific Children’s Convention. The mission of the Asia Pacific Children’s Convention is to help children learn about different cultures and people through exchange, to promote a mutual understanding between people of the Asia and Pacific regions, and to nurture an international perspective and global citizenship.Fern and friends will be flying to Fukuoka, Japan, this July for the two week exchange program.

A few words from Fern …

“Hello, my name is Fern. I’m in grade 5B here at Concordian International School. I am very surprised and excited that I qualified to go to Fukuoka, Japan after participating

in the Asia Pacific Children’s Convention. I am also happy for the all the people who entered this contest with me.It will be so challenging for me to go there without my parents and without being able to have any contact with them. But at the same time, it should be an awesome experience meeting so many new people, places and cultures.I am honored to be a part of this event. Finally, I would like to thank the school for supporting me in many ways such as making me confident and being proud of myself that I can speak three languages.”

Piano Duet Gold Medalist Congratulations Kanthida (Nenie) Kasemsetthasit from G2M for receiving the Gold Medal in the Yamaha Thailand Music Festival 2013 under the Piano Duet category.

9 CONCORDIAN

Concordian Showcase

TISAC Results Sport Tournaments

Football U-9 Team

Football U-9 Team

We have so much enthusiasm for soccer in G2 and G3 in our school.

Even though TISAC recommends 12 players on a roster during league play because that is the rule at the tournament, we had 21 dedicated boys throughout the season. Players came out for practices every Monday and Friday afternoon, often knowing that they were not playing in the next game but selflessly being a part of the Dragon Team.

Finishing in second place in our division in the league, we went to the final TISAC tournament at Regentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School on March 19th. Although the U-9 team didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bring home the championship trophy, we pulled off some great games and one big win. Several coaches commented on our talent.

There are many G2 players returning next year to turn up the heat and have great success in the TISAC. Look for them next year. : Coach Ted

Football U-11 Team

In our first year as a team and joining into a very competitive TISAC

Conference, we did very well. This hard working U-11 Dragons team finished second in our division! The players had lots of fun and it was a real learning experience participating in the end of year Tournament.

Puthipwas a great leader both on and off the field and Shin having multiple talents, impressed players from different schools. We are looking forward to next year. : Coach Raymond

Football U-11 Team

Football U-13 Team

Football U-13 Team

It has been a fantastic football season for the Concordian U13 Dragons.

They played some of the most challenging and exciting games ever, each time getting better and better, learning what it truly means to be a real team. Lots of hard work and effort was put into training and from it we were able to see some true shining stars. A big thank you to our goalie Lang for his brave and fearless saves. Our defense, Al, Mac, Keng, Pooh, Boomers,Tee and Name have truly been amazing. You guys were able to stop some of the toughest offensive players with your wall-like abilities.

Thank you to our midfielders Peem and Eiffel for your endless effort and energy you brought to all the games. Finally, a huge thanks to our captain Tan, his brother Title and our MVP Shin for you speed, energy, sportsmanship and positive attitude. It has been an honor to be your coach this season and I look forward to working with you guys in the near future again. Well done team! : Coach Yuri

Seniors Football Team

CONCORDIAN

Dragon football fever was hottest with the Seniors Boys team. Mid season, players had a major attitude change. Coach K began using KAYA FC tactics in training sessions and we went with a defensive formation combined with total football. We won the next two games against teams that we had lost to earlier in the season. At the TISAC tourna10 ment Ascot was the clear champion. They were in our group and the only team to beat us, 2-1. It is a good feeling knowing that, even though we are such a young team and up against schools that have been playing together in leagues and tournaments for most of their lives, we can hold our own. The Beautiful Game thrives at Concordian.: Senior Dragons

Seniors Team

Concordian Showcase

Futsal

Congratulations to the Senior Girls Futsal team for their third place finish in the TISAC Tournament. Naam (Grade 10) was recognized as our team MVP by all the coaches.

Badminton

Concordian Seniors badminton team came first overall at the TISAC tournament this February with a dominating performance!

With first place in boys doubles, boys singles, girls singles and mixed doubles, and third place in girls doubles, Concordian Dragons nearly swept all competitions.These Concordian students continued their pursuit of athletic excellence combined with outstanding sportsmanship and fair play. Congratulations to Ong, Warit, Sun, Pat, My, Mook, Lee, and Naam for their outstanding performances and Coach Adam and Coach Tiew for their hard work and dedication to get their athletes ready for the competition.

Swimming

We are proud of our Concordian Secondary and Seniors Swimming Dragons. In the recent TISAC competition they performed very well with each swimmer placing or winning in his/her event. Look at these results!

Event

L aying

Volleyball

a foundation for next season - a Concordian boys volleyball team has been meeting to practice twice a week over the last few months as well as playing exhibition matches against other TISAC schools.

Posititon

Our Primary Swimmers are very enthusiastic.

They are training hard and improving weekly.

I am really proud of them and anticipate a good show on 26th April at the season ending TISAC Primary Swim Meet at St. John’s International School. : Coach Usha “Give it your all, so you won’t have any regrets.”

- Fong Chearavanont “Of course, there will be few people who are sympathetic but you don’t become a great team overnight, no matter how much money you have at your diposal.”

-- Frank Lampard, Shin Setasit Pittayathikhun’s favourite quote -A champion is a person who gets up when he can’t --- Gavin Liu ---

11 CONCORDIAN

Sunny 50m Freestyle 1

50m Backstroke 1

50m Breaststroke 2

50m Butterfly 1 Calvin 100m Freestyle 1

100m Individual Medley 3 Fon 50m Freestyle 1

50m Backstroke 2 200m Freestyle 3 Charlotte 50m Breaststroke 1

100m Breaststroke 1

200m Individual Medley 2 Chelsea 50m Butterfly 1 100m Freestyle 1 100m Backstroke 1

100m Individual Medley 1 Kenneth 50m Breaststroke 1 50m Freestyle 1

50m Butterfly 1

100m Individual Medley 1 My 50m Freestyle 2 50m Backstroke 2 Ami 100m Freestyle 2 200m Freestyle 1

ADVERTISE WITH IMPACT IMPACT by Concordian International School is a free magazine distributed within the Concordian community.

It is issued 3 times a year in full colour, A4-size, 36 – 48 pages format. This publication showcases our school activities, events, student’s achievements, and happenings.

Readers of this magazine include approximately 650 students from over 400 families, owning about 300 companies; and over 150 foreign and Thai teachers and staff members. The publication is also distributed to visitors and guests of the school.

Therefore, this magazine is an excellent platform for you, as a business owner, to reach the Concordian community. Advertising with us allows others to learn more about what you have to offer. Companies that wish to do Business-to-Business advertising and those in service businesses whose potential customers are children, family units, and foreigners are highly recommended to advertise with us.

IMPACT magazine hopes to be able to link each individual in our community together, thus to create a well connected and supportive society.

The September issue is the first issue of each academic year. The second issue is published just before or right after the school’s Winter Break in December. The third issue is published in April.

Size: A4 Number of pages: 36-52 (full colour) Number of copies distributed: 1,000

To reserve your pages, please fill in the request form on the back of this page and fax to 02-706-9003, Attention to K. Bell, or contact K. Bell at 083-989-5869, or bell@concordian.ac.th

สั่งจองพื้นที่โฆษณาในหน้านิตยสาร IMPACT ฉบับที่ 7 เดือนเมษายน พ.ศ. 2556 นิตยสาร IMPACT เป็นนิตยสารแจกฟรีของโรงเรียนนานาชาติคอนคอร์เดียน โดยมีผู้อ่านหลักคือผู้ปกครองที่เป็นเจ้าของกิจการและผู้บริหารกว่า 400 ครอบครัว นับรวมกิจการถึง 300 บริษัท รวมไปถึงนักเรียนของเราจำ�นวน 650 คน คุณครูและพนักงานชาวไทยและชาวต่างชาติประมาณ 150 คน และแขกที่มาเยี่ยมชมโรงเรียนจำ�นวนมากในแต่ละปี นิตยสาร IMPACT จัดพิมพ์ปีละ 3 ครั้งในแบบสีทุกหน้า ขนาด A4 ในรูปแบบ 36-48 หน้า เนื้อหาเกี่ยวกับกิจกรรม งานอีเวนต์ การแข่งขันทางวิชาการ ต่างๆที่นักเรียนของเราได้เข้าร่วมและประสบความสำ�เร็จ นิตยสาร IMPACT จึงนับได้ว่าเป็นเครื่องมือสื่อสารทางการตลาดที่มีประสิทธิภาพของกลุ่มเจ้าของกิจการและผู้บริหาร โดยเฉพาะหน่วยงานที่ต้องการ ดำ�เนินธุรกิจระหว่างบริษัท หรือบริษัทที่มีผลิตภัณฑ์และการบริการที่เกี่ยวข้องกับเด็กในวัยเรียน ครอบครัว และชาวต่างชาติ ทั้งนี้ ทางโรงเรียนหวังเป็นอย่างยิ่งว่านิตยสาร IMPACT จะสามารถทำ�หน้าที่เป็นสื่อที่เชื่อมโยงกลุ่มนักเรียน ผู้ปกครอง คุณครูและพนักงาน รวมถึงกลุ่ม ธุรกิจต่างๆที่เป็นผู้อ่านของเราเข้าด้วยกัน และสร้างเป็นเครือข่ายที่สนับสนุนและช่วยเหลือกันอย่างมั่นคง ฉบับเดือนกันยายนจะเป็นฉบับแรกของแต่ละภาคเรียนในปีการศึกษานั้นๆ ฉบับเดือนธันวาคมจะจัดพิมพ์ก่อนจะปิดเทอมหรือหลังเปิดเทอมช่วงปีใหม่ และ ฉบับสุดท้ายจะเป็นฉบับเดือนเมษายน

Impact the community, the nation, and the world

Harmony 2013 Harmony 2013 was a project initiated by a group of students from Concordian International School and Pan Asia International School in collaboration with UNESCO, Bangkok.

It was a showcase of successful community service programs from different schools, universities, and organizations, as well musical and artistic talents with a unifying theme of “Paths Towards Peace”. “Peace” implies not just tranquility, but also equality. Harmony 2013 was not an ordinary showcase of talents, but an event that had an underlying message about the significance of peace, ways that young people could contribute to create a more peaceful world, and the greatness of their capabilities to create a real and positive impact in society. It was an event that empowered youth involvement and synergy to form a unified bridge towards peace -- hoping to establish a solid Thai UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador Network. Harmony 2013 took place on Sunday, the 10th of March 2013 at Mega Bangna from 15.30 - 20.00.

14

Ms. Milichu Keats We at Concordian International School are always ready to respond to the idealist philosophy which states that “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defense of peace must be constructed”. So under the umbrella of UNESCO, Concordian and other international schools and organizations participated in a Youth Peace Festival on March 10th 2013.

The main purpose was to find the right path to peace, awakening the inspirations in human beings of giving, sharing, helping, changing and contributing to a harmonious world.

Our students -- being a real “piece of a peace” – worked very hard and contributed to a very successful event.

Thanks to all the team members and to our team leader Ms. Zoe whose organization and dedication was essential for our wonderful result.

CONCORDIAN

Impact the community, the nation, and the world

Sun G.11 My main role in Harmony 2013 was the spokesman, who has to deal with contacting different people, and making sure everything is going according to plan. I also had to interconnect my colleagues together since it’s a coschool project between Concordian and Pan Asia International School.

Not only did I have to contact the venue, but I had to coordinate between them and the stage team, the balloon team, and the art team as well. Since Mega Bangna offered us the venue for free, they were heavily involved in the details of the event.

For example, I had to contact Mega for the chairs, present them with the plans, and ensure that everyone acknowledged the venue’s regulations.

I had to ensure that all the processes involving the actual event were agreed upon in every aspect. After the event, I also had to follow up regarding the return of the deposit money required by Mega Bangna.

I always value everything I do, no matter what, as a beneficial experience.

The most important value I learned from doing this project is perseverance.

In these kinds of projects, there are always precise details that have to be kept up with. Sometimes, it could irritate you into a feeling of submission. However, through persistence

and the will to succeed, I was able to complete this project. Moreover, I believe that this project couldn’t have been accomplished by just one person. Everyone on this project contributed equally, which resulted in such a dramatic triumph for the whole team. Another great lesson I learned from this project is the importance of organizational skills. The lack of organization at the beginning almost brought us to a horrendous crisis.

We didn’t have enough sponsors, couldn’t finalize the budgets, and were late in advertising. Therefore, it’s a very valuable lesson that time management is always important in both education and working life.

Our Harmony 2013 team wants to express a truly gracious thanks to everyone who supported us. We would like to especially express our gratitude ton Khun Varnnee who gave us the utmost support that allowed us to make it through the obstacles.

We would also like to extend our grateful thanks to administrators, teachers, students, volunteers, staff and parents who supported us willingly throughout the whole process. Without all your support, we wouldn’t have come this far nor be able to rejoice at our great success. What you have supported is not simply students 15 in your community, but you have extended your hands to help society, so that good deeds will be deeply rooted generation after generation.

Thank you very much.

CONCORDIAN

Ms. Zoe Boonmag I would like to send my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who supported the UNESCO Youth Peace Festival (Harmony 2013) event, especially to our School Director Khun Varnnee who provided us such a wonderful opportunity to organize this event, Ms.Milichu, who put all her heart and soul into this project, the group of students from the Harmony team (Sun, Aei, Bright, Cream, Praew, Fong, Asif, Miriam, Mercy and Jess) who stepped out of their comfort zones working on this project by dedicating their time and effort.

Without their dedication this event could not have happened. Thank you to all the volunteers from G.712 who helped us on the day of the event, and many thanks to our parents and teachers who supported us through the project. And a big thank you to our generous sponsors (Mega Bangna, ICARE, Magnolias, True, and IKEA) who sponsored our event and believed in our students’ abilities. Thank you to all the international schools and universities who joined the event by submitting their art works, performing on stage and showcasing their community service booths. We could not have been successful without all your support on this project.

“We often think of peace as the absence of war, that if powerful countries would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds - our own prejudices, fears and ignorance.

Even if we transport all the bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the roots of bombs are still there, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we will make new bombs. To work for peace is to uproot war from ourselves and from the hearts of men and women. To prepare for war, to give millions of men and women the opportunity to practice killing day and night in their hearts, is to plant millions of seeds of violence, anger, frustration, and fear that will be passed on for generations to come.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

Impact the community, the nation, and the world Bright G.11 My role in Harmony 2013 was to deal with the entertainment. I helped make it possible to connect, and established the network between different schools through a flashmob.

I also managed to get a balloon entertainer and a cotton candy maker to entertain people during the event.

Another role that I played before the event was finding sponsors for the event day shirts. My role after the Aei G.11 My job was to set up an art ex- event was to help clean up.

Working on this project was an hibition! Believe it or not it is a lot amazing experience. It taught me of work, I had to contact all the less of what I knew already but schools, make arrangements to pick up artwork, contact the exhibition more of what I didn’t. It taught me board company, design the layout, that friendship could come along the and display the artwork. After the way when you least expect it. I have event I also had to take all the art- come to know a lot of friends and work down and send it back to each have grown really close to some of school. Throughout the process, I them. Like the cliché says -- it’s not did everything with the constant fear about destination, it’s about the jourthat the artwork would get damaged, ney. Even with a successful event as knowing how important each piece the destination, I actually valued the journey more. It taught me real life of artwork was.

One of the most important lessons experiences and it taught me perseis to never give up. I had to contact verance.

I would like to express my apprethe schools many times until I got a ciation to our director Khun Varnnee response. If I had given up after doing it for the first or second time, I would who helped us look at the overall have had almost no artwork in the picture of the project, and always exhibition. Another lesson is to be showed support. I also can’t thank responsible; handling all the artwork Ms.Zoe and Ms.Milichu enough for was not easy because there were dedicating their time and sweat to almost a hundred pieces! Each this project. I would like encourage piece needed to be returned to the students to be involved in this activity school undamaged. Even though it because these projects are the legacy was a lot of work, it was fun because you leave behind when you leave I got to work on a project not related Concordian, and it is the experience to academics, meet many new people, that you get to take with you. and learn valuable lessons.

16

Cream G.11 Hosting a major event is not only about putting it on your college application, it is about gaining life experiences that cannot not be taught inside the classroom. Not only that, it is about doing what you believe in.

People keep saying “I want world peace”, but that is all they do. Only words, but no action. This event was, to me, much more than a showcase of various talents from various schools. It was a showcase of the power of future generations. If a group of the students can do this, anyone can. It is a matter of willpower.

It is time for us to be in control of the world we want to live in. It is time to say to the world -- enough with the greed, and brutal violence. Because you know who will be responsible for all the mess this generation created?

We,the future generation, will be.

This messed up world will be passed to us. We will not continue this greed culture. It is time to abandon this path we have been walking for too long, and create a new path. It is time for us to create the path towards peace.

CONCORDIAN

Fong and Praew G.11 Our designated roles before the event were to be in charge of Stage and Celebrities. We contacted a stage company and confirmed stage designs and price.We divided the responsibilities for celebrities and MC; Fong worked on offering the opportunity to sing or speak at our event to quite a few celebrities and confirmed participation by the band of Bright (AF9), Nest (AF9), Cee (CH3), Jaja (CH3) and Mild. Praew worked on developing and writing all the bilingual scripts used throughout the course of the event. Then we worked collaboratively on writing the program (not originally our delegated job) and getting more schools to participate and perform (also not our delegated jobs).

We gained the experience of working on a huge project which involved many jobs and obstacles that we had never been exposed to before. We also learned how to fix spontaneous problems and work collaboratively with other people.

After the event was over, we felt that all the problems we had to overcome were worth it because we pulled it off. We would like other students to be involved in and challenge themselves to participate in big events like this because it is an experience that broadens your mind and teaches you many things.

CONCORDIAN

Mercy G. 12 Before the event, I helped with general duties and was the secretary for all the meetings we’d been having since March 2011. I also took over for Aei’s Art Competition preparations when she had to attend a volleyball match. During the event, i made sure the artworks were not damaged during the exhibition, and I supervised the

Impact the community, the nation, and the world volunteers from the lower grades.

I also helped guide the art judges through the selection of artworks.

I made new friends from PanAsia International School and it was a worthwhile experience getting to learn how to work and compromise with different people both from Concordian and PAIS. But most of all, pulling off this event – after all the hard times and meetings – is a true representation of what Harmony was all about. Everyone worked together and helped each other to make this happen, and to me, this is our contribution to peace, because it does start at home, with our family and friends! in handling a big event like Harmony Organizing such an event is a good 2013.I learned from the complications opportunity to gain people skills and hardships, which will definitely because you interact with your peers, help me in the future. I would encourage with sponsors and with different other students to be involved in authorities, and altogether, it is a activities like these because, in the wonderful character-building process! end after all the hard work, it will be worth it and you can be proud of And SO much fun!! what you have done.

Miriam G.10 My role and responsibility before the event was drawing a visual map based on the schedule. I had to change the visual maps frequently since the schedule changed frequently. Two days before the event, I helped cut out the nametags and descriptions of the art pieces together with the rest of the group. Just before the event started, I helped out with the pasting of the artwork. After the event, we helped to clean the place and take down the artwork.

I gained a lot of experience from this event. I learned to work with large groups of people and learn to listen and think before I speak. I learned to contribute more so that we could all have less stress. I encourage students to be involved in these kinds of activities. Being involved helps Jess G.12 you to improve your communication I was responsible for the poster and problem solving skills. A lot of and standee designs as well as us faced problems that we had to helping a group with the art exhibition. learn how to solve, which will help us All of us had to contribute in a range to have the necessary skills to solve of different areas because of the limited problems in the future. In a world time and people we had. However, that needs peace, this peace proit was great that we were able to moting event will help a lot of people 17 collaborate with another school and to be more aware of their surroundgain both their help and friendship. ings and to be aware of the things I got to know a lot of new people, that they can change to make the as well as learn to be more responsible world a better place.

Impact the community, the nation, and the world

G10 Personal Project You Never Know what You Can Do by the Class of 2015

On February 28, 2013 the class of 2015 presented their personal projects to the Concordian community. Hopeful, nervous,excited, “we couldn’t wait to share our projects with the whole school,” one Grade 10 student enthused.

The more we shared the more we felt prepared for the presentation in the Minitheater, so the earlier feelings of anxiety began to dissipate. We learned to communicate in the appropriate ways with different audiences. Some of the audiences were PYP students or younger MYP students, and we spoke to these groups in different ways compared to how we spoke to teachers and parents who attended the Exhibition.

We were reflective because we spoke about the different times we had faltered in the process. Ms. Tresa, the High School counselor, told the Grade 9 audience that she appreciated the honesty of our reflections. It’s important to be honest to ourselves because if we can’t be honest with ourselves, we will not be able to improve.

It also changes us so we can develop integrity in our future lives.

Mistakes are a part of us. Sometimes when we know what we did, we could take those mistakes into account and improve.

This is a long-lasting lesson because other people can also learn from our mistakes.We hope that the younger students in the school were able to learn from our reflections.

Our thinking changed throughout the experience.The projects display our initiative to complete a long-term goal.Everyone’s product is a solution to a problem -that’s what the inquiry was for, to answer our question from the topic we had chosen.

18

One student says, “I learned that Community and Service isn’t just about the difference you make, but also the difference in how you serve.”

Feedback from the audience gave us a sense of support from the community because we didn’t know what the community was expecting in the first place.

When the feedback was positive, that positive support gave us more confidence in sharing our projects. We felt a sense of accomplishment that we had finished a monumental task and now had the chance to share our completed project with a lot of people.

If we could give advice to other students, what would it be? Learn from past mistakes and use what you learn to make a better future.Engage in something that you love because it makes you happy and allows you to spend time on something that you are passionate about.Use the chance given in the personal project to do something you never thought you would do, and discover something about yourself.

CONCORDIAN

Impact the community, the nation, and the world

19 CONCORDIAN

Fun & Fancy

Unleash High School Musical for Charity by G10

Written by Mr. George

The grade 10 students broke new ground this year with Concordian’s first full production musical “Unleash” They gave three performances for the PYP, MYP, and the general public. The public performance ticket sales raised more than 100,000 Baht for the “School Build” project. The grade 10 students’ talents were definitely “Unleashed” to three appreciative audiences. The faculty sponsors for this production were Mr.Clynt – Drama, Mr. George – Music, and Ms. Deborah – Stage Crew and Artists. To all who support the Arts at Concordian – thank you for your patronage!

20 CONCORDIAN

Fun & Fancy

Love of Reading Week

by Ms. Meg Lojek

New Library/Reading Room : Expanding Library Services

When

Ms. Isabel Oloan joined the Concordian Library team, she knew she would get to support our school mission in a beautiful, new, state-of-the-art new building. Now that vision is becoming reality with the opening of the new High School Library.

With the Grand Opening of the new room, high school students will now have a special place, not only to complete homework and prepare for exams, but also to relax and quietly browse a special collection of books. Ms. Isabel has worked together with Khun Varnnee and Head of Library Services Meg Lojek to create a collection of beautiful new books on topics such as cooking, architecture, fashion, design, technology, art and culture.The new library will also provide current newspapers and high interest magazines, from Art News to Vogue, as well as college counseling books and brochures.

Ms.Isabel has already helped many Concordian students and teachers with research projects and she will continue to provide information services in the new building.

This is a “Freedom Hub” for students to have a safe, quiet place to spend their downtime independently—a space that is truly their own. We welcome your feed-

back as we continue to improve Congratulations PYP and EYP for this and all our library services. meeting all your reading goals!

The smiles continued with VisitLove of Reading Week ing Author Oliver Phommavanh. Mr. Now here was something dif- Oliver was inspiring and hilarious ferent! To Celebrate Love of as he presented several programs Reading Week, PYP students to G1-G8 students. Since the visit, were treated to a fun challenge his books have been checked out of to see how much extra reading the library quicker than you can turn they could accomplish. Working around – proof that he is a modern together as a big team, they read Thai/Australian author who really extra minutes on the Raz Kids connected with our students. program to win some fun and Thank you once again to all the entertaining “prizes” from their families for supporting our Spring teachers. Teachers performed Book Fair in the front lobby and the songs and dances and even annual Book Drive for charity. held a limbo contest – the smiles Fun facts: on the faces of the kids made • Number of New Library Books our sore backs worthwhile! What FREE from the Book Sale vendors: a treat to see the school commu- 172 nity come together in this way • Number of books won by CIS to support reading…because we students as prizes: 26 know that “Kids who read succeed.”

• Number of books donated to the ARK School in Bangkok, delivered by CAS students: 473 • Number of minutes read by PYP students during the Reading Challenge: 34,829. Wow!

21 CONCORDIAN

Fun & Fancy

EYP SPORTS DAY EYP Sports Day was held at Concordian on January 25, 2013.

Nursery classes were divided into 6 groups and the children played at six different game stations with their parents in the big gym: tricycles, obstacle course, bowling, basketball shooting, beanbag toss and soccer kick.

The K1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; K3 classes were divided into 9 different color teams and rotated playing at nine game stations on the large field, the outdoor tennis court, and the big gym : tug of war, three-legged race, soccer golf, beanbag toss, basketball throws, javelin throws, pinball, scooter rides and Clean Up the Balls game.

Parents enjoyed the day playing with their kids and a lot of fun was had by all.

22 CONCORDIAN

Oil & Pastel

Fun & Fancy

Painting Workshop

Kik and Kade, IB art students, invited Eric Wilson, wildlife artist, to come to Concordian to lead an art workshop. Mr. Wilson accepted the invitation, and on January 2627th he led a workshop focused on teaching students to accurately illustrate wildlife animals through the medium of pastels or oil paints.

Concordian young artists very much enjoyed the workshop.

Eric Wilson is one of Great Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading wildlife artists, a multi-award winner whose paintings are now widely collected throughout the world. To learn more about him, visit http://ericwilsonsart.com.

23 CONCORDIAN

Fun & Fancy

PYP Center Stage Centerstage 2013 (A PYP Talent

First's Chinese storytelling

Show),was once again, a huge success! With so many amazing talents involved, the event was “magical”, with a variety of performances. Thank you to Mr. Sebert and Mrs. Maricor for organizing such a great show!

The PYP Glee Club opened the show with their solemn rendition of the King’s Royal Anthem, which was quickly followed by their lively and entertaining song, “We Go Together”, f ro m the Br oadway Musica l, “Grease”. Rounds of applause were heard after the performance, and then, there was complete silence.

Suddenly, the James Bond theme song was played, and the Masters of Ceremony came in. First to come out were Prinn and Robin, and, then, followed by Ming Ming, High and Nut. It was such a neat, and cool beginning.

The succeeding performances illuminated the huge and rich pool of talent dispersed among the PYP section. There were vocal soloists, Hong's  Fur Elise duets, pianists, violinists, guitarists, gymnasts, magicians, comedians, ballerinas, yoyo experts, group dancers and singers, storytellers, and creative groups (UV lighting show). We cannot express how happy and proud we are of our young, talented Concordians. What they came up with (and through the support of their parents), were unexpectedly amazing! The show Creative Show by Pun Pun, Safe, Seiki , Beck and certainly showcased to the commuGumpan nity that children can do lots of things, and each one of them, can motivate others to develop and embrace their own talents. It was indeed exciting to see these little children develop, and tackle more challenging acts!

If last year’s performance was great, this year’s was completely Pun Pun, Safe, Seiki, Beck & Gumpun's Creative Show (UV Lights) Bloomy and Khrista's  Stupid Cupid phenomenal!

Glee Club's interpretation of  We Go Together from  Grease

violinists Keith, Kim & Fern accompanied by Hui Hui on the piano

Bam's ballet dance Kyla singing  Castle in the Cloud

24 CONCORDIAN

The Royal King's Anthem by the PYP Glee Club

Jean and Nisha's ballet dance

Jonas'  If We Hold on Together

Tic Tok by Ploy, Prince, Bei Bei and Tonhom

Fun & Fancy

Nano's  One Thing

Masters of Ceremony's opening act

Sophie and Jack's comedy routine, Arkansas Traveller

Rhythmic Gymnastics by Grace, Lina, Poon & Fant Fant

Nenie's  Tiao Wu Ge

Pami, singing  Historia De Un Amor (Chinese Version)

Wandy's Perspective Story

Surprise number by Mr. Raymond, Mr. Jhet, The magicians, Fahsai and Tangkwar Our Yoyo expert, Puthip Mr. Manny, Mr. Cyrus and Mr. Steve -  YMCA

Canon in D by JunePuthip

I'm Yours , by Jasmine

Matthew

Praew's interpretation of  The Entertainer and  Heart and Soul

 One Thing , by Khao Jao Everything at Once by Andra and Avina

 Gangnam Style dance number from Putter, Beam and M

Revenge from Minecraft, by First, Ken, Chin, Mel, Mark and Pukao

Singing Parody,  Talking to the Shark , Tonkla and Zander

Sword Dance by Mon and Man

Masters of Ceremony, with Mrs. Maricor, Mr. Sebert, Mr. Laurent and Khun Varnnee

25 CONCORDIAN

 Oh by Fay, Pearl, Jinnie and Ping Ping

 Souvenir D' Enfance , by

Tonnam and Hui Hui's violin and piano duet

Fun & Fancy

EYP&PYP Winter Concert The EYP’s “Winter Fun”, and PYP’s “Celebrating the Winter Season”, held on December 7, 2012 and December 14, 2012, were early holiday treats to the Concordian community. Joyous holiday music filled the amphitheater, as the students, faculty, parents, and their families, enjoyed wonderful performances by our EYP and PYP students. Both concerts had been a magical l e a r ning experience for the audience, as the students brought together the winter fun and festivals from around the world.

“Winter Fun” delight, truly brought out and set the wintery atmosphere mood at Concordian, as our early years students sang and danced in their bright-colored winter costumes, to the season’s melodies. Humming to the Jingle Bells tune, moving to the beat of Merrily, Bearily, Bears, and

Christmas Ho Ho were just some of the many splendid performances by our early years students.

And with the holiday spirit already primed by the early years students, the celebration continued on, and was genuinely felt, through the PYP students’ performances that highlighted the diversity of the season.

This multicultural delight explored winter songs, dances, short plays, and festivities from different cultures and countries.It was indeed a grand, around- the-world celebration of the winter season, featuring Mid-Autumn Day, Hanukkah, Las Posadas and Pinata, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival.

Two magnificent celebrations!

Thanks to the Winter Concert Committee (Mr.Sebert, Ms.Norylove, Ms. Yooi, and Mrs. Maricor) for their hard work in preparing the students and in putting these shows together.

Masters of Ceremony, Minnie, Titan and Tasha

Jingle Bells by the Nursery students

The New Year Song (Chinese Version) by Nursery L

26 CONCORDIAN

Nursery students singing  Pra-aathit-yim-chaeng

Nursery S singing and dancing  Jingle Bells

Fun & Fancy

K1I's I'm a Little Snowflake

K1J's Snow is Falling Today

K1K's Sawasdee Pee Mai

K2A's The Snowman Disappears

K2K's I Want to be an Elf

K2S'  Merrily, Bearily Bear

K3E's  Winter Fun

K3M's  Christmas Ho-Ho!

K2K

I Want to Be an Elf

The Snowman Disappears

27 Ms. Norylove, Khun Varnnee & Mrs. Maricor

The people behind Winter Fun's success

CONCORDIAN

Khun Varnnee's Closing Remarks

Fun & Fancy

EYP&PYP Winter Concert continued

4J singing  Ming Yue Ji Shi You

Chinese Lantern Dance by G2C

1-R

Chinese New Year's Eve

Shoeng Shoeng as African Drummer in the song  Harambee

28

G1A boys' Lion Dance

G1A Chinese New Year Presentation G1A's Chinese New Year song  Song Ni Yi Ge Da Nian Gao

CONCORDIAN

G1R's Christmas Alphabet

G1T & G1R Christmas Presentation

G1T boys as Christmas Elves

G1R's Christmas Alphabet

G2A's Hanukkah Presentation,  O Chanukah

G2A's  Festival of Lights

Fun & Fancy

G2M singing a heart-melting song  It's for My Valentine

Masters of Ceremony, Andra, Sybert & Sophie

G3Y singing  Harambee

G5 Pinata

G3S Chinese New year's Eve Presentation

G3S' New Year's Eve Presentation

Masters of Ceremony, Andra, Sybert & Sophie

G3Y's Interpretation of Kwanzaa

The finale song, Let's Celebrate! , by The PYP Glee Club

G4J's Umbrella Dance

G5s' Rompe La Pinata

Ms. Pat and Mr. Tim singing Sleep Well, Little Children

G4T Singing  Porn Pee Mai

G4T Singing  Porn Pee Mai

The PYP Choir in their opening number, Holiday, Holiday

29 Administrators and Winter Concert Organizers The people behind  Celebrating the Winter Season concert

CONCORDIAN

The PYP Choir in their opening number, Holiday, Holiday

Fun & Fancy

MYP & DP Concert

By Mr. George

The MYP instrumental concert hit new highs in performance to end the year 2012.

Grades 6 - 11 students performed songs such as, Mission Impossible, The Pink Panther, and themes from the movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1). It is important to note that our valued parents’ attendance has been increasing with each concert. This time we achieved “standing room only” status, and it appears that our new theatre is arriving just in time to accommodate our increased crowds! The final MYP performance will be on May 30th in the new auditorium. Prior to the musical performance, there will be a full art exhibit of students’ work for your viewing pleasure. The Arts Department values your attendance greatly, and we hope you are able to attend. You won’t want to miss seeing and hearing the work of our talented musicians and artists.

30 CONCORDIAN

Fun & Fancy

TISAC Battle of the Bands Competition The grade 10 students represented Concordian with style at the Battle of the Bands Competition, held at KIS on March 27th. Nine student musicians from Concordian performed with 32 other modern-format bands from the TISAC conference. Our students competed in the Senior class category. All in all, it was a great event to celebrate the outstanding musical talents of Bangkok musicians.

31 CONCORDIAN

Trips & Expeditions

G11 Barge Trip

by Mook G11

Ranong Barge Trip The G11 barge trip to Ranong was very enjoyable. We had a lot of fun participating in all the activities as well as working as a team while we acquired knowledge about each place we visited, including the mangrove forest and the rocky shore.

We were introduced to many experimenting techniques using different materials. This group four project assignment allowed us to apply the skills from all of the sciences to accomplish our goal.

32 CONCORDIAN

Trips & Expeditions

G7&G11History Field Trip

By Prim Beckers and Ted McManus

After two months of studying Christianity and Islam in Humanities class, the students of Grade 7 went on an expedition to Bangkokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest church, the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and oldest mosque, the Haroon Mosque. They were accompanied by Ms. Jing, Ms. Nadine, Mr. Ted, Mr. Rich, and Mr. Gabe.

Founded in 1786 by Portuguese settlers, Holy Rosary is the oldest church in the city. King Rama I provided beautiful riverfront land for the building of the church.

The students were given a tour of the church by Fr. Pytoon, the priest. During the tour, the students were given the task of writing about and sketching interesting parts of the church that attracted them. After returning to school, they turned those sketches and writings into works of art that they hung in the classroom.

After marveling at the church, the students and teachers ate lunch at Nadimos Lebanese Restaurant in Silom. They were welcomed and entertained by the owner and chefs who taught them a little about the food they would be eating. They ate well-known Lebanese cuisine and left quite contented.

After the huge meal, the students and teachers were welcomed by the Muezzin and Imam of the Haroon Mosque, a short distance from the Holy Rosary Church.

They provided the students with not only a detailed and informative presentation of the history of the Mosque and the culture of Islam but also with traditional snacks such as roti, sweet dumplings, and warm milk tea. The muezzin then demonstrated the Muslim call to prayer and cleansing ritual. During their tour of the mosque, the students were given the honor of visiting the graveyard, where they were informed about Muslim funerals and rituals for the deceased.

All together, it was a majestic experience for both the students and their teachers.

33 CONCORDIAN

Trips & Expeditions

G10 Agriculture Trip

to Koraj

During

the three-day weekend (March 1st – March 3rd), the 10th graders got the opportunity to visit food technology factories in Nakorn Ratchasima. It was a good break away from school work, especially after we were done with our Personal Projects (which were awesome by the way). The first stop after we left school in the afternoon was the CP Meiji factory, where we were welcomed with Meiji milk and yogurt.

We had a look into the process of turning milk into yogurt and other products made by the Meiji Company.

After a short bus ride, we arrived at the Bangkok Produce Company, which produces sausages for CP and other brands. Through a corridor, we got the chance to look over the sausage making process. Then we settled down at a cozy, home-like Thai style house for the night. Before dinner, our F15H group bonded over volleyball and soccer (and a fake wedding in the rose garden). Dinner was a homemade barbeque, sausages, and fried rice. We also succeeded in making grilled bananas.

We then ended the night with roasted marshmallows around a bonfire (which were lit purely by the student population).

After a good night’s sleep, we woke up early to visit the chicken processing factory. We were lucky (or not) to see how chickens delivered from other

farms were made into processed chicken products. After a lecture, we were allowed to observe the production lines with all the big machines making chicken nuggets. The factory also served us a full course meal.

For the afternoon, we traveled to Lam Takhong Chonlapa Wattana Power Plant, which is located underground. Because of concern for the environment, locals arranged a tree planting activity for us. Afterwards, we hiked up the mountain to a cliff where we participated in a special off-the-cliff tree planting activity.

Here, we shot seeds off of the cliff in the hope that they would take root and grow where they fell. The last stop for the day was dinner at the famous tourist stop, Palio.

In the early morning, before we left, we visited a vineyard to pick and taste fresh grapes. To continue this relaxation, we headed for the stone garden that had many stones, dogs, and beautiful scenery. The last educational stop was the Saraburi Sugar Factory and Ethanol Plant, which we toured. We received gifts of Lin Sugar to take back home.

At Lin’s Saraburi Sugar Factory

15km-under at Lam Takhong Chonlapa Wattana Power Plant

34 CONCORDIAN

Special Events & Activities

35 CONCORDIAN

Special Events & Activities

10 TIEE Fair th

By Khun Aeo

Concordian’s Programs and Students are A Big Hit at the Thailand International Education Expo 2013 (TIEE) TIEE is one of the biggest international education fairs in Thailand. It’s held annually in February at the Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon. This year’s theme was “Live & Learn in Wonderful Thailand”.

The three-day event ran from Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th of February.

The purpose of this fair is to give parents an opportunity to get in-depth information and professional advice directly from the experts on the comprehensive range of international curricula available in Thailand. Surprisingly, there were even more people interested in IB programs this year and Concordian was often the first choice selection.

36

Parents were attracted not only by our programs and high standard IB curriculum, but also by the Concordian students’ performances at TIEE. Thanks to G1 and G2 students, Kyla, Praew and Raiwin, for their beautiful songs; Soomi and Wandy from Grade 4 for their outstanding MC work in English, Chinese, and Thai. The song Can’t Help Falling in Love with You by Ben Ben, Miriam, Pat and Volk (Grade 10) was excellent. And the sweet but powerful voice of Minky (Grade 12) in the singing contest was absolutely unforgettable. And special thanks also to the Concordian teachers who supported this effort by volunteering on the day of the event.

CONCORDIAN

Special Events & Activities

Learning New Languages

Helps The Brain Grow

Article from Medical News Today

The subjects who were more skilled, in terms of understanding new languages, saw a greater growth in the hippocampus and the areas of the cerebral cortex involved in language learning, such as the superior temporal gyrus.

The middle frontal gyrus, an area of the motor region of the cerebral cortex, grew in the participants who needed to exert themselves more in order to learn.

According to the team, the parts of the brain that experienced growth are associated with how simple it is for an individual to learn a language.

They also pointed out that development differs in relation to performance.

There have been prior studies suggesting that bilingual and multilingual groups experience a later onset of Alzheimer’s disease. One particular study from 2011 provided evidence that Alzheimer’s was delayed 5 years for bilingual patients, compared to monolingual patients.

According to that report, if an individual is not bilingual, or cannot easily learn a second language, there are other things he/she can do to exercise the brain in the same way. For example, playing word searchers and puzzles will also trigger cognitive thinking.

Mårtensson concluded: “Even if we cannot compare three months of intensive language study with a lifetime of being bilingual, there is a lot to suggest that learning languages is a good way to keep the brain in shape.”

Written by : Sarah Glynn Copyright : Medical News Today

37 CONCORDIAN

The learning of languages allows the brain to stay “in shape”, by causing certain parts of the brain to grow, including the hippocampus and three areas of the cerebral cortex.

This finding came from scientists at Lund University, after examining young recruits with a talent for acquiring languages who were able to speak in Arabic, Russian, or Dari fluently after just 13 months of learning, before which they had no knowledge of the languages.

These individuals, at the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy in Uppsala, were educated at an extremely fast pace, from morning to night, seven days a week.

Medicine and cognitive science students at Umea University were used as a control group in the study.

These scholars are hard workers, but do not study languages. All participants were given MRI scans before and after a period of strenuous studying for three months.

After analyzing the results, the scientists saw no difference in the brain structure of the control group.

However, in the language group, certain parts of the brain had grown, including the hippocampus, responsible for learning new information, and three areas in the cerebral cortex.

Learning a new language may be a great way to keep your brain in shape. Johan Mårtensson, an investigator in psychology at Lund University, Sweden, explained: “We were surprised that different parts of the brain developed to different degrees depending on how well the students performed and how much effort they had had to put in to keep up with the course.”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

Special Events & Activities

ANDY FLETCHER

Life, the Universe and Everything -- Investigating the God Debate in a Quantum Universe

The amphitheater was the home and gathering place for curious minds on January 25th when our guest speaker, Andy Fletcher, spoke with grades 6-12, teachers and parents about our place in the universe and the never-ending questions we face in trying to understand the complexities of science, beauty and truth.

Can we say we know that over 100 billion planets populate the galaxy or why can we not cry in space? Mr. Fletcher, a previous TOK teacher at the International School of Geneva,

is now the CEO of Life, the Universe and Everything, a non-profit organization dedicated to working with international schools and communities, sharing semin a rs on 2 0 t h a n d 2 1 s t century physics.

Students and teachers from Wells International School and Regents School joined us for an intellectual journey that we will not forget. We looked at topics of creationism, God and the Ne w P h y s ic s a n d t h e ir impact on the deterministic, mechanistic, reductionist, infinite universe of Isaac Newton and much of modern science.Although discerning at times to both ends of the debate, it followed in TOK traditions and pedagogical goals by demonstrating

Workshop

using science to realize that there are limits to our intellectual abilities, boundaries on scientific inquiry, and mysteries in nature which we may never resolve.

OXFORD Study Courses Visit On

38

March 13th, Rosanna Montalbano, of Oxford Study Courses, guided MYP/DP students, parents and teachers through more than eight presentations in the Amphitheater. The presentations ranged from time management, revision and review, examiner’s tips and the Extended Essay to myths about teen’s abilities to make decisions or read emotions of others. Students began by clocking how they spend their twenty-four hour days; to the surprise of many, their tasks and activities far exceed twenty four hours! This indicates that trying to take on too many things or multitasking is over-rated and can actually lead to stress. Research proves that

teenagers also need at least nine hours of sleep a night and that their body rhythms are not the same as adults.

and on-line revision classes for more than 520 IB schools worldwide.

Thousands more students use their revision guides.

Parents of all age Concordian students benefitted from the afternoon session where Rosanna shared practical tips that parents can use to support their children throughout the IB Diploma. The well-attended session looked at bridging all the phases of IB learning.

Please go to www.osc-ib.com where you will find free Math revision videos, and articles from experts on “Facing IB Exams With Confidence,” “A Guide for Parents of First Year IB Students,” “Choosing Your IB Subjects: Don’t Panic!” “Tips For Your Extended Essay Summer,” and many more.

OSC is a Social Enterprise based in Oxford, UK. Established in 1990, they provide high quality preparation, revision and review courses in the UK, USA, Shanghai, and Canada,

CONCORDIAN

และโรงเรียนนานาชาติคอนคอร์เดียน

Special Events & Activities

HSK Testing

Comes to Concordian To assess our studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; profi-

ciency level in the Chinese language, Concordian administers Chinese standardized tests.This year, Concordian introduced a new testing system developed by mainland China. This is the HSK, or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Chinese standardized test. The school evaluated the test and has signed an agreement with HSK which designates Concordian as one of the official testing centers for the HSK test in Thailand. Based on the agreement, the school will administer the HSK test for our G6-G10 MYP non-native speakers of Chinese.

The DP student who selects the Mandarin B course is also welcome to take the test if he/she chooses to do so. All HSK levels test the Chinese/Mandarin proficiency level in Listening and Reading Comprehension.

The KSK test was administered for the first time at Concordian on the 24th of March, 2013, thanks to the help of all MYP/DP Chinese teachers. We had 155 students registered for the test, within only 6 unable to take the test due to health reasons or family prior commitments. Each student takes a certain level test, ranging from level 1 to level 6. The next testing date will be one year in the future.

40 CONCORDIAN

Dear Parents, Re: Sibling Enrollment In Nursery for 2014-2015 School Year Because of the tremendous interest and applications to our Nursery classes for the academic year (2014-2015), seats are very limited. We will be requiring applications for August 2014 seats in Nursery to be submitted no later than April 30, 2013.

Parents of students already enrolled at Concordian have priority status for sibling enrollment. However, we cannot guarantee placement of siblings who do not apply by the indicated deadline.

If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions at 0 2706 9000 ext. 211-13.

Sincerely, NAREENART EKAPICHAIBUTR Head of Admissions / Registrar / Marketing

Thana City AD