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.
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- Mr. Bill, Secondary School Vice Principal of Student and Faculty Affairs
School Update
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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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Events and Activities
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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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
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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
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Be sure to congratulate the girls on a job well done!
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Athletics News
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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.
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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. 14 CONCORDIAN
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.
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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
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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.
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- 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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
Events and Activities
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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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Events and Activities
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. CONCORDIAN
乐佳 Great, G8 (the youngest winner)
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Events and Activities
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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)
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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)
Events and Activities
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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Events and Activities
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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Events and Activities
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
Events and Activities
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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.
Events and Activities
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School Update
Dear Class of Knights,
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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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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.
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。
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
Events and Activities
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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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Events and Activities
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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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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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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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Events and Activities
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.
Events and Activities
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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Events and Activities
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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. 43 CONCORDIAN
- TK, Grade 10
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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
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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