NEWS Patana

B a n g k o k P a t a n a i s a n I B W o r l d S c h o o l , a c c r e d i t e d b y C I S a n d N E A S C

Celebrating Community Action Clubs P.2

Letter from the

Secondary School Principal

D ear Parents, Last weekend, the Bangkok Patana School Com-

munity celebrated Fun Day, a genuine whole-school event led by the amazing PTG and supported by both business and academic staff. As well as the superb bands on stage, the Haunted House, the food, various games, and of course the chance to dunk a teacher (including me), another important feature has really developed over the last few years. Under the initial guidance of Ms Helen Vincent and now Ms Polly Sinnett-Jones, along with the encouragement of the PTG, the Secondary Community Action Clubs have added a new dimension to Fun Day by promoting each of their partic-ular projects.

At Fun Day and increasingly around school, the focus of these groups is shifting away from fundraising (although this is still important) and into raising com-munity awareness of the work that each group is doing for the wider Patana community. At Fun Day they offered entertaining games and activities from Jenga to traditional coconut shy and dart throwing, while at the same time they were able to share information about each group. The students are sensitive to their audi-ence, taking care of the younger visitors while asking

older students and adults to engage with the issues be-ing addressed in each club. It works extremely well and supplements the busy calendar of events in Secondary. There is rarely a week goes by that a major event isn’t either taking place or being planned. This could be a visit from the Mercy Centre students, a trip to the artifi-cial reef installed in Pattaya by the Marine Conservation Group, an Amnesty Campaign or a Rowathon in the Sec-ondary Lounge. One of the really impressive develop-ments over recent years is the increase in numbers of younger Secondary students actively taking part in these groups and in some cases even holding executive positions on their boards. Below is a list of each of the 12 current CAT Clubs, almost all of whom had stalls at Fun Day. For more information, click here. Please en-courage your children to join them and I know that they’d love to have an input from you as parents too.

One particular group was highlighted this week when they held a well-attended TED Talk event in the Confer-ence Centre. I’ve asked Let's Erase the Stigma (LETS) Club President Holly Dejsupa, who founded the group a year ago, to explain who they are and what they aimed to do this week:

“The Let's Erase the Stigma (LETS) Club aims to erase

the social shame and inferior connotation surrounding mental health issues, such as schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. In addition, we touch upon the consequences that regularly result from mental illness-es, like self-harm, eating disorders (e.g. bulimia, anorex-ia) and suicide. Our goal is to help erase the fear of seeking help if you have a mental health issue, whether it be to a friend, a teacher, a counsellor or your parents. We do this by educating peers on these various mental health issues as well as the stigmas that are attached to them; however, even just by attending the meetings, I wish for members to feel a sense of purpose by cam-paigning about issues to help others which, in the pro-cess, can help themselves. We want to provide a kinder and more inclusive atmosphere around the school, as well as within the Thai community, where those with mental health issues feel less ashamed and will openly ask for help.

Last year, we held a very successful LETS Event: TED Talk revolving around individuality - this year, we held LETS Event II: TED Talk, with the theme of inclusivity. We had baked goods supplied by the inspiring Hand2Heart organisation who help raise awareness surrounding HIV/AIDS in Thailand. The speaker list was: Holly Dejsu-pa, Cheyenne De La Fuente, Sarah Lim, Eugene Grimaud and Priyansh Lunia, Jenny Tarin and Liam Coutts; in ad-dition, we had Lauren Morling perform a musical act in-between. We owe the success to the wonderful Mr Og-

den, Ms Jones, the housekeeping staff, the technicians, and everybody supporting us.

We believe inclusivity is where we celebrate not hav-ing to conform to the social norm to participate in a community, but rather, allowing all needs of diversity to be accepted so everybody has an equal opportunity to learn and live life. In this way, not only does inclusivity pertain to bullying, stigmatisation of mental health is-sues, or discrimination in general, but towards spread-ing love. This is why we chose inclusivity - put simply, everybody wants to be a part of something, but we wish to voice diversity is more powerful than conformity. We hope the LETS Event will continue its tradition in years to come when we leave - the power of voice is an incredi-ble one I wish to share.”

The quality of the speeches and absolute empathy and sincerity expressed in them was really something to behold. We are very lucky to have students such as these to exemplify the values that we cherish as a school.

Have a wonderful half-term break and good luck to our Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award students and teachers led by Ms Kirsten Bennett, who will com-plete their Gold adventurous journey in New Zealand over the holiday.

Mick Smith, Principal, Secondary School

O n Friday 5th February, the Patana Marine Conservation Group (PMCG) held a stall for Fin Free Friday. The purpose of the day was to inform the

Bangkok Patana School community about the danger of shark finning and the importance of sharks in the coral reef ecosystem.

The PMCG wanted to shed light on the cruelty of the shark finning industry. Most fishermen cut off the fin and throw the shark back into the ocean, meaning that the shark sinks to the bottom of the ocean and dies. At the stall, we had a shark origami making station and a pledge signing station. Students were able to educate themselves about shark finning, and decide to sign a pledge to not eat shark fin soup, to refuse to dine at places that serve shark fin and to inform friends and family about the health risks and environmental concerns of shark fin. Please don’t support shark fin eating establishments!

By Sara Markkanen, 12J

“If you believe in something, you must not just think or talk or write, but must act.” - Alec Peterson

L ast weekend, I was a part of a group of 12 Year 12 and Year 13 students who travelled to Petchaburi to volunteer

at the Wildlife Friends of Thai-land Centre (WFFT). WFFT is a non-profit organisation that res-cues and rehabilitates disabled and previously abused animals, with the ultimate goal of putting them back in the wild.

Work began promptly at 6.30am (as experienced IB stu-dents, we weren’t intimidated by this at all!). We were split into four groups: Primates 1, Primates 2, Bears 1 and Other Wildlife.

WFFT houses three main spe-cies of primate: gibbons, macaques and langurs. Working with the primates involved preparing over 150 food bowls, twice a day, consisting mainly of fruits and vegetables. Water buckets were filled and enclosures were also cleaned. Witnessing the

primates elegantly swinging about their enclosures made us realize how much these animals belonged in the wild. It was such a shame that they were previously kept as pets and lost their wild instincts and behav-iour. Those working with bears en-countered two species: the Ma-layan sun bear and the Asiatic black bear. In order to instil the natural foraging behaviour that bears have in the wild, we had to hide their food in very crea-

tive and obscure locations. Some students also had the oppor-tunity to scrub one of the bear pools. Bears at the WFFT Centre were previously ‘temple bears’ or even pets. Before being res-cued, many were previously fed items such as fizzy drinks and

human junk food - this may seem harmless, but a bear’s digestive system is not accus-tomed to such food and over time it has a devastating impact. Sadly, a Malayan sun bear at the centre has to get part of her jaw removed every year as a result.

Finally, working with ‘Other Wildlife’ involved working with pigs, tortoises, the cassowary, slow lorises and, well, other wildlife! Food bowls were made, enclosures were cleaned and enrichments were made for the slow lorises. These were little packets of papaya and banana wrapped in mango leaves, gracefully tied with a single strand of corn husk. It was quite the culinary sight to behold!

I have been on the trip before, but I was astounded yet again about how much of an issue animal abuse is. In Thailand, people make more money from the illegal animal trade than drug trafficking. Yet, no one has ever been arrested for the former. Animals are seen as livestock and not as wildlife, and this view is only fuelled by uneducated tourists and the public.

We NEED to make a change. Animals are an integral part of society, a fact that all the students and staff on the trip recog-

nised last weekend. Working at the centre was an eye-opening ex-perience and I could not have imag-ined spend-ing it any other way.

By Priyansh Lunia, 13B

O n Friday 12th February our new Science Centre was the venue for a CLEAPSS workshop for Chemistry teachers

from the region; “A Discussion on Chemicals Used in Schools and a Practical Workshop - Bangkok Chemistry Teachers meet Uncle Bob”. CLEAPSS is a UK organisation, to which Bangkok Patana School subscribes, that provides detailed guidance to member schools regarding the safe teaching of the science.

Bob Worley is the Chemistry Advisor at CLEAPSS and he has a wealth of knowledge regarding the safe use of chemicals in schools, which he presented to the workshop participants. Bob’s real passion though is for Microscale Chemistry and the nearly 40 teachers who attended were lucky enough to learn at the feet of a true expert in this field. Bob had also invited another world leader in the field of Microscale Chemistry, Professor Supawan Tantayanon, from the Department of Chemistry at Chulalongkorn University, to present at the workshop. Professor Supawan is a past president of the Chemical Society of Thailand, a past president of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies

and she is the inventor of the Small Lab Kit II, which has brought practical chemistry to many schools throughout Thailand that previously could not perform experimental work.

The event was a great opportunity for all of our Chemistry teachers to refresh their skills and also learn some new ones. In a field as dynamic as Chemistry there will always be new knowledge and new techniques to keep up with and that’s why it’s important that our teachers demonstrate the attributes of being life-long learners that we hope we instil in all of our stu-dents.

By Matt Baker, Head of Faculty, Science

College Representative Location Date Time

Hogeschool Rotterdam - Rotterdam University - Nuffic Neso Thailand, Dutch Embassy 23.02.16 18:00

Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 01.03.16 12:15

University of Groningen - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 02.03.16 12:15

St. John’s College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Thammasart Univeristy Ms. Charutat Chandrasurin Senior Studies, 1st floor 04.03.16 12:15

Beloit College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Centre College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Clark University - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Earlham College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

The Evergreen State College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Goucher College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Hendrix College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Indiana University at Bloomington - Senior Studies 04.03.16 12:15

Juniata College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

McDaniel College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Millsaps College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

University of Puget Sound - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Purdue University Bryant Priester Senior Studies 04.03.16 12:15

Rutgers University-New Brunswick - Senior Studies 04.03.16 12:15

Saint Mary's College of California - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Wabash College - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

Willamette University - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

The College of Wooster - Senior Studies, 2nd floor 04.03.16 12:15

T he second major House Event of the year took place on Thursday 18th February, namely the House Quiz. Stu-dents competed for their House in one of four quizzes.

The Conference Centre saw students gathered in teams of 14 students from across the Year groups to tackle (unlucky for some!) 13 General Knowledge rounds. They faced rounds ranging from “the human body” to “4 letters ending in O”. Whilst in another part of the multipurpose Conference Centre, Current and World Affairs questions were on the menu. Meanwhile in the Theatre our Scientists and Technology students gathered to battle it out leaving our Art and Culture students picking their brains in the Black Box. This year we made use of mini whiteboards so that all Houses had a go at answering all of the questions.

All students performed very well and the number of correct answers given was impressive. A special well done goes to Chang House Team 3, Samui House Team 2, Phuket House Team 2 and Lanta House Team 1 for scoring the most points for their respective Houses in the General Knowledge quiz. A sample of some of the questions that they were asked by the Year 12 and Year 13 student MCs is given below. I invite you to have a go and see how well you would have done!

By Helen Thew, Assistant Principal Student Welfare

1. Which of the following has the greatest number of chromosomes?

a Cat

b Human

c Fruit Fly

d Mulberry bush

2. Which athlete has won the London marathon six times?

a Paula Radcliffe

b Mo Farah

c David Weir

d Brendon Foster

3. What is Gangsta Granny’s grand-son’s secret passion?

a Ballroom dancing

b Plumbing

c Wrestling

d Welding

4. What is Verlan? a A synthetic fibre

b A type of poem

c A dialect of French

d A type of French slang

5. What is the capital city of Canada? a Montreal

b Quebec

c Toronto

d Ottawa

6. It is the anniversary of a famous playwright’s death this year – whose is it?

a William Shakespeare

b Arthur Miller

c George Bernard Shaw

d Samuel Beckett

7. How many bones does an adult have?

a 166

b 186

c 206

d 300

8. How many statues of Thai kings are there at Ra-ja-bhak-ti Park, Hua Hin?

a 5

b 6

c 9

d 11

Once all the questions were asked and answered and the points all added together, it was a splendid win for Lanta House.

I would just like to say thank you to all the faculties that submitted questions and to all the House Leaders who sorted out the team lists. Our next major House Event takes place on the 22nd March, the Key Stage 3 House Swimming Gala. Keep watching this space to see how your House does.

Position House House Points

1st Lanta 200

2nd Phuket 150

3rd Samui 100

4th Chang 50

ANSWERS: Q1D, Q2C, Q3B, Q4D, Q5D, Q6A, Q7C,Q8B

THE ROAR

www.facebook.com/bpssports

Produced by the Athletics Council

Alex Year: 11

What is Win’s favourite

colour? Blue

Win’s answer: Green

What is Win’s favourite food? Pizza

Win’s answer: Sushi

What is Win’s favourite sport?

Volleyball Win’s answer: Volleyball

What makes Win a good

teammate? He is always calm, no matter

what situation he is in.

Win Year: 13

What is Alex’s favourite

colour? Pink

Alex’s answer: Red

What is Alex’s favourite food?

Fried chicken Alex’s answer: BLT sandwich

What is Alex’s favourite

sport? Chess

Alex’s answer: Badminton

What makes Alex a good teammate?

He is good at badminton.

Fixtures after half term

TigerShark bootcamp over the half

term break

Tuesday 1st March

Volleyball U15 Boys’ HOME v ICS

Volleyball U15 Girls’ Away v CIS

Wednesday 2nd March

Badminton U17 Boys’ Away v RIS

Badminton U17 Girls’ Away v RIS

Softball U17 Boys’ Away v RIS

Softball U17 Girls’ Away v RIS

Thursday 3rd March

Softball U15 Boys’ HOME v RIS

Tennis U15 Boys’ HOME v RIS

Tennis U15 Girls’ HOME v RIS

Volleyball U15 Boys’ HOME v RIS

Volleyball U15 Girls’ Away v RIS

Volleyball U13 Boys’ HOME v RIS

Volleyball U13 Girls’ Away v RIS

Friday 4th March

SEASAC Swim @ GIS KL

BISAC Athletics U19 @ ISB

Saturday 5th March

SEASAC Swim @ GIS KL

BISAC Athletics U11 U13 U15 @ ISB

Tennis U15 Girls’ BPS invitational

Sunday 6th March

SEASAC Swim @ GIS KL

Tennis U15 Boys’ BPS invitational

SEASAC SWIM @

GIS KL

13 DAYS TO GO

GOOD LUCK TO ALL

OUR TIGERSHARKS

D ear Bangkok Patana Families, Contributors, Sponsors, Guests, Staff, Teachers and Volunteers! It is my pleasure to welcome you, on this fun-filled and exciting day. This event marks the celebration

of the richness and diversity of the Bangkok Patana community. The aim of this event is to come together, meet other parents and see children having fun together.

The support from sponsors and contributors is overwhelming! We thank you so much for the generosity you have shown towards the Bangkok Patana Family!

The organisation and coordination of this event is a mutual endeavour between the Parent Teacher Group (PTG) and the school, and without this teamwork and support from so many it would have been an impossi-ble task. And we had fun doing it!

We could not make this event successful and safe without the help of numerous volunteers, including staff, teachers and students. The Thai PTG have been our invaluable partners in planning, organising and ex-ecuting this event. To all of our wonderful friends and supporters of the PTG, a big thank you!

I would like to make special mention of the Fun Day team, whose commitment, enthusiasm and hard work have made it a pleasure to be part of this special event!

Daphne Seiler – Fun Day Coordinator

We had some fabulous raffle prizes this year! To see if you have won, check out the list of prize winners by clicking here. Prizes can be claimed from the Reception Desk at the Front of School. All prizes must be claimed by Friday 11th March 2016.

W e would like to introduce and

welcome our new Transport Manager, Khun Kamonchanok Saiyasuith (Bob). Khun Bob started work on Monday 15th Feb-ruary and we welcome him to the Bangkok Patana School community. Khun Bob can be contacted via email kasa@patana.ac.th or via the Transport Office.

We would like to wish all our Transport us-ers a wonderful half term break and we look forward to welcoming you back on Monday 29th February.

The Transport Office is staffed from 6.00am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday and can be con-tacted by calling 02 744 2470 or emailing transport@patana.ac.th

By Genevieve Ahl, Services Manager

Tickets available now at Neilson Hays Library.

Library non-members 250THB/ticket Library members 200THB/ticket

12th March 2016 3:00pm to 5:00pm 13th March 2016 3:00pm to 5:00pm 19th March 2016 3:00pm to 5:00pm 20th March 2016 3:00pm to 5:00pm

To book tickets:

Call: 02-233 1731 Email: neilson.library@gmail.com

C ongratulations to our Varsity teams who

participated in the NIST Friendship Tour-

nament last weekend.

Badminton Boys’ Champions

Badminton Girls’ 3rd Place

Softball Boys’ 2nd Place

Softball Girls’ 2nd Place

It was a great start to the season. Well done.

Anapana (Mindfulness of Breathing) teaches children improved concentration skills and enhances calmness of the mind.

This technique helps to relieve anxiety and is very useful at exam time to calm those nerves, but also for every day life.

The next Anapana Meditation course will be given on Sunday 6th March for children aged between 8 - 16 years.

The course is completely free!

To enrol or for further information, please contact Eva Sophon-panich at

evasophon@hotmail.com

Interested in reading a little more? Click on the link: http://www.children.dhamma.org/en/children/about-meditation.shtml

The weekly canteen menu is available here.

Please check the calendar on the Parents’ Gateway, Student pages and Staff Centre

for up-to-date information on school events.

Visit www.patana.ac.th and click on the relevant icon to log in