1 April 2023
A note from the Principal
Dear Parents
Welcome back to Term 3! It's great to see all our students return to school after the holidays, refreshed and ready to learn.
This week, we are happy to have to hosted Parent-Teacher Meetings across all year groups. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the successes of our fantastic students and for you to discuss their progress with their teachers. Many of these meetings have happened in person, but we are also delighted to continue offering meetings via MS Teams.
Term 3 is always a busy one for us, with a great many activities and events taking place. It is also a time when we start to plan for our new academic year, including resource orders, class allocations, and teacher placements. Next week, I will be sharing information on the, small number of, valued staff members who are leaving us this year. This will give you a chance to say a fond farewell!
On that note, do you know someone who might wish to join the Patana teaching team? We are always looking for qualified and experienced cover teachers, able to join us for short- and medium-term placements. If you know of someone who might be a good fit, please pass on my email contacts of samc@patana.ac.th.
We are all looking forward to an exciting and productive Term 3, filled with new learning opportunities, engaging activities, and meaningful experiences for all our students. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Sarah McCormack
Living our values: we are motivated and engaged
Important dates for your diary
| Event | Date | Location | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block D ECAs begin | Monday 24th April | BPS | Students |
| RSE Year 4 and 5 parents | Tuesday 25th April 8am | Primary Hall | Year 4 and 5 Parents |
| National Labour Day - Public Holiday | Monday 1st May - Academic Day | BPS | Students |
| Coronation Day of HM King Rama X - Public Holiday | Thursday 4th May - Academic Day | BPS | Students |
| Red, white and blue dress up day to celebrate King Charles's Coronation Day | Friday 5th May | BPS | Staff and students |
| Patana Solo Festival | 13th May | TBC | Students and families |
Well-being
Healthy Snacks in school
Recently, many of our students have been bringing sweets and soft drinks into school. To promote healthy eating choices, we have a policy of no sweets, chocolate or soft drinks such as Prime.
Your child is aware of this. Please discuss the importance of eating healthily throughout the day as high sugar levels can negatively impact memory and learning.
Here is some evidence:
Too much sugar can impede memory skills. Over-consumption of sugar has been proven in multiple studies to decrease memory span by literally “slowing down” the brain’s activity. Although a candy bar may be tempting during break time, some fruits or vegetables (or any healthy snack) will be far more beneficial to the learning process.
Sugar causes cravings. We love sugar because it activates our brain’s pleasure pathways. Sweet treats produce a reward response, and overconsumption can turn this into a cycle of endless cravings. There’s nothing wrong with having a sweet tooth, but keep in mind sugar is still a treat. Feeling hungry is a distracting feeling, especially for kids trying to complete their homework. A healthy snack will keep them satisfied far longer than a chocolate bar!
Too much can cause anxiety. Although the hyperactivity myth isn’t true, “sugar crashes” are a very real phenomenon. Consuming too much sugar causes our brains to constantly release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a large role in our moods and emotions. Too much can deplete these reserves, leading to feelings of anxiety and depression. Teenagers are already dealing with physical and hormonal changes as it is, and studies have shown that they are even more prone to these sugar-related crashes.
Sugar has a long-term effect on learning. A comprehensive study at UCLA showed that a diet high in high-fructose corn syrup literally slowed down the brains of rats. Because of the numerous effects sugar has on brain pathways and neurotransmitters, the scientists in the study concluded that sugar “over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information.”
Smart watches for Term 3 April 23 - Reminder
Starting from
Term 3, Primary students will be required to keep their smart watch in their
bag during the school day.
Please note, that the school takes no responsibility for loss or damage and only Year 6 have access to a secure locker.
Smart watches can be taken out of bags once a child exits the school gates at 2:30 or once their ECA has ended at 3:30 or 4:30.
Smart watches can be worn on school transport but should never be used to take or send images whilst on the bus.
Learning
RSE Parent Presentation
Tuesday 25th April – led by Miranda Cawley and Sarah Weaver
During Term 3, we introduce age appropriate RSE units as part of our Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum in Years 1 to 6.
These units help children develop an understanding of their own physical, social and emotional development, and encompass key values such as respect, kindness and consent.
Children do not wait for Term 3 to ask questions, and so you may find these suggestions for talking with your child helpful.
If you would like to hear more about our taught programme, please sign up to a presentation via the relevant link.
All presentations will start at 8 a.m. in the Primary Hall.
We will also pre-record the content and place on Year Group Blogs for those parents who are not able to attend.
Year 4 and Year 5 parents and carers RSVP (Y4, 5)
You may also find these suggestions for talking with your child helpful.
Bringing in Junk
For our next unit of learning, students will design a space buggy. Part of this process is experimenting with materials before crafting their design in our Design and Technology room.
To help with this, we ask that parents send in any of the following:
- cardboard
- milk bottle tops
- boxes
Thank you for your support.
PE - Year 5 curriculum
Class Blogs and home learning
Here is the link to the Year 5 blogs. You will find an overview of your child's learning along with their home learning tasks and any important messages from your child's class teacher.
Please check your child's class blog weekly to stay informed about their learning.
Please encourage your child to complete their home learning.
Global Citizenship
Events In The World
You can keep up to date with current events around the world by watching Newsround, an age appropriate news show. Being aware of current events will help your child to make connections with a range of themes when reading in class, and it is an ideal opportunity for you to model discussing your opinions and using experiences to draw connections between events and people.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
Birthdays
We are a NUT FREE school. Please when ordering birthday treats double check before bringing treats on the campus. Many toppings offered by some donut shops have flaked almonds in their toppings and peanut butter fillings.
- Individual treats can be brought into school with your child in the morning.
- Please agree a time with the teacher in advance.
- Children will be expected to eat any birthday treats outside of classrooms.
- Parents can join in the celebrations.
General Information
From the PTG
Temporary Guardianship Form - let us know if both parents are going away and leaving a student with a friend, nanny or a maid.
Important Contacts
| Department | Contact Number | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Office | 02 785 2258 | primary@patana.ac.th |
| Transport | 02 785 2470 | transport@patana.ac.th |
| Primary Nurse | 02 785 2478 02 785 5460 | nurse@patana.ac.th |
| ECAs | 02 785 2231 | eca@patana.ac.th |
| PTG | Year 5 PTG Rep is Sonia Sachdev ptgy5@patana.ac.th Primary Representative - Apollo Chansrichawlat ptgprimary@patana.ac.th | |
| Year Group Leaders | Leader of Learning and Welfare: Ms Miranda Cawley mica@patana.ac.th Leader of Learning and Curriculum: Ms Claire Myers clmy@patana.ac.th Assistant Leader of Learning: Ms Anna Caswell anca@patana.ac.th |