Friday 26 August 2011

2: Friday 26th August 2011


From the Headmaster

A very smooth start to the School Year:
Thank you to all who have helped make this a very smooth start. In particular, the early arrival to school has helped with traffic in the mornings and the measures to stagger the going home times has helped in the afternoon. Please take a moment to review the information below since there are new procedures in place.

Drop-off and pick-up of students and visiting the school:
please note this information (from the Information for Parents to be found online).

Safety:
The safety of all of our community is paramount and the rules and guidelines are written to try to ensure this. Vehicles must be registered and have a Car Pass sticker in order to enter the school premises.

Car Registration:
During the annual on-line registration process, parents enter information about the vehicles in which students will be taken to school. This information can be updated at any time.

Car Pass Stickers:
A decal/sticker is issued, on request, to parents and staff. This is obtained from either the Cashier (by the Front Desk) or Lower Primary for new Lower Primary parents only.
A form is completed which gives details of the number plate, car make and model, and type of vehicle.
On joining the school the first sticker is free, subsequent stickers are charged at $1 each. Please note that we operate a free exchange system - bring in your old sticker from the car you are disposing of and we shall give you a replacement free of charge, on the completion of the form with the new details.
Parents of children in Pre-Kinder, Kinder and Prepa are issued with a large plasticised pass. This is to enable them to enter via the main entrance before 13:30, at 12 noon, 12:30 or 13:00 accordingly.

Drop-off and Pick-up of Students:
  • ABC personnel, including Duty Staff, and School Prefects, are at work ensuring the safety of all. Their instructions must be followed and we always follow up any dangerous incident or abuse of staff.
  • All students must be dropped off or picked up at the appropriate location in the school. No student is to be dropped off or picked up outside of the school. A special pass for those who live close to the school is available on application, allowing the student and a named person to arrive or leave walking.
  • The ABC Values and Traits include the following, which we expect all our community to demonstrate and thus act as role models for their and other's children:
    • RESPONSIBLE
    • CONSIDERATE
    • RESPECTFUL

Entrances:
  • Principal Entrance (off Panamericana - marked P): open from 6:00, closed at 7am and opened only for PreKinder (12 noon), Kinder (12:30) and Prepa (13:00) pick-up, until the main pick-up time of 13:30; closed at 15:45.
  • Administration Entrance (off avenida 17 norte - marked A for entrance and B for exit): open from 6:00; parking for a limited number of cars from 7:00 to 13:00.
  • Ramp Entrance (off avenida 17 norte - marked R) for staff vehicles parking in the LRC basement and for "Car Full" - cars and buses with four or more ABC students being delivered; open 6:00 to 7:00 only.
  • Emergency Gates: used only when required at the direction of the staff controlling traffic.

Visiting the school during the school day:
  • Use ONLY the Administration Entrance for entry.
  • Appointments with teachers are notified by section secretaries so that a parking space can be reserved in the Administration Entrance area.
  • Visitors will need to show their ABC Identity Card or, for legitimate visits, a Visitor's Pass will be issued in exchange for official identification.
  • All visitors must report to the ABC Front Desk in the Administration Area. No visitors are allowed to go directly to other parts of the school.

Remember to follow the safe driving rules:
  • DRIVE WITH CARE
  • FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS OF STAFF AND PREFECTS
  • DO NOT CAUSE AN OBSTRUCTION WITH YOUR VEHICLE
  • REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OTHER DRIVERS
     

    Primary News

    ABC production 2011
    Auditions have already begun for this year’s ABC production which will take place on 23rd and 24th November. This promises to be another spectacular show, this year on a Disney theme and involving pupils from all areas of school. Please keep a date clear in your diary to come along to support our pupils on this occasion.

    Jubilee Library
    Parents of children in Lower Primary are welcome to come to the Jubilee Library at any time on a Friday to check out books to read with their children. The library is open from 6.30am until 3pm.

    UP Civic Month Initiation - September 1st
    Upper Primary will be having Civic Celebrations throughout the month of September. We will be singing the National Anthem each Monday morning and having short Civic Celebration Assemblies organized by our Spanish department!

    Grade 5 UK trip 2012
    Following a very successful trip this year with 36 children and 6 members of staff enjoying almost three weeks visiting England and Wales, we are already beginning to look ahead and start to plan our trip for 2012. Application forms, for pupils in Grade 5 who wish to take part in the trip in summer 2012, will be sent out early next week.

     
    Back to School Nights
    Back to school Nights will be held over the next two weeks for all Primary grades. Please make a note of the dates below. We are looking forward to seeing you.

    LP 1st Day of School
     
    UP 1st Day of School
     



    Dates for your diary

    Lower Primary
    Monday 29th August: Back to School Night Pre-Kinder and Kinder, 6:00pm PAC
    Wednesday 31st August: Back to School Night Prepa and 1st Grade, 6:00pm PAC
    Friday 2nd September: LP Spanish Assembly (no parents)
    Monday 29th August – Friday 2nd September: Lower Primary Sign Up Week for Extracurricular Activities

    Upper Primary
    Thursday 1st September: UP Civic Month Initiation
    Thursday 1st September: Back to School Night 2nd & 3rd Grade, 6.00pm
    Monday 5th September: Back to School Night 4th & 5th Grade, 6.00pm

    Secondary News   

    First Week
    There has been a very encouraging start to the school year and it has been good to witness the determination of many students to make the best of the new start the school year offers. Our new GCSE and IB classes have made good starts and I must remind you that on occasions IB classes are required to stay at school until 3 pm for life skills or careers guidance.

    Student Council President election took place today and we will be announcing the results on Monday. Thank you to Micaela Behrens and Eugenia Ochoa for organising the election and spreading the news about the important work of the School Council.

    Please note grades will continue to finish at 2:45 next week according to the following timetable:

    Grade 6 - PE on Monday and Prep on Wednesday
    Grade 7 - PE on Tuesday and Prep on Thursday
    Grade 8 - PE on Wednesday and Prep on Friday
    Grade 9 - PE on Thursday and Prep on Monday
    Grade 10 - PE on Friday and Prep on Tuesday

    Please make sure you are looking at the Class Blogs for your Grade.

    Dates for your diary
    Thursday 15th September: School Closed for Independence Day
    Friday 16th September: School Closed for INSET Day
    Monday 19th September: School Closed for INSET Day

    Friday 19 August 2011

    1: Friday 19th August 2011

    From the Headmaster


    Welcome back to school!
    It is great to have everyone back for a new school year - and glad to report the excellent spirit and enthusiasm that I observed amongst both students and staff.


    Going home arrangements - first two weeks
    From Monday 22nd August until Friday 2nd September, we will have staggered leaving times, with some grades having an extended day to help with traffic flow. These measures will only last for these two weeks until the Extra Curricular and Team Sports programmes start.


    Lower Primary: classes finish at normal times
    Pre-Kinder: 12 noon
    Kinder: 12:30
    Prepa: 13:00
    Grade 1: 13:30


    Upper Primary:
    Grades 2 and 3: 13:30
    Grades 4 and 5: 14:00
    Children in Grades 4 and 5:
    • who have siblings in the Secondary School who are on an extended day may stay in the Pass Club until their older siblings have completed their afternoon activities
    • who have siblings further down the school who will be leaving at 13:30 may leave with them at that time.
    Secondary:
    Grade 6: Monday and Wednesday only to 14:45
    Grade 7: Tuesday and Thursday only to 14:45
    Grade 8: Wednesday and Friday only to 14:45
    Grade 9: Monday and Thursday only to 14:45
    Grade 10: Tuesday and Friday only to 14:45


    Each grade will be either having and extended PE lesson (on the afternoon they have PE) or will do a supervised Prep session with their tutor on the other day.


    If you have any queries about these arrangements please contact either of the section offices.


    Primary News


    Welcome back to school
    It has been a very smooth beginning of term and it has been a pleasure to watch the children coming in to school looking so smart and with such enormous smiles. The school is alive again and we are all looking forward to a very happy and successful year.


    The end of day arrangements for the next two weeks (until extra curricula and team sports activities begin) have been sent out to all parents by email and by letter, we are very grateful to you for your cooperation in helping to make this time of the day as stress free as possible for everyone.


    The entrance and gate to the Main car park will, in future, be closed during the school day. If you need to visit school during the school day for any reason please use the Administrative entrance and car park and report to the secretary at the front desk and she will then direct you to Mrs Avilés, the Primary Secretary, in her new office next to Mrs Dickson.


    We are looking forward to seeing you at our Back to School Nights, please make a note of the dates and times below. If you have any concerns or questions about school please remember that we are very happy to meet with you at any time. Please phone Mrs Avilés or contact individuals via email and we will be delighted to arrange a time to see you.


    Dates for your diary


    Lower Primary
    Tuesday 23rd August: Lower Primary Assembly, 7:20am PAC
    Friday 26th August: Lower Primary Music Assembly, 7:20am PAC
    Monday 29th August: Back to School Night Pre-Kinder & Kinder, 6.00pm
    Wednesday 31st August: Back to School Night Prepa & 1st Grade, 6.00pm


    Upper Primary
    Monday: UP Monday Assemblies, 9:00am - 10:00am
    Monday 22nd to Friday 26th August: Sign Up Week for Extracurricular Activities - Upper Primary
    Thursday 1st September: Back to School Night 2nd & 3rd Grade, 6.00pm
    Monday 5th September: Back to School Night 4th & 5th Grade, 6.00pm


    Secondary News


    First Week
    School started with an assembly on Thursday where we stressed the idea of Being Considerate which is one of our ABC traits. We are all adamant that our students should be judged by the highest standards in terms of the respect they show for others and we ask for your help in reinforcing this message.


    Examination Results
    We were delighted with the achievements of the Class of 2011 at IB and the Class of 2013 at IGCSE. We had an IB Diploma pass rate of 87% and some very pleasing grades especially at the higher levels. I am pleased to report that most of the Class of 2013 achieved the five C’s or more in their IGCSE exams which they needed to start the IB programme in Grade 11. We were very sorry to say farewell to a small number of students who did not achieve the 5C’s at IGCSE.


    Fresh start......
    This is the ideal time for all our students to improve those areas of their work which have not been so successful and we hope to see many taking advantage of a fresh start with this new school year!


    Know Your School
    Please note these will include an opportunity to meet all of your son or daughter’s teachers and will be taking place between the end of September and the middle of October. In the meantime you will be receiving information on the new school year from Heads of Year.


    Dates for your diary
    Thursday 15th September: School Closed for Independence Day
    Friday 16th September: School Closed for INSET Day
    Monday 19th September: School Closed for INSET Day