Friday 25 November 2011

14: Friday 25th November 2011

From the Headmaster

Board of the Parents Association
The Parents Association had the annual general meeting on Thursday 17th of November and a new board has been elected. I speak for all our community in thanking the outgoing Board for their contribution to the well-being of our community. We look forward to continuing the excellent relationship that we have had with the Parents Association and in continuing to work so well with them.

The Parents Association Board consists of:

Manuel Alexander Portillo: President
Gerardo Funes Durán: Vicepresident
José Luis Molins: Treasurer
Beatriz Eugenia Alvarenga de Miguel: Secretary
Carlos Guerrero: First Director
Edgar Avilés: Second Director
Gracia de McCormack: Director (General Coordinator of Madres Enlace &
Secondary)
Claudia Saca de Gallegos: Director (Upper Primary Coordinator)
Patty de Lima: Director (Lower Primary Coordinator)

Any comment or request for information can be made to the Parents Association secretary: apf@abc-net.edu.sv

ABC Artists Exhibiting their Sculptures
Congratulations to eight IB Visual Arts students who have exhibited at the Liceo Frances’ Sculpture Exhibition. Their work made an big impact at this professional artists’ exhibition, and they were awarded a Special Mention by the judges. An excellent achievement!

Well done to Celina Milla, Paola Soundy, Paola Garcia, Alejandra Garcia, Alejandra Burke, Maria Emilia Naranjo, Fatima Safie and Eugenia Ochoa.

Primary News

Monday Assembly
This week we enjoyed a lovely comedy called, "Columbus, a trip at any cost", interpreted by the children in 2nd Quijano. We thank the children for their effort and dedication and the parents for their support.


Dreaming of Disney
Thank you very much to all involved in this year’s Primary production Dreaming of Disney. The children and the staff worked very hard to bring this performance together and it was much enjoyed by parents and friends as well as by the performers themselves.


1st Grade exit point
First Grade had a blast last Friday at Benihanas. It was amazing to see how fast the chefs prepared and cooked the food in front of us. Children were engaged as they were invited to have a go themselves at tossing an egg and catching it on the palette knife. We were advised not to try the fire volcano at home which we were amazed by. What a finale to our IPC unit on Food "We are what we eat".





Footprints from the past - Entry point
The 2nd Grade children had a Jurassic experience last Friday! The second grade corridor was turned into a jungle and the children discovered some fossils in the sandpit. Our young palaeontologists also watched a movie where they learnt how dinosaurs became extinct. It was lots of fun! All the children in the Primary section of the school enjoyed going back in time as they visited our jungle and fossils site.


2nd Grade Trip to Turtle conservation project
As a part of their work on their current topic the staff and children of 2nd Grade are off to San Diego beach today to visit the turtle conservation project, release some of the newly hatched turtles into the sea and to help our local environment by clearing some of the litter from a section of the beach.

Mission to Mars - Entry point
Our Entry Point for Mission Mars was to get the children to imagine that they were space cadets who would be embarking on ‘astronaut training’. As the children’s commanders, we welcomed them to the Space Academy and discussed with the children the qualities and skills that we expected to see in the ‘astronauts’.

We worked with the specialist PE teacher to come up with a range of physical activities for the children to undertake. In total, we had ten different physical activities for the children to do. Each activity was designed to test specific skills, including agility, strength, balance, stamina and hand-eye coordination. The year group was then split into ten teams and each team took turns to have a go at doing each activity. The Entry Point made it clear to the children that if they wanted to go to Mars, they would need to work effectively as a team to complete the various challenges that had been laid out. The Entry Point ended with the instructors praising the efforts of the children and accepting them as ‘recruits’ at the IPC Space Academy.


2nd Padilla assembly
The children from 2nd Padilla presented an assembly this week telling us what they have discovered already from their work on Dinosaurs. The assembly was based on an adventure story which the children have been reading about two children who were magically transported back in time to when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. The Grade 2 children shared their knowledge with us confidently and with enjoyment.

Prepa Lima assembly
Thank you to the teaching staff and children of Prepa Lima for their assembly this morning in which, disguised as news broadcast from ABC news, the children shared their knowledge about countries in Asia which they have been finding out about. The children spoke up very confidently and clearly. Well done everyone!


Prepa Exit Point - Who am I?
Parents of children in all of the Prepa classes were invited in to classrooms this morning to spend a short amount of time working with their children and consolidating the learning which they have been involved in this term. We are very pleased to have been able to involve parents in a number of Primary activities this term.

3rd Grade Camping
The third grade camping trip takes place this weekend. I am sure that all the children will have a great time and enjoy the activities which have been organised for them. Watch out for photos in next week’s newsletter.

Christmas Tour
The Upper Primary choir will begin their annual Christmas tour of local shopping malls on Friday 2nd December. The children will be singing a medley of Christmas songs at Galerias at 6pm. All parents and friends are welcome to come along to support the choir.

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
Friday 9th December: Reports sent home
Wednesday 14th December: Christmas Shows
Friday 16th December: School breaks for Christmas holidays
Monday 9th January 2012: School reopens and back to classes

Upper Primary
Wednesday 30th November: CAL 1 Achievement Ceremony 2nd and 3rd grade 10.00am – 10.40am PAC
Wednesday 30th November: CAL 1 Achievement Ceremony 4th and 5th grade 12.00am – 12.40am PAC
Thursday 1st - Friday 9th December: UP Choir Christmas Tour.
Wednesday 7th December: 3rd Guzmán Assembly. 10:00 - 10:40am in the PAC
Thursday 8th December: Carols by Candleight. 6:30 - 7:30pm in the PAC
Friday 9th December: Founder’s Cup
Monday 12th - Friday 16th December: Festival Week
Wednesday 14th December: Christmas Fair. 3:30 - 6:30pm.
Friday 16th December: Last day of Term. Students will go home at 11:30am

Secondary News

Parent Partnership Meeting
We have a very important meeting with parents of all grades on Tuesday to discuss issues relating to adolescents and how to ensure they grow up safely. On Tuesday we will be discussing smoking, alcohol and drugs with the help of Adriano Bolaños who works with our students on these issues.

British Quiz
We have sent the Secondary British Fortnight Quiz to all students and we are encouraging students and families to work together to answer the questions. One submission is allowed per family. Answers can be sent directly by email to Roxana or Marielos or handed in on paper to the offices. We will be announcing the winner on Monday 5th December and the winning family will receive an official London Olympics 2012 mascot!

Cal 1 Reports
These will be going home next Friday for Secondary students in Grades 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11. These reports and the CUM count towards 25% of the final CUM for the year. We need you and your son or daughter to discuss their report carefully and ideas for improvements. There will be parent teacher meetings for most grades soon after school reopens next term to discuss Cal 2 progress.

Last week of term
On Monday 12th December we will be holding a Parent Teacher Meeting for Grade 10 and 12 students to hand out reports and discuss mock preparations.

On Thursday 15th December we have Award assemblies at the following times:
7.00 Grade 6
7.45 Grade 9/10
8.30 Grade 11/12
9.15 Grade 7/8

Please note that school closes at 12 noon on Friday 16th December.

IGCA Campaign
Our IGCA group in school has asked all Secondary students to help with our 3R campaign. The campaign is to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and the video they have made is on Youtube so you can watch it.


They are asking that all the school community tries to recycle as many cans, glass and plastic bottles and paper as possible. Please send these items into school so that we can recycle them through our school recycling programme. Thank you for your support.

Student Council
The Student Council Presidents for Grade 6, 7 and 8 received their badges in our assembly yesterday. They are Diego Behrens, Carlos Velásquez and María Fernanda Hernández. We expect them to do a good job in representing the views of their grades in the Student Council

Peace One Day
As you may be aware we have been supporting the goals of Peace One Day for many years and last week some members of our Student Council had the opportunity to talk to the founder of Peace One Day through Skype. His name is Jeremy Gilley and he asked for our help in spreading the message of Peace One Day to other schools and other young people in El Salvador in preparation for the next Peace One day in September 2012.

Dates for your diary
Tuesday 29th November: Parent Partnership Meeting 6.30 pm PAC for parents of all grades
Friday 2nd December: Cal 1 Reports issued for Grades 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11
Monday 12th December: Cal 1 Reports issued for Grade 10 and Grade 12 at Parent Teacher Meeting in PAC at 5.30 pm- 7.30 pm
Thursday 15th December: Award events for Grades 6-8 and 9-12
Friday 16th December: School breaks up for Christmas holidays. School closes at 12 noon.
Monday 9th January 2012: School reopens and starts at 7am

Monday 21 November 2011

13: Monday 21st November 2011

From the Headmaster

Well attended Guy Fawkes Event a great success!
Thank you to all the different organising teams for providing an excellent Guy Fawkes Event. There was something for everyone from the scariest Spooky Cellar, through an excellent bazaar, to music, dance and excellent food - topped off with the bonfire and a wonderful fireworks display.

Although fun was an important goal, the event also has the following objectives:
• to enjoy a community social event,
• to raise funds for the Burns Unit of Hospital Bloom,
• to provide a venue for the CAS market,
• to celebrate a British tradition,
• to provide a showcase for school performance talent,
• to have students learn about the safe use of fireworks (sparklers),
• to enjoy a professional fireworks display, bonfire.

Dreaming of Disney
The Upper Primary production is on this week - please see the Primary News section for important ticket information - obtain your tickets beforehand since we have a maximum capacity which we will not exceed.

Primary News

2nd Grade IPC Exit Point
On Friday November 11th children in second grade had their exit point activity for the IPC lesson “Different Places, Similar Lives”. The exit point was on the theme of Remembrance in countries around the world. The children had the opportunity to teach and guide their parents in a project related to the Japanese Obon Festival. Parents and children made a Japanese paper lantern. Later on we all went to the big swimming pool where we took the opportunity to honour and remember people who had passed away by releasing their lanterns in the pool. It was a very special and thoughtful occasion.

Second Graders, parents and teacher had a great time!


Student Council Assembly
Mr Fastiggi and the Primary Student Council have really worked hard this year as class representatives and have consulted the children throughout Upper Primary over a number of issues. Children reported to the Student Council that there was not enough equipment for them to play with at break times. In response to this Mr Fastiggi and members of the Student Council took money from the Primary budget and went shopping. They returned to school with lots of equipment such as skipping ropes, toys for the sand box, soft balls etc. They have also organised for a variety of games to be painted on the corridor. On Monday the Student Council presented an assembly to the children in UP telling them about the equipment and how and when it should be used.

The children have had lots of help from Mr Fastiggi and also from the Secondary Student Council and, in the future, Primary and Secondary Student Councils will be working together. There will be a rotation system, whereby a different Secondary Student Councillor each week will come to the Primary meetings to ensure that the Primary children’s voice is heard alongside that of their secondary colleagues.

Prepa Curriculum Night
Parents of children in the Prepa classes attended their curriculum night this week and it was certainly very different! An alien (sometimes known as Miss Pashley) guided parents through a variety of tasks in English and Spanish reading, writing and number work so that they could see how the children in school learn and how parents can help their children at home with these activities. It was a very spectacular and memorable evening. Thank you to the staff for the time taken over the preparation of this presentation, I know it was enjoyed and appreciated by parents.

A reading workshop for Primary parents will be held in term 2.

LSU assembly
Staff from the LSU, and some of their friends, presented an assembly this week to our UP classes on being strong enough to say “No” when you feel that something that other children are involved in is wrong. It was a good message and I feel sure that the children were able to relate well to the role plays which were performed.


4th Hernandez assembly
The children of 4th Hernandez presented an assembly this week on eating healthily. This is definitely a major theme both in assemblies and in school this year and it is having an effect! Thank you to the teaching staff and children of 4th Hernandez for reminding us of the importance of eating well if we want to have a long and healthy life.


Prepa Castro assembly
Well done and thank you to the children and staff of Prepa Castro for their lovely assembly this morning based on the story from China called Tikki Tikki Tembo. The children spoke and sang clearly and confidently. A great start to a Friday morning.


Guy Fawkes Night
All children in Primary have been talking about firework safety with their teachers this week and the older children have also been learning about the story of Guy Fawkes. Ask them what they know!

Dreaming of Disney
The Upper Primary production of Dreaming of Disney will be performed in the PAC on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th November from 7.00 - 8.30pm. The children and teachers have been working on this since the beginning of this term and it promises to be a wonderful performance. Tickets are on sale in the UP and LP offices - $5 per adult and $3 per child. Please be aware that ticket numbers are limited for health and safety reasons and that once the tickets are sold there will be no more printed.

Parties after school
The school guidelines state that staff in Primary will not allow children to go home after school with someone other than the parent or driver, without the parents’ consent. If you are having a party, or your child is attending a party, after school and will be collected by someone other than yourself please let Claudia Aviles know so that we know that all of your children are safely accounted for.

Congratulations Alejandro Apóstolo
Congratulations to Alejandro Apóstolo for obtaining the title of subchampion playing doubles during the CONTECA tennis tournament, which took place our country and gathered participants from Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador.


School for parents
We had our second school for parents on Wednesday. It was a well-attended event and parents really enjoyed it. We will be hosting our next session in March 2012.

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
Wednesday 23rd & Thursday 24th November: Primary Production - Dreaming of Disney, 7:00 - 8:30pm in the PAC
Friday 25th November: Prepa Lima Assembly, 7.20am PAC
Friday 9th December: Reports sent home
Wednesday 14th December: Christmas Shows
Friday 16th December: School breaks for Christmas holidays
Monday 9th January 2012: School reopens and back to classes

Upper Primary
Wednesday 23rd November: 2nd Padilla Assembly, 10:00 - 10:40am in the PAC
Wednesday 23rd & Thursday 24th November: Primary Production - Dreaming of Disney, 7:00 - 8:30pm in the PAC
Friday 25th - Saturday 26th November: 3rd Grade Camping, Friday 3:00pm - Saturday 10:00am
Wednesday 30th November: CAL 1 Achievement Ceremony 2nd and 3rd Grade, 10:00 - 10:40am in the PAC
Wednesday 30th November: CAL 1 Achievement Ceremony 4th and 5th Grade, 12:00 - 12:40pm in the PAC

Secondary News

Guy Fawkes and British week
We want to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in the Guy Fawkes event on Friday including the musicians and singers but also to the Student council for the effort they put into the Spooky Cellar where money was raised for the Hospital Bloom.

British Week Quiz
We will be completing British week with a quiz which we will be sending home on Wednesday for parents and students to complete together and return to school by Monday 28th November. There will be a British prize for the winners!

IGCA Group
Our Global Citizenship group are celebrating November as “Recycling Awareness” Month in which many activities will take place and we would like all staff, students and parents to get involved in promoting recycling awareness at school and at home.
Some of the activities that will take place are the following:

Trashion Show and Sculpture Competition
Students can bring a product to school on Monday the 21st November made only from recycled items and it will be entered in the Trashion Show. They can also make a sculpture from recycled items for the Sculpture Competition.

Recycling competition
All Secondary school students are being asked to compete in a recycling competition to see who can bring in the most items for recycling and the winners will win a pizza lunch for their tutor group. We want this to include an effort from families at home to start recycling more items. We especially want cans, glass containers, plastic containers and newspaper.

Parents Partnership meeting - Internet safety
Thank you to all of you who attended this meeting. The Internet is a fantastic resource and makes so many things possible but as parents you also need to know how to ensure your children are safe on line.

Cal 1
Cal 1 is either closed or about to close for all year groups and reports will be sent home over the next few weeks. Please note we have parent teacher meetings next term and these are on the school calendar as well as in your Parent Guides which were sent out at the start of the year. We will arrange a meeting at the end of term if your son or daughter has a failing condition or if we are concerned about some aspect of their report. Otherwise we will expect you to discuss the report with your son or daughter’s teachers at the parent teacher meetings.

Mocks: Advance Warning
Please note that the Exam Cal for Grade 10 and 12 starts at the end of January 2012 and students should be starting to do some preparation for them!

Grade 10 Options
We are asking Grade 10 students to think seriously about their possible options for the IB Diploma and to think in particular about the Higher Level choices they might take. They should be discussing this with you as well as with their teachers. We are explaining how the options work and the importance of achieving good IGCSE grades in subjects they want to study at Higher Level.

Dates for your diary
Friday 2nd December: Cal 1 Reports issued for Grades 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11
Wednesday 14th December: Cal 1 Reports issued for Grade 10 and 12
Thursday 15th December: Award events for Grades 6-8 and 9-12
Friday 16th December: School breaks up for Christmas holidays
Monday 9th January 2012: School reopens and back to classes

Friday 11 November 2011

12: Friday 11th November 2011

From the Headmaster

Guy Fawkes Event
Our community is cordially invited to the annual Guy Fawkes Event on Friday evening, 18th of November. The invitation card will go home on Monday (together with cautionary information regarding Fireworks) - an invitation card is necessary for entry since this is a private function and not a public event.

We shall be able to enjoy our usual music and dance shows, the Student Council Spooky Cellar, the Beatles combo, the bonfire and fireworks. We shall also have the Christmas Fair in the Auditorium with plenty of tables of interesting things to look at and buy, and thanks to the Madres Enlaces we shall have delicious food and refreshments. Don’t miss it!


Auditorium floor resurfaced
The court area of the auditorium has been resurfaced. This special sports floor was first put in with funds from the Parents Association in 2005 and it was totally resurfaced last week. We have noticed a great reduction in the number and type of injuries whilst playing on this surface and the Parents Association have yet again helped ensure the safety and comfort of our students by paying for this improvement. The new line markings conform to the latest configuration as required by the sports federations.


Remembrance
At 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the guns fell silent in Europe at the end of the First World War. The event is recognised in Britain by the wearing of a paper poppy and ceremonies including a token silence at that exact time.
The poppy reminds us of the need for peaceful approaches and the terrible cost of war.
Funds generated from the sale of poppies go to the Poppy Fund (helping those harmed by war) and to recharge our CAS emergency disaster fund which we used up during the recent rain emergencies.


Knowledge Bowl
Congratulations to the victorious ABC Knowledge Bowl Team! They put in an unbeatable performance in this highly competitive knowledge quiz, winning against each of the teams from the other schools, and then beating the Maya School in the final. 

The team: Maria Emilia Naranjo Padilla, Hector Manuel Melara Espinoza, Marco Nedungadi, Ting-Che Lin, Andrés Mateo Leiva Marmol and their coach Jonathan Arnold.



One of the heads of the other schools wrote to say about our team: “...was pleased to see not only their excellent performance in the matches, but the courtesy and respect with which they conducted themselves during the event. You must be very proud of your students!” I most certainly am!



Telephone messages
Please note that the messaging system for the school’s telephones is not working. Until the new system is in place, the recorded message system will not be used. We are happy to receive messages by e-mail and directly at our offices and switchboard, of course.

Primary News

Prepa visit to the art gallery
To link to the art section of our IPC topic 'Who Am I?', Prepa visited the Marte museum in Zona Rosa before the half term break. It was a very interesting day where all classes were taken around parts of the museum with a guide to explore the artwork in more detail. The children were able to ask questions and discuss their feelings and opinions towards the pieces. There was also an outdoor workshop where the children could make their own sculptures from clay. They were shown different techniques they could use when working with this material.

The following Friday, Prepa had an 'Art Day' at school where they developed some of the techniques they learnt at the museum. They also found out about different sculptors and artists.

Intertribal Basketball competition
During the week of 24th – 28th October, the children from 1st to 5th grade participated in the Intertribal Basketball Competition. Results and photos can be found in our PE blog. You are welcome to visit it.

Kinder phonics workshop for parents
The workshops held for parents of children in our Kinder classes were very well attended this week. They have, we hope, helped parents to understand the importance of phonics teaching in Lower Primary and how this really helps their children to develop into fluent and independent readers.

We will be having more workshops for Primary parents in the second and third terms of this year. Please watch the newsletter and the school calendar for more information.


Kinder Music Assembly
For our last music assembly we only invited those Kinder children who had been studying about pulse and rhythm. We developed the assembly based on what they had learned in class, as the closing point of this stage.

For this presentation we invited a percussion musician form the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de El Salvador, his name is Victor Rosa, who only requested a drummer to do an activity with the children. Victor explained how to make different pulses and rhythms with the different instruments that make up a drummer. He also asked two groups of children to join him with rhythms and pulses in order to see if they had understood his explanation. He also interacted with the other children encouraging them to join him and follow the beat with their palms.

The assembly continued with a transverse flute piece, together with the drummer. They performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s piece called “A Little Serenade”.


And to end this activity, the children watched a video called “This Old Man”, and followed the beat using their palms.

Grade 5 UK trip - parents meeting
The team of teachers leading next year’s Grade 5 trip to the UK had their first meeting this week with parents and children going on the trip in June 2012. The audience was shown some photos and videos from previous trips and the draft itinerary for next year was discussed. Suddenly, it all seemed to become very real for those children selected to take part in this event.

Some people have already offered to sponsor the children’s shirts for the UK tour. Thank you very much for your generosity.

Kinder curriculum night
The Kinder curriculum night this week was very well attended by parents who learnt more about the school day in the Kinder classrooms where the emphasis is on a play based learning curriculum. The staff explained, with the help of some lovely photographs, videos and practical activities, how well structured and challenging play tasks encourage the children to be inquisitive, independent and enthusiastic learners who ask lots of questions and who are able to record their understanding in a variety of ways. Thank you to the Kinder teaching team for their hard work to get this event ready in what has been a very busy week.

Prepa Pashley Assembly
Thank to the children and teachers of Prepa Pashley who reminded us in their assembly today about the school’s vision of helping all of our pupils to become ROC’s - Responsible and Outstanding Citizens. Children in Lower Primary begin their journey towards this goal by working on the values of independence, curiosity, enthusiasm and respect. The children from Prepa Pashley were able to tell us about these values and what they mean.

Saturday School
Children in Grades 1 and 5 will be in school tomorrow morning (7 - 12noon) to catch up on some of the work missed during the school closure last month. Children in both grades should wear their PE kit (Grade 1 children also need their swimming kit) as they will spend some part of the day catching up with missing lessons from their PE curriculum as well as their normal, rigorous academic studies. Children will need to bring one snack for break time as they will be leaving school at noon.

Children in grades 2, 3 and 4 will be having their catch up lessons on Saturday 3rd November.

Prepa Curriculum Night
Prepa parents are invited to attend the Prepa curriculum night which will be held at 6.30pm on Monday (14th November) evening in the PAC. This event was postponed earlier in the term due to the school closure. We look forward to seeing you there.

Bonfire/Guy Fawkes Night
Our annual Bonfire and Fireworks event will take place next Friday, 18th November and we are looking forward to seeing as many of you there as possible. The evening starts at 5pm and will conclude at 10.00pm. In addition to the bonfire and fireworks there will be plenty to eat, a market selling Christmas gifts and entertainment will be provided by a variety of children and staff from our school community.

This week in Primary the children will all be discussing firework safety with their teachers and the older children will be finding out more about Guy Fawkes and the reason that Bonfire Night is celebrated in England.

A brief version of the story of Bonfire Night is below
After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.

A small group was led by Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists.

To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.

But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators.

Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.

Even for the period which was notoriously unstable, the Gunpowder Plot struck a very profound chord for the people of England. In fact, even today, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year, on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the Opening, and according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster. Nowadays, the Queen and Parliament still observe this tradition.

On the night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, on November 5th, 1605, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.

Lost and Found items
Parents are invited to browse through the Upper Primary Lost and Found items. These items are usually kept in a locked cage. The key can be requested from the Upper Primary Office, but every Friday all items are displayed out of the cage from 7.30am to 2.00pm. We encourage parents and students to come by and claim any personal items.

Upper Primary helping many Salvadoreans
Your child’s $2 contribution towards flood victims was able to buy the following items:
124 toilet paper packages
180 soap bars
125 tubes of toothpaste
120 packages of sanitary pads
200 Boxes of 5 disposable diapers size M
240 Boxes of 4 disposable diapers size L
Thank you to all the families who sent their donations. Upper Primary Tribal Chiefs were in charge of delivering these goods to FUSAL. Visit the Upper Primary News blog at http://abc-upnews.blogspot.com/ to see some photos taken while making.



Juice 2Day
Finally we have a logo! Many thanks to all the children that entered in this competition! The final design was made by joining together two designs by Mateo Castillo (2nd Mena) and Stephanie Safie (5th McCall). They will receive their prize in Monday’s assembly. This design will now be used as a symbol for the juice bar around the Primary school.


Please remember that juices are now sold on the last Wednesday of each month so the next day will be November 30th!

The next thing: We sell 3 juices: Orange and vanilla , Strawberry and Banana and honey. However, we need some names to make them sound more interesting! For example, Strawberry Sensation or Banana bee-hive. If you would like to take part, you have 2 weeks to give Mr Moore your ideas for each flavour! Best of luck!

School for Parents
Our next School for Parents will be on Wednesday 16th November at 7am and again at 6pm in the evening. The focus of this session will be on learning to control and channel anger so that children are brought up and nurtured in a calm and supportive home environment.

Dreaming of Disney 23rd and 24th November
Tickets for our UP production of Dreaming of Disney will be on sale in UP and LP offices from Tuesday 15th November. The cost of tickets is $5 per adult and $3 per child. Tickets are limited!

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
Monday 7th - Friday 18th November: British Fortnight
Saturday 12th November: 1st Grade make up day: 7am - 12pm
Monday 14th November: Prepa Curriculum Night, 6.30pm in the PAC
Friday 18th November: Guy Fawkes Night
Friday 9th December: Reports sent home
Wednesday 14th December: Christmas Shows
Friday 16th December: School breaks for Christmas holidays
Monday 9th January 2012: School reopens and back to classes

Upper Primary
Monday 7th - 14th November: British Fortnight
Saturday 12th November: Grade 5 Catch up day - all children in school 7am – 12pm
Friday 18th November: Guy Fawkes Event
Wednesday 16th November: 4th Hernández Assembly, 12:00 - 12:40pm in the PAC
Wednesday 23rd November: 2nd Padilla Assembly, 10:00 - 10:40am in the PAC
Wednesday 23rd & Thursday 24th November: Primary Production - Dreaming of Disney, 6:30 - 7:30pm in the PAC
Friday 25th - Saturday 26th November: 3rd Grade Camping, Friday 3:00pm - Saturday 10:00am
Wednesday 30th November: CAL 1 Achievement Ceremony 2nd and 3rd Grade, 10:00 - 10:40am in the PAC
Wednesday 30th November: CA 1 Achievement Ceremony 4th and 5th Grade, 12:00 - 12:40pm in the PAC

Secondary News

British Fortnight
We have been celebrating British events this week and will continue to do so next week. We will be holding a British Quiz for students and parents to share at the end of the fortnight.

IGCSE Certificates
Congratulations to all the students from the Class of 2013 who received their IGCSE certificates this morning. They are an example to the rest of the school in terms of showing what can be achieved.

Saturday School
A reminder that we have school this Saturday from 7am to 12 noon. Please ensure students are collected promptly at 12 noon. This is part of our plan for making up for the time we lost during the rains.

Parent Partnership Meeting on Internet Safety
All Secondary parents are invited to the parent Partnership Meeting in the PAC on Tuesday at 6.30 pm. This session will look at ways of helping to protect your children on line as well as tips for you as parents of children in this digital age.

ABC Students meet Jeremy Gilley of Peace One Day
Our Student Council representatives had the opportunity to talk to Jeremy Gilley of Peace One Day this morning. He talked to us about our own preparations for the Day of Truce in 2012 and how we can spread the message to other young people here.

Cal 1 reports
We will be issuing Cal 1 reports soon and we have parent teacher meetings soon after the start of Cal 2 so you will have the opportunity to talk to teachers about progress. Please remember we are sending the reports home rather than holding Parent Teacher meetings as we held these in the middle of the cal. You will need to send a signed copy back to school.

Dates for your diary
Saturday 12th November: School Open for lessons, 7am - 12pm
Tuesday 15th November: Parent Partnership Meeting - Internet Safety
Friday 18th November: Guy Fawkes Night
Friday 2nd December: Cal 1 Reports issued for Grades 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11
Wednesday 14th December: Cal 1 Reports issued for Grade 10 and 12
Thursday 15th December: Award events for Grades 6-8 and 9-12
Friday 16th December: School breaks up for Christmas holidays
Monday 9th January 2012: School reopens and back to classes