Friday 27 March 2015

29: Friday 27th March 2015

From the Director 


I want to start this newsletter by wishing you all a very happy Semana Santa and hope that you and your family enjoy your time together. We look forward to seeing you all safely back at school on Monday 13th April. I would like to note that we will be opening the school shop to purchase school uniforms and items from 7 am to 3.30 pm from next term with a lunch break from 12 - 12.30. Our offices will be closed from Wednesday 1st to Friday 3rd April.

We are coming to the end of a long term and one I hope your son or daughter has enjoyed. I have seen so many happy children, happy events, successes and happy memories but my abiding memories of the term are the sad event in February which have cast a shadow over the school. On behalf of the whole school I want to thank the community for the way it has responded and pulled together and to thank all of you for helping in the healing process. I have been part of the school community for almost ten years and many times I have witnessed the community working together in this manner and I know that when we do so we make a real difference in the lives of our students. Of course there are times when things do not work out in school but it is important we work together supporting our students whose best interests must always be at the heart of what we do. 

We are constantly looking to support our children in school and you as parents and it is why we hope you will always find time to attend our Parent Partnership meetings. We have arranged for Dr. Guttfreund who is a respected psychologist for teenage related issues to run some sessions in school about teenage anxiety which may lead to depression and what we can do about it individually as well as as a community. If you want to attend these events which will take place on Tuesday 14th and Tuesday 21st April please can you sign up through this link.


Primary News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to those of you who came to our presentations by Sally Featherstone. I hope you enjoyed them as much as we did and have gained greater insight into how children learn. Sally is at the forefront of the best education practice in the world and we have been very honoured to have her here.

Our swimming Galas are now complete. I have been very impressed with the swimming prowess of many of our children. Living so near to the coast and with so many swimming pools it is very important that our children are the strongest swimmers they can be. We have noticed that one or two of the children who do not take part in lessons regularly are weaker in this aspect. Some children programmed to swim were absent. Please make sure your children attend all class swimming lessons and if they are struggling perhaps they could join an after school ‘extra’ until they have improved. Remember we don’t let children opt out of MAths if they find it hard we help them get better. It is the same for swimming.

The next two weeks are a holiday for all of us; a chance to recharge our batteries and be ready to work very hard again for the last term. Please read with your children over the holidays, asking them questions to make sure they have understood the vocabulary and the more subtle messages in some texts. Please also refer to the school values, model them and show you that you are an upstanding citizen so that your children can emulate you. Parents or the main carer are children’s first heroes that they copy.

Have a wonderful holiday and see you all soon.

Sharon Short
Head of Primary.

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary 
March
Friday 27th: Last day of term - break for Easter
Monday 30th March - Friday 10th April: Easter holiday
April
Monday 13th: Term 3 - first day back

Upper Primary
April
Monday 13th April first day back.

Secondary News

I hope you and your family have a restful and enjoyable Easter holiday. However, with external exams approaching soon, the next two weeks should be a time for Grade 10 and Grade 12 students to step up their revision. 

Parents and family members sometimes feel unable to help their child when they are preparing for examinations; you see the stress level rising, but feel that you can not do anything about it. 

Below are some practical ways that you can offer support to your child:
  1. Provide a good place for your child to study. Ideally it should be a quiet space with a comfortable temperature, good ventilation, good lighting and a desk or table. Most importantly the place where students revise should be free from distractions.
  2. Provide good, balanced meals.
  3. Encourage sensible levels of sleep and some form of regular exercise.
Less obvious, but perhaps of greater importance, are the things that you can do to provide a positive and understanding emotional environment: 
  • Be supportive and encouraging.
  • Appreciate that your child will be experiencing quite a high level of stress and that they might be over sensitive and prone to outbursts. 
  • Linked to the point above, try to avoid confrontations.
  • Encourage your child to strike a reasonable balance between work and leisure. 
  • Take an interest in what your child is doing. Ask them how they are. 
  • Finally, encourage confidence by reassuring them. A few kind supportive words can go a very long way.
Paraiso Down El Salvador
The t-shirt and jeans day for Paraiso Down El Salvador (an El Salvadorian charity that aims to inform, raise awareness of, and guide families/society on down’s syndrome) on Friday 20th March raised an incredible $2295 for the charity. Many thanks to the students and staff that supported the event. 

All the best,

Stephen Spicer
Head of Secondary

Secondary dates for your diary
Friday 27th March - Last day of Term 2
Monday 30th March to Friday 10th April - Easter break
Monday 13th April - First day back (Term 3)
Tuesday 14th April - Secondary School Parents’ Workshop 
Saturday 18th April - Grade 11 CAS Trip to ‘Corazón de Padre’, Quezaltepeque

1 comment:

  1. "...Encourage sensible levels of sleep..." that doesn't work if they have homework until one o'clock in the morning or longer.

    ReplyDelete