From the Director
This school year is already in full swing and the various aspects of the life of the school can be seen all around us. It may seem premature but we are already looking forward to the school year 2016/17 with parents already applying for places in Pre-Kinder next year. If you, a relative or a member of our wider community has a child who will become four years old in the academic year 2016/17 then you need to talk to Estefania Chacon about the application process. We only have a limited number of places. The link to Admissions is on our website. www.abc.edu.sv/admissions
I would like to reiterate my appeal at the Know Your School evenings that parents do not comment about other children, spread rumours or make accusations on Whatsapp or other social media. It is a very unfortunate situation when parents are making inappropriate comments about each other, other students or school. We are clear that as a community that works together we need to talk to each other honestly and openly and not spread gossip or hearsay.
It has been a great week in school but I particularly want to congratulate the U12 boys basketball team for their recent successes including a great performance last Friday evening, when they won the Juegos Estudantiles in Santa Tecla in an amazing, sporting event. Many parents attended the game and I was delighted with their support and behaviour. In my opinion supporters attend to support and cheer their own team but not to abuse or cheer the failing of the other team. Our supporters did this brilliantly and I am proud of our sporting attitude as a community. You can see a picture of the winning team with some of their supporters, including me, on the Newsblog. Sara Suster tells me this team has improved and developed so well over the last few years - so congratulations to everyone involved for producing a confident and successful team in line with our ABC values. Great leadership and great team players!
We have recently introduced early morning swimming at school for Grade 3 to Grade 12. You can see more details on the ABC Newsblog and we are hoping more children will come along and swim for up to an hour before school. It’s a great way to start the day and to get fit in line with the 100 days of sporting activity currently being promoted in school.
If you are interested in your son or daughter from Grade 7 to 11 participating in the Dale Carnegie leadership course which is being offered in school from next month at a subsidised rate then please contact Mrs. Caceres at school as soon as possible as spaces are limited.
In school at this time we are promoting our value of reflection and I would ask that you also do this at home. It means we try to think about things carefully, learning from mistakes but also working out how to do things differently in order to change things for the better. Reflection develops an attitude which leads to progress and development.
As you are probably aware the school has made a link with Save the Children to help our young people appreciate they can make a difference in our world. Save the Children is a child centred organisation which seeks to protect children’s lives and rights. This is in line with our school philosophy to promote the wellbeing and education of young people in an increasingly complicated world. Our link with Save the Children coincides with the opening of the UN Assembly in New York today to discuss the seventeen new Sustainable Development Goals which have recently been announced (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/summit). Save the Children are helping us prioritise how we as a community can help with some of these goals in our country. They are organising a big event at school called the race for survival in October to help focus on supporting post natal care and reducing the number of teenage pregnancies. Save the Children will be opening their campaign at a Press Conference at school next Wednesday.
My final reminder for this week is that we do offer breakfast at school from 6.30 am to help ensure children have breakfast before they start school.
Primary News
Dear Parents and Carers,
The week started well with all students from Pre-k to 4th grade running their socks off for the McLay fun run. Every students did their best and we were very proud of them. The money raised will be used to buy sports equipment for a local school. Unfortunately the 5th Grade run had to be cancelled due to the heavy rain making the ground unsafe to run on. We plan to reschedule 5th Grade as soon as possible.
Monday was also Peace One Day and the students had the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the day and to think about those affected by violence. As always our students responded very well and I have seen some beautiful poems and pictures expressing the students thoughts.
On Monday 28th September we are having our special Independence Day assembly in school. This is the culmination of a week of extra activities organised by our Spanish Team to help our students reflect on our local culture and our recent history, including preparing, cooking and eating corn and a very exciting story teller. The assembly will include traditional dancing and music and all students are invited to wear National Costume on that day. If you don’t have a traditional costume the students can wear blue and white instead, but please make sure all clothes are suitable for active school life - no beach wear or sports shorts or shirts.
From Ana Cabrera our Spanish team leader.
September is a very important month for El Salvador, and at the ABC we have been celebrating it. Children in Primary have been learning about our country. During this week we focused on learning about traditional games, typical food, national costumes and the history of our independence.
We’ve had a lot of fun playing like our parents and grandparents did a long time ago and now we know how much fun this is. We played jacks, yo-yo, hide the ring, Chanchabalancha, Doña Ana, La vibora de la mar and so many others games. On Tuesday we had a special visitor. His name was Chambita and he told us all about how El Salvador and other Central American countries became independent from Spain. We also learnt that corn is one of the main sources of food in El Salvador. We enjoyed making “Elotes Locos” and some grades made “Pupusas” as well.
On Monday 28th September we will have a special assembly. Children will march to the auditorium wearing white and blue or their national costume. We have also invited the band from Colegio Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer who will play for us and help us celebrate. It has been a very busy month, full of fun activities and I can say children have enjoyed their learning.
PLEASE NOTE that as from this Monday onwards Upper Primary students who have not been collected by 2.15 pm will be taken to Pass Club, unless they are happy with a responsible older sibling. Parents should then park sensibly and go to the Pass Club situated in the Jubilee Library to pick their children up.
On Tuesday it is the Pre-Kinder curriculum night. It is a chance for parents to understand more about child development and the curriculum and what they can expect from their children’s time in Pre-Kinder. Last year it was really informative so please make sure you do come along.
On Thursday 1st October Lower Primary are celebrating Children’s Day with an entertainer and a special note that their parents wrote earlier and sent into school for them. The children really appreciate this and it makes them very happy to hear how special they are to their family. Upper Primary will be having a non-uniform day where students are allowed to come into school in their own clothes. Please ensure your children are dressed suitably for school activities and are not wearing beachwear or beach shoes. Our Madres Enlace will be arranging some refreshments at lunchtime.
Please note upcoming assemblies and events below and don’t forget to check out the school calendar online.
Best wishes for a great week ahead.
Sharon Short
Head of Primary
Dates for your diary
Lower Primary
September
Tuesday 29th September: Pre-Kinder Curriculum Night 6:00pm PAC
October
Thursday 1st October Lower Primary celebrate children’s day.
Friday 2nd October: First Aguirre Assembly 7:30am PAC
Tuesday 6th October: Kinder Curriculum Night 6:00pm PAC
Thursday 8th October: Prepa Curriculum Night 6:00pm PAC
Friday 9th October: First Padilla Assembly 7:30am PAC
Tuesday 13th October: First Grade Curriculum Night 6:00pm PAC
Friday 16th October: Prepa Taylor Spanish Assembly 7:30am PAC
Friday 23rd October: First Sullivan Assembly 7:30am PAC
Friday 30th October: First Rivera Assembly 7:30am PAC
Upper Primary
September
Wednesday 30th September: 2nd Brooke class assembly
October
Thursday 1st: Children’s Day - Non-uniform day
Friday 2nd: 5th grade McLay Fun run, parque Bicentenario
Parent and Student conferences begin week beginning Monday 5th October
Wednesday 7th: 5th grade Spanish Assembly
Friday 9th: Primary extra-curricular classes 1st session finishes
Monday 12th: Primary extra-curricular classes 2nd session begins
Wednesday 14th: 5th Guzman Assembly at 9.20 and 12.15 PAC
Wednesday 21st: 4th Linares Assembly at 9.20 and 12.15 PAC
Monday 26th - Friday 30th: UN Week
Friday 30th: UN food fairWednesday 28th: 3rd Pattenden Assembly at 9.20 and 12.15 PAC
Secondary News
Grade 8 Social Event - Wednesday 23rd of September
Much fun was had by all after school on Wednesday with the Grade 8 Social - please see the Grade 8 Blog for more pictures and details. Luckily the rain stayed away for the event!
Thank you to everybody that made this event such a success - teachers, team sports, parents and, of course, the Grade 8 students.
StuCo elections
After recent elections I am pleased to announce that the Student Council (StuCo) Representatives for 2015-2016 are:
I look forward to working closely with the StuCo this academic year.
“Let your voice be heard” StuCo
Peace One Day - 21st of September
On Monday we had assemblies in recognition of Peace One Day. Since then the StuCo have been selling ribbons all week long as part of their initiative of ‘Paying it Forward’ - students/teachers buy a blue ribbon for $1 and give it to somebody as an act of kindness acknowledging that that person has had a positive impact on them or is important to them.
The awful rain on Friday meant that we postponed the production of the Peace One Day 2015 mural (by the entrance to the Auditorium). The painting of the mural, weather permitting, will now take place on Monday.
Thank you to the StuCo for all their hard work this week.
Grade 6 Know Your School Evening - Thursday 1st October
Next week we have the Grade 6 Know Your School Evening. The evening will start at 5.30pm with a presentation to parents in the PAC. The Grade 6 theme is internet safety. After the presentation there is the opportunity to discuss how your child has settled in and their progress so far with each of their subject teachers in the Auditorium.
This week (on Tuesday 22nd of September) we had the Grade 10 & 12 Know Your School Evening. Thank you to all the parents and students that attended.
Tattoos
I believe that we have a responsibility to protect our students from making choices that they might later regret. At a young age impulsive decisions are common. When it comes to tattoos, many teenagers do not appreciate the health risks and the enormous commitment. It is also important to be mindful that tattoos themselves may have negative connotations in a society, especially here in El Salvador, and to future employers. Should the topic of tattoos arise please have a conversation with your child about all the implications of getting a tattoo. The matter has been raised by a number of concerned parents recently - having heard that students have had or are considering getting a tattoo (please note that no reputable tattoo parlour will tattoo a person under the age of 18 - in line with the law in El Salvador). I am totally in support of personal rights, self-expression and giving people choices, but the reality is that many people who get a tattoo are too young to make a decision they may later regret.
100 Healthy Days
Events have continued this week as part of our ‘100 Healthy Days’ campaign. This week we have had the 100 Skip Challenge (Thursday - organised by Mrs Bradburn), Mr Tupling’s Basketball Challenge (Friday) and Dance for the Fun of it with Ms Castellanos (Friday).
During the w/c Monday 28th September we will be giving away ABC water bottles from the Secondary School Office at break and lunch time as part of our efforts to encourage students to drink sufficient water during the school day, and we have recently installed a couple of cold water dispensers at the end of the field by the Cafeteria.
And finally…School Uniform
The weather has turned unpleasant at the moment (and looks set to be so for at least 10 days) and this has led to students wearing non-uniform jumpers/tops to and around school. Please be reminded that any jumpers/tops worn in school need to be school uniform (tops that are linked to an ABC trip or activity are allowed). As advertised in the ABC Weekly last week, we currently have school pullovers on sale at reduced prices.
All the best,
Stephen Spicer
Head of Secondary
Secondary dates for your diary
Monday 28th September: Theatre Festival Week begins
Thursday 1st October: Grade 6 Know Your School meetings - 5:30pm PAC
Saturday 3rd October: Dale Carnegie course starts
Monday 5th October: Grade 9 & 11 Know Your School meetings - 5:30pm PAC
Saturday 10th October - Empowerment Day for Class 2017 (Grade 11)
Wednesday 14th October - Thursday 15th October: PAES exams for Class 2016
Thursday 15th October: Grade 7 & 8 Know Your School meetings - 5:30pm PAC
Monday 19th - Friday 23rd October - Astronomy Week
Thursday 22nd October - Careers Day for Class 2017 and University Fair for Grade 9-12
Friday 23rd October - ABC Founder’s Day
Saturday 24th October - Save the Children Run Event
Mondary 26th October - UN Week
Monday 2nd - Friday 6th November: HALF TERM HOLIDAY
Monday 9th November - British Fortnight begins
Saturday 14th November - Mathscounts Internal ABC competition
Friday 20th November - Guy Fawkes party and Christmas Fair
Monday 23rd November - Recycling Week
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