Friday 11 December 2015

16: Friday 11th December 2015

From Sharon, Stephen and Graeme


All three of us on the school leadership team would like to mark this final newsletter of 2015 with our very best wishes for the last week of term leading into a wonderful family Christmas and a prosperous 2016 for our community and our country. We know how much our community cares - we see it in school on a daily basis. At this time of year we really do want to show that we care for those less fortunate than us. The Student Council recently raised over $800 from their Spooky Hotel event at Guy Fawkes which will be used to help support children at the Hospital Bloom burns unit. We are still collecting funds for the Save the Children project we are supporting to improve the survival rates of newborn babies. These projects have been supported wholeheartedly by so many of our students and families. Thank you! We have one final request for this year which so many of you have already responded to. We are collecting Christmas shoeboxes to make Christmas special for many children in our local area. These boxes will be donated so children have a present to open on Christmas Day. We hope each child will organise a shoe box indicating the age and gender of the recipient with the following items which should be new. 
  • An item of new clothing to fit the age range you have chosen
  • A new pair of socks
  • Tooth paste and a tooth brush
  • Candles
  • Cookies
  • A toy
You may also put in any other articles you wish to include such as colouring pencils, stickers, scissors or special things that a child may enjoy at Christmas. 

Last night it felt like we really started our Christmas celebrations with a packed Auditorium for the Upper Primary Concert and Food Fair which was a resounding success with our students the stars of the show. We can all learn something from their energy and enthusiasm and it is wonderful to see their joy as they look forward to Christmas with their friends and families. We would like especially to thank our music teacher Mr Diaz, the class teachers for their hard work in preparing the children and of course, the Madres Enlace for organising the food and all the parents who contributed to the international food festival. There were many delicious Christmas tastes to share together but Mr Keslake would especially like to mention the mince pies!

All students should now have receive their Cal 1 reports. Students in Secondary can access their reports through their iSAMS log in. This is a new system for us and we have had some slight problems with rounding errors. These have been resolved by iSAMS in the UK but if there are any apparent issues in the report please contact us on Monday morning. We apologise for any delays.

We would like to send our congratulations to Estela Mena who had a baby daughter last week. We have some staff leaving us at the
end of this term. Ms. Silvana Winter has been at the school for sixteen years and we want to thank her for all she has done in the sports department. She is returning to Argentina and we will always remember her contribution to the school and wish her the very best of luck in her future. Due to family circumstances we are also sorry to see the departure of Mr. Ben Brooke and his family who are returning to Spain as well as Mrs Andrea Rivera from 1st Grade who is moving to the US. We are also sorry to see them go but wish them all the best in their new locations.

Next week we have a number of Christmas events which we hope to see many of you supporting with your sons or daughters:

Monday: Board of Governors Prefect Reception which all Prefects from the Class of 2016 are invited to.

Tuesday: Grade 11 (IGCSE) Certificate Awards Evening from 6pm to 7.30pm. All Grade 11 students are expected to attend and their parents are also invited. We will be awarding Cambridge iGCSE certificates as well as Roll of Honour awards and Millennium scholarships.

Wednesday: Lower Primary Christmas Shows 3:15 - 6:30 pm in the PAC and Primary School Santa’s Festival. This a lovely time for the students to anticipate Christmas and as usual all money raised will go to the support staff scholarship fund which has been running so successfully for many years. All primary children are welcome to drop by from 3.30pm to support Santa’s Festival and buy food, books and play the games.

Thursday: Christmas Celebration for the ABC Community 6.15pm - 7.30pm. This event will include carols and readings as well as performances by student and staff choirs. There is a $3 charge which covers refreshments and tickets are available in school from the Secondary or Primary Offices

Friday: On the last day of term we have normal classes in Secondary school before the traditional tug of war. There will be a whole school assembly with all ABC students in the Auditorium so they can see what a large, diverse community they are part of. Students will leave at the following times
11:00 am - All Lower Primary with any Upper Primary siblings
No Play Room (Sala Cuna)
11:30 am - All Upper Primary and Secondary students.
Please collect your children on schedule and we aim for the campus to be ready to be shut down by 12:15 pm.

It remains for all of three us on behalf of our Teaching, Support and Administration staff to thank you for your support this term and wish you all a great final week of term leading up to a very Happy Christmas. 

Students return to school January 11th 2016

Friday 4 December 2015

15: Friday 4th December 2015

From the Director


I have been in London this week doing some recruiting for new teaching staff and I left on Saturday morning with very happy memories of the Guy Fawkes Party. It was fantastic that so many of you turned out and made it such a family occasion. I want to say a special thank you to all the children who participated in the music and dance performances, to all their parents for supporting them and for the Performing arts teachers for helping them show their talents. It was a magnificent performance and event. I was delighted to see so many children participating in community based fundraising activities and especially the magnificent Student Council who did a great job on the Spooky Hotel. We should be so proud of our students when we see them working so hard for causes they really care about

I have been asked why we have stopped selling alcohol at these events and I want to take this opportunity to explain the school’s view. We believe there are so many events where alcohol is sold that we should show an example of an event where everyone has fun without the need for alcohol and we believe this is a great example to our students. It is easy to have fun with family and friends without drinking alcohol. It is the school’s policy at present not to sell or serve alcohol when we have a family event with children present. We are also happy knowing everyone is driving home after the event with no danger of anyone driving from school when they have consumed alcohol.

We are having our staff Christmas Party on Sunday with up to 500 people attending. It is a chance for us as a community of employees to share some time together with our families. I am also informing you because the school will not be available for other users other than for the swimming pool.

We are still planning to complete our Lower Primary classrooms next summer and applications are filling up for places in per Kinder next year. We only plan to offer eighty eight places in Pre Kinder so if you are hoping for a place please make sure you get your application to Estefania Chacon at school as soon as possible. 

Christmas is coming upon us rapidly and I would like to remind you that we are planning some Christmas shoe boxes for children around our city and country who otherwise would not have much reason to celebrate this Christmas. Please think about getting a shoe box ready. Details can be found in the separate sections of this newsletter but please give your support!

A final thank you to the Class of 2015 who made a donation of 75 cushions to help make sitting in the Auditorium for long events more comfortable. They have also made a significant contribution of $1,019.35 to our beca scheme for staff students. Thank you to the Class of 2015 for thinking of our community. In the photo Rebecca and Chantal are handing over one of the cushions.


Primary News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last Friday already seems such a long time ago but I sincerely hope you all enjoyed our Guy Fawkes night fireworks, entertainment and bonfire. I would like to join Mr. Keslake in congratulating all those parents who joined us for the event and kept a good eye on their children and thereby contributed to a very enjoyable event. 
On Tuesday we opened up our Pre-kinder department for people to come and have a look. We received a very favourable response from everyone who visited. Thank you to the Pre-kinder staff who gave up their time to be present for the event and for preparing all the things that the visitors enjoyed.

Monday is the theatre production of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. Every child in primary will have the opportunity to attend a professional theatre production and therefore we would like every child to contribute. Please send in their $2 on Monday at the latest if you have not already sent it in. Thank you to everyone who was on time with the money.

Many students are bringing in Christmas accessories in preparation for the concerts and other christmas events. Please make sure there is a name in it. I have no idea who 400 santa hats belong to (and neither do the students!)

Thank you to everyone in Lower Primary who sent in a filled jar for Santa’s Festival. The ones I have seen have been beautifully decorated and filled with fun and delicious things. Today was the last day to hand them in but I am sure if you still have yours at home they will be accepted on Monday.

The shoe boxes from Upper Primary have started to trickle in too. They have also been beautifully decorated and filled with things a child would be delighted to receive at Christmas time.

Next week on Thursday, late afternoon, is the Upper Primary Concert and International Food Fair. Please bring your children to the PAC at 5.30pm. You are then free to go off to the food fair while we warm up the children for the concert. This will start in the auditorium at 6.30pm. Please ensure your children are on time.

Don’t forget the mini fair that our CAS students are involved with tomorrow.

Jingles visited my office today and cast his Christmas magic. Please ask a 2nd Aviles student for more information!

Our bake sales each Friday continue to raise funds for Save the Children. Thank you everyone for your continued support at this very special Christmas time. I hope to ‘bump’ into you all over the next two weeks.

Very best wishes,

Sharon Short
Head of Primary

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
December
Saturday 5th December: Corazon Del Padre Mini Feria
Monday 7th December: Pirates of the Caribbean Theatre Performance
Friday 11th: LP reports go home
Wednesday 16th: Christmas Shows 4:00 - 6:30 pm PAC and Santa’s Festival
Friday 18th: Last day of term one - finish 11 am with older siblings - NO PLAY ROOM

Upper Primary
December
Saturday 5th: Corazon Del Padre Mini Feria
Monday 7th December: Theatre Performance
Thursday 10th: UP Christmas Concert and food fair at 5.30
Friday 11th: 4th grade Save the children Bake Sale
Friday 11th: UP reports go home
Wednesday 16th: Santa's Festival
Friday 18th: Last day of term one. Students leave at 11.30am (no PASS club)

Secondary News

Shoe Box Campaign - ‘A little Christmas Gift’
As requested in the recent communication from the Secondary School, please support our Shoe Box Campaign, which this year is entitled ‘A little Christmas Gift’, by filling an ordinary shoe box with at least one of the following items:
  • A new pair of socks
  • Tooth paste and a tooth brush 
  • Candles
  • Cookie 
  • A toy

The items should be new and aimed at a boy or a girl of a certain age range (please label the wrapped box accordingly - see the above image for more detail). 

The deadline is Tuesday 15th of December and boxes can be handed in to the Secondary School Office. 

The boxes will be given to less fortunate children from local communities.

For full details please refer to the recent email. If you still have questions please contact abc-actua@abc-net.edu.sv or the Secondary School Office.

Movember
Movember came to an end with style. Thank you to all those -students and teachers- that have supported Movember.

Well done to Mr Hall, Upper Primary Deputy Head, on being nominated best moustache at the Guy Fawkes/Christmas Fair. 

Secondary male staff that participated in Movember, supported by some Mo Sistas.

Grade 7 Social - Tuesday 1st of December
On Tuesday 1st December, the Class of 2021 enjoyed a fun afternoon of socialising and playing with water. The Madres Enlace worked together with staff and Grade 12 mentors to provide some excellent activities and we all had a wet and wonderful time. The money raised from the event will go to support the Grade 7 charity, Con Textos.


A big thanks to everyone who took part. 
Lucy Burns, Head of Grade 7

Grade 6 to 8 Parent Partnership ‘Internet Safety’ - Thursday 3rd of December
The initial response to yesterday’s Grade 6, 7 & 8 Parent Partnership has been very positive. Below are some photographs from the different workshops that were on offer:

Online Gaming - Potential Issues, Advantages and Examples

Digital Footprints - GPS, Tracking, Filter Bubbles and Settings

Social Networks - Potential Issues, 21st Century Skills and Benefits and Examples

Cyberbullying, Sexting, Predators, Pornography

Cell Phones and Tablets - Setup and Restrictions, Tracking and Text and Chat

We plan to replicate this format in upcoming parent partnership meetings and we are very keen to hear suggestions from parents of possible future topics that you want us to address.

Grade 8 Coffee Fair - Friday 4th of December
Over the past couple of months the whole of Grade 8 have been working hard in an exciting cross-curricular project within IT and Geography. This project involved students taking on different roles to plan and create their own coffee business in preparation for a big coffee fair. 

After presenting their business plans and products within a Dragons Den event to professionals and receiving valuable feedback, the students effectively marketed and produced tasty coffee treats to sell to the rest of the school at the coffee fair. 

Students from all age groups attended the coffee fair and were met by our top class Grade 8 chefs and company mascots, who all enjoyed their lunchtime eating and drinking products produced by these new found companies. Well done Grade 8! 
Alex Kilford, Head of Geography

Turtle Release - Saturday 5th of December
The IGCA is organising a turtle release tomorrow (Saturday 5th of December) at Playa Amatal, La Libertad. Around 30 students will join this activity, as well as some parents and teachers from the ABC. This is a permanent school project to help on the preservation of sea wildlife.
Walter Arevalo, IGCA Coordinator

International Award Expedition - Saturday 5th to Sunday 6th of December
The Year 10 Bronze International Award group will be away from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. They will be camping in the El Limo parque at Metapan. During the expedition they will be taught and assessed on their camping skills, hiking and cooking. We expect to see some waterfalls, forestry and wildlife whilst enjoying the natural world outside of our busy city lives. 
James Merry, International Award Coordinator

Grade 10 Empowerment Activity - Tuesday 8th of December
Next Tuesday Grade 10 have a special empowerment activity beginning at 1.00pm and finishing at 5.00pm. This compulsory event will involve various team building activities and should be a great learning experience for our students.

As mentioned in Mrs Forsyth’s recent communication, students should wear their PE uniform and bring a change of clothes. They should also bring a water bottle and a towel. A light snack will be provided during the afternoon.

Parents please make the necessary arrangements to pick up your child at 5.00pm on that day. 

Grade 9 & 11 Parent Partnership - Tuesday 8th of December (now extended to all parents of children in Grade 9 and above) 
Although originally planned as a Grade 9 and Grade 11 Parent Partnership we now invite parents of children in Grade 9 upwards to join us on Tuesday 8th of December at 6.00pm in the PAC. Our guest speaker is Eduardo Loyola from the Centro Terapéutico Jaime Hill. Eduardo Loyola contributes to the Substance Abuse Prevention unit of our Life Skills programme. On Tuesday the focus will be on class/open parties and the new drugs which are becoming increasingly accessible to our youngsters. 

We hope you can join us.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

All the best,

Stephen Spicer 
Head of Secondary

Secondary dates for your diary
Friday 4th December - Grade 6, 7 and 8 Cal 1 reports published electronically 
Saturday 5th to Sunday 6th December - International Award Expedition
Monday 7th December - Grade 6 Xmas lunch, 12.20pm to 2.00pm
Tuesday 8th December - Grade 10 (Class 2018) Empowerment Day: Theme ‘Perseverance’ 
Tuesday 8th December - Grade 9 & 11 Parent Partnership. Now extended to all parents of children in Grade 9 and above (Grade 9 & 11 Cal 1 reports issued)
Friday 11th December - Art Mock Part 1
Friday 11th to Sunday 13th December - International Award Expedition
Saturday 12th December - Art Mock Part 2
Monday 15th December - Grade 11 (iGCSE) Certificate Awards Evening (6.00pm to 7.30pm)
Friday 18th December - Last day of term