From the Director
It was a particular pleasure meeting children on the gate arriving in their costumes to celebrate the culmination of our book week. This morning the prefects and I met a lion, a crocodile, various superheroes, kings, knights, princesses and loads of other wonderful costumes. Well done to everyone involved and joining in to make this such a great event.
We have an exciting weekend coming up with the Bicultural Arts Festival celebrations at the Teatro Presidente with drama and dance tonight and music tomorrow night at 6 pm. On both evenings the art and photography exhibitions are showing. I know we will see many of you there supporting our children and their friends from the other bicultural schools who they have been working with over the last few weeks.
On Saturday we also have our debate team competing at ESEN and we wish them well. It is always a great event to attend. The MUN team visiting New York is returning on Saturday following their competition.
I want to thank the Parents Association for the Summer Carnival last weekend which was a great success. You can see some photos and a brief report on the ABC Newsblog. The Newsblog also contains other events which have been taking place during the past week and is a way to keep up to date with events happening at school.
Primary News
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week we celebrated Book Week in Primary with a variety of events designed to get your children engaged in reading. Reading is a very important skill that allows to access many forms of communication. It is also a source of pleasure for many people and we want our students to be as proficient as possible and develop a love of reading.
Firstly I would like to thank all the parents who have been in to read to the students in school. This is such a good role model for the children and shows that adults outside of school value reading as well as those in school. I have been impressed by the visual resources and dramatic flair that you have all shown as well. Thank you for your support.
Secondly I would like to thank the secondary students who came to Primary to share books with the children in paired or group reading activities. I know the primary students enjoyed it.
Thirdly I would like to thank the teachers for arranging exciting and relevant activities for their classes to do during the week and anyone else who has been involved in making the book week a success especially Mr Pattenden our English co-ordinator who organised the week.
Our week culminated in the book character dressing up day. Please go to the ABC news link to see photos of the events and our students dressed up.
Following our time out of uniform we have noticed a few students who are not complying with the school dress code and standards for appearance. Please have a good look at your child every morning and check that:-
- Boys hair is not longer than their collar or over their ears and that they can see easily.Make sure that their fringe does not fall in front of their eyes.
- Girls hair must be tied back away from their face so it does not catch on equipment or allow for the transfer of head lice. Their hair must also be off their face so they can see easily.
- Only school cardigans, jackets, sweat shirts or jumpers should be worn. No branded or designer clothing.
- Proper shoes should be worn with some sort of fastening such as a buckle, velcro or laces (if they can tie them themselves.) Trainers can only be worn on PE uniform days.
All items of school uniform should be clean and in good repair to show that we take pride in our uniform.
Last week your child should have had some slightly different homework. We asked the students to discuss the story of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ with you so that they could get some ideas for extended writing of their own version. We know that children cannot write about something until they can talk about it so this pre-writing discussion is vital in the development of their writing talents. Please take this homework seriously and help your child to talk around the topics when they are set. The children will be doing this in both English and Spanish on a regular basis.
On Friday 11th March the primary students are Walking for Water. You have seen the letter explaining it all and there are posters around school. All students will be participating in carrying the water but the sponsored element is voluntary. We would like to provide a clean water facility for a local school. I am sure you can imagine how you would feel if your child did not have access to clean water at school, so if you are able to support this campaign please do.
The Bicultural festival is this weekend please go along and support our students.
Please note the other events coming up in the dates below.
Very best wishes for a happy weekend.
Sharon Short
Head of Primary
Dates for your diary
Lower Primary
March
Book Week
Friday 11th: Walk for Water
Friday 11th: 1st grade sleepover
Monday 14th: 1st grade Swimming Gala - 11:30am - Big pool
Monday 14th: Prepa night activity
Wednesday 16th: Steamfest
Friday 18th: Pre-Kinder Rampone assembly - PAC - 7:45am
Monday 21st March - Friday 1st April - Easter holidays - school closed
April
Monday 4th April: first day back to school.
Upper Primary
March
Friday 4th: 5th Grade Camping 3:30 p.m.
Saturday 5th: Bicultural Festival Teatro Presidente
Thursday 10th: Music Week
Friday11: Walk for Water
Monday 14th: Brain Awareness Week
Tuesday 15th: Swimming Gala 2nd Grade 11:30a.m.
Wednesday 16th: Science Fair
Thursday 17th:
3rd Grade Swimming Gala from 9:30a.m. thru 11:00a.m.
4th Grade Swimming Gala from 11:30a.m. thru 1:00p.m.
Friday 18th: 5th Grade Swimming Gala 11:30a.m.
Monday 21st March - Friday 1st April - Easter holidays - school closed
April
Monday 4th April: first day back to school.
Secondary News
Dear Parents / Guardians,
Lateness
This week we have introduced new procedures for monitoring lateness to school. Students, as before, are marked as late if they are not in their tutor room at 7.00am each morning. Students arriving after registration / tutor time (after 7.20am) must report to the Secondary School Office.
Hereafter, every three lates during a CAL period will result in a Friday detention.
Thank you in anticipation of your support in this matter.
Grade 10 IB Options Presentation / Parent Teacher Meetings - Monday 29th February
This week we had a very positive attendance of the Grade 10 IB Options Presentation / Parent Teacher Meetings. In the presentation: we covered the key dates for the remaining months of Grade 10; we discussed CAS / MINED hours; and, we explained the structure of the IB Diploma, the options available at the ABC and the process for selecting courses from these options.
Parents of Grade 10 students please encourage your child to seek help if they have any questions regarding the IB options or the process for selecting courses.
ABC Book Week 2016
The ABC annual Book Week event wound up today. Book Week is a whole school event, which takes place around World book Day, and is a celebration of books, a love of reading and a love of writing.
Many activities took place during the week, in different sections of the school.
Secondary School students arrived on Monday to encounter a large reading tree, which had sprouted at the centre of the LRC. This tree was quickly embellish by students who prepared and hung their very own book reviews on its branches. The annual Book Week Fair took place from Wednesday to Friday and hosted a variety of local book shops and artisans. A good number of students and other members of the community seized the opportunity to visit the stalls in lessons and during break times.
The LRC Librarians organised several visits by acclaimed local authors, who lead workshops and talks for many of the students during their Spanish and French lessons. Amongst these authors were Carlos Colindres from the American Embassy and Susana Reyes, each of whom spoke to the 11th grade students. Ligia Salguero Mediateca from the Spanish Embassy, Isabel Barrientos from the Colegio Liceo Francés, Lucia la Guacalchía, and Josué Peña, all local authors, ran reading and writing workshops for the 6th grade students.
A book donation centre was placed at the front of the LRC for members of the community to deposit new and used books in. This will remain in place for the following week. The donations, which are destined for the Centro Escolar Católico Virgen de la Paz, Tamanique, La Libertad are greatly appreciated.
The week’s activities culminated in the annual Character Day, in which students demonstrated their love of books by dressing up for the day as their favourite book characters. Alternatively, students had the option to show their support of school charities, by wearing charity focused t-shirts.
This was a high energy Book Week, full of activity and special events, which focussed on the joy to be found in reading and writing. I would personally like to thank Hilda Gomez and Eugenia Rivas for their hard work in organising Book Week in the Secondary School.
Jennifer Garcia
LRC Coordinator
Here are a few photos from the week. The entire collection can be accessed from the LRC Flickr Page.
ESEN Debate - Round 2
Our Debate Team came out victorious after an exhilarating first round match last Saturday. Their win gave them the right to pass on to Round 2 this Saturday (5th of March), when they will face Colegio Citalá at 10am at the ESEN Campus.
Continuing with the issue of the transparency that must be present in our institutions, the topic of debate for Round 2 is about the financing of political parties and their election campaigns; is regulation enough to reduce corruption? Or should this regulation include a ban on private sources of financing for political parties? Our students and coaches are analyzing the relevant laws, drawing arguments, and writing speeches on both perspectives, as they only find out what side of the debate they will argue in favour of at the time of the match. The team that wins will go on to Round 3 on this very same day.
We will be prepared and confident, and we wish our team the best!
Eric Quijano
National School Director
University Guidance & Careers
IB Art Exhibition Cocktail Evening - Tuesday 8th March
I am very much looking forward to attending the IB Art Exhibition next week. The IB Art students have been working hard since the start of Grade 11 and this is a great opportunity for them to showcase their work.
I am of course mindful that this event, and the continued success of Art at the ABC, is only made possible by the talented and committed teachers in our Art Department.
Mathscounts and Mathrelay: Monterrey, Mexico - Wednesday 9th March to Saturday 12th March
Following their success in the national competition, the ABC Mathscounts students head off to Monterrey, Mexico, next week to compete in the regionals.
Good luck students and thank you to Mr Cañas and Miss Gowman for accompanying the students.
ABC Music Week - 10th March to 16th March
In the pursuit of daily living, we tend to take for granted the things that really matter to us. We forget to tell our family how much we love them, or think about the hands that carefully prepare our meals. This week, we would like to take some time to remember the contribution of MUSIC to the enrichment of our lives.
Everyone accepts that music is important; it gives us pleasure, it enhances events, it helps us through difficult times, it connects people, it expresses our deepest feelings and ideas. However, do we take time to think about all the love and effort of the people who delivered those beautiful songs, or considered using this avenue to express our own innermost thoughts?
At the ABC, the Music Department strives to bring this understanding to our students. We aim to empower students to be erudite listeners, to develop performance skills and participate in the creative process, because everyone can be a musician, and everyone deserves to explore the gift of sound. On top of that, evidence from studies shows ever more clearly that musical training enhances all our other abilities: intellectually, emotionally, physically and creatively.
For the coming week, we have put together a programme that celebrates music throughout each school day. In particular, the Senior Music Concert on Friday is open to the ABC community, and tickets are available at the Secondary School Office, but entrance is free. This concert features the Grade 10 students who will be sitting for their examinations this May / June. You will experience solos, bands and personal compositions. Come and celebrate the gift of music together!
Dee Leong
Head of Performing Arts
Thank you to Miss Leong for all her work promoting Music at the ABC, and an advanced thank you to all the staff and students that will also be performing during Music Week.
Here are some of the performances that will be on offer to our staff and students to enjoy at lunch time during Music Week:
- Thursday 10th March - DJ Godiah (Mr Godiah)
- Monday 14th March - Trumpet & Drums Concert, Mr Argueta & Mr Hernandez
- Tuesday 15th March - Unplugged, Mr Brown
- Wednesday 16th March - South American Songs, Mr Navarro & Mr Cabeza
Open Parent Partnership “Netiquette” - Wednesday 16th March, 6pm in the PAC
Netiquette refers to the common courtesy norms which must be observed when using online communication and social media. The fact that these immediate means of communication are so practical does not mean that the importance of good manners and good education is eliminated. It's quite the opposite as we are communicating through electronic devices and physical contact is practically non existent. Netiquette has even defined rules for each of the social media available such as Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and emails. Would you like to learn more about this very interesting topic? Don't miss the Open Partnership on Wednesday 16th March at 6 pm at the PAC.
I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.
Kind regards,
Stephen Spicer
Head of Secondary
Secondary dates for your diary
Friday 4th March: Bicultural Arts Festival
Saturday 5th March: Bicultural Arts Festival and Spiritual retreat for Grades 9 to 11 students (Comite Católico ABC)
Wednesday 9th - Saturday 12th March: Mathscounts and Mathrelay - Monterrey, Mexico
Thursday 10th - Wednesday 16th March: Music Week
Friday 11th March: Science Fair final
w/c Monday 14th March: Brain Awareness Week and British Science Week
Monday 14th March: Grade 6 'Friendship and teamwork' empowerment afternoon (11:30am-5pm).
Wednesday 16th March: STEAM Fest 2016
Wednesday 16th March: Open Parent Partnership “Netiquette” 6pm PAC
Thursday 17th March: Grade 12 Parent Teacher Meetings, 3.15pm Auditorium
Friday 18th March: Last day of Second Term
Monday 21st March - Friday 1st April: Easter holidays (school closed)
Monday 4th April: Back to school - First day of Third Term and IGCSE Art exam Paper 1 i
Tuesday 5th April: IGCSE Art exam Paper 1 ii
w/c Monday 11th April: Art Week
Friday 15th April: World Art Day
w/c Monday 18th April: Earth Week
Tuesday 19th - Friday 29th April: Grade 11 exams
Thursday 21st April: Secondary School closes at 11:30am - Grade 7 'Assertiveness and independence' empowerment afternoon (11:30am-5pm).
Tuesday 26th April: IGCSE exams start for Grade 10 students
Thursday 28th April: Last day for Grades 10 & 12 classes
Monday 2nd May: IB exams start for Grade 12 students
Tuesday 10th May:Grade 6 trip
w/c Monday 16th May: Cultural Diversity Week
Wednesday 18th - Friday 27th May: Grade 9 exams
Friday 20th May: Secondary School closes at 11:30am - Grade 8 'Ethical and moral choices' Empowerment afternoon (11:30am-5pm) and end of IB exams
Thursday 19th May: ABC Digital Awards, 6 pm PAC
Tuesday 24th May: Grade 9 & 11 Parent Partnership meeting
w/c Monday 30th May: Health Awareness Week
Tuesday 31st May: Thanksgiving Ceremony for Class 2016
Thursday 2nd June: 5th Grade to 6th Grade and Grade 5 Parent meeting - Secondary Induction, 6 p.m. PAC
Thursday 9th June: Class 2016 Graduation Day - Graduation Ceremony, 5 p.m. Auditorium
Friday 10th June: End of IGCSE exams
Monday 13th June: Award Assemblies for Grades 6 & 7
Thursday 16th June: Assemblies for Grades 10 & 11 and Grades 6 to 9 & 11 Cal 3 Reports issued
Friday 17th June: Last day of School Year
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