Friday 28 October 2016

9: Friday 28th October 2016

From the Director 


I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy holiday period. I hope you have received your copy of the ABC Yearly for last year and enjoy looking through it. It certainly does bring back some happy memories. 

We have had a wonderful UN Week with celebrations of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) with Save the Children and our Colour Run. We had a guest speaker from Save the Children to celebrate the work we are doing with them. I would like to say a big thank you to all the prefects who helped so much with the UN Week events end especially the Colour Run on Friday. They really are excellent role models and we appreciate their effort and work. If you would like more information on the SDGs please have a look at our ABC Newsblog which has a simple guide. In the same way that we worked to help El Salvador meet the MDGs we want to play our part to ensure the SDGs are a success. We believe we can use them to help our students understand their responsibilities to a sustainable future in a safer and happier world. 

I would also like to thank the sponsors who helped make the Colour Run possible by contributing drinks, flour, food or activities to support the event: Riso ComColour, Alpina, Industrias La Constancia, Destroy It, Dreamland, Shaws, Crepe Lovers, Kempo Lions, TCS, La Prensa Grafica and Canal 21 and 33.

We have sent home some traffic guidelines today which we are also posting on the Parent page of the school website. It is vital we all act in a safe manner during our morning drop off and afternoon pick ups to ensure the safety of all our children. Please read them and ensure you understand what is expected of you or your drivers at these times.

Please note we will be celebrating British Week the week after we return and that culminates in our Guy Fawkes Party on Friday 18th November to which you are all invited. Please make a note in your diary.

Primary News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to all those students who purchased a kit and took part in the Colour Run for ‘Save the Children’. I hope you enjoyed it and were not too messy when you got home! All funds raised will be helping a very good cause. Thank you too if you chose to wear your jeans and contributed a dollar to these causes.

Over the next week your children will probably not have the same exposure to the English language as usual. Although Spanish is very important, we do need our students to understand that if they do not speak in English their language skills will decrease. So “use it or lose it’ is our reminder to all our students. Please encourage them to read an English book as well as a Spanish one or chat to someone in English whenever possible over the holiday.

Last week I mentioned that we were concerned about the contents of lunchboxes and the damage too much sugar can do. This week I am still talking about food. Please make sure your children have breakfast before they get to school in the morning. We have had many of our older Primary students complaining they are hungry as soon as they get to school and then when we investigate we find out that they were not given breakfast at home. Breakfast is a very important meal and children cannot learn if they are focussed on their hunger pangs! A breakfast that includes protein is best.

This week we have asked our students to vote on a simple definition of ‘learning’. We asked the students to tell us what they thought learning was and then took their ideas and compiled them into three potential definitions. The students have been voting for their favourite all week. I am very interested to see which definition wins. The IPC defines learning as ‘the staged process of extending and consolidating our neuronal constellations as we acquire knowledge, develop skills and dispositions and deepen our understanding.’ I think you will agree that is a bit tricky for the students but they have included many of the same elements. 

Thank you to all the parents who attended the excellent Kinder curriculum night. They are so great it really is a shame if you miss them. Please parents remember that it is very impolite to be using your phone for anything other than filming the presentation. You need to focus on what is being shared in order to really understand, just as your children need to in school sometimes. 

Our Primary staff are very tired this week as are the students. We are all looking forward to a rest. Please do not fill up your children’s week with pre-planned activities but let them play with their toys and make a mess at home for some of the time. I hope you all have a lovely week together. 

Sharon Short
Head of Primary

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
November
Monday 31st - Friday 4th: Half term Holiday
Monday 14th - Friday 18th: School photos
Thursday 17th: Pre-Kinder Curriculum night
Friday 18th :Non -uniform day bring in an exercise book.
Friday 18th: Guy Fawkes Evening 5:30pm onwards
Friday 18th: Prepa Macdonald assembly 7:30am PAC
Tuesday 22nd: Prepa Curriculum night
Friday 25th: Prepa Butler assembly 7:30am PAC
December
Friday 2nd: Prepa Taylor assembly 7:30am PAC
Wednesday 14th: Christmas Shows 3:30 - 6:30pm PAC
Friday 16th: Last day of term 1 - all LP & UP siblings children leave at 11:00am

Upper Primary
November
Monday 31st Oct-Friday 4th Nov: Half term Holiday
Thursday 10th/Friday 11th: 4th Grade Camping
Monday 14th - Friday 18th: School photos
Wednesday 16th: 2nd Avilés Assembly 9:20-10:05 PAC & 12:15-1:15 PAC
Friday 18th: Non uniform day - bring in an exercise book.
Friday 18th: Guy Fawkes Evening 5:30pm onwards
Wednesday 23rd: 4th Spanish Assembly 9:20-10:05 PAC & 12:15-1:15 PAC
Friday 25th/Saturday 26th: 2nd Grade Camping
Wednesday 30th: 4th Guzmán Assembly 9:20-10:05 PAC & 12:15-1:15 PAC
December
Friday 2nd: End of 2nd Extracurricular Term - PRIMARY
Wednesday 7th: 5th Truscott Assembly 9:20-10:05 PAC & 12:15-1:15 PAC
Thursday 8th: UP Christmas Concert
Wednesday 14th: Christmas Fair 3:30pm - 7:00pm
Friday 16th: Last day of term 1 - all LP & UP siblings children leave at 11:00am

Secondary News

Student Leadership
On Saturday our leaders of the future spent a very productive morning at school taking part in Grade 11 Empowerment Day and the Student Council Training Day. Mr Quijano and a team of G12 Prefects lead the activities of the Empowerment Day and Mr Keslake, Mr Hall, Ms Caceres and Ms Catlin lead the workshops for the Student Council. Our Student Council are a really splendid group of young people who are committed to the development of the ABC. All of us leading the workshops were very impressed by their maturity and sense of purpose. Some of the ideas and strategies that developed as a result of the morning’s activities will be developed by the StuCo during the coming year.


We would also like to thank our keynote speaker for the day, ABC parent Ms Paola Barragan, for generously giving of her time. Ms Barragan spoke to the students about her experiences working with UN and USAID funded projects around the world and provided food for thought on the leadership issues of putting vision into practice in difficult circumstances.

Remembrance
The week after half term we will be remembering those who have lost their lives in the many conflicts of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. We will have poppies in school for students and teachers to wear in remembrance and Mr Hall will be talking to students about the history behind the poppy appeals in assemblies that week. Remembrance Day is marked on the 11th day of the 11th month when, at 11 a.m. in 1918 the guns fell silent on the Western Front of the Great War. Unfortunately the world has continued to suffer many conflicts since then and the poppy has come to symbolise all war dead, not just those of the First World War.

FUND RAISING CAMPAIGNS 

Cancer Awareness
On Friday October 21st, ACTUA had a fundraising campaign, Pink Nail Friday. During this event, the total money collected was $36.00. Overall, the October Awareness Campaign has collected $238.85. This money collected will total $274.35. Hopefully, by the end of this week, we will be able to donate 25 free mammograms, at the Cancer Institute, for women who are not be able to afford them. 

On Wednesday this week it was WE WEAR PINK. Students and Secondary Staff, male and female,wore pink shirts and jeans in order to support Breast Cancer. 

This weekend there is the SUNDAY AVON WALK, we are inviting you to participate with staff members and the ABC family to walk around Santa Elena, in front of the American Embassy. The event starts at 7:00 am, pets are allowed to come. We hope to see many of the ABC family there supporting this worthwhile cause.

Colour Run
The Colour Run is taking place today, Friday, following on from our assembly celebrating the United Nations. The funds raised will go to support work done by Save the Children in El Salvador. We would like to thank the sponsors who have contributed to this event:

Destroy It; Riso ComColour; Alpina; Industrias La Constancia; Kempo Lions; Crepe Lovers; TCS; La Prensa Grafica; Canal 33; Canal 21; Shaw’s; Dreamland.




Sports News
Congratulations to the Grade 9 boys who qualified for the final of the LV Juegos Estudiantiles Futsala. The game took place at Colegio Nazareth earlier this week. They were unfortunate to lose this final but should be proud to have advanced so far in the competition. Well done to: Rodrigo Melara, Rodrigo Ágreda, Ricardo Vásquez, Peyman Esmaeili, Andrés Hernández, Andrés López, Roberto Berganza, Matteo Cabrero, José Águila, Sebastián Avilés.

Next week is half term holiday and we wish you all a restful break.

Secondary dates for your diary
October
Friday 28th: End of First Half Term and Colour Run
Monday 31st: Start of week long half term holiday
November
Saturday 12th: Geography IB Fieldwork Trip
Monday 14th: School photos will be taken during this week
Friday 18th: Guy Fawkes Night & Christmas Fair

Saturday 22 October 2016

8: Friday 21st October 2016

From the Director 



As we approach the end of this first half term of the school year I would like to encourage a period of reflection by contributing my thoughts regarding the start of the school year. 



Overall we have generally been very pleased with the way school has started this year. I hope that you as parents feel you have has good opportunities to meet your children’s teachers and you know what is expected at home to complement the work we are doing in school. I sense a real sense of community around school amongst the children, the teachers and the parents. We continually work hard to ensure our youngsters feel safe and comfortable at school. Their emotional wellbeing is important to us particularly as we know that good learning requires happy children! As parents you ensure your children arrive ready for school after a good night sleep and some breakfast in the morning. We make sure we are ready to provide them with learning activities in a safe and engaging environment. I feel we are all doing well in this respect. My one point of reflection here would be the stress some children feel when they arrive late and their day gets off to a stressful start. Yesterday as I walked around the traffic coming into school I noted that any car arriving at the traffic queue before 6.50 am was able to drop their Secondary children off on time. If you arrive any later than 6.50 am then your secondary child is in danger of arriving late. Equally Upper Primary parents need to be joining the traffic queue before 7.05 am and our youngest children by 7.15 am. We want all of our children to be in school on time for two reasons. The first is that we want everyone to be present for the start of the day so we can begin working together but secondly, punctuality is an important trait which we want to encourage and develop in the future generations.



I would also like to add some reflection on our involvement in sports at school. We are delighted to see so many children playing sport before, during and after school. As I walk around the field after 2 o’clock I see so much enthusiasm and energy from our students and I see our coaches in action. Our Team Sports programmes has never been so popular. We are also seeing many students representing the school in competitions and we are looking forward to the Bilingual League events coming up. The Bilingual League is important to us and as parents we want you to be involved too! Reflecting further on our sports programme and talking to our PE and Team Sports we would like to urge that children are consistent in their participation. It is important they come along to as many of the training sessions as possible. We would also like to urge that they participate in school based swimming activities, appreciate the fun of swimming and the importance of being safe in water.



I do feel that we as a community do understand the importance of us working together in the best interests of our children. We have a responsibility to be good role models to them at all times including in helping them learn punctuality! I was reminded of the power of role models to influence our children when we had some amazing speeches by exabrits who participated in Secondary Careers Day yesterday. I was so proud seeing them talk about their university and career choices especially as I remembered some of them from their time in school. It was amazing to hear their stories and to hear about their reflections on how the ABC had helped them develop. All of us, parents, teachers, school staff, ex students and indeed our whole community share the responsibility of helping develop a generation of responsible outstanding citizens for this country. Have a nice weekend!


Primary News

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are very sorry to announce that Isa Brennes, one of our long standing and highly respected teachers will be retiring at the end of next week. Isa has been with the school for many years and taught many of our current students and many who have now left the school and are out in the wider world. We know she has had an impact on many lives. I am sure you will join me in wishing her well at this new phase of her life.

We have carried out a lunch box audit this week and to be frank we were concerned at the level of sugar contained in them. Excess of sugar can lead to a variety of illnesses in later life as well as damaging teeth. It also stops children focussing on their learning during the day. In fact I don’t know anything that sugar does that is good for the body! Many health conscious families are opting for sugar free diets these days and it is surprising how many manufactured foods have added sugar in them. Please do your own research and find out the level of sugar that is acceptable for children and remember many products that are targeted at children quote the adult daily recommendations on their labels. We found that many of our students had the full daily sugar allowance in one item in their lunch box. If you do not prepare your child’s lunchbox please educate the person responsible. We always hope to see fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain carbohydrates for their slow energy release and some protein. This site may help to get you started on your research. http://www.familyeducation.com/life/sugar/are-we-too-sweet-our-kids-addiction-sugar
1st Henríquez assembly gave us some wonderful information about healthy and balanced diets this morning. Well done 1st Henriquez!

As mentioned last week our Primary Computing Team is proud to announce the participation of our 4th and 5th Grade teams in the Wonder League Robotics Competition. The competition started October 17th and will end December 15th. The students are very enthusiastic and are enjoying solving the different missions. Each week, one mission is revealed and the teams solve the coding challenges and building extensions to their Dash and Dot Robots using the Wonder App. We all wish them every success.

On the 28th October (next Friday) there will be the annual ‘Colour Run’ as a fundraiser for Save the Children. If you haven’t heard of this before, it is a very exciting event that our students participate in very enthusiastically but it is incredibly messy. We are having a non-uniform day that day when students can wear jeans and the Colour Run t-shirt but I strongly recommend that for the race itself the students bring old clothes to change into and have a pair of goggles to protect their eyes. As part of the race (or walk) the students have coloured powder (completely washable and made from flour ) to distribute as they go. The older students manage to get themselves covered in it and love every minute. The letters regarding buying the kit went out last week. For any of our younger students who would like to be involved but do not want to stay for the actual race itself we are planning an alternative activity at approximately 11.00 am in the Lower Primary area. It will still be messy and fun. For those students who do not want to participate in the run but would like to wear jeans and a T-shirt, they can, if they bring in a dollar. 

Next week we will be having our UN week and I thought it would be interesting or us all to review the rights of the child agreement. See them here http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/files/uncrcchilldfriendlylanguage.pdf
This version is in child friendly language. There are still some children in El Salvador who do not have these basic rights and that is why as a school we work so hard to support a range of charities in the hope of making the difference to those children who are not as privileged as ours. Although it may seem a nuisance at times we must think how we would feel if it were our children who were suffering and how we would like others to respond.

At the end of each unit in the IPC the students are asked to reflect on what they have learned and make a judgement on the learning goals. They ask themselves ‘am I just beginning with this?’, ‘Have I started to get the hang of it and therefore I am developing?’ or ‘Am I confident in this skill and judge myself as mastering?’ Mastering does not mean they have got something completely in every last detail, that would be ‘mastered’ but it does mean they are in the process of being nearly there. A student in grade 5 can still be beginning a new skill as a child in Prepa can be mastering a skill they have practiced. The students are still learning the terms, beginning, developing and mastering. It would be lovely if you could have a conversation about this at home.

Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead.

Sharon Short
Head of Primary

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
October
Monday 24th: 1st Gray trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Tuesday 25th: 1st Pineda trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Tuesday 25th: Kinder Curriculum night - 6:00pm - PAC
Wednesday 26th: 1st Henríquez trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Thursday 27th: 1st Padilla trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Friday 28th: Prepa Ware assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 28th: Colour Run and Jeans day
November
Monday 31st - Friday 4th: Half term Holiday
Friday 18th: Guy Fawkes Evening & Christmas Fair 5:30pm onwards

Upper Primary
October
Wednesday 26th: 3rd Brenes Assembly 9:20 - 10:05 and 12:15 - 1:15 PAC
Friday 28th: Colour Run and Jeans day
Friday 28th: UP UN Celebration
November
Monday 31st Oct-Friday 4th Nov: Half term Holiday


Friday 18th: Guy Fawkes Evening & Christmas Fair 5:30pm onwards

Secondary News

Dear Secondary Parents and Carers,

Careers Day & University Fair
This years’ Careers Day was a very impressive event of great value to our Grade 11 students. The day was launched by four young Exabrits at various stages of their university educations here in El Salvador. Marcela García ‘11 (Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios), Sara Bright ‘16 (Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado), and Montserrat Chávez ‘16 (Escuela de Comunicación Mónica Herrera) shared their experiences of university life and study with the Grade 11s in an open forum and discussed the advantages of choosing to study in El Salvador rather than abroad. Marcela Garcia, who is approaching graduation from law school told the class that she and they were the generations who had the privilege of shaping the future of their country and the ability to ‘give back’ to El Salvador. She also shared her own and others’ experiences of studying abroad as part of their degree programmes where they realised that the quality of their degree studies in El Salvador was at least the equal of good universities in Europe and the United States. These were four impressive young people who demonstrated why they think the ABC is the best school in El Salvador! 

Following this launch, in small groups, students had the chance to really interact with the representatives of various professions to ask questions about their chosen fields of work, including their personal professional practice. We would like to thank all those who so generously gave of their time to work with our students throughout the day.

Business & Economics, ESEN
Medicine, Médico Cirujano
ICT, ABC
Architecture, CEA Arquitectura
Marketing and Advertising, Grove Partnership/AGRISAL
Psychology, Uni. Dr. Matias Delgado/ professor
Chemical Engineering, Caribex
Fine Arts, Sculptor
Tourism and Hospitality Business, Laureate Education
Communications, Esc. Monica Herrera/ professor
Veterinary Medicine, Clínica Veterinaria Los Héroes
Marketing and Advertising, Uni. Dr.Matias Delgado/Professor
International Relations, Public Relations, UK Embassy
TV Producing and Presenting, Grupo Mass
Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management, SCARTS
Flight Pilot, CEA
Civil Engineering, Constructora BETON
Fashion Design, Diseñadora de Modas / Exabrit
Law, VP Romero Pineda & Asociados
Journalism, El Diario de Hoy

University Fair
On Careers Day we also hosted a Universities Fair where more than 30 institutions from the UK, USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador were represented by admission counselors, ready to engage students with their academic and scholarship offers. Students in Grade 9 through to 12 took turns visiting the fair to have a look at the many university opportunities, in accordance with a pre-established schedule; many of our parents came along to the fair, as well and became involved with their sons and daughters in this very important process of career and university planning. We also hosted other schools including Escuela Panamaricana, Colegio Lamatepec, Colegio Highlands, and Colegio Livingston who were able to take advantage of this opportunity. 

Colour Run
We are all looking forward to the Colour Run next Friday which will follow an assembly celebrating United Nations Week and ABC’s global values. All funds raised through the Colour Run and Jeans Day next Friday will support Save the Children in El Salvador and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Please encourage your child to buy a Colour Run pack if they want to participate in this fun event.

Musicians
This is becoming a weekly event and a relaxing and enjoyable way for the audience to prepare for the weekend; I am enjoying it very much, thank you Music Department.


Important Reminder
We are always happy to meet with parents to discuss any aspects of your child’s education, however meetings can ONLY be by appointment to avoid disappointment when a teacher is in class. If you would like to meet with a member of staff please contact the Secondary Office:

Grades 6,7 & 8 Marielos Soto marielossoto@abc-net.edu.sv
Grades 9 & 10 Roxana Hall roxanahall@abc-net.edu.sv
Grades 11 & 12 Lissett Castro lissettcastro@abc-net.edu.sv

Secondary dates for your diary
October
Saturday 22nd: Student Council Training Day, Class of 2018 Empowerment Day & Geography IB Fieldwork Trip
Friday 28th: Colour Run
November
Saturday 12th: Geography IB Fieldwork Trip
Monday 14th: School photos will be taken during this week


Friday 18th: Guy Fawkes Evening & Christmas Fair 5:30pm onwards

Friday 14 October 2016

7: Friday 14th October 2016

From the Director 

We have introduced our ABC global value this week with displays of the United Nations SDGs around school. These are 17 goals the UN is helping countries around the world to prioritise as we head towards 2030. They are a follow up to the Millennium Development Goals which El Salvador and all countries in the world have been seeking to achieve. We are proud of the work we have done at the ABC to help make progress in these key areas over the last fifteen years. We are keen to continue to work with our students to help them continue to seek ways to help the development of the country. We are continuing to work with Save the Children as well to focus our support in areas where we can make a real difference. We will be celebrating our Colour Run later this month as part of our commitment to supporting Save the Children.

As the school year progresses I want to remind you that there are certain expectations we have of you as parents in the same way that you expect certain things of us. We do expect you to play your part in supporting our work in school, to be positive with your children about school and to help ensure they are ready for school each morning. Your support as parents is vital for your child’s positive attitude towards school and learning. Equally you need to be talking to us about any concerns or issues. We have had a number of parent teacher events across the school recently so you should feel you know us and you do need to talk to us about any concerns as well as inform us of any successes. 

As I walk around school I am always pleased to see the degree to which ABC staff and students work together. Learning is based on a partnership between learners and that requires engagement and involvement on all parts. We are fortunate to have a learning community at our school which is positive and engaged but it is a lesson to all of us that we need to work to ensure our young learners are always actively and willingly involved in their own learning. On that note I have to say how much I enjoyed the Grade 5 assembly last week when we went back in time to Ancient Greece. It was great to see parents joining in with the Greek dancing at the end which I was also invited to participate in. It was great fun! I would like to finish by wishing you all a pleasant weekend with your children.

Primary News

Dear Parents and Carers.

Our Primary Computing Team is proud to announce the participation of our 4th and 5th Grade Teams in the Wonder League Robotics Competition. The competition will start October 17th and will end December 15th. The students are very enthusiastic and looking forward to start solving the different missions. Each week, one mission will be revealed and the teams will be solving the coding challenges and building extensions to their Dash and Dot Robots using the Wonder App. We all wish them every success.

Our students study through the IPC but they still have experiences relating to different subjects. Through the IPC these subjects are independent yet interdependent. We have noticed that some of our older students are a bit confused with History and Geography. If a natural opportunity arises when you are with them, maybe watching a film or even visiting somewhere, please reinforce these two words and their meaning. It will help make their knowledge secure if they come across it both at home and in school.

We had two IPC exit points today in 2nd and 5th Grade. They will be having entry points for the new units next week.

Our Upper Primary parent conferences have been taking place all this week and will continue next week. If you have not had an appointment please contact the class teacher to make one. Our students feel supported when their parents take an interest in how they are doing.

Over the next few weeks Lower Primary are inviting parents in to see the international work the children have been doing in class and to share an activity with them. This is building up to United Nations week.

On the 28th October there will be the annual ‘Colour Run’ as a fundraiser for Save the Children. If you haven’t heard of this before, it is a very exciting event that our students participate in very enthusiastically but it is incredibly messy. We are having a non-uniform day that day when students can wear jeans and the Colour Run t-shirt but I strongly recommend that for the race itself the students bring old clothes to change into and have a pair of goggles to protect their eyes. As part of the race (or walk) the students have powder paint (completely washable) to distribute as they go. The older students manage to get themselves covered in it and love every minute. The letters regarding buying the kit have already gone out so if your child would like to take part please read the letter carefully and send the money into school. As always in a named and sealed envelope. For any of our younger students who would like to be involved but do not want to stay for the actual race itself we are planning an alternative activity at approximately 11.00 am in the Lower Primary area. It will still be messy and fun. For those students who do not want to participate in the run but would like to wear jeans and a T-shirt, they can, if they bring in a dollar. 

Have a great weekend and week ahead.

Sharon Short
Head of Primary

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
October
Tuesday 18th: 1st grade Curriculum Night - 6:00pm - PAC
Friday 21st: 1st Henríquez assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Monday 24th October - 1st Gray trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Tuesday 25th October - 1st Pineda trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Tuesday 25th: Kinder Curriculum night - 6:00pm - PAC
Wednesday 26th October - 1st Henríquez trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Thursday 27th October - 1st Padilla trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Friday 28th: Prepa Ware assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 28th : Colour Run and Jeans day.
November
Monday 31st - Friday 4th: Half term Holiday

Upper Primary
October
Wednesday 19th: 4th García Prieto Assembly 9:20 - 10:05 and 12:15 - 1:15 PAC
Wednesday 26th: 3rd Brenes Assembly 9:20 - 10:05 and 12:15 - 1:15 PAC
Friday 28th : Colour Run and Jeans day.
November
Monday 31st-Friday 4th: Half term Holiday

Secondary News

Dear Parents and Carers,

PAES Exams
On Wednesday and Thursday of this week our G12 students have completed an important milestone in their secondary education by completing their PAES exams. They have been working hard towards these exams and we are confident of their success. 

Unfortunately for them they cannot sit back and relax yet! They are now turning their full attention to the completion of their IB assessments and preparation for their IB exams next year. A busy academic year but a very important one and we ask that parents encourage their child to maintain a well-organised study programme while at the same time helping them to maintain a healthy and well-balanced routine.

The Secondary campus is always full of activity and events which are making it a very interesting experience for me as I get to know the ABC community better. Last Friday and today the Music Department has staged two informal performances at lunchtime. These two ‘Unplugged’ concerts have showcased some fantastic musical talent and I have very much enjoyed listening to these young musicians. I hope that we will be able to persuade some of them to perform for the wider ABC community in the near future. The talented performers have been:

Fabiola Bukele 
Karina Castaneda
Sara Vindel
Kim Hae In
Silvana Escobar
Daysi Orellana 
Paul Valladares
Roberto Arrieta
Diego Garcia
Diego Arevalo


Our CAS programme provides opportunities for students to lead many awareness-raising opportunities in the school which also raise money for good causes. Cancer Awareness month is a good example with the Locks of Love event as well as the sale of pink items to raise funds.

LOCKS of LOVE Activity organised by ACTUA, Tuesday, October 11th
Well done to all the women and girls who donated their hair for this worthwhile cause and to the members of ACTUA for organising it. These before and after photos show what a valuable resource has been donated. This hair will be used to make wigs for young cancer patients undertaking treatment.


Grateful thanks to all these donors:

Adriana Arevalo
Paola Portillo
Erika Landaverde
Natalia Mayorga
Alissa Velasquez
Carolina Perez
Adriela Grijalba
Rosario Fernandez
Savannah Leavitt
Carolina Perez
Ana Cecilia Hernandez
Rebecca Herrera
Valentina Torres
Paola Samayoa
Lia Guadalupe Lopez
Fatima Fernandez

COLOUR RUN
This event is regularly organised by the Prefect Team and this year will be held as part of our United Nations Week celebrations. We will be 'thinking globally and acting locally' by donating all proceedings to the NGO Save The Children to raise awareness of premature births and infant mortality around the globe.

This year, we will have a jeans day to promote this Sustainable Development Goal, culminating in the Colour Run. It will be filled with fun activities, great food and music.

The race will take place on Friday 28th of October and the cost of the running kit will be $10 (T-shirt, bandana, coupons).

We hope that as many students and staff as possible will take place in this event to support the SDG and have fun at the same time.

Congratulations to Carmen Lorena Córdova Guandique, 12B, the winner of the competition to design the T-shirt for this year’s Colour Run.


Careers Day 
On Thursday 20th October we will be holding our annual Careers Day for Grade 11 students. They will be able to hear speakers representing a variety of professions and careers, a valuable opportunity to consider a wide variety of career paths that may be open to them. There will also be representatives from El Salvadoran and US universities as well as representatives from banks to answer questions that parents may have concerning the funding of university courses. PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THIS EVENT FROM 10AM TILL 3PM.

Secondary dates for your diary
October 
Saturday 15th:   IB Geography Field Work Trip
Monday 17th: University Fair (Northwestern University, NYU (New York City), Vanderbilt University, John Hopkins, and Michigan State University)
Wednesday 19th: Visit from Loyola University
Thursday 20th: Grade 11 Careers Day
Saturday 22nd: Student Council Training Day, Class of 2018 Empowerment Day & Geography IB Fieldwork Trip
Friday 28th: Colour Run
November 
Saturday 12th: Geography IB Fieldwork Trip

Friday 7 October 2016

6: Friday 7th October 2016

From the Director 



As part of our regular cycle of reviewing procedures, we are looking at safety in our drop off and pick up areas and the physical safety of our children around the campus. As part of any review we would welcome any comments you might have about our drop off and pick up with respect to student safety. We do ensure students are properly supervised by staff and prefects while arriving in the morning and leaving at the main times in the afternoon but we would welcome your comments at other pick up times. I would also like to remind you that as parents you have a crucial role to play in safety in the car parks. Please do not cut into lines or try to cut corners and especially we would ask you always drive slowly and with patience. We would also ask that you never use a mobile phone while driving - either inside or outside the campus - as this represents a threat to the safety of our children and our students. 

We are joining the rest of the world in promoting Cancer awareness this month. This is especially important for young people to raise their awareness of cancer and its dangers but also how it can be beaten. Many of our students have already taken part in fundraising and promotional activities. We also ask that you take care to ensure they understand you are looking after your health. Students do worry about their parents health and well being! They do not like that you smoke or have unhealthy lifestyles! We can all make changes and be good role models for our children.

We are thinking and praying for all those involved in the sad events in Haiti with Hurricane Matthew. It is a reminder to all of us of the importance of ensuring we are all able to live in safe and secure housing. It reminds us of the importance of charities such as Techo para mi pais and Habitat for Humanity which many of our students support.

If you were unable to attend the Coffee with the Director meeting last month you can see some of the highlights on this ABC youtube link, which is here.

I hope you have a safe and pleasant weekend.

Primary News

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week we had a visitor from the IPC, Helen O’Donoghue, visiting the Primary School. You can see her here on the right. She was able to see the school at work, speak to lots of staff and children, look at students learning journals and really get a feel for us. She also delivered some training to staff on the Wednesday. We will get some feedback in a couple of weeks about some things we could improve on, ready for our accreditation later in the year. In the meantime you may like to read the full News blog here. A big thank you to those parents who gave up their time to speak to Helen and tell her about our lovely school this week.

Today the grade 5s carried out the McLay fun run in the Parco Bicentenario. It has become a tradition for our grade 5s to face the challenge of a more exciting route and greater trial of fitness and they all tried very hard. Thank you for the money sent in to support the purchase of sports equipment in local schools.

Wednesday we saw 5th Navas perform a Spanish assembly under the direction of Ms Mariela Contreras. The students were colourful and lively as they talked about Children’s Day around the world. We also celebrated children’s day in school. In LP the students were able to watch a children’s entertainer and receive a letter or card from their parents telling them how special they are. In UP the students were able to have a non uniform day which we called ‘Mufti Day’ and some special refreshments.

We are pleased to let you know that Mr Turner-Ware has been selected to be part of the ECIS Special Interest Group or Steam Team. This is in recognition of his personal set of skills and competencies and means that he will be part of a team that drives initiatives in learning worldwide relating to cross curricular Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths projects and activities. He has already had an impact on the experiences of students in our school.

Next week we start our work with a United Nations Focus. Please talk to your children about what they are doing.

Wishing you all a happy and restful weekend.

Sharon Short
Head of Primary

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
October
Monday 10th: Start 2nd Extracurricular session
Thursday 13th: Prepa trip to Tin Marin - 8:30am
Friday 14th: 1st Padilla Assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Tuesday 18th: 1st grade Curriculum Night - 6:00pm - PAC
Friday 21st: 1st Henríquez Assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Monday 24th: 1st Gray trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Tuesday 25th: 1st Pineda trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Tuesday 25th: Kinder Curriculum Night - 6:00pm - PAC
Wednesday 26th: 1st Henríquez trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Thursday 27th: 1st Padilla trip to Pizza Hut Las Cascadas - 9:00am
Friday 28th: Prepa Ware Assembly - 7:30am - PAC
November
Monday 31st - Friday 4th: Half term Holiday

Upper Primary
October
Monday 10th - Friday 21st: UP Parent Conferences 
Monday 10th: Entry Point 2nd grade: Active Planet
Wednesday 12th: 5th Navas Assembly 9:20 - 10:05 and 12:15 - 1:15 PAC
Wednesday 19th: 4th García Prieto Assembly 9:20 - 10:05 and 12:15 - 1:15 PAC
Wednesday 26th: 3rd Brenes Assembly 9:20 - 10:05 and 12:15 - 1:15 PAC
November
Monday 31st-Friday 4th: Half term Holiday

Secondary News

Dear Parents and Carers, 

'Prefect Colour Run' in support of UN week's sustainable goal of fighting infant mortality via Save the Children.

The ABC Colour Run, a unique and inspiring event that brought the ABC together is approaching for its second year. This year's theme for the Colour Run will be “Save The Children”, as this time we have decided to blend the colour run with the race for survival; one race that represents our unity, excitement and determination to run for something greater than ourselves, to run on behalf of ALL children! 




This week there has been a contest for the design of this shirt. The design will have to merge the idea of the Colour Run with Save the Children, and it will need to include “ABC Colour Run” somewhere in the shirt. The winner of the contest will receive a free Colour Run Kit, including the shirt, and 5 tribal points!

The prefects will be working hard to prepare the Colour Run kits and the awareness campaign will cullminate in the UN Assembly and Colour Run on 28th Octoberr. Don’t miss this opportunity to get involved! If you have any questions about this you can approach Eduardo Portillo or Maria Fernanda Arteaga. 

Cancer awareness
Another important campaign currently being run by students belonging to ACTUA is for Cancer Awareness. Many students have already purchased pink ribbons and shoelaces and other fund-raising activities are planned for the coming weeks.


Secondary dates for your diary
October
Tuesday 11th: Grades 7 & 8 Know your school parent & teacher meeting