From the Director
I would like to formally welcome you all back to the new school year. I can already sense it is going to be an exciting year. We have had a busy and successful summer. Our students once again proved they are world class learners with their international examination successes. You can see details of our results and a celebration of the examination successes of our IGCSE students on the ABC newsblog. We would particularly like to congratulate our top student, Daniela Duran with an amazing nine A* and one A grade. I would also like to congratulate Fernando Vega, Sofia Castro and Daniella Castillo, Maria Ayala, Carlos Figueroa, Erika Landaverde, Francisco Ramos, Luca Rivera and Nicolas Tapias for their excellent results. They are representatives of the Class of 2018 all of whom should be proud of their collective successes. As I told them at an assembly this morning they need to continue to work together as a team to ensure their future successes over the next two years.
Over the last two months we have successfully completed our building programme and we now have a full range of eighteen purpose built classrooms and offices for the Lower Primary section. Thank you to all members of the community who helped ensure this happened on schedule and we were ready to open and welcome our students this week.
It was amazing to witness the arrival for their very first day of the Class of 2031 as they came into their Pre Kinder classrooms at the same time as the ‘last’ first day of the Class of 2017. I was delighted to be invited to lunch on Monday the Class of 2017 along with all their other teachers. It was a very pleasant occasion and emphasises the community spirit we enjoy at school. As a school community I know we are all looking forward to working with the Class of 2017 to ensure they achieve their full potential during their final year at school.
We have had a number of new staff joining the team. Virginia Catlin and Adrian Hall have quickly settled as our new Head of secondary and Deputy Head Curriculum and we are delighted to have them on the team. I would like to introduce some other new staff in the photos below we have our new Lower Primary teachers and our Secondary Science teachers. I would like to add a warm welcome to them to our community.
Extra curricular and team sports got off to a good start this week and we seemed to have smooth traffic in the mornings and afternoon. Please bear in mind the French School is still closed but will be opening next Thursday which will add to the traffic so you may want to leave slightly earlier next week. We are also monitoring developments at the new Supreme Court and with Telus at Plaza Merliot which may cause us to need to change our free traffic flow in the morning. We will continue to monitor this and advise you accordingly.
We have been launching our CORE values this week and I hope you will find time to reflect on these with your children over the weekend. It was a pleasure to meet so many new parents this week and I would like to add a particular welcome to you and your children. I know the ABC Community will make you feel at home!
Primary News
Dear Parents and Carers,
A very warm welcome back to school life. This week has been a pleasure for all of us to see your children again, or in the case of Pre-Kinder and our new arrivals, to get to know your children. The feeling in school is so positive. The week has flown by and everything has gone comparatively smoothly. We hope you found starting the extracurricular activities straight away helpful. It has avoided the massive traffic jams we experienced last year. Please note we will be continuing our campaign for all of our primary children to have car seats.
As always we want the year to get off to a great start and to ensure that parents know what to expect over the coming year. Below you will see the dates and times of the ‘Welcome to School’ and ‘Welcome Back to School’ nights starting next week. Please make every effort to attend. It really clarifies what to expect over the year and is an opportunity to get to know your child’s teacher.
Although we did let you know about some changes before the end of term I would like to give you some reminders.
1. Students no longer need to bring in pencils, pens etc. The school is providing all the equipment the students need for day to day classwork. If students do bring in pencil cases they will be asked to keep them in their bag until a specific item is required. They do of course need a wide variety of equipment for their homework, but that can stay at home.
2. Girl’s hair must be tied up at all times and boy’s hair must be tidy.
3. We asked last term that all shoes are plain, dark and have a fastening - no slip-ons. We need to take care of our children’s feet and make sure they can walk and run easily and safely. I have already noticed one child hobbling round unable to keep her shoes on please do follow our advice. Please also note that students should only have laces if they can tie them themselves.
Thank you.
We were very excited when we came back to school to see the renovations to the south wing of the Lower Primary courtyard. We are delighted with the work that has been done and staff and students have again commented how much they like the new classes. They are so bright and inviting for the students, so spacious and allow teachers to operate with the best teaching practice. We are sure that we are the envy of the rest of the school!
Thank you to those parents who are new to the school who attended our meeting on Thursday morning and to those Madres Enlace who were also able to make it. It was lovely to get the chance to meet you. I hope you found the information helpful and that you feel part of the school community already. Existing parents please do show that wonderful Salvadoran hospitality and get to know our new entrants.
Our first IPC entry point of the year was today for Grade 2 when they got to “Feel the Force”. Their focus was on the forces that we have within our own bodies, pushes, pulls and they tried out a some friction too. This is a unit based largely on science and covers a variety of forces and their effects. Please ask your grade 2 child all about it and check out the class blog for photos next week.
We have heard about a talent show and we know we have lots of talent in school so we are including the poster in case you are interested.
The email address at the bottom of the poster is aspalestina@gmail.com
Well we, the staff, are all exhausted after our first week back and I expect many of the students are tired too. Have a restful weekend and we look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.
Warmest regards,
Sharon Short
Head of Primary
Dates for your diary
Lower Primary
August
Tuesday 30th: Pre Kinder and Kinder Welcome to school
September
Thursday 8th: Prepa y 1st grade Welcome to school
Upper Primary
September
Thursday 1st: Back to School Night 2nd & 3rd Grade 6:00 pm PAC
Tuesday 6th: Back to School Night 4th & 5th Grade 6:00 pm PAC
Wednesday 7th: 5th Cáceres Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am & 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm PAC
Wednesday 14th: 4th Linares Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am & 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm PAC
Thursday 15th - Friday 16th: School Closed. El Salvador Independence Day
Wednesday 21st: Peace One Day
Wednesday 21st: 3rd Mena Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am & 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm PAC
Wednesday 28th: 2nd Lourdes Hernández Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am & 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm PAC
Friday 30th: McLay Fun Run
Secondary News
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is my pleasure to be welcoming you the new school year for the first time. In particular I would like to welcome our students new to ABC and the Grade 6 students moving up from Grade 5. On Monday I introduced myself to the school and I would like to tell you about the expectations that I shared with the students then.
What students can expect from me is listening, fairness, honesty, encouragement, high expectations and respect. What I expect from the students is that they respect themselves, each other and the learning environment. That they are honest with themselves and their teachers. Self-awareness and academic honesty are important parts of being a successful learner. I expect that they demonstrate high standards of work, appearance and behaviour and above all that they show commitment to do their best.
A focus area for the start of term is punctuality. Lesson time is precious and we want the students to get the most out of it by being prompt to school and lessons and ready to learn. It also shows respect for the learning environment that they do not disadvantage others by interrupting important activities during Form Time or at the start of lessons. Please remember that a variety of breakfasts are are available from 6.30am at the cafeteria if you need to leave earlier to avoid the traffic problems.
Teachers, students and parents are a team working together to make the most of the wonderful opportunities available here at ABC and I look forward to supporting you all in our shared goals.
Please feel free to come and see me if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s learning, I am ready to listen.
Secondary dates for your diary
September
Monday 5th, 6-7pm
Grades 6 & 8: Information Evening Making the most of your child’s opportunities in preparation for IGCSE. This is a meeting for all parents in Grade 6 to 8 to explain how we will work together with you in the best interests of your son or daughter this year. We want to help you and your son or daughter understand how to make the most of these years in preparation for the international examination courses which follow. We would like all Grade 6-8 parents to attend this meeting
Wednesday 7th, 6-7pm
Grades 9-12 Information Evening: Making a Success of the School Year opening Pathways to College. This is a meeting for all parents in Grade 9 to 12 to explain how we will work together with you in the best interests of your son or daughter this year. We will explain what you can expect from school this year and what school expects from you. We want to help you and your son or daughter understand how you can improve your child's all round progress thereby contributing to their university prospects. We would like all Grade 9-12 parents to attend this meeting
Tuesday 20th
Grades 10 & 12 Know your school parent & teacher meeting
Thursday 29th
Grade 6 Know your school parent & teacher meeting
October
Thursday 6th
Grades 9 & 11 Know your school parent & teacher meeting
Tuesday 11th
Grades 7 & 8 Know your school parent & teacher meeting
