Friday 31 March 2017

27: Friday 31st March 2017

From the Director
I would like to begin by congratulating the Under 16 and Under 18 boys football teams for reaching the finals of the Bilingual league football games which will be taking place next week.

This week we had a very interesting Parent Partnership Meeting on Internet Safety aimed at the parents of children in Grade 6, 7 and 8. We know this is an area of concern because we see the effects at times here in school and we know it is an area that parents need to work with their children on. We were disappointed so few parents attended but we are determined to keep working in this area as we see it as crucial to the safety and wellbeing of our students. Thank you to those parents who did attend and to your valuable feedback on the usefulness of the event. We have linked the presentation for the evening to the school website and it can also be seen on this link

Some mornings in the upper car park we have an issue with blocked traffic leaving the campus which then leads to many students arriving late at school. We are aware some parents find it difficult to arrive early and that it is frustrating for you and your son or daughter when they arrive late. We have decided to make some changes to the ways cars depart from the upper car park after 6.50 am. We have observed that before 6.50 am there is rarely a problem with traffic flow but after 6.50 am as the French School traffic starts to build up we do sometimes have a blockage with access to the Panamericana. We have instructed our traffic monitors that when the road is blocked leading up to the Panamericana that traffic must turn right and exit towards the Plaza Merliot otherwise we end up with a standstill in the drop off area. So please note that after 6.50 am you may be instructed to turn right and leave via the Plaza Merliot rather than turn left towards the Panamericana. In the interests of all our safety can I please ask that you respect the decisions of our traffic monitors in this respect. They are working in the best interests of all our parents and children. If you really do need to turn left out of the gate and head towards the Panamericana can I please ask that you make sure you arrive before 6.50 am as we cannot guarantee you will be able to do so after 6.50 am.

I know we are all looking forward to the coming vacation. I myself will be out of school from Wednesday as I am attending the Latin American Heads Conference. I hope to see some of you supporting our Under 18 football team at the Bilingual league final next tuesday at 6 pm. Please check our calendar for further details. Please take note that next Friday is a normal school day and there will be extracurriculars and Team Sports.I hope you have a great weekend.




Primary News
Dear Parents and Carers,

This week we had Ms Jassi Grewal in school taking a look at what we do and the way we work. Ms Jassi is from the British School in Carácas, Venezuela. Her school is also applying for IPC accreditation and it was suggested by one of the IPC advisors that she come and have a look at what we are doing. She commented on the lovely atmosphere in school, how polite the children were and how open the teachers were for her to visit the classrooms. I asked her to ask the students about their learning in school on my behalf. The questions she used are the ones that the accreditation team will be asking our students when they come in November. She found that our students are getting much better at answering these questions than they were earlier in the year. I am very proud of the way our teachers have helped our students in this respect. I managed to show Ms Grewal a few of the sights of El Salvador during her short stay too. School had a very pleasant time with Ms Grewal here and hope to welcome her back again sometime in the future. 

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Next week our traditional Swimming Galas will take place. Please check the calendar and letters that are sent out because the times and days had to change for some grades. This was due to the school being advised of an important swimming competition after the original dates were set.
Please note all students should wear their school swimming suit and a swimming cap if they have long hair.

Parents please remember that good attendance in school is vital for children’s learning.
For certain children even one day’s absence can set them back. We do not expect our teachers to make sure children catch up on what they may have missed. Many teachers will try, but it very complex when a number of students are absent for different days and times. Interestingly we sometimes find that parents try and blame us for their child’s lack of achievement when the records clearly show they have not had good attendance in school, this also applies to lateness. When a student arrives late for school they are often not ready to learn they disrupt the rest of the class with their arrival and it just gets the day off to a bad start. Traffic problems are not really an acceptable excuse for lateness. There are always some traffic issues and these should be taken into account when you choose your setting off time. It takes a child about 5 minutes to walk to their class so everyone in Upper Primary should be dropped off by 7.05 at the latest.  
Clock, Time, Timer, Face, ...

For our IPC accreditation they will be speaking to parents to find out how well you know the IPC. So from next August a lot of information about the IPC will be in our Home School Communication books and in our reading folders. We are also developing some information to go on the website for your easy reference. Here is a question to get you started though. What is the purpose of an IPC entry point? Do you know? Do your children know? Perhaps you can ask around and find out.

The holidays are fast approaching. Enjoy the last week of school this term.

Best wishes,
Sharon Short
Head of Primary and Primary Safeguarding Officer.

Lower Primary
April
Saturday 1st: Sports and Family Day - Pre-Kinder & Kinder 08:00 - 09:30 am
Saturday 1st: Sports and Family Day - Prepa & 1st Grade 10:00 - 11:30 am
Monday 3rd: 1st grade Swimming Gala - 8:50 - 10:20 am, children may leave after event
Wednesday 5th: Prepa visit Joya de Cerén
Wednesday 5th: PK visit Tenerife
Thursday 6th: 1st Grade visit Atlantis
Friday 7th: Last day of Term 2 - children leave at normal times
Monday 24th: First day of Term 3

Upper Primary
April
Tuesday 4th:
2nd Swimming Gala 9:00 a. m a 10:30 a. m
3rd Swimming Gala 11:00 a. m a 12:30 p.m
Children may go home after the event.

Friday 7th:
4th Swimming Gala 9:00 a. m a 10:30 a. M
5th Swimming Gala 11:00 a. m a 12:30 p.m
Children may go home after the event.

Friday 7th: Last day of Term 2 -
Monday 24th: First day of Term 3




Secondary News

Dear parents and carers,

We started the week with our Parent Partnership evening aimed at KS3 parents on the Dangers and benefits of the Internet and how we can help our children look after themselves online as well as how to make sense of the conflicting messages which they are exposed to. I have to be honest when I say it was disheartening for me and my colleagues to see that less than 5% our KS3 students were represented there that night as we consistently deal with issues to do with the inappropriate use of this at school. We will of course continue in our commitment with the safeguarding and guidance of our students and will continue to think of ways to encourage parents to come to our partnership events as we are clear that the more we work together, the more likely our teens will receive a coherent message. We urge you to please come to events held for parents at school as this is also a way to show support for your children.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the Art department and the LRC staff for organising the activities around Art Week at school this week. We have had students from the whole school come to learn and explore around the various artistic genres and expressions. You can take a look at some pictures here. We encourage you to ask your children how they participated and what they learnt!


We are coming to the end of a long term which has included exams and revision stress for our students. For our Grade 10 and 12 particularly, it is a time to focus on revision to do the very best they can at their upcoming IGCSE and IB exams. It is natural to have grouchy and tired students and it is important that we help them look after their health at this time especially. Please ensure that your children have breakfast before coming into school in the morning and that they have had enough rest to deal with the day’s demands. Ideally, teens should get between 8 and 9 hours per night for their physical and emotional well-being.

Finally, our school Musical is well underway and students and staff working hard to put on what I know will be a spectacular show! Congratulations to the runners up of the Sound of Music Poster Competition! Their posters will be displayed around the school and they will receive a free ticket to the 4.00 pm Matinee on Friday 28th of April.  

6A Nelson Emilio Salinas
6B Mariana Schlageter
6B Alexia María Hernández
6D Emma Hall
6D Brielle Kahealani Collins
6E Annette Bigit
12C Gabriela Zedan
12H José Alfredo Medina

Have a wonderful weekend,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón

Secondary dates for your diary

April
Saturday 1st to Saturday 18th April - Business Department Trip to UK and France
Saturday 1st- International Award expedition to Santa Ana Volcano
Friday 7th - Last day of Term two
Monday 10th to Friday 21st - Easter holidays, school closed
Monday 24th  - First day of Term three
Wednesday 26th - First IGCSE exam and last day for Grade 12 in classes (proper working day)
Thursday 27th, Friday 28th  and Saturday 29th - School musical production the ‘Sound of Music’
Friday 28th - First IB exam and last day of lessons for G10

May
Monday 1st  - National Holiday for Labour Day - school closed
Monday 8th - G11 Parent Partnership - University Application Process - 6pm PAC
Wednesday 10th - National Holiday for Mother's' Day - school closed

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