From the Director
As I have been pointing out at the parent meetings over the last two weeks the ABC is a school which offers world class learning in world class facilities in line with the highest international expectations of a modern, up to date learning institution. This school year we will be visited by the IPC, CIS and possibly the IB with a view to ensuring our practices are up to date and in line with these world class standards. Education nowadays is all about preparation for life and the world and is a partnership between home, teachers and school which focuses on the wellbeing and potential of the child. All of us have a role to play and it is important we all understand the learning processes our children are going through so we can support and encourage them. We will continue to talk about these issues in order to help our children, our parents and our staff fully understand them. Our school values are particularly important in reinforcing these attitudes and traits so our children do become more knowledgeable, more skillful and with better understanding of their world.
We have a number of new staff this year and it has been nice to see them being welcomed so warmly into our school community. I have also seen many new students happily settling into school life. I hope that new parents are also feeling part of our wider community. Please do contact the parent representatives linked to your grade or one of us at school if you are not feeling included!
GO BULLDOGS
I would like to add my congratulations to the Under 17 boys football team for their success in the Under 17 Estudiantiles competition at Las Delicias. They won the cup final on Wednesday with a score of 4-1. More details are available on the Team sports blog but congratulations to all the team, their coaches and supporters. We are very proud of them and they have been practicing over the last few weeks of the holiday and into this year.
In terms of sport I do need to mention that Joe Terrasi from the Positive Coaching Alliance will be visiting the school again later this month to continue helping us promote our sports programme. I am discussing the details of the visit with him but it seems that on Wednesday 20th September there will be a meeting with parents and him to discuss ideas for encouraging our young athletes.
We are still trying to resolve our traffic situation and have some ideas which we will be trialing and implementing. In the morning we do advise you arrive before 6.50 am and the drop off is relatively straightforward. We are now opening the gates to Upper Primary parents at 1.50 pm. You will need a Grade 2-5 car pass to get into school before 2 pm. We do ask that if you have an early access pass you do not block the car park areas waiting for an older child. You will be asked to move on because such behaviour blocks access for everyone. We do ask for your understanding and patience. I will talk about further plans next week - we are considering restricting access to the lower car park to Primary pick ups only but will make an official announcement in due course. We are aware that it is unacceptable for parents to spend so much time sitting in traffic queues.
I hope you have a lovely weekend with your children.
Primary News
Dear Parents and Carers,
School is now back in full swing. It is as if we have never been away. Old friendships are back in place and all the teachers are back into the school mindset, although some a little more than others. We have managed without Ms Ana Gloria Mena this week after she fell over and fractured her ankle. I am sure you will all join me in wishing her a speedy recovery.
Very Important. Have you got your car park entry sticker. Especially Upper Primary families. We are proposing some trial changes to student collection after school in the near future. Your sticker will be essential.
On Wednesday and Thursday we held our Welcome (back) to school nights. Thank you to all the parents who turned up and to 2nd and 3rd Madres Enlace who arranged the lovely refreshments and the staff who arranged the Pre-K and Kinder refreshments, also very nice. The teachers did a sterling job of explaining the daily routines and answering parents questions. We are lucky to have such excellent teams in school.
One of the topics covered with the older grades was the IPC accreditation. We are having an accreditation team from London come to visit us from the 13th November to the 16th November. They will be seeing our school in action, talking to the children and talking to parents. I will not share too much now as some of you who have not had your meeting yet but there is a lot still to do. The last two WB2SNs will be next week. Please check the dates below for your grade.
We will start taking school photos next week and I would like to remind you that all children with long hair should come with their hair tied back and everyone should be wearing their best uniform. The staff are sharing the schedules with you as they are confirmed.
The first few weeks in IPC this year have all been on how the brain works. Helping children to understand how they learn. They have been finding out about neurons in the brain and how they make connections as we learn. Here is a link to a very short article on the brain of a young child and how it grows at this crucial stage. Please have a look.
The class assemblies are starting next week as well. The LP assemblies are on Friday mornings and there are two opportunities to see the UP ones on a Wednesday. It is always lovely to see you there.
We will be celebrating Peace One Day in September and holding the Mclay fun run. Please have a look at the whole school calendar on the website.
Have a great week ahead.
Sharon Short
Head of Primary
Safeguarding Officer.
Dates for your diary
Lower Primary
September
Thursday 7th - Prepa and First Grade Back to school night - 6:00pm - PAC
Friday 15th - El Salvador National Day: School Closed
Monday 18th - INSET day: School Closed
Thursday 21st - Peace One Day
Friday 29th - First Henriquez Assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 29th - McLay Fun Run
Upper Primary
September
Tuesday 5th - Grade 4 & Grade 5 Back to school night - 6:00pm - PAC & UP Classrooms
Wednesday 6th - 5th Linares Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am PAC and 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Wednesday 13th - 4th Rumsey Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am PAC and 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Friday 15th - El Salvador National Day: School Closed
Monday 18th - INSET day: School Closed
Wednesday 20th - 3rd Mena Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am PAC and 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Thursday 21st - Peace One Day
Wednesday 27th - 2nd Lourdes Hernández Assembly 9:20 am - 10:05 am PAC and 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Friday 29th - McLay Fun Run
Please note Ana Gloria Mena and Edda Padilla are Primary Safeguarding Officers
Secondary News
Dear parents and carers,
A busy week in Secondary and it has been wonderful to see everyone settling in so quickly into the new routines, lessons and activities. Our Extra Curricular programme is up and running as well as Team Sports. All parents were sent the list of activities on offer so please do have a conversation at home with your children about what they intend to participate in and what they are learning! Please encourage them to make the most of the opportunities to explore their interests and talents. You can see the list here.
A huge THANK YOU to the Maths department who put on a wonderful event for our Grade 6 students as part of our Transition programme. Here are some pictures of Grade 6 students participating in their Maths Relay this week. Mrs Bradburn also sends the message below to all parents.
From Karen Bradburn- Head of Mathematics Department
“The Mathematics Department are proud to share their new Independent me homework programme for all secondary school students. You can read all about it on our Maths at the ABC blog. We are really pleased to see our students making independent decisions about their mathematics learning.”
More pictures here: https://goo.gl/chGBCS
Secondary School photographs
We have scheduled the following days next week for the School photographs to be taken. Please ensure your children come in wearing the proper school uniform that day in order to take the picture.
Monday 4th: Grade 10/ 11A/ 11B
Tuesday 5th: 9E/ 11C/ 11D
Wednesday 6th: Grade 6
Thursday 7th: 7A/ 11E / 11F
Friday 8th: Grade 8/ Grade 7 (except 7A)/ Grade 9 (except 9E)/ 11G/ 11H
Registration and attendance
Once again we remind parents of the vital importance of school attendance for students’ academic success and wellbeing. It is our expectation to have at least a 95% attendance in the school year and I will continue to contact parents regarding this.
We understand that at times children may be ill or not well enough to attend school but if this is the case, we urge you as parents to ensure you report the absence before 7.00am to absencesecondary@abc-net.edu.sv. This is part of our Health and Safety policy. If your child arrives late but before 7.20am they MUST report to their tutor groups. If they arrive after 7.20am they MUST report to the Secondary School office to register. Next week, we will be contacting parents to alert them if their child has not been marked “Present” or “reported absent” before 8.00 am. We will then ask them to contact school to provide a reason for their absence. Thank you in advance for your collaboration.
Finally another great THANK YOU to Mr Scott Depooter, our LSU team and IB tutors and team for a fantastic Empowerment Day for G11. I know our students gained a lot out of it and it a lot of fun was had. I also thank Grade 11 Madres Enlace for all their care and collaboration looking after our students and staff!
I wish everyone a restful and enjoyable weekend and look forward to the upcoming Civic month festivities.
Felíz Mes de Independencia,
Regards,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Dates for your diary
September
Monday 4th - Secondary School photos all week
Friday 15th - National holiday - Independence Day
Monday 18th - School closed for students - INSET for teachers
Thursday 21st - Peace One Day celebration
Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th - Geography Grade 11 IA Field Trip to Antigua Guatemala
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