Friday 29 September 2017

6: Friday 29th September 2017

From the Director

This Sunday many people around the world will also be celebrating Children’s Day. It will be a day for children to appreciate their families and in turn for them to be appreciated by their families. It is a day for children, their parents and their grandparents to spend time enjoying each other’s company. It is also a day to think about children’s rights and our obligation to create a safer, better world for children. The United Nations focuses on the rights of the child and has a specific charter which is on our website and here is the link. If you have time take a look and reflect. As adults it is important for us to think about our children and their needs. One of those needs is a right to a good education and to be supported through their education. The other day I heard someone describe education as a gift from one generation to another. I think it is a good way to consider the education you are providing your son or daughter with the ABC. As a school we try to ensure we are clear in helping you support your child to get the very best from their school education as well as their lives at home with you. We will be celebrating Children’s day in school on Monday.

I would also like to remind you that our "Coffee with the Director and Chair of the Board" is taking place this Tuesday, October 3rd at 7:00 am. You are welcome to come along if you feel like you have any questions or concerns to express.

There is no doubt that being a teenager these days is more complicated than it was when many of us were teenagers. The temptations and distractions are all around them often at the click of a mouse. We have a responsibility as a community to protect them. We are increasingly concerned in school about parties that children are attending, especially as they get older and the behaviour that is allowed by some parents. While parents have a right to act in certain ways with their own children they do not with other children. In this respect we are concerned at mixed age parties and specifically at parties where parents have a liberal attitude towards alcohol which may expose other people’s children to danger. We all have a responsibility to protect all our children from alcohol. We expect all our parents to act in support of this when they are hosting a party or other people’s children are visiting their home. This is a shared responsibility all of us have.

I have a couple of requests regarding the afternoon pickup which we need your help with. We are trying to come up with plans to help parents with children in both sections of the school. We will hopefully have something concrete next week. In the meantime can we ask:
  1. Please do not arrive early for the pickup. We really do not want queues of cars down the Panamericana half an hour before our gates open. These lines are a safety concern especially if we have an emergency at school. Please do not arrive more than 10 minutes before our gates open.
  2. Please make sure your child knows when you are coming and please ensure that the time works for them. Cars arriving early with no children waiting for them cause much delay.
  3. Please try to use the whole pickup area so you do not park with a vacant space in front of you. 
  4. Please be patient and polite with our car park staff.
Please note that as from 2.30pm each afternoon the PAC car park is available for Secondary parents and it is generally quiet at that time. In order to prevent it being blocked by parents coming for 3 pm pick ups after extra curricular we are not allowing cars to enter for 3 pm pick ups until 3 pm. This will keep the car park open for pick ups between 2.30 and 3 pm. The guards will check your pickup intentions as you enter and ask you to wait until 3 pm if that is your pickup time. If you enter early and try to wait we will require you to move.

Thank you for your patience in helping make these changes work for everyone.

Primary News

Dear Parents and Carers,

On Monday we had our Civic month assembly. The whole of Primary from Pre-K to 5th Grade were together. We showed our respect for El Salvador by singing the national anthem and repeating the prayer to the flag. We also had some great cultural demonstrations by the students. The batucada band, the Primary dance squad, both Upper and Lower Primary choirs, a percussion group and some teachers singing Mi Pais by Carlos Neda. The flag bearers walked in a very official way. The whole event made me very proud of our students and the country of El Salvador. It was a moving time. So I would like to say a very big THANK YOU to Ms Ana Cabrera and the Spanish team along with the Music and Dance departments for a very special event.

On Tuesday the first grade children started their learning journey of their new IPC unit ¨We are what we eat¨. They were very busy working as a team to prepare a delicious menu to share. The children had the opportunity to cut, mix ingredients and cook. Some of our children showed their open mindedness by trying new food! 

Our first week of early morning Pass Club and Playroom went very well. There was quite high attendance. Please remind your children to go straight there if they arrive before 6.30. Just to reiterate there is currently no charge for the early morning service. In a few weeks once we are up and running we will review this.

We have had some children staggering around in slip-on shoes that they cannot keep on their feet. This is dangerous for them when they are playing and can also damage the growth of their feet. Please make sure all the students shoes, both girls and boys, have a fastening to keep them on and are sturdy enough for running, jumping, climbing and football!

We are running a ‘come and play’ session for prospective parents to the school and their children on Saturday (tomorrow) morning from 9.30 until 11.00. Unfortunately this morning is now completely booked out and there are no more spaces. Due to this unprecedented success we will be running another one on the following Saturday 7th October. Please make sure you book your place, well in advance, with Estefania Chacon. The details will be the same as on the poster here.

Monday we will celebrate Children’s day. Lower Primary students will be having an entertainer and Upper Primary students will be undertaking a range of smaller events. Lower Primary parents please make sure you have sent in a homemade card. How awful would it be if your child is the only one in their class not to get one!

We have our Friendship Fair coming soon on October 21st. We have moved and renamed the Spring Fair as it clashed with too many other events at that time of year. A letter has gone out to Upper Primary parents requesting filled jars. Please help your children to make them and ensure they come in as soon as possible. We have had a few beautiful ones already. If anyone is able to donate a raffle prize please contact Claudia Aviles. We always rely on your support and so thank you in advance.

The Colour Run has been a successful event in school for three Years now. We are raising funds for Save the Children and having loads of messy fun at the same time. Please send the money in and your order for your child’s running kit as soon as possible before sizes run out. 

Today was the McLay Fun Run for grades Pre-K to 4th . All of the children tried their hardest and made a great effort for the benefit of local schools . Well done to everyone who took part and brought ini their dollar, and a ‘Thank you’ to all the PE staff who supported this event especially Mr Oscar Lima the head of Primary PE. The grade 5s will be running a the bicentennial park next week.

Please remember the IPC has a special learning process. You can see all the elements in this diagram.

The entry point is to get our learners engaged and excited about the learning that is going to take place. 

The Knowledge Harvest lets us know what our learners already know about the unit what they would like to find out about, and where we need to start teaching!

‘The Big Picture’ and ‘Explaining the Theme’ help to put all the learning in a relevant context and help students to understand the point of the learning they will be doing.

The subject research activities are the activities the students carry out, often at a personalized level , to actually learn something new whether it be KS or U.

By recording their learning students firm up the concepts in their minds and commit it to memory.

Finally the exit point brings all the learning in the unit together, allows students to apply and demonstrate their learning and teachers to assess their understanding of the original big picture. It is best when the exit point has a real purpose to it.

I hope all of you can have a relaxing weekend.

Sharon Short,
Head of Primary
Safeguarding Officer

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
October
Monday 2nd - Children’s day
Friday 6th - Extracurricular activities finish, 1st session
Friday 6th - 1st Pineda assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Monday 9th - Extracurricular activities starts, 2nd session
Friday 13th - 1st Bonet assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Tuesday 17th - 1st grade Curriculum Night - 6:00pm - PAC
Friday 20th - 1st Padilla assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Saturday 21st - International Friendship Fair - 9:00am
Tuesday 24th - Prepa Curriculum Night - 6:00pm - PAC
Friday 27th - Prepa Ware assembly - 7:30am - PAC

Upper Primary
October
Monday 2nd - Children’s day
Tuesday 3rd - Coffee with Director and Chair of the ABC Board
Wednesday 4th - 5th Truscott Spanish Assembly - 9:20am & 12:15pm - PAC
Friday 6th - Extracurricular activities finish, 1st session
Monday 9th - Extracurricular activities starts, 2nd session
Wednesday 11th - 4th Grade Trip - Jardin Botanico
Wednesday 11th - 5th Navas Assembly - 9:20am & 12:15pm - PAC
Week Beginning Monday 16th - UP Parent Conferences
Wednesday 18th - 4th Guzman Assembly - 9:20am & 12:15pm - PAC
Saturday 21st - International Friendship Fair - 9:00am
Wednesday 25th - 3rd Segovia Assembly - 9:20am & 12:15pm - PAC
Thursday 26th - 2018 Mammoth Ski Trip Meeting (Provisional Booking) - 6:00pm - PAC
Friday 27th - Save The Children Colour Run - Sports Field

Please note Ana Gloria Mena and Edda Padilla are Primary Safeguarding Officers

Secondary News

Dear parents and carers,

This week in Secondary we celebrated Banned books week and we have talking about the power of the written word and how around the world certain publications are banned due to their content. I would like to thank the LRC team for their amazing work on this topic. They ran assemblies for all our students and ran sessions where topics of censorship and freedom of speech. Please talk with your children at home regarding some of the books they have read and why these could be banned in different areas around the world. 

More pictures here



Next week, many of our KS3 and IGCSE and IB Geography students will be going to Cinemark to watch a documentary on Environmental issues which they then will discuss and analyse in their KS3 IT project and their Geography IGCSE and IB. Thank you to parents for supporting this initiative. 

Class of 2019 - IGCSE Certificate Awards ceremony
We invite all parents of the class of 2019 to attend our IGCSE Certificate Awards ceremony on Monday 9th at 7.00am- 8.15am in the PAC. Congratulations to the class of 2019 again on this great achievement! 

Important information about school reports and iSAMS - Parent portal: This year we will be sending out the school reports via both student and parent portals using iSAMS. To ensure that you receive your child’s report you need to make sure that you have signed up and are logged into the parent portal. If you have not signed up to the parent portal please do so by completing this form and the instructions will then be sent to you by email. We now have 286 parents signed up and using parent portal however we need everyone to be involved.

Learning review day
Next Friday, the Secondary school will be holding the first Learning Review Day for Grade 8. Parents have been invited to meet with their son/daughter’s form tutor for a discussion about their progress and to set targets for the year ahead. These targets will be recorded in their planner and reviewed later in the year.

We believe that this kind of consultation, which is now the standard in British and international schools, is a tremendous opportunity for us to reinforce the home/school partnership and to help your son/daughter set realistic and challenging targets for their future learning. It is not intended to be a one-way discussion. Instead, students will be involved in reflecting on their own learning and progress. 

If you are a Grade 8 parent, we ask that you return your reply slip to the Secondary Office or email them with your preferred appointment slot. If you are unable to attend, please let us know so we can make an individual appointment with your child. The letter can be found here.

The Grade 10 and 12 Learning Review Days will be held in November. Details will be sent out shortly.

Civic month- Food fest
Today was our great civic month closing with our now traditional Tribal and Food Fest! A huge thank you to Mr Eric Quijano, Ms Lucila Gonzalez, the HNC staff for their work this month promoting our national heritage and culture. Thank you to all the staff for getting involved in the various activities this afternoon. A lot of fun was certainly had! 




More pictures here

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary

Dates for your diary
September
Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th - Geography Grade 11 IA Field Trip to Antigua Guatemala
Monday 9th Oct- IGCSE Certificates Award Ceremony- 7.00 am to 815am- PAC. 
Friday 20 October- 7th Grade Spanish- Science trip to Botanical Gardens. 
Friday 27th October- COLOUR RUN! 

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