From the Director
I would like to start by wishing all members of our community a happy, positive and successful 2018. We have had a good start here at school and I hope you all have too.
I am sure many of you remember that we were visited by a team of IPC experts in November 2017. Over the the five years the Primary team has been introducing the International Primary Curriculum, a programme for children ages 5-11, which aims to promote international mindedness and curiosity across all subject areas. The IPC is well respected across the globe and is used in over 90 countries worldwide. The programme’s assessment methods are unique, as they bring a more personalised approach to our children’s learning. Even though the unit of study might be the same for the whole class, it’s flexibility caters to each child’s needs and areas of interest. I am delighted to confirm that we are now an IPC Accredited School. The IPC team described our children as confident, happy students, with genuine curiosity and love for learning, and were equally impressed by our staff’s teamwork and dedication. We are also very excited to currently be the only school in Latin America to possess full accreditation. It is a testimony to the quality of our IPC curriculum and I want to thank Sharon and her team for all they have achieved in providing a world class education for our children. You can read more about the accreditation on the ABC Newsblog.
I would also like to point out that we recently completed our accreditation as an IB World School as well. The ABC is truly providing a comprehensive world class education in line with international schools across the globe. We are spending the next six months reflecting on our CIS (Council of International Schools) self study and ways of developing our school in line with our ABC values. This is a very important process for us as we value our CIS membership and the international nature of the education we provide.
We are looking forward to the Class of 2019 Circus next week. I hope you will be able to join them on Thursday or Friday. Tickets are available from the students.
We are celebrating the anniversary of the Peace Accords next week and as a school we will be promoting peace throughout the month of January with the national campaign for young people Somos Paz. Have a peaceful weekend!
Primary News
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to school. It has been lovely to see all the students again and hear what they have been up to over the holidays. On behalf of myself and all the staff we would like to thank you for your lovely Christmas gifts that you sent in. It does make a difference to us when parents and students show their appreciation for all the work that the adults in school carry out.
As mentioned before the holidays we did receive our IPC accreditation report and we are very pleased to now be an accredited school. Being accredited means that we have been recognised for the excellent teaching and learning that is taking place in school and are considered to meet the required standards.
The Primary school has now been using an online programme to support English development for about 18 months. It is called Learning Village. We have found that it has a great impact for those students who use it regularly. We have just been announced as the top user for 2017. Congratulations to the students and the English Second Language team for their success with this programme.
I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that this will be my final year at the ABC and I will be leaving for pastures new at the end of June. My family has struggled with my husband and I so far away and we feel it is now time to be closer so we can support them. We are both extremely sad to be leaving the school and El Salvador, both of which we love so much.
I am pleased to announce that Mr Nevan Bridge, a very experienced head teacher will be taking over my role, and I will share more information about him soon. He will be ably supported by our current deputies. The primary school and all of its students will be in good hands.
Best wishes for the weekend,
Sharon Short,
Head of Primary.
Safeguarding Officer.
Dates for your diary
Lower Primary
Friday 19th - Kinder Cáceres assembly - PAC - 7:45am
Friday 26th - Kinder Francés assembly - PAC 7:45am
Friday 26th - 1st Padilla - trip to La Granjita Pedagógica
Upper Primary
Wednesday 17th - 3rd Borgo Assembly - PAC - 9:20am & 12:15pm
Thursday 18th - 2nd Grade Trip to El Boquerón - 7:30- 12:00pm
Wednesday 24th - UP Assembly - PAC - 9:20am & 12:15pm
Please note Ana Gloria Mena and Edda Padilla are Primary Safeguarding Officers
Secondary News
Dear parents and carers,
Happy new year and welcome back to school! We trust you all had a wonderful and memorable holiday filled with great moments reconnecting with family and friends.
We are now Mid Cal 2 this term and have four weeks before our half term break, so these weeks promise to be very busy and packed with activities and deadlines so hard work, organisation, communication and teamwork is very important!
We held our Learning Review Day with Grade 6 today and it was wonderful to see so many parents, students and teachers engaging in learning conversations. We have our Grade 7 Learning Review Day next Friday so please ensure you have your appointment time set and we look forward to seeing you!
Our Grade 10 and Grade 12 students are getting ready for their MOCKS exams coming up and we are all doing all we can to ensure they are well prepared for them. It is important to emphasise the word “MOCK” as it is a rehearsal of the real examinations in the summer term. This is a wonderful opportunity to practise and learn from the experience and the best way you can support your child at home is ensuring they get plenty of water and, very importantly, SLEEP in order to be as healthy as possible for this period. Studies show how sleep deprivation adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. “Pulling all nighters” (or near all nighters) are nothing but detrimental to their success and health.
This time is a good time to remind the community of our expectations and in particular I would like to mention three: Punctuality and attendance to school, uniform and Mobile phones.
Punctuality and attendance to school is vital for success and wellbeing. It is also a good habit and it demonstrates respect and consideration for everyone’s time. Studies continue to demonstrate the negative impact late arrivals have on children. Students miss out on important information regarding the school day and different opportunities on offer, as well as regularly miss out on activities designed to build connections with their classmates. This potentially impacts their social interactions and can create a sense of alienation from their classmates. As of next week we will be running a weekly monitoring of Late arrivals to school. Students have been informed that three lates in one week will result in a Friday after school detention. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Uniform was a much discussed topic last term and it was clear that there are very strong sentiments regarding the issue, in particular how it represents the pride in the identity of the school. We are also proud of our uniform and hence expect our students to wear their their uniform smartly. As parents, please could you check every morning that your children are wearing the correct school uniform. This includes wearing PE kit only on PE days (with the correct sports shoes.) Shoes should also be worn properly and some of our girls have unfortunately ruined their shoes by folding the back of their shoes in and as a result, they do not fit their foot properly. These shoes need to be replaced, please. As is to be expected, children grow and for some of our students it is necessary to adjust the length of skirt, trouser and PE shorts’ length. These must be uniform length and not beachwear or particular fashion lengths. I thank you for looking into the appropriate fit and length of your children’s uniform.
Mobile phones are not allowed to be used during the school day. Grade 6 and 7 should NOT have a mobile phones with them on school grounds and if they need to have one for after school reasons, they must bring them to the school office before school. Grade 8 to 12 are allowed to have mobiles with them but they should be turned off and in their bags or trouser/ skirt pocket and out of view. The use of social media (including whatsapp) should not take place during school hours and often when a mobile phone is confiscated during lessons, it has been parents contacting children during school hours. This is not beneficial to students and it contradicts what our expectations are of them so we do ask that you support us with this. It is important to note that the whole campus is mobile free and this includes the LRC. Unfortunately many students use this resource as a venue to use their mobile phones to be on social media and not as a learning resource.
We are looking forward to the class of 2019’s Circus “ Cyanic” and hope everyone supports them. They have been working very hard and we are sure it will be another successful show. Break a leg class of 2019!
I know we will each do everything in our power to make 2018 our best year yet!
Warm regards,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Dates for your diary
January 2018
Thursday 18th and Friday 19th - Class of 2019 CIRCUS- 6.00 pm; Auditorium
Friday 19th - Grade 7 Learning Review Day
Tuesday 23rd - G9 and G11 Parent Teacher Meetings 4.30 pm- 7.00 pm
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