17: Friday December 13th 2019

From the Director

Yesterday it was my privilege to be involved in the final interview panel to select our Head Students and Deputy Head Students for the coming year; it proved to be an experience that ranks among the most powerful of my 28 year career in teaching. All of the students shortlisted performed superbly and were clearly young people who embody what it means to be a responsible outstanding citizen. However, the speech below from Jubran Lemus quite simply blew me away. It loses a little when simply read because it was delivered with such, passion, commitment and integrity but nevertheless, I am sure you will agree that, with young people of this calibre in our midst, we truly can change the world.

"Leadership, for me, is much more than the act of being able to lead others to a common goal. Leadership is more significant than just getting others to do what you want to be done because they want to do it too. For me, a leader is an individual, not necessarily the most intelligent, the most popular, the most charismatic or remarkable in any sense of the word. A leader would be the one who would be able to empower others humbly, unostentatiously, through the building of powerful relationships of kindness, affection and love.

A leader would be the person who would stay, selflessly attending others in times of need. He would be the one who would encourage others to do their best when they accept it's all wasted. He would serve as the gateway out of moments of grief, desperation and darkness. Like the moonlight in the midst of a gloomy night, he would be a beaming escort in the path of life.

I believe in the qualities mentioned earlier of a leader. Furthermore, I think that it should be our obligation to serve as an example to others and younger generations by manifesting them each day. In this sense, you can say every individual is a leader inside our community, whether it's our home, the school or even our country. We are responsible for the change inside our society.

The duty of serving through acts of kindness, understanding and empathy is our fate as a human race. We are all agents in this change of attitude, so a leader needs to be able to funnel this free-flowing positive energy with the best of its ability. A leader would be an empty vessel, coming to life through the passion of the people who advocate for change.

Leadership is not always straightforward, there are challenges met in the position as in all things of life. Nevertheless, one thing is sure, that in a lifetime, no matter how big the trial, the deed, the task, we must seize every opportunity that is possible to be the vessel for change to occur."

Class of 2026 End of Term 1 Feedback 19/20 (Grade 6)

Which subjects have you enjoyed the most and explain why?


Science because the experiments are awesome


Science because it's the easiest to understand and we learn something new each day.


English because the activities are fun and we get to read Peter Pan


I like Spanish, English and P.E the most because I like those subjects, I am good at those subjects and the teachers explain really well.


The subjects I have enjoyed the most are French because I have learned a new language and it's very fun learning in that class and music because we have learned many songs and notes, which are fun for me


Science has been one of the most different subjects because in primary we did not have it the way we do now. I enjoy science because …………….. is very nice and explains clearly all the tasks and she makes different activities for us to learn more!


P.E , humanities , maths , music in this classes i enjoy the most because while we are learning we have fun and they explain the activity clearly and I love this subjects.


Humanities because it’s easy to learn and fun.


Humanities, because …………. is a nice teacher and she always has fun activities set up.


Math- ……………….is really sweet and explains well what sometimes I don’t understand


Humanities: I really liked learning about history and the teacher made every class fun.

French: l enjoyed learning a new language


PE and Maths, PE because I love making exercise and Maths because I like my teacher and he explains the lessons really good


Humanities because I have a good teacher


Art because we have learned about some artists and some techniques.


Math, because I always have fun and I always learn something new.


Humanities, Spanish and Music because we do lots of fun activities and its easy and fun to learn.


I have enjoyed Humanities, Spanish, Music and English Reading. I like these subjects because the teachers explain really well


I have enjoyed most English since our teacher is a great teacher and gives us fun activities to do and also helps us a lot.


Humanities because we always do fun stuff even the homework is fun


I have enjoyed a lot Spanish, Humanities, English, Music and Math because the teachers make the class fun


I like Humanities the best because the teacher is very nice. I enjoy the lessons and always understand what we are doing.


Music and English because they make the learning happy.


Science because we learn different subjects and we do experiments and when you understand you feel great.

What have you enjoyed most about term 1 of Grade 6?


Meeting the teachers


Being with my friends


Tutor Time and Life Skills


That teachers are the best.


That all the teachers have been very nice to us and that I have learned new things.


That we have done various activities in almost every class.


Everything


I have enjoyed moving from class to class during the change of periods.


I have enjoyed meeting new people.


Everything.


I have enjoyed moving classes


I have enjoyed moving from class to class and learning about different things.


I have enjoyed being with my friends and becoming more independent.


Participating in Oliver


The lockers


Being an Ambassador


The LRC and learning in lessons with creativity


If you have any comments about moving into the secondary school please write them below.

I feel the transition between primary and secondary is good as it is.


Give more food options in cafeteria


I think the process was great. Nothing to improve.


Finish this sentence. My impression of Secondary School is…

Being independent and respectful


it's different compared with primary, as it has more enjoyable and new subjects


Very good


That is is really fun and there are a lot of exams


Don't know


Fun and new to learn new things and start over


That is more fun than expected


I loved it! It is very fun and you get to learn a lot


That every teacher is very nice.


That it is going to be a fun journey


That it has more variety


Good because all of the teachers help us.


The teachers are very nice


Not as stressful as I thought


Good because it is like the next brick of building a Lego called ¨life


The different classes


Was great. I really enjoyed this amazing change.


They are very kind


That it is really big and really fun


Very good because everyone is kind


Ahh! There is only five minutes to get to class and try to find my way around?!

(I now know how to get around, do not worry. But at first it was hard. )




From the Head of Primary

Well, we made it to the end of the term! I know the students have really enjoyed their learning all term.

There have been several trips and camps which has brought learning alive outside of the classroom. Lower Primary’s Santa’s Festival and shows were a triumph this week. Many, many parents have complimented the staff and students for their hard work and said how much they enjoyed the occasion. The hard work from the teachers, learning assistants and the organising committee made this event very memorable. They were often in school until late and so it is wonderful when all their hard work pays off. Thank you to everyone involved and to everyone who came.

We sent lots of Shoeboxes to the less fortunate in our community. They will be distributed to local communities soon We would like to thank all the children and parents who gave these donations that will bring such happiness to the less fortunate children in El Salvador.

The ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert last night was very enjoyable and it was wonderful to see and hear the musical and vocal talents of our students from throughout the school. Well done to all the students and teachers who took part.

I hope your Christmas is filled with joy, love, family and friends. Christmas is about parents and children spending quality time together. If you are travelling, please take care, and if you are not, I hope you have a safe and fun holiday. School reopens on Monday, January 6 2020

Book of the Week
Mr. Scruff by Simon James

This new picture book by the author/illustrator is great fun to read aloud! The rhyming text introduces a variety of dogs and their owners, deftly demonstrating the irregularity of English spelling. It has a lot going for it in terms of phonics, rhyming and prediction.

The pictures show the relationships between the dogs and their human companions. However, there is more to this book than naming these existing pairings between pets and people. Mr Scruff is one dog who does not have a companion – will he find one?

Lower Primary
January

Monday 6th - Back to school
Monday 6th- Extracurricular activities, session 3 starts
Saturday 11th - Open morning
Saturday 18th - International Friendship fair

UPPER PRIMARY
January

Monday 6th - Back to School
Monday 6th - Session 3 Extracurricular Programme starts
Saturday 18th - International Friendship Fair - 7:30am - 12:30pm
Thursday 22nd - 5th Navas Assembly - 8:15am & 10:55am

From the Head of Secondary

ABC recommends the Young Adults’ Choices 2019 Reading List
by Daniel Jenkins- English Department

The Young Adults’ Choices 2019 Reading List is a project supervised by the International Literacy Association’s Literature for Young Adults Committee. The goals of the project are: 'to encourage young people to read; to make teens, educators, librarians and media specialists, and families and caregivers aware of new literature for young adults; and to provide middle and secondary school students with an opportunity to voice their opinions about books being written for them and in whose pages they can find characters and experiences to which they can relate.'

The ABC recommends this list which reflects responsible and fun reading choices for students from grades 6 to 10. Obviously, some books won't appeal to everyone, and the usual decisions about difficulty levels need to be made - but, this list should help to maintain an extensive reading habit on and around our campus over the coming months.

The books listed can either be found in the LRC or online. You can see the titles in the document attached to this email.

Dear parents and carers,

We made it to the end of the term and what a term it has been!

My message today is short and simple. Gratitude.

It may sound like a cliché and an expected message for this time of year, and in fact, that may be true! But there is also scientific proof that demonstrates the benefit of practising gratitude in our daily lives!

Did you know that Gratitude opens the door to more relationships? It improves physical and psychological health. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression! Grateful people sleep better at night. Gratitude improves self-esteem and mental strength!

I invite you to take a moment at home with your children and encourage the practice of reflecting on everything you are grateful for.

I am grateful for being part of this community and grateful for all the support staff, students and parents have shown us throughout the term! I am also very grateful to see we exceeded in the number of thank you X-mas baskets the Secondary school has put together for our incredible team of maintenance staff!

Next term is extremely busy as well and we start with our G12 and G10 mocks. Please do all you can to encourage effective revision to prepare for these important exams.

I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas holiday with your loved ones and a wonderful 2020.

See you all early on Monday 6th of January, 2020!

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary school


Dates for your diary
January 2020

Monday 6th - School opens - First Day of Term 2
Tuesday 7th to Friday 17th - Grades 10/12 Mock Exams
Tuesday 21st to Friday 24th - Grades 7 and 8 Exams
Friday 31st - Grade 9 Geography Coursework Fieldtrip
Friday 31st and Saturday 1st February - Mathrelay and Mathcounts Central America, ABC Auditorium and Field, from 7am to 2:30pm

February

Tuesday 4th - Parent Partnership meeting No.2 - for Secondary
Friday 7th - Staff INSET Day - school closed for students
Monday 10th to Sunday 16th - ICT Silicon Valley Trip (TBC)
Tuesday 11th -Grade 11/12 Learning Review Day in LRC all day (by appointment)
Thursday 13th - 7th Grade - Parent Teachers meeting - 4:30pm, Auditorium
Thursday 13th and Friday 14th - Grade 8 Empowerment Days trip
Tuesday 18th - Grade 10 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointment)
Wednesday 19th - Grade 7 empowerment Day
Friday 21st - Grade 12 Family Day
Friday 21st to Sunday 1st March - Art trip to Europe
Monday 24th to Friday 28th - Half Term holidays, school closed

16: Friday December 6th 2019

From the Director

Earlier in the week we had an event to thank our outgoing Prefects for their service to our community and I want to reiterate again here my gratitude for the work they have done and the example they have set in their leadership roles. It is scary how late on in my life and career it was before I really knew anything about leadership and I fear that, as a result, my performance in my early leadership roles was pretty poor.

I have come to realise (somewhat belatedly!) that a great deal about effective leadership is to do with relationships. I have also learned that leadership is a symbiotic endeavour, and much as it is true that the team has responsibilities to the leader, so too does the leader to the team. It is for these reasons that, after much stumbling around in the dark, I settled on the servant leadership model as the one for me.

I would argue that the two leaders who have had the greatest impact on shaping our modern world are Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad and I would further contend that they were both epitomes of servant leadership. Think of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and the whole message of self-sacrifice that his life exampled or the Prophet Muhammad who said, “All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for your flock”.

Humility and empathy are key characteristics of a servant leader, and so too is integrity. If we are to have real faith in our leaders and be truly inspired by them, then we must believe, and believe in, what they do and say, whether publicly or privately. Much wiser men than me have put it better:

“……..every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and therefore what one has done in the secret chamber one has some day to cry aloud on the house-tops.” Oscar Wilde

“Integrity….doesn’t blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won’t cheat, then you know he never will.” - John D MacDonald

”Have the courage to say no….do the right thing because it is right.” - W Clement Stone

“Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught”. - J.C. Watts

“There is nothing weighs heavier in the scales than good character.” Prophet Muhammad

“I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.” - Abraham Lincoln

I am a great believer that we all need to show leadership in our lives. Each day presents us with a myriad of opportunities to lift up others-to make the tough decision- to walk the road less travelled- to be courageous and resilient- and any organization that encourages all of its stakeholders to embrace the challenges that these opportunities present will surely flourish.




From the Head of Primary

As we come to the end of Term One, I want to congratulate all of Upper Primary children and staff for their magnificent production last night. The singing, costumes and acting was amazing! It just shows how much talent we have in the ABC Primary!

Today, parents will be receiving the mid-year report. The aim of these reports is to give parents and students an idea of the progress that has been made in the first half of the year. It is also about the child’s attitudes, behaviour, social skills and embracing the ABCs Values. The report will also give information about the next Learning Steps or targets. Please take the time to speak to your child about the positive aspects of the report and how you can support him/her in achieving their next Learning Steps.

The Lower Primary Christmas Show will take place on Wednesday 11th December, in the Performing Arts Centre - PAC. Lower Primary students will leave school as follows:

PRE KINDER
11:00 am

KINDER
11:30 am


PREPA
12:30 pm


FIRST GRADE
1:00 pm

Play Room (Sala Cuna) will open from 11:00 am - 1:30 pm and there will be no charge.

PROGRAMME – PAC - WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER 2019





Remember that at 2:30pm we will have Santa's Festival in the Lower Primary field, and we are inviting you as well as Upper Primary students to visit it.


Book of the Week
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski & PJ Lynch




When the widow McDowell and her son knock on the door of morose wood-carver Jonathan Toomey to ask him to recreate the set of Christmas figures they have lost, a journey back to life and love for a bereaved man begins. The detailed paintings of the characters’ faces, especially of Jonathan Toomey himself, reveal the deep emotions within. The author and illustrator write about their own feelings about the book in an afterword.

Parents will be sent an email early next week giving information regarding students being released next Friday (December 13th) and the pickup arrangements. Please ensure you read it carefully so all our students leave the school safely.

Dates for your Diary

Lower Primary
December
Wednesday 11th: Christmas Show & Christmas Fair - LP playground
Thursday 12th: ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert
Friday 13th: End of Term

January
Monday 6th - Back to school
Monday 6th- Extracurricular activities, session 3 starts

Upper Primary
December
Tuesday 10th - Last day of Team Sports Extracurricular Activities
Wednesday 11th - Santa’s Festival - 2:30pm -7:00pm - LP Playground
Thursday 12th - ABC Musicians’ Christmas Concert - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday 13th - End of Term Break

January
Monday 6th - Back to School
Monday 6th - Extracurricular Programme Session 3 starts

From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

Although we are reaching the end of the first term, I am happy to share that we still have so many different activities going on. It is great to see such a vibrant community and I thank you all for collaborating with us on all the campaigns.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
From Margarita Valdés- MUN Coordinator

Our Model United Nations students did a fantastic job representing the ABC community at the Escuela Americana MUN Conference this week. Model United Nations is an academic activity where students roleplay being delegates of the United Nations in order to learn about diplomacy, international relations and the UN. During this one day conference, all participating students debated worldwide issues such as gender-based violence and the financing of terrorist groups, working in teams to agree upon possible solutions for such issues.








SMART PREP- For all IB Students - new platform available for revision

We are excited to share with you that we have recently purchased an online tool to help our IB students revise and prepare for IB assessments.

This tool is called SMARTPREP and it can be accessed on all of their devices by going to this link https://app.smart-prep.com/. To access they will need to log on with their Managebac Username and Password. If you do not know this, please let us know. 
SMARTPREP is currently available to help you practice Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics and Mathematics. There will be more subjects added in the new year! You can find all the instructions on how to use this tool at this link, you will be able to:- Test yourself using the flashcards on each syllabus point of each of your courses. -  Flip the cards to check you have the correct answer. [You must be strict with yourself not to do this before you have finished answering the question!]- Self assess whether you have got the question correct or not. [Be honest so you can understand the areas you need to improve!]- You can create folders of flashcards and also add your own revision notes as you go along. Your teachers will also have access to this system where they will soon be able to set you exercises through ManageBac for you to complete to revise specific parts of the course. Happy revising!

Movember winner

Below you can see some of our competitors in our Movember competition!



Options 1, 2 and 3



Options 4, 5 and 6

Visit to HOPAC by Grade 11 students - CIRCUS 2021
By Amy Villafuerte

For years now, we’ve been hearing from our seniors that the circus was a fantastic experience. Ms Cáceres always mentioned how the circus was initially a small show with almost no budget and they performed it for charity.Our Madres Enlace even showed us pictures of their circus, and that made us feel emotions that weren’t there before. We understood that this beautiful tradition had an impact on everyone, and we needed to go back to the real meaning of this show. It was not about us, it was all about creating the change. It became our mission to remind future generations that the Circus was created to help and bring joy to those who need it the most.Our Madres Enlace knew that, and they supported our decision 100%. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to create all of this. They coordinated our trip to HOPAC to be able to perform for people with special needs, which was the original intention of the circus. They also organised to fix a roof for them and install electricity so that their arts and crafts workspace was fit for use. When we arrived, we were told how much they needed that and how much the kids enjoyed it, and I know for a fact that we all felt like of all the hard work and muscle aches were worth it.Overall the circus was a beautiful experience. Not only did we create a stronger bond between us, as the class of 2021, but we were also able to make a meaningful contribution to this beautiful place. We want to encourage the class of 2022 to continue this tradition, and we wish them the best of luck in their Circus next year.















GRADE 10 CAMPING EMPOWERMENT in Helvética Cerro Verde

Grade 10 recently set out on their Empowerment Trip in which they showed excellent teamwork and resilience to climb Volcan de Santa Ana together.


One more week to go! Please ensure children are getting enough sleep and are well rested to come to school. We are still working hard in lessons and outside of lessons and this week has unfortunately been stained with many behaviour issues which could have easily been prevented. We appreciate everyone is tired but next week promises to be busy and we need all the attention and energy. 
Have a wonderful weekend.

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School

Dates for your diary
December

Saturday 7th - SAT Test
Tuesday 10th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointments) and Grade 12 Art Mock first partWednesday 11th - Grade 12 Art Mock second partThursday 12th - ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert, 6pm PAC, entrance $3 from Primary and Secondary OfficesFriday 13th - Last Day of Term and Christmas and New Year holidays start (Secondary School students leave at 11.30am)
January 2020

Monday 6th - School opens - First Day of Term 2
Tuesday 7th to Friday 17th - Grades 10/12 Mock Exams
Tuesday 21st to Friday 24th - Grades 7 and 8 Exams
Friday 31st - Grade 9 Geography Coursework Fieldtrip
Friday 31st and Saturday 1st February - Mathrelay and Mathcounts Central America, ABC Auditorium and Field, from 7am to 2:30pm 




ABC Sports congratulates the BKB Mini boys team who got Second Place at the Bilingual League, and the Football U12 boys red and blue team who got the Championship and the runner up at Copa Alemana Cup.


Please remember that sport practices from 2nd to 12th grade will end on December 10th 2019 and will resume on Monday January 6th 2020.

To read more about this week’s Sports events, please visit our Instagram and Facebook pages.

15: Friday November 29th 2019

From the Director

Thankfulness

Happy belated Thanksgiving Day everyone!

So, I learned something today……did you know anything about the origins of the word “thank”? It turns out I certainly didn’t, and I honestly feel rather ashamed about that. I mean, I have been on this planet for half a century or so and until now I have never thought to look into the origins of a concept that is central to so much of human custom and etiquette. Language is just a device (albeit an incredibly sophisticated one) for trying to give expression to all of that rather messy, nefarious stuff we call thoughts and feelings. Because the meaning of words can be distilled, refined or diluted over the course of time, we can often find that our understanding of not only a word, but also of the concept it is trying to give meaning to, can be enhanced by researching its origins. So what are the origins of the word, “thank”?

thank (v.): Old English þancian, þoncian "to give thanks, thank, to recompense, to reward," from Proto-Germanic *thankojan, from *thankoz "thought; gratitude," from Proto Indo-European root *tong- "to think, feel." It is related phonetically to “think” as “song” is to “sing”

Online Etymology Dictionary

In other words (no pun intended!) the word “thank’ has a shared heritage with the word “think”. There was a time in my Scottish childhood when I was guilty of using the word “thank” as the past participle of the verb “to think” and it now seems I was not so terribly wrong as I was then led to believe!

Look again at the definition of the original Proto Indo-European word “tong”- “to think, feel”. It seems that the heritage of the word thank lies right in the middle of the aforementioned “messy, nefarious stuff” and, therefore, right at the heart of the things that distinguish us as a species from the rest of the animal world. The verb “to thank”, expressions like, “to give thanks” and, “to feel thankful”, these are our best attempts at giving expression to something really quite profound, to a very unique human experience. They mean that we have reflected on (hence the links with the concept of thinking, I suppose) that action, that person, that experience and found it/him/her quite special in some way and we are also aware that a distinct and quite wonderful emotion has been evoked in us as a result that we feel we want to give expression to; that, I think, is why we say, “Thank you”.

The rules of custom and etiquette mean that we are all a little guilty perhaps, of using the phrase, “thank you” as little more than culturally demanded punctuation rather than an attempt to really express gratitude. So perhaps we should take a moment to think a little more deeply about the things, the experiences and the people in our lives that cause us to feel that elusive emotion we call gratitude* and, having felt that emotion, then see if we can find some satisfactory way to give expression to it.

*”Gratitude” shares its etymology with the word “grace”, by the way…

From the Head of Primary

Christmas is a time to share and care for others and there are a variety of collections going on in school. In Primary we support the Shoebox campaign. We thank everyone who has already sent in their shoeboxes. We would love to see more to support those less fortunate in our community. We hope you enjoyed preparing them with your children.

Sick Children- We all know that during this time of the year, due to changes in the weather, we see an increase in cases of influenza or viral diseases. We kindly ask for your cooperation, if your children are sick, please do not send them to school. It is better that they rest and fully recover at home; If you receive a call from our doctor, who has the support and trust of the school, informing you that your child must be picked up due to any health issue, we ask you to pick him or her up as soon as possible so that they can receive the necessary treatment or care.

Next week the students in Primary start their rehearsals for the Christmas Shows and concerts. Many of them will have lines and actions to learn. Please help them to practice so they can feel confident and can speak loud and clear during their performance. Upper Primary have their Christmas Show in the Auditorium on Thursday, 5 December⋅6:30 – 8:30 pm. Lower Primary have their Christmas Show (PAC) and Xmas Fair on Wednesday, 11 December⋅3:00 – 7:00 pm.

A HUGE congratulations to our wonderful ABC students, parents and community who raised over $6 000 for Teletón. As you can see from the photos below, our students were very proud to present the cheque!



Book of the Week
The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros




A weary animal arrives in a new place dragging a suitcase behind him. The animals he meets are very curious about its contents. He tells them what is inside but they are sceptical. To say more would give too much away. Much of the text is a dialogue between the animal protagonists, the speaker indicated by the device of using the same colour font for their words as the colour of their fur or feathers. The strength and simplicity of this picture book’s message is enhanced by the use of a limited but carefully chosen palette set against white space.

Lower Primary
December

**Collecting Christmas Shoeboxes**

Friday 6th: Reports go home
Saturday 7th: Baby Bulldogs (free class for parents and toddlers aged 12-30 months)
Wednesday 11th: Christmas Show & Christmas Fair - LP playground
Thursday 12th: ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert
Friday 13th: End of Term

Upper Primary
December

Thursday 5th - UP Christmas Show - 6:30pm - 8:00pm - Auditorium
Friday 6th - Session 2 Extracurricular Programme Ends
Friday 6th - UP Reports go home
Friday 6th - Grade 2 Camping Night
Wednesday 11th - Santa’s Festival - 2:30pm -7:00pm - LP Playground
Thursday 12th: ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert
Friday 13th - End of Term Break

January

Monday 6th - Back to School
Monday 6th - Extracurricular Programme Session 3 starts

From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,



We are nearly at the end of the term and it is a time to truly reflect and give thanks for all the blessings and opportunities we have. Give thanks for being part of this wonderful community and give thanks for being able to serve others. Service is a common word to hear and see in action in our community- from teachers offering support and going the extra mile (miles!) to students helping each other and their community projects and of course everyone in the school being of service to each other. In particular I would like to mention our Maintenance and security staff who day in and day out give their very best service to this community. This week as you know we are collecting items for their Christmas baskets and I thank you all for your contributions. It is of course a moment to give thanks for being an ABC Bulldog and of course, celebrating Bulldog Pride.

As Mr Hogan put it:

"Bulldog Pride is about recognising and displaying the best possible version of yourself in all aspects of your actions and character." 

"Bulldog Pride is about celebrating your collaboration with others and the successes of others."

I couldn't agree more!

IGCA Beach clean up and Turtle Release
from IGCA member Diego Rivas

The IGCA team went down to Playa San Diego over the weekend for the Beach Clean up and Turtle Release. These activities targeted the core values of IGCA, by focusing on our environmental and social strands, we managed to teach the importance of taking care of our ecosystems. It is our duty, not only as IGCA but as part of the ABC Community to take action against problems such as climate change and habitat destruction.

Yesterday's activities were beach cleaning and the turtle release, which relates back to our motto "Every little action counts".







KS3 Student Ambassadors workshop on Public Speaking with Dale Carnegie

On Monday, our KS3 Student Ambassador Team spent their morning in a workshop with renowned trainers from Dale Carnegie. The topic: “Public Speaking like a Pro”. The workshop was exclusively done for our ABC Ambassadors, based on their needs and what they asked for during their interviews. As our ABC motto says “Effort leads to Success”. This is an important skill for being an outstanding citizen, a leader and a good communicator. They learned about the qualities of a good speaker, tips to give a good speech, how many seconds it takes to give a good impression and many other important factors that will help them to become good public speakers.

When asked about how they felt and what they learned after the workshop, they gave some of the following answers:

“I really enjoyed today’s workshop because we were able to have fun while public speaking, the techniques they use make us feel more confident and free when speaking .”

“I learned how visual representation is a vital part of communication since it affects our understanding of the message the sender is trying to give. I also learned that even without much experience, you can still be a great public speaker, since it's all mostly about the attitude, then the ability and last but not least, knowledge.”

“I liked the Dale Carnegie workshop. It was fantastic! I enjoyed doing all the activities, I am sure that this will help me speak in public like a pro.”

“I learned that public speaking is not about learning things word by word but about knowing your topic and having a good attitude while speaking, therefore, reflecting confidence. For other people to receive your message you have to know how to connect with them, making the public engaged.”










Congratulations to Enzo Lemus, Class of 2025

We are happy to share that Enzo Valentino Lemus García won FIRST PLACE at Universidad de El Salvador's ”Jóvenes Talento” programme, Level 3 this week. We are very proud of his effort and we look forward to celebrating even more achievements in your future! Effort Leads to Success!

HIV Awareness Day - December 1st

This morning, Thursday, 28th November Grades 9 to 12 had an assembly to commemorate World Aids Day/ HIV Awareness which is on Sunday, 1st December. The theme for this year is "Community Action & Support" and as a school community, our aims were to review HIV transmission, prevention & medication, as well as to highlight the stigma that is attached to the condition. The intention was to show that every HIV diagnosis has a personal narrative/ story. We take the words from Alejandra Oraa, UNAIDS Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America & The Caribbean as our starting point:

“No one can tell a father or a mother to talk or not to talk about sex with their children; this is their decision. However, a state should guarantee comprehensive sexuality education. If the state prepares a child to go out into the world knowing maths and literature, spelling and science, why not prepare him or her for something as important as his or her sexuality? It is not about teaching them to have sexual relationships, it is a matter of explaining what it implies, what are the risks and the consequences.”

UNAIDS (2017)

A reminder to parents of Grade 9 and Grade 11 that we look forward to welcoming you at our Parent - Teacher meeting next Wednesday 4th of December, from 4:30pm- 7:00pm in the Auditorium. Your children have been making appointments with their teachers for that evening. Please check your iSAMS Parent Portal to access their CAL 1 report today.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Natalia Cáceres Escalón.
Head of Secondary School


Dates for your diary
November

Today Friday 29th - Grade 10 students are back at 3.00 pm from their Empowerment and Camping days trip, Helvética Cerro Verde

December

Tuesday 3rd - Grade 10 Art Mock start
Wednesday 4th - Grade 9/11 Parent Teacher meetings, 4:30 pm - 7.00 pm: Auditorium
Thursday 5th - Grade 6 Empowerment Trip, Cajamarca
Grade 7 Christmas breakfast 7.00 a.m - 8.00 a.m
Friday 6th - Grade 12 ToK Essay deadline
Saturday 7th - SAT Test
Tuesday 10th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointments) and Grade 12 Art Mock first part
Wednesday 11th - Grade 12 Art Mock second part
Thursday 12th - ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert, 6pm PAC
Friday 13th - Last Day of Term and Christmas and New Year holidays start



The 1st Intertribal Season has just started, all students are participating and putting into practice their physical abilities, enjoying the competition and experimenting with the sense of belonging to their tribe. To see all kids in action, visit the PE Blog.

The Basketball Bilingual League is finishing, Semifinals and Finals will be soon and The Football Bilingual League has just started. To read more about this week’s Sports events, please visit our Instagram and Facebook pages.

14: Friday November 22nd 2019

From the Director

Next week I will write here, for obvious reasons, about the concept of thankfulness. However, it would be wrong for me to move onto this week’s theme without taking the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the entire cast and crew of “Oliver”. Today is the 140th anniversary of the day on which Thomas Edison, after years of research and experimentation, ignited his electric incandescent light bulb, which glowed for nearly 15 hours, far exceeding expectations. It was a moment that would change the world. Edison once said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”; I am sure Ms. Kinder, Mr. Pike and the cast and crew of Oliver would agree! Well done all!

Today is also the feast day of St John Paul II. Whether or not you hold religious beliefs or if you do, whatever these may happen to be, I hope you would agree that the words below are both wise and profound and, in at least two cases, prescient; they certainly gave me pause for reflection when researching them….have a great week!

- “The future starts today, not tomorrow.”


- “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”


- “It is the duty of every man to uphold the dignity of every woman.”


- “Learning to think rigorously, so as to act rightly and to serve humanity better.”


- “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”


- “An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”


- “From now on it is only through a conscious choice and through a deliberate policy that humanity can survive.”


- “A democracy without values easily turns into open or thinly disguised totalitarianism.”


- “The human being is single, unique, and unrepeatable, someone thought of and chosen from eternity, someone called and identified by name.”

“Become who you are.”

From the Head of Primary

Every morning I am on duty at the PAC car park to make sure everyone get out of their car safely. One of the major safety concerns I am seeing is parents using their mobile phones while driving! I see parents on their phones driving into school. I see parents on their phones when stopped. I see parents on their phones when leaving school. Some parents are using their phones when stopped and they are holding up traffic behind them. One of the major causes of death or injury on roads is drivers using their mobile phones while driving. This not only puts the driver at risk but also passengers, including your precious children. If you love your children do not use your mobile phone when driving!

As we head to the last few weeks of the Term, teachers are busy preparing for Christmas festivities and celebrating the achievements of our students. It is also a time when teachers are preparing for the end of term reports. These reports give parents and students a guide as to how they are achieving against the Learning Objectives taught since August.

Reporting to parents on student progress on both a formal and informal basis encourages a shared responsibility for student learning. It enhances the close relationship between home and school and reflects ABC’s philosophy that a child’s education involves many different people. The purpose is to:

- Inform parents regularly of their child’s achievements and next learning steps


- Involve parents in their child’s education


- Celebrate successes


- Provide opportunities for parents and teachers to raise matters of concern needing attention

The students really enjoyed the presentation of Oliver this week. A lot of hard work has gone into producing a show that involves Secondary and Primary students. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make it a success. It also served the purpose of educating children in their love for the theatre.

This Christmas the ABC supports the SHOE BOX CAMPAIGN. You should have received emails giving details of this wonderful charity. I would like to thank you in advance for your support.

Recently, our First Grade put ‘being Global’ into practice. They worked as a team to clean an area of the beach. They were all surprised to find out how much rubbish people leave behind or is washed up onto beaches. This helped them reflect on different things they can do to help keep the environment clean, like putting rubbish in the bin and trying not to use durapax plates. They finished off the day by releasing turtles understanding that doing this will help protect them and save them from extinction. Thank you very much to the parents who accompanied this trip.

Book of the Week
Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz and Sydney Smith




The light and shade of the ink and watercolour illustrations in this picture book perfectly evoke a mining community by the sea where a boy describes the daily life of his family.

The brief text has a slow-paced rhythm, repeating the words: ‘And deep down under the sea, my father is digging for coal’ reflecting the centrality this has for him as he expects that one day he will carry on the family tradition of becoming a miner. A note at the end of the book indicates that the setting is in the 1950s when this would very likely have been the case.

The pictures, by the illustrator of Footpath Flowers Sydney Smith, are like camera shots. Sometimes they focus on details or show only part of a scene, at other times a wide-angle lens is used, especially when the sparkling sea is depicted. A series of pictures of the boy on a swing show a real sense of movement.

Dates for your Diary

Lower Primary
November

**Collecting Christmas Shoeboxes**

Monday 25th: First Padilla trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Monday 25th: Rehearsal for Comité Católico: Pastorela 1pm-3pm
Tuesday 26th: First Ware trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Wednesday 27th: First Avilés trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Wednesday 27th: Comité Católico: Pastorela 5pm
Thursday 28th: First Carbajal trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Friday 29th: Kinder Bonet assembly - 7:40am - PAC
Saturday 30th: Come and Play: Open Morning for Prospective PK and K parents

December

Friday 6th: Reports go home
Saturday 7th: Baby Bulldogs (free class for parents and toddlers aged 12-30 months)
Wednesday 11th: Christmas Show & Christmas Fair - LP playground
Friday 13th: End of Term

Upper Primary

November

Friday 22nd - Teletón Jeans Day
Wednesday 27th - 2nd Mena Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Monday 25th - Extracurricular Enrollment for Session 3 (starting on Monday 6th January)
Wednesday 27th - 2nd Mena Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Thursday 28th - Grade 4 Field Trip to Club Salvadoreño Corinto, Lago de Ilopango (Returning Friday 29th)

December

Thursday 5th - UP Christmas Show - 6:30pm - 8:00pm - Auditorium
Friday 6th - Session 2 Extracurricular Programme Ends
Wednesday 11th - Santa’s Festival - 2:30pm-7:00pm - LP Playground
Friday 13th - End of Term Break


From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

We are so proud of the class of 2020 for their PAES results! 98% of the class scored in the “Superior” level and special congratulations to the following students achieved the highest 3 grades! Congratulations to Ana Sofia for coming top of the class!

Ana Sofía Perdomo Arévalo

Verónica Michelle Ramírez Vásquez

Edgar Javier Benítez González

Marcelo José Moreno Avilés

Airi Shibata Takahashi

Paula María García Jiménez

Martha Julia Espinal Alemán

Silvana Escobar Miranda

Juan José Gutiérrez Rodríguez


Global Education Conference 2019 and Library 2.0
From Mrs. García- LRC coordinator

This Monday 18th of November, we participated in the second Global Education Conference. Our presentation focused on the ways in which we and our students work on projects, and activities through clubs and classes that focus on the UN SDGs. In addition to this it demonstrated the ways in which we attempt to broaden our students’ global perspective, help them grow as global citizens who can make an impact, no matter how small, their world locally, while thinking about the global situation.

The presentation recording will be available shortly and as soon as I can, I will post it here. For now I have posted the link to the Google Slides presentation deck here.

Something very special about this presentation is that it was undertaken by a large team of both students and teachers, 14 of us in total. Despite a few last minute technical errors and a few seconds of dead air at times, while we shuffled speakers around, it ran fairly smoothly and everyone did an amazing job.

If you would like to read more about this, please visit Ms García’s Blog post.







Christmas Basket Campaign




19th Annual Science Fair at Dr Matias Delgado University
From Mrs. Silvia Serrano

On the afternoon of November 20th, a group of sixteen 11th grade Computer Science and ITGS students had the opportunity to attend the 19th Annual Science Fair at Universidad Doctor José Matías Delgado. The students were accompanied by their teachers Mrs. Serrano and Mrs. García. This fair, hosted by the Engineering department, provided a great range of projects, from mechanical and electrical to prototypes aimed at helping our planet, as well as the animals and humans that inhabit it.

If you would like to read more about this from the students’ perspectives, please visit this link.







Social media and respect

We ask ALL students to review their social media accounts and TAKE DOWN/ DELETE all content where they appear in ABC School uniform OR filmed on School campus (inside and outside the classroom.)

We are increasingly concerned over 'Tik Tok' and other social media videos where students in all year groups appear lip-synching to songs with inappropriate content (including swear words and racist slurs) on campus and in school uniform. We ask that parents check their children’s accounts regularly to advise them on demonstrating respect and keeping safe. We really do not want to have to proceed with disciplinary action in future.


Lockers- please discuss with your children at home

All Lockers need to have a lock on them if they are in use. Many lockers are left unlocked and some children play around with them in an unsafe manner. On Monday, we ask ALL students to bring in a lock to ensure they keep their belongings safe. All lockers without a lock by WEDNESDAY 27th of November will be locked by the school.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents to keep an eye on the school calendar. The next few weeks promise to be quite packed with activities and events where your presence is very much welcome. Heads of Year are busy organising family get-togethers to celebrate Christmas, teachers are preparing for Parent-Teacher meetings and Learning Review Days, as well as Parent Partnerships, in order to offer feedback for parents and students and of course all the Christmas shows and gatherings. We do hope you can join us!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School



Dates for your diary
November

Friday 22nd - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 7:00 pm PAC
Saturday 23rd - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 7:00pm PAC
Wednesday 27th - Grade 9 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7:00 am PAC
Thursday 28th and Friday 29th - Grade 10 Empowerment and Camping days trip, Helvética Cerro Verde

December

Tuesday 3rd - Grade 10 Art Mock exam starts
Wednesday 4th - Grade 9/11 Parent Teacher meetings, 4:30pm Auditorium
Friday 6th - Grade 12 ToK Essay deadline
Saturday 7th - SAT Test, 8am
Tuesday 10th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointments) and Grade 12 Art Mock first part
Wednesday 11th - Grade 12 Art Mock second part
Friday 13th - Last Day of Term and Christmas and New Year holidays start





The ABC is proud to announce the recent achievement of the Cadet Basketball boys’ team. The team was the runner up at the Juegos Estudiantiles 2019. Well done to our athletes, your effort led to this success.

To read more about this week’s ABC Sports events, please visit our Instagram and Facebook pages.

13: Friday November 15th 2019

From the Director

Integrity

As you will come to know (and I feel like I should apologise in advance at this point!), I have a penchant for a little etymology from time to time, so here goes (and bear with me!)…..

INTEGRITY: c. 1400, "innocence, blamelessness; chastity, purity," from Old French integrité or directly from Latin integritatem (nominative integritas) "soundness, wholeness, completeness," figuratively "purity, correctness, blamelessness," from integer "whole". (Online Etymology Dictionary)

The concept of moral rectitude and honesty in the word “integrity” I think we are all familiar with. However, this idea of ‘wholeness” or ‘completeness’ is interesting isn’t it? Mathematicians are more familiar with it, I suppose, as “integer” is the term we still use for a whole number.

This talk of wholeness and purity reminds me of the background of another Latinate word with similar implications that we all use quite often (usually as an adverb in our communications) which is the word “sincere” (as in, “yours sincerely”). Legend suggests (incorrectly, as it transpires, but let not that get in the way of a good anecdote!) that “sincere” derives from the Latin phrase sine cera meaning “without wax”. Back in classical times it seems dishonest sculptors would use wax to disguise flaws in their work and so a statue that was without flaws was whole and perfect. The less poetic, but more likely, explanation is that the word derives from the Latin word sincerus (clean, pure, sound) made up of the prefix sin- (one) and the word root crescere (to grow) and so meaning literally “single growth” (perhaps agriculturally pure-bred or pedigree). So, whatever origins one credits, there is still this strong sense of unity, oneness, purity and intactness (a word, incidentally, from the same origins as integrity).

“Integrity” is also, of course, the word root of the term “integration”. In education, as in many other fields and contexts, we take integration to mean bringing someone or something in from the outside and aligning her, or it, perfectly with the direction, purpose, values and ethos of the whole, creating a larger but still homogeneous and discrete entity. In other words, integration is about inclusivity and sharing a unity of purpose. Its opposite is “disintegration”, which is defined as “the process of falling to pieces or losing coherence and strength” (Oxford Dictionaries).

The observant amongst you will have noticed that rather than using the term “school”, I tend to refer to us as a “learning community’’ (notice the word root, “-unity” here) and myself, my senior colleagues and the Board have been working hard lately to define a clearer sense of a shared purpose and values for our learning community going forward. And we must continue to draw upon and enhance this community spirit for, in doing so, by acting with integrity, we teach our young people powerful lessons. We teach them to be inclusive: to integrate others in our community. We teach them that a group with shared values and purpose is an almost irresistible force for good. We teach them perhaps the single most important lesson of all in securing their future happiness- that by speaking honestly, and acting with integrity, they will always be able to look into themselves and like what they see.


From the Head of Primary

Tonight we celebrate Guy Fawkes. I’m sure it will be fun and exciting. It is very important that parents ensure their children are safe from potential danger. They should stay close to you and use fireworks sensibly. I’m sure if everyone is sensible then all should have a fun time.

An exciting aspect of school life is classes going out on trips. It gives teachers and students opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. We do have very important policies and processes to go through before a trip can happen. Grade Leaders and teachers complete a Risk Assessment form that gives all the details of the trip and possible risks when at the site they are visiting. Teachers will also visit the site before the trip to ensure everything is ready and any risks identified. The Risk Assessment form is seen by the Deputy Head of that section and given to me for approval. The school uses a security consultant to advise us of any risks going to the site, the site itself and returning to school. If we are advised of any security risks then the trip will not be approved. Thankfully this is rare!

For your child, arriving late to school occasionally will not cause major disruption. Inevitably, children will feel sick or tired some mornings, or other situations will prevent them from being on time. However, chronic lateness eventually takes its toll on a child's overall educational experience. Missing just 10 percent of the school year in the early grades causes many pupils to struggle in primary school. If your child arrives in the classroom after the starting time, they will be registered as late. Below are the starting times:

2nd - 5th Grade- 7.10am

Prepa and First Grade- 7.15am

Pre-Kinder and Kinder- 7.30am

Attendance Concerns

There is concern regarding unauthorised absences from the ABC. It seems most of these are for family travel. At ABC we have the highest appreciation for your child/children. We know that every lesson received counts towards their achievement. We also know that you as parents want your children to be successful in life. Children have only one chance at school and these opportunities for a successful future can be affected by not arriving on time every day to class or through unauthorised absences. When children do not attend or are late, they:

- Struggle to keep up with school work

- Miss out on the social side of school life – especially at primary school.

- Poor attendance can affect children’s ability to make and keep friendships, a      vital part of growing up.

There is a clear link between poor attendance at school and lower academic achievement. In primary schools, less than 65% of children get good results in Maths and English in schools when they have an average of 15 days absence, compared to around 90% in schools where the average is less than 8 days.

What can you do to help?

- Make sure your child arrives at school on time every day.

- Absences are only through illness or leave has been approved by the school

- Take an interest in what is happening for your child in school.

- Ask them about their day and praise and encourage their achievements
  at school.

Recycling News

As you know we are still collecting empty bottles and cans. On November 2nd all the recycling bags were taken to the recycling centre. We got a total of 83 pounds of recycled rubbish!! That meant we raised $8.83!!

Old newspapers were sold to a lady that makes piñatas in the Antiguo Cuscatlán Market. That raised $5.00, which was kindly donated to the Scholarships Fund.

Book of the Week
Rise Up! The Art of Protest by Jo Rippon




This book utilises artwork, particularly posters, that have been created to draw attention to a variety of protest movements. As artist and political cartoonist Chris Riddell says in his foreword ‘the beauty of the art of protest, as this book shows, isn’t just about the lettering or images used, although these are often very beautiful, but about the power of the message.’ Produced in collaboration with Amnesty International, this is a book to provoke questioning and discussion as well as consideration of how people can express themselves through art.

Lower Primary
November

Monday 18th: Christmas Shoebox collection starts
Friday 22nd: Teletón jeans day
Monday 25th: First Padilla trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Tuesday 26th: First Ware trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Wednesday 27th: First Avilés trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Thursday 28th: First Carbajal trip to Benihana Restaurant at Centro Comercial El Paseo, Col. Escalón - 8:30-11:30am
Friday 29th: Kinder Bonet assembly - 7:40am - PAC
Saturday 30th: Come and Play: Open Morning for Prospective PK and K parents

Upper Primary
November

Friday 22nd - Teletón Jeans Day
Wednesday 27th - 2nd Mena Assembly- 8:15am & 12:20pm - PAC
Monday 25th - Extracurricular Enrollment for Session 3 (starting on Monday 6th January)
Wednesday 27th - 2nd Mena Assembly- 8:15am & 12:20am - PAC
Thursday 28th - Grade 4 Field Trip to Club Salvadoreño Corinto, Lago de Ilopango (Returning Friday 29th)

December

Thursday 5th - UP Christmas Show - 6:30pm - 8:00pm - Auditorium
Friday 6th - Session 2 Extracurricular Programme Ends
Wednesday 11th - Santa’s Festival - 2:30pm-7:00pm - LP Playground
Friday 13th - End of Term Break

From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

Thank you very much to the parents of the class of 2021 who participated in our G11 Parent Partnership on Wednesday. It is always great to see this support and the discussions taking place between children and parents are always enriching. Thank you to Mr. Hogan for organising this important topic for our IB learners.

This week Mr. Lang spoke to all our students regarding their CAT4 scores and how they are used to understand their strengths as well as addressing the need to always work to improve our language ability in order to access all curriculum and achieve their potential. He spoke of the importance of reading and we encouraged all students to develop this habit. Please encourage this at home also.

Mr. Lang also presented the Student Council Representatives with their badges as you can see below. Thank you StuCo reps for your service!






PAES- Congratulations Class of 2020
From Mrs. Ana de Cabrera- National Director

Today we received the PAES 2019 scores. I want to congratulate the Class of 2020 for achieving excellent results. Our overall score was of 8.18 and this score positions us at higher level. Effort leads to success, and this time the students have shown that this is not only a saying, but a reality. The dedication and time spent to prepare for this challenge has given good results. Congratulations Class of 2020!





Maker Market 2019

From Melissa Hernández- LRC

Last week we held our Maker Market and it was a great success!

Last Friday 8th of November, we held the Maker Market 2019 fair, the goal of this fair is to empower our students and make them realise that if they set their mind to something they can make it a reality. Maker Market gives them an opportunity to think globally and act locally, to share their skills with others and make a difference in the lives of other people.

All proceeds from the Maker Market were donated to different charities chosen by each year group.

Maker Market is the first step on the path to STEAM FEST. We want the students to realise that each technology, science, maths, art and engineering projects are valuable for the creativity and innovation of our students. Maker Market allows students to get excited and involved and allows them to support participants in each projects.






ACTUAR ES VIVIR- Donation
from Gabriela López- class of 2022

During the month of October, 20 volunteers from 10th grade dedicated their time working on diverse activities with the purpose of supporting Fundacion Actuar es Vivir which is located in SISA. Fundacion Actuar es Vivir is a non-profit organization working with and for low-income Salvadoran women in the prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cáncer. Their aim is to raise awareness among low-income Salvadoran women about the importance of prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cáncer, encouraging the habit of periodic check-ups. But mainly reduce high mortality rates from breast/cervical cancer in Salvadoran women. An average of 15 women visit the fundacion daily and the cost for their check-ups is $4, which includes: educational talks concerning breast and cervical cancer, mammography (only if they are 40 years of age and older), gynecological consultation that includes breast palpation and cytology, ultrasonography (if necessary), Biopsy (if necessary), treatment of premalignant lesions of the cérvix (if necessary) and any other necessary treatment if needed. After dedicating long hours of their time the 10th graders managed to recollect a grand total of $997, which came from the pink ribbon sale with a cost of 25 cents each and 3 jeans days in which the donation was one dollar per day.

On Tuesday 12th November 2019 the donation was given and as a community, we managed to help over 240 women to be able to take their check-ups and prevent cervix and breast cancer from affecting more Salvadoran women. As our Director, Stephen Lang said at the beginning of the year “giving and serving others ” must be one of our main priorities as an ABC community.

“It has been a pleasure giving of our time to help others, as we need to give as we have been so blessed”- 10th Grade volunteers.




OLIVER

We look forward to next week and our school Musical production of OLIVER! Please do not miss it! We are so proud of the fantastic work our students and staff are doing! It is wonderful to see such a display of talent in our school. !Break a leg!

Finally, due to this week’s tremors, I would like to address the importance of our emergency procedures. All our staff are fully trained and know how to guide students in their care in case of an evacuation. We have a very safe infrastructure. As a school we will communicate with parents as soon as we are able to but please understand that our top priority will be evacuating all our students and staff quickly and safely. Please take a moment at home and address this topic and encourage your children to take any drill we practise seriously so they can be fully prepared in case of an emergency and of course discuss your own emergency procedures at home.

Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing you at Guy Fawkes tonight!

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School


Dates for your diary

November

Today Friday 15th - Guys Fawkes celebration, Christmas Fair and BINGO- from 5pm
Monday 18th - Shoe Box campaign starts
Thursday 21st - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, matinee for Primary and KS3 students, 1:00 pm PAC
Friday 22nd - Third and last TELETON jeans day; ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 7:00 pm PAC
Saturday 23rd - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 7:00pm PAC
Wednesday 27th - Grade 9 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7:00 am PAC
Thursday 28th and Friday 29th - Grade 10 Empowerment and Camping days trip, Helvética Cerro Verde

December

Tuesday 3rd - Grade 10 Art Mock start
Wednesday 4th - Grade 9/11 Parent Teacher meetings, 4:30pm Auditorium
Thursday 5th - Grade 6 Empowerment Day
Friday 6th - Grade 12 ToK Essay deadline
Saturday 7th - SAT Test
Tuesday 10th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointments) and Grade 12 Art Mock first part
Wednesday 11th - Grade 12 Art Mock second part
Friday 13th - Last Day of Term and Christmas and New Year holidays start






ABC sports opened the doors to parents to share all about our Sports programme last Thursday Nov. 7th. It was exciting to see many parents at the activity that highlighted the importance of sports for our community. The ABC is committed to a high standard of education and considers sports an important tool to support every child to achieve success. Click here to watch a video played on that special night.




We are very proud to share that this week our School received two important awards at the Juegos Estudiantiles 2019 Closing Ceremony:

The School with highest number of Athletes participating at the Juegos Estudiantiles, in La Libertad.

The School that participated with the most sports in la Libertad.

Well done to all Bulldog Athletes!