Words from the Director
The new year is stretching wonderfully ahead of us. This period is a real opportunity for all of us to reflect on our plans and hopes for the future. What do we want to improve? How are we going to make this year even better than last year? What really matters to us in our lives? All of us have a responsibility to help our young children feel positive about the future and their prospects. As adults we are sometimes guilty of being gloomy or pessimistic so let us all think about focusing on positive thoughts for 2019. Our children need that positivity and hope. Somos Paz is a great example of a way to see a better future for everyone. We will be promoting their message over the coming month.
Here at school we are confident that 2019 is going to be a special year. We are awaiting the feedback from our CIS accreditation visit last month and we have exciting plans for continuing to develop our school. The ABC is always growing and developing and I know it will continue in a positive direction over this year and into the future.
I would like to thank so many people for the successful Operation Pupusa. In particular our ex head student and proud Exabrit Danny Jazrawi as well as our own StuCo team. Ana Sofia Colorado has contributed her reflection on the project on the ABC Newsblog which I would encourage you to read on this link.
Following a delay with our publishers we are pleased to be sending home the ABC Yearly for 2017/18. We hope you enjoy the memories it brings back. We only send one yearbook per family and some classes may receive their yearbooks on Monday.
Please take note that this year’s musical will be Bugsy Malone. It promises to be a fun and entertaining show for the whole family.
Words from the Head of Primary
Welcome back! I hope everyone managed to enjoy the three week holiday. The children and staff have returned refreshed and ready to continue their teaching and learning journey. ABC is a busy school with many learning opportunities for your children. It is wonderful to see our students taking advantage of these opportunities.
As part of the teaching and learning process Assessment is vital for teachers to understand where each child is at compared to the objectives being taught. Assessment takes many forms- observations, conferences, one on one talks, quizzes, group work, homework and much more. We also believe that with evidence, teachers make Overall Teacher Judgements (OTJ) about what a student’s strengths are and what areas to work on.
Assessment has several purposes. It helps teachers plan learning programmes geared to the needs of their students. It gives the students an idea of how they are going and what their next Learning Steps will be. It ensures parents receive reports that indicate how well your child is doing and what support can be given at home. It gives management an understanding of the trends of achievement for each Grade, gender and whole of Primary. And it gives information to the Director and Board of Governors so they can make resourcing decisions that supports teaching and learning.
Medical Records- Thank you to parents who have responded to completing and returning the student medical forms. We still have a number of parents who have yet to return these forms. THEY MUST BE RETURNED TO SCHOOL ON AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Thank you for your cooperation in this very important safety issue.
Today in 4th Grade we started the unit Look Hear! with an Entry Point in which parents together with the children needed to create a 2D/3D work of the eye and the ear using different materials and their creativity. The activity was a success and children got to learn lots.
4th Quijano participated in an activity linked to the value: Leader and Team Player. Being a leader and team player takes time and effort but we have to put this value into practice every day. We help each other when playing and learning. We work as team to achieve our goals in school, as a family and as part of our society.
Due to bad weather this year the International Fair had to be rescheduled for Saturday 19th January. All students are expected to attend to support their classes and to enjoy the entertainment and the refreshments. This event is supporting our Curriculum and giving students a chance to practise their entrepreneurial skills. The raffle tickets that were sold by the children last year will be in the raffle draw, which will be held during the fair.
Please make sure all Lower Primary children have brought a filled jar for the tombola. Once again thank you for your continued help and support in ensuring the success of this rewarding and exciting annual event.
In December we ran the Shoe Box Campaign in Primary. This wonderful initiative has enabled the ABC to make a big difference to the lives of many children this past Christmas. The boxes were given to less fortunate children, who without our help, may not have received any presents this Christmas. By their faces you can tell we accomplished our mission.
Cafeteria Orders- This week has seen quite a few students not get their lunch on time. All these students did get their food eventually. Please ensure you make your order before 9.30am each day and USE THE CAFETERIA EMAIL ADDRESS only- cafeteria@abc-net.edu.sv
Dates for your diary
Lower Primary
Saturday 12th: Come & play Prospective PK parents & children.
Saturday 19th: International Friendship fair
Saturday 26th: Pre Kinder Entrance Evaluations Class 2034
Upper Primary
Wednesday 16th - 2nd Pineda Assembly
Saturday 19th - International Friendship Fair
Wednesday 23rd - 2nd Spanish Assembly
Friday 25th - Grade 3 Camping
Wednesday 30th - 4th Quijano
Words from the Head of Secondary
Happy new year to everyone!
It is great to be back to the hustle and bustle of school life! Our Grade 11 students are in Antigua on their Geography trip and we look forward to hearing from them about what they have learnt. It has been great to catch up with staff and students and hear about their Christmas break. I am so proud of many of our young people’s contribution to the Operación Pupusa campaign on the 23rd and 24th of December; truly embracing the Christmas spirit. It did not stop there! Immediately upon coming back we are already in more students led campaigns which will help those less fortunate. You may have seen the boxes around the carparks where we are collecting jeans (and any other items of clothing in good state) as well as the “drop by drop” campaign which will lead into a Jeans day soon. We do hope you can all collaborate and motivate your children to take part.
As of Monday we have our temporary prefects on duty in the car parks. Our Grade 12 students are in the process of completing their Mock examinations, as are our Grade 10 students. We wish them the very best of luck!
Please note that the Primary school’s International Friendship Fair is taking place next Saturday and ALL ITEMS REMAINING IN THE LOST AND FOUND BOXES WILL BE DONATED TO THEM TO SELL AND RAISE FUNDS FOR ‘FAIRS TO EDUCATE.’ We will clear out the lost and found on Tuesday 15th in the afternoon.
We have heard from some of our students that they are possibly traveling to Panama to witness the Pope Francis’ visit and will therefore be away from school. Please can we ask you to contact your child’s Head of Year if this is the case so we are aware of their absence. Grade 7 and 8 in particular as this visit takes place over their Cal exam week.
Regarding the Grade 7 and 8 Exams which start the week after next, please visit the Link to find out more information about them.
We would like to remind you the schedule for the G10 and G12 mocks exams. In the following link you will find our expectations, particularly about uniform, which need to be followed.Link
ALSO, rehearsals have now began for the 2019 ABC Musical which this year is Bugsy Malone. There will be a matinee performance for our students only, then two evening performances for the whole ABC community. Tickets will go on sale next week from the Secondary office and there will also be opportunities to place adverts and personal messages in the programme. Details to follow. LINK
Finally, I would like to ask for parents’ collaboration with checking your children’s uniforms and ensuring they are still the right fit appropriate for school. It is normal that after 6 months, they have outgrown the length of skirts, trousers and PE shorts in particular. Please can you take a moment over the weekend and review this and purchase new uniforms if need be. This also is a good time to remind boys that they should be cleanly shaved to come into school every single morning and girls should not be wearing make-up or nail varnish to school. Thank you for your collaboration in this matter.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Kind regards,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Dates for your diary
January
Monday 7th - Back to school
Wednesday 9th to Friday 18th - Grade 12 & 10 in Mock Exams
Wednesday 9th to Saturday 12th - Grade 11 Geography IA Field Trip to Antigua, Guatemala
Tuesday 15th - Grade 7 Moral, Urban and Civic class from 2 to 3 p.m. in ABCLT
Thursday 17th - Grade 6 Moral, Urban and Civic class from 2 to 3 p.m. in ABCLT
Wednesday 23rd to Friday 25th - Grade 7 & 8 Exams week
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