Nourishing our Young
As you know, my previous role was in an international school in Uganda. What you might not know is that Uganda is one of the best countries in the world for birdwatching. Last Easter holidays, my family and I went for a couple of nights to Nkima Forest Lodge in the Mabamba Wetlands with the aim of, yes, getting some much-needed rest, but also hopeful of catching sight of one of Uganda’s famous Shoebill Storks. Happily, we were successful on both counts.
The Shoebill sighting was thanks entirely to our very knowledgeable (and superbly-named!) guide, Hannington, who spotted her from our boat in the marshland from a distance of some 90m or so. After some careful maneuvering, we were within 10 paces of this magnificent, primordial creature with as much time as we needed to take pictures, while Hannington regaled us with his vast knowledge of the species and its behaviours; did you know that:
- The Shoebill has one of the slowest wing-flaps of any bird
- Shoebills live for up to 35 years
- Shoebills live for up to 35 years
- The proper scientific name for the species is Balaeniceps rex, meaning “Whale-headed king”
- Shoebills are very brave, sometimes being known to fight off crocodiles who threaten their young or territory
- Shoebills can stand as tall as 5 feet and have a wingspan of over 8 feet
- Shoebills are one of the highest soaring birds
No…? Me neither!
But there was one particular gem from Hannington that really blew me away. Now, you may well know that Shoebills are endangered: there are thought to be only 10,000 remaining worldwide, and so in the Mabamba Wetlands, which cover some 64 square miles, there are only 9 Shoebills. They are notoriously solitary animals so live at a good distance from one another. However, when a new chick hatches, which happens only once a year, all nine Shoebills in the wetlands will contribute to feeding it in its first weeks. I was truly stunned to learn of this shared community responsibility for nourishing the young. I guess you can see where I am going with this…
A child in the ABC family will interact with many adults during the course of any given school day: parents...teachers...receptionists…nurses….coaches….teaching assistants… older students, even. If each of us who interacts with that child can grasp the opportunity to nourish her in some way, by developing and embedding in her the values and qualities we hold dear as a learning community- values like integrity, resilience, empathy, open-mindedness, and compassion- then we will most certainly be preparing her to soar one day!
From the Head of Primary
I hope you all managed to have a relaxing long weekend. One of the most important things parents can do with their children is to spend quality time with them. Children learn so much from their parents as you are their first teacher! So to spend time with them is incredibly valuable as it helps them to speak and listen, instill values, know right from wrong and learning the many skills of life- fine motor skills, relationships, curiosity, boundaries, interests, creativity, physical strength, etc.
On Tuesday the whole ABC staff focussed on improving Literacy and how we can increase students' verbal competencies through making learning fun, challenging and engaging. We also looked at ways to make the learning authentic- that is it gives children a link between what they are learning in the classroom and what is happening in their lives.
The sessions were designed to support teachers reflect on their current practice and develop learning that has a positive impact on Literacy across all areas. We looked at ways to encourage our students to be active learners, to have fun and speak a lot more than they are at the moment! The feedback from teachers was very positive and we hope this enthusiasm will lead to a significant lift in Literacy competencies.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Maps of the United Kingdom by Rachel Dixon and Livi Gosling
This book focuses entirely on England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, each spread covers a different region. A small location map in the corner of each shows where each region is in relation to the rest of the UK, a device sorely needed in an age when many children and adults seem to have no clear idea about the overall geography of the UK!
People past and present and interesting facts about local landscapes, industries, and culture are highlighted on each spread. Women are well represented, people from a variety of ethnic and social backgrounds are present, and thought has been given to including recent and current figures with whom children are likely to be familiar as well more conventional representatives from history. Everyone appears equally, framed in an oval cameo portrait.
Dates for your diary
Lower Primary
September
Thursday 26th - Last day to send the Children’s day card
Friday 27th - 1st. Carbajal Assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Saturday 28th - Kinder Curriculum Morning - 7:30am
October
Tuesday 1st - Children’s day
Friday 4th - 1st. Avilés assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 4th - Extracurricular activities - 1st session, ends
Saturday 5th - Pre-Kinder Curriculum Morning - 7:30am
Monday 7th - Extracurricular activities - 2nd session starts
Monday 7th - Prepa McNeil & Prepa Isley Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Tuesday 8th - Prepa Chadwick & Prepa Gordon Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Friday 11th - Prepa Chadwick assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Saturday 12th - 1st. grade Curriculum Morning - 7:30am
Wednesday 16th - Prepa McNeil & Prepa Isley Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Thursday 17th - Prepa Chadwick & Prepa Gordon Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Friday 18th - Prepa McNeil assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Monday 21st - Send t-shirt for Colour run activity
Friday 25th - Prepa Isley assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 25th - Students can wear their own Colour run t-shirt for a donation
Upper Primary
September
Friday 20th - Peace One Day Celebrations (Somos Paz)
Sunday 22nd - Last day for online enrollment for Session 2
Wednesday 25th - 3rd Borgo Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
October
Wednesday 2nd - 3rd Segovia Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Monday 7th - Session 2 starts
Wednesday 9th - 2nd Pineda Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 16th - 5th Hernández Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 23rd - 4th Quijano Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Thursday 24th - Latin Music Night - 6:30pm - PAC
From the Head of Secondary
Dear parents and carers,
Last Friday we celebrated our Civic day and our festival was very enjoyable! I would like to start this week’s message by thanking all the staff and students who put so much time and effort into making this celebration a huge success. In particular, Mr. Silva who coordinated the whole affair and the class of 2020 who led the assembly. It was wonderful to listen to our orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Kinder, play our National Anthem! Thank you to the Student Council who worked hard at running the competitions and traditional games for all to enjoy and of course the staff who participated in the students vs staff volleyball and football matches; it was great to see Mr. Lang playing football with our team! Finally, I would also like to thank the “Fairs to Educate” team who organised the food stands. We had a great array of typical foods - Pupusas, churros, tostadas de platano, sorbete de carretón, panes con pollo and elotes locos! I am delighted to hear that $732.05 were raised and with this amount we are able to fund more than one whole scholarship for a whole year (each scholarship is around $450 per year). This is immensely gratifying so thank you to everyone who contributed!
Below you can see links to photographs of the various activities we held for Civic Month. Thank you to our wonderful LRC team for putting all this together!
Civic Day assembly https://www.flickr.com/photos/48254552@N04/albums/72157710829818336
Civic Week LRC- September 2019 https://www.flickr.com/photos/48254552@N04/albums/72157710824676568
Salvadorian Author
Thursday 26th - Last day to send the Children’s day card
Friday 27th - 1st. Carbajal Assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Saturday 28th - Kinder Curriculum Morning - 7:30am
October
Tuesday 1st - Children’s day
Friday 4th - 1st. Avilés assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 4th - Extracurricular activities - 1st session, ends
Saturday 5th - Pre-Kinder Curriculum Morning - 7:30am
Monday 7th - Extracurricular activities - 2nd session starts
Monday 7th - Prepa McNeil & Prepa Isley Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Tuesday 8th - Prepa Chadwick & Prepa Gordon Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Friday 11th - Prepa Chadwick assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Saturday 12th - 1st. grade Curriculum Morning - 7:30am
Wednesday 16th - Prepa McNeil & Prepa Isley Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Thursday 17th - Prepa Chadwick & Prepa Gordon Curriculum morning - 7:30-8:30am
Friday 18th - Prepa McNeil assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Monday 21st - Send t-shirt for Colour run activity
Friday 25th - Prepa Isley assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 25th - Students can wear their own Colour run t-shirt for a donation
Upper Primary
September
Friday 20th - Peace One Day Celebrations (Somos Paz)
Sunday 22nd - Last day for online enrollment for Session 2
Wednesday 25th - 3rd Borgo Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
October
Wednesday 2nd - 3rd Segovia Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Monday 7th - Session 2 starts
Wednesday 9th - 2nd Pineda Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 16th - 5th Hernández Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 23rd - 4th Quijano Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Thursday 24th - Latin Music Night - 6:30pm - PAC
From the Head of Secondary
Dear parents and carers,
Last Friday we celebrated our Civic day and our festival was very enjoyable! I would like to start this week’s message by thanking all the staff and students who put so much time and effort into making this celebration a huge success. In particular, Mr. Silva who coordinated the whole affair and the class of 2020 who led the assembly. It was wonderful to listen to our orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Kinder, play our National Anthem! Thank you to the Student Council who worked hard at running the competitions and traditional games for all to enjoy and of course the staff who participated in the students vs staff volleyball and football matches; it was great to see Mr. Lang playing football with our team! Finally, I would also like to thank the “Fairs to Educate” team who organised the food stands. We had a great array of typical foods - Pupusas, churros, tostadas de platano, sorbete de carretón, panes con pollo and elotes locos! I am delighted to hear that $732.05 were raised and with this amount we are able to fund more than one whole scholarship for a whole year (each scholarship is around $450 per year). This is immensely gratifying so thank you to everyone who contributed!
Below you can see links to photographs of the various activities we held for Civic Month. Thank you to our wonderful LRC team for putting all this together!
Civic Day assembly https://www.flickr.com/photos/48254552@N04/albums/72157710829818336
Civic Week LRC- September 2019 https://www.flickr.com/photos/48254552@N04/albums/72157710824676568
Salvadorian Author
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48254552@N04/albums/72157710828320238
PEACE ONE DAY- How will you promote and celebrate peace?
This Peace Day, Saturday 21 September 2019, marks 20 years since the launch of Peace One Day at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. At the ABC we are proud to have this day as an annual event in our calendar. This year, our Student Council have marked the day by raising awareness of the importance of making peace with our world, our earth, and reminding everyone of the importance of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling, and in this way making peace with the environment.
Busy October ahead!
Please keep a close eye on our calendar as October is coming up and it promises to be very busy! From Cal closing for our examination groups, Parent- Teacher meetings for Grade 6, to raising awareness about Cancer and its impact on all of us, to promoting UN week and Sustainable Development Goals, culminating in our annual Colour Run!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kind regards,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School
Dates for your diary
September Friday 27th - Jeans Day - Civic month (StuCo)
October
Tuesday 1st - Grade 6 Parent Teacher Meetings and Parent Partnership - PAC, 4pm.
Thursday 17th & Friday 18th - Grade 10 Empowerment trip
Tuesday 22nd - Grade 10 and 12 Parent Teacher Meetings - 4pm, PAC
Thursday 24th - Latin Night, all Parents and ABC community are invited - $4 per person or a table of 6 for $20 - 6:30pm, PAC
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - End of Term holidays
PEACE ONE DAY- How will you promote and celebrate peace?
This Peace Day, Saturday 21 September 2019, marks 20 years since the launch of Peace One Day at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. At the ABC we are proud to have this day as an annual event in our calendar. This year, our Student Council have marked the day by raising awareness of the importance of making peace with our world, our earth, and reminding everyone of the importance of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling, and in this way making peace with the environment.
Busy October ahead!
Please keep a close eye on our calendar as October is coming up and it promises to be very busy! From Cal closing for our examination groups, Parent- Teacher meetings for Grade 6, to raising awareness about Cancer and its impact on all of us, to promoting UN week and Sustainable Development Goals, culminating in our annual Colour Run!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kind regards,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School
Dates for your diary
September Friday 27th - Jeans Day - Civic month (StuCo)
October
Tuesday 1st - Grade 6 Parent Teacher Meetings and Parent Partnership - PAC, 4pm.
Thursday 17th & Friday 18th - Grade 10 Empowerment trip
Tuesday 22nd - Grade 10 and 12 Parent Teacher Meetings - 4pm, PAC
Thursday 24th - Latin Night, all Parents and ABC community are invited - $4 per person or a table of 6 for $20 - 6:30pm, PAC
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - End of Term holidays
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