11: Friday October 25th 2019

From the Director

I think it is fair to say that boxers tend not to be renowned for their wisdom, erudition or eloquence….but then Muhammad Ali was, in so many ways, no ordinary boxer; he said:

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare.”

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

Our students Ernesto Jiménez, Camila Cruz, Fabiola Bukele, Luis Alejandro Catani, Beatriz Narváez, Carlos Ernesto Vásquez, Josemiguel Melara, Vanessa Nuñez, Sebastian Tona, Ana Sofía Perdomo and Carlos Guerrero all know something about what he is referring to.

Several months ago these exceptional young people had a crazy idea: they decided that they wanted to bring together the youth of the country to share their passions and entrepreneurship and foster a sense of brotherhood through the vehicle of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) Festival. The sheer scale and ambition of what they conceived, planned, prepared and delivered last weekend was breathtaking.

- The national convention centre, CIFCO, hosted the event.

- There were 87 projects on show, representing schools from literally every corner of the country.

- 36 separate corporate sponsors supported the event, including, importantly, the Ministry of Education itself.

- TV, radio and digital media were all involved in publicising and covering the event.

- A series of renowned expert speakers presented throughout the day.

- The event was opened by His Excellency the British Ambassador and attended by the Minister for Education

In short, the whole event was nothing short of inspirational and we are extremely proud of the young people who conceived it, planned it and pulled it off so spectacularly.

Halloween display

On a more negative note, I want to apologise to anyone who was offended by two posters bearing anti-Halloween sentiments that were briefly displayed at the Lower Primary car park. No permission was sought from us to display these posters (according to policy all such displays should be passed by my office for approval), they do not represent the views of the school and they were immediately removed hen we became aware of them. I have put in place measures to ensure a similar event does not recur. Again, sorry if the poster caused any upset.

From the Head of Primary

It is hard to believe we are coming to the mid term break of Term One. I have been very impressed with our wonderful staff, children and parents. Your child/children are given many opportunities to learn, to experience new things and to be challenged. We talk a lot about the school’s Values and I see these being instilled into the children. I also see the children developing into Responsible Outstanding Citizens (ROCs). I hope you will be able to spend quality time with your child/children during the Break. School reopens on Monday, November 4.

As you will be aware the government closed all schools and universities last week due to consistent heavy rain. I hope you managed to get through the four days with little or no damage. As part of the requirements teachers from across ABC gave students work to complete. Thank you to the vast majority of parents who supported this and ensured the work was sent to school for assessing. Your cooperation and understanding is greatly appreciated. As climate change begins to affect local weather, the rain storms become more unpredictable. Our first priority is the safety and well-being of your child/children.

Recycling- You may have noticed the Jubilee Library has been recycling!! Children have been encouraged to save the Oceans. They have been taught that they cannot wait for someone to do something they can do now. And that is Recycling. This has motivated our students to action and they are awarded Tribal Points!

Last Saturday 16 bags with empty plastic bottles and empty cans were taken to the recycling centre. It weighed 90.5 pounds and it was worth $10.15. Ten dollars was used as one month school payment for one of our scholarship holders. So, it's a win win situation!

We would like to make children and parents aware of all the activities we do to support the Scholarship Fund. This includes Recycling, International Fair, Santa's Festival, a stand to sell pupusas at Guy Fawkes and the Grade 11 Circus, face painting, food at the Independence Festival, etc.



BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher

Seren Rhys is freezing – at the beginning of this novel orphan Seren is sitting on a deserted railway station in the depths of winter waiting to be taken to the home of her new guardians and looking forward to meeting their son Tomas. But where is Tomas and why is there a room with a large collection of snow globes? Catherine Fisher weaves Welsh magic into this fantasy rooted in reality which takes place in the run up to Christmas. There’s a touch of John Masefield in the storytelling and of E. Nesbit in the characterisation of the clockwork crow.

Dates for your Calendar

Lower Primary
October

Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - Half term holidays - no school

November

Monday 4th: Back to school
Monday 4th: Prepa McNeil & Prepa Isley Curriculum Morning 7.30am
Tuesday 5th: 1st grade trip - Release turtles - Playa San Blas
Thursday 7th: Prepa McNeil assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 8th: Prepa Gordon assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 8th: Teletón jeans day
Friday 8th: Last day to turn in “Cinderella” payment slip ($2.50)
Monday 11th: Hamlet Presentation for “Cinderella”
Friday 15th: Teletón jeans day
Friday 15th: Kinder Siri assembly - 7:40am - PAC
Friday 15th: Guy Fawkes Night 5pm
Friday 22nd: Teletón jeans day
Friday 29th: Kinder Bonet assembly - 7:40am - PAC
Friday 29th: Extracurricular activities - 2nd session, ends

Upper Primary
October

Monday 28th - Half Term Break (no school from Mon 28th Oct - Fri 1st Nov)

November

Monday 4th - Back to School
Friday 8th - Last day to turn in “Cinderella” payment slip ($2.50)
Monday 11th - Hamlet Presentation for “Cinderella”
Wednesday 13th - 3rd Cáceres Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Friday 15th - Guy Fawkes / Christmas Fair - 4:30pm- 9:30pm - Field, Auditorium and BKB Courts
Wednesday 27th - 2nd Mena Assembly- 8:15am & 12:20pm - PAC


From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

This week we have been trying to make up for the lost time last week and still keeping to our full regular schedule! It certainly has been busy! Thank you to parents for helping us monitor that your children carry out these activities as we now need to corroborate with MINED that we have in fact covered for these missed days.

We are very much looking forward to Friday’s annual Colour Run. Our Prefect team have been hard at work preparing all the details and we know it will be a lot of fun and a huge success. Thank you to everyone in the community who contributed by purchasing a kit. We will let you know how much we raised for Fundación Ayudame a Vivir in our next weekly.

UN WEEK celebrations

Thank you to the LRC staff who organised many activities to promote the UN SDGs with our students! We know they had a blast learning all about the different aspects of the UN and their work to promote Global agreements and seek a more sustainable, peaceful and healthy world.

If your child is in Grade 7 and up, encourage them to be part of the UN Debate club which meets every Tuesday after school with Ms Valdés. Every year our students attend a Model UN activity abroad and it is a great learning experience for them.




StuCo and Head Prefects Assembly

It was wonderful to see our Students Leaders, Head students and StuCo executive, lead an assembly for all students on the importance of working together for a more sustainable planet. In their message, they included the value of UN work and how we can “think globally and act locally” working towards eradicating Polio, raising cancer awareness and protecting our planet. The final message was one of working together and looking after their school by ensuring everyone is responsible for their own behaviour, such as picking up their rubbish and ensuring all cafeteria plates are returned. It is a very important message of independence and respect and I ask all parents to emphasise this at home.



Mr. Lang also attended our assembly this week to recognise the work and initiative of our groups of IB students who organised the CIMAT fair last week. Congratulations to them, we are very proud of their efforts!



World Robotics Olympiad

We are so excited at the upcoming WRO - World Robotics Olympiad at the Multigimnasio Don Bosco this Friday! We are very much looking forward to supporting our Bulldogs and celebrating their success! Thank you to the LRC/ ICT team who have supported them all the way!



Parent Partnership

Coming up we have a Parent Partnership event for Grade 7 and Grade 8. Please make a point of adding it to your calendars and join your children for this activity. We hope to see you all there!

TUESDAY 5th of November- Grade 8- 7.00 am PAC

WEDNESDAY 6th of November- Grade 7 - 7.00 am PAC








I hope you have a very well deserved break next week and you have an opportunity to enjoy some time with your family. I look forward to welcoming you all back bright and early on Monday 4th of November before 7.00 am.

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School

Dates for your Calendar

November

Monday 4th - Back to school and Second half-term starts
Tuesday 5th - Grade 8 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7.00 am PAC
Wednesday 6th - Grade 7 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7.00 am PAC
Friday 8th - First TELETON jeans day
Wednesday 13th - Grade 11 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7.00 am PAC
Friday 15th - Second TELETON jeans day, Guys Fawkes celebration and Christmas Fair - from 5.00 pm
Monday 18th - ABC Shoe Box campaign starts
Thursday 21st - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, matinee for students, 1.00 pm PAC
Friday 22nd - Third TELETON jeans day; ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 6.00 pm PAC
Saturday 23rd - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 6.00 pm 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, Helvetica Cerro Verde







ABC Sports is honored to announce that this week the Girl's Basketball team will participate at the AASCA Pacific Division Tournament organized by Colegio Internacional. As a community you are all invited to support our team.

We would also like to announce that the ABC Sports Parents' night has been rescheduled for Thursday November 7th at 5:00pm in the PAC.
To read more about this week’s ABC Sports events, please visit our Instagram and  Facebook pages. 

10: Friday October 18th 2019

From the Director

It’s difficult to know what to say at times like this when we know that so many people around the country have suffered personal loss and damage to their property. Life is not fair. By the nature of our community as a private, fee-paying school the vast majority of us are blessed with very comfortable and relatively safe existences. When things go wrong it seems to always be the most vulnerable in society who suffer most. Scotland’s famous bard, Robert Burns knew this. In his renowned poem, “To a Mouse”, he wrote of his distress at accidentally destroying a mouse’s nest while out ploughing his land one day:-

“The best-laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men

Gang aft agley,

An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,

For promis’d joy!”

However organised and ordered our lives may appear- however focused we may be on our optimistic plans for the future- we are all still at the mercy of nature and the whim of happenstance.

A refined mission statement for our learning community is taking shape, which I will share with you in due course, but for now I can tell you that all of those stakeholders who have had input into it thus far agree that it should begin with the words, “To change the world….” Clearly, if we want to change the world then we must first care about the world and those who share it with us. It is at times like this, when the fragility of our shared human experience is drawn more clearly for us, that perhaps this sense of brotherhood is strongest. Burns wrote of this as well in his poem “A Man’s a Man for a’ That”:-

“Then let us pray that come it may,

As come it will for a' that,

That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth

Shall bear the gree an' a' that.*

For a' that, an' a' that,

It's comin’ yet for a' that,

That Man to Man the world o'er

Shall brothers be for a' that.”

*Will carry the day

I know that, as a community, our common sense of brotherhood with those worst affected by the recent crisis will shine through in our response to it. We have set up provision for you to drop off donations in the Admin car park today and tomorrow and will continue to deliver your many helpful donations to collection centres and relief agencies around the city during the course of the week ahead.


From the Head of Primary

Last Saturday we hosted a morning for parents of Grade 1 students to get a taste of our world class Lower Primary programme. If for some reason you missed the opportunity to join us or if you know a family who may be interested please contact Estefania Chacón.

This Saturday we celebrate the Come and Play Open Morning for prospective families, starting at 9am. I hope you can join us to see first hand what a wonderful Curriculum we have for younger children.

Another amazing Curriculum is our IPC in Upper Primary. At the end of each IPC unit students are asked to reflect on what they have learned and make a judgement on the learning goals. They ask themselves ‘am I just beginning with this?’, ‘Have I started to get the hang of it and therefore I am developing?’ or ‘Am I confident in this skill and judge myself as mastering?’ Mastering does not mean they have got something completely in every last detail, that would be ‘mastered’ but it does mean they are in the process of being nearly there. A student in grade 5 can still be beginning a new skill as a child in Prepa can be mastering a skill they have practiced. The students are still learning the terms, beginning, developing and mastering. It would be lovely if you could have a conversation about this at home.

As you may be aware, we are very keen to promote healthy eating as an important aspect of healthy learning. If we eat the right foods and drink plenty of water, children’s learning abilities improve greatly. If food choices are high in sugar then it can lead to a variety of illnesses in later life as well as damaging teeth. It also stops children focussing on their learning during the day.

Many health conscious families are opting for sugar free diets these days and it is surprising how many manufactured foods have added sugar in them. Please do your own research and find out the level of sugar that is acceptable for children and remember many products that are targeted at children quote the adult daily recommendations on their labels. We found that many of our students had the full daily sugar allowance in one item in their lunch box!!

If you do not prepare your child’s lunchbox please educate the person responsible. We always hope to see fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain carbohydrates for their slow energy release and some protein. This site may help to get you started on your research. http://www.familyeducation.com/life/sugar/are-we-too-sweet-our-kids-addiction-sugar

BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Story of the Windrush by K.N. Chimbiri



Many people will have become more aware of the Windrush generation who came to Britain from the Caribbean in the late 1940s and 1950s due to the recent uncovering of the appalling way many of them have been treated and their rights denied.

Before the publication of this book there has been very little available for children that explains the history of the beginning of modern Black Britain so concisely, making an important part of history more visible and acknowledging the racism Black people have faced. Kandace Chimbiri’s interesting factual account is illustrated with contemporary photographs, maps and sepia toned pictures. Throughout are interwoven stories of individual people who made the journey from the Caribbean on the ship the Empire Windrush. Most prominent among these is Sam King who served in the RAF during World War 2. He was not allowed to stay in Britain following the war and returned to Jamaica. He came back to Britain on the Windrush, rejoined the RAF, subsequently worked for the postal service and became a significant community leader, co-founding the charity the Windrush Foundation.

Dates for your Diary

Lower Primary
October

Monday 21st - Send t-shirt for Colour Run activity
Monday 21st - Kinder trip to Tin Marin Museum - 8:00am-12:15m
Thursday 24th: Pre-Kinder trip to Tin Marin Museum -8:00am-12:00m
Friday 25th - Prepa Isley assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 25th - Students can wear their own Colour Run T-shirt for a donation
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - Half term holidays

November

Tuesday 5th - 1st grade trip to Playa San Blas to release turtles - 8:00am-2:00pm


Upper Primary
October

Wednesday 23rd - 4th Quijano Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 23rd - Extracurricular Religion Suspended (due to 3 Way Conferences).
Wednesday 23rd - Desintoxícate, lecture given by Omayma Villanueva, 6:00pm - PAC.
Thursday 24th - Latin Music Night - 6:30pm - PAC
Friday 25th - Colour Run
Friday 25th - Last Day of 3 Way Conferences
Monday 28th - Half Term Break (no school from Mon 28th Oct - Fri 1st Nov)

From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

I start this week with a message of solidarity with those less fortunate than us who have been struck by the heavy rains and floods. We will be collecting clothes, blankets and anything else which could help them and we will be taking them to collection centres as they come in.

I would like to thank the Madres Enlace for their effective communication with the community; it was certainly a little chaotic to try to establish the plan for the day as we were trying to make the best decisions for our students. Having said that, once MINED declares the schools closure, we cannot but abide.

MAKING UP FOR LOST LEARNING TIME

Thank you for your support monitoring the work students were set by teachers to cover the loss of learning time over this week. It is very important that this work is covered and that students are able to provide evidence for this, otherwise we may have to schedule a make up time later on in the year for MINED requirements.

CIMAT

We are looking forward to this Saturday 19th of October to two very exciting events!

Our students of the class of 2020 have been inspired by the amazing work which they have seen and been involved in the ABC’s STEAMFEST and have joined forces to take it to a national level and created “CIMAT.” It has been great to see them work hard and collaborate to offer this amazing opportunity to students in El Salvador and all their work will be on display this Saturday 19th Oct from 9.00 am - 5.00 pm. You can read all about it here El Salvador.com

Please support our Bulldogs and come along to Feria Internacional, pabellón 5 this Saturday!

Maker Market 2019
From The LRC Department and the ICT Department

This year we will be running our second annual Maker Market, which will take place at lunchtime on November 8th. This is the first main event on the road to STEAM Fest 2020, our annual whole school STEAM event.

The purpose of Maker Market is to empower students to engage in entrepreneurial experiences which focus on their particular areas of interest, talents and passions. Students are expected to plan, source, develop their products in anticipation of the market, although there is definitely scope for demonstrations and further making at the market event. Funds raised will be destined toward grade-level charities. Students will be required to keep careful accounts and are encouraged to recoup their investment while donating proceeds to important causes.

It is important to remember that this is a student event. Students are expected to be 100% involved in the entire process. While parental input, guidance and support at home is certainly valued, we ask that parental involvement on the day is limited to dropping off any items needed at reception with Sandrita Acosta. Ideally, students should bring all items needed for the event, to school in the morning as they will be solely responsible for setting up and running their stalls. Teachers will be on hand to supervise this work. If your child has forgotten any items at home they can be left with Sandrita Acosta in Reception for the students to pick up when needed.

We understand that as parents you will want to see pictures and videos of the event participation on the day, which we will facilitate through our LRC Facebook Live stream as well as the LRC Flickr album for the event.

In that way, you can enjoy the event from home or the office while empowering your children to explore new horizons and embark on their own independent and collaborative journeys in entrepreneurship.

Thank you as always for your valuable support.

I hope you have a good weekend with your families and hope to see you all at CIMAT tomorrow!

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School

Dates for your diary

October

Tuesday 22nd - Grade 10 and 12 Parent Teacher Meetings - 4pm, Auditorium
Thursday 24th - Latin Night, all Parents and ABC community are invited - $4 per person or a table of 6 for $20 - 6:30pm, PAC
Friday 25th - Colour Run event
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - Half term holidays

November

Monday 4th - Back to school 7.00 am start
Tuesday 5th - Grade 8 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7.00 am PAC
Wednesday 6th - Grade 7 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7.00 am PAC
Wednesday 13th - Grade 11 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7.00 am PAC
Friday 15th - First TELETON jeans day; Guys Fawkes celebration and Christmas Fair and BINGO! - from 5.00 pm onwards.
Monday 18th - Shoe Box campaign starts
Thursday 21st - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, matinee for students
Friday 22nd - Second TELETON jeans day; ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 6.00 pm PAC
Saturday 23rd - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 6.00 pm 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

09: Friday October 11th 2019

From the Director

Children

The wonderful thing, and the terrifying thing about children is that they have such untold potential. A young lady from Grade 6 came to see me by appointment yesterday to set out her plans for an ambitious charitable event she will lead later in the year that has been inspired by her own experiences of considerable challenges in her relatively short life to date. Inspirational! I couldn’t help but think what a tremendous force for good young people can be.

And, of course, many of this new generation will go on to be great people and do great things in, and for, our world, not least perhaps because they have had the advantage of a foundation at a great values-based international school to lend them the tolerance and compassion to be able to relate to, collaborate with, and serve, all kinds of people, as well as the self-confidence to believe they really can make a difference. But some will not; hence “terrifying” …. because the weight of responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of us- the parents, the teachers, the care-givers and the guardians.

No child, I fervently believe, is ever born bad; nor does any child set out on his or her own to become bad. Yet each new generation that matures into adulthood contains within it bad people, or people, at least, who do bad things. Why? Because we mess them up (to put it rather more politely than the great Philip Larkin did in his poem, “This be the Verse”!). “We may not mean to but we do.”

Children are pre-programmed to learn and they are incredibly good at it. I believe it is the case that a human being learns half of what he or she will ever know by the age of 5. Sounds like a good thing doesn’t it? But they literally soak up everything that goes on around them: everything they see and hear and sense…..and that’s quite scary.

We can see the effect that the fuel we put into our children, and the physical exercise that we arrange for them, has on their physical development. It’s obvious. What we can’t see is the effect of the bewildering array of their life experiences on the development of their character. It is true, of course, that we should be very concerned about, and vigilant regarding, what our children watch on the television, see on the internet or hear in their music but there is a bigger influence on the development of their values, morals, principles, views, opinions and personal qualities……us…their parents. We are their heroes and heroines; it’s us they aspire to become. So they listen to what we say….and how we say it. They watch what we do and how we behave. They even examine our motives. They hear our opinions and, certainly for the first dozen or so years of their precious young lives, believe them to be right and just. In short: they learn from us. What a responsibility! And the challenge is not one that we all successfully meet: the statistics surrounding inter-generational links for issues like alcohol and drug abuse and domestic violence are stark enough proof of that.

Part of how children learn is also by trying things, by pushing boundaries, testing tolerance levels and checking consequences. In other words, they will be naughty. Don’t get me wrong; I am not one of those who think children are made of crystal- they are not. In fact, in my experience they are incredibly resilient, resourceful and downright tough…in the moment, at least. Children can be (and sometimes need to be) treated firmly. Much as we love them unconditionally, they can sometimes be mean, deceitful, thoughtless, careless, selfish, rude, stroppy and disobedient. And consequences must follow. I’ve lost track by now of the number of teachers struggling with a poorly behaved child or class that I have counseled with the words, “Don’t shout: sanction!” Sanctions –appropriate, proportionate and explained sanctions- sanctions that promote reflection and are applied with fairness and consistency- are still one of the most effective behaviour management strategies we have. And after the sanction, what I believe passionately to be the divine right of every child must follow………forgiveness. For if we do not model forgiveness- if our children do not experience what a blessing it is to be forgiven (“…it is twice blessed’’ and …”an attribute to God Himself” according to Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice)- what possible hope can there be for the future of our broken world?

From the Head of Primary

Sick Children- In recent weeks a lot of our students have been ill with head colds and the flu. Some children are sent to school who are still unwell. We respectfully ask that children who are ill are kept at home until they have fully recovered.

Three Way Conferences- It is great seeing so many parents support the 3 way conferences. Having your child explain what they are doing well and what they can improve on is a very powerful way to support your child’s learning and achievement. To support children on their journey of learning there MUST be a positive partnership between the school and the home. This provides the foundations of success. If you were unable to attend and wish to have a 3 way conversation, please make an appointment with your child’s teacher.

Mental Health Week- Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Let’s take care of it together. Mental Health Week is an annual, national event that aims to improve community awareness and interest in mental health and wellbeing. All El Salvadorians are encouraged to consider their own mental health as they would their physical health. World Mental Health Day was on Thursday, 10 October.

Mental Health Week events and activities aims to increase community awareness and interest in mental health and wellbeing. Most of the activities held during Mental Health Week are free to attend and help communities connect to spread the word that mental health is relevant to everyone.
Mind Your Health. Mental Health Week focuses on wellbeing, support and community.

Make connections and be part of our community by checking in with your mates, sharing a cuppa to talk things over, find out what’s happening in your community or join mindshare and talk to others.

Everyone’s wellbeing is important. You can help look after your mind by getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising and reducing alcohol consumption, learning how to manage stress and keep yourself safe and maintaining healthy relationships.

Seek support when you need it by talking to people you trust.

BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Little Island by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Robert Starling

Once upon a time all the animals on the farm lived in harmony with only the occasional disagreement. Then the geese take it into their heads that the island where they and the ducks live is getting too many visitors rendering it too crowded and unsafe. Despite the objections of the ducks, geese are just in the majority and they peck away the footbridge linking them to the mainland. As time goes on, life gets more difficult for the geese and they miss sharing work and play companionably with other animals. And what will happen when the foxes realise that the geese are alone on their island?

Clearly a fable for our times, this is an important picture book which can be shared with children from a wide range who will access its message at their own level of understanding.

Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
October

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
Monday 21st - Kinder trip to Tin Marin Museum - 8:00am-12:15m
Monday 21st - 1st grade trip to Playa San Blas to release turtles - 8:00am-2:00pm
Thursday 24th: Pre-Kinder trip to Tin Marin Museum -8:00am-12:00m
Friday 25th - Prepa Isley assembly - 7:30am - PAC
Friday 25th - Students can wear their own Colour Run T-shirt for a donation
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - Half term holidays

Upper Primary
October

Monday 14th - 3 Way Conferences Start (until Fri 25th)
Wednesday 16th - 5th Hernández Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 16th - Extracurricular Religion Suspended (due to 3 Way Conferences)
Wednesday 23rd - 4th Quijano Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 23rd - Extracurricular Religion Suspended (due to 3 Way Conferences)
Wednesday 23rd - Desintoxícate, lecture given by Omayma Villanueva, 6:00pm - PAC
Thursday 24th - Latin Music Night - 6:30pm - PAC
Friday 25th - Save the Children Colour Run
Friday 25th - Last Day of 3 Way Conferences
Monday 28th - Half Term Break (no school from Mon 28th Oct - Fri 1st)

From the Head of Secondary







Dear parents and carers,

We are happy to say that our class of 2020 have taken their PAES examinations and we now look forward to hearing of their success and to be officially Graduates of El Salvador.

This week we have been focusing on Mental Health awareness and our Key Stage assemblies welcomed a guest speaker from the Fundación Continúa who came to encourage our children to be in touch with their emotions and to keep track of the emotions they felt in order to seek help when needed. One particular message I liked was “It is ok not to be ok. It is not ok to not seek help.”

Coffee and teenagers

Coffee is addictive and withdrawal symptoms are real.

We are becoming increasingly concerned over our students coming into school carrying large cups of coffee. As we know, coffee has caffeine which is a stimulant. Too much caffeine can lead to insomnia, jitteriness, upset stomach, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and increased heart rate. I take this opportunity to remind parents that we do not allow students to bring in coffee to school and we ask for your help in speaking with your child and ensure they do not bring it into school.

I sign off wishing all our girls a happy “International Day of the Girl.”

Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

"We need to uphold the equal rights, voices and influence of girls in our families, communities and nations. Girls can be powerful agents of change, and nothing should keep them from participating fully in all areas of life." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres.



Have a wonderful weekend,

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School

Dates for your Diary

October
Tuesday 15th - Interested Parents for Grade 8 Washington trip information evening - 4pm ABC Lecture Theatre
Wednesday 16th - Grade 11 students visiting HOPAC - from 11:30am to 3pm
Tuesday 22nd - Grade 10 and 12 Parent Teacher Meetings - 4pm, Auditorium
Thursday 24th - Latin Night, all Parents and ABC community are invited - $4 per person or a table of 6 for $20 - 6:30pm, PAC
Friday 25th - Colour Run event
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - End of First Term holidays

November

Monday 4th - Back to school and Second Term starts
Tuesday 5th - Grade 8 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7am PAC
Wednesday 6th - Grade 7 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7am PAC
Wednesday 13th - Grade 11 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7am PAC
Friday 15th - First TELETON jeans day; Guys Fawkes celebration and Christmas Fair - from 5pm
Monday 18th - Shoe Box campaign starts
Thursday 21st - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, matinee for students, 1pm PAC
Friday 22nd - Second TELETON jeans day; ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 6pm PAC
Saturday 23rd - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 6pm PAC
Wednesday 27th - Grade 9 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7am PAC
Thursday 28th and Friday 29th - Grade 10 Empowerment and Camping days trip, Helvética Cerro Verde



We are very proud to announce that four ABC athletes will be representing El Salvador at the upcoming Juegos CODICADER in Costa Rica, from October 15th to October 21st. We wish our U12 all the best.

Gymnastics: María Fernanda Garay Aparicio

Swimming: Ariana Michelle Valle Pereira, Ivanka Bukele Sánchez, Sebastián Contreras Melgar



All parents with athletes from 2nd to 12th grade who have kids participating in ABC Sports are expected to attend the Sports Parents’ Night on Tuesday October 15th at 5:00pm at the PAC.

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

08: Friday October 4th 2019

From the Director

Changing the World

I am in education to change the world. I have said it before in Board meetings and assemblies and I’ve written it in my message on the school’s website (actually, I am in education because I failed to make the grade as a professional footballer but that’s a story for another week!). Perhaps because I am a bit of a slow learner, it took me some time to realize that my vocation gives me the chance to make the world a better place. However, having finally realized it, I am now wholeheartedly and unashamedly committed to that aim, however lofty and romantic it may be. I am sure though, that there may be some in our community who cringe at my gaucheness, roll their eyes at my naivete or even question my integrity when I make this assertion so let me try to explain…..

….think for a moment of all the people you have ever interacted with throughout your life to date…..friends….family members….acquaintances……of course these will be first to mind. But now go a little further and think of all the strangers you interacted with just briefly….someone you held a door for…a waiter who served you….a taxi driver who drove you….a neighbour on a train or aeroplane….would it surprise you if I told you that it is thought that one person meets around 80,000 people in his or her lifetime?

You know, we can make a child better at spelling or trigonometry or improve her ability to understand Boyle’s law, deploy fronted adverbials or use the pluperfect tense…but in doing so, it is unlikely that we will be changing the world. The world will probably not be a better place because a child is a better mathematician, physicist or geographer. But if we can make a child a better person then we will change the world. Think now of all of the encounters that our children will have with people throughout their lives. It is almost impossible to grasp the amount of good that can come of them getting these interactions and relationships right.

Throughout the week ahead, I want to challenge us all to try to grasp and cherish our one-to-one moments with children. If we can use just one of them to help a child to be:

· More generous

· More thoughtful

· More forgiving

· More courageous

· More tolerant

….then we will be changing the world!

Have a lovely weekend everyone…

From the Head of Primary

Like a lot of people, ABC is very concerned about what is happening to our environment. The main concern is the amount of plastics going into the waterways, lakes and the sea. Scientists predict that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish. By 2050 all the children currently at ABC will be adults and probably will have their own family, so this serious issue is going to affect them greatly.

Our students are very aware of this issue and are very keen to Think Globally and act locally! This means all of us need to act now!! We have students who have strong opinions about the issue and also have some solutions. How can make sure all at ABC aware of the problem and to ensure EVERYONE does their bit to reduce plastic pollution? Some classes have decided to take action by picking up rubbish left by their fellow students. There are now signs around Santa Tecla urging everyone to be responsible for their rubbish. In a number of countries including Panama and New Zealand, plastic bags have been banned. People are finding more environmentally friendly ways to reduce the plastic disaster in our World. What will you do?

3-Way Conferences

The Upper Primary parent conferences will be underway very shortly. You will soon receive an invitation letter to help you book your appointment. These conferences will take place on October 14th - 25th. Please note that due to these conferences, all Upper Primary Catholic Club and Caminando con Jesus sessions will be cancelled during those 2 weeks.

Children’s Day

All our primary students enjoyed a fun ‘Children’s Day’ celebration in school on Tuesday. Children watched a hilarious show by our favourite clown ‘Fransortes’. Lower Primary were delighted by the cards and letters they received from their parents. Everyone involved in organising the day did a wonderful job.


Dates for your diary

Lower Primary
October

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
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - Half term holidays


Upper Primary
October

Monday 7th - Session 2 starts
Wednesday 9th - 2nd Pineda Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Monday 14th - 3 Way Conferences Start (until Fri 25th)
Wednesday 16th - 5th Hernández Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 16th - Extracurricular Religion Suspended (due to 3 Way Conferences).
Wednesday 23rd - 4th Quijano Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Wednesday 23rd - Extracurricular Religion Suspended (due to 3 Way Conferences).
Thursday 24th - Latin Music Night - 6:30pm - PAC
Friday 25th - Save the Children Colour Run
Friday 25th - Last Day of 3 Way Conferences
Monday 28th - Half Term Break (no school from Mon 28th Oct - Fri 1st Nov)

November

Monday 4th - Back to School

BOOK OF THE WEEK
Counting with Tiny Cat by Viviane Schwarz




From the first page you can sense that this is not a conventional counting book. On the right hand page squats a cat with an aghast expression while on the opposite page the word NONE stands in stark solemnity. On the next few pages, an increasing number of red balls of wool appear for Tiny Cat to juggle and play with. However, the exact numbers soon cease as the quantities rise rapidly and are replaced by terms that encourage discussion about mathematical concepts around capacity in a light-hearted way.

Effective use of white space is made in the simple pictures, which show only splashes of bright colour of the red balls of wool. This allows for focus on Tiny Cat who is clearly having lots of fun. He can be found engaging in other playful activities in the drawings which are sketched in black on a red background on the endpapers.

From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

As you know this month we celebrate Cancer Awareness month. Our ROCs have been busy organising educational campaigns and activities to establish a dialogue about this important topic among our student body. We held a Cancer awareness month- Jeans week and I am so pleased to report on the strong support from our students and staff.

Raising awareness is a great thing! There are three things we all need to focus on: Cancer prevention, early detection and the impact of heredity on cancer risk.

At the ABC, we are convinced of the power young people have to make change and build a better world! We believe in “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally.” This month we are striving to work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular #3 of “Good health and wellbeing.” All of these efforts will culminate in our Colour Run on the 25th of October. Do not forget to order your kit before the 10th of October!

JEANS DAY WEEK

I am happy to share the money raised by our secondary students and what they will be going to in order to help those less fortunate than ourselves and who face this difficult situation in their lives.

Tuesday- $229 was raised for “Fundación Ayúdame a Vivir” pro children with leukemia. Our Colour Run will also go to helping these children so please do support it!

Wednesday- $268.80 ; 

Thursday $285.65 

Friday $ 290 was raised for “Actuar es Vivir” A campaign started by Gabriela López in G10 and all proceeds will go to a health clinic which offers free mammograms and healthcare to women. 

Thank you all!

KS3 Student Ambassadors
Ms. Chávez
Pastoral Coordinator

This programme was created three years ago and each year it has become more popular among our students. This position is open to all Grade 6 to 8 students and it is a great opportunity for them to volunteer and promote success in and outside of the classroom. Key requirements to become an Ambassador is to have an excellent record of attendance and punctuality as well as behaviour. As Student Ambassadors, we want our students to develop a wide range of skills and be involved in many activities where they will demonstrate their responsibility, so they will be working with the STUCO body and the prefects in school campaigns, charities, leading assemblies and more.

Congratulations Student Ambassador Team 2019/20!








CIMAT fair- 19th of October: 9:00am- 5:00pm

We are very proud of our students who have worked tirelessly, with the support of their parents, to put together “CIMAT” fair at a national level. A huge thank you to our ICT/ LRC team who have tried to mentor our students with their experience of our own ABC STEAMFEST and we are so happy to see how our students have taken off!

We invite all of you to attend and see for yourselves this great event and furthermore, please speak with your children to see if they have submitted a project! It is a wonderful opportunity to show off their skills and creativity!

Best of luck CIMAT team and see you there!







Our Copa Bulldogs is underway with three exciting matches this week! It is wonderful to see our students gather at lunchtime to watch and support their peers in these friendly competitions. It is always great to see students from different year groups work and play together in a spirit of fair play and we look forward to the games ahead! On a less positive note, it is really very sad to see that once the match is over, our students are quite happy to simply stand up and leave their food remains, rubbish, plastic bags and bottles simply on the bleachers. Especially sad is to see the number of dirty cafeteria plates which are also just left behind for someone else to pick up.

It got me thinking about how we need to work together, school and home, to teach our youngsters accountability. Something every successful adult knows is key in adult life.

How do we start to teach accountability at home? How we do try to teach it at school? Do we have expectations from our children to be responsible for their own waking up in the morning? Packing their school bags? Bringing in all their equipment? Do we have tasks at home that rely on them to ensure they are done? Do they have any household chores? Perhaps we are torn between our nurturing instinct to try to protect and help them and our desire to raise independent adults? It strikes me that we do our children a huge disservice when we do things for them that they are perfectly capable of doing themselves; like picking up their rubbish or taking their plates to the kitchen! We send them the message that they aren’t capable—so why should they try? Furthermore, we sow the seed of entitlement into our children who then will expect to be pampered and indulged—not exactly what we want for our children's future success! Which is what we all want: for our children to be successful in their lives.

Do we talk to our children regarding what it takes to be successful? What does Success depend on? Do we remind them that success or failure is up to them? Their actions, their choices, their behaviour? In a nut-shell, they are accountable to themselves! At the heart of it, what we want is for them to act responsibly and be “ROC”s. But Responsibility is not something you do—it’s a way of thinking and being. When you’re truly responsible, you are accountable for your actions. I encourage you to talk with your children about their accountability. What do they do every day which is taking them to enjoy the success they are after? How accountable are they to themselves? Let’s empower our children to be self-accountable and own their success and on the way, demonstrate their responsibility to themselves, their school and their world.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary school

Dates for your Agenda
October

Tuesday 8th - Interested Parents for Grade 8 Washington trip information evening - 4pm ABC Lecture Theatre
Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th - Grade 12 PAES Examinations
Tuesday 15th - Parent Partnership G12 (with children) - 7am PAC
Wednesday 16th - Grade 11 students visiting HOPAC - from 11:30am to 3pm
Tuesday 22nd - Grade 10 and 12 Parent Teacher Meetings - 4pm, Auditorium
Thursday 24th - Latin Night, all Parents and ABC community are invited - $4 per person or a table of 6 for $20 - 6:30pm, PAC
Friday 25th - Colour Run event
Monday 28th to Friday 1st November - End of First Term holidays