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!

12: Friday November 8th 2019

From the Director

This Monday, November 11th, 2019 marks 101 years since the end of World War ; it is variously celebrated as Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day in different parts of the world. In recent years the day’s aim has become more universal, prompting us to reflect upon all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in military service throughout history and across the world. To sacrifice one’s life in service to others is the ultimate expression of human dignity. In no single way are we as a human species more different from others than this….nothing could be more contrary to the Laws of Nature. Shakespeare tried to capture some of this nobility when he wrote in his play Hamlet:

“What piece of work is a man, how noble in reason,
how infinite in faculties, in form and moving,
how express and admirable in action, how like an angel in apprehension,
how like a god!”

Sacrifice and humility are inseparable interwoven. The following parable explores both and I hope and trust you enjoy it and the weekend ahead.

Bamboo

Once upon a time, in the heart of the Western Kingdom, lay a beautiful garden. And there, in the cool of the day, the Master of the garden was wont to walk. Of all the denizens of the garden, the most beautiful and most beloved was gracious and noble bamboo. Year after year, bamboo grew yet more noble and gracious, conscious of his Master’s love and watchful delight, but modest and gentle withal. And often when the wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would cast aside his grave stateliness, to dance and play right merrily, tossing and swaying and leaping and bowing in joyous abandon, leading the Great Dance of the garden, Which most delighted the Master’s heart.

Now, once upon a day, the Master himself drew near to contemplate his Bamboo with eyes of curious expectancy. And Bamboo, in a passion of adoration, bowed his great head to the ground in loving greeting.

The Master spoke: “Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you.”

Bamboo flung his head to the sky in utter delight. The day of days had come, the day for which he had been made, the day to which he had been growing hour by hour, the day in which he would find his completion and his destiny.

His voice came low: “Master, I’m ready. Use me as Thou wilt.”

“Bamboo,” – The Master’s voice was grave --- “I would have to take you and cut you down!”

A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo…”Cut …me… down ? Me.. who thou, Master, has made the most beautiful in all thy Garden…cut me down! Ah, not that. Not that. Use me for the joy, use me for the glory, oh master, but cut me not down!”

Beloved Bamboo,”—The Master’s voice grew graver still—“If I cut you not down, I cannot use you.”

The garden grew still. Wind held his breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud and glorious head. There was a whisper:

“Master, if thou cannot use me other than to cut me down.. then do thy will and cut”.

“Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and branches from you also”.

“Master, spare me. Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust; but would thou also have to take from me, my leaves and branches too?”

“Bamboo, if I cut them not away, I cannot use you.”

The Sun hid his face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. And Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low: “Master, cut away”

“Bamboo, Bamboo, I would yet… split you in two and cut out your heart, for if I cut not so, I cannot use you.”

Then Bamboo bowed to the ground: “Master, Master… then cut and split.”

So did the Master of the garden took Bamboo…

and cut him down…

and hacked off his branches…

and stripped off his leaves…

and split him in two…

and cut out his heart.

And lifting him gently, carried him to where there was a spring of fresh sparkling water in the midst of his dry fields. Then putting one end of the broken Bamboo in the spring and the other end into the water channel in His field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo… And the spring sang welcome, and the clear sparkling waters raced joyously down the channel of bamboo’s torn body into the waiting fields. Then the rice was planted, and the days went by, and the shoots grew and the harvest came.

In that day Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, was yet more glorious in his brokenness and humility. For in his beauty he was life abundant, but in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master’s world.


From the Head of Primary

Welcome back after a week’s holiday. I hope you managed to spend time with your children. They were certainly keen to return to school to catch up with friends and teachers and get back to learning.

As part of our policy of supporting teachers become even better teachers we have started our Learning Appraisals. This means teachers are asked to reflect on what they want to do better, set a goal and work throughout the year to achieve that goal. The senior Management team as well as colleagues undergo observations in which we see a lesson and evaluate the lesson against professional standards. After the observation we meet with the teacher to give feedback and consider next steps for development. This process is important for teachers to reflect on their practice, identify areas of strength and areas to work on so your child/children receive quality learning in a safe, challenging and engaging way.

Teachers also will be setting targets to move their students to Working At or Exceeding through the use of data, classroom assessments and teacher judgements. I hope the recent three way conversations gave parents a better understanding of their child’s attainment level and next learning steps. Teachers are working hard to ensure the work they give their students is based around the assessment data mentioned above. Once the learning needs have been identified then the learning activities should be differentiated or personalised to support the child’s achievements. The learning given to students should consolidate their knowledge and skills and also challenge them.

Next week is British week. The week will end with a wonderful Guy Fawkes evening. There will be entertainment, food and fireworks. There will also be stalls selling items that could make great Christmas presents. There are Sparklers for sale, which will only be for Primary children. A Family Zone will be set up for Primary children only to let off their Sparklers and there will be other fun activities as well. Primary children with sparklers must be supervised by an adult at all times as the wire used to hold the sparkler can be very hot and they need to be disposed of correctly in the sand bins. We all enjoy this school tradition and we look forward to seeing you there.

Cardboard Donation for Fun at Break Time- Recently we added more equipment and games for Upper Primary students at Break time on the field. One of the fun ideas is to slide down the bank on a large piece of cardboard. If you have spare cardboard big enough to hold a Grade 2-5 student, please donate it. Students who bring cardboard to school are kindly asked to put it near the Primary sports trolley, which is next to the cafeteria. Many thanks.

Inspirational Movie- Aamir Khan: Best Teacher Ever | Taare Zameen Par

Many of our teachers having been watching Aamir Khan: Best Teacher Ever | Taare Zameen Par. It is about how a teacher inspires his class. It is well worth watching. Please click on the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LEyl7GGU38

Book of the Week
That's not a Daffodil! 

by Elizabeth Honey

A simple story to celebrate Spring that conveys information about growth and is set in modern multicultural Australia.

When Tom’s next door neighbour Mr Yilmaz gives him a gift of a Daffodil bulb, the boy can’t believe it is a flower. To him it looks like an onion. Time passes and Mr Yilmaz often asks Tom “How’s the daffodil?” Each time, the plant has grown a little but it still doesn’t look like a daffodil and Tom has lots of imaginative ideas about what it resembles.


Lower Primary
November

Monday 11th: Hamlet Presentation of “Cinderella”
Friday 15th: Teletón jeans day
Friday 15th: Kinder Siri assembly - 7:40am - PAC
Friday 15th: Guy Fawkes Night 5:00pm-9.30pm
Monday 18th: Christmas Shoebox collection starts
Friday 22nd: Teletón jeans day
Friday 29th: Kinder Bonet assembly - 7:40am - PAC
Saturday 30th: Come and Play: Open Morning for Prospective PK and K parents

Upper Primary
November

Monday 11th - Hamlet Presentation of “Cinderella”
Wednesday 13th - 3rd Cáceres Assembly- 8:15am & 10:55am - PAC
Friday 15th - Teletón Jeans Day
Friday 15th - Guy Fawkes / Christmas Fair - 5:00pm- 9:30pm - Field, Auditorium and BKB Courts
Friday 22nd - Teletón Jeans Day
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)


From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

Thank you so much to all the families who contributed to making our annual Colour Run a huge success. In spite of the weather and heavy rain, our ABC ROCS completed the race in style. I am happy to report that we will be donating $2,782.00 USD to the Fundación Ayúdame a Vivir pro niños con cáncer, on behalf of the ABC community. A huge thanks to our Head Prefects Paulina Alarcon and Matteo Cabrero and our Deputy Heads and Prefect team for all their hard work and dedication and their endless enthusiasm organising and carrying out this great event.






Students on campus between 2.00- 3.30pm- Extra Curriculars and Team Sports

We are growing concerned over our students' well being between 2 and 3 30 pm. If students do not attend extracurriculars after school, we ask parents to arrange pick-up as soon as possible after lessons end. If students remain on campus, it is under the understanding that they are attending extra curriculars. As you know, the ABC offers a wide range of extracurricular activities for our students ranging from hobbies to music, STEAM type activities and academic support. These take place between 2 and 3 pm. Team Sports begin at 3 30 to allow for our student athletes to make the most of all the activities on offer. The LRC is also open to students after school. On our website you can access our extra curricular handbook and check which activities your child may wish to attend. They should sign up with the teacher in charge and be added to the register. You will then be able to check their attendance via the ISAMS parent portal. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding on this matter which regards our students safety.

Vaping

Unfortunately, this continues to be an issue in teen culture and even with the information available regarding the health hazard, this entails, teens continue to use them. I take this opportunity to remind our community that we are a smoke free campus and deem vaping and electronic cigarettes as smoking and therefore out of bounds and as breaking school regulations gravely. Please be advised regarding school procedures and Actions and Sanctions Policy and discuss with your children at home.

MOVEMBER

Our G9- 12 students have signed up and are participating in this campaign! Please check with your child if they are participating and encourage them to sign up.





COFFEE

A polite reminder that coffee or other hot drinks should not be brought into school by students. If your son/ daughter takes a coffee with them when leaving home for the journey to school, we ask that the thermos cup is left in the car.

The school policy is that students drink water during the day (in a clear bottle/ container) with juice or an alternative cold drink at break or lunch if desired.

Thank you for your understanding & cooperation.

Knowledge Bowl- Congratulations Bulldogs!
From Mr Al Razi Masri and Mr Chris Kendrick

The El Salvador Knowledge Bowl competition is hosted by Colegio International . It is a fast-paced quiz on academic knowledge between two teams at a time. At each Knowledge Bowl there is a Varsity Division, for 11th and 12th graders, and a Junior Varsity Division, for 9th and 10th graders.

Our two teams competed against Colegio International, Highlands, Escuela Americana, and Colegio Maya. Congratulations to the Junior Varsity team for their coming in 2nd place!

Congratulations to Carlos Ernesto Vasquez for being recognised as Most Valuable Player in the Varsity division!











I hope everyone is ready for our traditional Guy Fawkes festivities! We are very much looking forward to the event and in particular we hope everyone supports our first ever Parent Association BINGO!

Class of 2021 Parent Partnership with children

A gentle reminder to please accompany your child at our Parent Partnership event next Wednesday 13th of November, at 7.00 am in the PAC!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School

Dates for your diary

November

Monday 11th - IGCSE Drama performances from the Grade 9 Drama class, 2:30pm PAC.
Wednesday 13th - Grade 11 Parent Partnership meeting (with children) - 7am PAC
Friday 15th -; Second TELETON jeans day, Guys Fawkes celebration and Christmas Fair / ABC Parent Association BINGO - from 5.00 pm onwards
Monday 18th - Shoe Box campaign starts
Thursday 21st - ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, matinee for students, 1pm PAC
Friday 22nd - Third and last TELETON jeans day; ABC Musical Production ‘OLIVER’, 6pm PAC
Saturday 23rd - IGCA Turtle Release and Beach Cleaning with FUNZEL, 1:30 to 4pm / 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, Helvetica Cerro Verde

December

Tuesday 3rd - Grade 10 Art Mock starts
Wednesday 4th - Grade 12 Empowerment Day and Grade 9/11 Parent Teacher meetings, 4:30 p.m. Auditorium
Friday 6th - Grade 12 ToK Essay deadline
Saturday 7th - SAT Test
Tuesday 10th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (from 7am to 4pm 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

We are very proud of the recent achievement of our Varsity Basketball girl’s team who got 3rd place at the the AASCA Pacific Division. The team represented our ABC colors with honour, thank you girls for being outstanding athletes and students.

ABC sports along with the ABC University Guidance department, will host a meeting regarding Sports-educational scholarships. Athletes and parents in grades in 10th, 11th and 12th are invited to attend, don’t miss this opportunity.