Earlier in the week we had an event to thank our outgoing Prefects for their service to our community and I want to reiterate again here my gratitude for the work they have done and the example they have set in their leadership roles. It is scary how late on in my life and career it was before I really knew anything about leadership and I fear that, as a result, my performance in my early leadership roles was pretty poor.
I have come to realise (somewhat belatedly!) that a great deal about effective leadership is to do with relationships. I have also learned that leadership is a symbiotic endeavour, and much as it is true that the team has responsibilities to the leader, so too does the leader to the team. It is for these reasons that, after much stumbling around in the dark, I settled on the servant leadership model as the one for me.
I would argue that the two leaders who have had the greatest impact on shaping our modern world are Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad and I would further contend that they were both epitomes of servant leadership. Think of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and the whole message of self-sacrifice that his life exampled or the Prophet Muhammad who said, “All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for your flock”.
Humility and empathy are key characteristics of a servant leader, and so too is integrity. If we are to have real faith in our leaders and be truly inspired by them, then we must believe, and believe in, what they do and say, whether publicly or privately. Much wiser men than me have put it better:
“……..every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and therefore what one has done in the secret chamber one has some day to cry aloud on the house-tops.” Oscar Wilde
“Integrity….doesn’t blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won’t cheat, then you know he never will.” - John D MacDonald
”Have the courage to say no….do the right thing because it is right.” - W Clement Stone
“Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught”. - J.C. Watts
“There is nothing weighs heavier in the scales than good character.” Prophet Muhammad
“I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.” - Abraham Lincoln
I am a great believer that we all need to show leadership in our lives. Each day presents us with a myriad of opportunities to lift up others-to make the tough decision- to walk the road less travelled- to be courageous and resilient- and any organization that encourages all of its stakeholders to embrace the challenges that these opportunities present will surely flourish.
From the Head of Primary
As we come to the end of Term One, I want to congratulate all of Upper Primary children and staff for their magnificent production last night. The singing, costumes and acting was amazing! It just shows how much talent we have in the ABC Primary!
Today, parents will be receiving the mid-year report. The aim of these reports is to give parents and students an idea of the progress that has been made in the first half of the year. It is also about the child’s attitudes, behaviour, social skills and embracing the ABCs Values. The report will also give information about the next Learning Steps or targets. Please take the time to speak to your child about the positive aspects of the report and how you can support him/her in achieving their next Learning Steps.
The Lower Primary Christmas Show will take place on Wednesday 11th December, in the Performing Arts Centre - PAC. Lower Primary students will leave school as follows:
PRE KINDER
11:00 am
KINDER
11:30 am
PREPA
12:30 pm
FIRST GRADE
1:00 pm
11:30 am
PREPA
12:30 pm
FIRST GRADE
1:00 pm
Play Room (Sala Cuna) will open from 11:00 am - 1:30 pm and there will be no charge.
PROGRAMME – PAC - WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER 2019
Remember that at 2:30pm we will have Santa's Festival in the Lower Primary field, and we are inviting you as well as Upper Primary students to visit it.
Book of the Week
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski & PJ Lynch
When the widow McDowell and her son knock on the door of morose wood-carver Jonathan Toomey to ask him to recreate the set of Christmas figures they have lost, a journey back to life and love for a bereaved man begins. The detailed paintings of the characters’ faces, especially of Jonathan Toomey himself, reveal the deep emotions within. The author and illustrator write about their own feelings about the book in an afterword.
Parents will be sent an email early next week giving information regarding students being released next Friday (December 13th) and the pickup arrangements. Please ensure you read it carefully so all our students leave the school safely.
Dates for your Diary
Lower Primary
December
Wednesday 11th: Christmas Show & Christmas Fair - LP playground
Thursday 12th: ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert
Friday 13th: End of Term
PROGRAMME – PAC - WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER 2019
Remember that at 2:30pm we will have Santa's Festival in the Lower Primary field, and we are inviting you as well as Upper Primary students to visit it.
Book of the Week
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski & PJ Lynch
When the widow McDowell and her son knock on the door of morose wood-carver Jonathan Toomey to ask him to recreate the set of Christmas figures they have lost, a journey back to life and love for a bereaved man begins. The detailed paintings of the characters’ faces, especially of Jonathan Toomey himself, reveal the deep emotions within. The author and illustrator write about their own feelings about the book in an afterword.
Parents will be sent an email early next week giving information regarding students being released next Friday (December 13th) and the pickup arrangements. Please ensure you read it carefully so all our students leave the school safely.
Dates for your Diary
Lower Primary
December
Wednesday 11th: Christmas Show & Christmas Fair - LP playground
Thursday 12th: ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert
Friday 13th: End of Term
January
Monday 6th - Back to school
Monday 6th- Extracurricular activities, session 3 starts
Upper Primary
December
Tuesday 10th - Last day of Team Sports Extracurricular Activities
Wednesday 11th - Santa’s Festival - 2:30pm -7:00pm - LP Playground
Thursday 12th - ABC Musicians’ Christmas Concert - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday 13th - End of Term Break
January
Monday 6th - Back to School
Monday 6th - Extracurricular Programme Session 3 starts
From the Head of Secondary
Dear parents and carers,
Although we are reaching the end of the first term, I am happy to share that we still have so many different activities going on. It is great to see such a vibrant community and I thank you all for collaborating with us on all the campaigns.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
From Margarita Valdés- MUN Coordinator
Our Model United Nations students did a fantastic job representing the ABC community at the Escuela Americana MUN Conference this week. Model United Nations is an academic activity where students roleplay being delegates of the United Nations in order to learn about diplomacy, international relations and the UN. During this one day conference, all participating students debated worldwide issues such as gender-based violence and the financing of terrorist groups, working in teams to agree upon possible solutions for such issues.
SMART PREP- For all IB Students - new platform available for revision
Monday 6th - Back to school
Monday 6th- Extracurricular activities, session 3 starts
Upper Primary
December
Tuesday 10th - Last day of Team Sports Extracurricular Activities
Wednesday 11th - Santa’s Festival - 2:30pm -7:00pm - LP Playground
Thursday 12th - ABC Musicians’ Christmas Concert - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday 13th - End of Term Break
January
Monday 6th - Back to School
Monday 6th - Extracurricular Programme Session 3 starts
From the Head of Secondary
Dear parents and carers,
Although we are reaching the end of the first term, I am happy to share that we still have so many different activities going on. It is great to see such a vibrant community and I thank you all for collaborating with us on all the campaigns.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
From Margarita Valdés- MUN Coordinator
Our Model United Nations students did a fantastic job representing the ABC community at the Escuela Americana MUN Conference this week. Model United Nations is an academic activity where students roleplay being delegates of the United Nations in order to learn about diplomacy, international relations and the UN. During this one day conference, all participating students debated worldwide issues such as gender-based violence and the financing of terrorist groups, working in teams to agree upon possible solutions for such issues.
SMART PREP- For all IB Students - new platform available for revision
We are excited to share with you that we have recently purchased an online tool to help our IB students revise and prepare for IB assessments.
This tool is called SMARTPREP and it can be accessed on all of their devices by going to this link https://app.smart-prep.com/. To access they will need to log on with their Managebac Username and Password. If you do not know this, please let us know.
SMARTPREP is currently available to help you practice Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics and Mathematics. There will be more subjects added in the new year! You can find all the instructions on how to use this tool at this link, you will be able to:- Test yourself using the flashcards on each syllabus point of each of your courses. - Flip the cards to check you have the correct answer. [You must be strict with yourself not to do this before you have finished answering the question!]- Self assess whether you have got the question correct or not. [Be honest so you can understand the areas you need to improve!]- You can create folders of flashcards and also add your own revision notes as you go along. Your teachers will also have access to this system where they will soon be able to set you exercises through ManageBac for you to complete to revise specific parts of the course. Happy revising!
Movember winner
Below you can see some of our competitors in our Movember competition!
Options 1, 2 and 3
Options 4, 5 and 6
Visit to HOPAC by Grade 11 students - CIRCUS 2021
By Amy Villafuerte
For years now, we’ve been hearing from our seniors that the circus was a fantastic experience. Ms Cáceres always mentioned how the circus was initially a small show with almost no budget and they performed it for charity.Our Madres Enlace even showed us pictures of their circus, and that made us feel emotions that weren’t there before. We understood that this beautiful tradition had an impact on everyone, and we needed to go back to the real meaning of this show. It was not about us, it was all about creating the change. It became our mission to remind future generations that the Circus was created to help and bring joy to those who need it the most.Our Madres Enlace knew that, and they supported our decision 100%. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to create all of this. They coordinated our trip to HOPAC to be able to perform for people with special needs, which was the original intention of the circus. They also organised to fix a roof for them and install electricity so that their arts and crafts workspace was fit for use. When we arrived, we were told how much they needed that and how much the kids enjoyed it, and I know for a fact that we all felt like of all the hard work and muscle aches were worth it.Overall the circus was a beautiful experience. Not only did we create a stronger bond between us, as the class of 2021, but we were also able to make a meaningful contribution to this beautiful place. We want to encourage the class of 2022 to continue this tradition, and we wish them the best of luck in their Circus next year.
GRADE 10 CAMPING EMPOWERMENT in Helvética Cerro Verde
Grade 10 recently set out on their Empowerment Trip in which they showed excellent teamwork and resilience to climb Volcan de Santa Ana together.
One more week to go! Please ensure children are getting enough sleep and are well rested to come to school. We are still working hard in lessons and outside of lessons and this week has unfortunately been stained with many behaviour issues which could have easily been prevented. We appreciate everyone is tired but next week promises to be busy and we need all the attention and energy.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Kind regards,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School
Dates for your diary
December
Saturday 7th - SAT Test
Tuesday 10th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointments) and Grade 12 Art Mock first partWednesday 11th - Grade 12 Art Mock second partThursday 12th - ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert, 6pm PAC, entrance $3 from Primary and Secondary OfficesFriday 13th - Last Day of Term and Christmas and New Year holidays start (Secondary School students leave at 11.30am)
January 2020
Monday 6th - School opens - First Day of Term 2
Tuesday 7th to Friday 17th - Grades 10/12 Mock Exams
Tuesday 21st to Friday 24th - Grades 7 and 8 Exams
Friday 31st - Grade 9 Geography Coursework Fieldtrip
Friday 31st and Saturday 1st February - Mathrelay and Mathcounts Central America, ABC Auditorium and Field, from 7am to 2:30pm
ABC Sports congratulates the BKB Mini boys team who got Second Place at the Bilingual League, and the Football U12 boys red and blue team who got the Championship and the runner up at Copa Alemana Cup.
Please remember that sport practices from 2nd to 12th grade will end on December 10th 2019 and will resume on Monday January 6th 2020.
To read more about this week’s Sports events, please visit our Instagram and Facebook pages.
This tool is called SMARTPREP and it can be accessed on all of their devices by going to this link https://app.smart-prep.com/. To access they will need to log on with their Managebac Username and Password. If you do not know this, please let us know.
SMARTPREP is currently available to help you practice Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics and Mathematics. There will be more subjects added in the new year! You can find all the instructions on how to use this tool at this link, you will be able to:- Test yourself using the flashcards on each syllabus point of each of your courses. - Flip the cards to check you have the correct answer. [You must be strict with yourself not to do this before you have finished answering the question!]- Self assess whether you have got the question correct or not. [Be honest so you can understand the areas you need to improve!]- You can create folders of flashcards and also add your own revision notes as you go along. Your teachers will also have access to this system where they will soon be able to set you exercises through ManageBac for you to complete to revise specific parts of the course. Happy revising!
Movember winner
Below you can see some of our competitors in our Movember competition!
Options 1, 2 and 3
Options 4, 5 and 6
Visit to HOPAC by Grade 11 students - CIRCUS 2021
By Amy Villafuerte
For years now, we’ve been hearing from our seniors that the circus was a fantastic experience. Ms Cáceres always mentioned how the circus was initially a small show with almost no budget and they performed it for charity.Our Madres Enlace even showed us pictures of their circus, and that made us feel emotions that weren’t there before. We understood that this beautiful tradition had an impact on everyone, and we needed to go back to the real meaning of this show. It was not about us, it was all about creating the change. It became our mission to remind future generations that the Circus was created to help and bring joy to those who need it the most.Our Madres Enlace knew that, and they supported our decision 100%. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to create all of this. They coordinated our trip to HOPAC to be able to perform for people with special needs, which was the original intention of the circus. They also organised to fix a roof for them and install electricity so that their arts and crafts workspace was fit for use. When we arrived, we were told how much they needed that and how much the kids enjoyed it, and I know for a fact that we all felt like of all the hard work and muscle aches were worth it.Overall the circus was a beautiful experience. Not only did we create a stronger bond between us, as the class of 2021, but we were also able to make a meaningful contribution to this beautiful place. We want to encourage the class of 2022 to continue this tradition, and we wish them the best of luck in their Circus next year.
GRADE 10 CAMPING EMPOWERMENT in Helvética Cerro Verde
Grade 10 recently set out on their Empowerment Trip in which they showed excellent teamwork and resilience to climb Volcan de Santa Ana together.
One more week to go! Please ensure children are getting enough sleep and are well rested to come to school. We are still working hard in lessons and outside of lessons and this week has unfortunately been stained with many behaviour issues which could have easily been prevented. We appreciate everyone is tired but next week promises to be busy and we need all the attention and energy.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Kind regards,
Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School
Dates for your diary
December
Saturday 7th - SAT Test
Tuesday 10th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointments) and Grade 12 Art Mock first partWednesday 11th - Grade 12 Art Mock second partThursday 12th - ABC Musicians' Christmas Concert, 6pm PAC, entrance $3 from Primary and Secondary OfficesFriday 13th - Last Day of Term and Christmas and New Year holidays start (Secondary School students leave at 11.30am)
January 2020
Monday 6th - School opens - First Day of Term 2
Tuesday 7th to Friday 17th - Grades 10/12 Mock Exams
Tuesday 21st to Friday 24th - Grades 7 and 8 Exams
Friday 31st - Grade 9 Geography Coursework Fieldtrip
Friday 31st and Saturday 1st February - Mathrelay and Mathcounts Central America, ABC Auditorium and Field, from 7am to 2:30pm
ABC Sports congratulates the BKB Mini boys team who got Second Place at the Bilingual League, and the Football U12 boys red and blue team who got the Championship and the runner up at Copa Alemana Cup.
Please remember that sport practices from 2nd to 12th grade will end on December 10th 2019 and will resume on Monday January 6th 2020.
To read more about this week’s Sports events, please visit our Instagram and Facebook pages.
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