Friday December 18th 2020

 From the Director

Thank you all for your trust and support these past months; it has been humbling. I hope you have managed to catch (or will) some or all of the end of term events; they say far more about the resilience and vibrancy of our learning community than I ever could here. 

I wish you all a joyous and peaceful Christmas. God-willing you will all remain safe and healthy and find the time with your loved ones refreshing and renewing. Pride is a vice, they say, but the peace that comes from knowing that this year you have, as a family, and as individuals, overcome tremendous challenges with courage, grace and perseverance are not, so take a moment to be kind to yourselves and reflect on what you have achieved. 

There is nothing quite so special as a family table full of food and laughter and when I am sitting at mine on Christmas Day, I shall raise a glass to all of you!

¡Feliz Navidad!

From the Head of Primary

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

As we come to the end of term, I want to say a big thank you to the primary teaching staff. They have achieved what was thought to be impossible, to connect, motivate and facilitate learning via virtual sessions. Teaching staff have, overnight, re-learnt what it means to be a teacher, ensuring that their students continue to make progress. Our students have continued their learning journey, have acquired new skills and reinforced the qualities and values that make them Responsible, Outstanding Citizens. I am more confident than ever that we will come out of this pandemic stronger, with more talented, independent and resilient students and even more accomplished teachers.

Congratulations to our students for their outstanding performance in the Christmas Shows and a special thanks to Mr McNeil and the music team for the hours that went into editing the videos.

Next term and plans for reopening

We have applied to MinEd to be able to open in ‘hybrid’ mode next term. Please visit our parent portal to watch the video of our meeting or download the presentation. 

Next term

We will begin next term with the same online timetable. Please note, there will be no Extra Curricular, LSU, Upper Primary Support and Extension, English Second Language Support, or Spanish Second Language Support in Kinder and Prepa sessions in the first week. We will not be changing class teachers, this means that Prepa students will be with an expat teacher (the Prepa Bridge) next year when they are in first grade.

Timeline for Reopening

1. We receive a site visit from MinEd

2. We receive approval to reopen from MinEd

3. We review the most up-to-date information to decide if it is safe to open

4. If we judge that it is safe to open,we will announced the planned reopening date

5. We will publish the Hybrid Parent Portal, with

1. Further information about reopening

2. Specific timetables and staffing teams for each grade

3. Specific details about drop-off and collection

4. Transition plan for Pre-Kinder and Kinder

6. We will hold further parent meetings in Spanish and English

7. Students will have opportunities to get to know any new online teachers

8. We will ask parents to choose some in-person learning or commit to a full online programme (for a set amount of time), update medical records and agree to parental expectations

9. Parents and staff will start monitoring for symptoms and possible contact with suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19,

Staffing for Reopening

Following parent meetings, we had some questions about which teachers children will have if you choose a fulltime online curriculum. 

• Following the parent survey in November, which showed us that 80% of parents were interested in some in-person teaching, it was decided that class teachers would provide the in-person teaching sessions. 

• This means that children who learn online fulltime will have sessions with a new teacher.

• The class teacher will still monitor and plan for your child, and we will make every effort for them to be able to connect with both their teacher and their class through additional sessions or web-cam technology. 

• The teachers allocated to teach children who learn online fulltime are qualified and experienced, for example we plan for Ian Truscott our KS2 Coordinator to support the 5th Grade students who are online fulltime. 

• To encourage staff to stay home when unwell and to avoid disruptions to your child’s education we will need to be flexible with staffing, however we are very lucky that we have a large team of staff who are qualified and experienced to teach a range of ages and subjects.

• Please be reassured that many groups and individual children have started working with new staff this year online and have made strong connections and good progress with the new adult. 

• I will continue to monitor and review our staffing structure as long as we are online

Primary Leadership Team

I am pleased to announce that at the start of this year Ms Ana Raquel Suarez was appointed as Assistant Head of Primary. She has delayed starting her new position until now, to support her class online. However in January, Ms Morena Valladares will be taking over as the class teacher for Kinder Suarez.

The Primary leadership structure now no longer has a deputy head for lower and upper primary, instead the leadership team will be working across both sections of the school to improve continuity and consistency. 

Here is the Primary Senior Leadership Team (PSLT):

	Marianne Taylor Head of Primary mariannetaylor@abc-net.edu.sv	Responsible for: strategic planning, staff professional development, community relations and communication, student voice, finance and infrastructure, safeguarding.
r	Thomas McNeil Deputy Head of Primary  thomasmcneil@abc-net.edu.sv	Responsible for: individual student achievement and progress, individual student wellbeing and behaviour, personalised learning: support and challenge for individual students.
	Ana Cabrera National Director anacabrera@abc-net.edu.sv	Responsible for: literacy curriculum, teaching and assessment, national curriculum and assessment,  spanish teaching staff.
	Ana Raquel Suárez Assistant Head of Primary anaraquelsuarez@abc-net.edu.sv	Responsible for: curriculum, resources, environment, specialist curriculum, extra-curriculars, timetabling, assemblies and events.

You are welcome to contact any of us at any time, but please remember that in most cases your child’s class teacher is the best initial point of contact.

The school secretaries will remain in their current roles:

	Deysi Lopez Lower Primary Assistant  Grades PK to 1st Grade  deysilopez@abc-net.edu.sv
	Luz Elena Huezo  Upper Primary Assistant  Grades 2nd to 5th Grade  luzhuezo@abc-net.edu.sv
	Claudia Aviles Primary Secretary claudiaaviles@abc-net.edu.sv

I am also pleased to announce as Ms Mayra Caeres will continue leading 5th Grade as Grade Leader, Ms Guadalupe Guzman will focus on supporting all staff across primary with ensuring and supporting student wellbeing through the curriculum. 

Marianne Taylor

Head of Primary

Dates for your Diary

 

January

Monday 11th: School resumes after Christmas Holiday online

From the SSLT

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, 

As we reflect on the year just past, think how will history books describe the year 2020! (This video from Google sums it up pretty well.) We continue to live in a turning point in our human existence, one that will be studied for years to come. At an individual level, how will our children look back at this year? We hope that they look back at this time, as a critical point where they have developed skills, where they have learned resilience as well as practised adaptability to meet the challenges which we have all been presented!

As we look forward to the future, it is essential to consider what our personal goals and ambitions are for 2021 and beyond. Whether they are to eat healthy, exercise or learn a new language, we are sure that the new-found resilience we have all learned will help you achieve these goals! Over the last few weeks, our Head Students have been preparing for today's assembly asking for a Christmas photo to share of each student holding a written copy of their new year's resolution. Today we would like to share with you the photos and new years resolutions that some of the head students submitted. Below you will be able to understand what their goals and ambitions are as we move forward into the next year. 

Senji Shibata

Since the start of quarantine, I was not worried about the quarantine situation as I don’t go out a lot (The impact it would have to the world was far more concerning to be honest). During quarantine, I became friends with more people and found a lot of common ground with them (Sometimes staying awake until 5 am talking).  I’m truly grateful for the relationships that bloomed between us.  For my new year’s resolution I will try to help more people out. My wish for christmas: I hope everyone’s dreams come true.   

Elisa Giammatei

 

For me 2020 has been a call to stop, to reflect, to understand the process of life. We are constantly wanting to get better or to get things done once in for all without appreciating the process of what we have achieved. I’ve always been a rushed person, overstressing over insignificant things, but from 2020 I have learned to cherish life, cherish the first ray of sun every morning and be able to focus on my daily goals, my tiny steps, instead of looking at the wider image. Validate that you have a life and that things always have a way of happening. Understand that you don’t always have the control of your life and that’s totally fine. 

Daniela Guerra

At the end of 2019, we had no idea of what the onrushing train of 2020 had planned for us. During this year, we have seen/experienced all a rollercoaster of emotions after COVID-19, racism issues, wildfires, hurricanes, volatile climate, and more. Yet, in the face of disaster, there was bravery, kindness, compassion, sympathy, sacrifice, support, and there was always hope. Together, let’s hope for 2021 to be a better year that allows each of us to flourish in the best possible way. Although we all have different goals and aspirations for the coming years, I hope you all can attain the determination and persistence to reach them. My resolution for the coming years is to be a happier person and value each moment and achievement in my life regardless of concerns or daunting situations. 

Jubran Lemus 

This year was full of its ups and downs! But as with all things, all that starts needs to end. The Coronavirus is no exception, the vaccine signals that our condition might end sooner than expected. I reflected during this Pandemic on our ways of living, how there is much beauty in life and the notion of time. After reading writer Kahlil Gibran I created this quote which summarises my findings: “Yesterday is but today's memories, today's is but tomorrow's wish”. For me, it is on the concept of Carpe Diem, living in the present and smiling when possible. Which brings me to my resolution: Love more. Find beauty in the mundane. Be thrilled by the thought of thinking. Liberate the love you have within.

Well done to all of the head students for their work towards today's Christmas assembly and we wish them all the best in working toward their goals in the future! We would also like to say a huge well done and thank you to all students who were involved in the online Christmas Concert today. Thank you for the amazing performances which now have us suitably warmed up for Christmas! If you wish to watch today's Christmas Concert and Secondary Assembly you can do so on this link. 

We are looking forward to seeing all students back online on Monday January 11th.

From all teachers in the school and SSLT. 

Have a wonderful Christmas break! 

ABC Secondary Reopening plans. 

We had an excellent turnout to the ABC parent meeting on Tuesday. If you missed the meeting for any reason, we recorded it and you can watch the video of the meeting at this link. 

Some key points we would like you all to be aware of moving ahead into next year: 

• We will start the term online and continue to offer an online programme to those who require it until we can all safely return to school. 

• MINED have been sent the plans we presented and we are awaiting final approval including an inspection of the site. 

• Once we have approval of our plans we will be l

• aunching a website (Hybrid Parent Portal) for parents with the most up to date information on the Hybrid learning program for each grade. 

• We have not determined a reopening date at this point, the absolute earliest we will return to any form of in-person learning is Monday January 25th. 

• We will be asking parents to make an informed decision whether or not to send their child or children back to school two weeks before we plan to go into any phase of the reopening plan. This gives us enough time to make the necessary preparations. 




Secondary Summary	In School	Online
Grade 6	English, Maths, Science and Spanish only. Sets are streamed into ‘bubble sets’ by English class (50% attendance each week) Students are in the same room for all their lessons and attend school in the morning or afternoon depending on grade.	Online learning is maintained with all other subjects in the morning or afternoon depending on grade.   50% of students who are at home each week will have English, Maths, Science and Spanish at home joining in live with the classes in school.  No changes are made to staffing or class lists for non-core subjects.
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9
Grade 10	All lessons in school with 50% of students “socially distanced”.  No changes to teachers and sets.  Students remain in G10 study center. (Auditorium/Music area)	50% of students who are at home each week will be working with their teachers and classes online.  No changes are made to staffing or class lists.
Grade 11	Initially Grade 11 attend school English, Spanish, Science and Maths on Monday, Thursday and Friday afternoons (50% in school, 50% at home).  After Easter students have all lessons in school with 50% of students “socially distanced” with no changes to teachers and sets. Students remain in IB study center. (LRC/Hums area)
Grade 12	All lessons in school with 50% of students “socially distanced”.  No changes to teachers and sets.  Students remain in IB study center. (LRC/Hums area)




What can secondary parents do to prepare for sending their children back to school?




• Purchase a supply of KN95 or N95 masks without valves. 

• Familiarize yourself with the Hybrid programs, the daily health checklist and the schools' Covid-19 communication procedures by watching the presentation video.

• Please ensure that your child has access to a device (tablet or laptop) which can be fully charged ready for when your child comes into school.









Dates for your Diary

 

SECONDARY




December




Monday 21st - Christmas holidays start




January 2021




Monday 11th - First day of Term (Online Learning)

Monday 18th to Friday 22nd - G12 English Orals

Wednesday 27th - IB Spanish EE

 

17: Friday December 11th 2020

From the Director

Where did that term go?!! It has been an incredibly hectic term but once again we have shown our resilience and character as a community and, through a combination of resilience, togetherness and sheer hard work, overcome the challenges presented by these most unusual of times. I am grateful to members of every single stakeholder group in our community: the administration and maintenance teams, teachers, coaches, learning assistants, students, parents, Madres Enlaces, the Board and my senior team. In every group I can picture individuals in situations where they went the extra mile unquestioningly and without complaint and often without even being asked. It has been nothing short of inspirational and I am very grateful to you all for your support and commitment. I would like to pay particular tribute to those teachers and students who joined us at the beginning of this year- you should be very proud of what you have achieved in settling into a new school (and often, country) in such difficult circumstances. 

Now, we must all be sure to have a good rest over the Christmas period: we both need, and deserve it! We will see what transpires in January as far as a potential move into hybrid learning mode is concerned. Our plans are all in place and we will be sharing them in detail with parents in the course of three Zoom meetings next week, so look out for the invitations and do join us. What I will say in advance is that the period we spend in hybrid learning mode is going to be our biggest challenge yet (another reason to ensure we have a good rest over Christmas!) but one I know we will rise to and overcome. 

There is no good way of doing hybrid learning; every model has its compromises. One basic fact underpins the whole concept- if we make half-sized classes for social distancing, we effectively create twice as many teaching groups yet we must serve these with the same number of teachers as before and in roughly the same amount of time. There is no perfect solution to this equation; however,  I believe our proposals are innovative, flexible, safe, differentiated, detailed and very carefully considered and, perhaps most importantly, they clearly reflect our values as a learning community. I look forward to sharing them with you. 

Before then, we will be celebrating our Class of 2020 in a ground-breaking drive-in style Graduation ceremony on Monday afternoon. I hope to have lots of great pictures to share with you here next week! Make sure to tune in to our Facebook page at 4:00 pm to watch the live streaming of this event.

In the meantime, have a lovely weekend!

Stephen Lang

Director

From the Head of Primary

Parent Report Comments

Next week we will be sending the mid-year school reports home. We are asking all parents to add a comment about their child’s progress. Emails giving you access to the system have been sent to the mother’s email address. If you are a father and would like another version of the report to add your own comment then please contact the school secretaries. If you have not received an email from the school giving you access to the system please contact one of the school secretaries.

Lower Primary Ms Deysi Lopez deysilopez@abc-net.edu.sv

Upper Primary Ms Luz Elena Huezo luzhuezo@abc-net.edu.sv

British Christmas Traditions

As we get into the festive spirit I want to share with you some British Christmas traditions you may want to try with your children this season.

The Snowman

The Snowman is a wordless children's picture book by English author Raymond Briggs, first published in 1978. The book won a number of awards and was adapted into an animated television film in 1982 which is now watched every year at christmas as a family event.

• The picturebook can be viewed here

• The storybook can be read here

• Full animated version can be watched on YouTube here

Letters to Father Christmas

It is very common for children to write letters to Father Christmas (Santa Claus). However British children used to take it a step further and burn the letters in the fireplace so the ashes fly up the chimney and Father Christmas can read the smoke. As fireplaces/chimneys are not very common in El Salvador, you may need to find an alternative means. Just be safe!

Stockings

Rather than hanging stockings above the fireplace, British children hang them at the end of their bed hoping they will be filled on Christmas morning. However it is a bit difficult for Santa to fill them without waking the children!

Crackers

The Christmas cracker is a paper tube, covered in foil, twisted at both ends. It’s shaped like a large sweet with hidden treasures inside. Each person crosses their arms, using their right hand to hold their cracker, and pulling their neighbor’s cracker with their left. POP! The cracker will make a bit of a  bang with the contents spilling out which usually is a joke to be read at the dinner table, a small gift and a paper crown. Follow this link to make your own.

Advent Calendars

An Advent calendar is a poster or card with twenty-four small doors, one to be opened each day from 1st December until Christmas Eve. Each door conceals a picture. Every morning children open one window of the calendar to see a pretty picture or find a chocolate inside. Here are 24 ideas to make your own Advent Calendars to count down the next 13 days until Christmas!

 

Mid-Day Dinner 

Christmas dinner is served at midday on the 25th of December, it is similar to that of the U.S. with a roast turkey, goose or chicken and trimmings. But, there are some specialty items that aren’t as common such as parsnips which are a root vegetable similar to a carrot. British families also love their pudding but Yorkshire Pudding isn’t pudding-pudding like you would think, take a look at the recipe here.

Christmas Pudding

Christmas pudding is a traditional British dessert popular during the holiday season. A Christmas pudding is a dense fruit cake often made weeks or even months in advance. On Christmas, the cake is set alight and then topped with a sauce of brandy butter or rum butter, cream, lemon cream, ice cream or custard. Find a recipe here.

Christmas Carol Singers

Carol singing, or Caroling, is singing christmas songs in the street or public places. It is one of the oldest customs in Great Britain, going back to the Middle Ages when beggars, seeking food, money, or drink, would wander the streets singing holiday songs. People today still go carol singing (although not during Christmas 2020 due to the global pandemic). People go from house to house singing carols and collecting money for charity. Listen to some traditional christmas carol music here.

Pantomimes

These are plays performed around Christmastime in the UK. Pantos are humorous, slapstick entertainment for the whole family. They are sometimes based on a famous fairy tale or story, like "Cinderella," "Peter Pan," or "The Wizard of Oz." 

There are certain traditions in pantomimes that make them unique. For example, there's often a villain who will sneak up on the protagonist intermittently throughout the play. It's then the role of the audience to scream, "He's behind you!" to the main character — while he or she struggles to figure out what's going on.

Royal Christmas Message

The Queen gives a speech on Christmas Day at 3pm in England. You can watch last year's speech here and this year’s one will be available on YouTube sometime later on the 25th.

Marianne Taylor

Head of Primary

Dates for your Diary

Wednesday 16th: Reopening Parent Meeting LP 4pm

Wednesday 16th: Reopening Parent Meeting UP 5pm

Pre-Kinder Xmas Show: Wednesday 16th December 12:00 pm

https://youtu.be/yhqLjI3xfto

Kinder Xmas Show: Wednesday 16th December 1:00 pm

https://youtu.be/j8Ejzc18TrQ

Prepa Xmas Show: Wednesday 16th December 2:00 pm

https://youtu.be/xEWsZ6zPbas

1st Grade Xmas Show: Wednesday 16th December 3:00 pm

https://youtu.be/2FnvFD3aVRI

2nd Grade Xmas Show: Tuesday 15th December 4:00 pm

https://youtu.be/X6zG9wsEkV8

3rd Grade Xmas Show: Tuesday 15th December 5:00 pm

https://youtu.be/oL2tD6dftgQ

4th Grade Xmas Show: Thursday 17th December 4:00 pm

https://youtu.be/wDP8Mbt2A7k

5th Grade Xmas Show: Thursday 17th December 5:00 pm

https://youtu.be/rvVdow-XSfk

 

January

Monday 11th: School resumes after Christmas Holiday

From the Secondary Leadership Team

This week and the past week we had our LRD with G11, 12 and G9, a great opportunity for parents, teachers and students to talk about their online experience and to set their ABC Skills Self Assessment. The aim of this self-assessment is for our students to reflect on their progress and how they are developing them. These are our ABC Skills

ABC Skill

Self-reflection Honestly reviewing and evaluating one’s, thoughts, words and actions

Balance Effective self-management - maintaining all aspects of a rich and vibrant lifestyle in healthy equilibrium

Growth mindset Taking a positive approach to challenges and being willing to take risks

Emotional intelligence Predicting, reading and responding sensitively to the feelings of others

Communication Speaking, listening, reading and writing thoughtfully, carefully and accurately

Teamwork Building, maintaining, inspiring and serving groups of others towards a shared goal

Inquiry Questioning thoughtfully and researching resourcefully

Analysis Critically interpreting information using a range of thinking skills

Strategic thinking Visualising, planning and delivering effective change

Xmas is coming soon, we are only 1 week away  before we break up for the holidays, students have been very busy with Xmas Assembly preparation, helping those in need with the Xmas baskets, etc.

We will have a great end of the year with assemblies, quizzes, breakfast with the tutors, a Christmas concert, etc. We are all looking forward to tihs event. 

Meanwhile the STUCO team have also been preparing for the last day want students to take part in the event by sharing photos as  we want to see how you are spending this christmas! They are looking for pictures of students wearing christmas apparel, either with a christmas hat, ornaments, pijama, or anything they have related to christmas with a resolution for this next year written in a piece of paper. Please send the images horizontally.!

 

Remember a resolution can be any goal you want to achieve for next year. It can be for example: I will do more exercise, learn a new language, practice a different sport, etc. Try to be specific! The deadline for this is next Monday 14th. I encourage you to talk to your children to participate. All the photos should be sent to: studentcouncil@abc-net.edu.sv 

 

Some important information

Please note, there will not be any G10 and G12 Mock Exams when we return in January.  We intend to hold Mocks slightly later in the year and will inform of dates when they are finalised.

Secondary Parent Meeting - 5pm Tuesday 15th December Please join us for the Secondary Parent Meeting on Tuesday 15th December at 5pm. In this meeting we will be sharing our initial plans for reopening the ABC. The meeting will be held on Zoom, the link and passcode will be shared with all parents via email before the event.

Check out the creativity, excitement and the independent work many of the students showed today in 6B with the Microbit projects. You can access them on the ICT Website.

Don’t miss our first Virtual TEDxYouth event

We need your help with the Xmas baskets. Please find the information below

 

We hope you have a fantastic Christmas with your family. Please stay safe.

Kind regards,

Carmen Chávez

Assistant Headteacher - Student Wellbeing

Dates for your Diary

December

Monday 14th - Grade 12/Class 2020 - Graduation Ceremony

Tuesday 15th - Secondary Parent Meeting - Reopening (5pm)

Friday 18th - Last Day of Term 

Monday 21st - Christmas holidays start

January 2021

Monday 11th - First day of Term

Monday 18th to Friday 22nd - G12 English Orals

Wednesday 27th - IB Spanish EE