Friday 24 January 2020

20: Friday January 24th 2020

From the Director

I hope and trust that you are enjoying the drip-feed of “Did you know that….?” pieces that celebrate the many tremendous strengths of our school and the achievements of our students and teachers that perhaps you were not aware of until now.
As you know, we choose the IB Diploma as our curriculum for our graduating students in their final two years at the ABC….but do you know why?

The IB Diploma is very prestigious, often being referred to as the “Gold Standard” in school graduating curricula

The IB Diploma is offered at almost 5000 schools around the world in more than 150 countries

Research shows that:

IB Diploma graduates in the United States (US) are significantly more likely to attend a ‘selective’ or ‘highly selective’ institution compared to the average US college-goer.

In the UK, they are more than twice as likely to attend a top 20 university than the average A level student.

On average IB Diploma graduates have lower drop-out rates and achieve better degrees than students who studied other curricula at school

On average IB Diploma graduates have slightly higher earning potential after university

The IB Diploma is accepted at over 2000 universities world-wide including all Ivy League colleges in the US, all of the so-called “Russell Group” of top universities in the UK as well as Oxford, Cambridge and LSE

The IB Diploma is very academically rigorous and, as a result, many US colleges offer credits to IB Diploma graduates with good scores

The IB Diploma offers a broad and balanced curriculum comprising;

The study of 6 subjects to include Maths, English, Science, a humanity and a foreign language (the choice of the 6th subject is free)

The Core- an extended essay, a CAS portfolio (Creativity, Activity, Service) and Theory of Knowledge

A clear commitment to developing an international mindset

The IB Diploma is quite simply the best school graduating curriculum on offer anywhere in the world….but don’t just take my word for it….

“IB is well known to us for excellent preparation. Success in an IB programme correlates well with success at Harvard. We are always pleased to see the credentials of the IB Diploma Programme on the transcript. GPA is not nearly as important a factor in university admission as the IB Diploma. If a student has to choose, choose the Diploma over protecting the GPA.” Marilyn McGrath Lewis Director of Admissions, Harvard University
“Send us prepared students a la IB. . . It is the ‘best’ high school prep curriculum an American school can offer.” Marilee Jones, Former Director of Undergraduate Admission, MIT

“Diploma Programme students are well-rounded, multifaceted, multi-skilled and have studied in depth. They have good time-management skills. They score higher than students in other national systems, and the IB score is worldwide the same measure.” Hrilina Lock, undergraduate admissions manager London School of Economics (LSE), UK

Have a great weekend!

From the Head of Primary

The INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP FAIR was a great success this year. We had a gorgeous warm day and blue sky in the morning. The Fair was full of activities, joy and enthusiasm, which brought many benefits to our students. This was an educational experience where children worked hard at their stalls but also had a lot of fun.

We would like to thank all parents for participating and supporting this Fair. A big thank you also to everyone who sent their jars to make our Tombola another success.
If you want your child to come into Pre-K in August please make sure you have signed up with Estefania Chacon so that your initial placement is confirmed.

Pre-K admission evaluations began this week in which we will start to evaluate the children who are hoping to join the ABC in August. They will spend time undertaking evaluations with our staff so that we can observe their social/language skills and independence. It is an important time for them as they start to make friendships, some of which will last for a long time as well as starting their journey towards being ABC ROCs. The community spirit and sense of being part of a team is a vital part of our community-based education. To see their awe and wonder as our youngest learners explore their environment, acquiring skills and following their curiosity and interest. It is a passion and a sense of fulfillment which we want our children to maintain throughout their lives. These skills are built on through our academic curriculum to develop the skills and attitudes needed to excel as our children move towards the Bilingual IB Diploma. These experiences and this learning journey frame our children for the rest of their lives. We look forward to welcoming them.

Correct School Uniform- It is expected that all students come to school in their correct school uniform. A number of our students are coming to school in brightly coloured tops, which do not meet the school’s uniform policy. We kindly ask that parents ensure their child/children wear the correct uniform including wearing the school jersey or school hoodie.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.



Book of the Week
We Travel So Far … by Laura Knowles and Chris Madden



Animals and birds from around the world briefly describe their migratory journeys in an economical and poetic language which weaves and winds across the page, the text pointedly placed to suit each spread. Each journey is different in terms of length, seasons, terrains travelled. Detailed data about the water, land and air migration of animals can be found at the end of the book.

From the Head of Secondary

Dear parents and carers,

As you know, this past Monday 20th of January marks the remembrance of the life and teachings of the great Martin Luther King Jr, and I would like to focus my message this week on this.

Although Dr. King stands out as the civil rights champion for racial equality, in reality, he was much more than that. He actively opposed the US war in Vietnam, he supported workers’ rights to demand better conditions and treatment and demanded economic fairness for poor Americans of his time: black and white.
At the ABC we like to refer to his teachings as much of what he fought for, continues to be relevant to social change and justice for all today. It is important that we establish these conversations with our young people, at school and home, as like he said “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This includes our children and community. His teachings go beyond race, culture and faith. It is about building together the community and world we want to live in which honours and respects true brotherhood. Half a century after the end of legal racial discrimination, we continue to be exposed to harsh inequalities around the world and in our very own “beloved community.” When talking to our young people we need to encourage the reflection of the fact that bullying, unkind words, excluding behaviours, lack of care to each other and our environment and turning a blind eye to mean behaviour and words, are all a part of this. These are examples of inequality and injustice which each and every one of us must do all we can to eradicate.









From Mrs. Garcia- LRC Coordinator
Please read about the exciting changes coming to the LRC. Some have already begun!

You can read more on this in their blog here.

Redesigning our Spaces






At the LRC we often find ourselves redesigning and re-purposing our spaces to fit the growing needs and interests of our community. We are currently working on creating a dedicated 3D Centre, which will house our growing collection of 3D printers, 3Doodler printing pens as well as laser engravers and cutters.











Have a wonderful and restful weekend,

Kind regards,

Natalia Cáceres Escalón
Head of Secondary School


Dates for your diary


January 2020

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

February

Tuesday 4th - Parent Partnership meeting “The Big Disconnect” 6.00 pm. PAC
Friday 7th - Staff INSET Day - school closed for students
Monday 10th to Sunday 16th - ICT/ ITGS Silicon Valley Trip
Tuesday 11th - Grade 11/12 Learning Review Day in LRC all day (by appointment)
Thursday 13th - 7th Grade - Parent-Teachers meeting - 4:00 pm, Auditorium
Friday 14th - Grade 8 Empowerment Day trip, in El Encanto Country Club
Tuesday 18th - Grade 10 Learning Review Day, all day in LRC (by appointment)
Wednesday 19th - Grade 7 Empowerment Day
Thursday 20th to 1st March - Art trip to Europe
Friday 21st - Grade 12 Family Day
Friday 21st to Sunday 1st March - Art trip to Europe
Monday 24th to Friday 28th - Half Term holidays, school closed





We are very proud to announce that the Premini BKB boys team obtained the Championship at the Bilingual League and that the ABC Swimming team is leading the Bilingual League circuit of competitions.



This coming week the Basketball Cadet boys team and  Varsity Basketball girls team will play the semifinals at the Bilingual League and the Athletic juvenile team is competing at the Bilingual League. To stay informed of the games schedule, visit the Whole school calendar on our website, you are welcome to come and cheer for our ABC athletes!
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital. Joe Paterno, Football

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

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