From the Director
It was lovely to see our Grade 12 Seniors in person yesterday at their “Caravana” to celebrate their entrance into their final year at the ABC. They were clearly delighted to see each other but what shone through the event was the overwhelming sense of school pride, which I found, to my surprise, really quite moving. Congratulations to the organisers on a well-run, safe yet still vibrant event. Further evidence that the Bulldog spirit will not allow us to be cowed by this pandemic.Speaking of overcoming challenges, and flourishing in the face of adversity, last week, in search of inspiration for a new poem (my 40th of the lockdown period- I am thinking of titling the series “‘Cuarentena”!), I discovered, because it was his 303rd birthday last Tuesday, John Metcalf (you can look him up in Wikipedia, if you are interested).
Let me tell you a little about him…..
John was a bit of a ladies man in his youth and also a very fine fiddle player, employed by the town pub to entertain clients. He was also an accomplished swimmer and diver. He once famously saved a soldier who was drowning in the River Nidd, only managing to do so at his fourth attempt in the treacherous waters. John was also a very good card player and horseman: in fact he rode horses competitively.
Although he was from relatively humble stock, John also had a way with people and was quite comfortable in different levels of society. For example, he was friendly with the local Member of Parliament, Colonel Liddell who he once bet 10 guineas that he could beat in a race from Yorkshire to London and back with the Colonel riding in his carriage and John walking on foot. He won.
John joined his local regiment to fight against the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and was at the Battles of Falkirk and Culloden. When he returned to Yorkshire he started up a business ferrying goods by horse and cart. The business grew so successful that it became a stagecoach company and John himself would drive the stagecoaches full of passengers over the Pennine Hills from Manchester to Yorkshire, even in the appalling weather conditions of winter.
John next ventured into the business of roadbuilding, using his knowledge of his local area, his military training and his experience driving coaches. He won his first contract in 1765 and never looked back. He pioneered a method for building roads over boggy areas where others had failed before him. He eschewed measuring instruments, relying instead on his own good judgement and knowledge of the Yorkshire countryside. So successful was he in this new career that he is now regarded, along with Thomas Telford and John Macadam, as one of the Fathers of the Modern Road.
Why am I telling you all this, you must be wondering…..?
….because the remarkable thing about John Metcalf was that he was struck blind at the age of six by a bout of smallpox. He is actually better known as Blind John Metcalf or Blind Jack (the title of my poem- don’t worry- I am not going to inflict it on you!). If ever there was an object lesson in how to overcome adversity and make the very best of one's situation it was surely him.
By the way,at the age of 77 John decided that he had led a mildly interesting life and so walked alone the 20 or so miles to York to tell it to a publisher, which is why we know so much about him today. He went on to live to the ripe old age of 92.
Have a great week everyone!
Stephen Lang
Director
“My best moments from the beginning of this school year have been the play sessions. We role-played being doctors, dragons, princesses and superheroes, acting out whole stories with every child participating and working together as a team. Being able to connect with children through play is amazing.” Ms Fabiola, Kinder
“One of my favourite moments at the start of this new school year has been listening to the children share their holiday experiences. The children talked about how special and unique their holidays had been and in spite of being in quarantine, there were so many creative adventures and amazing stories.” Ms Gracia, 3rd Grade
“It has been fabulous to see so many smiley, happy children, keen and eager to get back to learning. First Isley were also delighted to welcome a new student to our class.” Ms Isley, 1st Grade
“The highlight of 5th Williams has been our PSHE lessons. We have had deep conversations and debates about healthy habits, mental health and inclusion. It has been wonderful to see my students demonstrate open mindedness and kindness towards themselves and others, and I'm proud to teach such a wonderful class.” Ms Williams, 5th Grade
Try one of our subscriptions! This week I would like to show you PhonicsPlay. A website full of fun phonics games (Kinder to 4th Grade) to help children with their reading and spelling. They also have a useful Parent Information Page.
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
Username: abcesl
Password: abcesl
Thank you to all of the parents that have attended the Back to School Nights, we hope you have found them useful. Helping your children to become more independent has been a regular topic of conversation and I have received a great suggestion from a few parents which I would like to share.
Using Google Calendar to create an individual timetable. Unfortunately our system is not set up in a way that we can create the individual timetables for you, and 3rd Grade up are usually very independent and access sessions via Google Classroom. However for a younger child the benefits of using Google Calendar are:
You will already be logged in with your child’s account, so you won’t have difficulties accessing the sessions by accidentally trying to log on with your own personal email.
Google Calendar allows you to paste the correct Google Meet links (which you can find on the class timetable) into the event so children can access the sessions directly from the calendar.
The calendar will show children how long they have left before the next session and you can set up reminders.
The calendar will only show your child their own group sessions and you can colour code them so they know what lesson or teacher they have.
From the Head of Primary
We have been back now for two weeks and it is wonderful at how quickly and positively children have settled back into the school routine. I asked some of the teachers to tell me the highlights to the start of this term:“My best moments from the beginning of this school year have been the play sessions. We role-played being doctors, dragons, princesses and superheroes, acting out whole stories with every child participating and working together as a team. Being able to connect with children through play is amazing.” Ms Fabiola, Kinder
“One of my favourite moments at the start of this new school year has been listening to the children share their holiday experiences. The children talked about how special and unique their holidays had been and in spite of being in quarantine, there were so many creative adventures and amazing stories.” Ms Gracia, 3rd Grade
“It has been fabulous to see so many smiley, happy children, keen and eager to get back to learning. First Isley were also delighted to welcome a new student to our class.” Ms Isley, 1st Grade
“The highlight of 5th Williams has been our PSHE lessons. We have had deep conversations and debates about healthy habits, mental health and inclusion. It has been wonderful to see my students demonstrate open mindedness and kindness towards themselves and others, and I'm proud to teach such a wonderful class.” Ms Williams, 5th Grade
Try one of our subscriptions! This week I would like to show you PhonicsPlay. A website full of fun phonics games (Kinder to 4th Grade) to help children with their reading and spelling. They also have a useful Parent Information Page.
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
Username: abcesl
Password: abcesl
Thank you to all of the parents that have attended the Back to School Nights, we hope you have found them useful. Helping your children to become more independent has been a regular topic of conversation and I have received a great suggestion from a few parents which I would like to share.
Using Google Calendar to create an individual timetable. Unfortunately our system is not set up in a way that we can create the individual timetables for you, and 3rd Grade up are usually very independent and access sessions via Google Classroom. However for a younger child the benefits of using Google Calendar are:
You will already be logged in with your child’s account, so you won’t have difficulties accessing the sessions by accidentally trying to log on with your own personal email.
Google Calendar allows you to paste the correct Google Meet links (which you can find on the class timetable) into the event so children can access the sessions directly from the calendar.
The calendar will show children how long they have left before the next session and you can set up reminders.
The calendar will only show your child their own group sessions and you can colour code them so they know what lesson or teacher they have.
Remember: Links often change weekly even if the time/subject does not as a different teacher may take the session so you would need to update the google calendar weekly.
From the Secondary Leadership Team
Dear Parents and Carers,
As the anticipation of a new school year gives way to lessons, homework and routines, this has been an eventful week with an announcement from the MINED, revisions to the IGCSE and IBDP results, and our annual Know Your School events. Thank you for your continued support.
Know Your School
This week we completed our ‘Know Your School’ events and while these are primarily intended to provide information to you as parents, we felt very supported by you as well. The very high attendance, and the number of positive comments we received, is truly appreciated. We will have many updates for you this year so please check for news on the ABC Secondary Parent Portal where you can also find the Know Your School presentation (see also the Whole School Parent Portal).
Absences and connection problems
We know that many students have occasional electricity or internet problems. If this happens, please can parents (not students) inform the school secretaries, as students cannot justify their own absence. For whole-day or partial-day absences, please contact Marielos, Roxana or Lisset as normal.
Extracurricular activities
I am delighted to confirm a wide range of extracurricular activities will be offered by ABC teachers this term, ranging from Baking Club to French and Knowledge Bowl to Football! Parents and students can access the booklet here. Mrs Hernandez has written a special welcome letter regarding the sports activities.
We are holding a Virtual Extra-Curricular Fair to introduce these activities at 1:05pm on Thursday 27 August - parents are welcome, but for technical reasons, it is best if you can join your child and access the Google Meets together from their ABC login. You can find details of the Catholic Club in the email sent earlier this week by Marielos Soto and subscribe to it here.
IGCSE results
Last week we celebrated the IGCSE grades achieved by the current Grade 11. This week, Cambridge Assessment revised their grading policy and some grades were adjusted upwards to meet the Centre Predicted Grade that we submitted. We are very pleased that Cambridge decided to trust the judgement of teachers, and we hope that this excellent set of results will spur our Grade 11 students to work even harder.
IBDP results
If the IGCSE upgrades were not enough, the IBDP saw a similar shift, with the IB changing their process to give more weight to the coursework submitted by students. We fully agree with this approach and are delighted that our IB Diploma pass rate has risen significantly. Well done to all our new ‘Exabrits’ on their achievements!
MINED announcement
I am sure you will have heard the news that the MINED has asked schools to remain online until January at the earliest. We have been preparing for this eventuality and are confident that we can continue to deliver high quality and interactive lessons online. Of course, this is a challenge and there are many events in the ABC year that may need to be reconsidered even when we are able to return, including mock exams for Grades 10 and 12. We will update you as soon as we have clarity on what we are able to offer.
On a final note, I would like to thank our teachers for their hard work, especially the pastoral team, led by Ms. Chávez and the Heads of Year. The start of any school year is always a busy time and this year is no exception. Tutors and Heads of Year have been busily helping and I know many of you have been in touch with them. Please continue to direct initial inquiries to your child’s tutor, and feel free to share good news too!
Wishing you a safe and happy weekend,
Matt Burdett
Assistant Headteacher Responsible for Curriculum and Professional Development
matthewburdett@abc-net.edu.sv
Dates for your diary
Thursday 27 August - Lunchtime extracurricular fair
Friday 11 September to Wednesday 16 September (inclusive) - Extended Holiday Weekend (school closed)
The ABC Sports department is very proud to announce the beginning of the extracurricular sports activities across the school. Just like the school’s strategies, we consider it important that our students remain active and in touch with their daily basic activities, as well as feeling a sense of belonging to ABC teams.
ABC Sports will be offering sports extracurricular activities from Kinder to 12th Grade, which will start in September virtually, and then adapting to the returning plan stages of the school. All information will be sent through email, we expect the majority of students to join our programme, please take into account the following important dates:
Lower and Upper Primary’s first day of practice: September 1st, 2020
Secondary’s first day of practice: September 2nd, 2020
From the Secondary Leadership Team
Dear Parents and Carers, As the anticipation of a new school year gives way to lessons, homework and routines, this has been an eventful week with an announcement from the MINED, revisions to the IGCSE and IBDP results, and our annual Know Your School events. Thank you for your continued support.
Know Your School
This week we completed our ‘Know Your School’ events and while these are primarily intended to provide information to you as parents, we felt very supported by you as well. The very high attendance, and the number of positive comments we received, is truly appreciated. We will have many updates for you this year so please check for news on the ABC Secondary Parent Portal where you can also find the Know Your School presentation (see also the Whole School Parent Portal).
Absences and connection problems
We know that many students have occasional electricity or internet problems. If this happens, please can parents (not students) inform the school secretaries, as students cannot justify their own absence. For whole-day or partial-day absences, please contact Marielos, Roxana or Lisset as normal.
Extracurricular activities
I am delighted to confirm a wide range of extracurricular activities will be offered by ABC teachers this term, ranging from Baking Club to French and Knowledge Bowl to Football! Parents and students can access the booklet here. Mrs Hernandez has written a special welcome letter regarding the sports activities.
We are holding a Virtual Extra-Curricular Fair to introduce these activities at 1:05pm on Thursday 27 August - parents are welcome, but for technical reasons, it is best if you can join your child and access the Google Meets together from their ABC login. You can find details of the Catholic Club in the email sent earlier this week by Marielos Soto and subscribe to it here.
IGCSE results
Last week we celebrated the IGCSE grades achieved by the current Grade 11. This week, Cambridge Assessment revised their grading policy and some grades were adjusted upwards to meet the Centre Predicted Grade that we submitted. We are very pleased that Cambridge decided to trust the judgement of teachers, and we hope that this excellent set of results will spur our Grade 11 students to work even harder.
IBDP results
If the IGCSE upgrades were not enough, the IBDP saw a similar shift, with the IB changing their process to give more weight to the coursework submitted by students. We fully agree with this approach and are delighted that our IB Diploma pass rate has risen significantly. Well done to all our new ‘Exabrits’ on their achievements!
MINED announcement
I am sure you will have heard the news that the MINED has asked schools to remain online until January at the earliest. We have been preparing for this eventuality and are confident that we can continue to deliver high quality and interactive lessons online. Of course, this is a challenge and there are many events in the ABC year that may need to be reconsidered even when we are able to return, including mock exams for Grades 10 and 12. We will update you as soon as we have clarity on what we are able to offer.
On a final note, I would like to thank our teachers for their hard work, especially the pastoral team, led by Ms. Chávez and the Heads of Year. The start of any school year is always a busy time and this year is no exception. Tutors and Heads of Year have been busily helping and I know many of you have been in touch with them. Please continue to direct initial inquiries to your child’s tutor, and feel free to share good news too!
Wishing you a safe and happy weekend,
Matt Burdett
Assistant Headteacher Responsible for Curriculum and Professional Development
matthewburdett@abc-net.edu.sv
Dates for your diary
Thursday 27 August - Lunchtime extracurricular fair
Friday 11 September to Wednesday 16 September (inclusive) - Extended Holiday Weekend (school closed)
ABC Sports
The ABC Sports department is very proud to announce the beginning of the extracurricular sports activities across the school. Just like the school’s strategies, we consider it important that our students remain active and in touch with their daily basic activities, as well as feeling a sense of belonging to ABC teams.
ABC Sports will be offering sports extracurricular activities from Kinder to 12th Grade, which will start in September virtually, and then adapting to the returning plan stages of the school. All information will be sent through email, we expect the majority of students to join our programme, please take into account the following important dates:
Lower and Upper Primary’s first day of practice: September 1st, 2020
Secondary’s first day of practice: September 2nd, 2020
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