From the Director
I thought I would start this week with a few statistics that may be of interest:
I also wanted to let you know that we have done further work recently on our new Mission and Values by clearly defining the skills that we are trying to develop in our young people and articulating what these will actually look like in our students. These are the skills that will allow our students to really live and exemplify our core values of Honesty, Empathy and Leadership. I believe that the assessment of these soft skills is something that is going to be very much a part of education in the medium term and so, in keeping with our tradition for innovation and keeping ourselves at the forefront, we will be beginning to integrate these with our assessment processes over the course of this year with a view to a full launch once we have evaluated our trials, in August 2021. Of course, these skills offer a great opportunity for us to work in partnership with you as parents to develop them in our children.
Have a lovely weekend!
Stephen Lang
ABC Skills
From the Head of Primary
This week has seen the introduction of a new online platform, Reading A-Z, to support Upper Primary reading as well as reading resources for Lower Primary.
A-Z Books (English) - Lower Primary * A-Z Books (Spanish) - Lower Primary *
* - Please note you will need to request access to the files before gaining entry with the links
Reading Kids A-Z Platform - Upper Primary
Ranked the #1 reading instruction resource in an independent survey of more than 18,000 K-5 teachers, Reading A-Z is famous with educators for its extensive collection of levelled reading resources. With more than 2,000 books at 29 levels of reading difficulty to choose from, it allows us to put appropriate content into each student’s hands quickly. We hope that you and your child enjoy this new resource.
Why Is It Important To Read?
Over the years, educational researchers have conducted thousands of studies about Reading and its effects. The consensus is that reading can support a variety of areas, including:
Self Esteem - This might be the most important area of all. The sooner students develop reading skills, the more they gain ground in the areas listed below. This leads to greater assurance in how they speak and write, as well as giving them the confidence of an expanded knowledge base. When students start at an early age to read about diverse people, distant places, and historical events, they become more creative and open.
Improved Concentration - An emphasis on reading and student literacy helps develop higher levels of focus and concentration. It also forces the reader to sort things out in their mind – including topics that might not be familiar to them at all (Paris at the end of World War II, for example, or another planet in a science fiction novel). This type of concentration on one topic – rather than trying to do many things at once – leads to better focus even after the book is put down.
Critical and Analytical Thinking Skills - The classic here is when a young reader becomes absorbed with a mystery book and manages to solve the mystery in her head before the books reveal it. That’s a simple example of how reading helps students develop better critical and analytical skills, something that carries over even after they have put the book down.
Stronger Memory Skills - Think about reading; even a Pre-Kinder/Kinder age child with a relatively simple book must keep in mind a group of characters, the setting, and past actions. Reading helps to strengthen memory retention skills. That’s a powerful tool for young students – and older adults, as well.
Expanded Vocabulary - How many times do we all search for just the right word to express what we’re trying to say? Readers do that less. They have a more extensive vocabulary, and the words that young readers learn in a book will eventually make their way into their speech.
Even with 20mins per day, reading has a significant impact on students and readers, not solely in developing the ability to read and interact with information around them but in so many other areas of their lives. Hopefully, the access to our new reading material will be able to stimulate and support further development.
From the Head of Secondary
I recently had a familiar conversation that went something like this:
Have you really thought about why you are studying in school?
To get good grades
Why do you want good grades?
To go to a good university
Why do you want to go to a good university?
To get a good job.
At first glance there’s nothing wrong with these aspirations. There’s certainly a purpose: a ‘good’ purpose. But the responses lack vitality. There’s a resigned inevitability. An assumption that each step will lead to the next. Arguably, the responses are learned, generic, and exclude the student’s individuality. Resignation endangers the prospect of truly appreciating everything that can be learned on the journey. So how do students demonstrate what great individuals they are? How can they show they are fully engaged with their journey towards grades they feel proud of, a university that best fits their aspirations and skills and a fulfilling career?
Critical thinking is a substantial part of the process in class but importantly, it needs to be applied. What skills and qualities do I need to develop in order to improve my learning? How will I practice these skills and qualities beyond the classroom? If I make a mistake, how can I learn from it? As I learn about myself as a learner, how does this feed into the way I choose my university? How will my learning experience help me become the type of person I want to be? Will the person I aspire to be feel proud of their achievements and feel proud of the way prospective employers see them?
I subscribe to a website called Inner Drive. In one of their postings they offer these suggestions about critical thinking:
Identify the problem – There needs to be a basis to your critical thinking. So, to start the process, identify an issue or situation that you would like to assess.
Gather information – Do the research and gather resources from a range of sources. This will help you develop a deeper understanding of the problem and view it from different perspectives.
Question everything – The key to critical thinking is to question the information we’re given and not just take it at face value. Asking the necessary questions will help guide your decision in the next step.
Pick a side and validate it – After assessing all the information, you need to decide what you think. Once you’ve chosen a side, make sure you have the relevant knowledge and evidence to back it up!
Evaluate – The final step, and one of the most important, is to evaluate your judgement and reasoning behind your decision. This keeps the process of critical thinking going and enhances your self-regulation.
innerdrive.co.uk
And what better way to celebrate the opportunities that can arise from such a critical approach to self development than to look at a couple of the success stories from this week?
Firstly, I was privileged enough to interview five candidates for the position of Editor in Chief for The Paw Print. This student led publication has been going from strength to strength since its inauguration in 2018. It looks set to continue its rise. The innovative ideas and creativity displayed by all the candidates, alongside their keen awareness of the need to work as a team, was nothing short of inspirational.
Secondly, CIMAT 2020 is coming soon and provides a perfect platform for students to demonstrate their curiosity, critical thinking and innovative skills. This is a student led initiative so I’ll pass over to Sebastian Tona, a member of the organisational team to give details:
As many know, last year the first national fair of Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Art and Technology (CIMAT) took place. This year, despite the current circumstances, we would like to invite you to the second national CIMAT fair, which will be held virtually and open to the public starting on November 6 and ending on November 14, the day on which the winners of each area will be announced. The CIMAT National Fair seeks to recognize and reward students from 9th to 12th grade who present innovative projects in the CIMAT disciplines, with the goal of inspiring young Salvadorans. There will be first, second and third place for each of the respective CIMAT disciplines. Prizes will be awarded, both in cash, as well as computers, electronic devices and more!
To register, all you have to do is go to the website https://feriacimatsv.com/ and fill out a form presenting your project. Registration will close on October 26, 2020. We look forward to the projects that will be presented! Follow us on instagram, facebook, and twitter as @cimatsv.
Sebastián Tona 12DP9 Mr Martinez
Student Council President
This is a fantastic opportunity so please do encourage students to get involved. Ask them to share their ideas with you. Ask about the decisions they are making and the problems they have solved. And be amazed at their journey towards filling out the missing personal details in the conversation I described earlier.
And some reminders:
Gift bags: for parents who were unable to collect their child’s gift bag, sports equipment or textbooks, the items are available for collection. Parents may come any day between 8:30-11:30am Monday to Friday to collect these items. Please enter via the Administration Car Park entrance and go to reception. If you wish to collect items after 1130am, please send an email to all three Secondary Office Assistants (marieolossoto@abc-net.edu.sv; roxanahall@abc-net.edu.sv; lissettcastro@abc-net.edu.sv) to arrange an appointment, as the office assistants are working in shifts and will need to be notified in advance.
If you are unsure whether your child has a textbook to collect, you can see a full list here of all students with textbooks waiting for them in the LRC. Please double check with your child before making the appointment to confirm that they do not already have a copy of the book.
Learning review days: As you will see on our school calendar we have a number of Learning Review Days coming up over the next few weeks to give you a chance to speak to your child’s tutor about their progress. All bookings for appointments will be taken using a Google Form sent out from the Head of Year. Once you have indicated your preferred time slot the secretaries will be in touch with you with the meeting time and Google Meet link to join the session.
Colin Hogan Assistant Head IB Years
SECONDARY
Dates for your diary
September
Monday 28th to Friday 2nd October - Banned Book Week (LRC)
October
Tuesday 6th - Grade 6 Learning Review Day
Thursday 15th - Grade 7 Learning Review Day
Monday 19th to Friday 23rd - United Nations Week
Tuesday 20th - Grade 8 Learning Review Day
Friday 23rd - ABC Founders' Day
November
Monday 2nd to Friday 6th - Half Term holidays
Monday 9th - back to Distance Learning lessons
Monday 9th to Friday 13th - British Week
Thursday 12th - Grade 10 Learning Review Day
Friday 20th - World Children's Day
We would like to congratulate all Secondary Tribal Chief contestants for their commitment to keep tribal spirit alive and your peers' engagement with school activities; we would like to make a special mention to 11th grade contestants who presented great speeches during PE lessons, you really inspired everyone who listened to you! We would like to share some posters to show the spirit of our student leaders, well done to all!
Regarding Team Sports practices, we are proud of our students' response and we share our athletes’ feelings regarding how much they miss being on the field, because we do too! However, we are doing our best to adapt and transform ourselves to provide quality training to our teams.
On the other hand, I would like to remind our community that we are a school that educates by giving opportunities to our students through sports and follow MINED expectations, so we will continue training our teams using virtual tools and we will be aligned with ABC school protocols this school year.
The ABC truly believes in a holistic approach to education and in these difficult times we value our children being active and feelinging like part of the Bulldog teams but at the same time we must be sure to provide the safest environment possible during this pandemic situation.
