From the Director
Well that month just flew by did it not! The past year, on the other hand, seems to have been very long, probably because so much has taken place during it. However, as I sit here in my office watching families arrive at the LRC to collect textbooks, I feel as proud now to lead this wonderful learning community as I did when I first arrived. I can tell that many of the students I have bumped into in the past couple of days feel quite sad to be back on campus so briefly and without their friends and teachers around them and that, in turn, makes me feel sad. However, I am also incredibly proud of each and every one of our students for the remarkable resilience they have shown in the course of the past 6 months.You know, it is easy in circumstances such as we face at the moment to get into what they call a “bunker mentality” where one gives up on plans for progress and improvement and simply tries to survive day-to-day. However, that is not the ABC way; our Bulldog spirit demands more of us and sure enough we are rising to the challenge.
Student-led proposals for revolutionising our approach to student leadership in our community are now at an advanced stage and I look forward to sharing an outline of them with you here very soon. In addition, I have heard this week from students who wish to enhance the ways in which we serve those in need in our city and country and from another who has ambitious plans for us to honestly reflect on and improve the way in which we include others, not just tolerating differences but actively celebrating them.
Meanwhile school leadership are working on a wide range of new developments:
- Designing and implementing a new school website
- Introducing a new “PD Wallet” system whereby all teaching and Admin staff are given a discrete amount of money to spend on a professional development course of their choosing this year.
- Refining the way in which we assess students to:
- Make it more consistent across the whole school
- Incorporate our new Values, Qualities and Skills
- Focus more on measuring and celebrating progress
- Reviewing our curriculum to see what can be done to smooth over transitions and give it more homogeneity
- Creating new Google Advocates in each department and grade to lead the ongoing upskilling of colleagues in digital learning techniques
We shall not be cowed or paralysed by this crisis; we will continue to challenge ourselves to be the best versions of ourselves whatever the circumstances.
Stay safe everybody and have a lovely weekend!
Stephen Lang
Director
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” Gottfried Liebniz
This week our extracurricular programme started. We are very proud to be continuing our Team Sports sessions, focusing not only on fitness and sports skills but also on maintaining team spirit. We also began offering Kinder and Prepa playtimes, where the children spend time playing in a small group of fewer than 5 children with a member of staff. We are happy to be supporting our younger students and having fun with their classmates, as we understand how important social development and positive relationships are for their wellbeing and learning. If you have a child in Kinder or Prepa and you would like to join one of our playtimes, please email Ms Deysi deysilopez@abc-net.edu.sv.
Internet Safety
As the use of technology for our children becomes the new normal, it is important to remember the dangers of unsupervised internet access for our children. The internet is a gateway to everything and just as we would never leave our children unsupervised in a public place, we must keep an eye on them when they have internet access. They are only a few clicks away from a person or content that may be unsuitable. Here are a few tips:
- Spend time online together to teach your kids to appropriate online behaviour
- Keep the computer in a common area where you can watch and monitor its use
- Keep the door open
- Bookmark kids' favourite sites for easy access
- Remind them to tell you if they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable
Please come along to our Virtual Parent Partnership on Thursday 17th September at 6pm to learn more.
ABC Digital Subscriptions
Our subscription of the week is Learning Village for second language English learners in 1st to 5th Grade.
https://www.learningvillage.net/
Your child’s personal log-in:
username: firstnamelastname password: abcels
Contact the class teacher or Jonathan Marquez if you need help logging in.
The Learning Village provides online curriculum learning resources and includes 10250+ words and phrases across 1050+ lessons, incorporating speaking, listening, reading and writing. It is a fun, game-based platform that can be used for some extra English practice at home.
Parent Feedback and School Development
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to complete our parent survey (link to Upper Primary Survey and to the Lower Primary Survey). We are very proud of the way our community has come together to provide the best possible education for our primary students. It has definitely been a team effort, we could not have achieved this without parent dedication, feedback and support. Our teaching staff continue to look for ways to improve, which include monitoring, feedback, multiple weekly in-house training sessions and workshops, external courses, weekly team meetings to reflect on teaching and learning, and research (articles, research papers, blogs, books, teaching communities etc).
Gift Bags, Belongings and Returning Books
Next week we will be inviting you to drive through to collect your child’s belongings and a gift bag with resources. Please enter at the main gate (on the Panamericana), we will be waiting for you in the car park. Your children can accompany you in the back seat if you wish but they must keep the window closed and the bag will be passed to the driver. Everyone needs to be wearing a mask. You can send someone else to collect the items, just let your class teacher know. Some of the resources you can keep and others are on loan. You will get more information from your class teacher. Our next step is to offer you a library service. Lost property will also be available at a later date by appointment, more details to follow. Your child’s reading books can be kept at home until school re-opens, however, if you want to drop them off with the class teacher then please put them in a sealed plastic bag labelled with your child’s name and class.
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” Gottfried Liebniz
From the Head of Primary
Extra-Curricular SessionsThis week our extracurricular programme started. We are very proud to be continuing our Team Sports sessions, focusing not only on fitness and sports skills but also on maintaining team spirit. We also began offering Kinder and Prepa playtimes, where the children spend time playing in a small group of fewer than 5 children with a member of staff. We are happy to be supporting our younger students and having fun with their classmates, as we understand how important social development and positive relationships are for their wellbeing and learning. If you have a child in Kinder or Prepa and you would like to join one of our playtimes, please email Ms Deysi deysilopez@abc-net.edu.sv.
Internet Safety
As the use of technology for our children becomes the new normal, it is important to remember the dangers of unsupervised internet access for our children. The internet is a gateway to everything and just as we would never leave our children unsupervised in a public place, we must keep an eye on them when they have internet access. They are only a few clicks away from a person or content that may be unsuitable. Here are a few tips:
- Spend time online together to teach your kids to appropriate online behaviour
- Keep the computer in a common area where you can watch and monitor its use
- Keep the door open
- Bookmark kids' favourite sites for easy access
- Remind them to tell you if they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable
Please come along to our Virtual Parent Partnership on Thursday 17th September at 6pm to learn more.
ABC Digital Subscriptions
Our subscription of the week is Learning Village for second language English learners in 1st to 5th Grade.
https://www.learningvillage.net/
Your child’s personal log-in:
username: firstnamelastname password: abcels
Contact the class teacher or Jonathan Marquez if you need help logging in.
The Learning Village provides online curriculum learning resources and includes 10250+ words and phrases across 1050+ lessons, incorporating speaking, listening, reading and writing. It is a fun, game-based platform that can be used for some extra English practice at home.
Parent Feedback and School Development
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to complete our parent survey (link to Upper Primary Survey and to the Lower Primary Survey). We are very proud of the way our community has come together to provide the best possible education for our primary students. It has definitely been a team effort, we could not have achieved this without parent dedication, feedback and support. Our teaching staff continue to look for ways to improve, which include monitoring, feedback, multiple weekly in-house training sessions and workshops, external courses, weekly team meetings to reflect on teaching and learning, and research (articles, research papers, blogs, books, teaching communities etc).
Gift Bags, Belongings and Returning Books
Next week we will be inviting you to drive through to collect your child’s belongings and a gift bag with resources. Please enter at the main gate (on the Panamericana), we will be waiting for you in the car park. Your children can accompany you in the back seat if you wish but they must keep the window closed and the bag will be passed to the driver. Everyone needs to be wearing a mask. You can send someone else to collect the items, just let your class teacher know. Some of the resources you can keep and others are on loan. You will get more information from your class teacher. Our next step is to offer you a library service. Lost property will also be available at a later date by appointment, more details to follow. Your child’s reading books can be kept at home until school re-opens, however, if you want to drop them off with the class teacher then please put them in a sealed plastic bag labelled with your child’s name and class.
Marianne Taylor
Dates for your diary
Friday 11th to Wednesday 16th - Extended Holiday weekend (school closed- National holiday and Independence day)
Thursday 17th - Virtual Learning resumes
Thursday 17th - Parent Partnership: Safe use of Technology 6pm
Dates for your diary
Friday 11th to Wednesday 16th - Extended Holiday weekend (school closed- National holiday and Independence day)
Thursday 17th - Virtual Learning resumes
Thursday 17th - Parent Partnership: Safe use of Technology 6pm
From the Secondary Leadership Team
Dear parents and carers,As we have now finished our fourth week of this academic year, both students and staff are now settled back into their daily routines of learning. All of our senior and middle leaders within the school have now had the opportunity to observe lessons, and we are delighted with the online provision we are able to provide during this difficult time. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that for the first time in modern history, on a global scale, students have not gone “back-to-school” as usual. According to a recently published document from the International Task Force on Teachers for Education identified that the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted classroom learning for at least 9 out of 10 students worldwide and over half of those students face barriers to online learning when the schools are closed. I think we will all agree that we are very fortunate at this time to have access to the learning resources and technology as well as educational expertise from the ABC teachers at this time. Please remember that technology alone will not alone allow your sons/daughters to progress; it's how our teachers personalise the learning to meet the needs of students as well as the attitudes and efforts of the students. As a whole school, we are continuing to develop the IT skills of our teachers through weekly professional development as well as introducing google education certifications as the appropriate use for technology for learning is a top priority for the school.
https://teachertaskforce.org/knowledge-hub/covid-19-global-crisis-teaching-and-learning
Over the past four weeks and during Term 3, we have had many parents ask “How can I support my son/daughter with their learning?” and “How can I keep him/her focused on their school work?”
Below we would like to outline 7 ways in which you as parents could encourage your children to succeed during the period of online-learning:
- Know your child's timetable - The structure of the school day and keeping to routine is fundamental during a time when we are at home. We have worked to ensure students have a one week timetable to ensure students and staff can keep to a weekly routine. As a parent, you can check your child's timetable using the iSAMS parent portal (instructions here) to ensure your son/daughter is accessing and is engaged with their classes from home. You can print the timetable and stick it in a prominent place in your home to help support your children to know when to attend their classes.
- Celebrate success! - We want to celebrate your child's achievements; this celebration can be reinforced with your parental support. On the iSAMS parent portal, you can regularly check Tribal Stars which we give to students who are exceeding in their work and reflect our school values. You can check these rewards on the iSAMs Parent Portal (instructions here) We are currently working on a system to send you automated notifications when these are awarded.
- Monitor behaviour and attendance to classes - When necessary, we need to record times where students have slipped up and need to be helped back on the right track. You can stay on top of behaviour flags which we give to students for disruptions to classes, academic misconduct or the incompletion of work. Teachers do have conversations with students about behaviour issues, but please ensure you also do so to ensure we can ensure your child continues to improve (instructions here). As a parent, you can also check to see if your son/daughter has attended their online lesson; please only look for the Absent (red) marks. (instructions here).
- Help with organisation - This year we have purchased a new online system which helps students keep organised with their work. It’s called myHomework app. All homework set in the school is posted onto Google Classroom, and the deadline for the work appears in the homework app. To access as a parent to check these deadlines and help your students organise their tasks, please follow these instructions.
- Create a distraction-free zone and designated workspace - As per the message sent earlier this week about Mobile phones. Please do monitor their usage the best you can to make sure they are only used for educational purposes. We all know that mobile phones can be extremely distracting. To keep students focused during the school day, we also recommend students work at a desk or table using a chair that supports their back.
- Keep up to date with what's happening in school - We have three main methods of communication: E-mails from the school, the Secondary parent portal and the iSAMS Bulletin (instructions here). Some of the best ways you can offer support is fully understanding how the school operates as well as taking parts in the key events in the calendar. Learning Review days will be coming up soon for some grades, so please watch out for notices on these.
- Stay in contact with your child's teachers - Just because students are learning online doesn’t mean they are learning completely independently. Our teachers know the progress each student is making within their classes so if you have any doubt, please do get in touch with them directly. Each e-mail contact can be found using the iSAMS timetables (instructions here).
As mentioned above, five of the seven points require access to our data and information services. I would recommend all secondary ABC parents have access and routinely use their iSAMS parent account both on the web and through the downloadable app (download links can be found on the parent portal and the code for the app is ABCA). The sign up form for an account can be found here. At present, we have 614 parent accounts activated across both schools; however, according to our statistics, only 1/3 of parents have logged into the system since the start of this academic year. I suggest you all log in today, check your children's attendance, behaviour and timetable and continue to do so on a regular basis.
We will support your children the best we can during this online-phase of education within our limits. Please do contact your child's tutor for any initial support as they are the professionals who take care of the day to day pastoral needs.
As a community, we are all working together to best support our children.
Some notices from the rest of the Senior School Leadership Team can be found below:
Extra-curricular
Last week we held our online extra-curricular fair where students signed up to the activities they were interested in joining. We now have added even more to the extra-curricular provision to help support our students further in their studies (including Maths and Science support sessions). The Extra-curricular booklet can be found here or on the parent portal. If students would like to sign up for these sessions, they should e-mail the contact shown in the booklet.
Doctors Appointments
Even though we remain in an online-learning phase, students are expected to attend all of their taught lessons. We don't want students missing out or having to spend additional time catching up with work. Please can we ask all parents to only make Doctors appointments outside of learning time wherever possible.
Use of Technology in Education
We are very proud of our developments in the use of technology during the school closures, both students, staff and parents have had to adjust to this new way of learning online quickly. We would like to thank you all for your support with this as well as our IT team who has managed to keep everyone connected.
Our staff have fully embraced the use of technology for learning as a result of the current situation. Our staff meetings continue to remain effective while online and student engagement with online lessons is continuing to improve. We have talented teaching staff here at the ABC and one we would particularly like to congratulate this week is Jennifer Garcia. She is not only the only Google Certified Trainer in El Salvador but also this month’s featured educator for the Institute for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (ISTEM) you can read more about her amazing projects on this link.
Wishing you a safe and restful weekend,
Alexander Kilford
Assistant Headteacher Responsible for Data for Teaching and Learning
alexanderkilford@abc-net.edu.sv
Dates for your diary
September
Friday 11th to Wednesday 16th (inclusive) - Extended Holiday Weekend (school closed - National holidays and Independence Day)
Monday 21st - Peace One Day
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
We would like to start by giving a big thank you to the ABC community for the great response we have had this first week of practices. We are still encouraging the students to join the extra-curricular activities and taking part in ABC teams, this coming week we expect all our athletes who have not logged on, to join us.
To facilitate access to Google Meet links, Upper Primary and Secondary timetables will be posted on the Student and Parent portals.
As a school we are committed to offering a safe environment for sports practices while prioritizing children's health, so that we are able to offer a variety of activities focused on individual performance as well as maintaining school spirit but most importantly the joy and the sense of belonging to the Bulldog community.
In order to support activities at home, next week we will be handing out sports equipment in the school gift bags to be used during PE lessons and sports practices. Also, all Team Sports athletes from 2nd to 12th grade can request a ball on loan - according to their sport - to reinforce their individual skills during practices at home. If you would like to request it fill out this form.
We would like to share a Sports for Life framework tendency which is to focus on giving quality of experience to all children through sports so that they can become great citizens prior to becoming great athletes who will commit to a healthy lifestyle all their life.
https://teachertaskforce.org/knowledge-hub/covid-19-global-crisis-teaching-and-learning
Over the past four weeks and during Term 3, we have had many parents ask “How can I support my son/daughter with their learning?” and “How can I keep him/her focused on their school work?”
Below we would like to outline 7 ways in which you as parents could encourage your children to succeed during the period of online-learning:
- Know your child's timetable - The structure of the school day and keeping to routine is fundamental during a time when we are at home. We have worked to ensure students have a one week timetable to ensure students and staff can keep to a weekly routine. As a parent, you can check your child's timetable using the iSAMS parent portal (instructions here) to ensure your son/daughter is accessing and is engaged with their classes from home. You can print the timetable and stick it in a prominent place in your home to help support your children to know when to attend their classes.
- Celebrate success! - We want to celebrate your child's achievements; this celebration can be reinforced with your parental support. On the iSAMS parent portal, you can regularly check Tribal Stars which we give to students who are exceeding in their work and reflect our school values. You can check these rewards on the iSAMs Parent Portal (instructions here) We are currently working on a system to send you automated notifications when these are awarded.
- Monitor behaviour and attendance to classes - When necessary, we need to record times where students have slipped up and need to be helped back on the right track. You can stay on top of behaviour flags which we give to students for disruptions to classes, academic misconduct or the incompletion of work. Teachers do have conversations with students about behaviour issues, but please ensure you also do so to ensure we can ensure your child continues to improve (instructions here). As a parent, you can also check to see if your son/daughter has attended their online lesson; please only look for the Absent (red) marks. (instructions here).
- Help with organisation - This year we have purchased a new online system which helps students keep organised with their work. It’s called myHomework app. All homework set in the school is posted onto Google Classroom, and the deadline for the work appears in the homework app. To access as a parent to check these deadlines and help your students organise their tasks, please follow these instructions.
- Create a distraction-free zone and designated workspace - As per the message sent earlier this week about Mobile phones. Please do monitor their usage the best you can to make sure they are only used for educational purposes. We all know that mobile phones can be extremely distracting. To keep students focused during the school day, we also recommend students work at a desk or table using a chair that supports their back.
- Keep up to date with what's happening in school - We have three main methods of communication: E-mails from the school, the Secondary parent portal and the iSAMS Bulletin (instructions here). Some of the best ways you can offer support is fully understanding how the school operates as well as taking parts in the key events in the calendar. Learning Review days will be coming up soon for some grades, so please watch out for notices on these.
- Stay in contact with your child's teachers - Just because students are learning online doesn’t mean they are learning completely independently. Our teachers know the progress each student is making within their classes so if you have any doubt, please do get in touch with them directly. Each e-mail contact can be found using the iSAMS timetables (instructions here).
As mentioned above, five of the seven points require access to our data and information services. I would recommend all secondary ABC parents have access and routinely use their iSAMS parent account both on the web and through the downloadable app (download links can be found on the parent portal and the code for the app is ABCA). The sign up form for an account can be found here. At present, we have 614 parent accounts activated across both schools; however, according to our statistics, only 1/3 of parents have logged into the system since the start of this academic year. I suggest you all log in today, check your children's attendance, behaviour and timetable and continue to do so on a regular basis.
We will support your children the best we can during this online-phase of education within our limits. Please do contact your child's tutor for any initial support as they are the professionals who take care of the day to day pastoral needs.
As a community, we are all working together to best support our children.
Some notices from the rest of the Senior School Leadership Team can be found below:
Extra-curricular
Last week we held our online extra-curricular fair where students signed up to the activities they were interested in joining. We now have added even more to the extra-curricular provision to help support our students further in their studies (including Maths and Science support sessions). The Extra-curricular booklet can be found here or on the parent portal. If students would like to sign up for these sessions, they should e-mail the contact shown in the booklet.
Doctors Appointments
Even though we remain in an online-learning phase, students are expected to attend all of their taught lessons. We don't want students missing out or having to spend additional time catching up with work. Please can we ask all parents to only make Doctors appointments outside of learning time wherever possible.
Use of Technology in Education
We are very proud of our developments in the use of technology during the school closures, both students, staff and parents have had to adjust to this new way of learning online quickly. We would like to thank you all for your support with this as well as our IT team who has managed to keep everyone connected.
Our staff have fully embraced the use of technology for learning as a result of the current situation. Our staff meetings continue to remain effective while online and student engagement with online lessons is continuing to improve. We have talented teaching staff here at the ABC and one we would particularly like to congratulate this week is Jennifer Garcia. She is not only the only Google Certified Trainer in El Salvador but also this month’s featured educator for the Institute for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (ISTEM) you can read more about her amazing projects on this link.
Wishing you a safe and restful weekend,
Alexander Kilford
Assistant Headteacher Responsible for Data for Teaching and Learning
alexanderkilford@abc-net.edu.sv
Dates for your diary
September
Friday 11th to Wednesday 16th (inclusive) - Extended Holiday Weekend (school closed - National holidays and Independence Day)
Monday 21st - Peace One Day
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
We would like to start by giving a big thank you to the ABC community for the great response we have had this first week of practices. We are still encouraging the students to join the extra-curricular activities and taking part in ABC teams, this coming week we expect all our athletes who have not logged on, to join us.
To facilitate access to Google Meet links, Upper Primary and Secondary timetables will be posted on the Student and Parent portals.
As a school we are committed to offering a safe environment for sports practices while prioritizing children's health, so that we are able to offer a variety of activities focused on individual performance as well as maintaining school spirit but most importantly the joy and the sense of belonging to the Bulldog community.
In order to support activities at home, next week we will be handing out sports equipment in the school gift bags to be used during PE lessons and sports practices. Also, all Team Sports athletes from 2nd to 12th grade can request a ball on loan - according to their sport - to reinforce their individual skills during practices at home. If you would like to request it fill out this form.
We would like to share a Sports for Life framework tendency which is to focus on giving quality of experience to all children through sports so that they can become great citizens prior to becoming great athletes who will commit to a healthy lifestyle all their life.
Good Programs- Good Places- Good People
Good Programs: Developmentally appropriate, centered around participants, and are challenging.
Good Places: These are fun, warm, inclusive, fair, holistic, and safe.
Good People: Offer well-directed programs ( Directors, coaches, officials, teachers, parents, caregivers)
This all leads to individual excellence and optimal health.
No comments:
Post a Comment