From the Director
Dear ABC community,
You will have gathered by now that the honorable Minister for Education made a statement earlier in the week saying that she was not considering having students back in school until March 2021 at the earliest. This is disappointing news, although we must also be cognizant of the fact that Covid case numbers are clearly on the rise again (do please be careful out there). We are working to establish more detail from the Ministry and to better understand where we stand in all this as an international school following a different calendar to national schools. I will keep you posted on any news.
During the week I hosted a discussion amongst school leaders from the Latin American Heads Conference as a follow-up to a keynote presentation from Conrad Hughes of the International School of Geneva. Mr Hughes was keen to point out the success with which his school has tackled the issues thrown up by the pandemic and online learning but I must say in all honesty that the ABC has done everything that his school has and more!
Mr Hughes did go on to make the point that education has been presented with a great opportunity by the experience of online learning; one that it must not squander. Going forward, education must be much less content-driven and much more focused on developing values and personal qualities and soft, transferable skills; I couldn’t agree more! The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), whose Diploma course our Grade 11 and 12 students follow, is the best-placed educational institution to lead this if they can find the moral courage to deliver with greater conviction on their philosophy.
Try this Sir John Jones on personalising learning for an insight into the direction in which education must go. You will find it both very entertaining and thought-provoking, I assure you!
Have a great weekend!
Stephen Lang
Director
From the Head of Primary
What actually is Reggio Emilia?
You may have heard that our lower primary curriculum is influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, but what actually is Reggio Emilia?
The Reggio Emilia Philosophy is an innovative and inspiring approach to education, which values the child as strong, capable and resilient. It celebrates the innate curiosity of children and aims to assist them with understanding their world and who they are in it.
The movement was started by a group of parents in the region of Italy called Reggio Emilia, after World War II, the parents believed that a new better approach to teaching their children was required. The program they developed emphasised respect, responsibility and community involvement. Children are allowed to explore and discover in a supportive and rich environment, where the curriculum is created around the children’s interests.
It is important to know that the Reggio Emilia philosophy is simply that – a philosophy. At the ABC we are guided by it, we are not ‘Reggio Emilia accredited’ as there is no formal process for this.
The Child is central to their own learning, not simply an empty vessel waiting to be filled with knowledge. Children are able to pursue their own interests and revisit and build upon ideas at their own pace.
The Environment is often referred to as ‘the third teacher’, and is one that is open and free-flowing. It enables uninterrupted exploration, play and learning.
The Teacher is encouraged to observe children rather than to direct them. Teachers become learners alongside the children, guiding and modeling. They are also responsible for documenting children’s learning and advocating for their children.
There are more than 5,000 schools world wide who are inspired by Reggio Emilia. Newsweek magazine named the small collection of schools in Reggio Emilia as one of the 10 best in the world. Both Google and World Bank have Reggio-inspired childcare centres in their offices. Here at the ABC we are proud to be part of this inspiring and innovative network of advocates working to advance quality in education–and in life–for our children.
Reasons to Join Virtual Extra Curricular Sessions by Isabel Urías Rodríguez, 5th Grade
1. Opportunity to explore new things.
By this I mean that in life we will have to do the new, we will have to explore and adventure and why not now. You can continue to do the sport you love or try a sport if you didn’t do one. Did you know that the world record of skipping rope is 228 jumps in 30 seconds? Have you ever tried it? Well, you could try jumping rope if you join the Athletics class. Who knows, you may even like it - or not...but you´ll never know until you try it. I’m sure one will make you happy and that is my next point.
2. Exercise makes you happy.
How is that possible?
Well, when you exercise your body produces endorphins, which triggers positive feelings and happiness. So how about some Fitness for kids, swimming, cycling or table tennis? I'm pretty sure you'll end up at least once with a big smile on your face!
3. It's good for mental health.
Exercise reduces anxiety and gives you a boost of self-confidence. Who knew that Volleyball was more than just hitting a ball!
4. Let's do it for our teachers. How many times have you felt like you can't do something but your coach or teacher gives you the confidence to try? They've been working with enthusiasm during this pandemia, yet only a few students are in class with them. Now it's our time to give back and make them feel like THEY can do it!
I want you to know that when you practice something everyday, changes will appear small but they WILL stick for life! So what are you waiting for? How about trying something new?
Thank you Isa for your support of our ABC Extra Curricular Programme #BulldogPride
Dates for your diary
PRIMARY
November
Monday 2nd to Friday 6th: Half Term holiday
December
Friday 18th:Last Day of Term
From the Secondary School Leadership Team
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we approach the final two weeks of this half term, it’s a good time for a reminder that while academic progress is important, so is the wellbeing of our students, teachers, and yes - our parents too! We are all aware of the increasing pace of life, but I came across this website this week which astounded me: since you began reading this section of the Weekly, over 1 million Whatsapp messages have been sent, 22,000 Tweets have been tweeted, and 150,000 Facebook posts have been shared. It’s a good reminder that technology is incredibly useful, but can threaten to overwhelm us if we do not think carefully about how we use it. As part of the ABC’s commitment to our community’s wellbeing, Carmen Chavez and our Learning Support Unit will host a Parent Partnership meeting, titled “Self-regulation and growth in a digital world” on Wednesday next week at 5pm. The link is on the school calendar, and I hope many of you will be able to attend.
Mock exams
As Grade 10 and Grade 12 look ahead to the rest of this academic year, students will be aware of the spectre of mock exams which traditionally take place in January. We have been looking at the possibility of running mocks very carefully, and today I can confirm that mock exams will not take place in January or February 2021. It is our intention that Grade 10 and Grade 12 students will have an exam-hall experience before their final exams but given the current situation the school cannot yet say when that will be. We have held off making this decision until the last possible moment. The end of Cal 1 is in two weeks, and by making this decision now, we hope that students, teachers and parents will have some degree of certainty over the immediate future which they can use to plan accordingly for Cal 2.
Extracurricular study clubs
Our teachers are a dedicated group, and are continuing to offer a range of activities to support your child beyond the academic curriculum. You can find the full list of activities in the Extracurricular Booklet. I encourage students to make use of these offers, especially the study clubs which are available for Science, French, Maths, ITGS, Chemistry and Computer Science.
News from the LRC
The annual UN Week celebrations will continue in assembly times next week, led by students. The LRC has put together a website with activities for all to engage with. Also, look out on Monday for exciting news about a new whole school library pickup system. The system is simple and has been put together to enable safe and sustainable library book loans for the duration of online learning this school year. Many thanks to Mrs Garcia and her team for all their hard work.
Wishing you a very restful weekend,
Matt Burdett
Assistant Headteacher for Curriculum and Professional Development
matthewburdett@abc-net.edu.sv
Dates for your diary
SECONDARY
October
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 Online Learning lessons
Monday 9th to Friday 13th - British Week
Thursday 12th - Grade 10 Learning Review Day
Monday 16th to Friday 20th - Grade 12 English Oral exams
Friday 20th - World Children's Day
December
Thursday 3rd - Grade 11/12 Learning Review Day
Monday 7th - Real Spanish Oral IB Exam
Tuesday 8th - Grade 9 Learning Review Day
Friday 18th - Last Day of Term
Monday 21st - Christmas holidays start
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Fechas para su Agenda
SECUNDARIA
Octubre
Lunes 19 a viernes 23 - Semana de las Naciones Unidas
Martes 20 - Learning Review Day de 8o grado
Viernes 23 - Día de los Fundadores ABC
Noviembre
Lunes 2 a viernes 6 - Vacaciones de Medio Período
Lunes 9 - Regreso a clases virtuales
Lunes 9 a viernes 13 - Semana Británica
Jueves 12 - Learning Review Day de 10o grado
Lunes 16 a viernes 20 - Exámenes orales de inglés para alumnos de 12o grado
Viernes 20 - Día Mundial del Niño
Diciembre
Jueves 3 - Learning Review Day de 11o y 12o grados
Lunes 7 - Examen Oral Real IB de Español
Martes 8 - Learning Review Day de 9o grado
Viernes 18 - Último día del trimestre
Lunes 21 - Comienzan las vacaciones Navideñas
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