From the Director
I hope you are all well. Did you know, on this day in 1796, Edward Jenner carried out his first smallpox inoculation? Very topical of course.
Our expat staff has just gotten back from the hospital which means that 98%- all employees on this campus- have had their second vaccine. The others are just one or two who are unable to get it for health reasons. I think that is really great news, especially as the Sinovac vaccine is coming out with the latest data from the latest research in Indonesia, offering 94% protection against symptomatic Covid, which is great.
I think that the following is also good news: as we promised, we are reviewing our hybrid provision, especially in the Secondary school. I’m delighted that earlier in the week MINED have given their blessing to our new plans, which will involve more students, more of the time. We’ll get further information out to you during the week. I ask Secondary to please be on the lookout for an email from Mr. Burdett.
This means that we can better sync the Primary and Secondary school days, which I know will be a big plus. Thank you for bearing with us in this initial hybrid period, I know it has been a bit of a challenge.
Congratulations to our raffle winners, especially the main prize winner, who turned out to be a Grade 12 and was the most expensive prize that we could give away!
It is worth pointing out that our fees for a year are still at the same level that they were in 2018-2019, and we have consistently stayed at the same level. Now, as you know, for the last two years, we have even offered discounts on those fees. We are very conscious of trying to keep our community together and recognising the financial pain that many of us have been suffering during these times.
Finally, to wrap it up, May 14th is also the anniversary of both the birth and the death of the famous saxophonist Sidney Bechet. So, a little quote from him: it was about playing music, but I think it’s also about lessons in life. He said: “You gotta mean it, but you gotta treat it gentle.”
Have a great weekend everybody!
Stephen Lang
Director
From the Head of Primary
Expat Teacher Bridge 2021-2022
I am pleased to announce that next year we'll be introducing three expat bridges in Primary. Students in Pre-Kinder, First Grade and Fourth Grade will all have an expat teacher. We are particularly excited to be providing a full immersion language experience for Pre-k, as we know that younger students find learning new languages much easier. The Pre-Kinder bridge will help students be fully bilingual early on, an advantage that will benefit them for the rest of their school career.
Introducing or Pre-Kinder classes 2021-2022
Pre-Kinder Ware
Nick has been a very successful and popular teacher on ABC for 7 years, he is passionate
about play and the importance of a child-centered education. He has a degree in Early
Childhood Education. He is passionate about action research projects, especially focused on
outdoor education and sustainability in education. Currently, he is our coordinator of EYFS
and KS1. His teaching journey over the past 15 years has included a wide range of settings,
including: The Steiner School in Sweden, the Forest Community School in England and the
academic rigor of a Traditional British Boarding School in South Korea. He is responsible for
developing our Evidence Me app and delivering training to our staff in Child Development
and the Early Childhood Curriculum.
Pre-Kinder Prendergast
Georgie's first year at ABC will mark her fourteenth year as a teacher. She grew up in Ireland,
where she completed her degree in Montessori Education. She then expanded her pedagogical
knowledge by completing a postgraduate degree in Primary Education and is currently
completing a master's degree in Integrated Education. She currently teaches at an
international school in Saudi Arabia. She has also taught in schools in Ireland, Thailand,
Italy, and Venezuela. Her passion is developing a growth mindset and positive attitude in
children. She prides herself on bringing an open mind and high expectations to the classroom
every day.
Online Parent Survey
As we come towards the end of the school year, we are making our plans for 2021-22. We hope that by August we can return to a more normal provision but we also have to be prepared for a full hybrid mode. I have emailed all the parents of students who are online full time with a survey to find out their intentions for August. If your child has been online this term or will be next term then please take some time to complete the survey. We will be sending a full survey to all parents soon. To complete the survey please follow this LINK.
PE and Swimming
In preparation for an improved curriculum in August we have started to introduce some swimming and PE lessons. We are trialling these sessions with specific groups to ensure that it can be done safely. Here are some pictures from our first Pre-Kinder swimming lessons.
Mental Health Week: Connecting with Nature
This week we have been looking after our mental health. Discussing the importance of mental health and Here are some photos.
2nd Grade Sculpture Exhibition
As part of their IPC topic based on the book Rosie Revere Engineer and the artwork of Antony Gormley. Second Grade students have been creating sculptures which express their ideas and feelings.
4th Grade Rotational Symmetry
In 4th grade, they used their knowledge of angles and triangles to draw a regular polygon that has rotational symmetry using an isosceles triangle template.
Getting to know our Teaching Assistants
Dates for your Diary
PRIMARY
May
Monday 17th - Week ‘X’ Hybrid Plan
Monday 24th - Week ‘Y’ Hybrid Plan
Monday 31st - Week ‘X’ Hybrid Plan
June
Monday 7th - Week ‘Y’ Hybrid Plan
Monday 14th - All students online
Tuesday 15th - All students online
Wednesday 16th - All students online
Wednesday 16th - Last day of school
Thursday 17th - Father’s Day
Tuesday 22nd - Teacher’s Day
From the Secondary Leadership Team: Mr Burdett
Read on for news of our review of hybrid; essential Covid protocols; Grade 12 returning to campus; PE lessons being back; and news of Bookoo!
Hybrid review: looking ahead to August and beyond
Our students have behaved superbly and reported extremely high levels of satisfaction with their in-school lessons (see last week’s ABC Weekly by Mr Kilford for further details). Based on this encouraging start, we have approached the Ministry of Education for approval to expand our hybrid programme in August and so far have had positive responses. We are not quite ready to share the full details but I am confident that parents and students will be very pleased with the plans. Keep an eye on your inbox over the next week or so for full details!
Reporting Covid concerns: essential for all parents, students and staff
Over the last few weeks we have had a number of Covid concerns brought to our attention, thankfully the vast majority of which are false alarms. Can I remind all parents, students and staff that you must report any illness or contact with a suspect case to us immediately, ideally using the Covid 19 Concern Form available on the hybrid portal (Eng / Esp) or to covid@abc-net.edu.sv
Grade 12 return to campus
We have welcomed Grade 12 back to campus to work on a mural that reflects on the past year. Students are each given two ceramic tiles to paint which will then be put together into a much larger piece. Each student is working to express their individuality whilst also being part of the whole design - in itself, an eloquent expression of what it means to be a member of our ABC community.
PE lessons are back!
Huge thanks to the PE department under the leadership of Ms Ceci Hernandez for getting students back with a safe, engaging and energetic programme of sporting activities. The creative way that the PE team have solved the problems caused by the Covid prevention protocols has been exemplary!
Bookoo!
You can catch up with all the Book Week news on the LRC’s blog here. Congratulations to the winners in several categories and thank you to the LRC team for organising it:
Nadine Salume in 7th grade: Winner, Book Week Calligram Competition You can see her representation of the Hunger Games Novel, which she designed using text arranged to depict an image, below.
Michael Romero in 9th grade: Winner, Book Week Class Award, for leading with student responses during the Book Week Assembly.
Catalina Portillo in 11th grade: Winner, Creative Writing Exhibition
Digital Video Awards results
The LRC has been busy again - last night the Digital Video Awards ceremony was held online. Congratulations to all the participants and the winners. If you missed it, you can watch again here (login may be required): https://livestream.com/abcbulldogs/dva2021
Dates for your diary
SECONDARY
May
Monday 17th - Cohort X - Grade 6, 7, 8, 9 & 11 Hybrid
Monday 24th - Cohort Y - Grade 6, 7, 8, 9 & 11 Hybrid
Monday 24th - Cohort Y - Grade 6, 7, 8, 9 & 11 Hybrid
Monday 24th to Friday 28th - G9/11 Exams
Monday 31st - Cohort X - Grade 6, 7, 8, 9 & 11 Hybrid
June
Wednesday 2nd - STEAM Fest - Exposition launch
Thursday 3rd - Class 2021: Acción de Gracias, virtual event
Monday 7th - Cohort Y - Grade 6, 7, 8, 9 Hybrid
Monday 7th - School Mock Court Project (ends)
Thursday 10th - Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony
Friday 11th - STEAM Fest - winners announced and Grade 10 Awards Ceremony
Saturday 12th - Class of 2021 Graduation Dinner
Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th - All Secondary grades online
Wednesday 16th - Last Day of School Year 20-21
Thursday 17th - Father's Day (school closed)
Friday 18th - First day of summer holiday (school closed)
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