WelcomeLiving Welcome back and I hope you all had a restful, reinvigorating break and are ready for the six weeks ahead of us until Christmas. We are still celebrating the events that took place at the end of last term even whilst we are busy getting ready for Bonfire Night on November 17th. The term finished with the wonderful Spirit Week that has become part of the tradition here at BSQ where IB CAS students organise a range of activities culminating in the Halloween Parade in order to raise money and awareness for their chosen Foundation. This year they chose to work again with Fundación Sinsoluka and continue the good work begun last year. We had Twin Day and Colour Day and – of course – the Halloween Dress Up Parade which was attended by everyone in the school. Well done to Andrés, Martín, Salma and Santiago for their excellent organisation and determination. Thanks also to all those who supported with time, cakes or costumes! Amazing. We also had our first sports matches of the year in the friendly encounters with Johannes Kepler school on Wednesday October 24th. Sofía Molina, Oscar Tabango and Juan Licona took the girls and boys teams to play. Well done to everyone for starting the season so positively. This is a short term for BSQ with only six weeks and a lot to pack in (look at the Dates for your Diary!). I look forward to lots of hard work, lots of development and lots of fun. Learning Here at BSQ we have a set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Before the break I introduced you to the way in which we use Chorus Response to allow all students the opportunity to be involved in the learning and understanding of new vocabulary in the classroom. This week is the eighth of our classroom strategies and it is a crucial way in which we encourage and develop all our students to be able to make the right choices in the classroom and during other activities. This strategy is called Positive Framing and simply involves the language of instruction and reminders in the classroom promoting a positive approach. Rather than simply reprimand off-task or unfocused behaviour, we focus on the positives. It’s a really great way to develop classwork and confidence and encourage teamwork and focus and we think it makes a positive difference. This weekThis week we are starting to prepare for our Bonfire Night celebration on November 17th but of course today – November 5th - is actually the day that Bonfire Night is celebrated in the UK. This is very much a British event and not something that really has significance anywhere else in the world because of the specific events that took place in England in 1605. Bonfire Night itself actually commemorates a failure - the failure of a group of Catholic men to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605 in order to kill the King (James 1). The reason for this assassination attempt was that the Catholic people had once believed James might support their faith but he failed to do so. Their attempt to create a more tolerant world for Catholics failed drastically and sadly resulted in increased persecution for many years. Although Guy Fawkes has become the most famous of the plotters, it was only because he was the one caught on the scene. When he was tortured, he eventually confessed and gave away the names of the other men – including Robert Catesby the main conspirator. Eventually Guy Fawkes died by jumping out of a window to avoid being executed. So, for over 400 years, people in Britain have marked the event by lighting a bonfire and burning a ‘Guy’ and lighting fireworks to represent what might have happened on November 5th 1605. Every year in London before the opening of the houses of Parliament the Yeoman of the guard still search the tunnels beneath Westminster to make absolutely sure that nobody has been plotting to mimic Guy Fawkes. Next weekOn Sunday November 11th people all over the world will take part in events and services to remember those who have died in, and as a result of, violent conflict. This date is significant because it marks the day on which the the armistice was signed in France between France, Great Britain and Germany to end the First Word War in 1918. This year it is 100 years since that event and since then the date has been seen as a symbolic way to remember and reflect and work towards peace. This year a group of BSQ students will be attending a shared event at Liceo La Condamine whilst all our students will be taking part in activities in school. Next week we will post some images and responses to those activities. If you are interested in reading more about both the armistice or the 100th anniversary events then these websites will provide information. If you would like to buy a poppy, Sandy has these at reception. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-did-the-armistice-end-the-first-world-war https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary/ http://www.1914.org/armistice-100-days/centenas/ From the Staff and Students Last week we heard from Ms Miranda and Year 10. This week it is the turn of Mr Samaniego and the Year 13 maths student representatives and Mr. Newman and Year 6 students. Mr. Samaniego and Years 7 - 9 students As the mathematics teacher this week I have seen the students of year 7 and 9 advance greatly in their programs. In year 7 we had a small introduction to Algebra, which presented some difficulties to some students, but in the end they managed to reach their objective and solve exercises. In year 9 we continued with the advanced program, giving them high difficulty problems, their response to this exercises were brilliant, and they demonstrate great progress in the subject. It is a pleasure to work with the kids in mathematics because they show great interest and energy in the subject. Mr. Newman and Year 6 students The pupils in Year 6 took the opportunity to present some of their learning from Term 1 in an assembly before the holiday. To an audience of pupils from Years 3, 4, 5 and Year 6 parents, the children shared work from Literacy and Topic, demonstrating how their study of the USA and stories from different cultures had linked together in the Year 6 classroom since August. We heard about the Creek Indians, the indigenous people who lived, and continue to live, in what we now know as the south eastern part of the United States. Year 6 pupils told us about the fantastic tales of men who turned into snakes and they read to us examples from the Creek Indians and examples of their own versions of these stories. The Year 6 pupils talked about the word taboo and explained to us how the Creek Indian stories always involve a taboo of some sort being broken. We then heard about their Term 1 homework projects which were based on the tale of Little Red-Riding Hood, itself a story where to stray from the path is a dangerous and taboo act! As well as writing stories for their homework, the Year 6 pupils showed us some of the masks they had made as part of their study of this traditional European tale. Dates for your Diary November 5th - Bonfire Night in the UK November 9th, 10th and 11th - MUN Conference at Shakespeare School November 11th - Remembrance Day November 12th - Remembrance activities and visit to Liceo La Condamine November 17th - Bonfire Night at BSQ 4pm-8pm November 20th - Year 3 visit to Museo de Ciencias November 21st & 22nd - Year 11 Duke of Edinburgh trip to Cotopaxi November 22nd - Year 1 trip to Museo del Agua November 23rd - Secondary Rewards and Recognition assembly 2 November 26th - 30th - IB Mock exams for Year 13 Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Welcome back to The British School Quito and I hope you enjoyed a great time with your family and friends over the half-term break. Holidays are a fantastic opportunity to experience a variety of activities, places and cultures that we would not normally be exposed to, plus a chance to consolidate what we already understand and prepare ourselves for the next challenges. Term second term is only six weeks long, but we intend to fill it with a range of different and challenging learning opportunities and experiences that will enhance the knowledge, understanding and skills of all our students, from the very youngest in Nursery to the oldest students in Year 6. Alongside this learning in the classrooms will be our new home learning theme, which your child’s class teacher will share with them this week, based on creating and researching their own Curiosity Journal. The week before the holiday we enjoyed both 2B’s and Year 4’s Class Assemblies, with the students sharing their learning about Zimbabwe and Japan respectively. This week the students from 2A and 3A will share their learning in their Class Assemblies. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update IB Mock Exam Study In just three weeks' time, the students of Year 13 will sit their IB mocks. These very important exams offer the students the opportunity to practice and develop their study and revision skills and strategies, as well as giving them a taste of what to expect when the real thing comes around in May. We use the mocks to give us teachers and the students themselves real data about what skills and knowledge need to be reinforced to ensure success, and who might benefit from extra support, both academic and personal, in order to reach their full potential. In addition, the grades achieved in these exams go a long way to informing the predicted grades that are sent to universities as part of the application process. We hope the students are studying hard and smart at home, and we wish them every success. Model United Nations This coming weekend, our Model United Nations team, led by Mr John Ashfield, will be representing BSQ at a conference at Shakespeare school. MUN is an internationally renowned and highly respected creative and academic exercise combining research, problem-solving, negotiation and debating skills with an astute awareness of current and historical global events and issues. Students gather together to ‘role-play’ the functions and processes of the United Nations, bringing a depth of understanding, a focus on the wider world and a skill-set unmatched by the regular curriculum. It is designed to allow good students to become excellent ones, and to develop their potential as leaders. We wish them the very best of luck. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about shifting responsibility to your child during teenage years.
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May 2024
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