WelcomeLiving I can hardly believe it is February already. Seeing pictures of snow in the UK last week reminded me again how lucky we are to enjoy blue skies and sunshine every day. What a difference that makes to the general happiness around the campus where children can play outside every day and we can make the most of our beautiful environment for learning and living activities. However, it can be all too easy to forget that the sun also presents us with some daily challenges that we are working hard to ensure that everyone is aware of. Each day our school doctor, Fernanda Ávalos, publishes the UV warning from the INAMHI data website so that we know how to take care of our community. You can also check this at home before leaving for school here We do have some basic guidelines in place for students that I would like to remind you of.
A suggestion in the parent survey was that we have a long-sleeved polo shirt in primary and a long-sleeved shirt in secondary as an optional part of the uniform. This is certainly something that we will be responding to and adding to our uniform list for 2019-2020. Parent survey. As promised, I want to share with you some of the outcomes from the parent survey. I’d like to start with sharing and celebrating the areas where you all feel we are succeeding and flourishing. Of course, when reviewing surveys we look at the 1. Our School Values We live and learn together with respect and care for each other We live and learn with a happy and welcoming attitude to everyone We live and learn with an active and determined approach to our ambition These values are what underpin all our actions here at BSQ and we have worked hard over the last 18 months to ensure that these are clear to everyone. I was very pleased to see the outcome from the parent survey that confirmed these values as how BSQ works. Last Wednesday I met with a group of parents interested in the CIS accreditation process and after a briefing and overview, we spent some time looking at how our values guide us and also (because we are always looking for ways to develop further) what else we can do to embed them into school life. The following were some key suggestions that were made:
Again, a quick reminder to send us any achievements – sport, music, robotics, drama etc – that you and your children would like to celebrate. We love to see them and like to share the exciting news on our Facebook page. Learning On Friday January 25th Mr Taylor and I took the secondary student council to the National Assembly to take part in the Holocaust Memorial. We watched a film about the events that led up to and included the Holocaust itself and we heard from Ambassadors about the lasting impact and legacy of those years and how we can all work together to ensure it can never happen again. We also proudly watched as one of our own students read to the gathered assembly before a survivor lit a candle in memory and hope. Mrs. Harcourt visit to BSQ Sylvia Harcourt visited the year 12 biology students to share her experiences working as a field researcher in Rwanda and the Galápagos. Sylvia described the tense moment when she was accepted into a group of gorillas by the silverback, and divulged her secret for catching Galápagos mockingbirds: peanut butter.
From the Staff and Students Continuing with our teachers and their stories about learning in the classroom this term. This week we hear from Mr Cannon and Year 12 in Secondary and from Mr Oliver Kyle and the Y5 students in Primary. Mr. Joshua Cannon - PE Teacher This year in PE we have been doing a lot of fun things. From activities like dance and yoga with IB students to football and fitness with KS3 and KS4. The main goal of the PE curriculum is to introduce a variety of activities so the students will have plenty of opportunities and knowledge in order to keep themselves active and healthy as they grow older. Last week, our IGCSE PE students in Year 10 began their training for cross-country as one of the 4 activities they will complete over the next 2 years. Some of them were finding the 1km run a bit difficult, but I'm sure by the time they have to do the full 3km or 4km run in May they'll look like professional marathon runners. Mr. Oliver Kyle - Year 5 Teacher Fundación Cambugan Trip and The Bake Sale. It’s been a great start to the Spring Term that’s seen year 5 embark on a new topic, focusing on the Inca as well as heading into new concepts in Maths, Science, PSHE and different genres in Literacy. One particular event that shines brightly in the recent happenings of our class was our trip to Fundación Cambugan’s Eco Farm in Pintag. This trip was original planned for the last week of term but due to certain circumstances, had to be postponed. Fundacion Cambugan had already visited the school last term; talking to the children about their work in the Cambugan watershed area and about ways we could live with – and not against – the beautiful eco-systems here, in Ecuador. The school visit was a real success but the trip to the farm surpassed all our expectations. Fundacion Cambugan not only taught the children about how the eco farm worked but also took them on an engaging nature walk, where the children learnt about the different flora and fauna of the region. We ate lunch and played for a short while in a partly shaded valley by the farm – it was pretty much perfect. The day finished with each of the children planting a tree, which will become part of the local ecosystem and hopefully provide shelter for some of the returning wildlife of the area. Bake Sale – Year 5 also played a significant role in creating and helping organise the recent Bake Sale. This was a Student Council event but the posters were all made by Year 5, who also contributed to the setting up of the event on the day, as well as the clearing up of it. We raised just over $500 and because of our efforts – ours and yours – and although all the money was originally ear marked for new cushions, we now also have enough to purchase new books for the library. We look forward to future such events that create an opportunity for the whole BSQ community to work together for a common, positive cause. Dates for your Diary February 5th - Kevin McNeany visiting February 6th - Open Day 2 February 7th - Y1 trip to airport February 9th - Working Saturday. Secondary PT conferences and iGCSE Workshop February 13th - Secondary reward trip February 15th and 16th - Women and Leadership: Enabling Voices Conference at Cotopaxi February 22nd. - Healthy Eating with Michelle O.Fried March 4th - Carnival holiday week Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateOn Saturday 9th February we have our annual Sports Day for Reception to Year 6, between 9am and 12pm. More details will be sent out later in the week, though expect lots of running, jumping and catching! The students will need to wear their House T-shirts and PE kit, hats and lots of sunscreen. At BSQ we place a great deal of emphasis on our three school values:
Last week in our two Key Stage assemblies we focused on happiness and how we can make our school a happy and welcoming place to learn and play. To help achieve this, one of the most important things we focus on with our students is developing strong, lasting relationships with their peers and adults alike. One essential component to help them build these connections, both now and later in life, is mastering the art of empathy, because it is empathy, more than anything else, that helps us relate, respond to and connect with others. Here are some tips, based on the latest research, for how to increase empathy in our children:
With the change in weather we have experienced a higher rate of sickness than normal, particularly amongst the younger students. We have continued to deep clean all the classrooms, equipment and resources, paying particular attention to the toilets and the canteen. We are also encouraging the students to wash their hands regularly with soap and teaching them about hygiene and preventing sickness. Please do continue to monitor your child’s health and keep them at home if they show recent symptoms of vomiting or diarrhoea. Finally, here at BSQ we really value the teacher-parent partnership and the opportunities for meaningful communication that directly affects the students’ development and education. Please do continue to directly contact your child’s teachers here at BSQ with any concerns or questions you have – they are best placed to clarify anything in the first instance before they ask myself or Mrs Newman about anything they are unsure of. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Inspiration On Friday morning, as part of our third Rewards and Recognition assembly of the year. we were once again reminded of the extraordinary things being done every day by our amazing students at BSQ. Carlos Abrill and Juan Jose Andrade talked us through the work they have been doing supporting and collecting donations for Venezuelan refugee families experiencing hard times. Matías Rosero and Ricardo Calderón related their experiences of training and competing in both national and international triathlon events; Sofia Lofredo and Victoria Proaño spoke enthusiastically about the group of children in Nayon to whom they have been teaching English; and Martin Anhalzer amazed us with pictures and narrative of his adventures in learning to fly. We are immensely proud to work with such an inspirational group of young people. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about helping teenagers adjust after separation.
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May 2024
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