WelcomeThis week we finish our induction sessions for students who will be joining us on campus on April 19th. To see learners at BSQ again after over a year has been such an absolute pleasure and the sessions have been successful both in terms of understanding the protocols AND enjoying being together again. These short visits did not disrupt the daily business of learning however and our students at home have continued to work hard, focus on improvement and participate with energy – as we know they will throughout this year until we see them again in May or August. Finally, thank you to all families for your support of our decision-making and our next steps planning over the last few weeks – we know it has been a challenging time for you – and we look forward to working together after Semana Santa to ensure that at BSQ it is #BusinessAsUsual! Have a wonderful break and see you soon. From the Staff and the Students Continuing with our teachers and their stories about e-learning this new period. This week we have Ms. Fernanda Espinosa and Y10 students, Mr. Simon Newman, Ms. Natalie Sawyers, Mrs. Paola Montenegro, Mr. Alexander Beazley and the Equality & Diversity Committee from Secondary and Ms. Hayley Dean, Mr. Tomos Prosser and Ms. Antonella Coronel from Primary. World Theatre Day! We love drama! To celebrate World Theatre Day, which is celebrated on 27 March, Years 7, 8 and 9 are working on different activities related to theatre. For example, they are learning how to write a script, creating posters for the event or to celebrate the life and work of William Shakespeare. But you can play your part too! There are lots of activities to celebrate the arts, and several different plays, lectures and live conferences you can attend. You can also share a video message from the actress Helen Mirren (2021 Message Author) about why the theatre is important. Very few people know about World Theatre Day. The World Theatre Day was created by the International Theatre Institute ITI, the world’ s largest organization for the Performing Arts, and was celebrated for the first time on 27 March 1962 the same date of the opening of the “Theatre of Nations” season in Paris. This day is celebrated to generate awareness about the importance of performing arts and to showcase the important role artists play in the field of entertainment. One of the most important actions of the event is the circulation of the World Theatre Day International Message through which, one chosen representative of the arts shares his or her reflections on the theme of Theatre and a Culture of Peace with the objective to talk about the changes theatre brings in people's lives. All the different events programmed for this year are online and you can find them on the International Theatre Institute ITI website. Ms. Fernanda Espinosa, Drama Teacher Y10 students Our Year 10 students wanted to share some of the passions, hobbies and interests they have been developing over the past few months. What an inspirational bunch! Bernarda What I enjoy doing the most is drawing and reading. Since the quarantine I have been drawing more of what I have around like the view from my window, my pets and more. I love this because it is a way to get to know more of the implicit things in my life and value them more. And I have also been reading many books. But the special thing about it is that my grandfather also loves reading so we always exchange books and then talk about them. At present I am reading The Count of Montecristo and Les justes. My cat Alfonsina Jhoana So what can I say about my experiences about horse riding? I can honestly say that horse riding was - and still is - my peaceful place and the place where I have nothing on my mind. No school. No drama. Just me and enjoying the time I have to myself. My passion for horses began when I was in Villa de leyva, a town in Colombia. Ever since I have completely and utterly fallen in love with them. On the 6th of February I had a riding accident. I fell off the horse and broke not just my radius but also my ulna. Both arm bones were snapped in half. I had a four-hour surgery and now I'm in recovery and starting physiotherapy. This accident will always be one of the scariest times of my life but i will continue to do what i love and what makes me happy, by taking baby steps. Daniel So I have always believed music is a pretty abstract thing. I guess that's why I like it. Usually in my free time I make some songs on my PC, just simple things, nothing major. About three months ago, I also started playing the guitar. I love music. It’s a really nice thing to do, just to sit and hear the sweet sounds of a guitar or that feeling of accomplishment after hearing a good piece on my PC - I love it! You can listen to Daniel’s music here Martin Recently I have been enjoying taking my time while doing my art practice papers for IGCSE. I have enjoyed practicing and experimenting with different materials and techniques and trying to draw in styles I haven’t done before. I really like this as it makes me relax and discover new things that I wasn’t able to do before. I know I have to improve a lot, but I will keep trying my best in my next practice paper. Ana Paula I play the piano. Recently I have enjoyed it a lot because I am learning a song that is very treasured to my Argentinian family. The song is called "Por Una Cabeza'' and my dad and grandpa love it. Playing songs that give happiness remind me of how awesome music can be. Gaby In this quarantine I've had a lot of spare time so I'm learning to cook with my family because my mum is a chef. I learned new typical recipes from Bolivian, like sopa de mani, and seco de pollo from Ecuador. I also tried some carrot cake recipes with my sisters. Now I can make some delicious typical recipes from my countries without help or making a disaster. Maria Recently my hobbies have changed greatly. I have enjoyed expanding my knowledge by reading all kinds of books from fiction to fantasy. I have read 'Mi Planta de Naranja Lima'. I loved the way the story was laid out with a lot of character development with a revealing ending. Koushiki During my teenage years I got interested in video editing. There are different styles of editing videos but what I found most interesting is where I take little clips from music videos and put them together and make a little movie. It mostly ranges over from cute love stories to some action movie. I have been editing videos for about 4 years now and it challenged my creativity and in general it’s just a relaxing task. If you ask me about inspiring artists, nothing can beat K-pop. Firstly K-pop is Korean music. Why do I find most Korean artists inspiring? The artists themself respect all sorts of people. They focus on mental health. They make music that comforts sad/depressed people because when someone is sad they prefer music that understands them rather than happy songs (of course they have all sorts of songs and a various range of genres). They show the importance of self-love and acceptance. They are utterly grateful for their fans and their actions just shows. They don’t care about gender stereotypes and wear what they want. They try their best to take care of their environment (if they ride a bicycle instead of cars and upload a picture of them doing so their fans will follow their steps). They work hard to achieve their dreams, facing all the Asian criticism and still rising up with hard work. Some more reasons that aren't about inspiring others: high quality music videos and music, amazing live performances, immaculate choreographies, just simply best fashion sense, utterly talented, and the visuals of the artist plays a huge role as well. Jossue During this time I have enjoyed learning and playing the drums. I attend online drum classes every week which is fun. I have learnt a couple of songs including The Pretender, Man Down and Back in Black. Barbara During the pandemic carrying on with the sport I love - gymnastics - has been challenging. However, I have continued practising online, as many other activities have been taught through this modality. This pandemic has allowed me to be more creative by finding ways to continue my training with the equipment at home. I have also been reading more, specifically in French to improve my vocabulary and grammar. A book I recommend is “Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours”. Dominik An activity I really enjoy is training with my dad. Even though it’s hard, I love it, and especially when he teaches me a new technique that will help and support my training. When I train with my dad I realise I need to improve something, such as my endurance, speed and timing, but I love it - and I love doing weight training! Year 8 English Students in Year 8 are now reading some non-fiction, that being The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. We have been considering the concept of paradigms, whilst also practising tricky uses of apostrophes in future tense forms such as I’ll, we’ll, she’ll, he’ll, they’ll and you’ll. We have tried to imagine what things might be important to Year 8 students in five years from now, when they'll be in Year 13. Mr. Newman, English Teacher Year 9 Philosophy Year 9 were split into small groups and given an example of a case study where someone wanted to end their life through euthanasia. The students had to consider the different sides of the argument - for and against and consider why people have those opinions. They then used flipgrid to make videos to represent different characters and express the different views people may have. I was incredibly impressed with the class for their maturity with a very difficult topic and that they challenged themselves to think how others may be feeling. They showed empathy for others experiencing both mental and physical health issues and suffering and realised euthanasia is a complex and difficult subject. Ms. Natalie Sawyers Year 9 Community Projects In community projects we always have a busy agenda. In this last round we are working with the topic of Children’s Rights. After an assembly, K3 considered it very important to show to the school community that they have rights and those rights have to be respected. As you know, we always start with the research process. These are some of their findings. Mrs Montenegro, Community Projects Leader KS5: Year 12 IB History In Year 12 IB History we have been looking at exam technique surrounding our unit on Hitler's ascension to power in 1933. Martin has demonstrated some excellent work here as he identifies the requirements of the essay question using a highlighter, understands the chronological constraints of the question and then deploys accurate and detailed knowledge to create a strong plan for his essay. Well done Martin for your hard work! Mr Beazley, History Teacher CAS Debate Contest It has been really hard to find online volunteering options to our students or activities that really engaged them for the CAS program. However, it has been wonderful that despite a few options, our students put a lot of effort into doing what they love, to undertake new challenges and succeed. During these weeks Mateo, Sebas G, Patricio and Koutarou from year 12 have been participating in an international online debate competition held in Spain with students from Pakistan, Mexico, Doha and USA. We are in the third round, waiting for the results and hoping to make it to the finals. This is a sneak peak of the 2nd round and the teams participating!
Mrs Montenegro, CAS Coordinator Year 12 IB Geography Year 12 have been looking at the world's resources and different population theories. They created presentations focussing on the two main ones - Malthus and Boserup. Here are some excellent examples from the class. Well done to Maite and Riko! Ms Sawyers, Geography Teacher Equality and Diversity Committee The indigenous peoples represent 370 million or 5% of the total world population. There are more than 5000 distinct indigenous cultural groups in over 70 countries, predominantly in South American countries. Unfortunately, they also represent 15% of the world’s poorest people. Arguably, discrimination has played a vital role in this problem. Lack of professional education, financial security and others continue to threaten the indigenous peoples of Ecuador. The United Nations has treated this since 1973-1982 with projects such as the "Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination" programme. This led to the establishment in 1982 of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which highlighted proposals, needs and decisions in a draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Being aware of this, can help us be more open and inclusive with all communities, genders and cultures. G – Equality and Diversity Committee Do you have any questions? Contact us at: [email protected] Theme Week Year Four's Theme Week focused on Ancient Greek gods, creatures and beasts. We began the week by reading all about Heracles (Hercules), Medusa and Perseus, and Theseus and the Minotaur. This provided us with ideas and inspiration to begin creating our own creatures. We started Tuesday by prototyping ideas for creatures whilst thinking about where they might have come from. We soon took one idea each and designed it in full. Over the middle of the week, we then created the creatures as 3D masks using Papier-mâché. Once we had sculpted the faces and they were dry, we painted on the detail with extreme care. At the end of the week, the students did a great job at telling the story of their Ancient Greek creatures in the format they desired. We had creatures cursed by Medusa, Ares (the god of war) crossed with a shark, pets of Zeus and many more! 4A earned 'Star of the Week' because of their great independence, resilience and dedication to their work. Super work across the week, 4A! Mr. Tomos Prosser, Year 4A Teacher Ms. Antonella Coronel – Head of EYFS Dear parents, Last Thursday we welcomed our students back for the first time in a little over a year. The school was filled with the children’s laughter, art and games all through the Early Years Foundation Stage corridors, classrooms and playgrounds. They also had the opportunity to visit the entire campus, stopping through all the important areas like the small field, bus ramp, library, music, psychologist department and Dr. Sara, they were even able to wave hello to a lot of the teachers working in their classrooms preparing for their group’s induction day. They got to experience what a normal day in school will be like once they are back in April in addition to learning about all the protocols that have been set in place for their safety in a calm and creative manner. Well done Early Years Foundation Stage students, we look forward to the transition to blended learning and sharing the British School campus with you once more. Dates for your Diary
Emma Newman Princiapal Being BSQ – Primary Update The final newsletter of Term 4 sees the preparations for many of our students returning to campus continuing in the form of Induction sessions and instructions, alongside our Parent Teacher Conferences on Monday 29th March for Years 3 and 4 and Tuesday 30th March for Nursery, Reception B, Years 1, 2, 5 and 6. On these days, there will be no online sessions for your child, though we do encourage them to join for some or all of the conference, if appropriate. Term 4 ends on Wednesday 31st March at 12pm, with no online sessions in the afternoon. Term 5 starts again (using the same Online Timetable) on Monday 12th April at 8am. You will already have received a great deal of information about some of the changes coming up. We will share the new timetables for all students in the first week of Term 5, ready to start these in the week beginning 19th April (with each year group having a different stat date for this timetable). As always, please do direct any questions to myself. We wish you and your family a safe and relaxing Easter break and look forward to reconnecting with you all again in April. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update What a wonderful reunion I have had a wonderful couple of days welcoming students to the site and seeing just how excited they are about being in school and how enthusiastically they have engaged with the activities. For me of course it is the first time that I have actually met the BSQ students face-to-face. When I came to the school for the first time to visit and complete the interview process for the role at BSQ, I experienced some really positive feelings as I left to head back to the UK. I spoke to my wife Natalie when I got home and I said how wonderful the ‘family’ of BSQ were and my experiences this week have absolutely underlined this view with a huge exclamation mark. I have been met with cheery faces, cooperation with the new rules and expectations, engagement with the activities and an extremely welcoming smile. Thank you all! We have more sessions early this week as follows. Do please remember that children cannot return unless they have attended this important session with myself, Miss. Todd and Miss. Sadotra. Also remember that these sessions are ONLY for those students returning on April 19th – we will run another round of induction for those returning in May. It is always wonderful to hear about the successes enjoyed by our students in the Secondary School. Ignacio De Armas in year 7 attended the G2 National Tennis Tournament in Manta recently. He started the event in the 14 years’ category and qualified through the rounds to the final where he took second place overall in the singles. He is young in this age group so this is an achievement in itself. He then entered the 12 years’ category in the singles and doubles tournaments playing these at the same time. Once again he was magnificent in his games taking the championship in the doubles and coming a close second place overall in the singles. I am sure that you would all join me in congratulating Ignacio for his continuing success in the sport. Well done indeed – clearly a talent to watch in the future. What a huge achievement, reaching the 3 finals in the 3 competitions he was participating! Have a lovely and safe week. Lee Moors
Head of Secondary
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