WelcomeLiving Welcome back everyone and I hope you had an excellent break last week and plenty of time to relax with family and friends. It is hard to believe we are now in the final term of this academic year – only a few more weeks and we will be heading into the season of graduations, prize-giving and school plays. In the meantime, though we have as many exciting BSQ activities as ever to enjoy and share. For example, this week we have our Group 4 IB trip to Huasquila Lodge to complete the studies required for the course. At the same time our Year 5 students will also be at the lodge and meanwhile back at BSQ we will be enjoying a rich cultural Afro-Ecuadorian day organised by Ms. Parker for the secondary students with a mixture of activities organised by our own staff and visiting guests. In memory It is important to make the most of every moment we have at school, and on the Tuesday before the end of term we spent some time remembering Barney Dobbin - who did just that. We planted a tree and unveiled a plaque so that now there is a reminder and point of focus each day for anyone who wants to reflect on the way in which Barney made the most of every BSQ moment. Learning Of course, school is about knowledge and skills and relationships and the next steps – but it is also about learning to be a global citizen and to understand the world around you. We are lucky here at BSQ to have staff and students who are determined to make a difference in that world and the number of community projects and student-led, in-house communication that takes place linked to developing a culture of care is astounding. Of course, one of our values is: We live and learn with respect and care for each other We do this in many ways but learning about the lives and circumstances of those around us and doing what we can to make our world a little better is one of the most important. To show you what we mean, just take a look at this list of some of the ways we have cared for others this year already:
From the Staff and Students Welcome back to our teachers and their stories about learning in the classroom this term. This week we hear from Mr. Kevin Dobson and from Mrs. Rocío Rueda in Secondary. Mr. Kevin Dobson – Geography Secondary Teacher As both a Geography teacher and an enrichment club leader I have been keen to embed more technology to facilitate learning amongst the students that I am working with. As a result, I acquired a ‘green screen’ and have been developing activities in which students can try to bring their learning alive through the use of ‘chromakey’ technology. In Year 10 Geography lessons students prepared videos reporting from the scene of an earthquakes in Haiti and Japan to help them learn about the effects and responses of earthquakes in countries with differing levels of development. Whilst in Year 11 students prepared reports about the benefits and problems of a range of renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind. As part of Year 9’s ‘Religion, Philosophy and Ethics’ lessons which take place each Friday morning, they were given the opportunity to prepare sketches that outlined situations in which people might make difficult life choices and after the videos the rest of the class would discuss and then vote on what decisions should be made. In our Tuesday World Explorers enrichment club students research, prepare, rehearse, and then act out travel shows, delivering reports from places around the world. At the moment all of the video editing is carried out by myself but I am hoping that in the future I can enrol some of the students in doing some of this work in order to develop their skills in this technology. Whilst doing activities like this can be a lot of fun, it also develops their abilities in researching and preparing speeches, public speaking, and then listening back to each other’s’ videos to collect information. Mrs. Rocio Rueda – Spanish Secondary Teacher This week, students Lucas Tapia (Y8), Silas Tapia (Y10), Patricio de la Cruz (Y10) and Ary Loquvam (Y11), members of the BSQ Chess Club, in charge of the students of Y13 Damaris Chávez and Ricardo Calderón, went to the ISM College Chess Tournament. With great surprise and admiration, our Year 1 student, Luciano Aguirre, joined the team. With his short 5 years he decided to enter the competition and he did it with great enthusiasm and courage, which made him deserving a well-deserved recognition. Being the youngest participant of the tournament. The Chess Tournament was held with the presence of several schools in Quito. It was an excellent opportunity for our students and a wonderful experience when formally facing an official tournament. The participants did very well; they won and lost the different games; but his attendance and participation was of immense value for his life both sports and personal. Thanks to Damaris and Ricardo who have dedicated their time and knowledge to share it with their classmates and encouraged them to attend this tournament. Dates for your Diary April 23rd– Year 5 parents meeting at 3:30pm about the new PSHE topic – SRE. April 24th– PSHE / SRE meeting with parents at 3:30pm in classrooms to share resources and plans. April 24thto 26th– Y5 residential visit to Huasquila April 26th - Primary Reports are due. May 3rd– Labour Day Holiday (note change of day) Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Welcome back to BSQ after the Easter break – I hope you all enjoyed some time relaxing (and being constructively bored!) with family and friends and you are reenergised for the next ten weeks on school. This final term of learning is crucial for our students’ development and progress, particularly bearing in mind that when they return after the longer break they will be moving up to a new class, a new teacher and lots of new challenges. There is also a great deal to look forward to in the coming weeks, so please keep checking your inboxes for events, meetings and activities. This week we will wave off our intrepid Year 5 students as they head to the jungle for three days of adventures and challenges - I am sure we will welcome back some very tired, happy and perhaps different students on Friday. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update The Summer Term As we move into the business end of the year for our senior IGCSE and IBDP students, it's easy for these examination sessions to become our sole focus. But while these things are of huge importance to our Year 11 and 13 students and to us, both now and for the future, there's a great deal else going on as well. The first of three big expeditions for our Year 12 CAS groups has just returned from deep in the jungle, and there are two more to go out on service trips before the end of the year. There's a Year 12 combined Science trip heading down to Huasquila Lodge this week, a Year 10 PE trip heading to Guayaquil for sea-level fitness tests, and the small matter of a week exploring culture and history as part of an Orbital group tour to Budapest. There are one-off events too. This Thursday we are digging deep into Ecuadorian history and culture for an Afro-Ecuadorian Day, learning about the lives and the stories of Afro-Ecuadorian communities through a range of fun and educational activities. The Year 11s' post-IG programme will consist of a range of essential and valuable activities, including introductory and preparatory lessons for the IB Diploma Programme, a Work Experience week, a business and enterprise week in school, and a focused course on extended essay research and writing. And in the middle of it all we will have the Secondary school play, Romeo + Juliet, which is beginning to take shape nicely with some creative directing and some fabulous performances. I do hope you'll come along. Ten weeks. Welcome back. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, explains 5 reasons why your children will dig an indoor garden and the connection mind - emotions.
1 Comment
Nicolás Bustillos
2/10/2020 09:45:01 pm
Very great college! Had the best experience in it.
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