WelcomeHello everyone and welcome to the second week of this final term. When we first started online learning, one worry was that the time would go very slowly, but in fact it seems to be passing more quickly than ever. Already we are at the 30th newsletter of this academic year. In the UK and the USA, 30 years are celebrated with the symbol of the pearl and it is fitting that this lines up with our current online learning journey. It would be easy to only see the challenges in our current situation but the pearl symbolises much that we can be proud of. The pearl is highly valued in many cultures as it represents unity, wisdom, uniqueness, calm and integrity – amongst many other qualities. And of course, pearls are created when an ‘irritant’ enters the shell of an oyster (usually) and layers of protective coating called nacre build up around it. The final product is a beautiful and highly prized object. I hope that we can all see the layers of BSQ that are being grown throughout this time. When we finally emerge from this particular shell, we will certainly take some time to reflect on those layers and be thankful. This week we see the start of the Early Years live learning sessions. See how they have gone here. Nursery: Reception: Helping others Actually, there is much to be thankful for during this time and there is also much that we can do to support others. In the UK this 99-year-old man has already (much to his own amazement) managed to raise over $1,000,000 by walking around his garden. The money is for the National Health Service. One of the foundations we regularly support has a great need for support at this time. PAE (Protección Animal Ecuador) can benefit from financial gifts and fostering or adopting of dogs at this time. One way is to foster a puppy during the lockdown period and in fact, Mr. Lee has already done this, and he can definitely recommend it! You can contact PAE via the enquiry form on their website. Parent Teacher Conferences. The communication between school and home is an extremely important part of the learning process – more so now than ever. Today and Wednesday we are looking forward to seeing all our parents face to face for online parent teacher conferences. A great opportunity to catch up and talk about the progress your child has been making this year and particularly during the last few weeks. International Book Day Books and reading are a very important part of our life. That is why every year on International Book Day we celebrate the power of books, reading and sharing stories to help foster a sense of community and lifelong learning. This year the celebration around the world will be different, but while the world seems to be paused, we have the perfect opportunity to resume neglected reading or grab a new book and go on an unknown journey. The proposal for the BSQ Book Day Celebration 2020 is to capture a moment of this reading journey and share it within our community. We would appreciate it if you could send us a picture of these reading moments before April 23th, International Book Day, so we can all share our reading. Please send the photos to [email protected] Ms. Maggie Novoa Little Kickers Dear parents and my lovely students: Little Kickers is close to you! We are going to send you some really fun sports classes to do at home. It is important that all the family can play together. Our objective is to make your children move, develop their gross motor skills and continue developing other physical and cognitive abilities. I know we are going through complicated days, but sports are really important so that we can all release all that energy we have and have fun! I wish you all good. Coach Julian Little Kickers Important Announcement. To allow us to get messages to you quickly and efficiently we will be increasingly using our parent portals – Canvas for Years 1-13 and Memo for Nursery and Reception. PLEASE make sure that you are logged onto these platforms using the invites you have had from school. We now have over 90 families signed up – but we have 239 families at BSQ so still quite a way to go! From the Staff and the StudentsContinuing with our teachers and their stories about e-learning this new period. This week we have Ms. Sara Avent and the Ms. Aditi Sadotra from Secondary and the Year 2 Team and Ms. Coronel from Primary. Ms. Sara Avent – Secondary Science Teacher Year 7 students have been concluding their learning about the rock cycle and begin their summative project this week. Students have the flexibility to choose any medium they like to demonstrate their learning, for example a podcast, comic book, model, etc. I am looking forward to seeing what year 7s produce! In year 8, we draw to a close on our acids and bases unit and students begin their independent research assignment. Year 9 are learning about the importance of making accurate measurements in physics. They are using a variety of online simulations to learn how to use specialized tools, such as Vernier calipers and micrometers as well as a virtual pendulum lab. In year 12 ESS, lab work continues as normal, and students have just completed an experiment to learn more about natural selection. Students simulated different beak shapes using household tools such as tweezers, chopsticks, and forks and collected different “seed types” found from their kitchen cupboards – popcorn, dried beans, and rice! Ms. Aditi Sadotra - Secondary Maths Teacher On Monday 13th March we celebrated Ecuadorian Teachers Day. During the day students were given an opportunity to share their messages of thanks to their teachers for all that they do. The messages from the students were shared with teachers on the day and really made their days! I have collated some of the messages of thanks for all teachers to share with you all! Our students are truly grateful for the hard work of all of their teachers, particularly during this difficult time! Year 2 Team Year 2 has been busy, busy, busy having returned from the long weekend. We started our Topic this term and it is all about a female artist from Japan - Yayoi Kasuma. Her amazing artwork using dots and spots is incredible and we look forward to creating our own designs in the coming weeks. In literacy, the children have been learning how to write informal letters. Whilst at home, letters are a great way to communicate with our friends and this week we will be writing letters to each other in class - check your mail boxes! In science, we have been learning about plants in different habitats and what they need to survive. We then chose a habitat and created our own plants, considering how they have adapted to live there. This week is Earth Day on Thursday and Year 2 is doing a 'paper free' day. This encourages us to think about our actions and behaviour and also allows for some fun. So the boys and girls will be encouraged to do their learning using things that are available - like using fruit to make pictograms in maths or using recycled materials to create arts and crafts. We have been so impressed with all the children's continued enthusiasm and effort in Year 2 so far. Keep up the excellent work everybody! Ms. Antonella Coronel – Head of EYFS Dear parents, We are happy to start our second week of live teaching session. It was really great to hear from all the children last week and share a wonderful time with them. We do want to encourage all parents to join with your child for these live sessions since they are filled with interactive learning opportunities. Nursery students start their sessions at 10:00 and Reception at 10:30 every morning. This week it will be a little different due to the parent teacher conferences however the planning documents are filled with excellent learning opportunities and extra activities to stretch your child's learning. We look forward to receiving your weekly summary posts through Tapestry with all the pictures of the activities your children have done every Friday. Last week we celebrated Teachers day and it was lovely to receive this wonderful shout-outs from the children. The students want to give a huge thank you to all the teachers for all the amazing work and love you put into making every lesson a fun learning opportunity! Also another great thing that is happening in EYFS is Little Kickers! Mr. Julian will join us through our online learning journey with activities for the children to work on their balance, agility, aim and other gross motor skills. Stay tuned for the links that will be shared through Tapestry by your class teacher! Enjoy another great week, Ms. Coronel. Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateThis morning and on Wednesday in the whole school parents and students will be meeting with their teachers to discuss their progress and development so far this year, agree their next steps and to share their experiences of their online learning so far. This is a formal event so please do dress appropriately and have any questions you would like to ask prepared. It is also Earth Day on Wednesday, with many students and teachers focussing on activities related to environmental awareness. Then it is World Book Day on Thursday so please do focus on reading and the enjoyment of books. Last week many of the students from Primary entered the Easter Egg decorating competition organised by Mrs Dávila. This was a great success with a huge variety of decorations, styles and additional costumes added to the humble boiled egg. I shared these designs at the Key Stage One and Two assemblies last week and I hope you enjoy looking at all the designs in this newsletter. We decided that all the entries were wonderful so we awarded them all 5 House Points/Class Dojos and a certificate. Early Years started their Canvas conferences last week, with the teachers sharing a daily learning opportunity with their students to encourage participation and engagement with the learning. This is one example of the development and investment the school is making in your child’s learning. Please do continue to suggest changes we can make to our provision. As time goes on, I am amazed by the creativity and enthusiasm of our Primary staff during both their online sessions and their dedication to continuing giving extra learning opportunities away from the screen. Please also continue to support your child with their online learning, including meeting deadlines for learning to be submitted and always following the online protocols and rules, in particular listening to their teachers’ instructions about using the Public and Private chat functions. We have been impressed by the students’’ attitudes and behaviours during these conferences but do need your support to make sure the students know that the conferences are their formal lessons and that they need to focus on their learning, saving any personal, social interactions with their friends to outside of these sessions, using a private form of communication such as WhatsApp, Skype etc. Please do also put the Reception, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two Assemblies into your calendars and let me know if you are having trouble accessing these:
Finally, thank you for your continued support and positivity about the online provision here at BSQ and have a great week. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary UpdateThe End of the IBDP This week traditionally marks the end of the Year 13s' study for the IB Diploma Programme, as they change gears ahead of the exam session in May. This year, there's an understandable lack of the catharsis that these exams usually bring, so it's more important than ever to recognise the achievements of these remarkable young people. Despite the lack of examinations, we are on course for a tremendous set of IB results. Individuals have already secured places at amazing universities in the UK, the US, and the Netherlands. And they have grown, so much, over the past few years, in so many ways. They are not done yet, but I hope they realise how proud we are of all that they have achieved. Student Progress Conferences In the current environment it would be easy to become isolated from one another as a community. We are therefore delighted to be able to connect with parents at this time, to discuss, face-to-face, the academic progress of your children, our students. Please use this time productively, ask tough questions about learning, and I hope to meet with as many of you as possible. And outside of these meetings, please do continue to stay connected, to communicate any concerns and questions you may have, and to respond to communications sent to you by the teachers. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling TeamThis week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, shares an article about talking to children about difficult topics.
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May 2024
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