WelcomeLast week the students in the primary school were lucky enough to spend time with some fabulous speakers as part of the Careers Week. This has become a tradition at BSQ and I clearly remember our first event in 2019 when the professional guests had set up their tables in the library and brought a wonderful range of exhibits with them to show the children – including a puppy! Starting to think about careers early is a real luxury for our children and having such great speakers available to help them consider the pros and cons of each future is really exciting. Many thanks to all the speakers and to the staff team for their organisation. It might seem early to start thinking about next year but you can find the calendar on the website here. Please note the start of year, start of term and holiday dates so that you can be absolutely sure you are ready to attend all classes. I have included all our usual events and celebrations but, of course these will be open to change according to the national and local changes in restrictions moving forward. If you foresee any issue with any dates, then please have a conversation with your Head of School now in order to keep them informed. Virtual Open Day This May 12th at 5PM we are inviting potential families who have children 3 - 16 who are not yet enrolled at BSQ to join us in an interactive session about our exciting and challenging curriculum! If you know some relatives or friends who might be interested in attending this virtual event, please let them know they can register here http://bit.ly/BSQVirtualOpenDay. Dates for your Diary
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Last week all of our Key Stage One and Two students attended a series of presentations from a variety of internal and external speakers as part of our Careers topic. The purpose of these talks was to show the students a range of different career choices and the various paths that our presenters took to achieve their chosen career. The teachers were all extremely impressed by both the quality of the presentations and also the questions our students asked, with many demonstrating our school values and really thinking about their ambitions. Many thanks must go to Ms Dean and Ms Camacho who organised the events and the staff who facilitated the presentations. Continuing with the theme of reading from last week’s newsletter, I would like to share with you all further benefits of reading with your child regularly. 3. You will develop a close relationship with your child The strongest parent-child relationships start early. When your child becomes older, he/she will be on the move playing, making new friends, exploring the environment, etc. When they are still young, however, children spend most of their time with their parents. This is an excellent time to establish a healthy relationship, and there is no better way to do it other than to read to your child, especially given the other added benefits i.e. boosting your child’s intellect and their language mastery. Snuggling with your child to read a book will create a long-lasting bond and beautiful memories that are hard to forget in a lifetime. It is also fun and a perfect time for sharing passions, values and perspectives. 4. Reading to your child sends an important message (i.e. reading is fun!) When your child views reading as a comforting and close activity with a parent, they are bound to develop a love for reading. When all the daily business of life is paused for a short while and we spend one-to-one time with a child reading, our children feel how special they are and they relate those wonderful feelings with books. Have fun reading – in either Spanish or English! Marcus Madden Head of Primary Y1 Sociales In Year 1 we started learning about the definition and properties of matter. Each class we experiment with the elements to understand what materials they are made of, whether they are flexible or rigid, do they float, or if they are transparent, translucent, or opaque. It’s been very pleasant to discover so many scientists within the classes, full of curiosity and desire to learn. Year 4 Sociales In both years 4 Sociales lessons, we have been studying about the regions of Ecuador, this time it was the turn of the Amazon and Galapagos. The students have really enjoyed learning about the diversity that these two regions bring to us. The children have mentioned that we are very fortunate to live in a country so rich in flora and fauna. We have quickly learned about Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle to various parts of the world and in particular to the Galapagos Islands. We learned about the culture, food, dress, traditions, celebrations, and legends. Greetings Mr. Oscar KS2 Spanish lessons In KS2 lessons, we have enjoyed learning some topics such as: Y3: Literary texts in which students can have fun playing and creating: riddles, children's songs, greguerías and tongue twisters. During this week the students learned to write their own riddles. Y4: Poetry: Expressing our feelings through poetry has been the theme to use the beauty of words and start creating your own poems. Y5: Rhymes and Verses: Students have learned how sounds are combined to form words and phrases into verses and rhymes and begin to understand the rhythm and inflection of the language by creating their own verses and rhymes. Y6: Spelling rules: Spelling is of great importance since it is part of grammar, that is, it is what teaches us to write words correctly so that everything written is easily understood. Thus, the students learned by enjoying some rules through online games. Ms. Ana Espinosa, Spanish Teacher EYFS Update Dear parents, As we move closer to the last term of the year, it is important that we continue to encourage the children's independence at home on a daily basis through creative activities. Here are a few fantastic options you can select from to do with your child at home!
Antonella Coronel, Head of Early Years Being BSQ – Secondary Update Dates for the Diary Last week I hinted at the work we were doing to invigorate and improve the activities that several year groups will be experiencing as we head towards the end of the academic year. As always it would be easy to just continue as usual, but at BSQ we are proud of the fact that we are continually innovating and creating new and exciting opportunities to develop the experience for our students. Year 11 have several events to look forward to and three are Connected to IB studies forming part of the Diploma programme as three core elements of study which sit alongside the 6 key subjects chosen by students. They are the Theory of Knowledge, an Extended essay on a subject that they are interested in, and a Community, Action, Service programme which is designed to enable students to consider community issues. Year 11 will have a bespoke programme to introduce the Tok led by Mrs Madden to prepare them for the in-depth skills required in this area of study. They will also enjoy an online work experience week where again, they will be on a special timetable to consider and explore all issues connected to the world of work. The week will be certificated for those that meet all expected outcomes. Year 11 will also have an opportunity to experience our IB subjects in a taster week so that they are introduced appropriately to all our subjects in Key Stage 5. This will allow them to have a greater understanding of the choices they have made for study next year. Much like year 11 it is important for year 9 to consider the study options as they embark on their IGCSE studies in year 10. We are planning a focused period of learning where they will experience all subjects. All students in years 7,8,9,10 and 12 will be sitting end of year exams with their teachers online. These important exams will underline and celebrate learning to close the year and form a base for the jump to the next years’ study. The exam results will inform Q2 and P4 grades and they will be shared in the final report. It is important that all students are working hard to this point to prepare. Of course, our extremely talented year 13 are now at the end of their studies and quite rightly they should be sent off with our absolute best wishes following a decent celebration. The main graduation ceremony will be online for all, but we are looking at how we might be able to do something small face-to-face in school, additionally for those who want to take part. This does depend of course on the emergency measures, so at this stage it is still to be confirmed. As the oldest leave school so the youngest join in the ever-perpetual life of school. How exciting it is to be welcoming our year 6 students as they embark on their next steps in the Secondary School. This is an exciting time for all and of course we are planning lots of activities for them to enjoy, getting a feel for how Secondary Education compares to their experience in Primary. As you have read there is much to organise and get into to calendars so to help you the dates for the events are as follows. Additional arrangements for each event will be released nearer the times. Year 11 17th to 21st May 2021 Theory of Knowledge Introduction week 24th to 27th May 2021 Online Work Experience (Different Timetable) 31st May - 10th June 2021 Mini Extended Essay activity in current subjects 14th to 18th June 2021 IB subject Taster week 21st to 24th June 2021 Community – Action – Service (CAS) project activity Year 9 21st to 27th May 2021 IGCSE Taster sessions Other events to consider 14th to 24th June 2021 Exam weeks for Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12. 14th to 18th June 2021 Year 6 Transition taster sessions. 25th June 2021 Graduation for year 13 . 28th to 30th June 2021 End of year activities for all CAS The students of Y12 have been participating in a first aid training by Kingue adventure school. It has been wonderful to see all the motivation and effort that they found to complete this online course. Thanks to the Y12 parents who became their patients and participated in each of the case studies that they had, in order to practice what they have learned. This has been part of the CAS program for the second year in a row. Besides this First Aid certification, they will also be awarded with a LEAVE NO TRACE certification, that is intended for outdoor recreational users who wish to minimize their impact on the natural environment whether they are hiking, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, etc. Here are some images. Sociales Y9 students have been working in the History of Human Rights and its evolution. This topic is really important for them because it helps to develop citizens with a global perspective and contributes to the development of democratic attitudes. A special task that we did in class, was an analysis of a 2004 Kurdish war drama film "When the turtles can fly" - written, produced, and directed by Bahman Ghobadi - that narrates the life of a group of refugee kids in a Kurdish camp, the only worry they had, was to stay a life. As you know, the use of films is an essential part of the social studies class because it is a pedagogical tool that enhances our students' understanding of historical events and themes. In the tasks they have identified the needs of the children in camp, the rights that have been denied to them and what can we do from our point of view to help thousands of kids living in the same circumstances. Also they had to make a short review of the film. These are some examples of the group activities. Mrs. Paola Montenegro, CAS Coordinator | Sociales Teacher Year 7 English In English this term, Year 7 are studying Shakespeare’s comedy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. So far, we have looked at the social and historical context underpinning the play and this week we have begun reading. Why not ask your child to explain who loves whom in Act 1? Mrs. Moors, English Teacher Volcanos in Year 9! The lucky students in year 9 had the privilege of having a volcanologist visit their lesson to explain the basics of volcanoes, explain her job and then answer their questions. They then did some research on volcanoes that had recently erupted. Here is what they discovered! Ms. Sawyers, Humanities Teacher Diversity in the workplace These past few years have brought attention to diversity and the increasing representation of people from various backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Making space and amplifying the voices of everyone in the workplace, equally, contributes to a more inclusive world. All of these areas will remain a top priority for organizations in the future. Many forward-leaning organizations are also focusing on the idea of ‘equity’ as part of their overall strategy. Equity in the workplace manifests in a wide range of ways from solving decision points that lead to pay inequity between different people doing the same work and exploring equity in talent in businesses. It goes without saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought tremendous change and upheaval to all working conditions. But another major change of the last year has been the increasing push to prioritize Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. The focus on equity in the workplace will be a magnified topic as businesses are being called on to operate with a deeper level of transparency around compensation reporting, board representation, harassment reporting and advancement all successes regarding the path to equality. Barbara - Equality and Diversity Committee Do you have any questions? Contact us at: [email protected] Have a wonderful week everyone
Lee Moors Head of Secondary
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May 2024
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