WelcomeLiving Following our CIS visit of the previous week, things were back to normal as usual at BSQ last week with an exciting array of trips and events taking place to supplement the learning. Year 6 visited a theatre to have their first dress rehearsal for Macbeth, Year 5 visited Fundación Guayasamín to supplement their art studies, Year 12 spent two days on Cotopaxi for their IB Geography studies, Year 9 have visited MIC, Reception classes have visited the Fire Station and of course Year 12 CAS students have been to Sinsoluka to celebrate Children’s Day with our friends there. Such a rich snapshot across only a few days is evidence of dedication of the teaches and the determination of our students to explore as wide a range of experiences as possible to supplement their classroom work and broaden their horizons. Learning. Continuing our introductions to the new team members at BSQ next year, we finish this week with the secondary team. With the arrival of our first two-form entry into the IB programme and our second two-form entry starting their IGCSE courses this coming year, we have made some additional appointments in the maths and science teams so I will start there this week. Whilst we are sorry to say goodbye to Mr Taylor, Mr Cannon and Ms Molina changes her responsibilities (and of course we will thank them properly at the end of the year) we are equally excited to be welcoming the following team members. English: Mr Matthias Lee Mr Lee is joining us from The Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, an outstanding grammar school in Buckinghamshire, where he has been for the last three years. Mr Lee is not only an excellent English teacher but also a very keen sportsman describing football, boxing and Formula 1 as his main interests. He has really enjoyed coaching the Year 7 football team at his current school. Art: Ms Hanna Eichenhofer Ms Eichenhofer is originally from Germany where she studied Visual Arts Pedgagogy at the Academy of Arts inMunich, and Visual Arts with English Language at The University of Ausburg. Whilst Ms Eichenhofer now lives in Quito, she has also spent time volunteering in Brazil. She is also a dedicated linguist who speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese and some French - in addition to her native German. PE: Mr Bradley Edwards Mr Edwards is joining us from Network International School where he has been teaching PE, running enrichment activities and also introducing rugby to the local children. A graduate of Nottingham Trent University, Mr Edwards has also been a rugby coach, a swimming coach and a water sports instructor before training to be a teacher so he is very keen to experience the wide variety of outdoor activities that Ecuador has to offer. He joins us with his partner who will be teaching in the primary school. That completes our new team members for the secondary school. Next week I will introduce you to the new team members in the primary school. 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. John Ashfield in Secondary and from Mrs. Cecilia Vallejos and Mrs. Catherine Farag and their Reception students in Primary. Mr. John Ashfield - Secondary Teacher June can often feel like a strange month in Schools, the year 11 and year 13 exams are pretty much wrapped up and students (and no doubt the staff as well) have one eye fixed firmly on the approaching summer break. Due to this there can be a tendency to think the School is slowly winding down ready for the end of term but that couldn't be further from the truth! The year 11 students have just completed a very successful work experience week, the year 13s are now preparing for their Ecuadorean final exam, years 7-10 are approaching their end of year exams and will be revising for those and the students who are taking part in the play are putting the finishing touches on what will no doubt be an excellent production. For myself I am very much looking forward to next week where I will be leading a trip of six BSQ students on a cultural trip to the historic city of Budapest to link up with students from other Orbital Schools to explore the city together, build ties between the schools and give all the students involved a taster in each others cultures (I cannot wait to see the other schools trying to master Ecuavolley!) All of this is taking place alongside ordinary lessons for the students as well! So for my final Newsletter contribution of the year I would like to say a big well done to all the students for maintaining their work ethic into this very busy month, to the staff for continuing to give their all to help the students be happy and successful and to the parents for their continued support they give throughout the year. It´s been a year of hard work that will hopefully continue for this final month before we can all enjoy a well earned summer break! Reception Team In Term 3, Reception A and B have been focusing on Superheroes in our community such as doctors, nurses, the police etc. During that time, we have had visits in our classroom from our own Dr. Sara (Reception A) and from a practising vet (Reception B). In both instances, the children came up with the questions for the professionals and both classes showed remarkable focus for the interviews. As a final note to this topic, both classes paid a field trip to the local fire station. Each class had already talked about what firefighters did, their uniforms and the equipment they used. Even still, there were some surprises during the visits. We were introduced to our guides for the visit and the children were delighted to know that there are also female firefighters as well as male. We saw the ambulances they sometimes use, their gym, kitchen, living or relaxing room as well as the bedrooms, one for men and one for women. They were impressed to find out that when on duty, firefighters have their uniforms beside their beds and that it takes only 1 minute for them to get dressed!! The children were also delighted to see the tower that the firefighters use for training and some even got to slide down the fireman´s pole. It was easy to see how interested the children were as once again, they showed tremendous focus. They love investigating the world around them and are eager to question and find out how it all works. As teachers and teaching assistants, it has proven to be a truly rewarding time as we watch these young children blossom. Reception Team Dates for your Diary June 11th – 13th – Secondary Production: Romeo & Juliet June 15th - 21st – Budapest trip June 20th – Primary Consultation meeting day. (Parent – Teacher Conferences. Parents only.) June 25th & 26th – Primary Production: Macbeth June 27th – Awards Ceremony and Y6 Graduation June 28th – Year 13 Graduation Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update This week the teachers in Primary are busy organising the timetable for the Parent Teacher Conferences, which are on Thursday 20th June. On this day, there is no ‘normal’ school for all the students, though we would encourage the older students to attend with you in their uniform to discuss their progress so far this year and their next steps. Although much of what will be discussed will be school-based, we will also want to share with you all ways that you can support your child’s development at home. As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. When parents and families are involved in their child's education, that child does better and has better feelings about going to school. There are many ways that you can support your child's learning at home and throughout the next school year, including attending the Parent Teacher Conferences in a few weeks. To make these really meaningful and useful for your child, spend some time with them before the meeting to find out what they have been learning about, what they enjoy doing and what they find more challenging. Have a pre-prepared list of questions for the teacher and please do ask for translation support if appropriate, in advance. We hope that you will come away from these Parent Teacher Conferences with a clear idea about how your child is doing, what their next steps are and how the school and yourselves can support the development in the coming year. This week we have a multitude of events across the Primary School, from Reception and Year 6 assemblies, our Careers Fair, the Year 5 Bake Sale, a Maths Workshop for Reception B, Father’s Day celebrations in Nursery and trips for Year 6 and Years 3 & 4. As always, please keep checking this Newsletter and other forms of communication to keep a note of all the events happening across the school. Please enjoy some photos from this week’s assemblies, led by students from 2B and 3A. Star of the WeekMarcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Romeo + Juliet There are two things that makes Shakespeare so special: the timeless beauty of the language, and the timelessness of the stories. His works reach deep into the heart of human nature, contemplating and elaborating on themes that are as relevant now as they were when they were written.
Business and Enterprise Last week, the Year 11 students were engaged in work experience, in hospitals, at the UN, and selling cars, to mention but three examples. This week, they are bringing that experience to a different type of learning project. Over the course of the week, they will collaborate in groups to develop, from scratch, a social enterprise business proposal. From conception, through creative and financial planning, to marketing, they will develop a product or service. Through this, they will be learning and applying new and old skills and knowledge, from numeracy in budgeting to the presentation and public-speaking skills necessary to sell their wares. I look forward to seeing the end results. The IB Extended Essay One of the challenges our IB students face each year is meeting deadlines, and in failing to do so, becoming overwhelmed when work starts to pile up. This creates stress, and results in work being produced that falls short of a student's full potential. This year we have moved our deadlines around, with the intention that no two pieces of IB assessed work need overlap. If these deadlines are met, students will find that they are able to pull all of their effort into all of their work. The first such deadline is today. Year 12 students should have handed in the first full draft of their Extended Essay. Having done do, their supervisors can now check carefully through what had been written, and provide detailed and meaningful feedback ahead of the redrafting process which will take place next week. With the EE out of the way in Year 12, students are able to focus more on individual subject coursework when they return in August. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about positive reinforcement and 7 things you should not say to your children.
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May 2024
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