Welcome This week we have lessons on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before our second short break of the term. This provides us with a time to recharge and prepare for the end of term events and ceremonies planned to celebrate our year. Despite the new and significant challenges, we have continued to try and maintain as many BSQ approaches as possible. Earlier this year, our Parent Association worked to develop a set of BSQ Parent Values which were shared in the newsletter at that time and are attached again this week. As a result of lockdown, we were not able to continue and develop a shared approach to exploring those values, but I want to thank you all for the way in which you have adopted the ideas and lived them though the last 3 months. Last week our Equality and Diversity Committee also drew our attention to our Student Values (also attached here) as a guiding factor in the way we respond as a community to the need for a clear anti-racist stance and they guided us towards two of our student values in particular:
The concept of treating absolutely everyone ‘with respect, empathy and understanding’ and ‘without discrimination.’ should be at the core of our humanity. These words imply an action; they do not say we should think about this or reflect on it – they clearly state that we should act. Last week all of our secondary students explored some of the context linked to racism and anti-racism and came up with a rich body of questions to explore further. For example; Does being silent make one complicit? What would a non-racist society look like? Why can't we just accept everyone as they are? How can racism still be a problem in 2020? I am proud of these questions as they demonstrate a group of students who want to think deeply about issues and who have the ability to pose meaningful responses. Student Voice: As a new section in our newsletter, from now on we will have a monthly student voice article written by Sofia Ferrari-Bravo in conjunction with the Student Council. Next week Sofia will start us off with a round-up of the BSQ year. I look forward to sharing it with you. Ocean School: As you will know BSQ is a member of the LAHC group comprising 47 schools across Latin America. This provides us with opportunities to share knowledge and experience and, sometimes, to give our students wonderful opportunities. Last weekend, Mr. Kennedy supported 4 of our secondary students to take part in an Ocean School event organised by LAHC and here they tell us about it. This Saturday 6th of June, 3 classmates and I attended the Ocean School class that started at 3pm and ended at 6pm! We learned about sharks and their cool adaptations! For example, did you know that sharks don't have bones? They are made out of cartilage! They also have 5 rows of teeth and can lose up to 100 teeth a day! These were some of my favorite facts I learned during our session! We also got the chance to talk and do a Q&A with Sergio Madrigal, a shark expert! I learned a lot about the marine biology lifestyle, sharks, the ocean and the environment! It was very interesting to hear what he had to say and I believe we all benefited from it as we all got the chance to learn something new! My favourite thing about the Ocean School’s event was probably the chance to meet new people! There were almost 80 people (students, teachers and Ocean School staff included) logged into the zoom meeting with a very large variety of ethnicities and nationalities! It was incredible to interact and work with these people! Around the end of the session I was not only talking with my group about our task, but about our likes, dislikes and hobbies! I definitely made a lot of new friends! Overall, I really enjoyed this activity and I am super grateful for the school (especially Mr. Kennedy) for giving us this incredible opportunity! So thank you! And I hope we have more events like this with the ocean school because I will definitely sign up again! Anabella De Armas – Y10 student Diary Dates are often lost in the busy world of life so please make sure you are fully aware of the events taking place towards the end of term by reading emails and checking the Dates for your Diary and reading the messages from your Heads of School below. e-Learning at BSQ BSQ 25th Anniversary Scholarship We are delighted to announce that #BSQ25thAnniversaryScholarship opportunities are available for current and potential families! If you are an outstanding student and would like to become part of our vibrant community, please send your scholarship application by June 30th. More information about the application process, terms and conditions here. Michelle O. Fried recipes. Here is our fourth recipe published in conjunction with Michelle. Have you noticed that some children will eat anything as long as it's covered (hidden) with ketchup? Well, let me share a simple, fool-proof way of making ketchup that you can trust and that the kids can enjoy in quantities. What I appreciate about this recipe is that I can choose to use healthy tomatoes, with no toxic residuals. Unfortunately, the results of laboratory studies made by an agency of the government of Ecuador showed that tomatoes bought in Pichincha had much, much more than double the amount of toxic residuals permitted by international standards. Are you in a rush and noodles/pasta will be the solution. If you really need something quick and more or less well-balanced, you can cook up the pasta with the veggie of your choice. Get the pasta half-cooked then add green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and when it's just cooked “al dente” mix with this ketchup and lots of crunchy chochos. Imagine, a quick, satisfying vegan recipe, because you already have the ketchup made up and waiting in the refrigerator. (I personally would prefer using the Salsa Italiana de Tomate recipe on page 184 Un Mundo de Comida con los Ingredientes del Ecuador.) You may find this and other healthy recipes in Michelle´s book Un Mundo de Comida con los Ingredientes del Ecuador, available at all bookstores in the country. Also you can find more information by visiting her blog and website. Workshop Receive kind regards, I would like to take this opportunity to extend you an invitation to a Virtual Workshop that will take place on June 16, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. It will be a space to enrich ourselves with knowledge to learn how to generate solutions in your organizations, exploiting their creative and innovative potential. The only requirement for you to join us is that you are willing to challenge your limits. In this workshop we will explore:
Join us in this incredible experience! Register at no cost and get valuable tools for the management you do in your organization. We count on your participation! Important Announcement - time HAS run out. If you are reading this newsletter, then you have accessed it through the Canvas Parent Portal – thank you for signing up. With over half of the families now using this tool we are reaching a wide audience but not one that is big enough yet. Please remind your friends and fellow class parents to make sure they are on Canvas. All letters with important information will also be placed there if they are for the whole school community. From the Staff and the Students Continuing with our teachers and their stories about e-learning this new period. This week we have Ms. Aditi Sadotra and Y12 students leading the Mental Health Awareness Project from Secondary and Ms. Sofía León, Mr. Fernando Ruiz and Ms. Antonella Coronel from Primary. Rewards and recognition Awards – Partial 6 As we have reached the end of partial 6 it is time to celebrate the amazing achievements of our students in all their subjects. Listed here are all the subject winners for excellence and endeavour. All certificates will be emailed out to parents and students very soon. Well done to all the winners! Ms Sadotra Ms. Aditi Sadotra - Year 6 to 7 Transition Over the last two weeks the year 6 students who will be moving up to secondary next academic year have been preparing themselves for this big step! They were lucky enough to meet all of their new teachers to get an idea of what their lessons will be like next year. Having been in the lessons myself I could see the students got so much out of them. They had lots of questions for their new teachers and really got to know them as people as well as subject specialists! Here’s what the teachers had to say! “It was so great to have so many students within the group share their ideas for hypotheses. They demonstrated excellent scientific thinking. With so many curious and engaged students in this class, I am excited to teach next year's young scientists!” Ms Avent, Science “It was fantastic to meet the new stars of BSQ. It's safe to say the sporting future of BSQ is safe in their hands. They seem to be a fun group and eager to get involved with the new challenges in secondary. I can't wait to start working with these pupils next year.” Mr Edwards, PE Year 6 are keen to learn about the history of Ecuador and the world, they were pleased to tell me their expectations about the subject and give me suggestions to consider for my planning. I am looking forward to meeting them next year. Mrs Montenegro, Sociales I had lots of fun teaching year 6, they are an amazing group full of charisma and willing to learn. I am so excited and happy to be able to teach them next year as well, they are amazing people who will be a great contribution to secondary! Ms Cano, Music It was amazing to meet with the upcoming year 7’s, they are very proactive and seem like a very fun class to teach! Mr Samaniego, Maths Last week I had the opportunity to get to know the new senior school artists. From the first beginning I could feel their knowledge, interest and enthusiasm towards arts. I don’t have any doubt that next year we are going to learn, explore and create a lot of fabulous artworks together. I cannot wait for it! Ms Arellano, Art Mi experiencia con los alumnos de año 6 fue maravillosa porque los niños se entregaron por completo y colaboraron con las actividades. Este primer encuentro me deja muy feliz, ya que ahora sé que trabajar con ellos va a ser una tarea enriquecedora en donde juntos haremos de la clase de español una aventura del saber con mucha imaginación y creatividad. Mrs Tufiño, Spanish The students also let us know what they thought! I liked meeting our new teachers — their ways of teaching were engaging, and made me want to learn more. I’m looking forward to moving into secondary so far! Aahna Bharti, Year 6 I really liked to know all the teachers that I will be working with and socialising for the next few years. I really liked the way they introduced themselves and the way they showed us how our curriculum will be. I am pleased to know all the teachers because each of them have their own attitude and the way of teaching. Isabella Sisa, Year 6 I liked the meetings and they were very helpful and educational to me. They gave information and were not too dull. All the teachers seemed kind. I am looking forward to working with the teachers and going into year 7. Lyla Madden, Year 6 As you can see it was a really successful transition introduction and I wanted to say a massive thank you to the year 6 students, the new year 7 teachers and Mr Newman and Ms Camacho for all their hard work in making it such a wonderful experience for all! Mental Health Awareness Project Gala Gomez, Bianca Burbano, Anna Marquez & Martina Sierra students from year 12. This week we were able to share with the BSQ community a very important topic for us, Mental Health. We started this as a CAS project but it turned out to be so much more than that. We created awareness in the form of presentations during Assembly. We had two parts to our presentations, one was for the younger years (Year 7, 8 and 9) and the other was for the older years (10, 11, and 12). Bianca & Anna. The project of mental health was something that Anna and I had been discussing for a long time but knew we didn’t want to do it alone. Mental health and stability are some of the most important things and topics that we felt not many people had awareness of. The project started in February after having a conversation with Miss Leon. During the conversation is had expressed my concern about the discussions that we were having in class during Life Skills and Learning Lessons, and how it seemed that most people didn’t pay much attention to them. I wanted to start this project because when growing up I was always lucky enough to have a safe environment with my parents and family to discuss mental health and why it is important, so I wanted to give a safe space to anyone who needs it by raising awareness. After having multiple meetings with Ms. Leon and Ms. Carrera we decided to turn our discussions into the amazing project we have today. After talking with both Anna and Gala about the project it was time to choose our topics. Each one of us decided upon an issue or situation that was important to talk about. Mental Health is such a broad topic with many issues and conversations that are worth having, however, being just three of us we couldn't do them all in just one day. After a long discussion of topics and their relevance with students we came to the agreement of three:
I chose to talk about anxiety and stress and how they are different from having an anxiety disorder. Anxiety and Mental Health have always been topics that my parents have encouraged me to talk about when I needed to or when I felt like something wasn’t always right. Because of quarantine and not being able to deliver our project the way we wanted to, we were set back for a few weeks and we needed to do a whole new plan. Thankfully, Ms. Leon, Ms, Carrera, and Ms, Sadotra gave us plenty of ideas and resources as to how we could continue with this project rather than postpone it until next year. After many meetings and emails, we came to the conclusion that an assembly would be the best option. However, having just one assembly with every student and teacher didn't sound like a good idea because we knew that we were not going to have everyone’s attention. This is why we decided to split up into topics and year groups. Anna and I chose to be with years 10,11, and 12 because our topics were a bit more mature and for an older audience. We felt that Depression and Anxiety were topics that should really concern us as older teenagers to know how to help someone and how to help yourself. Knowing that mental illness can sometimes be a complex topic we made sure that the presentation was both appropriate for everyone but also interactive. The psychologist helped us a lot with the language we had to use and the way we phrase On the day of the assembly, we were excited but also a little bit nervous because we didn't know what the reaction of everyone that was at the conference would be like. To start with, we decided to do a few true or false statements to release little by little the tension that some may have when talking about mental health. Anna started of the discussion with the topic of depression. She explained what it was, how a person can seek help, and how we as a community and friends can help someone who suffers from the disorder. She also gave a few tips on how to avoid feeling hopeless during the quarantine. Then it was my turn to explain what the difference between anxiety and stress is linked with a few ideas to manage or reduce them. After doing some questions we talked about the difference between anxiety and having an anxiety disorder. I listed a few anxiety disorders that may be more common like Social phobia or Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In the end, we gave a few ideas on how they can take care of themselves and the people around them. Our presentation was successful because of the incredible amount of participation and support we received from the teachers and the students, as well as their willingness to speak about something as important and ‘taboo’ as Mental Illnesses and Mental Health. It’s truly gratifying knowing how open-minded the students and teachers are and how respectful everyone was. We are incredibly grateful for the support of Ms, Leon, Ms, Carrera and Ms, Sadotra throughout this journey and this incredible project. We can’t wait till next year where we will develop this project and so many others. We want to encourage everyone in promoting mental health and always making sure you are okay, have conversations about what mental health means, and why it is important. We hope to keep sharing so many ideas and events for the future with our BSQ community. Gala and Martina When the proposal of the idea reached our ears, we didn’t hesitate in taking part. For both of us, mental health is of the utmost importance to talk about – especially in the teenage years. So this passion was crucial in keeping us motivated in completing the months-long project. It was truly a journey. First, in the early stages of the project, we decided on the topics. Each theme had to be of personal interest for the end result to reach its goals: to raise awareness of mental health stigmas, to teach how to effectively approach someone in need (of mental health care) and to encourage students to keep the wellbeing of their mental health in times of quarantine. So, I chose the stigmas of mental health as my focus. Now, before the project, I didn’t have much awareness of the importance of taking care of one’s mental health. For instance, I was never encouraged to go and talk to a professional, instead, I would hear the words: “other people have it worse” and “it is selfish to think that way”. Nevertheless, while growing up, I was made aware of how harmful that was, not only to me but to others. I was repeating the same harmful advice I was given. Thus, I chose this topic because what better way to improve this behaviour than by learning, and teaching what I had learned to others. While researching the harmful effects of mental health stigma on people who need care, I was made more aware of the weight of my words and why it is important to put oneself in the shoes of the other. Although this made my presentation more complete, I had the feeling that I was missing something; I needed help to convey my message to the younger years. So, I let Martina know about the project as she had always been sensitive to topics related to mental health and had always maintained a positive attitude when helping. She helped me link the stigmas of mental health to the COVID 19 quarantine – how they can both lead to discrimination – and how to keep the wellbeing of our mental health during these times – what type of tips the students can follow. Then, we changed the vocabulary and syntax of our sentences (by recommendation of the school psychologists) to ensure understanding from the students – it was a presentation after all, not a spoken essay. By the end, we included a Kahoot as a fun medium to create questions and see how well we had conveyed our message. After all the planning and the addition of final touches, Friday came and at 8:10 we began presenting. Martina began with an introduction stating why we chose to present this topic while I was getting ready for my part. I explained, she explained, and even though some of the late fixes (like the addition of new slides) were not presented until later than originally planned, the overall experience was terrific. The quality of our presentation, however, was mainly due to the students from years 7, 8, and 9. I must confess that I had high expectations from these year groups because of their high energy that could be used in group discussions and in the Kahoot. But I was not expecting to have my expectations exceeded by such original (yet professional) responses in the group discussion nor by the positive attitude over the Kahoot – so many of you joined that I lost track of the numbers. So I have nothing else to say but thank you to all the students (and teachers) who participated in our session. It really meant a lot to Martina and I. Now, we are keener in continuing these types of projects because of how well it was received. I also think that we – year 12 – can learn a lot from your enthusiasm in class, so thanks for that too! SSD – Dorapy Since November 2019, 5 primary students have been working on strengthening their reading skills. They have been having reading sessions under the close supervision of Dora, our therapy dog, and Sofia Leon, our SenCo. They completed around 600 minutes of uninterrupted reading! These interventions supported them with their fluency, pronunciation and overall confidence. Congratulations Super Readers! We are all very proud of you. Mr. Fernando Ruiz – PE Teacher Physical education at early ages is of fundamental importance in the development of motor, cognitive and affective skills. Through Physical Education, our students acquire knowledge and learn to develop forms of movement; as well as to express their spontaneity and encourage their creativity. At BSQ, students have performed new and fun movement actions with the help of different recreational and sports forms of play. Inclusion is one of the fundamental values of our institution and we practice it daily respecting, sharing and enjoying the progress that each child makes. In conclusion: physical exercise is essential for the harmonious development of children, the practice of sports and physical activities provides great developments in motor activity, as well as the development of healthy habits. We must promote the practice of physical activity in childhood, adolescence and must continue into adulthood, one of our objectives as an educational institution is to motivate children and young people to stay active for all the benefits that sport provides to the physical, mental and emotional health of people. Ms. Antonella Coronel – Head of EYFS Dear parents, Our children have been working in their mathematics, especially in measuring and ordering by size this entire week, from the younger ones in Nursery to the older children in Reception. We have made measuring so much fun by extending the learning to everyday objects found in the children’s home, from kitchen utensils to beds and guitars. This motivates the children to explore measuring and mathematics in an active and fun way. Measuring and ordering takes a few skills to get it just right, like comparing, counting and number-recognition. In Nursery this week the children have been learning about space and how new adventures can be a little frightening at first but once you are there it can lead to magnificent new discoveries. Through the story “Back to earth with a bump” the children flew through space and came back in just a few minutes. To stretch this learning some children made their own solar system! This week we will like to say a huge thank you to our Reception B teacher Ms. Cook for her continuous hard work and dedication. Her great input is always positive and constructive. The work in her live sessions show her love for teaching. Dates for your Diary
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update As we move into the final weeks of this academic year, with all of its successes and challenges, it is time to look back and celebrate the positives that we have experienced and also to make plans for the future. We asked the students in their respective assemblies about the changes that have happened to them over the past year. This is often a difficult question to answer – how have I changed and what effect have those changes had on me. As parents and teachers, we often see the physical changes first in our students, such as getting taller, their hair growing or their face subtly changing shape. But these are only skin-deep – the changes in their thinking, feelings, knowledge, understanding and skills are much harder to measure or describe, but happen nevertheless. We should be extremely proud of their achievements this year, particularly in the circumstances since March, recognising the challenges they have surmounted and the new skills they have mastered. Next week is a shorter week, with online sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday only, followed by two days’ holiday. The following week we will host a Leavers’ Assembly on Thursday 25th June on the Parent Portal (link here to join this section of the Canvas website), with the final two days of term being on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th June. On these two days, there will be no teacher-led conferences, with the focus being on the Awards Ceremonies on Monday 29th June (KS1 & KS2 at 8:30am, Secondary at 10am and EYFS at 11:30am) and a Whole Primary Farewell Assembly on Tuesday 30th June at 11am. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Your Teachers As we approach the end of what has been a very challenging year for everybody, everywhere, I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to how amazing your teachers are, and how lucky you are to have them. In normal circumstances, they give everything they have for the students in their care, working long hours and making sacrifices in order to strive to ensure the success and well-being of every single learner. But this year, they have given so much more. Over the last three months, teachers have had to learn a new trade, on the job, and from scratch, a craft very different from the one they trained for and love. They have had to do so in conditions of lockdown, often alone, and in many cases, many miles from friends or family. And despite all of this they have continued, day after day, to focus all of their care and attention on their students at BSQ. They have learned new technologies and new pedagogical techniques. They have re-written curricula and designed whole new ways of approaching the teaching of their subjects. They have responded to every single learner's needs, looked out for their health and happiness, and done everything they can to minimise the disruption in their academic and personal lives. If you haven't yet thanked your teachers, please find some time to do so as we approach the end of the year. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about ways to get your children through the end of the school year.
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May 2024
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