WelcomeLiving Well we have finally reached the end of the year for our students and in the same way as I did last year, I want to look back to the very first newsletter of the year. In that week we welcomed our new families and started the school year with our IB students. I also wrote this as a thought about how we should approach the school year. There are so many wise words published and spoken about education that it can be all too easy to find a relevant quote or saying. However, there is one phrase I come back to time and time again to describe how important the years spent at school are. It was Nelson Mandela who said that ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ and he was right of course. Whether you are making a small change to your daily habits, a reviewing your ambitions or setting out a clear goal for the next steps in your life, we can all change the world a little bit by using our time at school to learn how to help others, make a difference to communities and champion the causes that are important to us. Let’s make this year at BSQ one where we really make a difference – both to our own achievements but also to the world around us. ‘Let’s make this year at BSQ one where we really make a difference’ ......well I think we can safely say that we did just that! With so many celebrations coming up this week we can look back at everything that has been achieved and leave for our summer holidays with a sense of pride in the values and life of BSQ. All this is only possible with the support of the families and I very much look forward to continuing our work together in 2019-2020. Following on from the success of Romeo and Juliet this term, if you don’t already have it in your diaries, please join us for the performances of Macbeth this week on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:45 pm in the tent at BSQ. Please note that classes will end at 12:00 on Friday June 28th. At 6:30pm that evening we will be celebrating the graduation of our Year 13 students. Congratulations to all the class of 2019 and I look forward to seeing them and their families and friends here to wish them well. Earlier in the week we will also say goodbye to the end of the primary school days to our Year 6 students. Following the excitement of their trip to Ibarra last week, we wish them luck as they ‘graduate’ into the secondary school where we will officially welcome them in August with their tie ceremony. Calendar. The calendar for 2019-2020 is set and you can find it on our website under the events tab in News and Events. Learning. Completing our introductions to the new team members at BSQ next year, we continue this week with the new Primary School team members With the expansion of the Reception team and the growth of our two-form entry into Year 4, you will see a bigger staff team of Primary and Early Years experts next year. We are delighted to welcome the following new staff to BSQ. See additional information about classes for next year below. Ms Polly Hall Ms Hall is joining us from the British International School in Wroclaw, Poland and has also visited Argentina and taught in Russia. As a Spanish speaker who has run a range of clubs for her students to learn about the culture, she is very much looking forward to moving to Ecuador and exploring. Ms Hall also enjoys teaching drama and loves to incorporate theatre skills into her classroom – she is currently directing a performance of The Wizard of Oz with her students. Ms Patricia Thompson Ms Thompson is joining us from the Newton British School in China where she has been leading an Early Years team and helping to set up a new campus of the school. With additional training as a special needs teacher, she is passionate about supporting all her students to make progress and excel. As a keen dancer, Ms Thompson enjoys salsa and zumba dancing and is looking forward to travelling to Ecuador and meeting her new class and families. Ms Natalie Cook Also joining us from China, Ms Cook has worked as a team leader for the last year where she has developed the Philosophy for children programme in line with the IB Theory of Knowledge ideas. With a wealth of experience in teaching children with English as a second language, phonics, confident talking and multi-language classrooms, Ms Cook is excited to be joining our team and sharing her knowledge. Ms Anna Vasilokonstantaki Ms Vasilokonstantaki joins us from London where she has been leading a Year 1 teaching team and working closely with the Early Years staff. A Masters graduate from University College London, Ms Vasilokonstantaki is joining her partner here in Ecuador and is very much looking forward to continuing her teaching career at BSQ. She will also be keen to look for opportunities to continue the community links she has built up in London and, as a keen cyclist, explore Ecuador on her bike. 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. Robert Taylor, Ms. Claire Ngwenya and Year 9 students in Secondary. Mr. Robert Taylor – Secondary English Teacher As we draw towards the end of another academic year, it’s easy to imagine that things at BSQ are winding down; in fact, it’s been one of the most action-packed few weeks we’ve had all year! A couple of weeks ago I assisted our year 11 students with securing work experience placements with local organisations, and it was wonderful to hear about the many rewarding, exciting and challenging work placements that they undertook. It was heartening to hear about them being given so much responsibility, and so much opportunity to get involved with real, meaningful work. I know that many of them came back with clearer ideas of what they want to do with their lives after school (and, in some cases, what they don’t want to do, which is also a very valuable lesson to learn at this time), and this enthusiasm fed into some wonderful social enterprise projects during Enterprise Week. Approaching the final week of the school year, it certainly feels like a time to celebrate achievements and successes, but also to prepare for next steps, and to ensure that next year is an even more successful one. Even though I won’t be there to see it first hand, I sincerely hope that next year each and every student builds on all that they’ve achieved this year, and gets the rewards that their hard work deserves. Ms. Claire Ngwenya – Secondary Maths Teacher In Y8 this week, the students have been doing a creative project, building models of The Globe theatre. This is to develop their understanding of scale drawing and scale models in maths, and also to link with BSQ’s Shakespeare season (for example, the English lessons where Y8 have been studying Shakespeare, and the school plays of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet). Year 9 Students – Secondary Play Being in the play was a fun experience. Of course, it was a lot of hard work. The rehearsals were very tiring since a lot of them were after school and on Saturdays, but I believe it was all worth it in the end. Mr. Wild was a great director along with Anabella. They both had fantastic ideas about the play. The actors were all very well chosen because everyone put in all their efforts to portray their character perfectly and smoothly. The idea for the characters to be wizards was really funny and creative. Thanks to the backstage helpers, everything was smooth and pretty much perfect. I believe that the play was a complete success. -Felipe Rodríguez During the three days of the play the actors gave their best effort and that was clearly shown on stage. You could tell all the actors were determined to act as well as possible. The backstage crew also did an amazing job, even though they didn’t act. The way the play was portrayed was excellent as it was a classical story with a fun twist. Overall the play was very impressive and I believe we’re all looking forward to next year’s play. -Emilio Sisa Dates for your Diary June 25th & 26th – Primary Production: Macbeth June 27th – Awards Ceremony and Y6 Graduation June 28th – Year 13 Graduation August 22nd – First day of classes for IB students August 26th – First day of classes for Year 7 August 27th – First day of classes for Years 3 – 11 August 28th – First day of classes for Years 1 and 2 September 2nd – First day of classes for Reception September 3rd – First day of classes for Nursery Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update It is with great pride that I write our final Primary Newsletter of this academic year and the end of my first year at The British School Quito. I knew before I came to Ecuador that the school and its students had a great reputation for learning, caring and determination but my expectations have been surpassed by my experiences here at BSQ. As parents, you should be extremely proud of your children, as we are of them as students; they never cease to amaze the staff here in their curiosity, passion for learning and caring attitude towards each other. As we move towards the end of the year and say goodbye to both teachers and students, we should all spend a little time reflecting on our successes and what we have achieved together as a team. I would like to say a personal thank you to all the dedicated staff here at BSQ and wish all those leaving the best of good fortune and happiness in their new adventures. This week we have a range of activities and celebrations, starting with the Year 6 performance of Macbeth on Tuesday and Wednesday evening at 6:45pm here at school. This will a wonderful way for the Year 6 students to demonstrate their personal and academic achievements this year and you are all welcome to attend. On Thursday it is the End of Year Award Ceremony, with many of our students being nominated for awards – more details to follow about this event. On Thursday afternoon we will host the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony at 2pm and on Friday will officially say goodbye to the Year 6 students as they move on to Secondary. Please note that school will finish at 12pm on Friday, with only snack being served in the morning. I hope to see many of you over this week to say goodbye personally – if you are unable to come into school for any of these events, please enjoy the long summer holiday and I hope you get time to relax and send time with family and friends before returning at the end of August, all refreshed and ready for the challenges ahead! Star of the Week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update The Last Week The last week in Secondary is packed with activity. After the Rewards Trip on Monday (well done everyone!), there's a staff v student sports tournament; on Tuesday and Wednesday the students have full-on classes where they will receive their exam grades and, more importantly, feedback, and where they will be given any work they need to do over the long summer break. On Thursday we have both the end of year Awards Ceremony (super-smart appearance please) and the House Sports Day (so bring House/PE kit to change into); and on Friday, we have our farewell assembly to say goodbye to those members of our community who are leaving. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about how to keep children safe during the holidays.
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May 2024
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