WelcomeThis is a short week as we celebrate the Independence of Guayaquil on Friday – alongside a well-deserved rest following a very busy and successful term so far. This week our secondary students have been responding to the PASS survey (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School) and from this we will be able to see where they feel very positive about things and where we can work to support them to feel more positive. It is no surprise to hear that there has been a considerable rise in concerns about the wellbeing of young people all over the world following on from the events of last year. In some countries it is being referred to as a ‘mental health crisis.’ Here at BSQ we are always working to ensure that our students have routes to talk about how they are feeling and that our curriculum enables them to have a strong understanding of themselves and their place in the world. Our doors are also always open to you as parents to share any concerns you may have. There is a popular phrase ‘sharing is caring’ and when it comes to our wellbeing nothing is closer to the truth. If you need us, please reach out. Dorapy Dear Families, We are very excited to reintroduce you to a member of staff who we will be welcoming again to BSQ this week. Dora is a 7 year-old dog who is going to become a Social Emotional Learning Mentor to some of our secondary students. Below we have set out the benefits of a school dog, and tried to address concerns you may have. What are the benefits of having a school dog?
Some concerns you might have: My child is allergic to dogs:
Will Dora be properly cared for?
My child is scared of dogs
We hope you will join us in welcoming Dora back to the British School Quito family and embrace all that she has to offer the school. More information about this can be requested to Ms. Sofia Leon Garcia, our counselor at [email protected] If you have any concerns regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us. Virtual Open Days We are inviting potential families who have children 3 - 16 who are not yet enrolled at BSQ to join us in interactive sessions 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:
Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Our student council met for the first time just over a week ago and their first collaborative task was to look at the Student Guide to the BSQ Values that was created before the pandemic. As you know, we use our school values as a driver for many of the learning opportunities we undertake here and explicitly refer to them when speaking with the students about their progress and personal development. The student council were asked to expand on each of our value statements and suggest ways we could incorporate them more into our daily lives. For instance, our first value statement is: We live and learn together with respect and care for each other. They expanded on the concept of respect by encouraging us all to:
Our students expanded on the concept of care by encouraging us all to:
If you have any suggestions or comments to support us in creating a respectful and caring community, please do let us know – we are always open to new ideas and want to involve the students and parents as much as possible in the development of the school. Please keep in mind the following House dates for KS2 this year
This week we have the Early Years Open Day for prospective new families at 4pm on Wednesday, followed by the Key Stage One and Two Open Day at 4pm on Thursday. Friday is a school holiday – I hope you and your family enjoy the long weekend! Marcus Madden Head of Primary EYFS + KS1 Spanish In Reception the students are learning the parts of the body, pre-writing and painting. See some of the work they did. In Year 1 the students are learning the vowels, the alphabet and they are writing their first words with ma, me, mi, mo, mu, pa, pe, pi, po, pu. In Year 2 Spanish, the students are learning the syllables to write and read sentences. They’re also reading short stories to recognize the characters, plot and setting of a story. In Sociales the students learned the importance of the family and the school. Now they’re learning what a community is, their characteristics and types. KS2 Spanish Y5A and Y5B students learned to distinguish non-verbal from verbal communication and its importance. Non-Verbal language was emphasized using signs, gestures, sounds, and images. Year 5 also studied the origin of the Braille system and did a project to create messages using this system. They quite enjoyed it! Ms. Ana Espinosa – Spanish Teacher Sociales in Y6 In year 6 in Social studies we are learning about the birth of Ecuador, its first constitution and its formation as a republic. We are also learning about social classes, in which there were very marked differences, therefore we pretend that students belonged to one of the subordinate classes and the way of protesting was through graffiti against the dominant class as were the Creoles. Mr. Oscar Being BSQ – Secondary Update Adjusting Once again we have had a fabulous week at school. It is a time when we inevitably review how are students are settling in academically and socially. You will recall I am sure my commitment last year to tread extremely carefully with the transition from online to face-to-face and blended learning. Our students and staff have had to endure much over the last 18 months, and adjusting can be troublesome for some. We have a wonderful team here at BSQ and the tutor system and other support specialists are really focused on wellbeing and this transition. Each year our youngest students have to navigate a period of unsettlement as they get used to a far different approach to education and the expectations placed on them as they move from Primary to Secondary, and we are experiencing this right now. On Wednesday last week, as a team, we have reviewed all students in year 7 and their progress so far, and on the whole this is really positive. There are always things that need to be brought to the forefront with reminders, to students and parents. This is to refocus our advice and ensure that everyone is on the same page. I am pleased to announce that Miss. Todd, our Senior Leader in charge of Living (pastoral matters) and Miss. Leon our Psychologist will be addressing parents of year 7 in the next week or so about these matters. I am also aware that Mrs. Moors and Mr. Bowles are working super hard in supporting them on a day-to-day basis. On a wider note all students in Secondary have sat the PASS survey this week which is aimed at analyzing views about learning and the attitude to learning at our school. Usually this is done once a year at the end so that as a leadership team we can review this. I am pleased that we are able this year to complete the test at the beginning of the year and at the end. This will allow us to react to student views at the beginning to seek improvement where required and of course check progress and consider the impact of our actions. We enjoyed our first Rewards and Recognition assembly on Friday and there were numerous recipients of subject awards and values awards. I am please this year that we are now nominating and agreeing values awards through our student council. I feel that there is super strength and meaning in students receiving these from their peers. We are also looking to develop a wider range of awards this year to reflect our wider curriculum. As I mentioned last week we are looking at developing and improving our enrichment provision across the whole school. Mr. Madden and I met this week with the new coordinator to initiate early activity in planning for the next term, identifying a new vision and writing a new whole school policy. In two weeks we will then start planning around some short, medium and long term goals. Our students via the student council have already been involved with this process and you as parents need to have the opportunity to have a say and express your views and needs. Nothing is off the table right now so do please when asked express your views and expectations. The parent survey is one of the first things we need to do. On Thursday Mrs. Montenegro presented an information event for year 12 parents on the IB curriculum to enable more understanding. We are focusing on year 13 next with some work around aspiration and determination. They have a difficult few months ahead and it is critical that we give them all a supportive push in the right direction as they start to approach dreams and next steps. On Monday the Secondary School is hosting the Ministry vaccination drive and all students over the age of 12 who have not received a vaccine will be offered one. A reminder that work will be set for the day as there will be no lessons. Also, we are taking the opportunity to get all year 7 students together for the day with a focus on fun and togetherness. I hope to see everyone here together for the day. Finally, and again it gives me great pleasure to close with some amazing achievements seen with our very talented students José, Y11, for participating in COSAT (South American Tennis Tournaments) tournaments in the 16-year-old category at the Jacarandá Club, he was runner up in the doubles. I know how hard he has worked with his Tennis and all whilst balancing his learning at this critical time. Well done for your success from all of us at BSQ. Maria Verónica was part of the Arena Quito team in beach volleyball and her duo finished on the 6th place in the general competition. The tournament took place in Esmeraldas City, on Las Palmas beach on 18 and 19 of September. This was a large event with many entries and her achievements are well deserved. Again, we send you our congratulations. And finally, we are all very proud of Rafaella who won the championship at the recent Provincial Figure Skating Competition. We have previously reported on her success and it is wonderful news that she has finally made it to the top spot Year 10B 10B have had a great start to this academic year. The class are full of enthusiastic characters and teachers regularly commend them on being a hardworking and fun group. We have quite a few students at home but myself and Miss Cano are always impressed by the commitment to study shown by students working at home. We all heard the wonderful news that Rafaella obtained first place in the provincial figure skating competition, she won the gold medal with a very good score! Well done Rafaella! Congratulations also goes to Alejandro and Felipe, who were elected as student council representatives for 10B. In form time it is always fun and Miss Cano always provides thought provoking questions for everyone to debate. Tutor time are a good time for us to discuss important issues but also to have fun. Last week we celebrated September birthdays. We are really looking forward to seeing how the students develop and progress, both academically and personally, across the school year. Mr. Colin Parkinson, Ms. Valeria Cano – Y10B Tutors Have a wonderful week everyone.
Lee Moors Head of Secondary
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May 2024
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