WelcomeLiving I can hardly believe it is February already. Seeing pictures of snow in the UK last week reminded me again how lucky we are to enjoy blue skies and sunshine every day. What a difference that makes to the general happiness around the campus where children can play outside every day and we can make the most of our beautiful environment for learning and living activities. However, it can be all too easy to forget that the sun also presents us with some daily challenges that we are working hard to ensure that everyone is aware of. Each day our school doctor, Fernanda Ávalos, publishes the UV warning from the INAMHI data website so that we know how to take care of our community. You can also check this at home before leaving for school here We do have some basic guidelines in place for students that I would like to remind you of.
A suggestion in the parent survey was that we have a long-sleeved polo shirt in primary and a long-sleeved shirt in secondary as an optional part of the uniform. This is certainly something that we will be responding to and adding to our uniform list for 2019-2020. Parent survey. As promised, I want to share with you some of the outcomes from the parent survey. I’d like to start with sharing and celebrating the areas where you all feel we are succeeding and flourishing. Of course, when reviewing surveys we look at the 1. Our School Values We live and learn together with respect and care for each other We live and learn with a happy and welcoming attitude to everyone We live and learn with an active and determined approach to our ambition These values are what underpin all our actions here at BSQ and we have worked hard over the last 18 months to ensure that these are clear to everyone. I was very pleased to see the outcome from the parent survey that confirmed these values as how BSQ works. Last Wednesday I met with a group of parents interested in the CIS accreditation process and after a briefing and overview, we spent some time looking at how our values guide us and also (because we are always looking for ways to develop further) what else we can do to embed them into school life. The following were some key suggestions that were made:
Again, a quick reminder to send us any achievements – sport, music, robotics, drama etc – that you and your children would like to celebrate. We love to see them and like to share the exciting news on our Facebook page. Learning On Friday January 25th Mr Taylor and I took the secondary student council to the National Assembly to take part in the Holocaust Memorial. We watched a film about the events that led up to and included the Holocaust itself and we heard from Ambassadors about the lasting impact and legacy of those years and how we can all work together to ensure it can never happen again. We also proudly watched as one of our own students read to the gathered assembly before a survivor lit a candle in memory and hope. Mrs. Harcourt visit to BSQ Sylvia Harcourt visited the year 12 biology students to share her experiences working as a field researcher in Rwanda and the Galápagos. Sylvia described the tense moment when she was accepted into a group of gorillas by the silverback, and divulged her secret for catching Galápagos mockingbirds: peanut butter.
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 Cannon and Year 12 in Secondary and from Mr Oliver Kyle and the Y5 students in Primary. Mr. Joshua Cannon - PE Teacher This year in PE we have been doing a lot of fun things. From activities like dance and yoga with IB students to football and fitness with KS3 and KS4. The main goal of the PE curriculum is to introduce a variety of activities so the students will have plenty of opportunities and knowledge in order to keep themselves active and healthy as they grow older. Last week, our IGCSE PE students in Year 10 began their training for cross-country as one of the 4 activities they will complete over the next 2 years. Some of them were finding the 1km run a bit difficult, but I'm sure by the time they have to do the full 3km or 4km run in May they'll look like professional marathon runners. Mr. Oliver Kyle - Year 5 Teacher Fundación Cambugan Trip and The Bake Sale. It’s been a great start to the Spring Term that’s seen year 5 embark on a new topic, focusing on the Inca as well as heading into new concepts in Maths, Science, PSHE and different genres in Literacy. One particular event that shines brightly in the recent happenings of our class was our trip to Fundación Cambugan’s Eco Farm in Pintag. This trip was original planned for the last week of term but due to certain circumstances, had to be postponed. Fundacion Cambugan had already visited the school last term; talking to the children about their work in the Cambugan watershed area and about ways we could live with – and not against – the beautiful eco-systems here, in Ecuador. The school visit was a real success but the trip to the farm surpassed all our expectations. Fundacion Cambugan not only taught the children about how the eco farm worked but also took them on an engaging nature walk, where the children learnt about the different flora and fauna of the region. We ate lunch and played for a short while in a partly shaded valley by the farm – it was pretty much perfect. The day finished with each of the children planting a tree, which will become part of the local ecosystem and hopefully provide shelter for some of the returning wildlife of the area. Bake Sale – Year 5 also played a significant role in creating and helping organise the recent Bake Sale. This was a Student Council event but the posters were all made by Year 5, who also contributed to the setting up of the event on the day, as well as the clearing up of it. We raised just over $500 and because of our efforts – ours and yours – and although all the money was originally ear marked for new cushions, we now also have enough to purchase new books for the library. We look forward to future such events that create an opportunity for the whole BSQ community to work together for a common, positive cause. Dates for your Diary February 5th - Kevin McNeany visiting February 6th - Open Day 2 February 7th - Y1 trip to airport February 9th - Working Saturday. Secondary PT conferences and iGCSE Workshop February 13th - Secondary reward trip February 15th and 16th - Women and Leadership: Enabling Voices Conference at Cotopaxi February 22nd. - Healthy Eating with Michelle O.Fried March 4th - Carnival holiday week Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateOn Saturday 9th February we have our annual Sports Day for Reception to Year 6, between 9am and 12pm. More details will be sent out later in the week, though expect lots of running, jumping and catching! The students will need to wear their House T-shirts and PE kit, hats and lots of sunscreen. At BSQ we place a great deal of emphasis on our three school values:
Last week in our two Key Stage assemblies we focused on happiness and how we can make our school a happy and welcoming place to learn and play. To help achieve this, one of the most important things we focus on with our students is developing strong, lasting relationships with their peers and adults alike. One essential component to help them build these connections, both now and later in life, is mastering the art of empathy, because it is empathy, more than anything else, that helps us relate, respond to and connect with others. Here are some tips, based on the latest research, for how to increase empathy in our children:
With the change in weather we have experienced a higher rate of sickness than normal, particularly amongst the younger students. We have continued to deep clean all the classrooms, equipment and resources, paying particular attention to the toilets and the canteen. We are also encouraging the students to wash their hands regularly with soap and teaching them about hygiene and preventing sickness. Please do continue to monitor your child’s health and keep them at home if they show recent symptoms of vomiting or diarrhoea. Finally, here at BSQ we really value the teacher-parent partnership and the opportunities for meaningful communication that directly affects the students’ development and education. Please do continue to directly contact your child’s teachers here at BSQ with any concerns or questions you have – they are best placed to clarify anything in the first instance before they ask myself or Mrs Newman about anything they are unsure of. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Inspiration On Friday morning, as part of our third Rewards and Recognition assembly of the year. we were once again reminded of the extraordinary things being done every day by our amazing students at BSQ. Carlos Abrill and Juan Jose Andrade talked us through the work they have been doing supporting and collecting donations for Venezuelan refugee families experiencing hard times. Matías Rosero and Ricardo Calderón related their experiences of training and competing in both national and international triathlon events; Sofia Lofredo and Victoria Proaño spoke enthusiastically about the group of children in Nayon to whom they have been teaching English; and Martin Anhalzer amazed us with pictures and narrative of his adventures in learning to fly. We are immensely proud to work with such an inspirational group of young people. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about helping teenagers adjust after separation.
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WelcomeLiving Parent survey. Last week we received the collated outcomes from the BSQ parent survey you completed before the Christmas break. Thank you to the 125 parents who took the time to respond. Even though this was only 1/3 of our parent population, there was still a great deal of information we can use to both celebrate our successes and strive to ensure that we secure an even better provision than ever for our families. Over the next few newsletters I will share some of the outcomes with you and explore the responses that we will be making as a school. Just a quick reminder to send us any achievements – sport, music, robotics, drama, etc. – that you and your children would like to celebrate. We love to see them and like to share the exciting news on our Facebook page. On Friday last week our primary student council held a bake sale with the interesting title - ‘Cakes for Cushions!’ Their aim was to raise money to provide some extra cushions of their own choice for the reading corners and the library. It is brilliant to see the students leading activities based on their own ideas and understanding about what would benefit the school as a whole. Well done primary student council – good to see organisers and supporters from every year group. Learning Last week all our secondary students took their Quimestre 1 exams and there was a very focused approach to these across the school. Exams become a more important part of students’ lives as they get older and are one of the ways in which knowledge is tested, skills are assessed, and future employers and universities can make decisions about offering work or course placements. Of course, exams are certainly not the only way in which schools assess the successful development of students and at BSQ we also place value on the way in which students develop as people. When I write references for students applying to summer schools or universities, I place equal emphasis on their ability to communicate, to listen, to share, to participate and to care as I do on their academic performance. All these elements of a rounded personality are important for a BSQ student. 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 Taylor (physics) and Year 9 in Secondary and from Mrs Katerina Taylor and the Y3 students in Primary. Mr. Taylor – Secondary Physics Teacher Since our return from the Christmas break most of my science classes have been continuing to work diligently through their various courses with one eye on the Quimestre tests and, in the case of Year 11, the mock IGCSE exams. The year 13’s, however, have been undertaking their physics Internal Assessment which involves planning and carrying out a practical investigation, analysing the results and producing a scientific report to explain their findings. Topics of investigation have included the solar system, wind turbines, light emitting diodes (LED’s), propellers and earthquakes. It has been very interesting to observe the variety of ways that the students have chosen to approach their area of research. Another exciting development in the department has been the start of the primary enrichment Science Club. Our science technician, Priscila Merino, and I have been delighted with the enthusiasm shown by our small band of year 5 students. In our first session we learned how to use a microscope and how to prepare slides. The students had great fun looking at a variety of materials that they had collected from the garden. Two pictures taken through the microscope are shown below. Can you tell what they are? This week we learned how to build a simple circuit with a motor to power “scribblebots” which we made out of tins, pens and plenty of Sellotape. These were initially used to draw nice patterns but it was not long before the students realised more fun was to be had playing “Robot Wars”! Year 9 Students Mrs. Katerina Taylor – Year 3 Teacher Year 3 have been learning all about the Ancient Egyptians. Over the last few weeks we have learnt about hieroglyphs, Ancient Egyptian homes and some key events in their history. The children have learnt a difficult skill, understanding what BC and AD mean. This concept can be confusing at times and they worked together to create a giant timeline so they could physically lay out the years leading to 0, and the years following it. They are looking forward to learning more about Ancient Egypt, and I think most excited about learning the process of mummification! Dates for your Diary January 30th - Parent CIS meeting. 8am in the library January 30th - Year 10 DofE trip to Chaquiñan January 31st - Year 10 DofE trip to Ilaló January 31st - Parent information session about the Sailing trip to Mallorca. 3:30pm in the library Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update After observing our students throughout the week, during their lessons and break times, it is clear that many of them have a clear purpose and focus for their learning and play. This is particularly evident with our youngest learners; they show great determination and effort when designing and building a tall tower from construction materials, acting out a transaction at the shop or climbing up a new part of the playground equipment. How we nurture and develop this determination is more difficult to quantify. One way we can support their development in this area is by encouraging them to set reasonable expectations and then celebrate with them when they make progress towards their goals. Our students need to hear us say that making an effort, working hard and planning ahead are important. Equally, we must teach them that making mistakes is both natural and actually desirable, since we learn from these mistakes and improve our technique or method the next time we attempt the same activity. Our students must also be encouraged to understand that sometimes they must struggle with learning tasks from time to time, seeking support and advice from around them and working towards their long-term goal. Through this process, the feeling of accomplishment they get will lead to bigger and better accomplishments in the future! On Friday the Student Council hosted their ‘Cakes for Cushions’ Bake Sale, which was a huge success. It was refreshing to see our youngest students interacting with our oldest students, uniting in a common cause. The Student Council organised the whole event and should be extremely proud of their achievements! Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update IBDP and IGCSE Extra Support Programme Naturally we do everything in our power, every working day, to ensure the success and the happiness of our students. Sometimes though, a little extra help is needed. And even though they are still over three months away, the IGCSE and IBDP final assessments are very much in the minds of our Year 11 and Year 13 students respectively. From Monday 4th February, we will be initiating our Extra Support Programme for these students. This begins with personalised feedback on mock exam outcomes, and the publication of detailed study guides and study planning, helping students makes the best use of their free time over the next few months to study the knowledge and skills that will make a difference. In addition, there will be extra timetabled lessons, for groups and for individuals, both during and after school, as well as less formal drop-in study clubs to which all are welcome. We are also well aware of the emotional strain that students find themselves under during these times. This year we will be introducing an exam session Life and Study Skills course: five classes for students on how to deal with exam stress, procrastination, time-management, motivation and lack of focus. These will be led by our school psychologist, Ms Andrea Carrera, who will also be holding a separate workshop for parents on how they can support their children in these matters. More details on the full programme will be published this week. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling TeamThis week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, gives some guidance on Internet Safety
WelcomeLiving Last week Mr Ashfield and I were really excited to host a meeting about our first Orbital joint overseas trip. 26 families joined us to hear about some of the elements of the historical and cultural trip taking place in June this year. This is a very exciting development in terms of our relationships with the other Orbital schools and I am looking forward to seeing our first group of students head out to meet new friends and discover new places. We also held our PA meeting for class representatives last week and spent time exploring the outcomes of the Bonfire Night, the results of the PA survey, plans for Family Funday and the role of the class representatives alongside the proposals for a new framework for the school and the PA to work together with continued success in the years to come. Feedback will come to you all through the class representatives over the coming week. With thanks as always to the parent team for their ongoing support and enthusiasm for the school. Learning Every day students all around BSQ are working hard to develop their skills in all areas of the curriculum and their efforts are recognised in several ways. In the primary school students can collect house points which are celebrated in assemblies. They can also collect marbles as a class and this contributes to a group reward which the students are able to help choose. So far Year 5 have celebrated their teamwork and support for each other with a non-uniform day and other classes are busy talking about how to celebrate theirs. Of course, as you can see below each week, primary students are also rewarded with Star of the Week Certificates for excellent work or support of our school values. In the secondary school students also gain house points for excellent effort, work or demonstrating our school values. After each partial they are also awarded certificates by the subject teachers for excellence and endeavour and the BSQ Values award is given to someone who has demonstrated a welcoming attitude, care for others and high ambitions throughout the term. A reward trip twice a year also recognises those students who consistently do well in all these areas. Rewards are important but it is also important to have an intrinsic motivation to do well- to do better than you did last time. One of the things that can create this personal motivation is when your efforts are recognised in small ways such as a well done or a comment in a book about improvement. Parents can also play a part in this be taking to children about what they have been working on and how they feel they have improved. As always, school and home, working together, support the development of all students as they face the challenges of new learning and new skills. 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 Taylor and Year 13 in Secondary and from Ms Mitchell and the nursery students in Early Years. Mr. Rob Taylor – Secondary English Teacher Over the last couple of weeks, some students in year 9 have had the chance to get out of the classroom during English lessons, and spend time creating their own mini-films of scenes adapted from the novela, Of Mice and Men. Whilst it is quite a fun, creative way of showing their learning about the plot and the characters of the novela, the students are also showing off their analytical skills as they think critically about how their film will look on screen, making use of props, costume, camera angles, facial expressions, settings, and so much more. It is always a pleasure to teach this group of students, and it has been wonderful to see them flexing their creative muscles with so much focus and enthusiasm. Keep up the hard work! Ms. Tracey & Mr. Alejandro – Nursery A In Nursery we have been focusing on one to one correspondence during number time. This is teaching your children the skill of basic counting. Over the last few weeks we have played a variety of games to encourage this in a fun way. We made snakes out of pasta, used coloured pins to match numbers and have sang a variety of number songs. You can bring counting into everything you do. For example: How many socks do you have? ¨ ¨How many pieces of apple? ¨ ¨How many blue cars can you see? ¨ By bringing counting into your everyday language, you can support your children with their early Mathematical skills and make it fun! Dates for your Diary January 24th - Year 5 trip to Pintag Eco Farm January 25th - Student Council Bake Sale, 1pm-2:30pm. January 25th - Secondary Student Council Holocaust Victims Memorial trip to Einstein School. January 30th - Parent CIS meeting. 8am in the library January 30th - 31st - Year 10 DofE trip to Chaquiñan Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update On Saturday the Primary students enjoyed participating in our Art activities, learning new artistic techniques and practising their art skills. It is evident that there are lots of budding artists out there, developing the hand-eye coordination and making informed choices about colours, styles and tone. As part of our Behaviour Policy here at BSQ, we often use the word choice, particularly with the younger students. We focus on their actions, not the person, perhaps using words like ‘You made a poor choice’ or ‘You chose to … rather than …’ This then leads into a discussion about making better, more informed choices in the future, linked to the consequences of their actions on themselves and others. This strategy is also useful when you want to encourage your child to make positive choices at home. According to many specialists, giving children choices is more effective than making demands, particularly if you explain the reasons for the choices. For instance, you might offer two choices, both acceptable to you, for the vegetable they eat at dinner, or allow them to decide when to do their homework, between now or in fifteen minutes. Of course, it is advisable never to give choices that might cause you a problem and if they are unable to make a choice, you may make it for them, explaining why. Linked to this, we have introduced ‘Canteen Star’ rewards to celebrate when students make informed choices in the Canteen and display our school values. These rewards have been introduced in our assemblies to the students, with the students discussing and explaining how using good manners improves the lunchtime experience for all our community. Please ask your child about this new initiative and see if they have been awarded a Canteen Star. Star of the weekMarcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary UpdateOn Saturday, we had a workshop for, and meetings with, the parents and students of Year 13. Some of these families have been a part of this community for a short time, and yet engage enthusiastically as though they have been part of it for years, and there are other who have been with this school for many years, and continue to show their complete support. In the cases of Gaby Trillo, Yosmari García and Miguel Ángel Durán, they are families who have seen two of their children graduate already from BSQ, and are this year experiencing this for the third and final time. Parents like these, who have been with us so long, and have been so involved over so many years, could be forgiven for thinking they know it all by now. But still they come, still they ask the question: how can we help? It was terrific to see so many parents here on Saturday. I don't think I've seen a bigger turn-out for a single year group in my time at BSQ. With parents like you in the community, committed to supporting the growth, success and happiness of our students, your children, I feel a great sense of hope that we can continue to achieve great things. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling TeamThis week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about how to handle biting, bullies and other bad behaviours.
WelcomeLiving What an exciting first full week we had. As always, the time is flying by and the fun of being at school is tangible for staff and students alike. On Wednesday Ms Molina launched our second term of enrichment activities and what an amazing array there is to choose from again. From water-colour painting, pottery and theatre puppets to dance club, science club and swimming in Primary. From chess club, MUN and world explorers to wrestling club, volleyball and music covers in Secondary – to name just a few from the selection. We also of course have our whole school clubs – eco club and circuit training - where our primary and secondary students can come together and get to know each other. I wish I was a student; but I will be running the study club. Also, this term rehearsals will start for our school plays in Y6 and in Secondary. It seems there will be something of a Shakespeare influence running through the school this year with Y6 taking on Macbeth and secondary students auditioning for roles in Romeo and Juliet. This Wednesday we will be holding a Parent Representative meeting for all the class reps in the library at 08:00 on Wednesday January 16th. The purpose is to explore the outcomes from the survey set by the PA at the end of the school year last year. A full report will be shared with all the families following this meeting. To continue our parent links, on Wednesday 30th January at 08:00, I invite all parents to join me for an information session and workshop linked to our CIS accreditation process. As you know we will be hosting the CIS team in May this year as the final part of our journey towards our 5-year reaccreditation. Following the successful preparation visit in March last year, we are all looking to having our successes and progress recognised. The benefits of being part of a group like CIS are important to us all as a school. For example, CIS have 733 member schools representing 116 countries and this provides a rich source of support and information for us as educators. Most importantly, being an accredited member of CIS demonstrates to those outside the school that we have met a rigorous set of standards of excellence in diverse areas such as curriculum, teaching, well-being, safeguarding, training and community engagement. In addition, when our graduating students are applying for places at universities, those universities will recognize the importance of being a CIS school with a strong educational philosophy and a clear purpose. Our journey to re-accreditation involves a great deal of work for many members of the school community and is something we will treasure with pride when achieved. Please do come and find out more on January 30th. Learning Last week we welcomed Karl Wilkinson our Regional Head of Schools from Orbital to BSQ. He spent a lot of time in our classrooms enjoying seeing the learning first hand. He commented that: This term our primary school students are studying a topic called How have important historical figures and civilizations contributed to our world today? This means that such exciting areas as the Romans, the Incas, the Greeks, the Egyptians, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong are filling our classrooms with fascination and new learning for the children. Remember to ask them about their learning and support them to continue their interest at home. From the Staff and StudentsWelcome back to our teachers and their stories about learning in the classroom this term. First we hear from Mr Ashfield and Year 10 in Secondary and from Ms Backhouse and Year 4 in Primary. Mr. John Ashfield – Secondary Teacher It can always be difficult starting the January term knowing that the excitement of Christmas is now behind us but I have been thrilled to see the positivity amongst the students this first full week back. The students have been picking their enrichments for the rest of term and from a personal standpoint I am excited to see the team we assemble this term for Model United Nations and I am sure whoever they are they will continue to do us all proud in conference. The Budapest trip seems to be gathering steam with lots of pupils keen to go on what will be for many their first international school trip and I look forward to seeing many of you in the meeting next week. Many students will be busy revising with the Quimestre exams fast approaching it has been really exciting to see just how much work and study the students did over the holiday and are continuing with this week and all of this is going on alongside normal lessons this week which can only be a good sign of things to come. It promises to be a fantastic term here at BSQ. Year 10 students Since the beginning of the academic year the students in Year 10 at BSQ have been learning what they need to know to pass their IGCSE’s. At the end of Year 11 they will take exams and their results will become the first set of official qualifications that potential employers will look at and admissions tutors will scrutinise, so they matter. We hope that all our students in Year 10 will be striving to attain A* and A grades. However, achieving these top grades will take some skilful planning and a lot of hard work. Finding the right revision technique is essential with so many different subjects to revise for at once. Over the last two weeks the students in Year 10 have been learning about SMART targets and how to plan their time wisely. They have been busy revising for the Quimestre exams here is what some of them have to say about being in Year 10: “Year 10! IGCSE’s! With just hearing this, some people freak out, like me. But as the year went on, I felt more capable of achieving what I couldn’t before. For the moment, I am finding ways to study creatively, and I am really enjoying the subjects, although they are a little difficult.” Alegría Guerra “The small and mostly insignificant tasks we thought they were in KS3 now have become immense responsibilities that we carry around daily, and this is only the beginning.” Maite Peñaherrera “There is a time when you reach the point where you need to put a lot more effort to get a better grade; The effort that you do would be reflected in the future scores of your test, this means that if you want the best grade you need to study harder and in a conscientious way. You need to find your weaknesses and study for them because your weaknesses would affect your test.” Mateo Almendariz “I will study 1 hour a day every day even the weekends. I will also study more for the subjects I´m worst at and study more for those that I am bad at.” Patricio De La Cruz “It is that time of the year, where Quimestre exams and stress are around the corner. In Year 10, the exams mean a lot to us because it is the first time our grades are going to influence in our IGCSE score. Making us face academic challenges and giving up is not an option. Wish us good luck.” Arianna Maldonado “This year being 3 years away from graduating, it starts the biggest challenge in school which are exams. They can stress you out or scare you but every time you have got to do your best to pass. The best way to prepare for them are to take notes on your classes so you don’t lose anything and you have every material to study, also you should start studying at the start of the year 30 min everyday so when the tests or exams come you will not need to study 5-7 hours a week.” Felix Lopez “This year has been a new and challenging experience, we are truly aware of what is to come, the scary reality of life, when our grades have mattered more than ever. We feel the pressure on our shoulders to do better and strive to be the best we can while keeping a balance with everything else. The gap between now and our exams closes everyday places on top of us anxiety and nerves unless we are prepared.” Arturo Chiriboga “If you want to go to a good university you have to study a lot, so do not lose your time playing Fortnite or any video games, when you have vacations you will have time to play them, study because in the future you will be regretful.” Jorge Zorzo “For me mind maps are the most effective study technique, only you need to be cautious to not write everything but the key things.” Silas Tapia “I recommend you to take seriously the years 10 and 11 it will determine your professionalism and your future years’ life style.” Nicolas Orellana “Year 10 it’s not easy but if you work hard enough you can achieve anything and make a lot of friends.” Kaia Espinosa “Year 10 is the year where you face academic challenges and you might reach a point where you want to give up, nevertheless you have your friends and teachers to support you. It seems difficult in the beginning but it gets easier over time. It’s great to have new topics to learn about, as they increase your knowledge and give you experiences that will last for a lifetime.” Mayra Alsharaf Good luck to all the students in Year 10! From your Tutors, Mrs Madden and Mr Cannon Ms. Lauren Backhouse – Year 4 Teacher Year 4 have started off the new term by writing mystery stories that are set in a circus. We have designed a poster for a circus, made some trapeze artist and even had a go on some stilts. When we read some mystery stories, we noticed that they use short sentences to create suspense as well as using lots of description that appeals to the reader's senses. Over the next few weeks we are going to write our own mystery stories and try to include all of these features. Dates for your Diary January 14th – KS1 Assembly. 1pm. January 15th - Meeting for parents interested in the Budapest trip (Years 7-13) January 16th – Parent meeting to reflect on survey outcomes. 8am in the library January 16th – KS2 Assembly. 9:30am. January 17th– PLT meeting at 3:30pm January 19th – Early Years Sign to Learn Workshop. 9am-9:45am in the library January 19th – Art Morning: 8:30-12:30pm for teachers, 9am-12pm for students. January 24th – Year 5 rearranged trip to Pintag January 25th - Secondary Student Council Holocaust Victims Memorial trip to Einstein School. January 30th - Parent CIS meeting. 8am in the library Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateA full week of the new term has passed and I am extremely pleased with the way that our students have returned to school, ready and willing to learn, take risks by trying new things and challenging themselves to be even better. However, it is noticeable how many students are finding the early starts difficult to get used to. This reminded me about the importance of sleep in our daily routines and the impact a good night’s sleep has on our development, resilience and ability to focus and concentrate on a task. A lack of good-quality sleep is a huge driver for stress: it has a negative effect on memory, concentration, cognitive function and decision-making. One of the fastest ways to improve sleep – for all of us – is to limit screen time before bed. The type of blue light emitted by digital devices suppresses production of melatonin, the hormone that signals to the body it is time for sleep. In addition, looking at screens before bed keeps us emotionally wired and stimulated, making it harder for us to switch off. It may be difficult to ban the use of technology in your house completely in the evening, but some good advice from the experts is to turn off all devices at least an hour before bedtime. Another suggestion is to insist that everyone in your home uses “night-time mode” on their devices, which swaps the blue light for a warmer glow. It is also worth switching your children’s night lights to red ones – red has the least impact on melatonin production. Of course, having an appropriate routine every night also helps, with time allocated to relaxation, sharing thoughts from the day, reading or listening to music. This Saturday is our next opportunity for the students from Reception to Year 6 to come into school and experience one activity for a whole morning. This time we are focusing on Art, with each class choosing either a famous artist to learn about or a specific technique to master. School will start at 9am and finish at 12pm, with a school snack provided for those who normally have it. All parents are welcome to come at 11:45am to share their child’s learning with them, before going home at 12pm. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Year 13 Parent Workshop As we approach the last few months of Year 13's time at BSQ and the final IB Diploma exams, the pressure, the workload, and the stress they are under will inevitably increase. It is imperative that we all, together, do as much as we possibly can to ensure that they are successful and happy. To this end, we are hosting a workshop at school on the morning of Saturday 19th January at 09:00, where we will discuss both what the students need to do over the next few months, and what parents and teachers need to do to help. This will include study and revision strategies, time-management, and ways to deal with exam stress. In addition, parents will be invited to meet with each of their child's subject teachers individually, to discuss their current progress, and the things they will need to do if they want to reach their full potential. Parents and students should both be in attendance. Dan Hurdle Today we are delighted to welcome our new Art teacher in Secondary, Mr Dan Hurdle. Mr. Hurdle has 13 years of teaching experience in the UK, Malaysia and Vietnam. I'm sure he will prove a great asset to the team. From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about screen time boundaries for children.
Welcome Living Welcome back everyone and I hope that your holidays with family and friends were relaxing and restorative. As always it was wonderful to see the school filling up with the students on Thursday last week. Maybe some of you have made some New Year resolutions to start 2019 with, but if not then I have some excellent ideas for you to be involved in the life of the school as we move forward through this year. This week we are delighted to welcome Karl Wilkinson from Orbital to our school again. Karl first visited us in September and is very much looking forward to joining us again and spending time with our staff and students. On Wednesday next week the PA and I will be hosting an information session for all the class representatives in the library. We will take this opportunity to follow up with the outcomes from the PA survey that 127 families responded to during September last year. On Wednesday 30th January at 08:00, I invite all parents to join me for an information session and workshop linked to our CIS accreditation process. As you know we will be hosting the CIS team in May this year as the final part of our journey towards our 5-year reaccreditation. Following the successful preparation visit in March last year, we are all looking to having our successes and progress recognised. Finally, on a Thursday morning in February (date TBC) we have our first event devised and arranged by the new Ayuda Social commission as part of the PA. Watch this space. Learning This term I am delighted to introduce our new art teacher to you. Daniel Hurdle spent 10 years teaching in the UK and leading the art department at his school in Portsmouth. Recently he has been teaching in Malaysia and Hanoi. Daniel has visited Quito before and is very much looking forward to starting his work with our students and families here at BSQ. Welcome Daniel. This month we come to the end of Quimestre 1 and so all students in the secondary school will be having exams and all parents will receive full written reports reflecting on progress and areas for development. Dates for your Diary January 8th - 11th - Karl Wilkinson visiting from Orbital January 11th – Emotions Workshop – Reception B. 8:15 – 9am January 15th - Meeting for parents interested in the Budapest trip (Years 7-13) January 16th - Parent meeting to reflect on survey outcomes. 8am in the library January 30th - Parent CIS meeting. 8am in the library Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateHappy New Year and welcome back to The British School Quito for what will be an exciting and challenging new term for the students. The tragic event at the end of last year is still fresh in our minds, so we will continue to support the students in any way we can as they come to terms with our community’s shared loss. Of course, a New Year always brings a fresh focus and gives us a chance to review our personal, academic and global goals. This was the focus of our Primary Assembly on Friday – making promises to both ourselves and the wider community that will benefit us all, including what I have termed ‘Random Acts of Kindness’. These could be something as simple as a complement, holding a door open or tidying up for someone, so hopefully you will receive one of these Random Acts of Kindness in the near future! With the improved weather we are experiencing comes the added problem of UV radiation and the danger that poses to our skin. Please can you make sure your child has sunscreen applied before school each day and brings a suitable hat to school each day – this can be left at school between Monday and Friday to be returned home to be washed at the weekend. Students without hats will either be required to stay inside during break and lunchtime or use a spare hat. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Quimestre 1 Exams For all students apart from those in Year 13, the week beginning 22nd January is the Quimestre 1 exam session, a full schedule for which will be be published soon. Students will be studying and revising in lessons over the next two weeks. The grades from these exams are combined with those of the individual Partials to provide overall grades for the year: Partials are each worth 13%, and each Quimestre exam is worth 10%. Quimestre 1 exams are intended to test the students' knowledge, understanding and skills learned and developed throughout the whole of Quimestre 1; and so, anything they have studied up until this point might appear on the tests, and should be re-learned. The students have been taught effective ways to study and revise for tests as part of their Study Skills programme, and the use of these techniques is vital for success both in these tests and in the IGCSE and IBDP exams that will come. It's important to understand why we do these exams. At BSQ we use the exams to focus on two main things: measuring a student's academic progress, and preparing them for the high-stakes exams they will take in Years 11 and 13. Understanding the first is vital: we are not measuring students against one another, but against themselves and their previous attainment, to see that they improve. Please support your child in their revision by providing the time, space, and support they need to learn at home. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, gives us some guidelines for parent - teenager communication.
WelcomeDear parents, As you know our school community is struggling to work today following the news of the tragic death of Barney Dobbin yesterday. The following newsletter continues to share the life of BSQ in honour of the joy Barney brought to our lives here. With my thanks for all your messages and kind words of support. Living I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and the festivities of Fiestas de Quito. There were lots of exciting events going on at BSQ with balcony decorations, cuarenta tournaments, ecuavolley, empanadas de morocho, and the Bake Sale. As you can see from the Dates for your Diary section, there is still a great deal going on at BSQ before the final day on Friday. Please note that school will close at 12:00 for all students so please ensure that your pick-up arrangements are adjusted. The drive-through will be open until 12:20. Thank you to everyone for making this term such a great success. I have really enjoyed my time working with the PA this term and without their excellent support, many of the key events held at the school would not have been so successful or so enjoyable. Your support for the CAS projects, the Yearbook and the opportunities to celebrate together have been very much appreciated and I look forward to continuing to develop the activities and processes in the New Year. In January we will be sharing some outcomes and actions from the parent PA survey with the representatives but in the meantime: This week we celebrate Christmas with our youngest students in their nativity plays. Here is a sneak peek at rehearsals. With thanks to Ms. Stone and all the teachers who have worked hard in Early Years and KS1 to prepare the children for their big show. On the final day there will also be a Christmas dress-up day for secondary students and Learning You can see from all the trips that are still going out that our staff are still busy looking for exciting opportunities to enhance and enrich the learning experience for all our students. Organising a trip takes a great deal of extra time and work for the staff, so I am always grateful for their commitment and energy in this area. Learning from doing is a crucial part of development and last week our eco-friendly staff and students enjoyed collecting our waste and categorising it in preparation for our recycling programme. Well done to all the staff and students who supported and participated. From the Staff and Students Last week we heard from Ms Rueda and Mr Drayton. This final week of term it is the turn of Mrs Madden and her Year 7 students and Ms Stone and her Year 1 class. Humanities In Humanities, students from Year 8 have been learning about Child Labour in Victorian times as part of a topic on The History of Britain. The students were then surprised to find out that Child Labour is still happening worldwide today and started to investigate further as part of a unit of work on Global Citizenship. Students from Year 8 share their learning experience below: Year 8 students created posters to raise awareness of Child Labour and wrote a letter to the Palm Oil Company explaining why they should stop Child Labour. As global citizens, the students, gained an understanding of the wider world and the issues that exist and how to help take action. Today, on International Human Rights day, they would like to ask you to do the same. Mrs Madden Humanities Teacher – Secondary Nativity Play Over the last 5 weeks the children from Reception to Year 2 have been very busy practising for the end of term Christmas Nativity. They have done a super jobs practising lines, words for the songs and even dance moves. Thank you so much to all the parents who have not only helped them practise their lines and songs home but also make and purchased the costumes to ensure they are ready for the stage. Drama is an important part of the British Curriculum and there are many benefits of drama at a young age, including confidence building, helping concentration levels as well as developing language and communication skills. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you the two performances on Tuesday 11th December at 2pm and Wednesday 12th December at 9.15am. Ms. Laura Stone Year 1 Teacher Dates for your Diary December 10th - Year 5 trip to Pintag Eco Farm December 11th - Year 11 Sociales trip to Centro Histórico December 11th and 12th - Nativity Play December 13th - Year 8 trip to the Science Museum December 13th - Reception Event (2:15 - 3pm) December 14th - Christmas Singalong - Nursery students December 14th - Primary Christmas Assembly December 14th - End of term. School closes at 12 for everyone January 3rd - Term starts at the usual time Emma Newman Director Being BSQ – Primary Update I am extremely pleased to announce that the total for our Christmas Bazaar has now reached over $1000, which is a tremendous achievement for the Primary school, amounting to about $5 per student! Last week we continued in the Christmas theme, with Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 continuing to practise their Nativity performance and many other students completing Christmas themed learning. This final week is an extremely busy one, with a variety of events planned throughout the week, including the Nativity performances to parents, class parties and our Enrichment celebration. Throughout this term I have been amazed by the students we have here at BSQ – their dedication, resilience, good-humour and willingness to learn are to be commended and they ball deserve both congratulations for their efforts and a ling break to reenergise for the next term. This also goes for the teachers, who have worked alongside the students, providing rich learning opportunities and guidance to all our students. Enjoy the festive break and see you all on Thursday 3rd December. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Year 13 Science Trip to Huasquila This week the Science teachers and Year 13 were given a fantastic opportunity to get out into the field and work with Biologists Melinda Hofman and Jose Tinajero from Universidad de Católica at Huasquila Lodge in a project where we looked into the ways that different habitats affect bat diversity and eating habits. The Group 4 Project is part of the IB science courses and is great preparation for the students individual projects or internal assessments. However the opportunity to learn outside the classroom provides lessons in lots of ways other than just academic, our students see the applications of what can seem ‘pointless’ curriculum and they learn to face challenges and pull together as a team. For example did you know that bats are pollinators and dispensers of seeds? They are a crucial part of many ecosystems and without them we would not have such diverse jungle in the oriente. They are not just ‘blood sucking flying rats’ which if you talk to Year 13 was probably their opinion of them before we arrived. Please do talk to them about this project, they asked lots of questions and learnt a lot about bats during our time at Huasquila. Our students faced their fears when Dr Melinda Hofman showed them how to handle a tarantula. The students did themselves and us proud with their calm attitude and bravery in this session and again I think our students (and teachers) found a new respect for a otherwise quite misunderstood and feared animal. I don’t want to ruin too much of what our students will tell you in the next newsletter so I will stop here but I would like to say on behalf of the science team at BSQ that the 3 days we spent in the jungle with our students was a fantastic experience to share with them. They made us extremely proud and we look forward to seeing the outcomes of their projects, the biologists from Católica University told us numerous times how impressed they were with the attitude of our students and were keen to work with us again as a result. From an exhausted but inspired Science Team thankyou Year 13. Mr Kennedy, Mr Taylor and Miss Todd From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, reminds us of some ways to support our children with grief.
WelcomeLiving Well we really got the Christmas season off to a fantastic start here at BSQ on Saturday with our Bazaar and entertainment. The students had all worked so hard in primary to devise and create their products to sell. This is a great example of working together and enjoying planning and executing a project. More below in the primary section. This week we are embarking on a very exciting project here at BSQ. We have joined a project called Red Move along with other schools such as Colegio Alemán, Liceo La Condamine and Colegio Menor and our first activity as part of this group is to start work on our school recycling project. So, on December 4th we will be collecting our school rubbish in boxes ready to be categorised on December 5th. The categorisation involves sorting our waste into three sections, weighing it and preparing to work with a Foundation to collect and recycle it. The project will also involve re-educating our community about recycling and making good use of our separation bins moving forward. More news next week with pictures. We are busy now collecting all the donations for the PA and CAS Christmas project this year. Each classroom has the boxes ready and waiting to be filled with clothes and food for Fundacion manos con sabor a Venezuela and Maggie is collecting the books for Sinsoluka in the library. Thank you everyone for your generous donations so far and we look forward to a bumper year of supporting those in need. Learning In Secondary on Saturday the students and parents of years 8, 9, and 10 were able to meet with the teachers and talk about the progress made so far this year. These parent-student-teacher community conferences are so important as they make sure that learning is joined up between home and school. Thanks to all the parents who found time to come and hold those crucial conversations. As many of you will already know, one of the most important elements of the IB programme is the CAS project where our students plan and carry out a range of activities designed to connect them to the community in service. This year I have been enormously impressed by the way in which the students in years 12 and 13 have approached these tasks. This week we also send good luck to our Y13 students who are at Huasquila Lodge undertaking the research required for their Group 4 project for science linking all the disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology together. With thanks to the science team for organizing this exciting project studying bats. We look forward to hearing all about it and seeing the pictures when you return. You will have seen all of the wonderful posts of Facebook linked to our Enrichment Programme this year. We are now approaching the end of the first cycle of clubs and will be celebrating with a showcase for all students in the final week of term. Our programme for next term looks even more exciting and with 40 clubs to choose from there is certainly something for everyone. From the Staff and StudentsLast week we heard from Mr Kennedy and the Year 8 scientists. This week it is the turn of Ms. Rueda and her Year 11 students and Mr. Drayton and his Year 2 class. La magia de la pregunta en la aventura de aprender - Ms. Rocío Rueda, Profesora de Español ¿Qué significa preguntar? ¿Por qué preguntamos? Pues es sencillo. Preguntamos por curiosidad. Este comportamiento nos acompaña a los seres humanos desde edades muy tempranas; exactamente, desde que salimos de la tutela materna y nos ponemos en contacto con el mundo circundante. Es entonces que el ¿por qué? se vuelve la herramienta más importante para la sobrevivencia y el conocimiento; es por esto también que los niños frecuentemente y sin cansarse nos abordan, interceptan, increpan hasta la locura con interrogantes sobre situaciones tan sencillas cómo ¿dónde está mi conejito? O unas mucho más complejas como ¿cuánta sal hay en el mar? o ¿cómo nacen los bebés? Sin duda, la interrogación es una pieza fundamental en la mágica aventura de aprender, es decir, en la capacidad de transformar la información en un conocimiento a través de la observación, la experiencia, el razonamiento y la transferencia hacia nuevas situaciones. Pero ¿en dónde se encuentra la punta de este maravilloso ovillo que es el aprender? Precisamente en la interrogación. La clase de Español no puede mantenerse ajena a este valioso instrumento que, como una barita mágica, conduce la lectura de los estudiantes y permite la comprensión y la reflexión sobre la misma. Esta es una experiencia cotidiana en el aula de Español a través de sus diferentes formas. Los estudiantes se enfrentan al texto y luego de una primera aproximación a este, plantean una o dos preguntas sobre las inquietudes que la lectura le ha dejado; dichas preguntas pueden ser resueltas durante o después del proceso de comprensión lectora y al mismo tiempo guían su comentario reflexivo y crítico sobre la lectura. De otro modo, puede también surgir desde la maestra, planteando preguntas que desequilibran su conocimiento y los desafía a encontrar la respuesta a través del proceso de aprendizaje. De cualquier manera, la pregunta es una estrategia maravillosa que hace visible la curiosidad de los estudiantes y los lleva al goce de la estética literaria y por supuesto a un nuevo conocimiento. Mr. Pete Drayton - Year 2A Teacher Dear Parents, It has been an exciting and slightly odd week for 2A. As the Nativity gets ever-closer, we are dedicating more of our time to perfecting our lines, actions and songs. We have also been super busy preparing for the Christmas Bazaar. The children learnt the history of gingerbread, read the folk tale and then baked gingerbread, which we sold at the Christmas Bazaar (I was assured it was delicious). We didn’t let the unexpected day off on Friday phase us and were more than ready to sell our baked goods on Saturday morning! We have had many opportunities to not only work as a class but also as a year group and we have also been guided reading with year 5. In addition, we have gone mad for maths and have been learning maths games and the children have also been developing their understanding of fractions of amount by sharing different pizza toppings. They have also finished their amazing non-chronological reports about sharks, you can really get your teeth stuck into them! We have also been continuing our work with our unit on flooding and answering the question ‘How Have Natural Phenomena Shaped the Planet?’ Dates for your Diary December 3rd - 5th - Year 13 IB study trip to Huasquila Lodge December 6th - Executive Student Council meeting December 7th - School closed for Fiestas de Quito December 10th - Year 5 trip to Pintag Eco Farm December 11th - Year 11 Sociales trip to Centro Histórico December 11th and 12th - Nativity Play December 13th - Year 8 trip to the Science Museum December 14th - End of term. School closes at 12 for everyone Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update On Saturday, the Primary School students all had the opportunity to complete the third section of their Enterprise activity – sell their products to the public! They had already researched and planned their product and bought and sourced the necessary materials, before making the product in class and producing suitable advertising. The importance and value of this process cannot be underestimated; for many students, this will have been the first time they have completed a task like this, immersing themselves in the world of finance and commerce and considering their target audience. For many of the parents at BSQ this is a daily experience, but most young children have never been exposed to the mechanisms of business, profit and loss and the constant refining of processes involved in creating and selling a product. There are also numerous benefits of enterprise activities to the students’ development, including improving their teamwork and communication skills, increasing their innovation and curiosity and of course their negotiating and persuasive skills! Thank you to all the customers who bought the various products on offer, including Christmas photo frames, globes, handprint mugs, Christmas cards, bookmarks, sweet jars, strawberry Santas, gingerbread, Bucks Fizz, Egg Nog, button crafts and lots of different Christmas Tree decorations. This week is only a four-day week - we hope you enjoy the long weekend with your family and friends, ready for the final week of Term. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Everyday Teaching Rather than writing once more about the extraordinary or the exceptional this week - although those things have still been evident in abundance - I thought it worth taking time to reflect on the great work that happens everyday in classrooms across the school. During a thirty minute walk around campus on Thursday morning, I saw so much learning going on: in Mr Kennedy's Year 12 Biology class, students were greeted with handshakes at the door, and set to work hard and fast on an experiment to measure the effects of alcohol levels on plant cells; in Ms Tufiño's Year 11 Spanish lesson, students were collaborating enthusiastically on the analysis of poetry; Mr Ashfield was using expert questioning strategies to ensure every student in his Year 10 History class was challenged to learn about the causes and consequences of the Great Depression; and young Carlos Flor was found leading a round of the hugely engaging 'Pirate Game' in Ms Ngwenya's year 8 Maths class. Those were five terrific, challenging, meaningful learning activities happening in just one thirty minute walk. So it isn't just the extraordinary and exceptional activities like Community Projects, CAS, and Enrichment that provide such a rich experience. The everyday teaching that goes on in every single class at BSQ is extraordinary and exceptional. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team Family and togetherness are key themes for the holidays. That can make the holidays difficult for people or families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. This week, I would like to share this document with you in case you or/and your child face this feeling. This article tries to explain how can we face this feeling and how can I help my family to deal with it.
Andrea Carrera School Counsellor WelcomePlease note change of holiday date for Fiestas de Quito: Friday December 7th Living Over the last year we have been steadily developing a sense of belonging as one of the ten Orbital schools and you will have seen the Facebook and website information about opportunities to travel to Budapest, Ljubljana, Mallorca and Manchester as part of that development. I do hope that some of you will take the opportunities on offer and experience the excitement of meeting students from the other schools and learning to sail, ski (next academic year now) or visit wonderful locations as time goes on. Last week we filmed our Year 4 and Year 5 students singing a verse from Let It Snow which will be shared with the other Orbital schools to create a Winter Song extravaganza. In November we sent our Flat Stanleys around the schools and have so far received 20 in return. Later this year we will also share Digital Learning Day, World Book Day and International Women’s Day with the other schools. Last week our year 13 student Cristobal Carrillo flew out to Madrid to attend the COBIS Student Leadership Weekend Conference at Kings College. This was the first time a student from BSQ has taken part in this event and I am extremely proud of Cristobal and his achievements. Whilst there he took part in a wide range of leadership activities as well as being able to explore Madrid with the other conference attendees. Cristobal reports that the conference was 'amazing in every way possible.' He is particularly proud of the fact that his team won the prestigious prize for the best marketing proposal and will be receiving personal letters from the COBIS Global Director. Congratulations to Cristobal for representing BSQ so brilliantly and I hope that many more students will follow his lead and venture out to meet new people and learn new skills as representatives of BSQ. We are not only making the most of our connections with Orbital – last week I received the news that our application to join LAHC (Latin American Heads Conference) was accepted after a visit from a member of their board. This is another great opportunity for our staff and students to meet others and learn from others. Finally, we will soon be seeking your views about BSQ and your experience through the annual Parent Survey. Following on from last year we made significant changes to our enrichment programme, developed opportunities for students to participate in sport and arts and improved the facilities in Early Years and primary – just as some examples. I really do value your comments and look forward to a very high participation rate again this year. BSQ´s Parent Association and CAS join forces This Christmas for a good cause This year we will support two projects that our CAS students are working on with the following foundations: 1. Fundación Manos con sabor a Venezuela. It is a group of volunteers whose mission is to support Venezuelan migrants in great fragility conditions, providing support for their adaptation in an honest, authentic and efficient way. We would like to support them by donating non-perishable food and clothes (new or used clothes in good conditions) 2. Fundación Sinsoluka. Specialized in research, prevention, attention and treatment to groups of Young people and children in extreme marginality. We would like to support them by donating books in Spanish (new or used in good conditions). These campaigns start on Tuesday November 27th and ends on Thursday December 6th. Each classroom will have a box where you could deposit your donations; also, there will be a group of volunteer parents receiving donations at the school's parking lot. ¡We count on you! Thank you very much Learning Continuing the theme of the Orbital team, we also share ways of learning and a wide range of policies and practices that mean we can share best practice and support each other. For example, we are currently developing an online learning platform called Canvas across the group which we will aim to use to communicate learning with our staff, students and families and we are also developing group-wide assessment strategies. Meanwhile here at BSQ lots of our teachers have been taking learning outside of the classroom and embarking on trips all over the valley, Quito and further afield. With students going to PAE, Cotopaxi, and the science and water museums – just to name a few. Next month we will have students visiting Huasquila Lodge and the Instituto Geográfico. Here are some of the wonderful photographs. This week our IB students will be sitting their mock exams. Good luck to everyone. From the Staff and Students Last week we heard from Mr. Dobson and Ms. Dávila. This week it is the turn of Mr. Kennedy and the Year 8 scientists. Bats have been at the forefront of my mind this week. The science department is making final plans to a research trip to the jungle for the year 13 students, where they will study our little flying friends. The BSQ students and science teachers will head to Huasquila Lodge near Tena to join forces with bat experts from Pontífica Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Together, we will spend the weekend catching bats and conducting a variety of experiments to better understand these remarkable creatures. A couple of weeks ago, Miss Todd and I spent a weekend at Huasquila Lodge in order to finalise plans for the trip. We spent the first evening with a bat catcher called Saul. Just before dusk, we helped Saul set up a big net spanning one of the forest paths, then we went off to dinner. We returned to the net about an hour later. Our head torches lit up the many insects along the dark jungle path, and as we approached the net, I noticed Saul grow visibly excited. A huge bat was caught in the fine mesh of the net. It was the biggest bat Saul had ever caught. We peered in to get a closer look. This was the first time I had seen a bat up-close. I had seen stuffed bats in museums or sad embalmed bats floating in formaldehyde. I had seen living bats fluttering far above in the night sky or clinging in the darkness to the roof of a cave. But I had never had the opportunity to see – or touch – a bat up close. The first thing that struck me was its weird nose. It was an upturned snout, with a pointy extension that protruded from the top like a fleshy horn. ‘Why is it like that?’ I asked our companion Saul. He explained that the long nose was pointed in such a way to emit ultrasound waves with extreme precision. The ultrasound waves echo off the many hazards under the jungle canopy and the bats detect the reflected waves with their enormous ears. That way they do not crash into anything. But why does this bat in particular have such a strange long nose? Because, explained Saul patiently, these bats feed on insects in the forest where it is very dark, so they have evolved a particularly acute sense of hearing. Catching insects fluttering about in the darkness requires a highly developed transmitter. Fruit eating bats, he said, do not have such a big nose – they simply don’t need it. The second thing that struck me was that the bat looked so unique. It did not look dark or sinister like a small furry vampire. Nor did it look like a rat with wings. Neither did it really look like a mouse, though its fur was mouse-coloured and incredibly soft to touch. And it was certainly nothing like a bird. The ears, the nose, the delicate membrane of the wings, it was all uniquely battish. And it was all so perfectly constructed, as if tailor-made, for flying after insects in the semi-darkness beneath the nocturnal canopy. It was this wonderfully evolved uniqueness that I will remember about my first close encounter with a bat. And I very much look forward to sharing the experience with our year 13 students in a couple of weeks. Dates for your Diary November 26 - 30th - IB Mock exams for Year 13 November 27th - Nursery trip to the Pet Store November 29th - Parent Survey opens December 1st - Christmas Bazaar December 1st - Secondary Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences December 3rd-5th - Year 13 IB study trip to Huasquila Lodge December 7th - School closed for Fiestas de Quito December 11th and 12th - Nativity Play December 14th - End of term. School closes at 12 for everyone Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Last week we held our Workshop about Reward, Sanctions and Reporting procedures for Primary parents. For those of you who would like the detailed presentation, please find the information here. This week has seen two different educational visits by our younger students: Year 1 to the Museo de Agua and Year 3 to the Museo de Ciencia. Both visits were planned and organised by the class teachers to extend their students’ knowledge and understanding of specific themes and concepts, allowing them to absorb, interact and be immersed in new experiences and environments. At BSQ we are keen to promote the educational benefits of visits out of school, recognising them as an integral part of our curriculum and the development of our students. Some of the key benefits are explained below:
Linked to this topic, we have a busy week ahead in Primary, with several visitors coming into school to speak with both students and parents, a variety of workshops and two class assemblies to look forward to, so do please keep looking at the school calendar to make sure you do not miss any of these wonderful opportunities. The week will end with our annual Christmas Bazaar, where the primary students will complete their Enterprise activity and sell their creations to you all, between 9am and 12pm on Saturday 1st December. Please do support your child by bringing lots of money to buy a wide variety of Christmas related products. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update On Friday of last week, we held our second Rewards and Recognition assembly of the year, in which we celebrated the academic achievements and efforts of our fabulous students. While these occasions always leave a positive glow, this one was unexpectedly special. Having previously agreed to give some of the time to our Recycling and CAS groups to talk about their projects, we were prepared for the usual appeals for help. What we received instead was a truly inspirational showcase of what our school community is capable of. Through a deeply moving video and the eloquent, confident words of Ana Paola Giol, we learned about the work of the Life Project, a group of Year 7, 8 and 9 students working hard and passionately to develop ways to make the school and our futures sustainable. Camila Gallardo and Sofia Lofredo presented their work with Caemba, who are building houses made of bamboo for victims of the 2016 earthquake. Victoria Proano spoke about the Beyond Lagartococha project, in which she and 5 other Year 12 students are setting up a foundation with the intention of providing much needed medical infrastructure for the Secoya people of East Ecuador. And finally, Mateo Caicedo spoke passionately about his Deportes Para La Vida youth project in Esmeraldas. As Mr. Rob Taylor pointed out after the assembly, there is more conscious, meaningful and powerful community work being done in this school right now than you might see in the space of two years in a school five times this size in the UK. It makes us all, teachers and students alike, very proud to be a part of BSQ. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about learning to value others.
WelcomeLiving Bonfire Night. Wow. What a brilliant night we all enjoyed on Saturday and thank you to all the parents, friends and families who helped to ensure that the food, the music and the games kept us all entertained and warm. Thank you to the administration team for organising the bonfire itself and the fireworks. Even with the torrential rain, everything ran smoothly thanks to the hard work of everyone involved. We know how important our relationships with our families are and the fact that there is now a new commission as part of the PA demonstrates how we are growing in this area. The Ayuda Social commission is committed to developing opportunities for parents, students and staff to live and learn together by taking part in a wide range of activities and our first venture will be an evening of nutritional information in January from the wonderful Michelle Fried. Michelle is an ecological public health nutritionist, cook, food writer, and she is passionate about the flavors and aromas of Ecuador. Learning During the last two House sessions in the secondary school the students have been exploring the theme of remembrance and peace through a study of a series of centenas. A centena is a collection of 100 words based on a single idea and repeating the first three words again at the end. It is a new poetry form designed especially for the centenary collection of words reflecting elements of the First World War and this year 100 centenas were created over 100 days by different writers. You can read them here http://www.1914.org/armistice-100-days/centenas/ You can also read two of the equally excellent centenas written by our own secondary students as they explored a wider concept of peace and remembrance through their own cultures and understanding. See the secondary section below. Opportunities One of the benefits of being an Orbital school is the chance to work with the other schools in the group. As you know those school are located in exciting destinations such as Budapest, Ljubljana, Moscow, Mallorca and Doha. This year we are offering four opportunities to take part in trips to meet students from Orbital schools and experience activities based in those places. The ski trip to Ljubljana in February is now closed and sadly no BSQ families expressed an interest in that. However, there are still the opportunities to go sailing in Mallorca or on a cultural visit to Budapest. For more information contact [email protected] or see our Facebook postings. From the Staff and Students Last week we heard from Ms Tufiño and Mr Mercer and the Year 1 class about the exciting work they have been completing in the classrooms. This week it is the turn of Mr Dobson and the IB Geographers, Ms. Dávila and class 3B and the Primary Student Council. Mr. Dobson – Geography As we end Partial 2 of this academic year it feels as if it is a good idea to reflect on how we’ve started the year and how we plan to move forwards as the year unfolds. Within the Humanities faculty area, we have recently introduced weekly ‘Religion, Philosophy and Ethics’ lessons to Year 9, something that was previously not taught to this year group – I know that 9a have greatly enjoyed these new lessons where they have an opportunity to learn, discuss and debate prominent issues in an open and supportive environment. At the moment students are investigating different religious and non-religious beliefs about “life after death”, where students got involved in a very philosophical discussion about whether we could prove the existence of a person’s soul. I’ve been very impressed with the maturity and level of thought that students have put into these lessons and look forward to more debates and discussion as the year proceeds. In the older year groups, those studying IB Geography in Years 12 and 13 are being heavily encouraged to take a more active role in their independent study. All students have been issued with Independent Study Logs in which they are required to note down the work that they complete outside of lessons – a vast array of extra reading has been added to ManageBac (the online portal for IB students) and they are encouraged to access these resources to top up their independent study time. It has been great to see a good number of students take on board this system of independent learning which I have no doubt will help to support their wider learning of Geography. Mrs. Dávila – Y3B teacher This week year 3B were trying to answer the question, "What causes natural phenomena?" In our case this meant looking at how tectonic plates move, rub and push one another to create earthquakes. The children carried out a tectonic plate puzzle and then took a break to see how we can understand plate tectonics using an oreo cookie. They figured out how mountain ranges were formed, just from a broken oreo. Yummy work! School Council: Just One Pot: A joint initiative from Gardening Club and School Council. Some of the Primary School Council have added a few words this week to explain what’s being going on with them and to write about a new initiative that’s just been launched…
Elsa, Year 3A, writes: Being in Student Council can sometimes be difficult. Sometimes students ask us to do things that are impossible. For example, someone asked us about putting swimming pools in every classroom! We have also had many suggestions for charity days and it will be hard to decide what we should choose and which charity we should work with. Amanda, Year 4, writes: On Thursday the 8th November we had a meeting with the Head of Primary, Mr Madden. We discussed the idea of more plants around the school and realised we would need the help of teachers, students and parents if it was going to work. So, we would like each of you to bring in a medium-sized flower pot, with soil in it, to help us plant flowers in the playground. The students have spoken and now we’re working to make this happen! Oliver, Year 6, writes: After we get the pots and soil from all the students, the Student Council and Mrs Davila’s Gardening Club will work together to do the following:
This will paint a clear picture of what the best placement for our plants will look like. But none of it will work without your help! Please contact Helen Davila: [email protected] and Oliver Kyle: [email protected] with any questions you may have. Thanks for your support! Dates for your Diary November 21st-22nd – Year 11 Duke of Edinburgh trip to Cotopaxi November 22nd – Year 1 trip to Museo del Agua November 22nd – Primary parents workshop about Rewards, Sanctions and Reporting Procedures. November 23rd – Secondary Rewards and Recognition assembly 2 November 26th – November 30th IB Mock exams for Year 13 November 27th – Nursery trip to the Pet Store December 1st – Christmas Bazaar and Secondary parent-teacher-student conferences Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateAs an international educator who has taught in four continents, I am often asked by parents if they should speak with their child in English at home, even if this is not their first language. Educational research indicates that having a strong mother tongue foundation leads to a much better understanding of the curriculum as well as a more positive attitude towards school, so it is vital that children maintain their first language when they begin schooling in a different language. Therefore, it is important for parents to continue developing their child’s first language because:
That said, it is also important to make links between the child’s home language and other languages they are exposed to, particularly English in our case. Children are naturally inquisitive and will ask lots of questions about their surroundings and how we describe them, so take the opportunity to make links between languages and develop their language versatility and knowledge. I hope you and your family all enjoyed the BSQ Bonfire Night celebrations on Saturday – what a wonderful way to bring the community together! Our next Primary event is the Christmas Bazaar on Saturday 1st December between 9am and 12pm – start collecting your coins to buy some Christmas gifts for family and friends. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Having spent much of last year working hard on completing extra-curricular activities learning new skills, doing physical exercise and taking part in service projects, the Year 11 students are now preparing for their final Bronze Award expedition. This Wednesday and Thursday a group of 12 students and 3 teachers, Mr Alan Taylor, Mrs Sally Madden, and Ms Sofia Molina will be hiking and camping for two days and one night in the wilds and the cold of Cotopaxi National Park. Experiences like these build friendships, resilience, confidence, a love of nature. And these are the kinds of experiences that students will remember for the rest of their lives. We wish them all the best of luck. Remembrance Centenas The quality of the centenas (see last week's newsletter) produced by our students as part of our Remembrance event exceeded all expectation. Here are just two: Giving too much - Samantha Baugh, Dámaris Ortega They came, We gave, Our symbols, Our religion, Our traditions, We gave. They came, They ordered, We gave, Our land, Our resources, Our happiness, We gave. They came, They ordered, They punished, We gave, Our culture, Our family, Our freedom, We gave. They took and took as we started to resist, But there was nothing left to fight for, We had given it all. And all that is left, are the ruins of what once was our own. The world gifted us everything we could ask for, Mountains for protection and gods for hope, But the Spanish took it all. Off to War - Thomas Hill, Matias Rosero Soldier by soldier, boarding the ships Not knowing that for some it would be their last journey, waves and thunder playing with their lives, wild winds whispering among the waves. With a shortage of resources, balancing our lives on a thin line, hoping to succeed in our journey and to be led to victory on arrival. Desperate families awaiting at home for their loved ones. Nonetheless their lives were painted in blood, by what only them experienced and suffered through, our beloved Australian soldiers were scared. Come home, come home, To where you belong, Your family is waiting for you Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, share with us some tips for supporting children between ages 7 - 11 years old.
WelcomeLiving Bonfire Night. Excitement is hotting up for the event on Saturday when we will once again join together as a community to commemorate the events that took place when Guy Fawkes and his companions attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. At our event there will be lots of fun and games for the children (young and old!), food served by local restaurants and our own students as part of their CAS project, entertainment from students, staff and guests and of course the wonderful bonfire and fireworks that we all look forward to so much. Make sure you have saved the date, bring your money for the food and games and wrap up warm for later in the evening. Remembrance Earlier today a group of student representatives attended the commemoration event at Liceo La Condamine as part of the 100th anniversary activities marking the end of the First World War in 1914 but also reflecting on all the suffering that has taken place as part of violent conflict around the world. Mr Taylor, Ms. Molina and I were very proud of our students as they took part in music, readings and the ringing of a bell to mark the occasion. To join together with students from the French and German schools on such an important day was an extremely thought-provoking opportunity. My thanks to Mr Taylor for organising and Ms. Molina for preparing the choir and supporting. Learning At the end of last week our student Model United Nations (MUN) team attended a conference at Shakespeare School in Tumbaco. Trained and guided by John Ashfield, our students were representing Russia, Ivory Coast and Turkey, and their topics were General Assembly, ECOSOC, Human Rights and Security Council. For those of you who are not aware of the MUN it is an opportunity for students to research, debate, speak and discuss essential topics of the world following the organizational structures of the United Nations and representing different countries for whom the debate would have relevance. MUN is an excellent extra-curricular activity that provides opportunities to communicate and think critically whilst meeting other students and learning about both historical and contemporary political, social and human issues. I said last week that the term is very short and already we are down to five weeks. Let’s make the most of every opportunity to live and learn together. From the Staff and Students Last week we heard from Mr Samaniego and information about the maths curriculum and from Mr Newman and the Year 6 class about their studies of the Creek Indians and their Red Riding Hood homework tasks. This week we hear from Ms. Tufiño and Mr. Mercer: Ms. Tufiño - IB Spanish Teacher ¿Por qué es importante leer? Leer es muy importante para todos porque la lectura implica participación activa de la mente y contribuye al desarrollo de procesos mentales importantes. La lectura ayuda a incrementar la creatividad, la imaginación, enriquece el vocabulario y permite mejorar la ortografía en un buen porcentaje. Por esta razón, en la clase de español de secundaria estamos dando prioridad a esta actividad. Con los alumnos estamos haciendo lecturas literales, inferenciales y crítico-valorativas con el objetivo desarrollar el pensamiento crítico, procesos de análisis y síntesis, a la vez que reforzamos la ortografía y el vocabulario. Con todos los grupos estamos leyendo obras literarias que contribuyen a este proceso. Finalmente, ponemos en práctica la creatividad y la imaginación al escribir nuevas versiones en base a lo leído. Esperamos que esto contribuya al desarrollo del idioma español en todos los niveles. Mr. Mercer - Y1A Teacher Becoming a Year 1 student is not as easy as it sounds. There are several new challenges and routines to adapt to, a new style of learning and exciting new subjects like Science, Topic and Computing. We have been working hard since day one to become organised, independent learners. We now know our classroom routines and line up every morning, snack and lunchtime for threshold, when Mr Mercer welcomes us back into the learning environment. We have our daily home-reading folders, bright and colourful, which we proudly tuck under our arms at the beginning and end of each school day. With help from teachers and parents, we regularly change our home reading books and practice our strategies at home five nights a week! We start our Numeracy lessons by subitising, which is a fun way to switch our brains on and recognise objects in a group without the need to count them. In Literacy, we begin every lesson with our whiteboards, ready to solve a new challenge each day and practice writing CVC words. In Year 1A, we are proud to say that we are becoming more independent with our learning each and every day. By learning these vital skills early, we will be able to apply them during our time at school and beyond! Dates for your Diary November 17th - Bonfire Night at BSQ 4pm-8pm November 21st and 22nd - Year 11 Duke of Edinburgh trip to Cotopaxi November 22nd - Year 1 trip to Museo del Agua November 23rd - Secondary Rewards and Recognition assembly 2 November 26th - November 30th IB Mock exams for Year 13 November 27th - Nursery trip to Pet Hotel Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Last week your child brought home their new homework, to create a Curiosity Journal based on an independent research project of their choosing. This type of learning is often referred to as Inquiry-based Learning, focusing on the students’ interests and encouraging them to find their path when it comes to learning. This open-ended approach requires the students to investigate, question, research and be curious about anything and everything that interests them. The teachers here at BSQ use a wide variety of teaching styles to ensure our students learn new skills and develop their knowledge and understanding – so why did they choose this type of learning for this project? Below are five benefits of inquiry-based learning for your child:
Our role as adults is to facilitate this process, not lead it, allowing them the time to formulate their own ideas, questions and solutions. The outcomes will be many and varied, but, most importantly, they will be their own! All the students will get a chance to share their Curiosity Journals with their classmates at the end of term. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Remembrance On the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, we have taken some time to reflect upon the impact of conflict, both past and present, and to consider those affected. Last Friday and this, the House activity has focused on Remembrance. We have looked at 'centenas' - 100 poems, written over 100 days, by 100 writers, in 100 words. These often deeply moving pieces of writing explore the sometimes forgotten effects of the war, from an unusually wide range of perspectives. In turn, our students have been asked to reflect on their own culture and heritage, to look for examples of conflict where they are from, to find out more about the unseen effects, and to write centenas of their own. This will be displayed in the school. Thanks The teaching team at BSQ always put in tremendous efforts to endure the success and happiness of our students, but this week there has been superb work happening all over Secondary. Rob Taylor, thank you for the fabulous work on Remembrance, the PASS surveys, and student information systems; Ruth Todd, thank you for the quite beautiful CAT4 summary pages, with all the analysis that involved, which will help us provide each student with exactly the support they need; John Ashfield, thank you for giving up your time and preparing the students so thoroughly for their MUN experience this weekend, from which they will have learned so much about themselves and the world; and Claire Ngwenya, thank you for the ridiculous amount of work that you are putting into developing the new tracking documents, which I know are going to make our data work harder and smarter for us all in pushing students further. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about helping children to cope with situational anxiety.
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May 2024
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