WelcomeLiving Welcome back and I hope you all had a restful, reinvigorating break and are ready for the six weeks ahead of us until Christmas. We are still celebrating the events that took place at the end of last term even whilst we are busy getting ready for Bonfire Night on November 17th. The term finished with the wonderful Spirit Week that has become part of the tradition here at BSQ where IB CAS students organise a range of activities culminating in the Halloween Parade in order to raise money and awareness for their chosen Foundation. This year they chose to work again with Fundación Sinsoluka and continue the good work begun last year. We had Twin Day and Colour Day and – of course – the Halloween Dress Up Parade which was attended by everyone in the school. Well done to Andrés, Martín, Salma and Santiago for their excellent organisation and determination. Thanks also to all those who supported with time, cakes or costumes! Amazing. We also had our first sports matches of the year in the friendly encounters with Johannes Kepler school on Wednesday October 24th. Sofía Molina, Oscar Tabango and Juan Licona took the girls and boys teams to play. Well done to everyone for starting the season so positively. This is a short term for BSQ with only six weeks and a lot to pack in (look at the Dates for your Diary!). I look forward to lots of hard work, lots of development and lots of fun. Learning Here at BSQ we have a set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Before the break I introduced you to the way in which we use Chorus Response to allow all students the opportunity to be involved in the learning and understanding of new vocabulary in the classroom. This week is the eighth of our classroom strategies and it is a crucial way in which we encourage and develop all our students to be able to make the right choices in the classroom and during other activities. This strategy is called Positive Framing and simply involves the language of instruction and reminders in the classroom promoting a positive approach. Rather than simply reprimand off-task or unfocused behaviour, we focus on the positives. It’s a really great way to develop classwork and confidence and encourage teamwork and focus and we think it makes a positive difference. This weekThis week we are starting to prepare for our Bonfire Night celebration on November 17th but of course today – November 5th - is actually the day that Bonfire Night is celebrated in the UK. This is very much a British event and not something that really has significance anywhere else in the world because of the specific events that took place in England in 1605. Bonfire Night itself actually commemorates a failure - the failure of a group of Catholic men to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605 in order to kill the King (James 1). The reason for this assassination attempt was that the Catholic people had once believed James might support their faith but he failed to do so. Their attempt to create a more tolerant world for Catholics failed drastically and sadly resulted in increased persecution for many years. Although Guy Fawkes has become the most famous of the plotters, it was only because he was the one caught on the scene. When he was tortured, he eventually confessed and gave away the names of the other men – including Robert Catesby the main conspirator. Eventually Guy Fawkes died by jumping out of a window to avoid being executed. So, for over 400 years, people in Britain have marked the event by lighting a bonfire and burning a ‘Guy’ and lighting fireworks to represent what might have happened on November 5th 1605. Every year in London before the opening of the houses of Parliament the Yeoman of the guard still search the tunnels beneath Westminster to make absolutely sure that nobody has been plotting to mimic Guy Fawkes. Next weekOn Sunday November 11th people all over the world will take part in events and services to remember those who have died in, and as a result of, violent conflict. This date is significant because it marks the day on which the the armistice was signed in France between France, Great Britain and Germany to end the First Word War in 1918. This year it is 100 years since that event and since then the date has been seen as a symbolic way to remember and reflect and work towards peace. This year a group of BSQ students will be attending a shared event at Liceo La Condamine whilst all our students will be taking part in activities in school. Next week we will post some images and responses to those activities. If you are interested in reading more about both the armistice or the 100th anniversary events then these websites will provide information. If you would like to buy a poppy, Sandy has these at reception. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-did-the-armistice-end-the-first-world-war https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary/ http://www.1914.org/armistice-100-days/centenas/ From the Staff and Students Last week we heard from Ms Miranda and Year 10. This week it is the turn of Mr Samaniego and the Year 13 maths student representatives and Mr. Newman and Year 6 students. Mr. Samaniego and Years 7 - 9 students As the mathematics teacher this week I have seen the students of year 7 and 9 advance greatly in their programs. In year 7 we had a small introduction to Algebra, which presented some difficulties to some students, but in the end they managed to reach their objective and solve exercises. In year 9 we continued with the advanced program, giving them high difficulty problems, their response to this exercises were brilliant, and they demonstrate great progress in the subject. It is a pleasure to work with the kids in mathematics because they show great interest and energy in the subject. Mr. Newman and Year 6 students The pupils in Year 6 took the opportunity to present some of their learning from Term 1 in an assembly before the holiday. To an audience of pupils from Years 3, 4, 5 and Year 6 parents, the children shared work from Literacy and Topic, demonstrating how their study of the USA and stories from different cultures had linked together in the Year 6 classroom since August. We heard about the Creek Indians, the indigenous people who lived, and continue to live, in what we now know as the south eastern part of the United States. Year 6 pupils told us about the fantastic tales of men who turned into snakes and they read to us examples from the Creek Indians and examples of their own versions of these stories. The Year 6 pupils talked about the word taboo and explained to us how the Creek Indian stories always involve a taboo of some sort being broken. We then heard about their Term 1 homework projects which were based on the tale of Little Red-Riding Hood, itself a story where to stray from the path is a dangerous and taboo act! As well as writing stories for their homework, the Year 6 pupils showed us some of the masks they had made as part of their study of this traditional European tale. Dates for your Diary November 5th - Bonfire Night in the UK November 9th, 10th and 11th - MUN Conference at Shakespeare School November 11th - Remembrance Day November 12th - Remembrance activities and visit to Liceo La Condamine November 17th - Bonfire Night at BSQ 4pm-8pm November 20th - Year 3 visit to Museo de Ciencias November 21st & 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 - 30th - IB Mock exams for Year 13 Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Welcome back to The British School Quito and I hope you enjoyed a great time with your family and friends over the half-term break. Holidays are a fantastic opportunity to experience a variety of activities, places and cultures that we would not normally be exposed to, plus a chance to consolidate what we already understand and prepare ourselves for the next challenges. Term second term is only six weeks long, but we intend to fill it with a range of different and challenging learning opportunities and experiences that will enhance the knowledge, understanding and skills of all our students, from the very youngest in Nursery to the oldest students in Year 6. Alongside this learning in the classrooms will be our new home learning theme, which your child’s class teacher will share with them this week, based on creating and researching their own Curiosity Journal. The week before the holiday we enjoyed both 2B’s and Year 4’s Class Assemblies, with the students sharing their learning about Zimbabwe and Japan respectively. This week the students from 2A and 3A will share their learning in their Class Assemblies. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update IB Mock Exam Study In just three weeks' time, the students of Year 13 will sit their IB mocks. These very important exams offer the students the opportunity to practice and develop their study and revision skills and strategies, as well as giving them a taste of what to expect when the real thing comes around in May. We use the mocks to give us teachers and the students themselves real data about what skills and knowledge need to be reinforced to ensure success, and who might benefit from extra support, both academic and personal, in order to reach their full potential. In addition, the grades achieved in these exams go a long way to informing the predicted grades that are sent to universities as part of the application process. We hope the students are studying hard and smart at home, and we wish them every success. Model United Nations This coming weekend, our Model United Nations team, led by Mr John Ashfield, will be representing BSQ at a conference at Shakespeare school. MUN is an internationally renowned and highly respected creative and academic exercise combining research, problem-solving, negotiation and debating skills with an astute awareness of current and historical global events and issues. Students gather together to ‘role-play’ the functions and processes of the United Nations, bringing a depth of understanding, a focus on the wider world and a skill-set unmatched by the regular curriculum. It is designed to allow good students to become excellent ones, and to develop their potential as leaders. We wish them the very best of luck. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about shifting responsibility to your child during teenage years.
0 Comments
Welcome Living It seems impossible that we have arrived at the end of our first term in this academic year. So many wonderful and exciting learning opportunities have taken place that it is hard to know where to start with celebrating. Thank you to all the staff, students and parents who have worked so hard to build and develop our school and our values this term. What an exciting week we had at BSQ. On Friday the secondary students headed out for their first activity day of the year. Thanks to Ms Montenegro we were able to spend a wonderful day on El Tren exploring the countryside and the cultural features of Ibarra, Salinas and the ice-creams of Hoja Blanca. What a privilege it was to be able to travel on the historical train and hear the excellent commentary from the guides. Learning about the salt production of Salinas and enjoying excellent bizcochos on the way back was a great way to spend the day living and learning together. On the same day the primary parents came into school for their first academic conferences of the year. Lots of important meetings took place where successes and areas for further development were discussed and agreed. On Tuesday last week we held our first Open Day of the year. Many thanks to the staff and current parents who helped out with meeting and greeting and special thanks to the students. The new families were very impressed with the confidence of the Year 7 greeters and tour guides and by their obvious love for their school. Well done Year 7. Special thanks to Breck and Doménica in Year 6 who gave the speeches to the parents – not an easy task but they were brilliant. We look forward to welcoming the new families to BSQ later this year and next year. Have a wonderful break and we look forward to seeing you back on November 5th which is Bonfire Night in the UK. We are already making exciting plans for our own celebrations on November 17th. Keep an eye on Facebook for more details. Learning Here at BSQ we have a set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Last week I introduce you to the way in which we use Control the Game to allow all students the opportunity to be involved in the reading processes in the classroom. This week is the seventh of our classroom strategies and it is a crucial way in which we support all our students to be able to develop their understanding of the complex vocabulary required to become an expert in a subject and also the unusual nature of some of the ways in which words might be pronounced – and this is especially important for students learning an additional language. This strategy is called Chorus Response and simply involves the students repeating words after the teacher has clearly said them aloud. This is particularly important for early language learners and is used a lot in our EYFS and KS1 classes. The strategy can also be used to develop definitions too. For example, in our reading we might come across the word bashful, so I would encourage students to find a definition and that might be shy. I would say bashful and the students would repeat shy all together. We also change things around and I would say shy and the students would say bashful. It’s a really great way to develop classwork and confidence and embed new language into memory and we think it makes a positive difference. This week This week we have the second Spirit Week following on from the success of last year. Spirit Week is linked to an IB CAS project and this year it is being run by Martin Gaviria, Andres Chiriboga, Salma Valladares and Santiago Cáceres. The aim is to raise awareness and money for Foundation Sinsoluka – a group we first started working with last year and with whom the students are keen to maintain a developing relationship. See further details in the secondary section below. Exchange Opportunities As part of Orbital Education group of international schools, we are delighted to announce to our community that our students could be part of an interesting exchange opportunities programme in Mallorca, Budapest, Manchester and Ljubljana. Each school trip offers different activities, please see below the options presented and if you have additional questions please do contact us to [email protected] From the Staff and StudentsLast week we heard from Ms Ngwenya and Year 7. This week it is the turn of Ms Alejandra Miranda and Ms Antonella. Ms Alejandra and her Y12 students As part of the English B program of the international baccalaureate, a group of year 12 students has been working with me on topics as interesting as stereotypes and cultural diversity. It is very satisfying to see their analytical skills and feedback on their opinions and experiences. The classes are active and productive not only from the academic side, but also from the human side. In that way, I feel that I am helping to form true global and open minded citizens. Ms Antonella and her Nursery B students New corners to discover and explore, new words to learn, new songs to sing, new experiences to help us grow and new techniques to help us learn. For our children in Nursery B everything they are experiencing is fairly new to them and for some a first time experience. Their minds are so eager to learn; they absorb everything like sponges. As a nursery teacher I find myself looking for new and creative ways to teach them thus keep their enthusiasm for learning going and growing. Our activities are filled with messy play, sensory activities, games, songs, exploring and much more. This past week, they have enjoyed activities that wake up in them an interest for sounds, activities in which they can create sounds and match their voices to them. We went outside with drumsticks and made wonderful music throughout our EYFS play area, we found loud sounds, quiet ones and even objects that made no sounds at all. PLAY is the Highest form of Research. - Albert Einstein. Dates for your Diary October 24th - Football tournament for senior boys and girls away against Johannes Kepler school. October 24th - IGCSE PE trip to Parque Metropolitano October 24th - 26th - CAS Spirit Week Event October 25th - Reception trip to the zoo October 26th - Halloween parade – whole school. October 26th - end of term. School finishes at the usual time Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update This week has been a typical week in Primary, if you use the classic definition of ‘typical’ as having the distinctive qualities of a representative week! It started with our STEM Day, which was an amazing showcase of the skills, knowledge and understanding even the youngest of our students possess. The variety of activities was extremely broad, but what impressed us most was the variety of the solutions to the problems the students were faced with. They was a great deal of ingenuity on display and many students displayed resilience when things did not work out as they expected the first time. Please take some time to look at the photographs to see the stages of development of their projects. Later in the week we welcomed prospective students and parents onto the campus, to find out what makes BSQ unique in Ecuador and the benefits it affords its community of learners. This well attended event also gave our existing students the opportunity to explain what they love about BSQ to others, in particular Breck and Doménca from Year 6. On Wednesday we enjoyed the Year 6 Class Assembly, where the students shared their learning about Native American culture and the changes that have happened over the past three thousand years in North America. They covered some extremely philosophical and challenging themes and made us all think about our own thoughts and opinions. On Thursday Year Two enjoyed one of our first regular educational visits outside of school, to the Botanical Gardens in Quito, where they learnt about the huge variety of different plants there are in Ecuador. The students particularly enjoyed collecting different seeds, climbing the treehouse, acting out the photosynthesis process and, of course, finding out all about the carnivorous plants! Fortunately, all of our students returned to school safely, with no missing fingers, though the same cannot be said for some unfortunate flies and insects! And finally, of course, the teachers hosted the first of our Parent Teacher Conferences on Friday, where they shared the progress, targets and areas for development of each of their students, with the students themselves often leading the conference! It is remarkable the enthusiasm many of them showed towards their learning, the knowledge and understanding they displayed about their next steps and their obvious pride in sharing their many successes. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update PASS At the British School, Quito, we are dedicated to ensuring that not only is each and every individual academically and personally successful, but also that they are happy in their learning and in themselves. The GL PASS - Pupil's Attitudes to School and Self - survey is an annual measure that we take here at BSQ to giver us a better insight into how we can improve every student's experience. Last week all students in Secondary took part in this survey. By answering a number of questions and rating their feelings on a scale from 1 to 5, we are able to understand where there are areas of improvement that will benefit all students, and where there are individual students who need more targeted help. Spirit Week Please do help support your children in being able to make a contribution to Spirit week this week by dressing up. There are three dress-up days: Wednesday is 'twins' day, Thursday 'colour' day and Friday, of course, is Halloween. Dressing up costs $1 each time, and the money raised will be used to fund activities for the children at the excellent Fundacion Sinsoluka in south Quito. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about how to talk to your child about difficult topics.
Welcome Living Tomorrow we will be welcoming many families who have not yet decided where their children will be attending school for the next academic year – 2019-2020. Our Open Day will involve a warm welcome, a tour and some information from me and also from some of our students. As BSQ grows and develops we really enjoy sharing our successes and plans with families who are looking for an education with strong values, excellent classroom teaching and a warm family welcome. These three things are not easy to achieve all in one so thank you to Andrea Zambrano, Veronica Peñaherrera, Heads of School, Breck Hoskins and Doménica Peñaherrera from Year 6, the teachers and assistants and the members of the PA who are supporting us to ensuring the event is a huge success. We are really looking forward to celebrating the wonderful school that is BSQ with new parents and students. Learning Here at BSQ we have a set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Last week I introduce you to the way in which we use No Opt Out to allow all students the opportunity to answer questions effectively in class. This week is the sixth of our classroom strategies and it is a crucial way in which we support all our students to be able to read and understand texts we use for learning – however challenging they might be. This strategy is called Control the Game and simply involves the teacher skillfully planning to include all students in the reading process by planning who will read what so that everyone can take part. This strategy also means that everyone is concentrating, and everyone is listening. It’s a really great way to develop classwork and confidence and we think it makes a positive difference. Thank you to all the teachers, parents and students who came in on Saturday October 13th to support the celebration of the STEM activities in primary and to attend the progress conversations with secondary teachers. Your support and collaboration with us in the learning of your children is essential if we are all going to support them to reach their goals. This week This week we have some more exciting trips going out. All the secondary school will be heading off to El Tren on Friday as part of the historical and cultural activity days for this year. With thanks to Ms Paola Montenegro for her dedication to this and her hard work with the organisation. I look forward to sharing the pictures with you next week. Also on Friday we are holding the primary progress conferences for parents, teachers and students – more details from Mr Madden below. Welcome to our new SEN Counsellor Last week we welcomed Sofía León as a new member of our student support department team. Sofía obtained her degree in Psychology at the University of Columbia in the USA and after she pursued her Masters Degree in International Relations and Human Rights in the UK. We are delighted to have her as our new SEN Counsellor at BSQ. Welcome to you Sofía! From the British Embassy Quito to all British Alumni in Ecuador The British Embassy in Quito would like to invite to Alumni who have studied in the UK to a "happy hour" on Wednesday October 17th, 18:30, at Santa Rosa Histórico (see map below). This event will be an opportunity to meet friends and colleagues who have studied in the UK, and to enjoy a nice evening with members of the British Embassy and the British Group. If you would like to join, please confirm your attendance to the following email address: [email protected]. If you know more people who have studied in the UK and have not received the invitation, please let them know about the event. Warm Regards, THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN QUITO From the StaffLast week we heard from Ms Parker and Year 11. This week it is the turn of Ms Ngwenya and the Year 8 maths studies. Last week in maths, year 8 revisited the idea of probability that they met in year 7. They looked at estimating probabilities, calculating probabilities, equally likely outcomes and theoretical probability versus experimental probability. Students also studied the probability of an outcome not happening related to the probability that it does happen, and how to list combinations of outcomes in a clear and logical way using a table or a sample space diagram. This week the year 8s have been investigating answers to bigger problems about dice and fairness. There were interesting discussions and debates, even some disagreements. Students did some thought experiments, made models of dice and had to justify their points of view to others. Their homework in partial 2 will be to produce a clear poster explaining their methods and their findings. Ideas surrounding probability can be taken further within maths, in areas such as Game Theory where you must analyse the probability of other people making their choices, and make your own decision based on those possibilities. Careers involving probability include risk assessment, insurance, actuarial science and even law. A deep understanding and appreciation of probability is good for children (and adults!) as they play games, evaluate the chance of winning, and the chance of losing, or getting hurt. Often children have to weigh up the potential risk of injury from climbing a tree, against the satisfaction of completing the challenge and the joy of seeing the world from up high. As an adult, probability is relevant not only in gambling but also general risk assessment. During a lifetime we will make many choices – where to live, where to study, when to leave home, whether to travel, whether to have a family, which career would make us happy, which career would make us the most money, and who to support in politics. We also have to assess the risk of driving, versus the risk of flying, versus the risk of riding motorbikes. Data and probability play a large part in the decision making process. The ultimate aim here, I think, is to be able to assess risks and exercise enough caution to keep oneself happy, healthy, and prosperous, while also maintaining curiosity and a sense of adventure. Often we must take risks in order to learn more, meet different people and discover new things that will enrich our lives. Ms. Claire Ngwenya Secondary Maths Teacher Dates for your Diary October 16th- PASS (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School) surveys for secondary students October 16th- Open Day for prospective new families October 18th - Year 2 Botanical Gardens trip October 19th- Secondary school cultural trip – details have been sent home October 19th- Primary school parent teacher conferences. (Details in the primary section below) October 24th- Football tournament for senior boys and girls away against Johannes Kepler school. October 24th- IGCSE PE trip to Parque Metropolitano October 25th- Reception trip to the zoo Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update On Saturday many of the Primary students enjoyed a challenging STEM activity, solving a technological problem using different strategies, equipment and resources. Please do take the time to look at your child’s Class Blog to see the wonderful learning opportunities that they have experienced in the past week. On Friday 19th October it is our Parent Teacher Conference, where you have the opportunity to meet with your child’s class teacher and discuss their progress so far, their targets and how we can work in partnership to support and focus on their areas for development. Of course, many students will find this process daunting, so you can help by preparing them for this discussion. Please find time to talk with them about their learning, what they enjoy about school and what they find more challenging. The teachers will ask them questions about their learning and share their successes, alongside discussing areas they could improve upon and the strategies they could use to achieve this. Of course, we do not expect our younger students in Nursery and reception to attend. Appointments were sent out last Friday – please do let your child’s class teacher know if you are unable to make scheduled appointment. Star of the weekMarcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Studying at Home The further you progress in Secondary, the harder you have to work, both inside and outside of class. In the IB Diploma Programme, it is expected that students are doing fifteen hours of personal study every week: three hours each for their Higher Level subjects, and two each for their Standard Level subjects. This work is not necessarily directed: where students find themselves, as they often will, without teacher-set homework to complete, students should be looking to fill the gaps in their knowledge, dig deeper into the topics covered in class, consolidate their notes, practice their skills, and test themselves. This is the difference between doing OK, and doing really well. And while it is always important that this happens, this become especially important around exam time. In six weeks, the Year 13 students will take their IB 'mock' examinations. These practice exams replicate the real thing, provide an early opportunity to embed knowledge ans to practice skills, and provide the evidence teachers need to assign predicted grades for university applications. For these six week, Year 13 students should be dedicating their study time to re-organising, consolidating and building on their learning of the past year. They should be researching further, and testing themselves using past papers and assessment schemes. To do this they will require time, space, and self-discipline. In this, your support is essential. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about how to deal with your child´s challenging behaviours.
WelcomeLiving We all agree that the BSQ campus is the most beautiful place to live and learn but last week we found ourselves living with one of the challenges of our location – the UV warnings issued by the Instituto Nacional de Meterología y Hidrología. We were careful that hats, sunscreen and shade were top of our list of priorities. All our children were very sensible about eating and playing under cover and our sports staff made last minute changes to their plans so that the children could still enjoy their lessons safely. It is rare that, despite the ever-present threat of earthquakes, volcanoes and the sun, we need to take drastic action, but it is reassuring to know that the community understands the importance of responding appropriately when we do. It is a good time to remind all families that hats and sunscreen are an important part of the school kit needed to ensure safe living and learning at. BSQ. Please take some time this week to check that your children (however old) have what they need in their school bag. Meanwhile at BSQ we are reviewing our effective evacuation policy to make sure that we have the very latest advice and guidance clearly established. This month we will also be practising our earthquake evacuation drills. Learning Here at BSQ we have a set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Last week I introduce you to the way in which we use Cold Call to allow all students the opportunity to answer questions effectively in class. This week is the fifth of our classroom strategies and it is another way in which we support our students to be able to participate fully in the parts of the lesson where questioning is important. This strategy is called No Opt Out and simply involves the teacher skilfully managing to include all students in the questioning process – even if they think they do not know how to answer. There are key ways to support students to be able to respond such as giving them a clue or asking another student to respond and then returning to the first student for repetition. It’s a really great way to develop classwork and confidence and we think it makes a positive difference. This weekThis week we have some exciting trips going out. A group of secondary students will be venturing out to Ilaló as part of their community project with Ms Parker and our IB students will be attending the Build You Up careers event in Quito with Andrea Carrera. http://congresovocacional.com Thanks to both of those members of staff for organizing these trips and we can look forward to hearing all about them in next week’s newsletter. Parent Association I am delighted to announce that following a very positive and engaging meeting on Wednesday morning last week, the elections for the 'new' PA were completed. Congratulations to Martha, Pilar, Gloria and Maria Belen who will be continuing their work with the support of all the class representatives this year. And finally from me - some reminders and resetsPartial reports were issued last week. Please take some time at home to discuss these with your children and celebrate their achievements whilst also focusing on where they can work with support to address key areas. From the Staff and Students Last week we heard from Mr A. Taylor and his fascinating description of the Schiehallion experiment and its links to Ecuador. This week it is the turn of Ms. Parker and Mr. Kyle. “A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something.” This past two weeks, teachers at BSQ have been thinking about how we can enable our students to ask better questions. We have been excited to learn about the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) during our in-house training and several teachers have dedicated lessons to practicing this exciting strategy, me being one of them. In year 7 English lessons, students used QFT to explore perceptions of others and how these feed into racial stereotyping. This QFT session led to students asking important questions like what are stereotypes? and what plays an important role in changing people’s perceptions? Higher up the school in year 12 IB English Literature classes, students used the same technique to develop three questions that will guide their exploration of the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. During the first stage, Victoria Proaño, Sofía Lofredo, Juan José Andrade, Camila Andino and Francesco Ferrari created numerous questions in response to the stimulus statement: ‘Heart of Darkness’ is nothing more than a white supremacist’s representation of the ‘civilising mission’ of the Victorian era. They then collaborated on categorising, selecting, rejecting and refining their questions until, finally, they created the three questions that will guide future lessons and a final essay on the text:
As an English teacher, I feel a great sense of responsibility to develop the critical thinking skills of young people and I believe QFT holds the power to do this. These questions show a tremendous amount of critical engagement and I am excited to see what learning outcomes they may lead to over the next few weeks. Ms. Danielle Parker English Teacher - Secondary An update from Years 5 and 2 Year 5 have been enjoying an interesting six weeks since the start of term. We've been getting our heads around Australian and Aboriginal culture - particularly enjoying looking into the artwork of Emily Kanwe Kngwarreye. We've also enjoyed comparing pre-Columbian Ecuadorian style with Aboriginal styles in art, whilst also comparing the Dreamtime stories to early Ecuadorian legends. Year 5 and Year 2 have been joining forces once a week in a joint environmental project focusing on reusing household items instead of throwing them away. It's been great to see the children supporting each other and taking on this new challenge with real enthusiasm. Check out our class blogs for more info! The future? More learning, more challenges and more fun. Our class assembly is just starting to pop up over the academic horizon so keep your eyes out for that – it’s going to be EPIC. Mr. Oliver Kyle Year 5 Class Teacher Dates for your Diary October 9th - Secondary Community Project Trip to Ilaló October 11th - Build You Up event. Year 12 and 13 students. October 13th - Classes on Saturday. STEM projects for primary and Parent – Teacher – Students Conferences in secondary. (Details in the secondary section below.) October 18th - Year 2 Botanical Gardens trip. October 19th - Secondary school cultural trip – details have been sent home October 19th - Primary school parent teacher conferences. (Details in the primary section below) October 24th - Football tournament for senior boys and girls away against Johannes Kepler school. Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update This week we have held the first of our regular Class assemblies, where the students shared their learning with both their parents and the rest of their Key Stage. This week 1A and 3B hosted these assemblies, displaying many of our school values as well as practising their speaking, performing and creative skills. For many students, this was the first time they have been on stage in front of a large audience, so nerves were to be expected. However, both classes performed remarkably well, sharing their learning and interacting enthusiastically with the audience. On Friday the students received the first Partial assessment grades, detailing their Effort, Ecuadorian Grade and Attainment Level Descriptor. These standardised and moderated levels and grades allow us to monitor each student’s progress, evaluate the effectiveness of their learning and our teaching and also to identify when to use intervention strategies if a student is not making the expected progress. Of course, we want to discuss every student’s progress with our partners in their education, so we are inviting all the parents to school on Friday 19thOctober for our first Parent Teacher Conference (PTC) of the year. Please do reply to the letter sent last Friday and we will be extremely happy to meet with you on Friday 19thOctober. Before that, we have our first academic Saturday in school, on Saturday 13thOctober, between 9am and 12pm. This gives the students and teachers a chance to extend the learning over a longer period of time and complete a whole project in one day. Our first project is based on STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Research shows us that STEM related careers are growing at a faster rate than other occupations, particularly as STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy and enables the next generation of innovators. All the students will be faced with a STEM challenge that they have to try and solve, often only using specific materials. Some of the benefits of this type of approach are explained below:
Star of the weekMarcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary UpdateOn Friday, October 19th we will have our first cultural trip of the year in Secondary. Having planned and organised very successful visits last year to Mitad del Mundo and the museums of Quito, Ms Montenegro has this time arranged for us all to take a journey of discovery tothe city of Ibarra, from where we will take the historic “TREN DE LA LIBERTAD 1” to Salinas de Ibarra, making a number of stops, and engaging in a number of cultural explorations, along the way. We have booked the entire train, and every student and teacher in Secondary will be going. It is very important that all the students come with their complete PE kit, sunscreen, bottle of water, hat or cap, a snack for break, comfortable shoes and no heavy/ big backpacks or valuable objects. Lunch will be served in Salinas de Ibarra at Centro Gastronómico El Palenque. Departing the school at 08:20, we will travel by bus to Ibarra. We will return to school 17:30. We very much value the strong, cooperative relationships forged between teachers and parents in ensuring the success and happiness of the students at BSQ. This Saturday, 13th October, is our first community conference day of the year in Secondary. Parents and students of Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 are invited to attend between 08:30 and 12:30 to meet with subject teachers and discuss individual student progress. In addition there will be two other very important events taking place: for parents of Year 12, there will be a workshop introducing the IB Diploma Programme and its component parts, explaining the process and structure of the next two years, and outlining how best you we together can support student development; and for Year 13 parents, there will be a workshop on the important process of university applications and next steps. I very much hope to see you there. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about how to help your children to make good choices.
WelcomeLiving Last Wednesday we celebrated the work of our Year 13 students throughout their school lives as they either pledged their allegiance to their flag or showed their respect. My words to this group of students had extra resonance this year as I am working closely with them to support their final year here at BSQ as their form tutor. It is a year that has, and will, present many challenges as the prospect of leaving school and moving out into the wider world becomes very real. As I said last week, ‘we are proud of you all, not least because you already show the characteristics that are needed in our society and communities if we are to make our own lives and the lives of others better. We are proud of your families for the support that they have given to you and we are proud of the teachers for their professional and personal commitment to you as learners.’ Learning Here at BSQ we have a set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Last week I introduced you to the way in which we engineer efficiency at the start of each lesson. This week is the third of our classroom strategies which is one way in which we support our students to be able to participate fully in the parts of the lesson where questioning is important. This strategy is called Wait Time and simply involves leaving a thinking space between the teacher asking the question and the students being required to answer it. This pause gives all the students an opportunity to think hard and improve their first thoughts before responding. We think it makes a positive difference. This week
And finally from me - some reminders and resetsRemember that next Monday, October 8th, BSQ is closed for Guayaquil Independence Day. Sometimes this causes confusion about which equipment to bring as we start our week on a Tuesday. Don’t forget to check timetables and diaries. From the StudentsThis first partial of the school year has been very productive for Year 8. We have been doing very interesting classwork. For example, in humanities, we learned about ecosystems and how many animals, specially camels, have adapted to extreme weather conditions. In Science, we successfully accomplished a cow and lung dissection in our Lab class to have a better understanding about the functions of the circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems. In music, we learned more detail about music elements, and in PE we have been practising Ultra Frisbee, whereas in Art we drew and painted incredible cubism paintings from Sonia Delaunay, Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi. We are getting to the final touches. In Maths, we studied decimals, adding and subtracting fractions, powers, negative numbers, factors and multiples. In Sociales, we discussed about the 30s, 40s and 50s. In Spanish we learned about the Narrative genres that include: stories, novels, legends, myths and tables. Last but not least, in English we are reading a book called “The Lord of the Flies” about British school boys, ages 6 – 12, who survive a plane crash on a small coral island in the South Pacific during a world war. There are no adult survivors. In conclusion, this partial has been very busy and Year 8 students have acquired a lot of fresh knowledge and understanding. Bárbara Ortíz Student Council - Year 8 From the StaffLast week we heard from Mr R. Taylor, and this week it is the turn of Mr A. Taylor and Mr. Dobbin During a year 12 lesson on motion this week I found myself recounting the details of the famous “Schiehallion experiment” carried out at the mountain of the same name in central Scotland in 1774. Carried out by the Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, the experiment allowed the first scientific measurements of the density and mass of the earth to be made. This is a story I know well, having climbed Schiehallion several times and I often use it as an example when teaching gravitational theory. However, while I was describing the experiment to the class I had a nagging feeling that there was a connection with Ecuador that was escaping me and I was right. In 1738 the same experiment had been attempted by two French scientists (Pierre Bouguer and Charles Marie de La Condamine) on Chimborazo but the conditions and terrain thwarted their efforts. I also discovered that the survey of Schiehallion to establish its volume prompted the creation of a new technique of representing 3 dimensional shapes on paper – contour lines. By coincidence I found myself explaining their use to the Year 10’s during Duke of Edinburgh Award Training the very next day. As a student it can sometimes seem difficult to see the connections between the subjects studied at school. However, it is well understood the process of seeing and making connections between ideas and knowledge can help us to think more creatively and results in higher quality work. Look around at the world outside the classroom and you will soon see that the subjects you are studying are not as disparate as they might seem. Mr. Alan Taylor Science Teacher - Secondary In Reception A we have been working on the Rainbow Challenge. The challenge is currently broken down into 5 different areas, Creative, Construction, Maths, Phonics and Investigation. When children complete an area of the rainbow challenge, they earn a different coloured lolly stick that they can put beside their name, with an aim to complete all the different areas before we update the challenge at the start of each week! Mr. Barney Dobbin Reception A Teacher Dates for your DiaryOctober 1st - 1A's Class Assembly (1pm) October 3rd - 3B's Class Assembly (9:30am) October 5th. Partial reports. October 8th - School closed – Guayaquil Independence Day October 9th - Secondary Community Project Trip to Ilaló October 9th - Year 3 trip – Quito October 16th – Open Day Admissions 2019 - 2020 Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update This week I have been extremely fortunate to be able to visit all of the Primary classes, either as a teacher or as a visitor. I see this as a real privilege, one that we also encourage our teachers to do regularly and a unique opportunity to recognise and celebrate student success. One important aspect of my time with students is identifying how they learn best and then supporting all the teachers to create the best atmosphere and environment for this learning to take place. However, with such a talented and experienced group of professionals working with the students, it is more often the teachers who demonstrate the optimal learning strategies to myself. Hopefully, as parents you will get a feel for your child’s education through the Class Blogs, their home learning and through discussion with them at home. However, we recognise that to develop the home-school partnership we also need to share their learning and progress with you, so the teachers are busy preparing the students’ first Partial Assessment Report and also will invite you in to school to discuss your child’s progress on Friday 19th October. One exciting learning opportunity this week has been a collaborative activity planned between 2A and Year 5, based on Environmental Issues and Sustainability. This week, following on from the learning last week, the students from 2 and Year 5 joined up to create a series of questions about whether we should reuse, reduce and recycle to make our local community and planet a cleaner, safer and nicer place to live. Each group consisted of a mix of students from each year group, with each student’s ideas and opinions valued and recorded. They then discussed the different ways they reuse, recycle or reduce at home and school and recorded these ideas using the i-pads and an application called Padlet. This allows every student to share their ideas and all the comments are displayed on one central page, displayed using the projectors. Next week the students are being encouraged to bring in some rubbish from home to work out how we could actively reuse, reduce or recycle some of the items. Star of the week Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update Creativity, Activity, and Service This Monday 1st October, a group of Year 12 students - Maite López, Lucía Paz, and Carlos Abrill - have organized for Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana to visit the school to collect blood. This potentially life-saving endeavour is part of the students' own efforts as part of the IB Diploma's CAS programme. We actively seek to encourage student leadership, citizenship and responsibility. As well as the terrific work carried out by our Student Council and in our Community Project groups, the students use CAS as a platform for growing themselves and contributing to others. CAS, which stand for Creativity, Activity, and Service, is a requirement for all students pursuing the IB Diploma around the world. Over a period of 18 months in Years 12 and 13, students engage in a number of activities outside of the everyday school curriculum; reflect on the process of researching, planning, and executing these activities; and then reflect upon themselves as learners and members of their communities. Along with the Blood Drive, other activities already planned or taking place before the winter break this year in CAS include a whole-school football tournament, a 'Spirit Week', and our Fiestas de Quito celebrations, all of which are being led by groups of students. I'd like to thank the whole school community for their support in ensuring the success of such tremendous efforts. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling Team This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about building positive family relations with teenagers.
WelcomeLiving Last Saturday was our first whole community event of the year and sharing food and friendship with the BSQ families was a wonderful way to spend it. As always, the Welcome Back Picnic was a lively and happy event organised by the Parent Association with the support of the school staff. Huge thanks to all the parents who provided food, drink, music and entertainment. Many thanks also to our outgoing Parent Association committee, Martha, Pilar, Gloria and María Belén. It has been a pleasure to work with them last year and this year and I will miss their organisation skills, wonderful commitment and great sense of humour. Thanks also to all the class representatives from last year – your work and support is greatly valued. Calendar I am delighted to tell you that our school calendar for 2018-2019 was approved by the Ministry last week. We are therefore able to maintain our schedule for learning and celebrations for another year and this is great news. You will find the detailed calendar under the events tab on the website and the full calendar here. Sport development. Following the launch of our successful new enrichment programme this year, we are also turning our attention to the further development of our sporting teams. In addition to adding Little Kickers to our Reception class timetables, we are also working in partnership with the senior section of Little Kickers - La Canchita - to provide coaching for our senior boys’ football team this year. We are delighted to welcome Juan Licona to our team this year. Juan is part of the Little Kickers staff and he currently plays for the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and will be joining us on Mondays and Wednesdays between 3:30 and 4:40 for team training sessions. Football for fun will continue to be run during enrichment. I would also like to take this opportunity once again to thank Santiago Sanchez and Jaime Albuja who worked tirelessly last year to get the team up and running. Learning Here at BSQ we have a set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Last week I introduce you to Threshold where we greet each of our students at the door before a lesson. This week is the second of our classroom strategies which is a way of ‘engineering’ effective and prompt starts to the learning once the students are in the lesson – sometimes even before they get there. Some of our teachers give the students learning instructions outside the classroom whilst others have something ready and waiting inside the room. This way no learning time is lost and the students know exactly what to do when they arrive. We think it makes a positive difference. This week. This week we look forward to celebrating the Juramento de la Bandera. On Wednesday morning at 09:30 we will celebrate the achievements of our Year 13 students as they honour the flags and reflect on their hard work to date. Invitations will be sent to the families of those students and I look forward to seeing you all here on Wednesday. And finally from me - some reminders and resetsThank you to all those parents who have patiently followed the instructions for the Drive-through this term. Now that things are running more smoothly it is clear to see that if everyone uses the car park and the drive-through as requested, we can get all the children in and out of school on time. The key actions are NOT turning left as you approach the school from the Ruta Viva, not getting out of cars in the drive-through and chatting with the staff and following the instructions of the staff out on duty. If you would like to talk with any of the staff, please do park in the car park and walk in – we are always pleased to see you. Although we seem to be heading into the grey and rainy season, please remember that our students enjoy being outside during break and lunchtimes and that they should always be wearing a hat and sunscreen at those times. Please support us to keep them healthy by providing these items and making sure your children bring them to school every day. We will remind them to wear and use them. From the StaffLast week we heard from Mr. Ashfield, this week it is the turn of Mr Taylor and his year 12 English students. Time. If you ask school staff and students (particularly our year 13 students!) what they need more of, I imagine a lot of them would say “time”. I know I would. It feels, on occasion, as if time is flying by far too quickly, and there just isn’t enough of it available to allow us to do what we want to do - because we’ve spent all of it doing what we need to do. Unfortunately, we can’t create more time for ourselves; but we can make time. From something as simple as organising our schedules using Google Calendar (or even an actual calendar), to ensuring that we have an evening routine (that we stick to!) that allows us to get a good night’s sleep, we can all find ways to be a little more efficient, freeing up time to do the things we want to do. We know that for our exam classes in years 11 and, especially, 13, it can sometimes feel like time is running away, leaving us behind in a storm of homework, coursework and exam preparation - my advice to you is this: organise your time; be self-disciplined; and, of course, ask for help when you need it. You have a whole community of friends, family and staff around you who will support you when you feel overwhelmed. That’s something we’ll always make time for. Mr. Robert Taylor English Teacher - Secondary Introducing the new BSQ Primary Student Council 2018-2019 A new school year means a new Primary Student Council and this week has seen presentations and voting on who will represent each class. Votes were taken and counted, children waited in tense anticipation and eventually an overall winner was announced. The new BSQ Primary Student Council for 2018-2019 are as follows: The SC will be meeting regularly during a working lunch slot. In their meetings they will discuss ways in which the school can be improved. The ideas for these discussions will come from conversations each rep will have with their class on a weekly basis - recording these ideas in a Student Council book which will be present in each class. The Student Council are looking forward to working together in the future and to their first meeting next Thursday lunchtime. Mr. Oliver Kyle Year 5 Class Teacher Dates for your DiarySeptember 26th - Salute to the Flag (Juramento a la Bandera) October 5th - Partial reports. October 9th - Secondary Community Project Trip to Ilaló October 9th - Year 3 trip - Quito October 16th - Open Day: Admissions 2019 - 2020 Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateThis week in Primary we have been discussing the concept of Respect and how to both give it and also how to gain respect from our friends and other people. We have focused on the actions that we can all do that help us gain respect from those around us, as well as the strategies we can all use if something goes wrong, for instance a disagreement. Many of our students have the school lunch and snack which are nutritionally balanced and healthy. If you send lunch and snack from home, please make sure that your child understands the benefits of eating a balanced and healthy diet, with reduced sugar, fat and salt and plenty of fruit and vegetables. Last week I shared some thoughts about the importance of reading with your child. Many parents have asked the teachers about how to develop their child’s reading, particularly once they have learnt how to segment words and decode unfamiliar words. Here are some suggestions to help you support and encourage your child to improve their reading skills. Questions for discussion when reading:
Other ways to help your child with reading:
Have a great week of reading and thank you to everyone who helped make the Family Welcome Back Picnic such a great success! Star of the weekWhat is happening in Early Years? Now that your children are more settled to our new routines we have begun the Read, Write, Inclusive programme in Reception. Every afternoon the children will be learning their first set of sounds with the support of staff from Reception and Nursery. Already your children are becoming familiar with some sounds and are even practising writing them. Please see Tapestry this week for more information regarding this. In Nursery we are also learning Early Phonics and have begun Aspect One by tuning into the environmental sounds around us. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary UpdateBring Your Own Culture It can often go unnoticed just how international BSQ actually is as a school community, and we must take every opportunity to celebrate that diversity. In Secondary alone we have students not only from ten different Latin American nations, but also from India, China, Japan, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Iraq, Britain and the US. As September 26th is the National Flag Day here in Ecuador, we have taken the opportunity in House of having the students exploring and celebrating the histories and meanings of their own flags. These occasional 'Bring Your Own Culture' activities take the form of non-sporting, multi-age, cross-curricular competitions, and are organised during House periods on Fridays. They are intended and designed to develop in students a wide range of skills, including research, creativity and collaboration, as well as giving them knowledge of topics that might not otherwise be covered in the regular curriculum, and a way to learn and celebrate more about themselves and where they're from. Jim Wild Head of Secondary From the BSQ Counselling TeamThis week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about whether conflict is healthy for children.
WelcomeLiving The BSQ community is renowned for its warm and welcoming atmosphere and this is both created and maintained in a variety of ways. We are a diverse community and each year we welcome families from all over South America and the wider world as they look for a school with strong values, an excellent curriculum and an inclusive approach to living and learning. In addition, our bi-national status means that we also embrace and celebrate Ecuadorian culture and traditions. So, on September 26th we will celebrate our place in the history of Ecuador as our oldest students take to the stage to honour the flag and receive the congratulations they have earned through their hard work and commitment to learning. Rehearsals are underway, and I am very much looking forward to this event and celebrating with the Year 13 students and their families. Learning Here at BSQ we have set of classroom strategies that are designed to support our students to learn effectively and you will see these teaching and learning behaviours happening in all our classrooms across the school. Firstly, we all use a technique called ‘Threshold,’ where we greet each of our students at the door before a lesson. We do this by name and with a range of personal comments that support good learning, strong effort, awareness of challenges or even a welcome back after an absence. This is also an opportunity to reinforce the community of the class and start the learning with a fresh approach and energy each lesson. Shaking hands, smiling and making eye contact are all part of the socialisation process for younger students and part of being an adult for the older students. We think it makes a positive difference. This week. This week I am delighted to have a visitor from Orbital Education with us. Karl Wilkinson is our Regional Head of Schools following some changes at Head Office. Michael Clack – who many of you met last year – will still be working with us as our CIS advisor whilst Karl will has taken over the role of our RHOS and is very much looking forward to meeting you at the drive-through and during the week. As parent representatives will be meeting with Karl on Tuesday morning, please share any questions you might have with your class rep. |
CategoriesArchives
May 2024
|