WelcomeOrbital Conference. As many of you will remember, there is an annual conference hosted by the Orbital Head Office team and attended by all the school Principals alongside the management team from the UK. In 2017, 2018 and 2019 these took place in Manchester, in 2020 there was no conference but last year and this year the meetings have taken place online. Each year the group strategy is reviewed and progress against goals is explored whilst we also look ahead at the key initiatives and areas for development for the coming year. This year we are exploring a critically important focus – on ESG (Environmental Social and Corporate Governance) which can easily be described as a set of guidelines that ensure all work within our schools is ethical. Covering elements as diverse as anti-slavery procurement to diverse company hiring approaches, an ESG focus can really ensure that businesses, NGOs, schools etc are working hard to put people and the environment first. Eventually, the outcome will be that there is an Orbital group approach to ESG that is replicated in every school in the group. Here at BSQ we have already made a good start with the signing of the contract for our solar panel project, with our participation in the Sponsor a School scheme, with our Green Week, with our diversity awareness campaigns and (just last week) with our World Food Project Day in conjunction with the UN. See below for some great images of this and with our thanks to Rebecca and Fernanda for visiting us online and to our own Food Education Team (Sofy, Anna and Paula) for their enthusiasm and commitment. British Sign Language (BSL) This week two of our BSL Enrichment students will be demonstrating our BSQ values using BSL. Please watch this brilliant video: Ms. Hayley Dean, KS2 Lead Join our Yearbook Cover Pages Contest! Our BSQ community members - students, parents, staff - are invited to participate in our Yearbook Cover Page Contest. The theme is A place for every learner, where you create a design. We will choose 3 winners (one for students, one for parents and one for staff members) and their designs will appear on the Yearbook Cover Pages. Please send your proposed designs, considering the following parameters:
If you have any further questions, please contact Andrea Zambrano to: [email protected] SSD Article Every month, the SSD will share with you practical suggestions, strategies and the latest research on a topic related to parenting and social and emotional learning. Happy reading! From BSQ Food Education Programme Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Mrs. Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update We hope you found the Parent Teacher Conferences last week informative. Many parents asked specifically about how they could support their child’s development in terms of their independence and ability to engage with their learning. In school, the teachers are concentrating on improving the independence and resilience of the students, for example by asking the students to work in pairs or small groups to solve a problem, by sharing clear instructions with the students which they must follow, through reducing the level of support available after the activity has been explained and a multitude of other ways. At home, we can support our children by allowing them to make more of their own choices, by not repeating instructions and encouraging them to really focus the first time we share information with them. We can also support this development by progressively encouraging them to organise their learning and organisation of equipment. This may simply involve them packing their school bag and checking it afterwards to see if they have the correct equipment. You may ask them about their home learning and then check afterwards that they have completed it appropriately. And of course, you can ask them specific questions about their learning at school, which demonstrates to them that you have an interest in their development but also helps them organise their own thoughts and understanding. You can also use visual reminders such as charts and timetables and have a particular place for all their things, so they can independently tidy away after themselves. At any age in the Primary School, we hope to see development in this area – from our youngest students filling their own water bottles and washing their hands after using the toilet to our oldest students using planners and success criteria to self-assess their learning and develop their own targets. Thank you to all the students and staff who supported the World Food Programme talks and activities last week, with particular thanks to Ms Vasolikonstantaki, Ms Leon and Ms Valencia for organising all the activities and resources. Working alongside Ferannda and Rebecca from the World Food Programme has given the students a real insight into the importance of eating healthily and making good food choices. Please also be aware about the World Book Day events being organised by Ms Sibone Armas for the end of term - all students will be encouraged to dress up as a favourite character on Thursday April 14th. I still have a large number of unnamed school jumpers and tops in my office to reclaim, plus water bottles and lunch bags. If your child is missing any items like this, please encourage them to visit my office to have a look! Mr. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Library – Learning Centre We would like to introduce you to our new space in the school, the Learning Centre. During these past months we have been adapting and transforming the space in the Library and the Auditorium to promote learning and reading throughout our BSQ community. In primary's library sessions we focus on letting children explore different genres, support the current topics in other lessons and expose them to English and Spanish languages. During this term we have been exploring non-fiction books related to different past cultures like Egyptians, ancient Greeks, Roman empire and so on. Ms. Sibone Armas, Learning Centre Being BSQ – Secondary Update Help and support Many schools in the world are now starting to see the impacts of COVID and the protracted time at home working online. Developmental areas have been missed with children growing, playing, falling out, and having the normal fun together missed. When we consider what our children have been through compared to many in the world they have perhaps found the experience a little better. I recall at the end of last year many discussions about this and how we would safely and carefully introduce the children back to the norms of school with gradual integration, team building activity, and guidance from tutors and wider staff. A couple of months ago I remember reflecting with the secondary leadership team and we all felt that on the whole, this had gone better than we had anticipated. Looking at reports from other countries, what we are experiencing here now is very similar and I am not sure that we are there yet. Recent research by the Nuffield Foundation has found that there has been a significant increase in children with mental health issues such as COVID-related anxiety. There is also the impact of the lost formative years where children who are now in year 7 for example, have started back to school stepping from year 5 straight into year 7. In normal times they would have developed together and transitioned carefully into the demands of secondary accountability and learning approaches. As you can imagine this is a challenge when they are young teenagers trying to navigate our expectations further up the school. We have a fantastic pastoral team at BSQ and on Tuesday at 09.30 Miss. Leon and Ms. Todd are presenting to year 7 parents to discuss this and highlight some of our concerns and ways that you can support us. You will also notice that we are also making some changes to the mobile telephone policy for our youngest students, for the time being at least. We really do appreciate your ongoing support and you have our absolute commitment to ensuring that your son or daughter is happy, healthy, and thriving at school. Together we make a formidable team! We are looking at our ‘gifted and talented’ students as you will remember from my comments a few weeks ago. It is clear that the list of musicians, sports players, singers and academics is steadily growing. We have so much talent in our school. One of our young tennis stars Ignacio has once again won the 14-year-old singles championship of the G2 Nationals at Club Rancho San Francisco. He is certainly progressing well. Well done Ignacio! Year 10A update During Green Week at school, the students carried out various activities, such as creating their own healthy menu, environmental talks, exhibitions, etc. It was also proposed that each student be responsible for the life of a plant, for this, they received seeds and from that they had to create their own pots with recyclable materials; then, look for the necessary land, plant the seeds and daily appreciate the miracle of seeing their little plants grow. In addition to continuing with the development of normal classes, lessons, tasks and everything that concerns the contents of each subject. The BSQ school environment provides students with opportunities to develop social, self-management, communication, research and thinking skills. This can be appreciated in a practical way, in the Spanish classes, since Year 10A are reading the novel The City of the Beasts, by the Chilean author Isabel Allende, published in 2002 and it is the first book for teenage readers. On the other hand, the students organized in pairs have prepared the analysis of a group of poems by the Spanish author Gloria Fuertes, an activity that allows them to put into play skills of reading, writing and speaking in front of an audience, which in this case are their classmates. It will be the opportunity to demonstrate the great capacity and development of their potential. In the tutorial periods, at LLS we have covered topics of great interest such as privacy and social networks, risk situations and prevention of alcohol use, gender roles, and many others. The attitude and good disposition of the students even allows personal ideas to be exposed without any reservations and with a high degree of respect, a situation that as tutors pleases us immensely. We are also looking for all the strategies to support them and help them organize themselves, and in this way guarantee the success and fulfillment of all the challenges they have to face in this school year and beyond. Mrs. Patricia Tufiño, Year 10A tutor | Spanish Teacher Have a good week everyone.
Lee Moors Head of Secondary
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WelcomeAt the heart of our school are our values - the commitment that we provide a caring, happy welcome for everyone and that we treat every member of our community with respect whilst encouraging them to be ambitious and determined in their thinking and actions. We have created a school environment where all learners are welcome and valued; we work hard to listen to the thoughts, suggestions and recommendations of our parents; we look for feedback on how we are doing in a range of areas of school life; we review our curriculum to ensure that it is broad, balanced, rich and diverse and we always ask – how can we do even better. But is it enough? According to the IVET (International Values Base Education Trust there is a difference between a school where values are taught and a school where values are lived and learned. ´Values education teaches learners about values. Values-based Education provides a teaching environment in which learners experience those positive universal values first hand throughout their schooling. ´ (https://valuesbasededucation.com/what-is-vbe/) As we move forwards and away from COVID restrictions we are working on plans to ensure that additional learning opportunities really do give our students the chance to live our values. Last week the DofE team were out on their practice expedition and it is exactly the welcome return of activities like this that enable young learners to be caring towards each other, determined to succeed and ambitious in their planning – all of which leads to great happiness with the outcomes as I am sure you can see from the pictures. Parent Values Over 2 years ago we all met in the library to write the Parent Guide to our Values and for those parents new to BSQ or those who would welcome a reminder they are attached here for you to read again. Perhaps you now think that there are additions or changes that need to be made. Please do get in touch with your thoughts and suggestions and let's make sure these are both fit for purpose and contributing to the values based education here at BSQ. Family Funday Following consultation with the PA team, we have decided to move this fabulous event to May 14th. Hopefully, this means we can have more activities, more guests and more fun. Please put it in your diaries. British Sign Language (BSL) This week four of our BSL Enrichment students will be demonstrating the days of the week using BSL. Please watch this brilliant video: Ms. Hayley Dean, KS2 Lead Join our Yearbook Cover Pages Contest! Our BSQ community members - students, parents, staff - are invited to participate in our Yearbook Cover Page Contest. The theme is A place for every learner, where you create a design. We will choose 3 winners (one for students, one for parents and one for staff members) and their designs will appear on the Yearbook Cover Pages. Please send your proposed designs, considering the following parameters:
If you have any further questions, please contact Andrea Zambrano to: [email protected] From BSQ Food Education Programme Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Mrs. Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Last week, the Primary students participated in a variety of Science activities organised by the Secondary Science team, with some classes even joining in with Secondary Science classes! The many benefits of participating in practical science have been shared before - our students definitely benefited from this approach. This week we have several events for students and parents for you to be aware of. On Tuesday, we have our Food Education sessions, with a guest speaker joining us online to share their knowledge with us all. On Wednesday, we are hosting the RSE Parent Workshop at 4pm, where we will share the content and structure of the upcoming Relationships and Sex Education sessions in Primary. On Thursday, there is no school for students while we meet with you all for the Parent Teacher Conferences. This is your opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and next steps with their teacher and share their successes. Many parents have also been asking about when it will be possible to resume swimming lessons in school. Selected Secondary students will be trialing this in the coming weeks, with the plan being for Primary students to resume their swimming lessons after the Easter holiday. Please do refer to the Parent Handbook for the required equipment for swimming lessons. Y2B - Different, not less In our 2B class, inclusion is one of our priorities; we make sure we all have a voice. Inspired by the book we have been working on the last two weeks ‘The girl who thought in pictures’ which is a representation of Dr Temple Grandin’s life, we have explored with our 2B students how our differences are actually our strengths, how any special conditions we may have can make us stronger and how ignorance by other people does not signify inferiority. Dr Temple was an unusual girl that hated big squeezy hugs. Although her classmates were not treating her well, she did not give up. Some support from a teacher was enough to design her own machine for animals at a very young age! Although people would ignore her ideas, she kept on insisting and following her dreams. Now, she is a speaker teaching around the world that we are all special and that our minds are unique. Science week - visiting the Science lab With great thanks to Mrs Parkinson who welcomed the KS1 students to the Secondary Science lab, this Thursday students had the chance to observe different items under the microscope. Words and expressions of excitement filled the lab on Thursday morning and 2B students were able to comment on the items they would see and describe them in great detail! Some Year 6 scientists were also there to help our 2B students. Ms. Anna Vasilokonstantaki, Y2B Teacher Being BSQ – Secondary Update Is it all a big drama? I have met some wonderful people over the last couple of weeks with Mrs Newman as we have been interviewing new staff for the next academic year. I have been struck by the fact that BSQ really does appeal to staff overseas at this time. There are a number of factors that contribute to this but overwhelmingly, they are impressed by our commitment to our shared values, our community, the professional approach to learning, and how this all shines through on the website. I know that there has been a huge amount of work done on this recently and it is good to hear such positive feedback for the effort made. These things are really important and we are lucky to have such creativity and attention to detail at BSQ with those that drive our public view locally and internationally. We are making some changes to the planned parent-teacher conferences that are coming up. There has been some disruption to learning this year with vaccinations and breaks in attendance at school and our aim is to try and minimize this as much as possible for us all. The date that was published for years 11 and 13 was the 31st of March but we have decided to move this to the 6th April for a number of logistical reasons. The rest of the school will follow on the 18th of May and the details of this will also follow. It is hoped that parents will be able to do these on site by that time. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Essentially, both events will have targeted agendas towards either final exam prep for years 11 and 13, and a reflection of the year gone by with a targeted focus going forward for the others. I am pleased to announce that the Arts department is putting in a big team effort for us all to celebrate the end of the year with the school production. Time is tight but I am confident that with all of our support Miss Cano, Mrs Espinosa, Miss Arellano, and other connected staff helping will prepare an excellent show for us all. Most of the activity will take place on Wednesday enrichment, but inevitably as the pressure rises and time runs out, additional practice will be required outside of our timetable. I look forward to lots of music and performance over the next couple of months, and to a wonderful show later in the year. It is certainly going to be magical? It is exciting to also announce that we intend to recognise and award contributions to enrichment and the way that senior students lead enrichment activities in the regular award ceremonies. Staff are now considering this element going forward. Miss Martinez and I will be visiting all of the activities taking place on Wednesday next week. It is very clear that we have many talented students in the school and as I wrote last week, Mrs Todd is working on the programme identifying who they are and why they are gifted and talented. On Saturday we enjoyed our graduating IB Art students exhibition on site. Look out for the reports and pictures - the work is of an extremely high standard. Finally from me, a huge thank you and well done to the staff who led an excellent D of E expedition last week. Mrs Madden, Miss Leon, Mr Edwards, Mrs Davilla and Mr Dobson ensured an excellent event for over 20 students. I went to visit the teams at the campsite and was really pleased to see and witness the buzz of the campsite with students enjoying each other's company out of school. It was wonderful to finally see this happening again. Well done all! Science Week 14th March to 18th March. It has been a pleasure to be part of organizing Science Week this week. Celebrating British Science week here at BSQ. The theme this year has been Growth. Every class in the school has taken part in two competitions. One to grow seeds which lasts for a whole month, and a poster competition. I am very happy to announce the winners of the poster competition are We had loads of entries which are being displayed in the windows of the science labs. We will update you with the winners of the plant competition later in the term. Every day in tutor time we have learnt a little science, on Monday we learnt about Ecuadorians Scientist Eugenia María del Pino Veintimilla, Tuesday about factors needed for seed growth, Wednesday ´guess the embryo´, Thursday how to reinflate a helium balloon using a hair dryer and Friday different jobs that science is useful for. We also had our first BSQ Science Fair on Tuesday. Students from the KS3 Enrichment group had worked really hard on their own projects. We had visitors from staff including, Mr. Newman, Mrs. Espinosa, Mrs. Newman, Mr. Moors and Mr. Kyle. A number of students from KS3 and Y6 also came in to speak to the students. It was really great to see students sharing their passion for science through their own projects from research on Black holes and Vaccines, to experiments on the effect of vinegar on eggs, light on plant growth and filtering water. One group even looked at the effect of music on the behaviour of horses. As well as form time and class activities the students have had some opportunities in Secondary Science to do different practical work.
Year 1 and 2 also came up to the Secondary lab to use the microscopes and this was really exciting for them. We guessed what some things were under the microscope – this one is a picture that very few people got correct… can you guess what it is? The students had collected objects from school and home that they wanted to look at under the microscope and they also had feathers, small lizards, butterfly wings and fibres to look at too. It was a pleasure to have them up in the Science labs. The Year 6 students, Charlie, Elias, Indie and Jose who came to help out were excellent. It has been so lovely to see so much science happening around the school this week during form time and in other subjects too, and a big thank you to all the students and teachers who have got involved with Science Week this week. As always, great community spirit. Ms. Nadine Parker and Mrs. Rachael Parkinson, Science Teachers Year 7 Science Our new topic in Science for Year 7 this partial is the rock cycle. We have been learning about the structure of the earth, and part of a homework task was to write a song or rap which described the four layers of the earth. The students came up with some amazing songs which they performed in front of the class. There were some excellent displays in class of rhyming lines and excellent beats and rhythms to their songs. Here there are two videos which some students put together. The special effects on Matías video are particularly impressive. Well done to all of Year 7! Ms. Nadine Parker, Science Teacher Duke of Edinburgh International Award – Bronze Qualifying Expedition to Chaquiñan and Ilaló (15-16 March) Last week we were incredibly fortunate to take 21 students from Years 10 and 11 out to complete their Qualifying Expedition as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award scheme. The last time we were able to do this was in February 2020 when we took participants to Quilotoa. After much planning, and a variety of changes to our plans (we were disappointed not to be able to go to Cotopaxi National Park as we usually do, as a result of restrictions on camping in the park), we embarked on Tuesday 15 March to the Chaquiñan in Tumbaco, where students walked 14km to Puembo with their rucksacks loaded with everything they’d need for the next two days – clothing, tents, sleeping bags and mats, stoves, gas canisters, food, and anything else they might require! Day 1 went smoothly with all students finding their trek along the Chaquiñan manageable, but were certainly pleased to arrive at the campsite in Puembo where we witnessed a range of nutritious meals being prepared as well as the successful erection tents before settling down to sleep for the night. Day 2 was a much bigger challenge – with students walking up the slopes of Ilaló from La Morita to finally reach the summit around lunchtime, before taking the walk down to Guangopolo to finish the hike. Another successful day – though certainly a lot more challenging for all involved! All of the staff on the visit – myself, Mrs Madden (who was assessing the students for their Bronze Award), Miss Leon, Mrs Davila, and Mr Edwards – were hugely impressed by the maturity, responsibility, and determination of the students and I am pleased to say that all passed the assessment for their Bronze Award. Now, students must write a short report about their expedition, deliver a presentation, and complete the required hours for their individual skill, service, and physical activities to achieve their Bronze Award certificate. Mr. Kevin Dobson, Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Coordinator.
Have a good week everyone. Lee Moors Head of Secondary Welcome This week our exam group secondary students will be sharing their knowledge and skills once again through some practice papers based on the Cambridge and International Baccalaureate syllabuses in preparation for the final exams in May. For two years the students have not been able to prepare for exams in the usual way and so this is an even more significant time than usual. We are all very proud of the way they have approached their academic studies so far and feel confident that the outcomes will represent their hard work. It is easy to forget how important these times are in the lives of students and, of course, all students of any age can feel anxious or worried about classes, lessons, tests, exams or pressure to succeed. There is a lot of research about the impact of pressure on young people. For example:
Of course, fears that the pandemic has caused children to fall behind also add to a number of pressures learner fell to perform. Let's remember that we can always only expect our children to do their best and that will not look the same for every learner. So how can we support our children to do that best, feel happy with the outcomes and flourish!? Extensive research from universities in the UK and the USA (UCL and MIT for example) suggest the following:
I know that our older students have learned these skills at school and at home and that they will apply them to the exciting challenges ahead. If any parents (of children of any age) need any additional guidance or support about study skills, curriculum or any of the above then please do check out our regular parent workshops and contact us if you have any specific questions. Announcement According to the resolution issued by the COE on February 22, 2022, please keep in mind that the temperature will no longer be taken starting tomorrow. All other biosecurity protocols will remain in place at BSQ. British Sign Language (BSL) This week four of our BSL Enrichment students will be demonstrating the Alphabet using BSL. Please watch this brilliant video: Ms. Hayley Dean, KS2 Lead IB Art Exhibition The Arts Department and Y13 Art students Felix, María José, Sebastián and Nanditha proudly present "Hephaestus", the IB Art Show portraying the pieces of Year 13 IB class 2021/2022 this Saturday March 19th from 10AM - 1PM at the Multipurpose Room. Year 12 and 13 students with their parents and school staff are invited to attend the Art Exhibition. KS3 and KS4 students will be invited to visit the show on Monday March 21st during their allocated slot during school time. Join our Yearbook Cover Pages Contest! Our BSQ community members - students, parents, staff - are invited to participate in our Yearbook Cover Page Contest. The theme is A place for every learner, where you create a design . We will choose 3 winners (one for students, one for parents and one for staff members) and their designs will appear on the Yearbook Cover Pages. Please send your proposed designs, considering the following parameters:
If you have any further questions, please contact Andrea Zambrano to: [email protected] Sponsor a School Initiative As part of our approach to sharing our values of respect and care that promote actions to support quality and sustainable education, BSQ and BritCham participated in the "Education as a goal of sustainable development" event, together with business leaders and Maria Brown the Education Minister, to support the MoE "Sponsor a School" initiative. This joint collaboration between the business, education sectors and the Ministry of Education will improve education conditions and ensure equitable inclusive quality education to promote learning opportunities for all. Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Mrs. Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary UpdateAs shared last week, we will soon host our next online Parent Teacher Conference for all primary students and yourselves on Thursday 24th March. On this day, there will be no lessons in school or online and each student and their parents will be invited to an online Parent Teacher Conference – your child’s class teacher or Mrs Sandy Pazmino will be in touch with you soon about the most convenient time for your conference. During this Parent Teacher Conference, you will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, attainment and areas for development in the future. To make these really meaningful and useful for your child, spend some time with them before the meeting to find out what they have been learning about, what they enjoy doing and what they find more challenging. Have a pre-prepared list of questions for the teacher and please do ask for translation support if appropriate, in advance. We hope that you will come away from these Parent Teacher Conferences with a clear idea about how your child is doing, what their next steps are and how the school and yourselves can support the development in the coming year. Remember that I have a large amount of lost property in my office – mostly unnamed sweaters and jackets and water bottles. If your child is missing any items, please ask them to visit my office and have a look for things they might recognise. Mr. Marcus Madden Head of Primary 4B Newsletter Over the last term in Art, we have been creating some pieces of amazing Hip Hop and graffiti art. To be able to do this we learnt about how Hip Hop was a movement for the African American community to send a message about human rights and racial equality. Then we learnt how art doesn't need to be expressed through pictures, it can be through music and dance. This is when we learnt some dance moves (we need some more practice though)! To help spread positive messages of equality and human rights, we discovered that people use graffiti; we debated if Graffiti is good or bad for the community, deciding it depends on the message and the artwork with it. To create our final pieces we used the method of practising, sketching and evaluating each other pieces of work. We asked each other's opinions in terms of the colours and styles we used. We wanted our posters to spread a positive message. Have a look at our wondrous and creative work and see if you can create your own. The fabulous artist in 4B. KS2 Green week. During the week before our carnival holidays, KS2 had a green week, talking about our impact on the environment and how it is impacting the planet now and in the future. To end an incredible week of learning we came together in our houses to create AMAZING pieces of art out of recycled materials. Can you tell what the pieces we created represent? Who do you think won the house event? Ms Hayley Dean, KS2 Lead Celebrations We would like to share with our BSQ community that Lucas, Year 5, and his team obtained the 3rd place in the Soccer competition “Copa Estudiantes De La Plata” Sub 10 category. Congratulations Lucas and his team for this achievement, we look forward to supporting him in future competitions! Being BSQ – Secondary Update We are blessed with so much talent! How lovely it has been to all be back on site and sharing our news of adventures in the holiday. It really is beneficial to have a break, relax and switch off so that everyone is refreshed. This week we are focusing on how our wider curriculum is developing. Ideas have been brought together so we have everything in one place and defined. We have certain programmes to support development depending on the age of the child but in addition to this we are now looking at our adventurous and educational residential visits that secondary students should have the opportunity to experience. We are developing opportunities that may take students to the Galapagos, the Amazon, the highlands and overseas. This is super exciting and is looking very positive for next year. More information on this to follow over the next couple of weeks. Apart from the return, the news is fairly limited this week but it does give me an opportunity to discuss a focus we have currently. Ms Todd is realigning our gifted and talented strategy at the school currently. This is quite a controversial topic in education as it could be perceived as elitist and others do not see what the fuss is about as surely, a gifted child will always do well, won’t they? Gifted learners are those who have particular academic abilities; Talented learners are those who have particular abilities in the creative arts (such as music, art and design, drama, dance) or PE. We see these students as ‘more able’ or ‘high ability’ as these are inclusive terms, but gifted is very much a part of the official language. You are now possibly thinking about whether your child is gifted? A gifted child quite likely:
As a school we need to understand who our gifted children are and how we stretch and challenge them at every stage of their school career. Miss Todd is our designated teacher who oversees how the policy is developed and managed. She is focusing on who and what the staff are doing with them right now. She also works closely with the individual needs department to ensure that all children in the Secondary school are challenged at the right level. If you as parents feel that your son or daughter is ‘Gifted’ or ‘Talented’, then please get in touch with Miss Todd by email outlining your thoughts. She will be very grateful for your input. Continuing in the theme of ‘Talented’ it gives me great pleasure to report on one of our students who is extremely gifted in the field of Gymnastics. What wonderful news last week about Antonella who recently achieved the second place in competition on the floor with a score of 9.200 in the 34TH ANNUAL 2022 GASPARILLA CLASSIC in Tampa, Florida USA. She practices for 2 hours a day in artistic gymnastics at ‘Gymfinity Ecuador’ and she is now at level 2. This is the second time she has been to Tampa. This is a wonderful achievement and clearly looking at the pictures, she is super talented to be getting success at such events. Well done Antonella! We all look forward to seeing your talents develop even further and also well done for the commitment you are showing to your training. Dedication and sacrifice will bring success. Year 8 update In Year 8 during some of our tutor-time on Fridays, we have been working on activities linked to the BSQ Values Programme. The students have been reflecting on their personal qualities and how they can develop these further. This is an important skill which will be useful for school, further education and professional life. The Personal Development Programme offers the opportunity to work on an area of development chosen by each student and to document this process with a portfolio of evidence. In one of our early sessions, the students were asked to create some word art to give an indication of their current qualities, before the next selecting a Personal Intention Statement for further development during the programme. We have included some of their examples just here. Mr. Simon Newman, Y8 tutor International Women's Day The 8th of March, International Women's Day, is an important date to commemorate the work of women to claim their rights around the world and to remind us to change and eliminate gender stereotypes that harm us so much. It is for this reason that year 12 and 7 art students discussed gender issues that affect thousands of women in Ecuador:
Based on these statistics, the students discussed ways in which we can contribute to a more just and equitable society in terms of gender:
After this, students did different activities related to the topic which we would like to share with you: Ms. Belen Arellano, Y7 and Y12 students.
Have a good week everyone. Lee Moors Head of Secondary WelcomeWelcome back everyone - I hope you had a wonderful Carnival break. Parent Survey Let’s celebrate – once again the BSQ community has rated the school overall as higher than the Orbital group average. I know that we are a happy community, but knowing that our work is ensuring you believe we are meeting your expectations to such a high level is a wonderful statistic to see. As promised this week I have some more reflections on the survey outcomes. This year for the first time, we were able to respond in person to parents who had any concerns and provide reassurances and personal support. Thank you to those parents for your time and for supporting us with ideas to reflect on and develop. In more general terms the following are areas we will be looking at developing moving forward based on the comments from you about where you would like to see additions:
Over the coming weeks and months, we will keep you updated with our progress against some of these suggestions. To close this part of the newsletter let’s celebrate again with a warm thank you for the time you took to write comments praising the school for:
Thank you. Green Week. What a great experience we all shared as part of our Green Week celebrations. Thank you to everyone who sent resources, organised events and generally supported our drive to reflect on all things environmental. British Sign Language (BSL) This week two of our BSL Enrichment students will be demonstrating a new sign: like me Mathematics using BSL. Please watch this brilliant video: Ms. Hayley Dean, KS2 Lead SSD Article Every month, the SSD will share with you practical suggestions, strategies and the latest research on a topic related to parenting and social and emotional learning. Happy reading! Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Mrs. Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update Welcome back to Term 4 here at The British School Quito – we hope you all had a relaxing Carnival break and your child is ready for the next six weeks of exciting learning opportunities before the Easter break, with Term 4 ending on Thursday 14th April. There are some dates for you to be aware of in the coming weeks. Our intention is to host an online Parent Teacher Conference for all primary students and yourselves on Thursday 24th March. On this day, there will be no lessons in school or online and each student and their parents will be invited to an online Parent Teacher Conference – more specific details to follow. Although much of what will be discussed at these Parent Teacher Conferences will be school-based, we will also want to share with you all ways that you can support your child’s development at home. As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. When parents and families are involved in their child's education, that child does better both academically and emotionally and has better feelings about going to school. There are many ways that you can support your child's learning at home and throughout the next school year. To make these really meaningful and useful for your child, spend some time with them before the meeting to find out what they have been learning about, what they enjoy doing and what they find more challenging. Have a pre-prepared list of questions for the teacher and please do ask for translation support if appropriate, in advance. We hope that you will come away from these Parent Teacher Conferences with a clear idea about how your child is doing, what their next steps are and how the school and yourselves can support the development in the coming year. We also plan to host our annual Fun Day on Saturday 9th April, if local conditions allow for this to take place. This will be an opportunity for the school community to reconnect and spend some time together as a group of like-minded people, all concerned with the well-being, happiness and success of our students. I have a large amount of lost property in my office – mostly unnamed sweaters and jackets and water bottles. If your child is missing any items, please ask them to visit my office and have a look for things they might recognise (although this is difficult as they all look similar!). Mr. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Caterpillars Update Nursery have been very busy learning about food and taking care of the environment. We have been developing our counting to 10, colour recognition and fine-motor skills through different activities such as making paper pizzas and weighing vegetables. During Green Week, Caterpillar Class enjoyed crafting using recycled materials and planting seeds in recycled containers. We walked around the school to discuss recycling and trash separation and have been busy taking care of the plants in our new terrarium. We are beginning to recognise numbers and letters and absolutely love sharing stories, particularly when our Year 5 friends come down to read with us on a Monday. Ms. Lilly Lockwood, Nursery Teacher Celebrations We would like to share with our BSQ community that José Tomás, Year 6, won the I Rancho Junior Tournament at Rancho San Francisco, category Under 12. Congratulations José Tomás for this achievement, we look forward to supporting him in future competitions! Being BSQ – Secondary Update A wonderful end to the half-term We all enjoyed a carefully considered and well led event that was driven by Annabella and the sustainability group with Green Week. The highlight for me was the no electricity day. It took me back to the early days of my career where communication was reliant on messages in pigeon holes and a face to face conversation. I remember the hours I spent on my mobile telephone as a young PE teacher arranging sports fixtures. How things have changed. Email and the way that we now manage education on computers with resources and activities has definitely improved the depth of experience for the students and the efficiency with which staff are now able to work. As a school leader the exercise highlighted to me just how much our roles rely on the keyboard and how much of my time is spent on it. What we saw last week was a huge change in pedagogy for staff who had to deliver learning and activity without any electricity. It was very refreshing indeed. There were so many lessons outside of the classroom enjoying the fresh air and a different learning environment. The sessions were more active and perhaps the change was more interesting for the students. In PE students played a game of Frisbee golf with a course set up around the school. The TOK students were on the field preparing mini exhibitions discussing objects ranging from a robotic dog, a pizza box, a David Attenborough DVD, and a modern picture of da Vinci's last supper. The geography and science students were out and about collecting data and samples for further investigation. It really was excellent. For me, the opportunity to put the out of office tool on the email system all day with the knowledge that the rest of the team was doing the same was really refreshing. It allowed me to have time to be out and about more seeing the wonderful and innovative learning taking place around the school. I wonder if this is something we need to do more often!? We also enjoyed paper making which eventually will be painted and sustainability messages will be added for a central display. The last day saw students in forms designing and building a structure which was constructed from plastic bottles to collect recycling. There was a real energy and lots of creativity as seen here with the excellent effort from year 9, and Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Parkinson. Do take a moment to have a look at the wider reporting and pictures of the event and also look out for the results of the meat free Monday menu winner and the winner of the recycling bin design. These will be appearing at school soon. Looking ahead our focus must be on our year 11 and year 13 students. There is absolutely clarity about how they will be assessed in their exams and we have another practice opportunity during March. I know how hard the teachers and students are working and they all deserve our praise and best wishes in this challenging time in their education careers. It is only a couple of months and all will be behind them so sacrifices need to be made. I hope that everyone gets what they deserve. We are also taking a close look at the teaching and learning at school over the next couple of weeks with our second round of observations connected to our commitment to develop teaching Mastery at BSQ. Staff will be looking at each other’s lessons and reflecting on progress from the beginning of the year. We will be looking closely at the learning climate and learning environment, and how marking and feedback is managed. So much of the year is already behind us and before we know it we will be at the Easter break. I wish everyone a good term ahead. Y7 Geometry The best way to gain a deep understanding of a topic is to be able to explain that topic to your peers. This is exactly what we have been doing in mathematics, where students chose their own topic related to geometry and created a presentation to show the rest of the class. Two of the stand out presentations were videos created by André Fernández Castaño, who dedicated his presentation to 3D shapes, and Matías Larrea Villabón, who created a video about lines and angles. If you want to be enlightened on the subjects yourself, please use these links and find out for yourself! Mr. Matthew Bowles, Math Teacher Have a good week everyone.
Mr. Lee Moors Head of Secondary Welcome |
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May 2024
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