Welcome![]() This is a short week as we celebrate the Independence of Guayaquil on Friday – alongside a well-deserved rest following a very busy and successful term so far. This week our secondary students have been responding to the PASS survey (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School) and from this we will be able to see where they feel very positive about things and where we can work to support them to feel more positive. It is no surprise to hear that there has been a considerable rise in concerns about the wellbeing of young people all over the world following on from the events of last year. In some countries it is being referred to as a ‘mental health crisis.’ Here at BSQ we are always working to ensure that our students have routes to talk about how they are feeling and that our curriculum enables them to have a strong understanding of themselves and their place in the world. Our doors are also always open to you as parents to share any concerns you may have. There is a popular phrase ‘sharing is caring’ and when it comes to our wellbeing nothing is closer to the truth. If you need us, please reach out. ![]() Dorapy Dear Families, We are very excited to reintroduce you to a member of staff who we will be welcoming again to BSQ this week. Dora is a 7 year-old dog who is going to become a Social Emotional Learning Mentor to some of our secondary students. Below we have set out the benefits of a school dog, and tried to address concerns you may have. What are the benefits of having a school dog?
Some concerns you might have: My child is allergic to dogs:
Will Dora be properly cared for?
My child is scared of dogs
We hope you will join us in welcoming Dora back to the British School Quito family and embrace all that she has to offer the school. More information about this can be requested to Ms. Sofia Leon Garcia, our counselor at [email protected] If you have any concerns regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us. Virtual Open Days We are inviting potential families who have children 3 - 16 who are not yet enrolled at BSQ to join us in interactive sessions about our exciting and challenging curriculum! If you know some relatives or friends who might be interested in attending this virtual event, please let them know they can register here:
Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() Our student council met for the first time just over a week ago and their first collaborative task was to look at the Student Guide to the BSQ Values that was created before the pandemic. As you know, we use our school values as a driver for many of the learning opportunities we undertake here and explicitly refer to them when speaking with the students about their progress and personal development. The student council were asked to expand on each of our value statements and suggest ways we could incorporate them more into our daily lives. For instance, our first value statement is: We live and learn together with respect and care for each other. They expanded on the concept of respect by encouraging us all to:
Our students expanded on the concept of care by encouraging us all to:
If you have any suggestions or comments to support us in creating a respectful and caring community, please do let us know – we are always open to new ideas and want to involve the students and parents as much as possible in the development of the school. Please keep in mind the following House dates for KS2 this year
This week we have the Early Years Open Day for prospective new families at 4pm on Wednesday, followed by the Key Stage One and Two Open Day at 4pm on Thursday. Friday is a school holiday – I hope you and your family enjoy the long weekend! Marcus Madden Head of Primary EYFS + KS1 Spanish In Reception the students are learning the parts of the body, pre-writing and painting. See some of the work they did. In Year 1 the students are learning the vowels, the alphabet and they are writing their first words with ma, me, mi, mo, mu, pa, pe, pi, po, pu. In Year 2 Spanish, the students are learning the syllables to write and read sentences. They’re also reading short stories to recognize the characters, plot and setting of a story. In Sociales the students learned the importance of the family and the school. Now they’re learning what a community is, their characteristics and types. KS2 Spanish Y5A and Y5B students learned to distinguish non-verbal from verbal communication and its importance. Non-Verbal language was emphasized using signs, gestures, sounds, and images. Year 5 also studied the origin of the Braille system and did a project to create messages using this system. They quite enjoyed it! Ms. Ana Espinosa – Spanish Teacher Sociales in Y6 In year 6 in Social studies we are learning about the birth of Ecuador, its first constitution and its formation as a republic. We are also learning about social classes, in which there were very marked differences, therefore we pretend that students belonged to one of the subordinate classes and the way of protesting was through graffiti against the dominant class as were the Creoles. Mr. Oscar Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Adjusting Once again we have had a fabulous week at school. It is a time when we inevitably review how are students are settling in academically and socially. You will recall I am sure my commitment last year to tread extremely carefully with the transition from online to face-to-face and blended learning. Our students and staff have had to endure much over the last 18 months, and adjusting can be troublesome for some. We have a wonderful team here at BSQ and the tutor system and other support specialists are really focused on wellbeing and this transition. Each year our youngest students have to navigate a period of unsettlement as they get used to a far different approach to education and the expectations placed on them as they move from Primary to Secondary, and we are experiencing this right now. On Wednesday last week, as a team, we have reviewed all students in year 7 and their progress so far, and on the whole this is really positive. There are always things that need to be brought to the forefront with reminders, to students and parents. This is to refocus our advice and ensure that everyone is on the same page. I am pleased to announce that Miss. Todd, our Senior Leader in charge of Living (pastoral matters) and Miss. Leon our Psychologist will be addressing parents of year 7 in the next week or so about these matters. I am also aware that Mrs. Moors and Mr. Bowles are working super hard in supporting them on a day-to-day basis. On a wider note all students in Secondary have sat the PASS survey this week which is aimed at analyzing views about learning and the attitude to learning at our school. Usually this is done once a year at the end so that as a leadership team we can review this. I am pleased that we are able this year to complete the test at the beginning of the year and at the end. This will allow us to react to student views at the beginning to seek improvement where required and of course check progress and consider the impact of our actions. We enjoyed our first Rewards and Recognition assembly on Friday and there were numerous recipients of subject awards and values awards. I am please this year that we are now nominating and agreeing values awards through our student council. I feel that there is super strength and meaning in students receiving these from their peers. We are also looking to develop a wider range of awards this year to reflect our wider curriculum. As I mentioned last week we are looking at developing and improving our enrichment provision across the whole school. Mr. Madden and I met this week with the new coordinator to initiate early activity in planning for the next term, identifying a new vision and writing a new whole school policy. In two weeks we will then start planning around some short, medium and long term goals. Our students via the student council have already been involved with this process and you as parents need to have the opportunity to have a say and express your views and needs. Nothing is off the table right now so do please when asked express your views and expectations. The parent survey is one of the first things we need to do. On Thursday Mrs. Montenegro presented an information event for year 12 parents on the IB curriculum to enable more understanding. We are focusing on year 13 next with some work around aspiration and determination. They have a difficult few months ahead and it is critical that we give them all a supportive push in the right direction as they start to approach dreams and next steps. On Monday the Secondary School is hosting the Ministry vaccination drive and all students over the age of 12 who have not received a vaccine will be offered one. A reminder that work will be set for the day as there will be no lessons. Also, we are taking the opportunity to get all year 7 students together for the day with a focus on fun and togetherness. I hope to see everyone here together for the day. Finally, and again it gives me great pleasure to close with some amazing achievements seen with our very talented students José, Y11, for participating in COSAT (South American Tennis Tournaments) tournaments in the 16-year-old category at the Jacarandá Club, he was runner up in the doubles. I know how hard he has worked with his Tennis and all whilst balancing his learning at this critical time. Well done for your success from all of us at BSQ. Maria Verónica was part of the Arena Quito team in beach volleyball and her duo finished on the 6th place in the general competition. The tournament took place in Esmeraldas City, on Las Palmas beach on 18 and 19 of September. This was a large event with many entries and her achievements are well deserved. Again, we send you our congratulations. And finally, we are all very proud of Rafaella who won the championship at the recent Provincial Figure Skating Competition. We have previously reported on her success and it is wonderful news that she has finally made it to the top spot Year 10B 10B have had a great start to this academic year. The class are full of enthusiastic characters and teachers regularly commend them on being a hardworking and fun group. We have quite a few students at home but myself and Miss Cano are always impressed by the commitment to study shown by students working at home. We all heard the wonderful news that Rafaella obtained first place in the provincial figure skating competition, she won the gold medal with a very good score! Well done Rafaella! Congratulations also goes to Alejandro and Felipe, who were elected as student council representatives for 10B. In form time it is always fun and Miss Cano always provides thought provoking questions for everyone to debate. Tutor time are a good time for us to discuss important issues but also to have fun. Last week we celebrated September birthdays. We are really looking forward to seeing how the students develop and progress, both academically and personally, across the school year. Mr. Colin Parkinson, Ms. Valeria Cano – Y10B Tutors Have a wonderful week everyone.
Lee Moors Head of Secondary
0 Comments
Welcome ![]() Students This week’s newsletter arrives on a special day as we celebrate our Juramento a la Bandera. Every year we think that our graduating class is special and this group is no exception. As Year 13 students finishing their time with us at BSQ, they have a great deal of academic work to focus on to get to their universities of choice but they also find time for so much more. These students are outstanding examples of our values here at BSQ and examples of their welcoming attitude, care, respect and determination can be seen every day as they model these traits for the community. Sadly, the ministry restrictions mean we are unable to display any images from this special day. Parents We can also celebrate the commitment of our parents to BSQ in full this week as we announce that the following team will be working with us again this year. I am personally delighted that we can continue together to support our families and look forward to starting exciting projects at school and in the wider community. Congratulations to the team and thank you. Picnic celebrations. We were all so happy to see the celebrations for the WBP! Thank you to everyone who sent in photos and videos of the picnics. Everyone deserves a special mention but we were particularly impressed by these groups. Book Exchange Welcome back primary! Our first fundraiser focused on our primary students was a complete success. The book exchange delivered 80$ in only 1 week! We are extremely grateful to all those who contributed with money and books. We are sure there will be many smiling faces walking back home with new exciting books to read. Remember next week we will be holding another book exchange for those who couldn't attend this week. So remember to bring in your used books and a dollar for each book, starting on Monday the 27th until Friday morning. See you soon! Elisa, Beyond Lagartococha BSQ BSQ Virtual Open Days We are inviting potential families who have children 3 - 16 who are not yet enrolled at BSQ to join us in interactive sessions about our exciting and challenging curriculum! If you know some relatives or friends who might be interested in attending this virtual event, please let them know they can register here:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee This year has been advancing very quickly, and so have our ambitions and progress at the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. As this is our second newsletter article we have more things to share with our fellow students and parents. We are proudly introducing our newly established slogan "Acceptance without Exceptions" which represents us as a committee and our objectives in the school and our community. We are also open to any suggestions, questions and doubts that you may have about the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The arrival of our website is official! More details to come. As a committee it is important to have the space to share our, and YOUR messages in order to spread awareness about the importance of EDI in and outside the school. Finally, I would like to add that we are always open to suggestions, new perspectives and opinions so don't be shy and if you would like to join the committee you are always welcome so we can be a bigger community and help improve major problems and cause some impact throughout the school and the world. Dome - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Do you have any questions? Contact us at: [email protected] Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() A full month has passed since our first students started the new year and I am extremely pleased with the way that our students have returned to school, ready and willing to learn, take risks by trying new activities and challenging themselves to be even better. However, it is noticeable how many students are finding the early starts difficult to get used to. This reminded me about the importance of sleep in our daily routines and the impact a good night’s sleep has on our development, resilience and ability to focus and concentrate on a task. A lack of good-quality sleep is a huge driver for stress: it has a negative effect on memory, concentration, cognitive function and decision-making. One of the fastest ways to improve sleep – for all of us – is to limit screen time before bed. The type of blue light emitted by digital devices suppresses production of melatonin, the hormone that signals to the body it is time for sleep. In addition, looking at screens before bed keeps us emotionally wired and stimulated, making it harder for us to switch off. It may be difficult to ban the use of technology in your house completely in the evening, but some good advice from the experts is to turn off all devices at least an hour before bedtime. Another suggestion is to insist that everyone in your home uses “night-time mode” on their devices, which swaps the blue light for a warmer glow. It is also worth switching your children’s night lights to red ones – red has the least impact on melatonin production. Of course, having an appropriate routine every night also helps, with time allocated to relaxation, sharing thoughts from the day, reading or listening to music. This week, our Year 3 students will all undertake the CAT4 assessments, which give us valuable information about their learning. We also have our Early Years and Key Stage One staff undertaking external phonics training on Monday 27th September, with no lessons in school for those students. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Newsletter – 5A In Science this term, we are learning about SPACE. We are working on a project to build colonies in Mars! First we researched about Mars to find out new information. Then we planned an expedition to Mars! We made amazing rockets with balloons. Our breath was like the fuel and we had to measure how many blows we needed to get to Mars. Miss Stollery and Miss Figueroa were our paper astronauts but they kept falling off which was very funny. In the next lesson, we were landing on Mars so we made a rocket out of recycled materials. Also, this time, our astronaut was an egg. The best part was that we could decorate our egg and give it a name! Finally, it was the time to blast off our rockets. We went outside to drop our recycled rocket and see if the egg survived. Most of the eggs survived but then ours broke when we dropped it from a higher point. We enjoyed working together in groups and problem solving. We also enjoyed the suspense of dropping the eggs! In the next lessons we will be trying to move our Mars Rovers from one point to another and then testing the soil to see if there was life on Mars. By Martina and Luciana 5A Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Getting back to the strategy Once again we have had a super successful week at school. Now we are nearly 5 weeks in I find myself reflecting on last year and the challenges we faced online. I notice the difference as I look out of my window and see happy faces, the sound of joy and play you would expect in a playground, and children and staff having the interactions we have all been missing. Very soon we all hope that we can all be here, and I mean you as parents in this, so that our community can be truly reunited as it should be. The gains in the recent 4-5 weeks are down to the hard work and planning that has gone into securing the safe environment for us all. We must though also acknowledge the enthusiasm and sensible cooperation displayed by our wonderful children and staff in this complicated process. Well done all. My attention is moving to more strategic developments now that we seem to be moving away from the nuts and bolts of the start of the year. You will all now be aware of the welcomed announcement by the Ministries of Health and Education of vaccinations for all children over the age of 12. This will take place on the 4th October. There will be no lessons on that day as we need to manage the process in school with teachers manning activities linked to the vaccination process. Children will be set tasks for their lesson to do at home independently on that day. We are also taking the opportunity to have all of our year 7 students in school for the day. We will be arranging a special event for them to be together and do some group activities and learning. There will be more information at the end of the week on both of these sets of arrangements. I am also pleased that I will be working closely with our enrichment lead on developing our enrichment strategy. I am absolutely determined that our curriculum is balanced here and we focus strongly on the ‘whole child’ development as our year progresses. I know that this is something particularly important for you as parents. More to follow on this as it unfolds. Finally, this week I would again like to acknowledge the achievements in showjumping for Joaquin in year 7. Joaquin surpassed his recent successes by winning at the showjumping event at Ibarra last weekend. I am particularly impressed with the action shot of him jumping the gate below. Wonderful stuff and well done Joaquin (and horse). If you have pictures and reports of your son or daughter’s achievements, please do pass them my way as I really enjoy being able to celebrate this success in the newsletter. Y10A In the last Life and Learning Skill Session with year 10 A, we discussed “Conflict resolution and Perspectives”. It was a very rewarding session since students contributed proactively in the importance of empathy, as well as listening, to be able to solve conflicts and also understand different perspectives. In a world where we face conflicts every day, it is fundamental that students are able to control emotions, communicate effectively and understand different perspectives around a certain topic. Some of the ideas that year 10a students came up with to be able to solve conflicts are:
Ms. Belén Arellano – Y10A Tutor Maths Our year 7s stepped out into the big wide world to solve any of it's problems they could find (the big world outside of the library to be specific). Enjoying a bit of fresh air, the students worked in teams to crack some increasingly difficult real life algebra problems. Students helping students. In order to master IB trigonometry, year 13s were working on creating videos for their fellow schoolmates in order to explain how we use the unit circle and special triangles to identify trigonometric ratios. Creativity and comedy were included in abundance, not always intentionally with the latter. Mr. Matt Bowles, Maths Teacher Have a wonderful week everyone.
Lee Moors Head of Secondary Welcome ![]() Well, we may not have been able to be together as a whole community for our Welcome Back Picnic but it certainly looks as if everyone had a really great weekend of picnics and fun. The competition categories resulted in lots of brilliant entries and you can see some of them here. Judging will take place this week and the winners will be announced in next week's newsletter. Celebrations. Whilst we are all looking forward to celebrating the success of our oldest students as part of the flag ceremony next week, we have also now completed our tie ceremonies to welcome our youngest secondary students into the school. Congratulations to you all. Parents Now that term is fully underway, we have our new parent class representatives to share and I am delighted that, once again, so many parents have chosen to support BSQ by supporting the families in their classes. I am sure you know who your class representatives are but if not then you can find them here. I look forward to announcing our new executive committee members in the roles of Chairperson, Vice-chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary next week. British Sign Language Following from our previous newsletter, this week 6 of our Y5A students will be demonstrating 3 new signs: How are you?, Please, Thank you using BSL, please watch this brilliant video: Ms. Hayley Dean – KS2 Lead Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee (EDI) We are finally back and renovated! We have moved from being the Equality & Diversity (ED) Committee to the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee. The EDI group has many projects on its way. Drumroll... We are working on an EDI website; we will give further details later. For these amazing projects and ideas, we are also looking for new and fresh contributions! It is time for the EDI to grow, and for our community to expand. Last year was a success but there is always room for innovation and improvement, especially now that we are back on campus. Some of our previous projects included: CLICK (a resource bank related to EDI), workshops/lessons of EDI with primary students, developed a Mental Health booklet, etc. These projects are fully intended to spread awareness on global issues and support students in every way. Consequently, our new recruitment team is working on ways in which we can make our students' voices be heard, we want to know and employ your ideas. Who knows? Maybe we can bring the international day back, but for this, we need your help. Anyone wishing to join the team is more than welcome to do so. The more the merrier! The EDI Committee is looking forward to seeing new faces this year and can't wait to see the great things we will achieve. Maite – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Do you have any questions? Contact us at: [email protected] Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() It is clear that many of our students have a clear purpose and focus for their learning and play, both inside the classrooms and at home. This is particularly evident with our youngest learners; they show great determination and effort when designing and building a tall tower from construction materials, acting out a transaction with a friend or climbing up a new part of the playground equipment. How we nurture and develop this determination is more difficult to quantify. One way we can support their development in this area is by encouraging them to set reasonable expectations and then celebrate with them when they make progress towards their goals. Our students need to hear us say that making an effort, working hard and planning ahead are important. Equally, we must teach them that making mistakes is both natural and actually desirable, since we learn from these mistakes and improve our technique or method the next time we attempt the same activity. Our students must also be encouraged to understand that sometimes they must struggle with learning tasks from time to time, seeking support and advice from around them and working towards their long-term goals. Through this process, the feeling of accomplishment they get will lead to bigger and better accomplishments in the future! Over the past two weeks each class in Years 1-6 has nominated their Student Council representative – ask your child about this and encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas with their class representative. In the assemblies last week, I introduced an initiative created by Elisa, one of our Year 13 students, to support the Lagartococha community by raising funds for desks and chairs. She has asked all primary students to bring an unwanted/read book into school along with $1, which then allows them to choose a new book to take home. Students can bring more than one book – for each book exchange, they need to donate $1. Collections will be made in each classroom until Thursday and then on Friday students who have brought books and money in can choose new books to take home. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Year 1B This week Year 1B have been working hard on all of their new routines and expectations after being at home for so long! We have explored 'greater than' and 'less than' in Maths. In Literacy we have been using what we have learnt in phonics to try and write adjectives to describe characters and settings from 'The Wish Fish'. In Topic we have learnt about the 3 regions of Ecuador: coast, mountains and jungle and we have looked at dance and clothing from the different regions. In Science we are starting to grow a bean and a bag and observe the changes. Plus, in Philosophy we pondered questions such as 'Would you rather be chased by a wasp, a lion or a monster?'... What do you think? Ms. Natalie Cook – Y1B Teacher Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Home learning and homework Once again we have enjoyed a fabulous week at school with our group 2 students attending in years 7-10. We have again reflected on the developments with blended learning so that staff can share what is working well and come up with solutions where things are more of a challenge. One of the main issues staff are experiencing is difference in application at home. Miss. Sadotra has written to parents this week about the need for support with encouraging some basic expectation when accessing lessons online. You will recall a couple of weeks ago that I shared with you some information on what you should expect from us in online lessons such as regular touch bases from the teacher, senior staff passing through on learning walks will try to interact with the children at home, the planning of activity is designed to allow a balance of attention with students at home and in the classroom, and the promotion of interaction between children at home and those in the classroom. We need your support to encourage some basic expectations for your son or daughter as well, as staff are experiencing non-responsive students, little or no communication, or even the lack of intention to communicate by logging in with just headphones, and little or no work from the sessions in the workbooks. We ask that you support us by encouraging the following:
These things are designed to ensure that we maximize learning potential. If students do not engage or interact in any way with the teacher there are limitations on assessment possibilities and inevitably this will impact their Partial 1 grade. It is a good time now to improve this as assessments are not far away. This week we have enjoyed the completion of the tie ceremonies for year 7 and I have also been watching the marching and ceremonial ‘Drill’ unfold for the year 13 as they prepare for the Bandera on Monday. Mr. Fernando has worked his magic as usual and they all look like everything is almost ready. On the subject of rehearsal, we have also completed some excellent fire and other emergency drills on site which are critically important as we all return to site. Our students have been absolutely wonderful in the process and I am confident that in a real emergency they will be super prepared. Some year groups have been completing base line testing ready for the new data and reporting structures we are moving to this year. I will be writing to you next week with our plans for this exciting development. There will be a new report format and we will be assessing and sharing information in a slightly different way. Homework should be being set weekly in all key stages this year. Here is a reminder of the timings that this should be set for each year group. I would be grateful if parents could support us in encouraging this important independent learning skill at home as this is critical as students get older. Please ask about what has been set when your son or daughter gets home. This could potentially be 2 homework assignments a day. Staff are now focusing on this next week, so do please focus at home as well. Again, non-completion of homework will have an impact on assessment grades. On the subject of student achievement, we have two news stories in Secondary this week to share with you. The first is Joaquin in year 7. Joaquin took part in a 4 course horse riding event as part of the FEI children’s Bronze tour last weekend making 2 clear rounds which saw him achieve a fantastic 3rd place. The is an excellent achievement, especially as the category was for older competitors. Also this week Ignacio in year 8 performed magnificently at the G2 National Tournament that took place in Portoviejo, Manabi this weekend. Ignacio has been crowned as the singles champion in the 12 years old category. Last week in the COSAT South American Tournament in the 14 year’s category he also reached the semi-finals in both the singles and double tournaments. Another fantastic achievement again from this very promising young man! Year 9 Year 9 has had a great start to the year and have welcomed new student Vinayak to the class very well. Despite the class being half at home and half in school it never sesses to amaze me how this class still brings such energy and excitement every day. Not only are we saying hello to a new student, but we are also saying hello to our new form tutor and biology teacher Mrs. Parkinson. She has been a fantastic addition to BSQ and her "question of the day" during tutor time has sparked some seriously exciting discussions in the morning. During Life learning skills we looked at data on how much we use social media in Ecuador. It was great to hear the students discuss the positives and negatives. Most importantly how we can use these platforms safely. Furthermore, a massive congratulation to Kat and Marcel who are our newly elected student council reps who will look to bring positive incentives and changes for all students in BSQ. I am truly excited for the year ahead with such a great form of fun intelligent learners. Y9 Writing Here are a few pieces of Year 9 writing on the theme of 'Doors': A door is a gateway into another dimension. What dimension is up to you? It's an escape from pain and reality from the thing you hate to the thing you love. It's a place to relax and rest where you are protected by the door. It incases you until you are ready to leave and when you leave you come back as a new man. A door can be many things but it always chooses who gets to open it and who doesn't. But even doors aren’t saints, so they keep you locked like a prison. A door can also be a barrier preventing you from going to your destination. They judge you and how long you’re supposed to stay locked and how much you are supposed to suffer. A place where you can stay centuries trapped all because of a door. People wish they could have their younger years back. The door lets you return to your past. All of this means doors are magical, creating new possibilities, conjuring spells but they only reveal their true form to the deserving. – Ivan A door is an art piece so perfect it has become the door to many opportunities. Its meticulous symmetry can lead to many of your desires or to some of your worst fears but to find out what they are you need to be brave enough to venture into one. The best dream I have ever imagined is waiting to be discovered behind a door; sometimes I wish that the door to the outside wasn't so heavy and big but is it the door heavy or am I to weak? Sometimes doors are so well done that they will never be opened again, after all it is their only and simple purpose don't let things in or out whether it is there to protect you or not. How pointless to try to open a door that isn't surrounded by walls, how pointless to look for more when you already have everything. A magical story waiting to be written, so are you a writer or a reader? - Julián A door can be many things You decide if to cross it or not There may be consequences, sometimes good, sometimes bad. A door is the portal to the soul Anyone can access it if they are permitted to You have the key access so be careful with who you share it. A door has many purpose Thing that may unlock happiness Sometimes it brings your worst nightmares. A door is a universe That we haven't discovered. We need to find the key to open new possibilities. Marcel It's dark as I sit. I see the door, taunting me to open its doors of its so called “freedom” it tells me about. I don’t believe a word of it. What should I know of a place unbeknownst to me? How do I know it's not lying? People lie. What if the fiction of everybody's words have caused me to be so wary? I taught myself to never be tricked by the cruel words that come out of the mouths around me, filling my ears with sweet deception, blurring my eyes with a dream that will never come true. But what if this “door” tells the truth? Will I truly have this so-called “freedom” the door talks about? I long for it. I yearn for the feeling of being free, but I've been told I could have freedom in so many ways, by so many people. None of them really gave me the liberty that they promised. If so many others have fed me with untruthful vows, then why do I feel drawn to opening the door? I should’ve learned by now, so why does the possibility of finally having freedom pick at my mind? I contemplate in the deafening silence. I try to organize my thoughts by rows, but it’s useless. My thoughts scatter like wild horses, barreling in the rain as if they too were searching for the liberty they were promised. I stand and slowly approach the door. It's scary. It's terrifying, really. But what am I so afraid of? My hand gently touches the strangely warm door. It gives comfort after being sat in a cold space after however long I’ve been here. I can hear my consciousness screaming at me, but I’m not sure what it's saying exactly. I dart my eyes to the handle, my hand following soon after. ‘I wonder what freedom feels like?’ I ponder as my fingers twist the handle. I stop hearing all the voices riot in my brain as the door cracks open and let myself be enveloped in a mellow light. Freedom doesn't seem so bad after all; I muse, letting myself drift away into a null sleep, one I haven’t had for decades. - Maya A door is what you want it to be, It isn’t a portal nor another dimension. It can be a prosperous future, or a dreaded past. The door is an escape, an excuse, To pardon the wrongdoings of man. To give a hope which will or won't come. And if not, it’s an immaculate household item, that allows a person to circulate. - Nicolás So many doors in my view, and each single door opens. Trying to find the one that will give me freedom. Walking silently passing the doors, with fear in my eyes, on a long dark cold road. There was a strange, dingy, sunless old door. I was aware of every second and minute that passed, All the sweat that fell from my face. Passing the decrepit old door to beyond my freedom, It was a trap, time passes quickly, just had a few minutes left I began to worry, keeping in mind my freedom. My lips were purple, my pale face couldn't stand the cold anymore. didn't know what to do anymore and just kept thinking: What could lay beyond all these doors? Dusky, old bones,infernal, mystic carvings of past religions? Possibly all doors bring up a decrepit memorie from the past. But it was too late, I couldn't do anything anymore, hearing the clock, minutes running, closely to dying, I began to shake, Lying on the floor crying, panicking because it was too late. Staring at the door, waiting for my time to come. - Naomi Have a wonderful week everyone.
Lee Moors Head of Secondary Welcome ![]() Already school life seems to have regained much of the normality of early 2020 and one of those areas is our school events. Last week we celebrated the Y7 tie ceremony (Group 1 only with Group 2 this week) and this coming week we have our picnic celebration weekend with the Bandera coming up on September 27. All of these events will look different this year but the fact that they can happen is something to be celebrated. Adapting and changing is a key part of our lives now – more so than ever – and finding those ways to keep living and learning successfully is something we are all fully committed to at BSQ. Daily life at BSQ is designed to support our students to grow into adaptable adults who can approach any challenge with the skills and confident to thrive. Being adaptable is all about being creative and flexible in the face of new situations and whilst many people tend to shut down when things get tough the best advice according to one family counsellor is to ‘ride change like a wave. If you are in a fall, a rise will follow.’ What great advice for all of us as we travel through this term. Drive through. Following on from last week’s newsletter I once again appeal to the parent community to work together to respect the processes we have in place for arrival and departure. Our system is strong but can only operate when everyone plays their part. There is increased non-BSQ traffic on the main road since the pandemic and as a result it is essential that all parents approach the car park first and wait their turn to enter. It is not acceptable to park further up the road and jump the queue. Entry from that direction into our side road will be prevented. Our community is about respect and care for each other and this includes every interaction. Thank you as always for your support. British Sign Language Following from our previous newsletter, this week 6 of our Y12 students will be demonstrating 3 new signs: Yes, No, Maybe using BSL, please watch this brilliant video: Ms. Hayley Dean – KS2 Lead Welcome Back Picnic This weekend is the Welcome Back Photo Picnic. Remember to take your photographs and share them with us to enter 1 of the 3 competition categories:
Photos need to be with Andrea Zambrano [email protected] by 11am on Monday September 20th to be entered. Use one, two or all three of the frames to enter. Good luck and have fun!! Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() Teachers are often asked by parents if they should only speak with their child in English at home, even if this is not their first language. Educational research indicates that a child having a strong foundation in their mother tongue leads to a much better understanding of the curriculum as well as a more positive attitude towards school, so it is vital that children maintain their first language when they begin learning in a different language. Therefore, it is important for you to continue developing your child’s first language because:
How you can support your child’s language development at home:
That said, it is also important to make links between the child’s home language and other languages they are exposed to, particularly English in our case. Children are naturally inquisitive and will ask lots of questions about their surroundings and how we describe them, so take the opportunity to make links between languages and develop their language versatility and knowledge. I would like to highlight for Early Years and Key Stage One students that Monday 27th September is an important training day for all our Early Years and Key Stage One staff in the teaching of phonics, which means that all students from Nursery to Year2 will remain at home and work on independent tasks, directed by their teachers. For all students, it is important that they bring a labelled hat each day to school, a labelled water bottle and a spare mask. For younger students, we would also advise sending in a spare set of clothes (which do not need to be school uniform) in case we need to change them during the day for any reason. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Year 6 lighting up the first weeks! So, here we are again, the start of a new year – same, same, but different. I have been struck by the realisation of how much time has passed since the playground was filled with the wonderful mixture of sounds that outdoor play creates, alongside the energy of functioning, healthy school. I had forgotten how beautiful the campus is; the ever-present mighty Ilalo looking down on us, the hummingbirds in the trees, birdsong forever echoing around the campus – as well as the odd motorbike, breaking the speed limit on the Ruta Viva. It has been a learning curve for everyone these past few weeks, but Mr Burbano and I have been having a great time getting to know these new humans that are starting their final year in Primary, and whom we have the pleasure of passing the next year with. This term we are focussing in on The United States of America, linking it to our other subjects, where possible, and we have been impressed by the children’s initial knowledge of this diverse country. Science stands alone this term and takes us into the wonderful world of Light. This week we have been investigating reflection and attempting to use precise scientific language to explain what is happening when light reflects. ![]() As part of this, Year 6 undertook some group work to design and create a light maze to show how light reflects. They used a range of resources and, for our first experiment, did a great job! We wanted to share some of the pictures from class and one from Jose Carlos, at home. We are very much looking forward to the rest of term AND year! Mr. Kyle, Mr. Burbano – Y6 Team Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Setting the baseline for the year ahead I am pleased to report that life is settling down nicely now in Secondary and we are past the challenges we always face at start of the year. Learning is taking place and new relationships are being forged between staff, you as parents, and our students. It was lovely to see those of you who were able to attend the welcome back meetings with tutors on Wednesday afternoon. They really are a useful opportunity to share information and I have been responding to some of the questions that were raised. Thank you if you took the time to ask. Last week we started the process of finalizing the activity around university destinations and year 13 are now engaged in filtering down to 4 or 5 preferred places. It seems that they are already thinking about the end with the delivery of hoodies and jackets this week. As I write there are some lovely jackets being worn by all of the year 13 very proudly indeed. There is much to do yet though! Of course we do have much to look forward to with the Juramento de Bandera on the 27th September and they are working hard in PE to practice the marching skills and understand the finer movements of the ceremony. We all look forward to the event and the footage if you are unable to attend. Over the next couple of weeks, we enter a period of internal testing to set the base lines for our academic monitoring systems in school. This is so that we have a clear beginning point for the year and something to set our sights to for each student. We will be facilitating progress tests in English, Mathematics and Science in years 7-10 and year 7 and 10 will sit a CAT4 test that will give us extremely important academic ability information on each child. Previously this has not been shared with parents, but this year we are planning to change this so you understand more how we set targets for each child, their academic position at the end of each partial in relation to this target, and how their effort in lessons is impacting performance. I will also be sharing how this is all converted to the Ecuadorian system. There will be much more information to follow on this along with a slight change in reporting style which will present more consistency across phases. Finally, I am happy to report that the Tie ceremonies for year 7 were a great success and we all welcome this group of wonderful young minds and characters to our family in the Secondary School. They will be hugely successful and all staff have remarked on how well they have settled. Well done to them all! Year 8 Nicole: I like how the teachers manage to involve both the online and the real class in their activities. I don’t like how the audio can be so hard to understand with the teachers and students wearing masks, and I think this could be improved with a better microphone. Rossy: I like how the teachers are always worrying about the rules of distancing and I also liked how the classes are given. Lyla: Reflecting on the experience so far, I really like all my classes that are interactive and I like being able to see and talk to my friends again. I don’t like that we can’t play many touching games but because of the restrictions that is understandable. It would be nice if some more of the classes were engaging, instead of just doing worksheets. Weas a class could improve if we practised social distancing a bit more. Nina B: I like how the school is handling everything with the virus there. I really enjoy the classes and seeing my classmates after 2 years of online school. The activities and lessons have been really nice and I've been enjoying everything so far. Antonella: I like presential lessons more than online lessons because I understand more and the teachers are really nice with me and I hope that everybody enjoys the school like me. Tomas: I really like school and how it’s going. During these 2 years of online learning, the teachers have been doing a great job. I don’t have any suggestions or complaints. Natalia: I think it is really nice that we're here because two years has been tough, but the teachers have been working really hard for us and I really admire that. The school is doing pretty good and I don’t have any complaints. I am able to see our friends again. I do think we could improve in the groups, meaning we can switch up and mix the students so we can see others and not the same people and even get to know the new students! Although I am very grateful that we are able to go to school presently. Mathias: I like being back in school because I am able to see my friends again and you can concentrate much more in face-to-face lessons...and I definitely don't miss the internet issues! Isa S: I like how the school has managed to make us come back to a new school year and how they involve both online and presential learning. I am so happy to see some of my friends and teachers and have a good time. I find it difficult to understand sometimes due to the internet problems but I think it could be improved by having the microphone next to them or speaking louder. Isa Ch: I like how we came back to school and thanks to everyone that collaborated to help the school. Also, how teachers could manage online classes. I was also so happy to see most of my friends; it’s a bit hard to learn more stuff online because teachers pay more attention to students at school. Seojin: I have been very satisfied with the classes I have attended so far.I am trying to make friends with new friends.Of course, I am also trying to be satisfied with the online classes.But I’m not able to participate in the class because I can’t find new conferences on Canvas. Anyway, I like my new friends and teachers. Ignacio: I like how the teachers have been managing the online and the classes at the school and how they have been doing everything. Mr. Newman, Ms. Espinosa – Y8 Tutors Race 4Good - CAS This year six CAS Students from Y12 and Y13 will participate in the first edition of Race4Good, Latin America. During this race, all our students will work for a community in Morocco, with guidance from business mentors as they compete against other schools from around the world. Each school team has the opportunity to be involved in specific race Hubs that cover a wide range of interests and disciplines including finance, technology, creativity, wellness, and more. But what is race 4 good? Race 4 good is a Global Youth League that mobilizes students to engage in high-impact learning and develop practical problem-solving skills. It is a great opportunity for their academic and professional life. Stay tuned for more information as the race starts today. Ms. Montenegro Jeans Day We have great news! Our back-to-school jeans day was a success. The Beyond Lagartococha BSQ project has worked hard these past weeks to be able to make fun welcome back to the school campus to all our new students and of course the ones we already know. With all your help we were able to collect a total of $113! Because of all of you we are now a huge step closer to achieving our goal of helping the Secoya community. The Napo river caused a devastating flood a few months ago and sadly the children in the Lagartococha community are now receiving classes on the floor. Now we will be able to help them recover and hopefully keep helping with all the unfortunate events caused by the floods. We are extremely grateful for all those who have supported our cause and worked together with us in this journey. Lagartococha Team Have a wonderful week everyone.
Lee Moors Head of Secondary Welcome ![]() Classes for all year groups are now underway and we are all enjoying spending time back in the classroom working with our students here at the campus and learning at home. Blended learning is a challenging way to work – far more so than having everyone online – but already the teaching team is finding new and exciting ways to ensure that every learner remains involved, engaged and challenged! A new school year is always an opportunity to reflect and restart. Here at BSQ we value all opportunities to explore and examine how we do things and consider if we can do them even better. If you have any suggestions about how we might be able to support you further, please do let us know through the usual channels. In the meantime, I ask for your support with the following areas of the school life. As always. Thank you for your support. Have a great week. British Sign Language Here at BSQ we are committed to continual development and improvement in all areas of our students’ education, which is why this year we will be starting to integrate British Sign Language (BSL) into our everyday communications. British Sign Language is a fantastic way to develop our language skills, understand others who are differently abled to ourselves and improve memory retention. However, this is not just something we are asking staff and students to be joining with us in their learning discovery, we are also asking you, all of our community members to join us in knowing the basics of British Sign Language. It is vitally important for all members of society to be able to understand and be understood, particularly now in these times of uncertainty. Another benefit to learning the basics of sign language is that we can all easily communicate with each other, no matter what our first language is, behind our masks. So please join us in learning a few new signs each week, which you can practice with your children at home. This week we will be starting off with Good morning and Good afternoon. Please watch this brilliant video of our students demonstrating these signs. Welcome Back Picnic Our annual celebration of the start of term is going to be very different this year but we can still celebrate the start of classes, our new and returning class representatives and the joy of being outside with good food and fun activities. This year we will celebrate in our own families and groups, share photographs and award certificates in the following categories.
Next week we will share a picnic photo frame you can use to send us your photographs to celebrate your picnic. Watch this space. From the SSD One of our commitments at BSQ is to support the development of healthy peer relationships of our students. In order to do so, we do not want to wait until an incident of peer-on-peer abuse happens before taking action. This form of abuse occurs when there is any kind of physical, sexual, emotional abuse between peers. It should be recognised that the behavior in question is harmful to both the perpetrator (who is a child) and the victim. We hope that you find this information useful and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the tutors, teachers or the Student Support Department. Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() Now that most classes in Primary have completed a full week of learning, with the majority of our students in school and a small number continuing with their online learning at home, I want to ask you all to spend some time with your child reflecting on their experiences and supporting them to share these with you on a regular basis. this helps in the learning process, as they explain what they have learnt about and put it into their own words. Many of you will have items at home that you borrowed from school before lockdown – please do return any items to school so that we can return them to the correct place in school, for instance library books, school equipment and other items that you feel would be better at school than at home. We would also welcome any hats that are too small for your child – we will wash them and sue them for spares for students who have misplaced their hat on that day. I already have a small collection of lost property in my office – if your child has misplaced any lunch containers, please tell them to ask me! I hope you found the ‘Meet the teacher’ sessions useful last week – if you have any questions, please do contact them directly or ask me if it is a more general question. As teachers, we know that communication is more difficult by email but we do want to keep in contact with you all. The teachers are continuing to learn new ways to deliver this new form of learning to our students at home, making sure that both groups are focused and engaged with their learning and develop the necessary skills for when we are all able to be in school together. Marcus Madden Head of Primary EYFS Update Dear parents, The Dragonflies and Caterpillars have had such an amazing week, with an amazing adaptation process. This week we learnt a lot about dragonflies, the different parts of their bodies, it’s lifecycle and the variety of colors each species has. We finalised the week with a wonderful activity, where each student had the opportunity to design their own dragonfly, then create it with the materials they gathered and prepared. The Caterpillars did wonderful outdoor art, they designed their very own caterpillar by decorating circles that later become its body! Ms. Coronel - Head of Early Years Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Welcome Back again (Week 2)! Once again, I have had the pleasure of welcoming back the second wave of students in week 2 who are starting back on site for the first time. I am pleased to report that this was hugely successful again, and all involved have done remarkably well settling into the expectations here and forging fantastic relationships with their peers and their teachers. There really is a wonderful buzz around the place that is increasing as each day passes. It is a great shame that we are having to split years 7, 8, 9, and 10, but we are doing what we can to make this as successful as possible. You will recall I am sure the stress and confusion at the start of the online learning process and the need to engage for the first time with teachers over Canvas in March 2020. It was an exceptionally hard transition that became something of excellence. We are in a very similar position again now with the need to blend online and face-to-face learning. Please remember the previous successes that we all achieved, and if I may, can I appeal for some patience with the staff and systems as we work hard to fine tune what we are doing now. If your son or daughter is working from home, they can expect regular touch bases within the lesson from the teacher through messaging or through direct discussion. We ask that cameras are turned on so that this interaction is easier. If the leadership team pop in, they will interact with the children at home as well if it not too disruptive. Teachers are planning activity so that there is a balance of attention with students at home and in the classroom, and in this process, they will allow and encourage interaction between children at home and those in the classroom. You may also recall the session on Wednesdays at 2.15 pm where students can interact with any teacher through the whole school canvas page. A reminder again that on Wednesday 8th September at 2.30 pm, all parents are invited to a meet their son/daughters respective tutors. They will be welcoming you and giving information about supporting face-to-face and online learning and giving you the opportunity to ask general operational questions. These sessions will be on the form group canvas page. On the 10th of September we have the first of our ´Tie Ceremonies´ for the year 7 students who are entering the Secondary school for the first time. They will be welcomed by myself, and Mrs. Newman, and each student will be presented with their new school tie. This is an important event and something that adds to the transition process to ensure that they feel welcomed and help them quickly settle into the Secondary school. Week 2 students will receive the same experience on the morning of the 14th. Finally, it is wonderful to report on some outstanding success in Figure Skating. Rafaella Chriboga. performed excellently in a recent National Figure Skating competition where she won the silver medal. I understand that she missed out on gold by the very smallest of margins. This is an amazing achievement, and it is lovely for us all to be able to celebrate this with her together. Well done Rafaella! Secondary Updates Year 7 After our first week of the school year, year 7 took a moment to reflect on how the start of secondary school had gone and what they were looking forward to in the future. To do this we created a 'reflection tree', where students populated a bare trunk, with colourful leaves; each colour representing a different question. Orange - something we enjoyed from last week; blue - something we learnt from last week; and pink - something we are excited about this week. We had some fantastic responses, with many of the group really enjoying being able to see their friends face-to-face once again. Some of the students were proud of what they had learned in the classroom, such as how to use a compass or recognising numbers greater than a billion, whereas some were prouder of their culinary findings, such as the discovery that cookies and Coca-Cola are a delicious combination. The final pink leaves told the story that the whole class were excited to learn more at school and spend more time with their friends. So we were all left with the feeling that there is plenty to be excited about this year! Mr. Bowles - Y7 tutor
Have a great week and well done for the wonderful start you have all made Lee Moors Head of Secondary Welcome ![]() Dear parents and friends of BSQ. Welcome back to the school year. I am writing from my office in the school and what a joy it is to be able to do so knowing that our IB students are in the library exploring their goals for this year and that later this week classes will start for all our students either online or here in the classrooms at BSQ. It has been a long journey to get to this point and it may be early in the term but already we have seen a real buzz of activity on campus. On Monday 23rd, our parent association team led by Rafaela and Maria Victoria held our first ever recycled uniform sale on site. It was an enormous success and I encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity in the future both as an excellent bargain and to support our environmental goals. Also, on Monday 23rd we welcomed our new families for their first visit to BSQ. It is always so exciting to meet new parents and know that we are starting a long and happy relationship in our community. This term we are once again moving into unfamiliar territory with our blended leaning and of course all our students – whether at home or at school – will continue to receive the same outstanding level of care and attention that we are committed to. Whilst chatting to a parent last week I was once again reminded of how proud we can all be of the BSQ staff team as I was told that they had all gone ‘above and beyond’ throughout the online learning months. Have a wonderful year and I look forward to seeing you soon. 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 ![]() I am extremely delighted to be able to welcome you all to the new academic year here at The British School Quito (BSQ) and hope that you all had a fun-packed and relaxing break and are all ready for the year ahead. We were extremely excited to welcome back our first students last week and reconnect after such a long period of online learning. This year promises to be another exciting and rewarding year for both the students and the staff here at BSQ, with a wide variety of activities and events planned to further enrich the students’ learning and experiences. The maintenance team have worked tirelessly to further enhance the school campus, including creating a new Early Years performance space, making it a safe place to live and learn. We have a number of new students and their families who have joined BSQ - we would formally like to welcome them all to our community and look forward to them becoming an integral part of BSQ. I would also like to welcome several new members of staff who have recently joined BSQ. They have all been in school for nearly two weeks, learning about what makes BSQ so special, our policies and procedures and not least, finding out about our wonderful students. I hope you will get to meet and greet them all personally over the next few weeks. You do all have the opportunity to meet your child’s new teachers on Wednesday 1st September at 2:30pm on your child’s Class Canvas page. This is a great opportunity to find out about your child’s new classroom, the routines and procedures within each class and also to start to form those vital professional relationships with your child’s new teachers. We will share a great deal of information with you over the coming weeks and months – please remember to access both the Class Blogs, the Parent Portal and the Weekly Newsletter to find out about everything we are doing to provide the foundations for a love of learning and success for all. Mr. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Welcome Back! What a wonderful week we have all enjoyed as we finally celebrate and welcome back our lovely students to the site. I have enjoyed the echoes of children laughing and playing, and the low murmur of learning taking place as I walk past windows. There does however seem to be a lack of birds – very disruptive for them as we have claimed the place back! Our students and staff have been absolutely amazing overcoming the obvious organizational challenges that the start of a new year brings, and we must acknowledge the astounding work that the site team and administrative staff have done in preparing the site. It really is stunning, and they have worked so hard for us all – Thank you! Well done to you all for negotiating the drive through this week. I am sure we all will be looking forward to the buses starting on Monday. I am extremely proud of the achievements of our students last year with some outstanding IB and IGCSE results. Our students and staff at BSQ have significantly surpassed all world averages which is testament to the hard work of those involved. This had led to some very exciting destinations as our graduates embark on their next adventure in Europe and the US, and at home in Ecuador. Let us not forget that this is the culmination of the journey that the majority have been on through from primary, to KS3, and upwards. Every one of us at BSQ are committed to delivering outstanding young adults, and this year it is extremely clear. Good luck to them all. On Wednesday 8th September at 2.30 pm, all parents are invited to a meet their son/daughters respective tutors. They will be welcoming you and giving information about supporting face-to-face and online learning, and giving you the opportunity to ask general operational questions. This will hopefully be an opportunity for you to solve any issues that may be on your mind. On the 10th September we have the extremely important ´Tie Ceremony´ for the year 7 students who are entering the Secondary school for the first time. They will be welcomed by myself, and Mrs. Newman, and each student will be presented with their new school tie. This is an important event and something that adds to the transition process to ensure that they feel welcomed and help them quickly settle into the Secondary school. More details on this to follow. For students who are home learning that week there is a session on Wednesday between 2:15 and 2:45 where students can contact their teachers if they feel they need further support. Every teacher will be available on a personal conference on the whole secondary canvas page. Students can join multiple conferences if they have different teachers they need to speak to. Please do encourage this as we are aware that right now, the challenge of blended learning is something that we are all getting used to. The start of the new academic year can be a little daunting (even for us) and you don't have to do this alone. We are a team working together to provide that support and encouragement so that our children feel supported. Do please meet your tutors at the welcome back event as they are there to give you the link to ´school side´. That door is open, and a purposeful dialogue is encouraged to drive support and success. Have a great week and welcome if you are a group 2, and I look forward to seeing you all very soon. Mr. Lee Moors
Head of Secondary Welcome![]() Well, this is it. We have reached the final newsletter of the year and, as always, a time to reflect on all that has been achieved. Looking back over past newsletters I read with very happy memories in the final June 2019 edition of the Orbital Budapest trip returning, Year 6 Macbeth, secondary Romeo and Juliet, the Year 6 Ibarra adventure and leadership trip and many other face to face celebrations that, once again in 2021, we have had to postpone, change or cancel entirely. Of all the schools in our group and even around the wider world, we have been hit harder than many in terms of the prolonged time we have had to spend apart. As a result, we have learned to overcome new challenges and find new ways to meet our goals. I think I can say with great confidence that few communities would have done a better job in staying and thriving together. Throughout the time since March 2020, our values have supported us to care for each other whilst continuing to aim for excellence. Thank you to all the parents who have thanked staff, shared joyful images of learning, provided time and space at home and continued to support our BSQ students to flourish. Being back together at BSQ in August 2021 is certainly something I know you all wish for as much as we do. Have a very happy holiday and see below for a celebration of our year at home. BSQ Equality & Diversity Committee The Equality and Diversity Committee has put together these resources for YOU. We have all contributed to CLICK, therefore, you will see a little bit of us on every page. There are different categories such as movies or books. Please explore all of them with your families and help us spread awareness about the importance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in our community, our society and the world. Happy Summer Everyone! Let´s talk about emotions Fear is an emotion that appears when we think or feel that we are in danger. It is a natural reaction that allows us to be careful and respond to different situations. Talking about what frightens us and understanding what causes us fear will allow us to react in the best way and move forward. Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() It is with sadness that I write the final newsletter of this unique year here at BSQ – although we have remained online for the whole year and been separated by time and space, our special community has continued to flourish and develop. We say goodbye to teachers and students as they move onto new opportunities and ready ourselves to welcome new teachers and students to our school. We are continuing to support our Year 6 students moving up to Year 7 and Secondary, with two more opportunities to celebrate with them, at Friday’s Leaver’s Assembly (at 2:30pm on the KS2 Canvas page) and the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony (at 2pm on Monday 28th June on the Year 6 Canvas page). Then on Tuesday 29th June, we will hold the BSQ Award Ceremonies: 9am for EYFS and 11am for Years 1-6, both on the Parent Portal. Finally, on Wednesday 30th June at 11am, all students in Years 1-6 are invited to our End of Year Goodbye Assembly, on the Parent Portal. If you have recently joined this area of the canvas portal and have not yet received an invite for any of these events, please do contact Mr Madden ([email protected]). As we reflect on this unique year of living and learning at BSQ, I want to personally thank each and every member of our community for their patience, resilience, enthusiasm, happiness and strength of character throughout the year. I hope that you are all able to spend some time recharging the batteries and time with family and friends, ready for the challenges of the new academic year, wherever you may be. Please do take the opportunity to thank everyone involved in your child’s development and see you all soon. Marcus Madden Head of Primary Year 1 Newsletter Over the past two weeks our creative Year 1´s have been looking at an ´Amazing Journey´. We looked at how children around the world travel to school in amazing and adventurous ways. Year 1 also watched some really creative assault courses for hamsters and squirrels which we all really enjoyed! Once the children had thought through and discussed an amazing journey of their own, they carefully planned it out by thinking about where they would build it, with which materials and the form of transport they would use. This meant we were able to integrate our Design Technology knowledge along with our Transport Topic this term. We had trains zooming along homemade tracks, mermaids swimming away from evil dragons, rabbits going on an adventure and incredible marble runs to name but a few. During our ICT lessons we learnt how to use the Videoshop app where we edited, added music and text to our videos. With this new skill Year 1 were able to film their ´Amazing Journey´. All of Year 1 made a huge effort with their projects and as you can see from the photos, they enjoyed the space to be creative. Year 1 team EYFS Update Dear parents, 1:1 sessions will conclude by the end of this week in addition to Little Kickers. It has truly been a delightful year and a lovely experience working with you as a team to teach your children. They have impressed us all, with their resilience, positive attitude and love for learning. We look forward to celebrating their personal accomplishments at the ‘Early Years Awards Ceremony’ on Tuesday June 29, at 9:00AM via Canvas on the Parent Portal. The last day for students will be on Wednesday June 30. This day each Early Years Foundation Stage class teacher will prepare a ‘End of the Year Class Celebration’ via Canvas at 11:00AM. More details on this will come as we move closer to the date. To all the Fathers, we extend warm greetings on the special occasion of Father’s Day and hope that you had a wonderful day with your loved ones. Antonella Coronel, Head of Early Years Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Last week was wonderful with many interactions with parents and students. The task of leading a school requires a lot of communication and usually this is done in the day-to-day life around campus. This week I have been finally able to do this directly with the year 6 and 7 students and parents for their graduation photographs, and of course activity connected with the graduation of year 13 this week. What struck me was the enthusiasm and excitement at being on the school site and how pleased the students and parents were to meet their teachers in person again. I am really excited about the fun days on Monday 28th as staff and students will have time to connect and celebrate the year in a fun and relaxed way. Years 7-9 at 9 am, and years 10,11 and 12 at 1 pm. Drop off and collection will be via the drive through. You will have received a letter outlining the arrangements. I had a positive meeting with our new parents joining us in year 7 next year and I have witnessed some great welcome and introduction events delivered by our staff to a nervous but excited group of year 6 students. They have a sense of fun, they are independent, and are bright and enthusiastic. These are the qualities for success. Our teachers are excited to be welcoming them next year to the secondary school. Year 11 have been busy this week enjoying the IB taster sessions for their study subjects next year. I have also been meeting students to finalise their options. I was struck by how informed they were about their future aspirations which is wonderful to hear as this really frames their motivation and goals going forward. I am also incredibly proud of their achievements which have been against the odds. Well done to them all! The end of the year is a time for celebration and rightly we should all be extremely proud of our achievements. Teachers have worked incredibly hard, the students have had to cope with learning in a very different way, and children should be commended on their success. We must not forget you as parents. I, along with my wife Natalie, have also had the challenge of balancing our responsibilities with the need to supervise our children as they do their lessons online. We are acutely aware of how challenging this is to you as parents, and I would like to extend my gratitude on behalf of our teachers for the support you have given them. Often this is the difference between a successful and a stressed child. We are a family and a team around each and every one of them, and this year particularly has been one that the this has been critical. Well done and thank you! If you are a parent of one of our year 13 Graduates, I am really looking forward to meeting you and giving you all my best wishes and congratulations at the Graduation ceremony as your son or daughter embarks on their next chapter in life. They really have done extraordinarily well this year and we are all super proud of them. I am confident that those going abroad to universities in the UK, Europe and the USA will have great success. Students staying local at university or travelling will also be very prepared for their next challenge. Do please look out for the results service advice and ensure that access codes for downloads are at hand, and destination universities have the information they need. If you are unsure, please contact Miss Todd who is keen to help you. Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks for the welcome and support that you have given me in my first year at BSQ. It has been unprecedented for me and a quite different start to a leadership position in education. We have enjoyed a huge amount of success throughout the school, and I am extremely proud of our staff and students. BSQ is a wonderful school and community and I look forward to meeting and working closely with you all next year. Have a well-deserved break. Lee Moors Head of Secondary Y11 IGCSE, Art and Design programme It's a pleasure for year 11 art students and the teacher, to present and share with the BSQ community the results of their IGCSE, Art and Design program. During the two years course, students explore a topic set by the teacher, or by Cambridge, and experiment different ways to communicate their ideas and intentions through visual language, as well as manipulate a variety of art mediums and techniques, deep into artists and art movements and plan a final piece that shows a coherent relationship between their preparatory explorations and their final piece. Here you can observe fragments of their best project, as well as some reflections of the students' experience after taking the Art and Design course. My experience in IGCSE art really opened my eyes to different forms of creativity and creating art. Before, I would mostly stick to graphite for my drawings, but this course pushed me into trying new mediums, for example, acrylics, watercolour, ink, markers and colour pencils. It also challenged my time management skills, since IGCSE art requires lots of work and dedication. I needed to balance my time between other school subjects and art as it consumed lots of my time. What I liked most about this course is that I got the chance to include my own style and ideas into my work, normally I wouldn't do this, I would just find a picture I like and copy it, but now, I discovered my art style and discovered new ways to make it unique. – Antonella. My experience was filled with excitement, creativity and a little bit of stress. It was not my first time entering an art programme but my technique needed improvement and I had not used some materials like charcoal in a really long time. Therefore, this experience was like being on a roller coaster while blindfolded because I did not know what I was doing most of the time and every piece I did was like an adventure. However, my favourite part of this whole experience was discovering that I could create more things that I thought I could. It was astonishing to see some of the things I created and realize that I made them. – Veronica. Being an IGCSE student in art is really challenging because there's a lot to do in a short period of time and having to manage time but also this benefits us because it teaches us how to work hard and work with the timing. Throughout the year, we learned to be able to take it into our own hands and experiment. – Marilin. My IGCSE Art experience was tough but fun! Earlier this year I suffered an injury that prevented me from doing anything for over 2 months... I had accumulated a large amount of pieces that I had to do. Thankfully, I recovered and was able to finish everything! In the programme, we first did a practice/ coursework project that consisted of 8 preparatory papers. My theme was the 'Evolution of the Horse'. I had a lot of fun doing it (even though I felt like giving up like 1000 times) and I am extremely happy with the results! It was really tough, but 100% worth it because it was really satisfying seeing your final product! In the second project, I chose the theme 'Fracture' and wanted to study the Japanese tradition of Kintsukuroi. Kintsukuroi consists of fixing broken pottery by binding it with gold- increasing the value of the pottery. This shows that there is beauty in imperfections and this is the message that I wanted to express in my 4 preparation papers. I was also extremely happy with the outcomes from this project! Overall, I learned a lot from this course and the experience it gave me, it was really worth it! If you are thinking of doing the IGCSE Art programme, do it because you like art, not because you think it is the easiest course. In fact, I think this was, at some point, harder than chem and that's saying a lot! – Anabella I would say that the IGCSE Art course experience is interesting. You get to try out different mediums that you may have not ever used before and develop skills in other mediums that you have had experience in. It is really a course of self-improvement and constant peer assessment and many times it does get tough. I really enjoyed being in this course because I improved many skills I had and discovered new things as well as had fun while doing the explorations. – Daniela. IGCSE art was a very interesting experience. We got to explore new areas of art we had not seen in past years, and push ourselves to explore our talent to the maximum. For me personally it was very challenging but yet fun, it was an experience that I will never forget. Making the portfolios and having some time in my day to paint and draw was very helpful amongst the stress of the IGCSE, I would say it was almost therapeutic. On other occasions it did not come easy as this course is fairly difficult and really makes you push yourself to the limit. For anyone in year 9 thinking of taking art, I would highly recommend challenging your art skills and take this course. – Vanesa. For the art newsletter, I decided to select one of my favourite pieces of works, from project 1 paper 6, Which is a drawing of The current London and a Sticky note with a drawing of a somewhat industrial London, which is aligned with the perspective. I chose this because in my opinion it's the best work that I've done, and it really represents how much effort I put into it, as I really liked my idea. – Gael. Katherine Gala PE In Physical Education students are currently performing Healthy Heart Month. Students have been learning about the cardiovascular system, whilst paying close attention to their heart rate. Understanding how we get energy to our muscles and how we can improve our overall fitness. With the help of a few special guests, Mr Edwards has been creating exercise videos for students to complete. Using the link below feel free to join in on the action and complete a video when your students have their next lesson. Mr. Bradley Edwards, PE Teacher
Welcome![]() This is the penultimate newsletter of the year and it hardly seems possible that last week we congratulated our ‘graduating’ students in Year 6 and Year 7 and next week we say farewell and well done to our IB Year 13 cohort of students. All the BSQ staff send congratulations and best wishes to those ‘Classes of 2021.’ as they move into the secondary school, on into Year 8 or out into the wider world of Higher Education, further study or employment. You will all flourish and shine. Of course, this is the time of year, as in any school, when we also say goodbye to staff who are leaving and look forward to greeting our new colleagues as they arrive from around the world. I am delighted that so many of our staff have decided to remain at BSQ and continue the outstanding work they have been undertaking already. The following staff will be moving on to new adventures on June 30 and we wish them well and the best of luck in their new positions. We will of course, be thanking them personally at the end of term. Alex Beazley, Matthew Kidd, Chris Leadbeter, Sara Avent, Nick Kennedy, Teddy Mercer and Andrea Carrera. In August we look forward to welcoming the following new members of our academic team. Hannah Kerrigan will be joining our primary team. Hannah is travelling from South Yorkshire in the UK where she has been working in primary schools since 2018 and brings with her a wealth of experience working with Read Write Inc, Kagan techniques and SEND strategies. Hannah is a passionate runner and is looking forward to sharing her love of the sport with the students. As a keen volunteer, she is looking forward to getting involved with our community projects too. Nadine Parker will be joining our secondary team as a science, biology and ESS specialist. She currently lives and works in Cambridge but has previously spent time working at Dulwich College in Shanghai and in Camden, London. Nadine is passionate about extending the learning of her students and has successfully prepared them for university study through the international Foundation Programme Biomedical course implemented at her school. She is keen to be involved in enrichment activities and is a qualified DofE leader and a great organiser of events. Rachael Parkinson will also be joining our science team as a biology specialist and is moving to BSQ with her husband Colin. Rachael has worked and led teams in secondary schools across Japan, the UK and Dubai. She has experience of working for exam boards and extensive experience of different programmes of study in chemistry and biology. In her spare time Rachael enjoys circuit training and is looking forward to exploring the mountains for Ecuador. Colin Parkinson will be joining us with his wife Rachael as our history and global politics specialist in the secondary team. Colin is a keen cricketer both as an experienced player and as a coach and also enjoys football, rugby and badminton so perhaps we will see some of these sports in the enrichment programme next year. Colin has also travelled in Japan and Australia and is looking forward to a full and rich involvement in the academic and cultural life of our school. Sustainability and climate update. With the final part this week we are delighted to welcome our guest writer, Sylvia Harcourt. 4. CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY AND FOOD In my first article I mentioned that the food industry could be divided into three stages: production, processing and distribution. Of the 24 – 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions produced by the food industry, roughly 31% comes from livestock and fisheries, 27% from crop production, 24% from land use and 18% from transport supply chains. Visualize the whole process and the fuel consumption involved. Tractors ploughing up the land, chain saws chopping trees, massive trawler ships fishing for tuna, cod, herrings or sardines, factories processing the food – and then huge container ships, planes and trucks taking this produce around the world, around the country. So not only do you need to think about what you are eating, but where it comes from. Living in Ecuador we are incredibly lucky as such a large range of fruits, vegetables, meat and fish are found here. Many of them are available for a large part of the year due to the ecosystems found from the coast to the highlands, and down into the Amazon area. Not many countries are blessed with such diversity of land, food, climate – and biodiversity. However, take a look when you go shopping – and you will notice apples and grapes from Chile and California, mangoes from Peru, beef from Argentina, wine from Spain - the list could continue. You can make your own immediate contribution to the planet by eating less meat, buying more local organic produce and eating food that is in season. You can also contribute by growing some of your own food, in plant pots on the terrace or in the garden, no space is too small. Or, like the BSQ student requested, in some space in the school gardens. Little steps that make a big difference. Little steps that make you more aware of what is around you. Thinking about food, biodiversity and climate change leads on to thinking about the year we have just lived through and the Covid Pandemic. Pandemics will become more frequent if we keep destroying forests to grow soya, palm oil and raise cows. Less space for wildlife, more space for closer viruses! Take a look at this excellent diagrammatic explanation of pandemic prevention: politico.com/interactives/2021/preventing-the-next-pandemic Thanks for thinking about all this, and even better, for acting on some of it. The only way to achieve change is by working together. And what better time to start than NOW. Sylvia Equality & Diversity Committee Within the business environment, Ecuador has shown outstanding progress in terms of gender equality. The top companies and organizations in Ecuador show a very equal balance in the management staff, in CEOs and founders. Innovations and opportunities for all to have professional careers are rapidly increasing. Non-profit social enterprises committed to helping women be economically self-sufficient, start ventures and play a bigger role in the professional world have reached countries all around the world. Diversity and equality are both problems the professional sector has encountered for many years; starting in the 1920s, where women started to seek opportunities to develop their areas of expertise. This is a win for Ecuador and the world. G-Equality and Diversity Committee Do you have any questions? Contact us at: [email protected] Let´s talk about emotions Sadness is usually considered as a bad or negative emotion even when we all have experienced it. Some people hide it or get scared of feeling it, some others have been taught to shut out their sadness. In reality, sadness is a powerful emotion that helps us to appreciate wellness. It allows us to connect with others, when we reach out for help, and the most important part: it shows us how resilient we can be. Dates for your Diary As always please check this section carefully and ensure that you have all the details in your calendars.
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() As we approach the last twelve days of this academic year, I want to thank you all again for your resilience, patience and support throughout this year – the students have continued to flourish and develop, despite having to overcome a series of challenges, and this is because as a school community we have supported each other and retained our core school values. At this time of year, we look forward as much as we look back, so enjoy the next couple of weeks when we celebrate our many successes and also prepare the students for the next stage of their development. Some notes for your diaries:
If you have any questions about any of these events, do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher or Mr Madden. Marcus Madden Head of Primary EYFS Update Dear parents, We are excited to share with you the upcoming events in Early Years Foundation Stage during the upcoming two weeks, All Reception parents are invited to join the ‘Welcome to Year 1’ session on Tuesday June 15th at 5:00pm via Canvas on the ‘EYFS Events and Assembly’ course. During this session you will be informed about life in KS1. The Nursery parents are invited to join the ‘Early Years at BSQ’ session on Thursday June 17th, at 5:00pm via Zoom with this link, during this time you will be shared details about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Friday June 18th is a school wide preparation day, due to this there will be no classes. The children are invited to join us on the school campus on Monday June 21st for the ‘Student Picnic’ from 9:00-11:00am. This morning will be filled with games and activities to reconnect with the school, teachers and classmates. Home learning opportunities will be sent for those who will not be attending, afternoon sessions will run on their normal schedule. Antonella Coronel, Head of Early Years Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Celebration! It was wonderful to be at school last week welcoming students who have graduated from year 6 and who are now progressing to the Secondary school. It was lovely to see how proudly each student wore their gowns and sashes. It is important to remember just how important these occasions are as part of a child’s progression through school. Having the opportunity to meet each student and their parents was a real pleasure and it struck me just how confident each student presented themselves. We also celebrated the delayed graduation photographs for the current Year 7 and this was the same event that should have happened at the end of last year. Year 7 really have done well when you consider that they have moved into secondary school and completed a whole year fully online. This is perhaps the biggest challenge when you consider the anxieties at transition; the study of new subjects and meeting a range of new teachers. This is a real credit to them to have overcome this online and so well! I really am looking forward to the Graduation event for Year 13 and to see them all very proudly receive their pins and certificates. We are lucky to be able to do this at school even with the limitations placed on us by graduation rules demanded by the Ministry of Education. I am very aware of how disappointed our staff are that they cannot attend, but I know that the teachers will send them off with pride and their absolute best wishes. I would like to acknowledge the hard work that goes on in the background by the Administration staff. The success at these events is only achieved with their valued hard work and dedication to do the absolute best. The food is always wonderful, the attention to detail is excellent and the timing is spot on. Well done team! Now that we have had authority to bring students to the site, I am really excited to be working with the team to plan the sessions that will be happening on the 28th June. Years 7,8 and 9 will be coming to school in the morning and Years 10,11 and 12 in the afternoon. More information to follow on this. This will be a fantastic opportunity for us all to take stock, draw a line under the year together, and say our farewells as we look forward to whatever comes next. Finally, year 11 are thinking about their IB choices next week and enjoying the opportunity to experience tasters in each subject. I will also be meeting with some regarding eh choices they have made to ensure that what they have decided is the best possible pathway. The staff have contributed to this, and it is an important exercise. There will also be an opportunity at the end of August for changes if it transpires that their subjects are not quite right. Have a wonderful week everyone. Lee Moors Head of Secondary Year 7 In Life and Learning Skills, we used one of our Monday classes to follow on from the presidential election, especially as Mr. Lasso has now taken office. We took a look at an article from the BBC which summarised Mr. Lasso’s election victory. We then focused on a small section from the article which described some of the things the President hopes to accomplish. Below you can read things that Year 7 would like to see changed or developed in Ecuador: Mrs Moors: create a recycling collection system from our homes. Mr Newman: ensure that those in government serve as role-models for the young people of Ecuador. Ignacio: Make houses for the dogs that live in the streets. Isabella Ch: Help people that are on the streets by creating a building so they can live there. Isabella S: Help most needed like people like orphans or other people that come from other countries like Venezuela. Victoria: That there's more school for the children. Have the vaccine in the country. Lyla: More funds could be put into food banks and handouts for the poor. Or he could start a movement to plant more trees. Or he could pass a law where you can only cause so much pollution per month. Or he could make people use more sustainable methods of electricity and use solar power and wind power as well. Nicole: Ecuador owes something like 57 billion dollars to other countries, so hopefully this government does something about it. Nina S: Maybe lower the oil prices to help those in poverty. Tomas: Maybe lower the electric bill, so people can spend more money for more useful things. Paula: Stop animal abuse in the country. Mathias: stop people from stealing money Rossy: I would like you to find a way for people to get vaccinated against covid faster because some people already sent a request like 2 or 3 months ago, like my grandmother, and they still don't read her email. Anna: Eliminate animal abuse and give food and home to the animals that live on the roads. Chenyue: Find a way to create less waste in Ecuador. Natalia: He should improve the power because the power goes out a lot. KS3 Spanish Year 9 students have worked all week with the knowledge of the dramatic genre, here is part of the result of their investigation. I hope you like it. María Victoria Amyra Mrs Tufino, Spanish Teacher KS5: Mathematics Futures Curriculum Our year 13 mathematicians have spent the last few weeks looking at where maths may be used in their future lives at university and beyond. One key area that we looked at in-depth was data analysis. The students came up with their own research questions, collected data, and then completed the detailed mathematical analysis. The culmination of the sessions was last week in which they presented their work to each other. They put in so much effort and their conclusions were very interesting indeed! Here is a sample of their work for you to see! Ms Sadotra, Mathematics Teacher
Welcome![]() This week I am very excited to see our ‘graduating’ students on campus for their photoshoot and certificate ceremony. On Thursday 10 and Friday 11 we invite Year 6 and Year 7 to join us. Of course, we always celebrate the end of the primary school journey with Year 6 but last year we postponed this in the hope that we would be back at school in September 2020. This week they will get their special space to celebrate with family members. The origins of the word graduate are linked to the concept of stages, degrees of movement forward and that is certainly what we will be celebrating this week – another step forward and another year completed. Well done everyone involved for all your hard work in getting to this stage. As we approach the end of this school year, reports are being written, exams are being completed and graded, awards are being nominated and all the usual activities are taking place. Regardless of where we are working or learning, we are making sure that all students are busy, challenged, learning and happy. There will be lots of information begin shared with parents over the remaining weeks and days of the term – please help us to hold successful events by making sure that your diaries are up to date. With part 3 this week we are delighted to welcome our guest writer, Sylvia Harcourt. 3. CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY AND THE FOOD INDUSTRY I know you are all very busy – but I wonder if you had a chance to start putting together and acting on a list of 30 things you can do, during June, to help the Planet. I would love to hear back from anyone about what ideas they have. In particular, did you do something special for World Environment Day on Saturday June 5th? Remember, apart from fossil fuel use and cement making, land use has had one of the biggest effects on climate change – and land use is due to agriculture, to produce our food. June 8th is World Oceans Day. Maybe that day you can make sure you don’t eat tuna – one of the most heavily caught fish in the ocean – and the catching of which causes incredibly high levels of “by-catch”. This is the capture of other species by mistake – the turtles, sharks, sea lions, dolphins, albatrosses, that get caught in the nets or on the longline hooks that are used. If you do eat tuna, then look for the label on the tin that says “dolphin friendly” and this should mean that the fishing techniques try to avoid catching other species, or at least dolphins. Since 1990 there has been a 71% decline in the number of sharks in the sea. This is a terrible number and many of these are caught by mistake while fishing for tuna. Others are caught deliberately to send to countries that want shark fin soup. Ecuador still allows the export of shark fins if they are taken from sharks caught as “by catch”. How can that be proved? It is not easy. To understand more about the ocean, I would like to recommend two documentaries found on Netflix. One is about fishing and is rather hard to watch at times – “Seaspiracy”. The second is called “My Octopus Teacher”. This one makes you realise how we underestimate animals and their emotions. We can’t solve the climate crisis without protecting and restoring the planet, as everything is interconnected. Let’s Heal the Planet Together. NO ONE IS TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Let´s talk about emotions Part of accepting our emotions is recognizing how our body is feeling. For anger we usually could show headache, muscle tension or sweating. As other emotions, anger is necessary and natural, it can be expressed in many different ways. Breathing is our center, also a tool to come back to the present without denying this feeling. Dates for your Diary
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() This week we invite all of the Year 6 students and their families to visit the school campus and receive their Graduation certificate. This is a wonderful opportunity for a small part of our community to reconnect in person and celebrate the successes of the year. All parents of students in Years 2 up to Year 6 will have now received details of their child’s login details for the upcoming Progress Tests in English (PTE) and Progress Tests in Maths (PTM) assessments which will take place between Monday 14th June and Friday 25th June. The timings of these will be shared by your child’s class teachers and may be at different times that the normal online sessions, so please do watch out for details of these online assessments. These assessments are just a small part of the different ways that we support students in their development – they will give us invaluable information about the skills and knowledge each student has acquired this year and allow us to further tailor our individual provision in the coming year. There is no need to prepare anything for these assessments – each student just needs their unique codes to access the assessment website and follow the instructions, with their teachers available to answer any specific questions. Please do ensure that your child treats these as an important part of their learning – they should try to independently do as many of the questions as possible, without support, so that we get a clear idea of their skills and understanding in each different area of learning. Please do note the following events in your diaries and look out for further details regarding these via email and on Canvas:
Marcus Madden Head of Primary 5A Newsletter For the past term in Year 5, we have been exploring poetry and looking at different poetic structures. Our first lesson started with the QFT – ‘Painting is silent poetry. Poetry is painting that speaks’, which enabled some interesting questions and discussion. We then started the unit by writing Haikus, focusing on specific language choices for effect. We then explored calligrams and used our topic of Guayasamín to create different shapes using the poetry we had written. This created a really interesting effect and showed us the correlation between art and poetry. Our final topic focused on rap as poetry and this allowed us to listen to different artists and also perform our own rap video in the primary assembly! We had a lot of fun with this part of the unit! Throughout the topic the students have been performing poetry using Flipgrid, practicing using their body language and tone to express different emotions. We were inspired by the poet Michael Rosen who is an excellent performance poet. It has been a really interesting topic. Take a look at some of the poetry that has been created by 5A! Ms. Heather Stollery. 5B Newsletter Contribution In Term 5 of this year, Year 5B were investigating the famous Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín who I’m sure many of you are aware of. His life, inspirations, and of course his work were investigated across many curriculum areas – for example in our Topic lessons we studied his travels around South America in the 1950s which inspired his first major series entitled ‘Huacayñan’; in our Literacy lessons we created haikus (short poems which follow strict rules about how many syllables are in each line) that related to specific paintings that Guayasamín had created; and in our Art lessons we developed some skills in taking self-portrait photos inspired by Guayasamín, and then painted our photos. Below you can see a selection of the paintings that were created by 5B – take note of the colour composition used in each painting, and in particular the facial expressions, designed to show fear, suffering, or anger. Mr. Kevin Dobson & Ms. Andrea Figueroa EYFS Update Dear parents, We are quickly approaching the end of the school year, and we have a great deal to celebrate, from your wonderful support to the children´s strive to continue learning new skills past the challenges! During this time, opening conversations about changes and transition with the children is key to making the process manageable. Here are a few steps you can take to make these conversations a breeze.
To parepare the Reception families for the transition to Primary, we invite you to the ‘All about Year 1’ online session, where Ms. Vasilokonstantaki will share information about Year 1 and details on what you and the children can expect next year. This session will take place via canvas on Tuesday, June 15th at 5:00PM on the “EYFS Events and Assemblies course”. We look forward to seeing you all there! Antonella Coronel, Head of Early Years Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() The whole child! As we approach the end of term my attention is being increasingly drawn to next year and the opportunities the time allows for us to consider the curriculum and wider experience at BSQ. I have had numerous conversations with staff about how we are ensuring their academic curriculum plans being revised and updated. This extends wider for me as one of the biggest hits we have taken this year is to the enrichment programme. This usually takes place on a Wednesday afternoon and for various reasons, whilst online, it has taken a back seat. BSQ prides itself in the rich and wide programme of activities designed to invigorate the experience and skills of our children. I am looking forward to my meeting with the parent representatives on Monday 7th June, and as part of this informal meeting I intend to outline my vision for the curriculum and see how this can be developed further next year. I met with the staff who are responsible for administrating this on Thursday and they are now exploring how we can consult with parents to come up with some ideas about how we can widen even further the activities we currently have planned. We have some wonderful venues locally that our children could visit on a weekly basis with the support of parents and the school regarding supervision. Imagine the children who love climbing or Gymnastics being able to use their enrichment time at the local venue with excellent facilities. Perhaps the expert Tennis players, Swimmers or Horse riders who would benefit from expert coaching and well-resourced facilities at this time. I only hope that once back, we have the support from you as parents and the desire from our children to be part of this initiative. Do please look out for the survey questions as they are sent and ensure that you give voice to our planning considerations. If you have contacts or suggestions, then do please drop me a line. On Friday last week I enjoyed hearing about all the experiences gained by the year 11 students in their work experience presentations. I was enormously impressed with the skill and confidence in their delivery, and of course the depth of consideration in their research tasks and presentation content. As always, I am hugely impressed by our wonderfully talented students. Well done all! You may recall the achievements of Ignacio in year 7 a few weeks ago and the wonderful progress he is making in his Tennis. He was in Guayaquil again last weekend competing at a G1 National Tennis tournament. Once again her performed well and I am pleased to report that he won the doubles and came second in the singles in the 12 years category. We all wish him the very best of luck this week as he is competing in the 14 years category at a much larger South American Tournament at Club el Condado in Quito. This is a tournament organised by Confederación Sudamericana de Tenis (COSAT). Ignacio is clearly a talent to watch in the future. If as parents, you have any similar stores of the wonderful achievements of your children then do please pass them my way so I can share the good news. Ignacio – Year 7 G1 Tennis Doubles Champion (Age 12) and second place singles (Age 12) - Guayaquil Have a wonderful week everyone. Lee Moors Head of Secondary Year 13 Science Communication The Year 13 students have produced some fantastic articles, videos and podcasts as part of their six-week Science Communication course. The science department would love to share a selection of their intelligent and creative ideas. Alisson produced an evocative photo story about cheese production in Loja. This is just one of a series of photographs that wonderfully captures the intricacies of the cheese-making process. Gala created a highly entertaining and informative video about the zebra finch in Quito. The way she edited and presented the piece bodes well for a future career as a presenter. Gala also wrote an insightful article on the damaging effects of invasive species such as the eucalyptus trees that are colonising Parque Metropolitano and Ilalo. Impressively, Gala based her article on three interviews with experts. Gala interviewed Liliana Jaramillo, who works for a project called Nativus, an organisation that strives to increase the population of native plant species in urban environments. Gala’s article ended on a positive note, outlining several solutions to combat the plant invasion. Tomas based his captivating article on an Ecuadorian oncologist called Edwin Cevallos. Cevallos travelled into the Amazon jungle and worked with the Shuar community to explore the “cure all” properties of the plant Solanum dulcamara, also called bittersweet nightshade or woody nightshade. After testing the plant extracts on himself, Cevallos went on to develop a drug called the Biological Immune Response Modulator (BIRM). This article left us with the resounding question: why have we not heard more about BIRM? Nico and Byron created a well-informed and professional podcast episode on Elon Musk’s Neuralink and a monkey playing the video game Pong only with its mind. Neuralink is the name given for several brain-machine interfaces that aim to connect humans and computers. Nico and Byron, whose podcast was mystifyingly called Encebollado Mix, had clearly researched the science behind the project and they delved into the ethics of the contentious issue. Naomi interviewed Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, a Turkish astrophysicist who discovered the unusual paradigm-challenging Burçin’s galaxy. The article finishes with the line: “This discovery tells us that we still have a lot to learn, and we should keep looking deeper and deeper into space and keep searching for the unknown.” What a well-timed article following the peculiar full moon that passed through the night sky recently! Credit: © Science Friday Anghy produced a beautifully designed article delving into the problems associated with insomnia. She looked into the data and found that the recent lockdowns have had a significant negative impact on Ecuadorians’ sleep. Mathias and Eva made an entertaining podcast episode that explored the negative impact of lockdowns. Both students used current research to suggest that the harmful effects of the Covid lockdowns perhaps outweighed the good. This 40-minutes episode kept my interest because of the independent thinking, unconventional ideas, heart-felt opinions and entertaining teamwork of the podcasters. Mikaela produced a brilliantly creative comic strip - along with a feature article - explaining the great variety of colour seen in birds. We look forward to pitching these articles, photo stories, podcasts and video clips this week! Mr. Nick Kennedy, Science Teacher Y10 student contribution You may be thinking, what is Yaas? Well, Yaas was a very Severe Cyclonic Storm. It was a relatively strong and highly damaging tropical cyclone that made landfall in Odisha and brought significant impacts to West Bengal. It formed on 23 May. The cyclone caused considerable damage. For example, some electric lines fell down and there was no electricity for 2 days, roads were filled with water and broken trees, stores were destroyed, some poorly built roofs flew off, and all the water caused some animals to go inside people's houses for shelter. We experienced a similar cyclone in 2020 so everyone had some time to prepare for it and had a general idea of what it would bring. In preparations for the storm, many electrical companies in West Bengal and Odisha prepared additional generators and transformers.The Health Ministry also prepared to ensure that there was no disruption in vaccine supply and COVID-19 treatment. Evacuations were also ordered on low-lying areas. In Bangladesh, over two million individuals were ordered to be evacuated in coastal areasWhen the cyclone started it generated a wind speed of around 140kmph at the time of landfall. The total damages in West Bengal, the most heavily impacted state from the cyclone, were estimated to be around ₹20 thousand crore (US$2.76 billion). Nonetheless I was very grateful my family members were all safe and sound and it was a good case study for geography as well! Koushiki, Y10 student Worker of the Year! Last week our year 11 students started to think about futures and their potential careers through participating in the worker of the year competition! Students wrote CV's, had interviews, and when successful started on their chosen job! Students chose a wide variety of jobs as can be seen below: The student's all took on a range of tasks linked to their chosen fields. Here are some examples: Singer: Produce a song (write/create/compose) and try to sell it to a production company. Marketing Manager: Create the brand-book of a business to sell your services. Doctor: Research a rare case (in which the patient has a rare disease of some kind) and give the bad news to a family after studying this case. Film yourselves delivering the news. Do not forget to fill in the medical file. Also, you need to prepare a workshop about breastfeeding in the hospital you work now. During the week students took part in discussion on issues surrounding the world of work. We were blown away by their thoughtful and well researched responses. Here are some examples: Recent studies prove that occupational inequality is indeed an issue we face nowadays, for example, the fact that only 5% of CEOs are women, however, many businesses choose not to care about it unless they are directly called out for it. The statement 'occupational inequality is not an issue businesses should care about' is not one I agree with, however, it is one that is heavily demonstrated by companies. Businesses in the fashion industry benefit from occupational inequality since they are constantly selling eurocentric beauty features to fit the beauty standard, because eurocentric beauty features are mainly found in white people this facilitates occupational inequality for businesses & they benefit from this since it sells more. When it comes to models in the fashion industry most of the models picked for high-end brands are musicians or actors since they have large fan bases, but other than that they rarely pick a person of colour to represent them. To me, that demonstrates that companies only challenge occupational inequality for their benefit (since ambassadors give them more impressions) but they never challenge it to benefit the people facing discrimination. To them, occupational inequality can be used as a weapon to make them seem better amongst their competitors for being more 'accepting' which is why many companies update their icons to a rainbow flag in pride month but other than that take no initiative against homophobia. Occupational inequality is something businesses only seem to care about when it can be used against their competitors in order to make themselves more appealing to the public eye. - Samantha B. Parents should definitely have parental leave since they are also part of the child's development and the mother's recovery (If that is the case), they are a great help for both the child and their partner and are part of the preparation for the next stages of their child. This applies for any gender and sexual identity and the role the person has. Of course there are different things to consider corresponding to each baby and the situation each person is at, which is why the time of their leave depends on these things and of course where they work. - Gala F. Here is a selection of some of the student work. We were simply blown away by the creativity, professional standard, and depth of the student's tasks. It was truly inspiring to see what talent we have in this cohort and what a success they will all no doubt be. Video Game - Gael
Ms Carrera, Career Counsellor Ms Sadotra, KS3 Coordinator KS3: Year 9 Spanish The students in year 9 were given the task to help them to see the hidden feelings behind the words of some amazing poets. In groups they analysed poems and then created videos containing their poem and images or representations that conveyed the central sentiment. This final week we have the work of Juan Pablo, Manuela, Mateo, Maria Victoria, and Sofia. Mrs Tufino, Spanish Teacher
Welcome ![]() This week we welcome the month of June – the last month of the school year for our students. Tuesday June 1 is Children's Day here in Ecuador and traditionally we have worked with our partners at Sinsoluka to support them to provide games, learning and other supplies for the children they care for. Our CAS students continue to work to support Sinsoluka and the community at Triada. More details on this as we move through the month of June This year we also have another project underway and it is connected to our own students and their understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations at different times in their lives. This June the Yellow campaign #I’llStandByYou is designed to support parents to be part of the conversations at home too and support materials have been prepared by our SSD team to enable that. These are not always easy conversations but it is important that staff and parents work in partnership to educate and protect the young people in our care. If you would like to talk about the June Yellow campaign further, then a parent workshop will take place later this month to explore ways to help at home. With part 2 this week we are delighted to welcome our guest writer, Sylvia Harcourt. Sustainable goals. 2. CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY AND FOOD. 2021 Congratulations on what you all did in BSQ for Earth Day – and extended it to be Earth Week – a real commitment. World Environment Day takes place on June 5th and World Oceans Day on June 8th. Also in June we have World Day to Combat Desertification on the 17th, and more relevant for Ecuador, the 22nd is World Rainforest Day and the 29th the International Day of the Tropics. Maybe you could make the whole of June become Earth Month? Maybe every day you could make some small change in what you do, to help the planet? Maybe even ask BSQ to declare June as Earth Month? I would like to concentrate on this idea now and go back to my second article about food next week. There is however a link. The biggest change you can make, as an individual, is make changes in what you eat, as the expansion of agriculture has been one of humanity’s largest impacts on the environment. Not only has agriculture caused land use increase, destruction of forests, increase in livestock, but it has caused tremendous impacts on the soil. Natural fertility levels dropped and now huge quantities of chemical fertilizers have to be applied, along with herbicides and pesticides. These all filter through the soil and into the water – streams, rivers and into the ocean. We need to think of the Planet every day – not just one particular day. Maybe we could all make a list of at least 30 things we could do, at least one for each day of the month – but not just the normal “recycle” – maybe more basic such as don’t buy drinks in plastic bottles, take cloth bags when you go to do the shopping, only take a 5 minute shower, have 15 minutes every evening with no lights on, or one hour with no smart phone use. Try Meatless Monday and Viernes Vegetariano, buy organic products whenever possible…there are a lot of actions. I really liked the request by one of the BSQ students to grow vegetables to feel part of nature, and then donate them – a double result – lovely! As Greta Thunberg said during one of her “Friday for the Future” speeches – NO ONE IS TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. So, let’s get Active (not anxious), Bold, Creative – AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Thanks, Sylvia Let´s talk about emotions Happiness is one of the many emotions we, as humans, are fortunate to experience. This emotion is so pleasant that it is logical we constantly seek it. But, although focusing on the positive is very productive, it is important to listen to what other emotions may be trying to tell us. Dates for your Diary
Emma Newman Principal Being BSQ – Primary Update ![]() Following on from our extremely successful Careers Week activities, organised by Ms Dean and Ms Camacho, last week I was lucky enough to listen in on two special visitors to Year 1, both focusing on a form of transport they are involved with. First, Mr Daniel Cook from the UK explained how he was first introduced to kart racing when he was young, being taught to drive by his mother, who was a driving instructor, and subsequently working alongside different racing drivers and becoming involved in the engineering side of racing cars. Our Year 1 students asked some extremely insightful questions and were fully engaged throughout the presentation, learning a variety of scientific and engineering concepts. Our second special visitor was equally as engaging and knowledgeable – our very own Bruce Duthan from 1B. Bruce shared his passion for karting and explained several of the safety features of go-karts and we all agreed that both visitors had motivated us to explore our passions further. Please do note the following events in your diaries and look out for further details regarding these via email and on Canvas:
Marcus Madden Head of Primary Y2 Newsletter The Mackintosh Rose Year 2 have been studying different artists as part of their Topic learning. The children have explored a lot of styles of art, from Abstract and Impressionism to Pop and Contemporary art - it has been so much fun! Last week, the students studied the Scottish artist and architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who is famous for his ornate yet simple MacKintosh Rose. The children created their own roses inspired by the style of Mr MacKintosh and have produced the most wonderful pieces of art. We have so many talented artists in Year 2! Exploring our fingerprints In Science, this week, Year 2 students focused on exploring their fingerprints; how they look and why they are unique. Students tried an experiment and took fingerprints of their family members for their experiment comparisons. Year 2 Team Student Council Newsletter In the student council, we have been reflecting on the past year that we have been online and thinking about some of our successes and what we have managed to overcome from the difficulties. Each student councilor spoke to their class and wrote a short paragraph to summarise their experiences and what they are looking forward to in the future. We hope you enjoy reading it! Year 1. This year we have learned about the solar system, planets and rockets and also about Earth and volcanoes. In Maths we have been counting into 2s, 5s and 10s. We enjoyed cooking and doing science experiments like recreating a rocket take off. Also, although it has been a bit difficult at times, we really like spending time with our parents and waking up late! We also like to learn about how to use the computer and share our ideas in the public chat. We miss a lot of places in school like the canteen and the pool, but mostly the playground. But the things we miss the most are our friends and teachers. Year 2 This year, we enjoyed learning about informal letters. We also learned about how to be resilient and be kind to everyone. The best thing about online learning is seeing our friends through a camera and talking to them. Another thing we really liked was spending more time with our parents. We have really missed our classrooms, the playground and the pool! We also missed our friends and teachers. Overall, we miss our adventures at school! Year 3 This year in 3A we have been learning about Ancient Egypt when we made Canopic jars and mummified tomatoes. Also in Science we learned about magnets and how to make plants grow well. The best things about online learning have been spending more time with our family pets, and getting to use different apps. We have missed playing with our friends at break time and being able to go on school trips. We can’t wait to all be back together! This year has been very difficult for everyone in 3B because many of us have stopped seeing our friends and relatives. 3B has been studying about ancient Egypt and mummifying a tomato. We also like reading and doing maths. Sadly, the pandemic has taken away a lot of things that we like about our dear school BSQ. Some things we miss are: playing with our friends in the playground, hugging them, laughing, doing sports outside and swimming in the pool. We are really thankful for our teachers. Year 4 This year in year 4 we have been learning about many things including: fractions, Japan, ancient Greece and civil rights. Other cool things we have done are having visitors and creating our own masks during theme week. We have missed being with friends, having trips, meeting our teachers in person, the playground and coming in on the bus. The best things about online learning is using programs like: Flipgrid, Closegap and Scratch. We are really looking forward to next year when we are back together again as a school! Year 5 During our year of online learning, Year 5 have been studying lots of different things like Oswaldo Guayasamin, the Incas, Apartheid, lots of different topics in Maths and poetry. In art we have learnt lots of techniques and we have managed to do some experiments in science! Even though it has been difficult studying online, we have really enjoyed being able to sleep a bit more! Also we feel like our typing and general computer skills have improved, and some of the classes have been really fun. However, we’ve missed seeing our friends and all the teachers, doing group work in person, playing games like football and playdates after school! It’s difficult not being able to see each other but we are looking forward to next year! Year 6 This year we have been learning about lots of new things, for example in Maths we have been learning about decimals, fractions and also coordinates. In literacy we have been learning about how to make a letter. In Art about pointillism (art made with lots of points) and in science we have learnt about circuits and classification, we also have learned about the history of Ecuador in sociales and also Yoga in P.E. One of the best things about online learning is that we can spend more time with our families and pets, as well as learning to control the computer better than before, and watching movies with our friends online and having our pajamas on all day! However, one of the things that we miss about school is seeing our friends and teachers, playing football with friends in school and also being in class without our internet being cut off. We hope to return soon! EYFS Update Dear parents, June 1st is Children’s Day, it is an annual celebration in honor of the children across the world. This date offers us the opportunity to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s lives and their rights. In the British School Quito, we have decided to not only honor this day, but also to celebrate their lives throughout the full month of June. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we will begin this special month with a whole department celebration on June 1st, at 10:30AM via Canvas. We look forward to sharing this day with all of the Early Years students together in one session on such a meaningful day. Antonella Coronel, Head of Early Years Being BSQ – Secondary Update ![]() Surfing the wave in style! The time is passing extremely quickly and again we have enjoyed a wonderful week in the Secondary School. It seems like we have joined a wave as it starts to build, and we are now surfing comfortably in the tube as we head through the next couple of weeks. I am looking forward to the point where it breaks, and we ride out in style. Our wave this week has included the year 11 work experience activities so excellently led and considered by Ms Sadotra and Miss Carrera. Students have learnt about interviews, CVs, applications, and many other elements that make up the world of work. I had the pleasure of interviewing Antonella for her Veterinary role and was amazed by her confidence, and her ability to articulate her thoughts. Her friendly manner and enthusiasm convinced me as a potential employer. It again reinforces my belief that we really do prepare our young adults so that they stand out from the crowd. At the end of the week, it all came together with presentations from the groups about their individual experiences of the activities and lessons learnt, and the opportunity to present their research task. The results were outstanding! Once again an abundance in confidence, detail and dedication by all. We are now looking ahead to the Extended Essay and their focus on this in their subjects over the next 2 weeks. Mrs Newman starts this off on Monday and then the higher-level research, analysis and writing begins. Year 13 are nearing the end now and their attention on Friday will turn to the leavers assembly where we will all be there to see the anecdotes and various messages from the teachers. I am sure that there will be the odd tear, but this is to be expected. Year 9 this week had their introduction to IGCSE sessions and when I surveyed them to consider the usefulness and whether what they experienced raised their interest in what was to come, the success was resounding with a 95% positive. Well done to the teachers for preparing and delivering such engaging sessions. We are now looking at the year 6 to 7 transition activities and the IB taster sessions for year 11 which start in a couple of weeks’ time, so again we are looking ahead and preparing for the year to come. On Friday we enjoyed a house activity led by Mr Edwards and the student council which had a STEM focus and specifically celebrating women in STEM fields. Students attended workshops of their choice on Artificial Intelligence Robotics’, Engineering, and Constellation’s. Challenges were set in these fields and the entries will be judged early next week. Great work again from our amazing student council and no doubt over the weekend students will be negotiating the hurdles set! I am personally looking forward to finally meeting our hard working and very dedicated parent reps in the Secondary school. I was lucky enough to meet some as part of my interview week last year back in January. It really is very strange that we have not had the chance to reflect and come up with strategy from the parent perspective, or to be able to merely socialise and get to know you all. This meeting is taking place on the afternoon of Monday 7th. Mrs Newman has sent the invites and I look forward to you questions and to meeting you all so that you can feed back to the wider community. Have a wonderful week everyone. Lee Moors Head of Secondary Spanish lessons The students of year 13A and B are living challenging times because they are near the culmination of their General Unified Baccalaureate to obtain their baccalaureate degree from the Republic of Ecuador, for this reason, the students are working on their Degree Project that will replace to the Ser Bachiller exam. This project aims to analyse a case study. The Case Study is a research strategy that encourages critical thinking about situations, problem solving, discussion and reflection on the case that each student will choose according to their interests. We wish you the best of success in this important endeavour on your way to obtaining your bachelor's degree. On the other hand, the year 7 students are working with the lyrical genre in the unit entitled Poemas con cariño. They are learning everything related to the elements of a poem such as verse and stanza, as well as related to consonant and assonance rhyme. For this reason, they are creating their own poems. I share some examples of these works. Mrs. Patricia Tufiño, Spanish Teacher Year 9 Chemistry Taster Session This week year 9 got a taste of what IGCSE Chemistry is like, they impressed Miss Todd with their knowledge of the atom and its component parts - here we use the multiuser whiteboard to allow students to share their answers in order to assess understanding and check their answers! Ms Todd, Chemistry Teacher Year 9 Spanish The students in year 9 were given the task to help them to see the hidden feelings behind the words of some amazing poets. In groups they analysed poems and then created videos containing their poem and images or representations that conveyed the central sentiment. Over the coming weeks I will be sharing the work of each group. This week it is the work of Mikaela, Anastasiia, Rafaella and Angela Mrs Tufino, Spanish Teacher Year 9 Geography Taster Session Year 9 were given an introduction into IGCSE geography last week. At the start of the session they picked a random number and were then given one of the below categories and had to find an item around their house that linked to it, then explain it. Here is the work they produced! Ms Sawyers, Geography Teacher KS4: Introduction to the theory of knowledge Last week the year 11 students spent a week learning about the theory of knowledge. This is an important part of the IB curriculum and this important week was excellent preparation for them. The students looked at knowledge from the perspective of a number of different subject areas and came up with some excellent work. Well done year 11! Mrs Madden, ToK Teacher KS5: Year 13 Futures Curriculum Students in Year 13 have been receiving lessons prepared by the Student Support Department as part of their Futures Curriculum. Teaching Life Skills education to the students can be helpful as it specifically addresses the needs of students this age, helps in motivating, providing practical, cognitive, emotional, social and self-management skills for life adjustments. We have also designed sessions that are mostly dialogue based in order to provide as many spaces as possible for the exchange of ideas and for students to ask as many questions as they need. Some of the topics we have covered so far include Healthy Relationships, a Refresher on Consent, Homesickness, a Forum session with guest speakers and Sexual and Reproductive Rights. It is wonderful to see the students become active participants in their learning. Great work Year 13! Ms Leon, Student Support Department
|
CategoriesArchives
May 2024
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
|