BSQ Newsletter No. 11

Our annual Bonfire Night last weekend was as successful and exciting as always – with huge thanks to our wonderful Parent Association for all their hard work in both the preparation and the execution.

​The food, talent show, bonfire and fireworks all helped us to keep entertained and warm well into the evening.

Our next family event will be the Christmas Fair on December 14th and this will take place between 10:30am and 1:30pm and will include festive performances, refreshments, opportunities to buy Christmas presents, a chance to admire the handicrafts of our primary students and, of course, time to spend together. Please do come and join us and bring your families and friends.

Parent Survey

As you know, we are always keen to listen to our families and work to secure the positive changes requested and celebrate all our achievements together. Once again, this year I will be asking you to support us by completing or parent survey. This survey is completed by all the Orbital families across the world and I am always proud to be able to celebrate our positive outcomes and plan our next steps based on your responses. Please do take the time to complete the survey – key dates to follow.

Visitors

​Last week we welcomed David Pottinger, the Orbital CEO, and Karl Wilkinson, our Regional Head of Schools, and many of our parents were able to meet with them over coffee to talk about the development of our school. Both David and Karl were impressed with the way in which BSQ has grown and developed over the last two years and are pleased to support our plans. Thank you to everyone who joined us

Exciting Orbital Exchange Opportunity

As we mentioned last week, we are excited to announce that in 2020 we will be participating in the first cultural trip to visit Moscow - another Orbital base. If you are interested in participating in this visit it will be open to students from years 5 - 10 and the dates are between June 14th and June 20th 2020. Please contact azambrano@britishschoolquito.edu.ec to register your interest by December 2nd so that we can communicate with our colleagues in Russia and set up a meeting to share more information.

TEDxYouth@BSQ

A boundary-breaking first for BSQ! TED Talks are viewed 3.3 million times per day across the world. Did you know that no other high school in Ecuador has organized a TEDx event before... Until Now! Stay tuned and follow our social media channels for more information about this event.

Our team - the English language team

Here at BSQ the teaching of English is central to our purpose. Whether it is the learning of the English language for the first time as a new student or developing the skills needed for successful communication in the primary classrooms or studying IB Literature in Year 13, we are proud of the way in which all of our students develop their ability to read, write and speak in English.

Continuing with our teachers and their stories about learning in the classroom this period. This week we have Mr. Bradley Edwards in Secondary and from Ms. Hayley Dean in Primary.

Mr. Bradley Edwards - PE Teacher

During the Rugby World Cup taking place recently in Japan, BSQ students tried their hands at learning the game of touch rugby. For many students this was their first time playing a sport which involves elegance, teamwork and intelligence. It is a game where the ball must move forward by passing backwards. Some say it is the best time a person can have when playing sport, and it was amazing to witness all of secondary learning the complex skills required to play a game of touch rugby. I have to say I was very impressed with the ability of all students and their improvement throughout these past 5 weeks. Who knows what the future may hold; we could see BSQ first ever rugby team!

Ms. Hayley Dean - Year 4B teacher

Over the last couple of weeks 4B have been working on a project with a school in Japan. The class created a video to show the New International School in Japan all about BSQ. They created a list of lessons and places to film, then prepared what they were all going to say before filming. The first video has been sent to the New International School and we are eagerly awaiting their response. Here are some screen shots of 4B´s hard work.

4B have also started to use their critical thinking in all subjects. To help them develop their critical thinking skills and to be able to give detailed reasons behind their answers or their thoughts, they have begun a short Philosophy for Children programme run by Miss Cook. In the first week the children looked at statements with different type of lies and ordered then from best to the worst kind of lie. They had a fantastic start to this, giving their thoughts behind their answers in both English and Spanish.

November 25th- Mock Exams Y13

December 3-8th - Trip to Lago Agrio Y12

December 10th- KS3 cultural trip

December 14th- Christmas Fair

Emma Newman

Principal

Last week we welcomed visitors from Orbital and both David and Karl commented on the ethos and values that were apparent to them around our school. These are intangibles, in the sense that we can observe their effects on the community but it is hard to measure them or improve them through teaching alone. We are extremely proud of our school values and how they are displayed by our students and staff here at BSQ and it is testament to the partnership between all members of the school community that they have been recognised in this way.

This week as Years 1, 5 and 6 prepare for their out-of-school visits, I would like to reflect on a famous quote by Albert Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Many modern commentators will contend that in this technological age, knowledge is less important than having the skills to use knowledge in a creative way. Although students do need to know certain facts and figures, once that information has been memorised, the real evidence of learning takes place when a student can use this knowledge effectively in a creative way. The ability to think creatively is not only beneficial to those who want to pursue a career in the arts, but is useful to many occupational fields. Medical researchers often state the need to think creatively to solve problems. Educators need to present their material in creative ways. A mechanic and carpenter need to use their imagination to often solve problems and building issues. As Albert Einstein also said, "Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

The Arts foster creativity, self-expression, problem solving and the ability to "think outside of the box". Here are some suggestions for making the Arts a part of your child's life.

A) Create a display area for your children's artwork. It can be as simple as a few magnets to hold your child's newest "masterpiece" on the refrigerator, to hanging a cork board display panel on a wall. By displaying your child’s work, you will show them that you value their efforts.

B) Storage Solutions. Many of us struggle to find room to display and save all of our children's artwork. A simple solution is to take digital photos of your child’s favourite works of art and store them on a computer or digital frame. A digital frame can be programmed to create a "slide show" of multiple images. The piles of artwork can then be recycled, sometimes as wrapping paper. I suggest that you organise your digital photos of your child's artwork by year. It is fun to look back and see the development that your child has achieved over the years.

C) Time Management. Students often say that they do not have time to practise their artwork at home. This is usually a case of timetabling and allocating suitable time, perhaps at weekends or whilst on long car journeys. They can illustrate their family vacation or create a drawing of their favourite activity.

D) Simple Suggestions for Cooperative Learning. Here are a few ideas for you to use in order to draw along with your child. It can be a great motivator and can foster a great bond between parent and child.

• Draw/ Swap: You makes a quick line on a sheet of paper. Your child has 15 seconds to add to the first line in order to create an image. The paper is then handed back to you to add more to the drawing. This give and take fosters creativity, problem solving and flexibility.
• I'm thinking of a Shape: A child draws one line. A parent tries to guess what the child is drawing. If incorrect, the child draws another line. The parent takes a second guess. The process repeats itself until the parent correctly guesses the subject. Roles can be reversed and the parent can draw while the child guesses.

Star of the Week

Marcus Madden

Head of Primary

Leadership and Community

We've been developing strong leadership and community programmes at BSQ for some time now. Thanks to Ms Paola Montenegro, our Year 12 and 13 students enjoy one of the very finest CAS programmes in any IB school: one that is truly student-driven, sustainable, and rich in personal growth and reflection.

This is supported by great preparation in Years 7, 8, and 9 though the Community Project programme, helping students develop the planning and reflection skills necessary for successful engagement in service learning as well as fostering the caring and inquisitive mindset necessary to motivate meaningful participation. This year, we've added more, with Year 11 students also engaged in a project with Hogar Para Sus Ninos, a local orphanage. I thank all students, teachers, and supportive parents for making this core part of the BSQ curriculum such a success, and something we can all be so proud of.

Bonfire Night

Bonfire night was fabulous. The PA once again did a tremendous job of putting on a hugely enjoyable show. I love seeing the sides of students we don't see in class. It takes a huge amount of courage to get up on stage and put yourself out there, yet our kids do it year after year, and do it brilliantly. I want to especially recognise Anastasiia Satikova for her incredible dancing, Oliver Willcox for absolutely nailing two great songs, and the Year 7 girls for their individual and group performances. Outstanding.

Jim Wild

​Head of Secondary

This week our school counsellor, Andrea Carrera, talks about ​how to handle emotional changes.