BULLETIN No. 32 – 20th of October 2023

 
Upcoming Date

 
School Values
As a Learning Community with some family and cultural ties to both Israel and Palestine, our thoughts are with all who have been impacted by events over the last week.  Given the circumstances, we would like to take the opportunity to remind all members of our Community of the importance of acting with compassion and adhering to the School values of respect and responsibility during such a challenging time.  All members of our Learning Community have the right to feel safe and supported and each of us has a responsibility of ensuring that this right is respected.  We recognise that this is a very difficult time for several members of our Community and thus if any student, staff member or family has concerns or anxiety stemming from this conflict, then please do not hesitate to contact our SDS Department so we can provide the necessary follow up or support.
 
Primary
 
House Basketball
Our House basketball competition has begun this week. There have been some very challenging and exciting games so far; the finals will take place next week. This is our final House sporting event of the year and it has been great to see all students from Year 1 to Year 5 work together in their House groups during all of the events.
 
National Theatre Trip
On Wednesday, Year 5 visited the National Theatre as part of their Spanish Social Studies curriculum to watch a musical presentation titled “Vengo De Una Tierra”. They were also able to have a private tour of the backstage area.
 
Year 5 Transition
Next week we have some very important transition activities aimed at preparing Year 5 for their move to Secondary School next year.  We have a comprehensive Parent induction programme planned for Tuesday and then later in the week the students will spend a complete day in Secondary School. We also have transition activities planned for Early Years 1 to Year 4 later in the quarter.
 
Secondary
 
Year 9 Visual Arts
Congratulations to the Year 9 IGCSE Visual Arts group for the wonderful exhibition on display at THE Secondary school bridge. The display showcases their excellent Art work on the theme ‘Amongst the Foliage’. The IGCSE students were encouraged to work independently from direct observation on the theme. They explored a variety of different media, techniques and artists to inspire their final compositions demonstrating their understanding of visual language.  Congratulations to Sally Fung, Sofía Travisany, Isabella Maffioli, Mariana Pérez, Melisa Muñoz and Lucía Sáenz on their excellent work.  Photo
 
Last day – Year 12 students
This week we celebrated the learning journey and achievements of our Year 12 students. The week was filled with different emotions and students were able to have an outstanding last day, with a shared breakfast, a whole school parade and a goodbye to their peers, teachers and general community. We thank each of our graduating students for their contribution to their school, and wish them the best of luck with their final IB exams, which begin next week.
 
CAS Activity
CAS Students in Year 11 and Year 12 gathered together on Monday for an hour-long workshop to share their learning journey through the IB programme. There was friendly competition as to which generation ‘knows’ IB best as well as opportunities to ask each other questions about the IB core – TOK, EE and CAS. Year 12 students shared their experiences and gave advice about how best to approach the final year of college. This was also an opportunity to ensure that some of the excellent work Year 12 have done in their CAS projects continue.
 
IX Costa Rican Philosophy Olympiad 2023
We congratulate our student, Leonardo Jiménez Somarriba from Year 10, for his participation in the IX Costa Rican Philosophy Olympiad, which took place last Saturday 23^rd of September at the University of Costa Rica. 53 students from 34 public and private schools throughout the country participated in the event. In this competition Leonardo had an outstanding participation and obtained a silver medal, demonstrating his commitment to reflection, analysis and critical thinking.
 
Year 6 Service Learning
As part of our service learning programme, our Year 6 students completed their service projects this week by visiting different nursing homes to spend time and share activities with elderly citizens.