BULLETIN No. 36 – 17th of November 2023

 
Upcoming Dates

 
General

2024 School Calendar
At the request of several parents, please click on the following link to access the 2024 School Calendar that was shared earlier in the year – 2024 School Calendar

Football Champions
We would like to congratulate our Year 5/6 Football Team on being crowned champions of the Torneo La Amistad: 

Year 4: Julián Peraza
Year 5: André Tristán, Antonio San Martín, Daniel Mora, Daniel Núñez, Diego Vega, Gabriele De Angelis, Héctor Brenes, Luca Visoná, Mateo Delgado, Mathias Umanzor, Sebastián Sáenz, Sebastián Vázquez
Year 6: Andrés Trejos, Antonio Pérez, Antonio Salvo, Arturo Chavarría, Camilo Shuster, Emilio Mojica, Gael Fernández, Ignacio Ceciliano, Luca Bulgarelli, Matheus Pereira de Queiroz, Oliver Kamm, Sergio Peraza

Primary

Butterfly Kingdom Visit
On Tuesday, Year 1 visited the Butterfly Kingdom as part of their “Life Cycles” theme. Each Year 1 class brought back a “pet” wrapped in a cocoon and they are now deciding what to call it.

Spanish Spelling Bee
On Wednesday of next week, we will have our Spanish Spelling Bee Final. Students in Years 1 to 3 have been working very hard with their spelling over this quarter and it is now time for the finalists to compete. Parents of finalists are very welcome to join us for this competition which will take place in the Auditorium. Please check with your child’s teacher for specific information.

Crossing Over Ceremony
Our Early Years 3 students will have their “Crossing Over” Ceremony on Friday of next week as they transition in 2024 to the Primary section of our School. This will be a wonderful ceremony for the Early Years students and their families as they celebrate the culmination of their Early Years education.

Early Years and Primary Spirit Week
Next week, in our Early Years and Primary section, is ‘School Spirit Week’. To help show our school spirit we invite all students to take part in the special dress up theme days

Primary Staffing Update
As we rapidly approach the end of another academic year, we would like to share that we will be saying a sad goodbye to several of our Primary staff members.  Joseph Loveday, from Year 4 will begin what we hope will be a long, happy and healthy retirement after serving as a teacher for the British School since 1991.  Teacher Kate, Teacher Rhian and Teacher Olivia will also be leaving us for new adventures as they move on to the next stage of their careers.  We thank each of our departing staff members for all of their hard work, professionalism and dedication during their time with us and wish them the very best with their next steps.

As we say goodbye to our departing staff members we will be welcoming the following new staff members in 2024:

• Alex Chamberlain is a British born Primary teacher who has experience working in schools in Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and the UK.
• Arthur Stevens is a British/Bolivian Primary teacher who has experience working in schools in Bolivia, Guatemala, England and Vietnam.
• Katingo Vatis is a USA/Greek Primary teacher who has experience working in schools in Italy, England and Costa Rica.
• Lucía Zamora is a Costa Rican Primary teacher who will be joining us from Blue Valley School.

Secondary

Pan-American Model United Nations

We would like to congratulate the following students on their achievements at last weekend’s Pan-American Model United Nations:

Best delegates:              Roberto Zúñiga Casado (Year 10C) & Rania Canales Bensofía (Year 10C)

Honourable Mentions:   Cristel Haaversen Vargas (Year 10C) & Gabriel Sánchez Carazo (Year 8A)

TOK Exhibition
We would like to invite all Year 11 IB parents to next week’s Theory of Knowledge Exhibition, which is taking place at 8:10 am on Tuesday 21^st of November.  The exhibition is an activity where our students demonstrate their understanding of knowledge issues and their ability to share their perspectives, insights, and discoveries.  It also provides our community with a valuable opportunity for intellectual exchange among parents, students, and educators as we honour the hard work of our TOK students over the last 12 months.

Examinations
This week marks the completion of the final year exams for our Year 11IB class. The journey has been filled with tremendous effort and hard work as they prepare for their second year of the IB Diploma next year. Congratulations on a successful year of learning and growth.
For students in Years 6 to 9, the final year exams and projects are approaching. Exams for Years 6 to 8 are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with final projects due throughout the week (Years 6 to 8 will continue with regular lessons from Wednesday onward). Year 9 exams are scheduled throughout the week with students already having received their exam timetables.  We kindly ask that all students arrive at school on time each day and adequately prepared for their examinations.

Group 4 Project
Our Year 11 IB students will be immersed in their Group 4 project next week. This collaborative and multidisciplinary activity encourages IB Diploma Programme (DP) science students to explore the environmental, social, and ethical implications of science.  Under the guidance of their teachers, students will dedicate periods 5 and 6 throughout the week to work on their projects before presenting their findings at the end of the week.

Secondary Staffing Update
As with our Primary section, we will also be saying goodbye to two Secondary teachers at the end of this academic year.  Carine Vet, who joined the British School in 2005, will be leaving us to begin her very well-deserved retirement.  Cory Kellner and Ivannia Delgado will also be leaving us to begin the next part of their careers.  We express our gratitude to Carine, Cory and Ivannia for everything that they have done for the students of the BSCR during their time with us.

For the 2024 academic year we will be welcoming the following new staff members into our Secondary section:
 

• Diana Guardia, a Costa Rican Science teacher, who possesses a Bachelors in Biological Science from Florida International University, will be joining our Science Department.
• Tulasi Calderon, a Costa Rican French teacher, who possesses a Masters in Teaching French as an additional language from the University of the Antilles in Martinique, will be joining our French Department.
• Cassia Baldock, a British English Language and Literature teacher, who left us in June of this year to pursue an opportunity in Spain, will be rejoining our English Department.