1. Welcome back: I hope everyone enjoyed their half-term holiday. Please note that the school is closed for the regional holiday of Día de Andalucía on Monday 1 March.

2. D1 CAS trip to Asni: Every year D1 CAS students visit the Berber community in Asni, Morocco, providing much needed help and work. As part of this year's visit, CAS students would like to take musical instruments for the girl's school. Apart from raising money to buy new instruments, they would gratefully welcome any donations of new or used instruments. The ideal instruments would include guitars, small drums, harmonicas, recorders, maracas etc. as these can be easily carried. Any donations can be given to Alex Martin (D1), a member of the CAS staff or left at reception.

3. Helping Haiti
• Congratulations to the D1 CAS students, Rosanna Laurence, Alex Martin and Sophie Rawlinson who raised around €700 with their Secondary and Primary Pancake Breakfasts
• Becky Tate joined with a number of local singers on Saturday 13th February to record a charity single for Haiti called "Prayer for Haiti". This single will be premiered on Talk Radio Europe The Boland Show on Monday 22nd February between 11am & 1pm. Listen live on www.talkradioeurope.com/ren/listen-now/ and then download the song afterwards.

4. M1 Big Thinkers Debate: The final of the Balloon Debate took place on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 February. After the classroom heats where every M1 student gave a presentation, the following were voted as finalists by their peers: Gloria, Georgia, Chloe, Caroline, Sienna, Guy, Andrew, Emma, Josh, Sonnie, Jaime, Yolanda, Victor, Kim, Frankie and Gio.
Congratulations go to the five students who convinced their audience that they were worthy of a place in the balloon to help ensure a safe and dynamic future for the world. They demonstrated their right to be considered a ‘Big Thinker' and clearly explained the skills and insights they might contribute to the world of the future. They were Chloe Lawrence as Bob Geldof, Emma Isola as Walt Disney, Andrew Young as Joseph Montgolfier, Kim Pushong as Mahatma Gandhi and Yolanda Chatland as Jane Goodall.
Many thanks to all the teachers who gave up their time to deliver fantastic presentations in order for the students to have a deeper understanding about their chosen Big Thinker, their major achievements and the impact upon society; and also to help the students gain information on presentation techniques. Thanks to all M1 teachers for preparing the students for this excellent event.

5. New e-mail system: The school has implemented a new e-mail system. If parents would like to contact any member of staff, the format for the new e-mail is: (initial)(family name)@sispace.ac e.g. pireton@sispace.ac

1. P6 Creative writing workshops: Before half-term, Ana Fischel, a local best-selling children's author gave some very stimulating creative writing workshops to students in P6 who produced some great pieces of creative work as a result.

Timetable: Week 2

1. M1-4 Ski Trip: 44 students enjoyed a week´s skiing in Sierra Nevada during half term. Despite extreme weather conditions (heavy snow, high winds, poor visibility), they all skied or snow-boarded every day and remained cheerful and upbeat. Many of them continued their snow time in the evenings, digging snow tunnels and constructing sledging runs. Many thanks go to Matt Butler of Adventurebug for making this such a successful trip and to Mireille Isaac, Kerry Wickersham and Pippa Ireton for their support of this hugely enjoyable activity.

2. M1 Creative writing workshops: Before half-term, Ana Fischel, a local best-selling children's author gave some very stimulating creative writing workshops to students in M1 who produced some great pieces of creative work as a result.

3. M4-5 Drumming Workshop: A group of students from M4 and M5 will participate in an African Drumming workshop with Ayo Gamton on Thursday 25 February. This will be followed by a short performance at 4.00pm.

4. M5 Art Exhibition: On Thursday 25 Feb 6.00 to 8.00pm, M5 Visual Arts students will exhibit their art work from the theme "What makes a hero?". Parents and staff are invited to the opening, where tapas and drinks will be served. If you would like to attend the opening please contact Margaret O'Farrell mofarrell@sispace.ac.

5. M5 ISTA Theatre trip to London: M5 Students return from their theatre trip on Monday 22 February and should be collected at 7.00pm from Málaga airport.

6. D1 Senior Maths Competition: D1 students, Stella Schuck, David Eriksen and Bogdan Ciuta will represent SIS in the ISMTF senior maths competition hosted by Brandenburg International School, Berlin from Friday 26 to Sunday 28. February.

7. D1 History trip: D1 history students will be participating in their annual trip to London from Sunday 28 February to Thursday 4 March.

8. D2 parent consultation (by invitation): On Wednesday 24 February, 4.00-5.00pm, some parents of D2 students have been invited for consultations.

1. Sailing activity: To all enthusiastic Sotogrande sailors (beginners, intermediate or advanced) - the Real Club Marítimo Sotogrande, Escuela de Vela and San Roque Ayuntiamiento are offering an incredibly low priced 12-week package for our Sotogrande students. The objectives are: to gain optimist sailing experience; informal qualifications; possible team selection; and to have great fun on the open seas. Please see the letter sent out by Kevin Stone for more details.