School Newsletter 03.02.2017

Over the weekend we hosted our first DJ night.  Many thanks to everyone who helped out, took part and attended, thereby raising funds for the Uganda project.  We also need to congratulate Emma Butler, Jamie Templeton, Jess Shaw-Roberts, David Green and Eliza Cherry for completing the Seville half-marathon last weekend.  Mr. Green (now known as “the bullet)” led the way, completing the event in 1 hour 40 minutes!

 

This week began with an amazing M3 Inter disciplinary unit between Maths and Science.  Students in M3 arrived to a crime scene and needed to work together in groups over 2 days to apply their science and mathematical skills to overcome a problem and find the culprit!   I would like to thank the Maths and Science team for their energy, creativity and their amateur dramatics as they hyped up the students and constructed their alibis.

 

Wednesday saw 16 D1 students attend a Spanish University fair in Malaga and our P5 and P6 students take part in the annual handball tournament at Aloha. 

On Thursday our mathematicians in M4 and M5 took part in the UK intermediate mathematics challenge. for some example questions, click here. https://www.ukmt.org.uk/pdfs/IMC2016.pdf
We wish them luck and look forward to receiving the results later this term.

Also on Thursday we held the PTA EGM!!  Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting.  We now have new representatives who will be introduced to you in the next newsletter.

This weekend, Mr Woolley our IB physics teacher will be completing an ultra-marathon running 215 kms 36 hours straight from Almería to Málaga along the old N340 route! He is hoping to raise funds to support the refugee crisis. Please support him here: https://www.youcaring.com/thekindredproject-747913. However big or small your donation will make a difference. Thank-you.

 

If you are planning to leave the school this year, you need to give us formal written notice (please email admissions@sis.gl) by 4pm on Friday March 31^st to ensure the return of your deposit.  We hope however that you decide to entrust us with the education of your most treasured possessions for another year.

Finally thank you for taking the time to drive safely around our school.  Safety is paramount for everyone. With this in mind, if your child rides to school, we would like your help please in reminding them to wear a helmet.

Wishing you all a happy and restful weekend

Jak Kearney

• Monday 6 February – P6 Unit based trip

For the last two days I have been in Oslo, Norway, leading an IB Primary Years Programme workshop for the IB. Once again it has been a great opportunity to talk to and share ideas with other teachers from around Europe. 

 

Music is an important part of our school
Playing the ukulele provides more than just entertainment for players and audience.  P1 students have been introduced to this instrument and through fun classes they could improve not only skills such as coordination, listening and rhythm, to list but a few, but playing a musical instrument is known to improve mathematical skills too! Parents of P1 or any other year group should contact the class teachers if they would like their children to benefit from this experience and take part in extra lessons.

 

Handball
This Wednesday the Primary P6 Handball team attended a Handball Workshop at Aloha College. The students experienced intensive skills training and improved their knowledge of the rules and match play. 5 schools were in attendance and many new friends were made and ideas exchanged.
Many thanks to Aloha College for hosting this greatly appreciated event.

Dates for your Diary

• Tuesday 7 February – D2 subject reports published on Managebac
• Wednesday 8 February – M3 & M4 U15 Boys & Girls Basketball at Aloha
• Wednesday 8 February – Rice Day for secondary students – coordinated by the Student Council
• Wednesday 8 & Thursday 9 February – D2 parent consultations

Maths Challenge Competition

Yesterday, Thursday the 2^nd February, twenty students from M4 and M5 participated in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematics Challenge competition. Congratulations to all participants for their motivation to participate and doing their best on challenging mathematical questions.

D2 Parent Teacher Consultations

D2 Parent Teacher Consultations will be held on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th February. This is an important opportunity for students and parents to speak to subject teachers about their mock examination preparation and performance, coursework status and performance and, most importantly, targets for the remainder of the course including effective exam revision techniques.

University and Careers news

Last Thursday Sra. Lourdes, as part of the U&C programme, organised  a visit  to Loyola University in Seville, accompanied by Mr. Mungles and Sra. Juani. 28 students from D1 and D2 took part. The university offers a range of subjects taught in either Spanish or English. Our students were impressed with the university’s state of the art facilities and its proximity to Seville. The university is part of the wider Jesuit college organisation of universities globally, with a range of transfer options and already has former SIS student Rhona Tattershall studying with them.  More information is available in our university library.

On Friday we had a visit from the New College of the Humanities. A selection of students participated in the presentation, including the DP1 history class. We have also been invited to attend a history lecture at the New College when we visit in March, as part of the History Trip. The courses are a mix of the US liberal arts model and the more traditional U.K. subject model. They are particularly proud of their tutorial system, and small class sizes. Thanks go to Kelsey Fisher for organising our History visit and SIS presentation.

On Monday this week we had an interesting visit from the London College of Contemporary Arts (LCAA) during our D1 and D2 university sessions. The visitor also met with a number of our arts and theatre teachers.

PTA News

      

Thank you to all of you who attended yesterday’s EGM. We hope that you learnt a little more about the PTA, how it works within the school and how we support the students.

Would you be willing to represent the parents on the new Advisory Board?
Those at the meeting learnt a little more about the new Advisory Board, and how it will facilitate dialogue between the parents and the school. There will be two elected parent representatives – might you be interested? For more information, please email pta@sis.gl

 
Kindred Project News

 

There are lots of events coming up and well as lots to celebrate!

LET’S CELEBRATE:

Friday saw the premiere of SIS’ and KP’s first electronic music night, SotoSmash for M5-D2. It was a great success; giving budding DJs the opportunity to showcase their talent for electronic music whilst raising funds for the Ecuador Sponsorship programme. Huge thanks to everyone involved, especially Vlad (D1) for having the vision, leadership and drive to make the event happen!

Send a Child to School raised another astonishing amount of €900.36! Well done all and thank you! You really are making a difference to the lives of children in Nabugabo, like Madrine whose primary education is sponsored by D1.

COMING UP:

We will be re-launching Rice Day for secondary students next Wednesday, 8th February, and subsequently every second Wednesday of the month. This fantastic student run initiative, which has been part of the fabric of SIS, is a brilliant opportunity to raise awareness about the UN’s Sustainable Development goals, specifically Goal 2 Tackling Hunger, and also an opportunity to fundraise for a specific project, simply by opting to eat a plate of rice. Rice Day will focus on raising funds to support the refugee crisis.

 

Sponsor Mr. Woolley running 215km for the refugee crisis
Our Physics teacher Mr. Woolley will be completing in an ultra-marathon this weekend running 215 kms / 36 hours straight from Almería to Málaga along the old N340 route! He is doing it to raise funds to support the refugee crisis.
photo
Please support him here: https://www.youcaring.com/thekindredproject-747913
However big or small, your donation will make a difference.

Dreaming Dragons

Love is in the AIR!
Give the gift of chocolate to someone special with your own personal message.
On Valentine’s Day, the Dreaming Dragons will be hand delivering your chocolate gift, flower and message for €5.
This service is available for ALL Students from EC1 to D2 and ALL Staff and Teachers.
The perfect time to tell someone how much you care/appreciate them.

Please order before 10th February to ensure delivery on 14th.
Order here: https://goo.gl/forms/u3s1wMKFLAUaFl2p1

Thank you for your support for all our projects.