Weekly Head’s Update 01.03.2021

SIS PRE-ENGINEERS CLUB

SIS Pre-engineers club – surfboard shaping A group of P6 and M1 (10-12-year-old) students went to Tarifa as part of the SIS Pre-engineers club to take part in a weekend of surfboard creation. Throughout the weekend, students learnt about the whole process needed to make a surfboard, under the careful guidance of local shaper Ricardo Pizón from Wave Limit. Ricardo led students through the whole design, manufacturing and spray painting process so that they had a finished board at the end of the 2 days. This was a phenomenal opportunity for students. I would like to thank Ricardo and Mr Sanchez for this extraordinary educational experience. Please click on this link to see a video of the amazing creation.

FUNDAMENTALS

Spring is here and with it, the joy of different ways to learn from our environment. The children have been observing birds, flowers, butterflies and all the lovely colours and smell that spring brings. We are so fortunate to live in a very
beautiful place and to incorporate these amazing, natural surroundings as much as possible in our day is one of the things that make Fundamentals the magical place it is.

PYP DRUM CIRCLES

An exciting new initiative will be introduced to our SIS Primary drummers during the summer term – drum circles. The idea is to, with Covid-safe measures, create a circle of drummers outside in the beautiful Andalusian sunshine.
The students will be discovering their inner drummer and tribal roots by learning African and Middle Eastern rhythms, progressing to Afro Cuban and finally up and moving to Brazilian Batucada Samba. The skills they will develop will be concentrating on coordination, timekeeping, learning and playing as a group.

EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL TRIPS

We have been able to once again enjoy school trips within our region. P3 was the first year group to take advantage of this opportunity. As part of their unit on Physical Geography, P3 enjoyed a walk through sunny Sotogrande.
They walked up to La Reserva to have a look at the surrounding views and then towards the Almenara Golf Course, noting the local landforms. After spending the whole day out in the fresh air and walking over ten kilometres the students returned to school happy and with lots of energy.

MUSIC MASTERCLASS WITH JESSE RAY ERNSTER

This month some keen Secondary music production students and SIS Alumni gathered for an online Zoom Session with Los Angeles based Grammy Nominee producer and mixer, Jesse Ray Ernster. Students heard stories of life working with Kanye West, Puff Daddy & Timbaland amongst others and also had the opportunity for an exclusive look “under the bonnet” of real projects with tips and tricks for EQing, compression and reverbs. The evening ended with a Q&A session which gave great insight into many other roles of a Music producer. “I now get why attention to detail makes the difference” – SIS Student

DIPLOMA GEOGRAPHY

Last week of term a small group of D1 Geographers successfully managed to collect primary data along the beach of Sotogrande to investigate the imacts of coastal management schemes and map areas vulnerable to erosion. They worked in groups of four to survey beach profiles, sampled sediment and used historical satellite imagery to calculate rates of erosion and retreat of the coastline. This investigation is more relevant than ever as Spanish coastlines are subject to sea level rise and more extreme weather events associated with climate change. The data will form part of their internal assessment in geography.

THE NEW BOARDING HOUSE

We are thrilled to announce that the new SIS Boarding House situated on the school campus, is scheduled to open in September of 2022. The new boarding house is an ambitious, modern, purpose-built facility that will be able to accommodate
up to 110 boarders in twin rooms with en-suite facilities. The boarding house will provide great onsite access to the school grounds for students who will benefit from all the facilities such as sports grounds and our covered climatised swimming pool.

The new boarding house features various state of the art social and study spaces to develop academic performance, foster community spirit and build relationships. The architects and interior designers have benefitted from
getting immediate feedback from the boarding community and student polls to ensure that our students’ needs in the modern world are met. It is a truly exciting time in the development of the boarding provision at SIS and we look forward to sharing more with you soon.

SUMMER CAMPS

As we move toward summer in the Northern Hemisphere, our minds turn towards warm sunny holidays and fun filled days. At Inspired Global Camps we have been working hard to ensure we can provide some safe, fun options for our students this summer, and as Inspired families, we are delighted to offer you an exclusive 10% discount on bookings made before the 1st of May.

Our Summer Camps give young people the chance to stay at some of Europe’s top boarding schools and take part in programmes delivered by world-class partners such as Campus Experience Foundation Real Madrid. They provide a fantastic

opportunity for students to travel, meet peers from other countries, get involved with inspiring activities, and learn new skills that will stay with them forever. This year’s camps include fashion, design and art in Italy, lake and mountain activities in Switzerland and sports camps in Spain. You can explore all the camps available this summer by visiting www.inspirededu.com/global-camps/. This year, we sincerely hope that travel will be permitted, both within countries and internationally. We know however, this is not guaranteed, which is why we have introduced the Inspired COVID Peace of Mind Policy. COVID Peace of Mind Policy At Inspired Global Camps, we are committed to ensuring everyone’s safety and comfort, from our campers and staff to the communities and countries that host our camps. This summer, you can book an Inspired Global Camp safe in the knowledge that we have worked with local authorities and implemented policies and procedures to ensure our camps provide the safest environment for your child. In addition to being confident that our camps meet strict government standards for safety and increased hygiene, we also offer you the security of being able to cancel your camp booking if COVID19 prevents travel*. Booking is simple, choose your camp from our webpage www.inspirededu.com/global-camps/ and make your reservation directly with the school, advising them which Inspired school and year group your child is currently in. *We will transfer your registration to summer 2022 or offer a full refund of the camp fees in these  ircumstances: Student cannot travel to camp due to contracting Covid19†; Student is unable to travel to Summer Camp due to travel restrictions or quarantine caused by Covid19†; Summer Camp registrations do not reach the minimum number required. † Proof of positive test or quarantine may be required