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Dear Families and Friends,

What an exciting few weeks we have had since the last newsletter. Our Spirit House Teams worked closely together, putting in great effort to produce interesting and creative Halloween costumes, sketches and chants within their Spirit House teams. Enjoy the photos!

READING BENCH – In a bid to encourage students to read for pleasure, we are always looking to give extra Spirit House points for students who ‘Get Caught Reading’. The bench outside of the main office is now called ‘The Reading Bench’ and is a place where we encourage students to come away from their mobile phones and read a good book instead! There are MANY benefits to reading. Reading strengthens writing skills, improves concentration, enhances imagination, increases vocabulary, reduces stress and expands knowledge. Please can you encourage your children to read for pleasure on the weekends and in the school holidays too.

FINAL EXAMS - I am receiving requests from families for students to leave early for the winter vacation. Please be aware that I am unable to give permission for ANY requests for early leave. To ensure the integrity of our assessment process is maintained, ALL students' teachers would have to write several different exams, which is not feasible. The Academic Calendar is set many months in advance, and we always ensure there is a long winter holiday to enable students who live further afield to get back and spend quality time with their families. Final Assessments will finish on Tuesday, December 20th at 15:00 for Middle School students and 13:30 for High School students. Please ensure your travel arrangements are made accordingly.

MID TERM FEEDBACK COMMENTS - All parents should be able to access their child’s Mid Term Progress Comments by Friday, November 7th at the very latest. These are written to further help students to improve their learning habits, highlight which skills they need to work on, and accelerate the progress they make for the Final Grade Report in December. They are also designed so parents can support their children within the areas they need it most. If you cannot access the report, please email our Academic Administrator, Angelina Izzo – admin@es-school.com who will be able to guide you through this process.

As always, if you wish to meet with me at anytime to discuss your child’s progress, general academics, or their hopes and dreams, remember that my door is always open.

Thank you for your continued support,

Mel Rose
Head of School

We celebrated Halloween this year by having a costume contest on the 27th of October. The Spirit Teams worked together to choose how to dress up and what the choreography should be. Some teams made wore similar outfits for the contest while others built handmade costumes.

The event was held in school, outside near the pool. Each team performed their choreography while the rest of the school watched. Overall, it was decided that the Green Snakes had the most creative costume and performance. This event was a wonderful way to unite the students and teachers together and work as a team.

On October 20th, Elementary students went on an excursion to La Garrotxa, a natural area in Girona known for its extinct volcanoes. They hiked around the Santa Margarida volcano and collected chestnuts. "We walked around the volcano," explained 3rd grader Alexia. "It wasn't scary because the volcano is dead."

In Spanish and Catalan class, they learned that chestnuts are part of the tradition of the Castanyada, a local autumn festival. Local people usually celebrate the Castanyada by eating roast chestnuts and special cookies called panelletes. "I don't really like chestnuts," said 4th grader Maya. "But if you cook them, they taste better."

Students practiced a traditional dance to share with parents at the Student Showcase.
For their Unit of Inquiry, Upper Elementary students made life-sized posters of their bodies.

On Thursday, October 27, Elementary students welcomed their parents and members of the community to the Student Showcases. Lower Elementary students shared their family trees, informative books they wrote about their families, and used their Spanish skills to share a typical dish and celebration from their country.

Upper Elementary students shared life-sized posters of their bodies, including the organs and systems and tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Then, both groups joined together to present the Castanyada, performing a dance and sharing roasted chestnuts.

This school year, we have a very unique timetable that allows for Science classes to have more time. "The schedule allows us to have double periods every other week," explained Mr. Green. "We can use this to have more lab time, which is especially important for AP Chemistry."

The main objective of the Science Department is to use experiential learning in labs to enhance

student understanding of theoretical concepts taught in daily lectures. "This time is also useful for working on longer projects and giving extra time for assessments," described Mr. Rios.

What is evident so far is that Science teachers are taking full advantage of the extra time to give their students the opportunity for hands-on learning experiences and making learning fun!

Our newest addition to the History department and Leadership Team is Ms. Valente. She was born in Portugal and is of Portuguese, Indian and British descent. She studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Manchester. Prior to coming to ES American School, she was teaching the Individual and Societies MYP curriculum and IB global politics.

The multicultural perspective she brings fits in perfectly with our school's ethos and culture. "This year I hope to create innovative and student-centered lessons that allow students to engage critically and develop a global mindset," Ms. Valente explained.

She plans to make engaging lessons that appeal to her students. "I try to ensure that all the

topics we study have real-life relevance, and that students are able to understand that no historical event happens in a vacuum," she said. To Ms. Valente, skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and perseverance are of utmost importance for students to become informed citizens of the world.

In her spare time, Ms. Valente loves to DJ and go on walks with her dog, Pancho. "I think that no matter what hobbies you are interested in, its important to show students how to be well-rounded individuals, and that its important to explore passions as well as professional objectives."

Welcome to our team, Ms. Valente!

CONGRATULATIONS, Ms. Morrison!
We are sending you and your family our best wishes during your maternity leave!

Been caught reading!

9th grader Darina was spotted reading in front of the office while waiting for class.

Well done!

Anastasia earned her Spirit Team 30 points by volunteering to help build the new chairs for the library!

Thank you so much for your help!

Upper Elementary students in Ms. Hopkins' class designed writing portfolios where they are going to publish their finished writing pieces.

8th graders made pizza from scratch in their rotating elective with Dr. Boerkamps - The Chemistry of Cooking.

Parents of Elementary students were invited to campus to attend an IB PYP Parent's Assessment Session. They tested their knowledge about the different roles and responsibilities within the PYP.

Students in Mr. Collins' 10th grade English class read Macbeth and created collages about the themes in the play.

Middle School students in Mr. Green's Enrichment class worked together to rescue a shopping cart from the small stream next to our campus.

Thanks for taking action to make our school a cleaner place!

We do so much more than can fit in a newsletter!

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The mission of ES American School is to be an exemplary learning and athletic community. We challenge ourselves to be better through an emphasis on critical thinking, and intellectual and social awareness. Students develop a passion for learning through individualized support in a nurturing environment. Our success is founded on effective communication and an engaging academic curriculum.

Newsletter // October 2022