PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
I always knew that the children of Aloha are special and our ‘Be Kind’ Week was another perfect example. The children were asked to nominate another child who they had witnessed going ‘above and beyond’ in their kindness towards others. The response was amazing and it has taken me all week to count and read over 220 nominations! Here are the most nominations from each year group with some of the reasons why.
NURSERY:
Ian NSERI “For sharing his monster truck” and “for playing dinosaurs with his friends”.
RECEPTION:
Sasha RCJST “She plays everything nicely with me”.
Jesse RCJST “He was so friendly to me and he just helped me all day”.
YEAR 1:
Santiago 1MTI “I didn’t have anyone to play with and Santiago asked me to play with him”.
YEAR 2:
Elija 2FFO “Because when I was dancing she said that I was very good at dancing”.
YEAR 3:
Malak 3EK “She told me my hair looked really pretty” and “For cheering me up when I was sad”.
YEAR 4:
Matilda 4CLA “She always says thank you when I give out the iPads” and “I was alone and nobody to play with and she asked me to play”.
Santino 4ITA “for being sharing, kind and sensible”.
YEAR 5:
Carlos 5ES “He was always kind to me since I met him. He never lets me down, never lets anybody down. I think the award should go to him”.
Shaylie 5SJD “Every time I’m sad she cheers me up and it always works. She also helps me with my work and is never mean to me”.
YEAR 6:
Marivi (Maria Victoria) 6CST “For being patient with me when I don’t understand something in maths” and “For being grateful for every single thing she gets”.
Polina 6LFO “When I ask her for her opinion of my work if she doesn’t like it she says she doesn’t in a nice way e.g. maybe you could make it this way”.
There are many other beautiful examples, as I said earlier Aloha children are ‘The Best’.
Primary Eco-Committee – The Primary Eco-Committee has now been set up online and this week Miss Meryl posted the first message and video via Google Classroom. Children should check the Eco Notice Board on the first floor and check their Google Classroom every Wednesdays after school for new posts.
Congratulations to 5SJD! Based on the last seven days, they are Aloha College’s top Doodling class (Doodle Maths).
Reminder Give a Gift Campaign 2020 – During the Be Kind Week/Anti-Bullying week (16-23 November) children were actively encouraged to spread kindness at home and at school and together as a Community. We launched our ACM Give a Gift Campaign 2020. We aim to think of children who have very little to look forward to at Christmas, many of whom are homeless or have no real family to look after them. Watch the Give a Gift Campaign video here. Donations from the Primary School can be left at the Main Reception Office.
Your children’s teachers are planning to make Christmas special in the Primary School but as we are still in discussions with Father Christmas I need to keep the details secret for the moment. One thing I can share is that on Monday 14 December the whole college is being asked to wear a Christmas jumper. This is also the day of the Christmas Raffle Prize Draw so please ensure you keep selling your tickets. Thank you so much to all those families who are asking for more!
Aloha Value – HONESTY
November’s Personal Learning Goal – To be Empathetic (to be thoughtful).
Yours sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
kathryn.salmon@aloha-college.com
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
Sad headlines to wake up to earlier this week: ‘Maradona has died at age 60’. I am not mad about football, but we cannot ignore the fact that he was once one of the best, if not the best, player of all time. His talent was such that, by the age of 11, he had begun to be mentioned by the national press.
When I watched the news on Wednesday evening, I was taken aback by the way that Argentinians reacted to his death. I am not talking about just football supporters, who understandably would be upset. There seemed to be an overwhelming majority of Argentinians who took to the streets to pay their respect to the football legend. I immediately thought of Mariela and Ms Sapone who, being Argentinians, could explain the emotion displayed by their compatriots.
After speaking with Mariela, I understood why people, especially in Argentina, would feel that way. The country has experienced some upheaval throughout history and Maradona brought joy to its people by becoming the very best on the football pitch and speaking very proudly about Argentina in every public event.
We are all aware that Maradona did not make the best choices in his life and this is exactly what troubled me and led me to question:
Should a sporting hero be a role model for younger generations just because he/she has succeeded on the sportsfield?
We tend to look up to celebrities, sports people or anyone famous, but are they the best examples for us to follow? I do not think there is a yes or no answer to this question. However, I do believe that role models should be people who have qualities that we would like to have, are noted for how they live their lives and, more importantly, should be those who have an impact on us and make us want to be better people.
Knowing how to make an informed choice is a skill we teach our children. However, these choices are not always easy. There are times when, for example, your children have to stand up to peer pressure or keep themselves safe in some situations. This is when responding with a resounding “NO” can change your life.
I also believe that we need more than one role model for different stages of our lives. We can then pick one aspect or good thing from one and have another strong quality to admire and aspire to from another. Choosing Maradona as a role model for his tremendous talent as a football player, passion and tenacity to become the absolute best is unquestionable.
I hope you have a good weekend.
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
