Dear Parents,
Last night I enjoyed with many of you the Welcome Beach Party organised by the PTA. It was so nice to talk to you in an informal setting. I thank the PTA on your behalf, and also Gerardo our lab technician who used his lifesaving qualification to be the official lifeguard.
Car Parking Situation
We have listened to your concerns and, as usual, we are trying to address them. In order to help alleviate a little of the dense traffic in the morning, it is our intention to open the pedestrian gate by the bus stop to enable you to drop off Secondary pupils only without having to drive down the hill if you are coming from the La Quinta direction. It is our intention to leave the bus stop free for cars to drop off children quickly without having to park or use the ramp. Please do not park and stay. A senior member of staff will be present to allow your children access to walk down the path from the Arts and Sports Hall, inside the school perimeter. If any pupil from the Secondary section has a sibling in the Primary section he/she will be able to accompany them to the school playground.
In order to avoid congestion and in the interests of the safety of your children, only pupils will be allowed through the gate, not adults. Let us trial this and see if it helps relieve the traffic situation a little. Thank you in advance for your support in this matter – this will take effect from this Monday 30 September.
We have listened to you but, sadly, some parents don’t listen to us and continue to put our pupils’ safety in jeopardy by parking on the pavements. The police have been in contact with us, so please don’t be surprised if you receive a parking fine. It is with regret I have to say this but I will not put our children’s safety at risk.
Uniform
I would like to thank parents for their appreciative comments after last week’s newsletter on uniform. Here is an example: “I have to thank you for the great idea about the new school uniform. White shirts, dark blue trousers or shorts and the tie. Can’t wait to see the students from November on with their jackets. The new uniform is a huge step to the real life. My husband and I are both successfully self -employed. We meet people from all over the world every day. It doesn’t matter how intelligent we all are or where we come from, the first impression is what counts. The signature ACM looks so simple but somehow professional. We all have to be flexible and innovative these days. The real life is full of unexpected situations, but a well-dressed person has always a better chance.
I would like to thank you and the whole Aloha College Marbella Team for everything! “
Thank you in advance for your support in this measure, which will take effect from this Monday, 30 September.
Gymnastic success
Congratulations to Masha Bolkhovitinova for her recent success in the Spanish gymnastics championships. Masha is not a native Spaniard and therefore had to compete as an “open” gymnast, which meant she could not proceed to the finals. However, from amongst many excellent gymnasts from all over Spain she was placed in the top 8. Prior to this competition Masha competed in the Andalusian championships, where she won a gold medal in the ball event and came second in the team event.
I am certain we have here a future Olympian – watch this space!
Musical “Grease”
Remember John Travolta with that famous song “You’re the one that I want” Well, you are all going to be presented with the Aloha College Marbella version of Grease on 18-21 February 2020. Congratulations to all the pupils who went through rigorous auditions and to the selected cast. Please work hard to prepare well for the show of a lifetime – I personally can’t wait!
Foundation Stage pupils
I spent some lovely time with our Foundation Stage pupils this week as they were asking me questions on my role in the school. I can’t believe they are only 3 or 4 years old.
I wish you and your families a lovely weekend.
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
Being a global citizen is a hot topic at the moment and so I was particularly pleased earlier this week when a group of Year 6 pupils came to share their views on this subject with me. They were all Spanish as an additional language pupils who had written a piece, in Spanish, explaining how they were global citizens. Their views were articulate and enlightening. They explained to me that Aloha is a great place to be global as we have children of many nationalities. They were also proud to point out that many families have many nationalities within them. The sharing of these passionate views continued with arguments against racism, environmental damage and the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves. So thank you Linnéa Andersson, Tim Pawlowski, Henry Zagozdzon, Timur Dosmukhamedov, Maia McDermott, Freddie Sharp, Roberta Tye, Tarah Wandoren, Leonie Reisbeck and Glasha Semenova.
Thank you also to all the parents who attended our PSHE introduction meeting on Thursday (Personal, Social and Health Education). Your feedback has been much appreciated and I know that your children are thoroughly enjoying the units. Follow up information will soon be available on the Parent Portal.
PRIMARY ECO COMMITTEE NEWS
Last Saturday once again many children showed their care for the environment, in aid of World Clean Up Day, by joining Miss Meryl, Miss Anne, Srta Laura and the Eco Club in the Estepona Beach Clean up at Laguna Village.
These conscientious students were not having a swim or sunbathing! They were there to voluntarily clean the beach, and over 150 volunteers attended the event and collected a large amount of rubbish including a lot of harmful plastic items. In one hour, in a one mile radius we collected an estimated tonne of rubbish! Well done to all those who gave up their time to help and make a difference.
Last night the Aloha Welcome Beach Party at Bono Beach was once again a huge success and many new friendships were formed or renewed for children and adults.
Next Friday 4 October as part of the Language week celebrations we will have a non-uniform day and children are invited to dress in their national dress or the colours of their country’s flag.
The first Primary Parents’ Evenings with CLASSTEACHERS will be on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 October from 16:10 to 18:00 h in the School Hall. Please find more information here.
Next week’s target is: RESPECT and COOPERATION
Talk Homework: What does it mean to be a global citizen? How are some children’s lives different to mine around the world?
Yours sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
This year, we are striving towards creating a diverse and exciting co-curricular programme. Rather than offering revision clubs that act as an extension to existing subjects, our secondary teachers have worked hard to provide a selection of clubs and activities which aim to inspire and enrich your child’s education.
Future employers and academic institutions are not keen on students who have been attending revision and homework clubs throughout their school lives; they expect to see young people who try new activities and are willing to step out of their comfort zones. We want students to challenge themselves and explore a path they may not have considered before. The emphasis lies on enjoying life and branching out.
This does not mean that students will not be supported when they struggle in certain areas of the curriculum. They just need to approach their teachers, who will arrange time to help them through any difficulties they may have. Teachers will also arrange sessions during break or lunch if they identify areas which your child needs to develop further.
With this in mind, we encourage students to sign up for lunchtime or after-school activities in the coming days. For those not participating in after-school activities, the school will close at 16:00, although the library will remain open for research and study purposes only. It is not for use as a homework club.
We hope that you are as enthusiastic about the new programme as we are.
Please click here to see the full programme.
Yours sincerely,
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
