Dear Parents,
I hope your week was as good as mine.
The main focus of my newsletter this week is to tell you more about the next charity we are going to support.
This nomination was proposed by Chris Knaup, an ex-pupil. He came to Aloha College Marbella into Year 6 and graduated
in 2012. He was a wonderful, caring pupil. His mother, Margot, was a loyal Board Member of our school, she sadly passed away in December 2016. A few months later Chris lost his father with a stroke. He was an only child and admitted that he found his life was turned upside down and had difficulty coping.
With the help of his friends and university he is now feeling in more control and is successfully working in London after achieving his degree. Chris explained that his experience made him more aware of mental health issues in young people which, if left without support, can turn into more 
tragic events. He now wants to promote and raise awareness of these issues and wants to give back thanks to the University of Bristol who supported him so well. They founded the charity “Healthy Minds” who guides young people by tapping into the proven benefits of sport, exercise and healthy eating.
On behalf of this charity Chris will compete in the 2019 London Marathon on Sunday 28 April. Aloha College Marbella will sponsor him and he will proudly display our college name on his vest. Every euro raised will be to help the charity.
We ask that all pupils donate a minimum of 2 €, for Secondary pupils on 4 April at the Inter-house Athletics Competition and Primary pupils on Monday 8 April when at 14:30 h all children will take place in a mini marathon within the school campus.
We all know the well-being of our children is paramount both physically and mentally so please support this charity. Let’s raise as much as we can. I thank you in advance and will of course inform you on how much we raised after the event.
STAFF NEWS
We welcome back Miss Dry (Secondary PE teacher) this Monday following her maternity leave. I am delighted to inform you we will be keeping Miss Booth who was her replacement, to continue teaching here at our college.
I hope to see many parents attending Marbella Stadium for our Secondary School Athletics event on 4 April. I think there is a parents race, so bring your trainers!!
I wish you all a lovely weekend.
Your sincerely,
Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
As always there has been a constant stream of children visiting my office this week to share their achievements. I have listened with interest to children explaining WHAT they have been learning and HOW they have been learning. Some children ventured to explain WHY they have been learning. One particularly interesting conversation was with Hugo in 4LSH. He came to share with me his latest choice of reading – “War and Peace” by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. This is a very ambitious choice for an 8-year-old but, not surprising, according to Hugo. He told me confidently that he was inspired because in the film “Snoopy” Charlie Brown wrote his book review on this book! It just goes to show inspiration and aspiration can go hand in hand from the most surprising sources. Hugo then proceeded to explain the plot of the book so far in his own words.
This has definitely given me food for thought as we approach our Primary Book week (8-12 Apr).
To encourage reading in the Primary School, our children will take part in a ‘Get Caught Reading’ Competition. There will be one winner in each year group and one winning member of staff in the Primary School. The photographs will be judged on the most original reading situation photographed. Children are asked to enter a photo of themselves in the most unusual, inspiring, secretive place or situation in which they would like to Get Caught Reading. Each photograph must have a suitable accompanying caption. Make sure you hand them in to your class teacher by the end of Book Week (Friday 12 April).
Next target: RESPONSIBILITY (GO ABOVE AND BEYOND)
Talk Homework: Who is your favourite cartoon characters? What do they look like? What makes them special?
Your sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
When I think of my sister, I always remember her with a book in her hands. I was intrigued to know the reason why she read so much and always wondered what was so special about those novels she was reading which kept her totally enthralled. One day, tired of being questioned on her love of Literature, she recommended that I read Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.
I never thought that Santiago, the main character in the book, would have engaged me in his ominous travels in search of a worldly treasure around the pyramids in Egypt. I was in total awe as I read about Santiago’s experiences and unexpected encounters in his long journey. I felt so connected to the story that I even imagined myself as part of that beautiful imaginary world.
Recently, The Guardian published an article about young people’s reading habits. It said that for many youngsters today, books are only for school and exams. They ignore the myriad of benefits reading brings to our daily lives. Unfortunately, screens have replaced books.
Book Week is just around the corner and, at Aloha, we wanted to foster reading in a fun way. It was Ms Williams, in the English department, who proposed that all teachers decorate their classroom doors using their favourite books. The first thing that your children will see before they enter the classroom is an inspirational book display. I am sharing some examples below.
As Confucius said: “No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading or surrender yourself to a self-chosen ignorance”.
I hope you have a good weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
