Dear Parents,
Alumni literary success
Following all our recent communications regarding social media, I am now enjoying reading a book written by one of our alumni, Naomi Shimada. Naomi was a pupil at Aloha from 1998 to 2005. In partnership with her friend Sarah she has written a book entitled “Mixed Feelings”. It explores, through wide-ranging essays and discussions featuring diverse perspectives and voices, what social media is doing to our minds, bodies and hearts.
We are all proud of her success as a writer and model. When I finish reading the book I will leave a copy at Reception for anyone who wishes to borrow it.
Cambridge Achievers Award
Congratulations to Lucas Solé Bravo, Year 12, who has just received the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award for having gained the highest mark in Spain in the June 2019 IGCSE Sports Science examinations. This is a fantastic achievement!
More sporting success
Our U15 girls are yet again football champions! The team has some very talented players and they are by far and away the best team on the Costa del Sol, proving it at every opportunity. Well done girls, I am really proud of you all!
Traffic
By 08.58 h most days this week the traffic on the hill coming down from Aloha Golf had disappeared. It is great we listened to your issues and were successful in helping to alleviate the traffic congestion in the morning.
Primary parents can also drop their children off at the bus stop so they can enter the middle gate and walk down the path inside the school grounds.
Thank you everyone for your support in this matter.
2nd Learning Conference
The highlight of this past week was yesterday’s Learning Conference. We welcomed 17 guest speakers who talked to students from Year 10 to Year 13, and parents, about possible “STEAM B” careers (in Sciences, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Maths and Business) with the idea of helping the students discover courses of study and professions that perhaps they didn’t even know existed. In the afternoon parents and children could chat to representatives from 14 universities. This is a marvellous – annual – initiative which gives our students a head start on the road to a stimulating career.
Christmas Coffee Morning 24 October
There was a disappointing turnout on Wednesday – it seems our mums and dads didn’t put this date in their diaries! There will be another breakfast opportunity on Thursday 24 October at 8.50 h when parents can enjoy a Christmas Coffee Morning and find out more about how to participate in the Christmas Bazaar. Immediately afterwards, they can enjoy watching their children in the charity Fun Run – I look forward to seeing you there!
Have a lovely weekend with your families.
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
One of our favourite books in the Primary School is ‘I can’t do that yet’ by Esther Cordova. It tells the story of a girl who doesn’t believe in herself and keeps saying ‘I can’t do that’.
Year 5’s excellent assembly on Monday showed that in Aloha we are developing our Growth Mindset which means we always add the word ‘yet’ to this sentence. They explained and demonstrated that at times we find learning different things difficult but that shouldn’t put us off continuing to try. This could be learning a new language, reading, handwriting, taking penalties or learning new dance steps.
In the assembly I also shared with the children that once many, many years ago I suddenly found learning some new maths really difficult. At first I did cry but then I decided to keep trying and eventually my Maths improved again. So, only last week when somebody said to me ‘Mrs Salmon you are so quick with numbers’ I was so proud of myself even after all these years that I didn’t give up.
Thank you Year 5 for reminding us all to exercise our brains through thinking as well as exercising our bodies and for promoting our Aloha value of Resilience.
Yesterday afternoon we celebrated the Día Nacional de España with a Y4 Spanish Assembly in the afternoon. Well done Y4 and Spanish teachers!
SPORTS NEWS
Next Thursday 17 October we are proud to host the very first international schools Football Tournament for Y2-3 selected children. It will start at 10: 00 h on the astroturf. All Parents are welcome to come along and cheer on the teams.
PRIMARY ECO COMMITTEE NEWS
Ways to be Green this autumn – As the evenings begin to get darker and the temperature is a little cooler, it’s no longer the season for splashing in the pool or tanning at the beach. So the Eco committee have come up with some ideas to keep yourself busy.
1. Make a DIY bird feeder.
2. Take some nature photos.
3. Make models or crafts from pine cones, pebbles, branches and leaves.
4. Create a kite from recycled items to fly.
5. Go for a woodland walk.
6. Join Plastic Free Seas Worldwide for a beach clean. Saturday 19 October in Cancelada. The beach clean will begin at 9:45 h, please come with your Aloha sports t-shirt, a pair of gloves and a bottle of water. Look out for posters in school for more information.
FS-Y6 Parents’ Evenings with Classteachers
The first Primary Parents’ Evenings with CLASSTEACHERS will be next Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 October (16-18:00 h, School Hall).
Next week’s target is: COOPERATION
Talk Homework: You may have heard your teacher say “Difference is the only thing we ALL have in common.” How are you different from other children?
Yours sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
Adriana León Villares, Franky Piscina and Inez Adamovic, all Year 12 students, have offered to write the newsletter this week. I hope you enjoy reading their thoughts on kindness.
Kindness is essential in our school community in order to create a safe and secure environment for students. It must radiate from every corner. Showing acts of kindness can really have a positive impact on someone’s day. Whether it’s a simple smile as you pass someone in the corridor, asking someone how their day is going or even holding the door open for a person to walk by, it’s the simple gestures that mean a lot.
Kindness releases endorphins in the brain, it’s known as a ‘natural painkiller’ and we should all try hard to carry out random acts of kindness in our day to day lives. At Aloha College Marbella we really try hard to promote kindness in our school. Being caring is one of our core values and the Be Kind Campaign encourages our school community to be better people.
This year, the Be Kind Team are launching the “Give a Gift Campaign” in time for Christmas. We would love to encourage all students and families in the College to purchase gifts for children from 0-16 years of age. We will then deliver these gifts to children in our local area, who are less fortunate than ourselves. We hope to make them smile and make Christmas a happier occasion.
“Kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it”. Patty O’Grady.
We hope that you will get involved and support our ‘Give a gift Campaign’ and help to share a little kindness at Christmas.
By Adriana León Villares, Franky Piscina, Inez Adamovic – members of the ‘Be Kind Team’.
I hope you have a nice weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
