Dear Parents,
Another busy week …….
Learning Conference
The positive comments and thanks from local schools continued this week following the success of our Learning Conference. It really was a fantastic event and congratulations must go to all those who were involved in its organisation.
We are trying to host another important event on 25 November, where university representatives from all over the world will come to visit. Watch this space!
PTA Coffee Morning
As Mrs Salmon mentioned last week, the last coffee morning was very poorly attended. In view of the fact that one of our greatest annual social events, the Christmas Bazaar, is rapidly approaching, we really need your help. The PTA would be thrilled, and so would we, if you could assist them in anything at all to prepare for this community event. Please remember that everything we do will contribute to its success and will benefit your children.
Charity Run – Save the Children
Next Thursday morning all pupils and some staff will take part in a charity Fun Run for Save the Children. We ask parents to contribute a minimum of €3 to this charity. Parents are invited, firstly to the PTA Christmas Coffee Morning at 8.45 h, and then to watch the run if they wish.
I enjoyed a 10-minute break on Thursday watching Thomas Ness, Christian Porter-Lourdon and Matvey Kokhanovich (Year 7 pupils) doing amazing tricks with their yoyo’s. They took me straight back to my childhood as I invited them to teach me some skills. My performance was disastrous but I enjoyed being taught by our wonderful pupils – thank you, boys!
Next week is the last before the half-term break – we continue to expect full attendance from your children!
Enjoy a lovely weekend.
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
It’s a real treat to welcome pupils in the morning at drop off and recently I have been enjoying this experience at all three gates. It’s lovely to be able to briefly speak with pupils of all ages, and of course see so many different parents, even if it’s only a wave. We are such a diverse yet vibrant and friendly community and it is no surprise that the children happily enter school every day.
Thank you to all who were able to come to the Parents’ Evenings this week – on the whole they were very well attended. At Aloha we recognise that Home-School partnerships are essential collaborative relationships and activities that involve school staff, parents and other family members of children at our school. It is through these effective partnerships based on mutual trust and respect, that we are able to establish a shared responsibility for the education of our children. A positive experience which helps them to achieve all they are capable of academically and socially. With this in mind we are looking forward to welcoming you to our Parent workshops with the children throughout the year. The children absolutely love showing parents how they learn. The first of these workshops is next Thursday afternoon, 22 October, when the parents of Foundation Stage are welcomed to the first ‘Wow afternoon’ of the year.
Some of you may be wondering why there are no opportunities for Primary children to wear Halloween costumes this year. The reason is because often in the past they have been rather scary for the younger ones. However, children may still be involved in traditional Halloween activities.
SPORTS NEWS
Thursday was an exciting day for everyone in the Primary School as we hosted the very first International Schools Football Tournament for children from Year 2 and Year 3. Not only did we witness some great football but there was a real feeling of team spirit from all of the schools. Well done to everyone, also to Don Sebastián, Miss Bronagh and Don Ángel for organising the event, and to the referees: Gines Garcia, Luca Hackett, Ismael Bensouda, Francis Toebak, Oscar Vigdal, Sofia Elgaily, Alberto Diaz and Sigge Nilsmark.
Next week’s target is: COOPERATION
Talk Homework: What is the strangest food that you have ever eaten? Did you like it and why?
Yours sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
Over a nice Sunday lunch with my family last week, my mother reminded me when she used to grab me by the wrist and demanded that I offer an apology to my sister for calling her names. I did not understand what pride was at the time, so an apology was just a meaningless automatic response.
I sometimes see pupils refusing to talk to each other after an argument simply because neither side wants to be the first to let go of their pride. This leads me to question: is apologising a sign of weakness?
Some people believe that offering an apology after an argument is admitting you are guilty and responsible for the conflict. However, apologising reinstall dignity for those you hurt, letting them know that it was your fault. It also helps repair relationships and make people start talking again. An honest apology lets people know that you are not proud of what you did.
If we do something that has caused pain to another person, even if what we did was unintentional, it is always a good idea to apologise. It opens up the doors to communication and allows us to reconnect with the person who was hurt.
I remember saying to my sister: “I will stop calling you names”. Two hours had not passed and I started again. Apologies that involve empty promises are not advisable. We must remember that an apology allows the opportunity to re-establish trust so do not make promises you cannot keep. If your apology does not come sincerely, it will not feel meaningful to the other person.
When the apology is sincere and intentional it can be a very powerful tool.
As Lynn Johnston says: “An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything!!”
I hope you have a nice weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
