Dear Parents,
This is the penultimate newsletter for this academic year. Next week we will send a final goodbye letter. Where has this year gone? I remember my precious mother used to say “the older you get the quicker time seems to fly”, I know she was right.
When you all attend our Annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony on Friday 28 June, you will hear a recap of some of the events of this successful academic year.
STAFF LEAVING
As I say every year it is normal in an international school for staff to leave the college to have an opportunity to teach elsewhere or because they have reached the age of retirement. The Heads of each section of the school will tell you which staff are leaving from their area.
One special person I am going to talk about whose last Graduation assembly is next week is Fernando Cerezo, teacher of Historia in the Secondary School.
Fernando has been at Aloha College since 1983. In the 20 years I have had the privilege to work with Fernando, I have never heard a negative word come out of his mouth. He has always been firmly committed to the pupils, staff and parents of Aloha College. He is a genuine, kind, honest, caring human being.
On behalf of all of you the parents I thank Fernando for all his hard work, and wish him good health, and sincere happiness in his well-deserved retirement. We will all miss him.
GRADUATION AND AWARDS CEREMONY
This will take place on Friday 28 June at 10.00 h in the Arts and Sports Hall. Years 3 – 13 are expected to attend.
The Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 children will finish school on Thursday 27 June. They will be issued with a school Yearbook and their reports on that day.
Years 3 – 13 pupils will receive their final printed reports following the Awards Ceremony.
No reports will be issued before your child’s final day so please refrain from requesting them earlier.
Further details regarding this events will be early next week.
YEAR 6 GRADUATION ASSEMBLY AND PARTY
This was a wonderful event celebrated yesterday. Year 6 performed a memorable assembly, the last before they venture into the Secondary School. This was followed by a lovely party here the children enjoyed water activities and eating! Parents enjoyed chatting about memories of their children’s time in the Primary School. What an amazing Year 6 we have, congratulations to them all.
As I complete my 20th year at Aloha College Marbella I look with pride at our wonderful school full of the best children and staff.
I sincerely thank you, the parents, for your full support throughout the academic year. I look forward to seeing you at the Graduation and Awards Ceremony on Friday 28 June.
Your sincerely
Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
As we approach the final week of term I have been reflecting upon life in the Primary School this academic year. There are so many highlights springing to mind that I would need a book to recount them all! I then remembered a song that reminded me of when I was a young teacher and these words.
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride
To make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be
Many, many years later it is a pleasure to be part of such an amazing school where these words are a reality every day. A place where dedicated and caring teachers encourage children to be their best and the children respond by being positive and happy learners.
Yesterday Team Year 6 performed their Graduation Assembly to very proud parents and teachers. They have proved to be an excellent year group who exemplify what it means to ‘Be the Best’ they can be as they have matured and embraced all aspects of school life.
Find attached Mrs Salmon’s goodbye to them: Team Year 6 goodbye letter
At the end of the week we shall be saying goodbye to some of our excellent teachers who are either returning to the UK or moving on to pastures new around the world. Miss Claudia (UK), Miss Francesca (Thailand), Miss Heather (UK), Miss Shufflebottom (UK), Miss Thorne (USA) and Miss Ralitsa (UK). Miss Lucy Atkinson will also be leaving for a short while as she is due to give birth to her first child in August. I am delighted and excited to have appointed new staff who are already preparing to join us in September. We shall send your child’s future teacher’s name in the normal communication in August.
I would like to remind you that next Thursday 27 June will be the last day of school this term for FS & KS1 children; they will receive a printed copy of their End-of-Year Report at the end of the school day. On Thursday all Primary children (FS-Y6) will take home a copy the Yearbook 2019.
I look forward to seeing all KS2 (Y3-4-5-6) parents and children at the Graduation and Awards Ceremony on Friday 28 June in the Sports Hall. All children must arrive at 9:00 h. After registration their teachers will take them to the Sports Hall. The ceremony will start at 10:00 h.
All Y3-6 children are expected to attend and they should wear their full smart uniform (including black shoes) on this day. The Year 6 students will formally graduate from the Primary School as part of the ceremony. Year 3-6 parents will receive a printed copy of their child’s Summer report at the end of the ceremony. This will be their last day of school this term. The school reports will also be available at some point on the Parent Portal (except for Foundation Stage, where printed copies only are issued).
Finally, thank you for being such wonderful supportive parents and I wish you all a Happy Holiday wherever you are in the world.
Your sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
I am sure you all recognise these lyrics:
“If I were a rich man, I would build a big, tall house with the rooms by the dozen, right in the middle of town”
The other day, a friend of mine reminded me that I am not a rich man, so what type of house was I going to build? Would it be tall and in the middle of town? He pointed out that all my answers when he asked me ‘how has this year gone for you?’ contained the conditional particle ‘if’:
- If I had had more time, I…….
- If this had not happened at that time….
- If I had arranged things in a slightly different way……
Nobody knows what would have happened if I had had more time or arranged things in a slightly different way. It is, in a way, like saying that if I play chess for hours and hours everyday I can be as good as Kasparov; is that really how it works?
We should always focus on what ‘has been’ as opposed to what ‘could have been’. I wish I could go back to that conversation I had with my friend and answer the question with this in mind. This habit of thinking about the ifs continuously is unproductive and also very exhausting.
From now on I will no longer be humming the song “If I were rich”.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish Ms Kellawan, Ms McCune and Mr Jonathan Oakes all the best in the future. They have been great assets to Aloha College.
I hope you have a good summer holiday.
Yours sincerely,
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
