Parent Newsletter 24 April

Dear parents,

I hope you are all well.  Another busy week but a happy one!

Year 13
I walked through our main reception this week to find our Year 11 and Year 13 pupils having their photos taken (separately) for the Yearbook.  I heard lots of laughter from Year 13 pupils as they were proudly posing individually for their last Aloha College Marbella school photo.

Both Year 11 and Year 13 are starting study leave before their final exams. The majority of Year 11’s will be returning to enter the Sixth Form, but Year 13 will venture off into uncharted waters.

I felt my usual sadness, knowing they were leaving but accompanied by such a sense of pride when I look at what wonderful young people they are today.

I had a chat with Edward, Juan, Martin and William.  All of these pupils I have known since they were 3 or 4 years old.  We had a trip down memory lane, talking about what I remembered about their years at Aloha, and what they remembered about me when they were small and “cute”; their responses made me quite emotional! Even now, they remain polite and respectful, forgetting the times they had been summoned to my office as teenagers and having to creatively produce explanations in order to avoid being told off.  I could write a book on the reasons why homework hadn’t been handed in!

One of the things I will never forget about miss Batchelor, apart from all the times I was sent to her office for being naughty, is the day when she told me that she used to be a professional athlete. I was very young, and I remember that she once turned up to school wearing a running tracksuit, which at the time I found very funny, and was selected to participate in a race against her. I had a lot of fun and was amazed at the impressive stories and photos from when she used to compete internationally
Martin Ranea Marina

 I’ll never forget when you called for me to go to your office in year 1 to tell me I had won the art prize and that my picture was going to be used as an Aloha College Christmas card. I remember you said to me “you’re going to be a great artist, big Ed”. Little did I know then that 12 year later I would graduate having studied Higher Level IB Art. It must have been those precious words that made me carry on.
Edward Martinez Saunders

I will never forget that one day when I was 5 and saw Mrs Batchelor on el Paseo Marítimo de Estepona. I was incredibly excited, yet confused: “Mrs Batchelor is not only the Head of school, but a normal person living a normal life!”
William Stead Infantes

I still remember as if it was yesterday when 6 or 7 years ago on family fun day I raced your grandchild( I think he was your grandchild not really sure) and without you telling me anything I let him win. I will never forget how happy your grandchild and you were. And then you gave me a certificate in front of the primary school which I felt very proud of. Thank you, Juan, I’m not quite that old, it was my nephew not my grandson!
Juan Garcia Rodriguez

They have certainly learnt the skills of diplomacy and charm!

They and all their year group started study leave yesterday in preparation for their public exams.  So this is not a final goodbye – I wish each and every one of our Year 11 and Year 13 pupils maximum success in their examinations.  Thank you for all the happy memories.

Inspection Visit
Aloha College Marbella has a first-class, worldwide reputation.  We have to achieve certain standards to continue as a recognised professional institution.  The school is inspected regularly to ensure those standards are achieved and maintained.

On Tuesday 27 April we will receive, following our Covid protocols, 2 visiting Headteachers who will verify our school’s excellent level.

We are well prepared and actually looking forward to their visit.  One of the Primary children told me today “We are going to tell him we are the best”.  I will give you some feedback after the visit.

Head Students
I would like to introduce you to our newly-appointed Head Students

Ainoa Veit | Marcus Elizondo-Darwin

They presented themselves professionally and were selected after a long, arduous process.  Congratulations to them both!

Have a lovely weekend with your families.


PRIMARY SCHOOL

Another week has passed enjoying witnessing your children’s efforts – and humour.

You will have seen from my Principal’s newsletter that we are expecting two visiting Headteachers to our wonderful school.

The children speak with such sincerity when they say they are going to tell the visitors we are the best school in the world, without a doubt.

Year 1 children have said they are going to show the visitors their tricky Maths work. In the photo Santiago and Adhara from Miss Meryl’s class (1MTI) are learning to add 10 more/less to a given number. 

Miss Laura’s children (1LHB) are going to teach our visitors about eco issues. In the photo Faisal is throwing a piece of paper into the proper recycling paper bin. 


Year 5 children from Mrs Saunders’ class are going to try even harder not to swivel on their chairs.

Year 6 children in Miss Fitzgerald class 6KFI are going to demonstrate how to have a challenging debate – I am sure they will be mistaken for university students!!

One Year 3 pupil told me that she was going to tell our visitors that my hair looked particularly nice this week, it was a darker colour!!! Thank goodness for hair dyes!! 😀

Your children are a delight and certainly advertise the school at no cost.

Reception letters to Mummy Pig
Reception children have written letters to Mummy Pig with their recommendations on how to build a safe house for her 3 little pigs. Miss Belén and Miss Fatima were very happy to take charge of posting these important letters to Mummy Pig.

Eco-School
Thank you to the children in Miss Freeman’s class (4KFR) who have been working on a mini gardening project and have created a green area with plants and flowers on one of our terraces. They have done a wonderful job. 

Internet Safety
I am continuing to remind you all of the importance of checking your child’s devices. Once again we have had concerns about internet safety. Although we understand that parents want their children to know they trust them, they are children. What has been brought to our attention this week highlights that children still do not fully understand the dangers that misuse of technology can bring.

Parents’ Consultation Meetings
Thank you to Y2-3-5-6 parents who attended their virtual appointments with class teachers and Spanish teachers this week. Next week is the turn of Y4 & FS2/RC and Y1 & FS1/NS.

The children are looking very smart in their summer uniform, thank you for supporting a smooth transition. 

Have a lovely and safe weekend with your families.

April Personal Learning Goal – TO BE A COLLABORATOR
Next week’s Aloha Value  – CARE 

 

Yours sincerely

Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal


SECONDARY SCHOOL

Dear Parents,

One of the most fascinating subjects that Sixth Form students study is TOK (Theory of knowledge). This subject aims to encourage students to reflect on things that they have previously taken for granted and challenge previously held assumptions and prejudices. 

This week, the Maths, Science and Humanities departments have been incorporating specific ideas relating to TOK in lessons. I loved talking to my Year 12 IB class about how new knowledge can be developed in Mathematics by just watching and then recording such observations. This discussion moved onto the importance of clear explanations, which made me think about this week’s reflection.

Children start asking ‘why’ questions at an early age. They are constantly in awe of the things happening around them and our explanations help them to figure out the fascinating world they live in. Although these constant questions might be annoying to us, research tells us that asking such questions allows children to shape their developing brains. I do not think it is so much the ‘why’ question, but the quality of our explanations that is important.

I have been teaching Mathematics for nearly twenty years. During this time, I have lost count of the number of times I have explained to students how to solve quadratic equations. I was probably in Year 10 when my friend asked me to help her with this topic. When I finished going through it, she said: “I do not understand. That was not a good explanation.” Had I explained exactly the same thing to someone else, would they have understood? You would probably say that it will depend on how good the person is at maths. 

The example above shows that understanding a concept plays an important part when giving an explanation. My friend might know what quadratic equations are but she does not understand them, so it is likely that any explanation on something we do not understand is never good enough. I then ask:

What makes a good explanation?

I want your children to think about this and discuss it with their tutors during registration next week. 

I am pleased that I did not take my friend’s feedback about my ability as a teacher too seriously! 

I hope you have a good weekend.

Francisco Escobar
Head of Secondary

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