Dear parents,
I hope you all remain safe and well.
I trust you all received the letter sent on Thursday and understand that, even since then, directives for schools opening are still unclear. I will ensure that as soon as Aloha College Marbella has a firm final plan, we will notify you.
Thank you for ensuring that the final term’s fees were paid according to the extended deadline.
I have continued to pop into some live Primary School lessons and really do appreciate how much effort you have to make to support your children’s “focus”, particularly that of our young pupils. Daniel told me yesterday that he wished the coronavirus “had never been invented”!
I am questioning whether we even need a newsletter this week as Year 2 in their Spanish classes have been reporting on worldwide news. – Congratulations – you were better than any newsreader I have seen or heard!
One annual event we always enjoy round this time of year is sharing the excellence of our IB Art students. Their efforts in these circumstances have been outstanding. I cannot begin to share with you how difficult it was for them to produce works such as these without being present in school. Please appreciate and enjoy some examples of these classic pieces. Congratulations go to Flavia Sinisi, Frederikke Niclasen, Lisa Xiao, Sofia Zaripova and Sofie Axen’s animation.
I am sure many of you are now enjoying walks and limited outdoor sport – I know I certainly am, I’m even being brave enough to swim! Remember when you clock up those kilometres, to submit them to the PE department: steven.toal@aloha-college.com · liane.dry@aloha-college.com · sebastian.perea@aloha-college.com
As you are aware, reaching John O’Groats was not nearly challenging enough for our wonderful school. Please help us choose our next destination voting for Sydney or Hollywood here: CovidKMChallenge_WhereNext
Our initiative and efforts have now inspired other International Schools to do the same thing. Well done to all those families who have participated!
Have a lovely safe, restful weekend with your families.
Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
In my Monday morning message (find my video message here) I encouraged children to continue to read as much as they can. I am thoroughly enjoying visiting all the classrooms on my ‘imaginary walk around school’. It’s an absolute joy to see all the children engaged and enjoying their learning. A special mention to Laura Eggens Y5 for her outstanding writing. One of the reasons I am so impressed is the amount of resilience and determination she has shown by drafting and redrafting her story ‘The Nowhere Emporium’ based on the book by Ross MacKenzie. For those budding authors who like to write I also suggested in my video they write a story, which can include illustrations. I know from the work being submitted that we have many, many children who like to write so I’m looking forward to receiving their ‘finished books’ which we will display in our library when we return to school.
I have been hearing from Miss Bronagh, Don Sebastian and Don Angel about how impressed they are with the childrens’ attitude in PE lessons and we are all very impressed with the level of fitness shown in the videos submitted. They have asked me to mention Year 4 especially for their enthusiasm and determination as a year group. In the words of Don Angel ‘they are Superstars!’
Distance Learning of course means increased online activity which, whilst being both beneficial and enjoyable, can bring challenges for your child’s safety. Each week your child’s teachers will be explaining and posting activities on a different theme to help them stay safe. The activities are designed for you to discuss with your children so that you too are fully aware of their skills and any potential areas to address at home e.g. gaming and what it fully involves and the potential hazards. More information is also available on the Parent Portal.
STARS OF THE WEEK
NSCCU Isabella Kemp, NSERI Jesse Doyle
RCEMA Francesca Tye, RCJST Maia Rincón Tian
1KED Phoebe Still, 1MTI Shayan Katebiyan, 1LHO Emilia Osztrovszka
2LT Mariia Konenenko, 2ARS Cara Cartwright, 2FFO Sakiel Teran-Coniglione
3EK Mina Kipcak, 3JCH Smilla Andersson, 3ESE Fernando Fay Pérez
4ITA Javier Aguilar del Río, 4ES Lea Hazout, 4SJD Valentino Franklin-Pellegrino
5MAS Elena Fajardo Ventaja, 5ASH Felipe Simon, 5BWA Richard Laizan
6PSM Federico Tobal Koner, 6WA Chloe Herráez Alonso, 6CST Constanza Plaza de Barutell
SPANISH STARS
Srta Encarnita: NS Alexandra Pearson, RC Sarah Abril Sinnwell, Y1 Phoebe Still, Y2 Jasmine Katebijan, Y3 Julia Bendefa
Srta Rosa: NS Luca Sirejacob, RC Sophie Hurley, Y1 Ethan Boujnah, Y2 Pearl Eddison, Y3 Alexander Nayman
Don David: Y2 Malak Refaat, Y3 Ádam Ben Larbi Doncel-Moriano, Y4 Carlos Gutiérrez Coelho
Srta Laura: Y2 Lia Rincón Tian, Y3 Olivia Jimeno Sellitri, Y4 Lea Hazout
Srta Antoinette: Y4 Maddie Verinder, Y5 Laura Eggens, Y6 Mia Axioti
Srta Sylvia: Y4 Victoria Borowik, Y5 Mia Kinahan, Y6 Linnéa Andersson
Srta Ana: Y5 Yousef Toubah, Y6 Anatoly Praslov
Don Diego: Y5 Alexandra Savelyeva, Y6 Gennaro D’Aria
PE AWARD CERTIFICATES – For outstanding commitment to At Home PE
NS Hunter Anderson, Y1 Qilu Cheng Zhang, Y4 Javier Aguilar Del Río, Y5 Mara García García
MRS SALMON’S SPECIAL DISTANCE LEARNING AWARDS
Alexander Duwe García RCEMA – Alexander really is a shining example of our Aloha value ‘Effort’. He puts 100% effort into every activity, challenges himself to do the best he can and is a superstar during our Google Classroom lessons, always joining in with every learning opportunity. Mrs Salmon and Miss Emma are very proud of him.
House points results here
Aloha Value – RESILIENCE
Personal Goal – ADAPTABILITY
Yours sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
I have a very clear memory from my preteen years- I was about to start secondary school and the word “exam” terrified me. I noticed how stressed my older sister was as the examination period approached; I didn’t want to go through that!
This week you will have received a letter informing you about the end-of-year examinations your son/daughter will be taking this term. Who would have thought it? Mr Escobar was terrified of taking exams as a child and now, as head of secondary, he has suddenly forgotten that completely! Let me explain a bit more about these assessments.
The first thing I’d like to say is that you or your children should not be worried at all. They are not end-of-year examinations that will determine whether any student passes or fails the subject – nothing could be further from the truth! These assessments are simply another way of knowing if there are areas where your son/daughter needs further support. We have been learning online for 6 weeks and I believe that now is the ideal time to have some further understanding and information about our students’ current progress.
I am sure that you probably experienced a similar feeling to me when you read “exam” in the letter this week and perhaps wondered why Mr Escobar has come up with this strange idea of examinations under the current circumstances. It is precisely because of this situation that we have made the following changes to the regular end-of-year examinations:
- They will be shorter and simpler assessments.
- They will be done in one week instead of two.
- The marks obtained in these assessments will not be used in your child’s summer report.
- Teachers will inform students about the material they must revise for these assessments.
Your children will probably have thought that, after these assessments, the year is over and the summer starts. I’m sorry to disappoint them but students will continue to cover the syllabus and lessons will be delivered until the end of term, including some exciting activities in the last week to replace the residential trips.
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
