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March 2014 Issue No: 002

In this Issue From the Principal

From the Principal Welcome back to The British Schools. We hope that you and your family enjoyed the long Uruguayan school summer holidays and are revitalised for the year to come.

During the holidays the administration, maintenance and the construction company have all been busy ensuring that the School too is revitalised:

“By the time that students return in March the building project to create additional learning areas for Junior and Senior will be complete.” were the words of hope that ended my last message.

The hope has been partially realised; the new teaching areas are ready and what was an architects and educationalists dream is now real. Students of F5 and F6 will enjoy state of the art facilities from March 2014. The bridge, providing direct access to Senior School facilities in two buildings and, symbolically, finally uniting the two “Schools”, will open in mid-March.

As is normal there are new faces and new roles for known faces amongst the academic staff for the New Year. In Junior, Trudy Chappell formally assumed the role of Head of Junior in February. Similarly, in Senior, Dora Sajevicius is the new Directora de Liceo and Cecilia Pombo the new Coordinadora de Liceo.

2014 promises to be a full and exciting year with highlights such as:

Phantom of the Opera/ 1st THIMUN Conference in Latin America/ Hockey Tour to the USA /Rugby Tour to Japan/The UK Trip.

With a World Cup and all of the usual School activities to pack in as well, it is important that we all; students teachers and parents, make the very best use of all of the energy gained during those very long summer holidays.

A very enjoyable, peaceful and productive 2014 to all members of The British Schools Community.

Upcoming Events Topical–Uniform & Personal Presentation

Travelling to and from School Creating a Caring Environment

Early Years & Infants Mix Junior Assortment Senior Moments Physical Education & Sports Beyond the Classroom Green and Clean Another Brick in the Wall The British Schools Foundation Old Boys & Old Girls Club

Parents Committee Update Alumni

Odds and Ends

Upcoming Events

To help School families plan the year accordingly, listed below are the main School holidays during 2014:

…to see more holiday dates click on the image above

Topical – Uniform and Personal Presentation: Pride in our Appearance

At The British Schools everyone is encouraged to take pride in their personal presentation. Wearing the correct uniform in a smart and presentable way, with neatly groomed hair – short hair for boys and long hair tied back for girls - encourages enthusiastic, professional attitudes and supports positive behaviour and discipline. The School uniform also gives students a sense of belonging, sets an appropriate tone and creates an identity for the School in the community. Please make sure that all items of uniform and personal belongings are clearly labelled.

New for 2014 Summer Uniform: Green socks for girls in Junior. For more information about the School uniform – click on the shield:

The ‘School Shop’ is a service run by the OB&OGC offering a complete selection of items of the TBS School uniform. This ‘School Shop’ is located opposite the Junior Main Entrance in Máximo Tajes.

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Travelling to and from School Car – Please remember that all drivers and passengers must wear a correctly fastened safety belt. In the case of children the recommended car seats must be used and anyone carrying passengers must follow the local safety traffic regulations.

Carpools – Junior Carpools are arranged between parents who then complete and return the form provided by the School. The School then assigns Carpool numbers. For details about Carpools please contact Mr. Richard Lockhart: rlockhart@british.edu.uy Tel: 2600 3421 Ext.131

Motorcycle – Students must hold a current motorcycle licence. Crash helmets must be worn by riders and passengers. Motorcycles should be parked and locked in the areas allocated.

Buses & Vans – The School does not operate a transport service. These services are run by private organisations and contracted directly by parents. The School recommends that parents only contract those companies using fully approved vehicles. Students using these services must remain seated with their safety belt fastened when the vehicle is in motion.

Bicycle – Safety helmets must be worn. Students should dismount before entering the School site, and walk with their bicycle to the designated storage area where bicycles must be locked. Bicycles must not be ridden on the School site at any time. All bicycles must be in a safe, roadworthy, condition.

Walking – Students should use the pathways where available and take extra care when crossing the roads. Walking in pairs or groups is also advised.

Creating a Caring Environment The IB Learner Profile represents 10 attributes valued by IB World Schools. Principled – is one of these attributes (click on the image to watch the TBS Learner Profile video). These attributes, and others like them - such as those present in The British School’s Mission Statement - are believed to help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities.

A Culture of Respect – Arriving punctually in the mornings and for lessons helps establish a culture of respect within the School community and helps build healthy habits for life.

Empathy and Awareness – As students journey from Kinder to 6th Year Liceo, they are encouraged to take an active role in creating a caring environment both inside School and outside in the wider community. From a kind gesture, a word of reassurance, or an offer of help, to participating in active community service, students are immersed in activities that promote an empathy and awareness towards others.

Early Years and Infants Mix

Early Years - Where the Journey Begins: Within a caring environment the aim is to help develop happy, confident, inquiring children who are interested in life and learning – igniting their flame of curiosity – and helping them to the feel comfortable about coming to School, and enthusiastic about the challenges they encounter.

LINKS TO INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

LINK TO KINDER BOOKLET LINK TO PREP BOOKLET

Students are engaged in learning through interaction and play linked to Units of Inquiry.

Infants - Where the Journey Continues: Students expand their knowledge and understanding through different Units of Inquiry – building upon and consolidating their experience in the Early Years, and preparing for the next stage of their journey in Junior.

Parents of children in Early Years are invited to become involved in School life. There are many opportunities throughout the year such as adaptation periods, workshops, outings, celebrations, assemblies, Form Parents, and the Parents Committee. More information for parents is available on the School website and the intranet portal Ecademicus. New Parents can request their personal Login details via the School website.

Click on the image above to watch

the video. One Good Deed

Principled – We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights

of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

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Junior Assortment

Junior - Where the Journey Unfolds: At every step of the way, student learning takes place in a stimulating and welcoming environment. Through a rich and varied curriculum the students experience exciting new challenges. The firm foundations carefully constructed in the Early Years and Infants provide a solid base for the students as they gradually take on more responsibility for, and ownership of, their learning. As the construction project is receiving its finishing touches, students in Form 5 and 6 will return to refurbished classrooms providing larger, lighter, learning spaces.

Along their journey through Junior, students are guided by the Values Programme - designed to encourage and promote a sense of caring through empathy and collaborative commitment. Participation in a variety of pastoral related activities such as; Peer Mediation, Fairplay, Student Interaction, Growth and Development, CAIF, Escuela 183, Camping and Special Assemblies – encourage the development of the whole person. 2014 promises to be another full and exciting year with lots of new learning experiences for students to enjoy. Keep an eye on the TBS website for new developments and updates about all aspects of School life, including after School practices.

LINKS TO INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

School Life in F1 & F2

School Life in F3 & F4

School Life in F5 & F6

Senior Moments

Senior – Where the Journey Encounters Crossroads: Students in 5YL and 6YL will notice some fairly big changes to their calendar this year. Most significantly is the change in IB examination dates which will now take place in November. Another big change is that the UK Trip will happen earlier in the calendar than has been the case in previous years.

Also this year, Form Periods will be established for all students in 1YL - 4YL. The central focus of the Pastoral Department is to develop appropriate strategies to accompany students in their learning. To support this objective, the strategies also include formal and informal opportunities for personal dialogue with students and families to take place. Within an environment based upon trust and respect, the School seeks to help students become responsible global citizens.

To accompany this important focus, the School calendar has been adapted to dedicate the first 10 minutes at the beginning of each day to Form Periods. The benefits

are two-fold as students will not only have one member of staff as their point of reference, both students and staff will have an additional opportunity to build positive relationships. This initiative will also be accompanied by a series of group activities to promote responsible attitudes and mutual respect towards others.

THIMUN Latin America 2014 Update – As official hosts of the 1st

THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations) event in Latin America, the preparations are well under way for The British Schools to welcome student delegates from around the world to participate in this prestigious event. August will be a particularly exciting month with the THIMUN event closely followed by the Senior Mega Musical. Look out for more details in the next Newsletter.

PHANTOM: The Countdown is On!

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Physical Education and Sports

A Sense of Wellbeing - Good health and wellbeing is

essential for successful learning and happy lives for children and young people.

How we feel about ourselves and others influences everything we do. It has a huge impact on learning and success in life. It is important to nurture learners to help them develop the knowledge and skills they need for positive mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing at school, in their everyday lives which will be sustained into adult life.

School should be a caring environment that enables learners to develop confidence and positive relationships based on mutual respect and to gain knowledge to make healthy lifestyle choices. Learning through health and wellbeing promotes confidence, independent thinking and positive attitudes and dispositions.

Good health and wellbeing is central to effective learning and preparation for successful independent living for all young people. It is the shared responsibility of everyone who has contact with children and young people to create this supportive environment to aid learning and foster good health and wellbeing.

Physical education provides learners with a platform from which they can build physical competences, improve aspects of fitness, and develop personal and interpersonal skills and attributes. It enables learners to develop the concepts and skills necessary for participation in a wide range of physical activity, sport, dance and outdoor learning, and enhances their physical wellbeing in preparation for leading a fulfilling, active and healthy lifestyle.

Balanced: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives - intellectual, physical, and emotional - to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognise our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.

An extract from The Learner Profile

Liga Intercolegial de Deportes L.I.D.

22nd - 29th March & 26th April

Pan-American Hockey Championship: Milagros Algorta, Sophie Tatton,

Cecilia Casarotti and Paula Costa - members of the Uruguayan Hockey Team that classified for

the Youth Olympics in China.

More info click on the image:

Japan Ruby Tour: 18th April – 10th May

We Are Sailing – Outside of normal School activities - eight students from The British Schools have been selected to represent Uruguay in the South American Optimist Championship in Punta del Este taking place in April - when 160 sailors will participate.

Practice Makes Perfect – For the full P.E. Calendar and Weekend Activities please refer to the School Website (click the link on the shield)

Joaquín Radovitzky –F5 Bruno Centanaro – 1YL Candelaria Gari – 1YL Felix Leborgne – 2YL

Juan Francisco Pirone – 1YL Martín Radovitzky – 2YL Nicolás Radovitzky – 2YL Tomás Bordaberry – 2YL

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Beyond the Classroom

Join the Club – from the traditional to the not-so-traditional – we hope that 2014 will bring new clubs to offer students

enough variety to provide something that appeals to everyone.

Green and Clean

Please Keep The British Schools Tidy – With plenty of recycling bins around the School site, there are no excuses for litter to be dropped on the ground. Litter - How long does it stick around? The amount of time that litter stays around once it has been dropped depends on what it is made from. If the litter is made from a substance that was once living it will eventually degrade - otherwise, it will never really disappear:

Fruit waste such as apple cores or banana skins will take

up to 2 years to rot away.

A rolled up newspaper can take up to 10 years to rot

away.

Supermarket plastic bags that are not biodegradable can

last between 10 and 30 years and will slowly break up into

small pieces, but even these never really go away.

Nappies will probably last for 100 years or more, and some

parts will never rot away.

Glass bottles and jars, plastic trays, yoghurt pots, and

similar items will NEVER EVER rot away.

Our School-Our Environment-Our Responsibility: The British School’s community enjoys the privilege of its beautifully landscaped, well maintained, grounds and facilities. It is the responsibility of each one of us to help keep these grounds and facilities clear of litter for everyone to enjoy.

When Less is More – Crushing plastic bottles reduces their volume and makes the recycling process easier. Last year the School invested in plastic bottle crushers to encourage the recycling of plastic and reduce the amount of waste we create.

Use the bottle crushers around the School and try out this fun new way of helping the environment – but remember to 1) remove the cap before you crush and 2) replace the cap after crushing!

Chess RO

BOT

ICS

Scottish Dancing

Karate

Just for Starters…

Scottish Dancing

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To Read More Click on Image

Another Brick in the Wall From the School Nutritionist After the long holidays, returning to School means significant changes to daily routines. For most students this also infers changes in terms of increased demands on concentration spans and possibly increased amounts of physical education activities - so special attention to nutritional needs is recommended. It is important for students to eat a healthy, balanced, diet – including breakfast - to provide the nutrition required to maintain their stamina and concentration levels throughout the day. The School offers a choice of three lunch options for students and parents to choose

between.

Lunchbox Tips – Variety is the key to a healthier lunch box. It is all about getting a balance and a good variety of foods over a period of time, for example a week. No single food can provide all the essential nutrients that the body needs.

A healthier lunch box should be based on the eatwell plate food groups (which promote balance and variety in the diet. Parents and students should try to include something from each of the eatwell food groups in the lunch box and ensure that this includes a drink.

Bright and colourful foods with different tastes and textures should be encouraged. Fruit and vegetables do this naturally. If the food looks good then the chances are that children will want to try it. There are many ways to keep the lunch box exciting, for example adopt a colour theme for each day, take inspiration from holidays or different countries and foods that are in

season or grown in the home garden. Foods that a healthy lunch box should include • A good portion of starchy food, for example wholemeal roll or bread, wraps, pitta bread, pasta or rice salad. • Plenty of fruit and vegetables, for example an apple, mandarin, handful of cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks, mini-can of

fruit chunks in natural juice or a small box of raisins. • A drink of semi-skimmed milk or a portion of dairy food, for example individual cheese portion or pot of yogurt. • A portion of lean meat, fish, eggs or beans, for example ham, chicken, beef, tuna, egg or hummus. • A drink, for example unsweetened fruit juice, semi-skimmed milk or water..

Remember, foods high in fat and sugar should be restricted. Nutritional standards for schools lunches do not allow sweets, chocolate or savoury snacks such as crisps, carbonised drinks and other high sugar drinks to be served at lunch times. In response to the new regulation about promoting healthy food in schools in Uruguay, The British Schools will seek ways to accompany this initiative: http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/adios-alfajores-gaseosas-escuelas.html

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The British Schools Foundation Old Boys & Old Girls Club

Courses and Clubs – This year, in addition to its well established Drama/Theatre and Photography courses, the Foundation is looking forward to adding some interesting new courses and clubs to its offerings - so keep an eye out for future updates.

Win, Win - As the Foundation is committed to supporting CAS activities and assisting in fund-raising campaigns – participating in the courses and clubs not only means having fun trying out something new, it also means supporting the community. So that means smiles all round!

25th Punta del Este Sevens – An Update: This

eagerly awaited Tournament was a fantastic way to start the OB&OGC Centennial Year. The standard of play was excellent throughout and team spirit prevailed. The South African Academy team won the Gold Cup in style, with runners-up Moby Dick also displaying their quality Sevens. The Silver Cup was clinched by Pampas from Argentina - despite a brave performance from the Uruguayan side that included four Old Boys players. The highlight for the Old Boys Club was winning the Bronze Cup by defeating the Brazilian National Sevens side. To top it all, the Tournament was broadcast live by TV sports channel ESPN.

Not to be Missed Centennial Celebrations - The

Centennial celebrations continue throughout the year with special activities for Hockey, Rugby, Football, Tennis and Squash, and culminate in a spectacular Gala Ball! So don’t miss out - for the full calendar of events please refer to the OB&OGC website by clicking on the image below:

Parents Committee News Alumni The Parents Committee is a group of eight parents whose main role is to liaise between the School’s staff and the parent community. We get involved in a wide variety of matters concerning our children, such as bullying, nutrition, sports, uniform, internationalism in the curriculum, security inside and outside of the School, community work, recycling initiatives, and new parents integration. Watch this space for future updates.

The School is always delighted to receive visits from its alumni - especially so on occasions such as to celebrate 50 Years of

graduation:

CONTACT US:

tbspcommittee@gmail.com

Fernanda Guliak, Guillermo Campelo, Stephanie Shellman, Aleco Calfopulos,

Ana María García, Daniel Benoit, María José Argenti, Federico Stanham.

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Odds and Ends

Wordsearch – Mission Statement

T I R I P S L O O H C S B Y O V A A W R P E Y U A A Y Q T C A W O P I A T D K N D S P I E B P G E D U A W Y T E N L L E D K N K E P T Y S Y N K S I T V L I T L P U K P A D T N B L C I G U E S S A P L Z Y O I A L Y N V V U T S U U U E I S I L R O L I R M P T E E L T N T Y R L W T B K N U S W T I O N U M E E A P L B O P E E D P E T J B R E M P A T H Y R A S T R F S G R Y U L M N B B R E O S E L F C O N F I D E N T R P

World Cup 2014 Uruguay and England go Head to Head 19th June, 2014 – Arena de Sao Paulo

1930

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1966

Drop us a Line:

newsletter@british.edu.uy

SELF-CONFIDENT, CREATIVE, POTENTIAL, EMPATHY, VALUES,

BELONGING, PRIDE, TRADITIONS, RESPONSIBILITY, SCHOOL SPIRIT.

Click on the YouTube icon to view

On the TBS YouTube Channel

THE LEARNER PROFILE

Arena de Sao Paulo to read more

click on image