T H E S E C O N D A RY N E W S L E T T E R N OVEMBER 2 0 1 0 Secondary News from the Pupils and Teachers of The British School of Alicante school collectively, as a community, helped to produce the huge mosaic used during the assembly which symbolised and commemorate those who fell in war since 1914. Pag e 1
NOVEMBER 2010 THE SECONDARY NEWSLETTER Secondary News from the Pupils and Teachers of The British School of Alicante Swimming Gala 2010 Page 1 On Thursday 11th November the Secondary School and Year 6 reflected in an assembly all people who have been affected by wars, both in the past and now. During the assembly readers from Key Stage 2 to 5 read selected poems which allowed the assembled staff and students to think about all those people who suffer in wars all around the world and how important it is to work for peace. The secondary school collectively, as a community, helped to produce the huge mosaic used during the assembly which symbolised and commemorate those who fell in war since 1914. Remembrance Day at King’s College, Alicante
Transcript
NOVEMBER 2010
THE SECONDARY N E W S L E T T E RSecondary News from the Pupils and Teachers of The British School of Alicante
Swimming Gala
2010
Page 1
On Thursday 11th November the Secondary School and Year 6 reflected in an assembly all people who have been affected by wars, both in the past and now. During the assembly readers from Key Stage 2 to 5 read selected poems which allowed the assembled staff and students to think about all those people who suffer in wars all around the world and how important it is to work for peace. The secondary
school collectively, as a community, helped to produce the huge mosaic used during the assembly which symbolised and commemorate those who fell in war since 1914.
Remembrance Dayat King’s Col lege, A l icante
This is a word I see and hear often. Indeed, I have spoken to our Key Stage 4 students only recently about this very term. However, I feel that because it is band-ed around so often, we sometimes lose focus on what it really means. To put simply, responsi-bility means accepting
that you and you alone are accountable for your life. Be-ing responsible therefore comes with the realisation that you are where you are, and what you are, because of your own conduct and behavior. If we look more closely at the word responsibility - “response-ability” – we can see that it is simply the ability to choose your response. Responsible people tend to be highly proactive people. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or con-ditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.
Being responsible is important. By recognising the fact that you are 100% responsible for your life is the starting point of all great achievement. Once you fully accept re-sponsibility you will realise that no one else can live your life for you. Accepting responsibility therefore leads to a proactive outlook on life, more proactive values, where-by you actively seek and go after the things you want to do and accomplish in life. At school, we help you
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achieve your goals, but responsibility is achieved when you realise that ultimately it is up to you to achieve them.All successful people look upon themselves as the cause of what happens in their life. They understand that they are in control, and where they are today is a direct reflection of their actions in the past. We feel good about ourselves to the degree in which we feel in com-plete control of our lives. When we blame other people or things for the way our life is, we lose that control, and with that loss comes a feeling of helplessness and negativity.
If you are able to fully accept responsibility for your life and stop blaming external factors for the way things turn out, you will automatically shed that feeling of helpless-ness and negativity. In turn, this will be replaced with a feeling of control, confidence and high self esteem; everything you need to be successful in life.
So as you think about the meaning of the word respon-sibility you should think about what it means to you per-sonally. Whether it’s about making sure you spend an extra 20 minutes on that piece of homework due in the morning, whether you need to make amends for a wrong you inflicted on a friend, or whether you stick to that re-vision programme you have created to ensure success in forthcoming examinations, you would do well to re-member that where you are today is a result of your ac-tions in the past. Therefore, your future will be a result of what you do today. Make sure you understand this and start accepting full responsibility for your life today, so that you can create the future you want for tomorrow.
Stephen GreenHead of Secondary
Responsibilityby Stephen Green
This year there has been one of the best Halloween dis-cos ever done in school. We have had a time to discon-nect from studies, to be with friends… and what is more important, to have fun!
First of all I have to talk about the costumes, wow how amazing they were! There were wonderful witches, gloomy ghosts, marvellous monsters… and of course we did a parade! I also have to mention the amazing decoration, which gave a scary atmosphere to the disco and which we all enjoyed while being there. The music was also one of the best things, it was a spooky and gloomy selection, according to the theme of the disco, and which we all enjoyed dancing and had a great time.
Next I have to talk about the amazing games the sixth form organized for us. First we played the classic stat-ues game, in which we had to dance with the music, but remain a statue while the music stopped playing. Then we played an original and new game for us, called the Donuts Game, which involved eating donuts from a string without using our hands. Both of these games were superb and we equally loved playing them in this disco, this gave a chance for us to have great laughs and a fabulous time.
Overall, I have to say how good this Halloween disco was and how we all enjoyed it. We hope that next year’s disco will equally be the same, or even better. I also have to thank the sixth form and all the staff involved, particularly Mrs. Bowers for organizing this fantastic disco.
Since October, the pupils of 8F have brought to morning register different topics and items of news for us to debate. Every student of 8F has an allocated day to do his or her presentation. This has proven to be a great way to start the day and has encouraged us all to reflect and discuss what is happening in the world.
Felix Francisco. 8F Form Tutor.
New Register Act iv i t ies for Y8F
“In Form time we have to do presentations about what is happening in the world. I think it’s a good idea because people get a chance to speak in front of the class”. Jamie Dumbarton
“On the 27 October I did mine. I talked about the Chol-era disease in Haiti”. Isabel Gimenez
“These weeks we have being showing presentations in powerpoint. I talked about Rafael Nadal”. It’s a good idea to do something in Form time”. Daniel Otero
“We have leaned a lot during the past weeks”. Gonzalo Martinez
“I talked about Michelangelo. Form times activities are very good because we can debate about different is-sues”. Eugenia Gonzalez
“My presentation was about a region in the south of France where I have spent my holidays this summer”. We learn things that we don’t learn in other subjects”. Berta Pereda
Following on from the successful ´buddy´ system where older students mentor younger students, sixth formers Jaime Sanchez and Manuel Alonso take on the Science Club.
Science Club
The two young scientists delighted students from Year 7 and 8 by setting light to bubbles of methjane and sparklers of coloured chemicals. "It was great" said Tommy Van Duijvenbode.
The Giv ingTreeAt the School Office December 1st – December 16th
As in previous years, we will be collecting donations of toys, food and clothes for less fortunatechildren in Alicante. If you would like to donate a gift, please wrap and label with appro-priateage/sex and leave at the school office by Thursday 16th December.
Curiosi ty CornerWhy does it get quiet when it snows?
I love it when I wake up on Christmas day, look out of the window and it snows. There is nothing nicer than a quiet, white Christ-mas. But why is it quiet when it snows?
During the holidays people are not as stressed as usual; everyone walks slower and nobody is really in a hurry. This is all well and good, but it is not the main reason for the absence of sound.
Snow is very light. Inside the frozen snowflakes there is a lot of trapped air, which not only makes them lighter but also act as an insulator, absorbing all the sound waves. When is snows there-fore, noise is absorbed (partially) and so makes it a lovely, quiet and white Christmas.
Cooking MorningThursday 28th October
Thursday 28th of October was a special day for Year 10 and 11 as a cooking morning was organised to reward the pupils with high effort grades.
Pupils learnt to make crepes, waffle, chocolate cake, muffins and ice cream. This was a very successful morning as they all made tasty food and they enjoyed themselves very much.
My hobby is re-enacting the American Civil War with people who share the same interest in it. They belong to a society called The Southern Skirmish Association, or SoSkAn for short. I first went to an event in April, and since then I have been to two more events, one in August and the most recent one in October. I support the South and so I am a Confederate soldier, with the 1st Arkansas.My uniform consists of: A pair of black boots called bro-gans, grey woolen trousers with braces, a thick red cot-ton shirt, a Depot II Richmond jacket, a greatcoat and a Yankee cavalry hat. I also carry accoutrements, which consist of: A canteen, a knapsack (which carries my tin plate, my tin mug, and cutlery) and a blanket.
Quotes from fellow re-enactors:
“Don’t do nothing you don’t get pleasure from doing”
“Recreating moments in history that have been lost”
“The fun of re-enacting is learning the lifestyle”“There is a sense of camaraderie”
“Fulfillment of interest”“Without a past, there is no future”
A Hobby in Civil War
During re-enactments I perform a number of activities. These range from drills (including marching, and prac-tice shooting) to full pitched battle with the enemy. This October I was also involved in a medical display. This involved having a stomach wound covered in fake blood! I was laid on a stretcher and then waited for my turn to see the Surgeon; I was then carried to the table where they pretended to drug me with Chloroform. Then the Surgeon removed the “bullet”, pretended to stitch up the wound and then bandaged it up! Very gruesome!
Kiefer Port
Trip to CabanalValenciaWe caught the train from Alicante train station at 7.30 in the morning on 24th November. It was really cold and we were sleepy.
Mrs Turton, Mia, Kiefer, Joe and I travelled on the train up to Valencia, and after nearly 2 hours on the train – we´d arrived.
After arriving, we went walking through Valencia (whilst looking at the shops). When we arrived at our first destination (Avendida Blasco Ibañez) we began the real work. We began in the University area, there were 8 sites where we had to fill in surveys about the environment and the housing quality.
The University area was quite pretty, even though there was quite a bit of pollution and noise due to the cars, because there are so many streets. After walking for a bit, we went to a cafe which was close by and had some refreshments. When we´d finished we carried on walking.Our next stop was the Cabanyal.
The Cabanyal was extremely different to where the Universities were. The houses were old and almost destroyed.
After a long day that hadn´t finished yet, we went on the tram and afterwards on the metro to Colon where we had began our investigation earlier near the shops.Afterwards we ate in a little pizzeria – it was a bit of a squeeze.
After finishing eating, we had a little time to go round the shops and have a look around Valencia to see what there was. After this it was time to go back to Alicante. On the return journey, we passed the time playing cards.
Valencia is a city that turns its back to the sea. Our investigation consisted of walking along a transect line(Avenida de Vicente Blasco Ibañez) the centre and leads down to an area called the Cabañal.
The city centre provides services for the inhabitants such as shops, restaurants and a couple of high quality universities and has a general high environmental quality. The majority of housing is modern, high rise flats as there is not much land and there is a lot of demand therefore people build upwards instead of outwards.
On the other hand, the Cabañal is a lot more run down and poorer. The types of house consist of typical, low rise brightly coloured chalets which date back to the 1930s. Despite the traditional housing and iron grills the housing quality is low because of the council´s plan and its consequences.
The council are planning to bulldoze one block of housing in the Cabañal so that the main Avenida can continue to the beachfront. Some want these plans to be carried out as access to the beach will be improved. However, this plan has many disadvantages as well. Due to the proposal to redevelop the area, local residents can’t sell their properties or wish to renovate as they feel there would be no advantage if it will be bulldozed anyway. Also, the council have not invested in the area so the quality of the roads, pavement and street furniture
is degenerating. Therefore, the inequality is stark and worsening between the central areas and the Cabañal. The Cabañal is on a downward spiral of the negative multiplier effect but the community is fighting back.
Some are even allowing others into their homes to demonstrate what the houses could look like
when renovated.
What´s happening in the area?
Year 7 Castles
As part of their studies on Medieval History year 7 have been studying castles. We have been investigating how their design changed over time and different defensive features of castles. Year 7's homework project was to make their own castle reflecting what they had learnt. Many of them certainly put a huge amount of effort into them (with some help from parents!) and the results were very impressive. We then had a class showing them to each other and after giving out lots of merits, we had a class vote to choose the ones that we felt deserved an extra special positive comment on the class system. Many people have told me how brilliant they think the castle display is, so well done Year 7!
For the past six weeks, every Mon-day, and from 2pm onwards, we (Joe, Laura, Marie, and Mia) have had a great time at the Santa Pola beach canoeing, sailing and even doing a bit of windsurf. As part of the sixth form enrichment program that the BSA set up, we were given the chance to go on kayaks and on a Gamba with Mrs. Cook. At first, we thought that the course might con-sist of tediously learning how to do the sails, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and very exciting! Sailing a Gamba (a boat about 3m long) was very challenging and at times quite frightening too. On our last day we went on a Gamba, but it was such a windy day and the wind was in such a direction that we were forced to be tucking (changing direction by changing the sails) constantly to be able to get back to shore, which was
quite hard, though naturally we got better and better at it, and since we had already learnt about the sails and about driving the boat with the rudder, it wasn’t too complicated. Still, at one point the boat was nearly entirely in a vertical position and wa-ter started coming in! All you could hear was Mia and Laura scream-ing, but fortunately Mrs. Cook was there to put everything back in order. Other days, we went canoeing and that was without a doubt the most enjoyable activity. We had plenty of fun tipping each other’s canoes and even getting entirely off the canoe and in the water just to tip someone over. Overall, a great experience that we hope to repeat when the sea gets warm enough!
Laura Hernando Serrano
Sailing
As a means to encourage pupils to read, Y8 and Y9 groups attended a Storytelling Workshop called “El camino de los cuentos”, in the library on Monday 22nd and Thursday 25th November, organized by the Town Hall. This is the second year they have participated in this kind of activity as part of their lengua lesson. They all enjoyed listening to traditional Spanish tales such as “El Gallo Kirico”, “El medio pollito”, “El hombre que encendía las estrellas” or “De punta a punta”, among others.
They even saw a book written and drawn in Braille, entitled “El libro negro de los colores” and a book without words, just
News From The LibraryStorytelling
There are 5,103 languages spoken in the world and only 13% of them are written?
That in Spain, 53% of the population read, and more than half of them are girls?
The first published book was the Bible?People in the past read aloud? The first person who started to read in silence was the Bishop Ambrosio in the year 383. It was also said that the Emperor Julius Caesar read his love letters in silence too!!!In 1559 the Catholic Church published a list of prohibited books, and not until 1996 those books were allowed to be read?
The name given to the Cuban cigars called Montecristo comes from the famous novel “The Count of Montecristo” by Alexandre Dumas, the writer of “The Three Mousketeers”? Many years ago, women working in the Cuban tobacco factory who didn´t know how to read, decided to use part of their salary to pay for a woman who came to read everyday. They choose “The Count of Montecristo” as their favourite book and gave that name to the cigars.
These are some of the student’s comments:
“I loved the tales because I didn’t know any of them. Also the cards activity because we all had a chance to participate” Lydia “I don’t think young people read less now than in our grandparent’s time. We have more chances than they had” Paula
“I like choosing my own books. I read the blurb and see if I like it” Irene “Some pupils don’t like reading because they are obliged to read” Marta
“Many people don’t read nowadays because they are too busy with computers, play stations or MP3s. Victoria
We hope to have more activities like this!
By Mrs Sánchez
DID YOU KNOW THAT...
Glorieta del Reino Unido 5Alicante 03008 Spainwww.bsalicante.com
I invite all parents to read the Headteacher´s blog which is available on our new website. News and information will be posted and updated regularly. I hope this will keep you more informed of school developments.
We are excited to offer local companies and individuals the opportunity to support King´s College, The British School of Alicante by becoming a BSA partner-in-education.
Becoming one of our partners-in-education is an ideal way to capture the attention of your potential consumers and clients, whilst, at the same time, helping to support the students in our renowned school. Our sponsorship opportunities include school events, sporting teams and Inter-School Sports Competitions. In positioning your company as a partner with one of the region’s most successful and highly regarded schools, you will receive tangible marketing benefits while supporting our dedication to community integration and global citizenship.
The school relies on the support from members of its community to sustain and enhance the school’s reputation for excellence. It is with your support that the school can continue to thrive and provide our students with the best in education – both inside and outside of the classroom.
