APRIL 2013

THE SECONDARY NEWSLETTERSecondary News from the Pupils and Teachers of King’s College, Alicante

Head of Secondary Message

Vi s i t f ro m E x - Pu p i l s

Henry Ford once said “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success” and there was no greater example of the success of working together than the two fantastic performances of School of Rock this month. I was so impressed with the energy and enthusiasm that everybody brought to the stage. The many hours of preparation and rehearsal made for a wonderfully powerful and energizing performance.

It is so important that our children have access to disciplines like music and drama. These subjects allow our pupils to express themselves in different ways and it was a delight to see some of our younger pupils, who would normally be quiet and reserved in the classroom, “strutting their stuff” on stage and playing the audience like true professionals! None of this is achievable without teamwork and everybody involved in School of Rock is to be congratulated and thanked for their efforts. A special thank you to Mr. Cook and Ms. Graves for their constant support, enthusiasm and encouragement; the memories of the

performance will stay with our pupils for many years to come.

I am a true believer that our days in school are the best of our lives and our former students always tend to agree when they come to visit us once they have left. We are so fortunate that the feeling of being a large family in King’s College, Alicante has never been lost, regardless of how big we have grown. This is what makes our school so special for everybody involved with it. This month we were lucky enough to welcome back former pupils who left over the last few years so they could share their experiences at University with our Y12 and Y13 students. It was a great afternoon which everybody found enlightening and a proud moment to see former BSA pupils on the verge of graduating from University as qualified lawyers, doctors and engineers. You can read more about their talk inside this month’s newsletter.

The example these former students set is very important to our more senior pupils who are about to run the exams gauntlet. By the time the next newsletter is published the majority

of the examinations will have finished and our pupils’ immediate futures, at least, will have already been defined. It is crucial that they give themselves choices for the future and with that in mind I urge them to listen to their teachers, read Mr. Roberts’ advice in last month’s issue and get stuck into some serious revision as a matter of urgency. Henry Ford’s quote is as relevant to you and your exams as it was for the school production. Working together, pupil, parents and school is the key to our academic success. Take advantage of all we have on offer here and talk to a member of staff if you have any worries or concerns.

I wish everybody the best of luck with their IGCSE and A Level exams; the next few weeks are arguably the most important of your life so far.

Simon WicksHead of Secondary

ART

The annual art exhibition took place on the 26th March in the library. The event was well attended by parents who enjoyed the fantastic artwork on display from pupils and friends. Private viewings of artist´s work are a custom in professional art galleries around the world and we here at King’s College Alicante see no reason why the students work should not be celebrated in the same way, especially as a lot of the work would not have looked out of place in a professional Bond Street gallery.

All year groups contributed to the event which included sculpture, illuminated letters, graffiti and painting. The work by our talented sixth form was awe inspiring. The amount of effort and creativity shone through in every piece displayed. KS4 and KS5 have all worked very hard to finish the coursework requirement of the IGCSE and A Level qualifications and the quality of the submissions this year is very high indeed.

The comments book was filled with encouragement and praise about this wonderful and thought provoking event.

Odin year 6: “It is fantastic there is a lot of effort in the work…there is art in the air.”

Alba year 6: “I would like to draw like that…”

Raquel year 6: “I really loved the paintings. Great effort! They were fantastic…I really enjoyed the graffiti section.”

Sr. Bellot: “The creativity is fantastic from the pupils. Congratulations!”

Hazel year 12: Absolutely fantastic selection of pieces of a really high standard. Have to say I´m jealous! I particularly enjoyed the different cultures portrayed.”

Alejandra year 5: “This art exhibition was fantastic. I love it and hope that there is more next year”.

EXHIBITION

2013

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King’s College Alicante presents:

Congratulations to everyone involved with the school production of School of Rock. Both performances were full of energy and enthusiasm and we were very proud of all the performers – musicians, singers and actors.

Their commitment and enthusiasm over the past few months demonstrates a wonderful attitude to school life and they deserve our appreciation and praise.

The pupils who have helped out ́ backstage´ and ́ front stage´ also deserve a mention as they have supported and encouraged the cast with their contributions not only on the night(s) but also in rehearsals.

Here are some photos from the event. You can download a copy of the musical in our website.

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INTERNATIONAL AWARD : ADVENTUROUS JOURNEYBY NACHO, CARMEN, EKATERINA & ALEXANDRA

The Adventurous Journey to Puig Campana , during 10th and 11th of April 2013, as part of our International Award program, is one of those experiences we will not forget about. As soon as we arrived at the camp site, we began to unpack our equipment and set up the tents.

Once ready, we were organised into walking groups, each of 4 members.

Every team had to mark the checkpoints on their map, and plan the route to be followed.Once we were ready, our team left the camp site, to face the challenges of the journey up ahead.

Although the first checkpoints were on the slope of the mountain, our team was quickly drained of energy, as the weather was extremely hot. The local area suffered many fires, so there was virtually no shade to hide under. We decided to take a lunch break and prepare for the long hike

up the mountain. Fortunately, as we were enjoying our small break, one of the other team caught up with us. Since we had to follow the same route, and the path ahead seemed difficult, we joined efforts, and walked ahead as a group of 8 members.

Tired, thirsty and bronzed by the sun, we pushed on and reached the local point of interest, Font de la Solsida. We were happy to realise that in order to reach our last checkpoints, we had to follow a path down the hill. As we kept walking, following our maps and compasses, we realised that the path was getting narrower and harder to follow.

We came to a crossroad, but the planned road was blocked by a pile of burnt trees, so we decided to take the alternative way, hoping to come back on the planned path at some point in the nearest future. Unfortunately, things did not go as initially planned. We realised that the path got narrower, until we could not tell whether we were on the path, or not. We took some time to figure out our position on the map. Once we knew what direction we had to follow, there was nothing else to do, but struggle to slide down the mountain, through bushes and rocks.

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This was the hardest part of our adventurous journey, but at the same time, we had lots of fun, helping each other to get down, holding hands, plants or using other means offered by nature.

Showing great teamwork skills, we managed to find the road we were supposed to follow. Joyful, we ran as quickly as we could, in order to get to the camp site before sunset. In a short time, we came across the last two checkpoints, safe and sound.

Dog-tired, thirsty, hungry and scratched we arrived at the camp just in time.

When the other teams arrived, we cooked dinner and ate together, while happily sharing the experiences from the hike and of getting back to camp. Although our route did not follow our plan, we all enjoyed the day, and were anxious to begin the second route.

The following day, we woke up early, before sunrise, to make sure that we had enough time to prepare breakfast, lunch and pack up our equipment.

Once ready, the teachers gave us information about the new checkpoints we had to visit. We took some time to work out the location of the given checkpoints, route and the direction to walk.

We left the camp at 9 am, and walked to the starting point.

One of the first challenges of the day for our team was to walk past a bee populated garden, as Carmen is allergic to bee stings.

As we passed the garden, we walked into a forest, and made it to the next checkpoint, Aixoplug de Pedra. The Thursday route did not involve going up the mountain, but the hardest part was to walk through a local urbanisation.

By the time we got there, the sun was high in the sky, and the weather got hot. Because of the houses and buildings, there was again, no shade to walk or hide under.

We managed to find all of the points of interest, and begin our route back, which was going to be relatively easy.

On our way back we met one of the teachers, who marked that we had finished the route and were ready to head back to the camp.

We got back at around 2pm, and had enough time to take a shower, eat and rest for a while. When the bus came to pick us up, we put down our tents and packed up our equipment.

The second day of our Adventurous Journey had come to an end.

During these two marvellous days, we encountered many obstacles and situations when we had to work as a team. Thanks to this experience, we had a chance to get to know each other better and strengthen the friendship bonds between us.

SPANISH BASKETBALLTOURNAMENT21st of March I went with Pablo and our team to the Spanish Tournament of Basketball.

During the journey, which took a long time, we stopped at some places to have a refreshment and to the toilette.

When we arrived at Cádiz, we went directly to our hotel.

During the first day we relaxed but the action started on the second.

The first match we played was against Aragón and we won 74 – 33. Then we played against Euskadi and we won again without any difficulty 80 – 60. The next match was against Catalunya, it was a difficult game and we lost. We still had chance of winning the next match 62 -72. But luck wasn’t on our side. The next match we lost as well against Canarias 46 – 58. Now we needed to win the next match against Baleares. We won this match making us 5th in the Spanish Tournament 101 – 64.

BY PABLO A

SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

It was a incredible experience.

Work, discipline and effort = reward

This has been as my best experience and I hope to continue to have many more opportunities.

This exerience has been Amazing.

Playing against other communities has been hard, but fun, and I tried the best I could. We didn´t get as far as we thought but we got fiifth out of 18 communities.

It´s the best experience of my life.

COMMENT FROM PABLO M

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EXAMINATIONS TIMETABLE

The first written examination will take place on Tuesday 7th May and your son/daughter has been provided with an individual timetable which indicates the days on which they have examinations.

STUDY LEAVE

There is NO STUDY LEAVE for pupils in Year 11. Pupils will be expected to attend school as normal during the examination period. Regular lessons will take place and if all the official examinations in a particular subject are over, arrangements will be made for pupils to undertake private revision at that time, or we will endeavour to provide additional lessons in remaining subjects. Pupils will be allowed to study from home the day before an examination if they so wish and parents should telephone the school on the day stating their reason for absence.

There is NO STUDY LEAVE for pupils in Year 12. A-level subjects are two-year courses and as such it is important that pupils are in school to prepare for the imminent examinations and then to start work on the next module or unit of the course. Time missed in Term 3 can seriously impact pupil performance in Year 13 and makes it difficult for teaching staff to successfully move on with the course. During this time we will also be running essential workshops and activities for Y12 pupils in order to prepare their university applications at the beginning of Y13. Non-attendance could seriously impact their applications to university. Pupils will be allowed to study from home the day before an examination, but we would ask students to discuss this with subject teachers to ensure they are not missing crucial examination revision or preparation. Parents should telephone the school on the day stating their reason for absence.

Lessons for Year 13 pupils will continue as normal until the end of the academic year. A2 examinations take place up until the 20th June and as such teachers will continue to be available during normal lesson time to help students with examination preparation. Students in Year 13 may chose to study at home from Monday 13th May, however revision classes will continue and teachers will be available for consultations.

IGCSE & A LEVELEXAMS JUNE 2013

IMPORTANT: ATTENDANCE

Attendance at all examinations is compulsory if your child is to be awarded a grade in that subject. It is imperative, unless your son/daughter is seriously ill on the day of the examination, that they arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. If a student is seriously ill on the day of the exam the school must be informed BEFORE the start of the exam. It is important that a doctor’s certificate (in English) is also obtained and this should be presented to the school office on the same day the exam was due to be taken. With this certificate we are able to apply to the exam board for special consideration but it is important to understand that this is not often granted. Please note that common colds, fever, allergies, headache, stomach aches etc are not considered by the exam boards to be serious enough to apply for special consideration. Please also note that the school does not make the decision regarding exam dates or validation of medical certificates it rests solely in the hands of the examination boards.

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UNIFORM

Full school summer uniform is required to be worn by all students taking external examinations A reminder that no jackets or outerwear are allowed in the examination room. Pupils may be denied entry to the examination if they are not dressed accordingly

RESULTS DAYS IN AUGUST

Tuesday 13th August 2013 CIE A Level and IGCSE Results Published (To be confirmed)The school will not be open on Tuesday 13th August. Pupils will be provided with a username and password that will allow them to access their results online via a secure website. Several staff will also be available via email and telephone to offer assistance to pupils who are unable to access their results online. Details will be provided in due course.

Thursday 15th August 2013 Edexcel A level Results PublishedPupils will receive a username and password to allow them to access their results online. The school will be open from 10am until 2pm for Year 13 students only. Members of staff will be available in school to offer advice and guidance on University applications and to help pupils deal with UCAS and, if necessary, Clearing.

Thursday 22nd August 2013 EdexcelCSE Results PublishedPupils will receive a username and password to allow them to access their results online. The school will be open from 10am until 2pm to allow pupils to pick up their results in school if they wish. Staff will be on hand to offer advice where necessary.

YEAR 12 ENROLMENT DAYS

All pupils wishing to enrol into Year 12 for the academic year 2013/14 will be required to attend an enrolment interview with their parents on Tuesday 25th June 2013. Acceptance into Year 12 at King’s College, Alicante is not automatic and pupils must attend this interview as part of the selection process. Students will normally need to have achieved five A*-C passes at IGCSE level to meet the entry requirements and achieve a B grade in the subjects they wish to study at A Level. The aim of the interview is to discuss student’s career aspirations and agree on option choices for Years 12 and 13. Pupils should make sure they have liaised with Mr. Roberts before Friday 24th May to book an interview time for the 25th June. Interview times will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

If your child meets the minimum entrance requirements when the results are published then there is no need to attend a further interview. If, however, your child does not meet the minimum requirements you we will be invited in for Interview on Friday 23rd August or Monday Monday 26th August. It is essential that pupils and parents are available on either of these days as they will not be able to enrol for Y12 without such an interview.

Students will not be permitted to start Year 12 unless they have had an enrolment interview.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our senior pupils success with their examinations this coming session.

Simon Wicks Head of Secondary School

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to attend a talk with former King’s College students. They provided useful information from their universities and also personal experiences abroad as Erasmus and professional practices in the field. Many of us feel that the university will be a big step to take in order to achieve our dreams. Finally, I feel privileged to have attended a very interesting and yet so motivating talk.

BY SANDRA YEAR 13

VISIT FROMFORMER KING’S COLLEGE STUDENTS

After the discussion by Pablo, Miguel, Claudia, María, Julia, Manolo, Álvaro and Víctor on Wednesday 27th of March, I feel well-informed and more prepared for the experience of university not only about the academic aspect of the experience, but the change of lifestyle we will face when entering this stage of education. It was even better to receive the talk from pupils of our own school who have studied here themselves, as they can relate to how we´re feeling right now about our exams and how to approach the decisions of higher education very soon. Their words of wisdom have really opened my eyes to the reality of university and thanks to them, I feel more enlightened as to what I should realistically expect.

BY HAZEL YEAR 12

On Wednesday 27 of March, Pablo, Miguel, Claudia, María, Julia, Manolo, Álvaro and Víctor came to give us advice for what we should do now in order to be prepared for university and the world around us. They compared the different ways of learning at school to university and what to do to succeed. I found it very useful as they provided us with information about all the competition we will find, how to be organized, and all the tricks to enjoy but at the same time achieve good grades. In my opinion, we should do this more often because others’ experiences can inspire us in our future to help us make decisions more effectively.

BY ALBA YEAR 12

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The British School of Panama is a part of King’s Group, one of the largest and most successful international school groups that deliver the National Curriculum of England and Wales. The school was officially opened on Feb. 21, 2013 by His Excellency Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal; President of the Republic of Panama, Lucy Molinar; Panamanian Minister of Education, and Michael John Holloway; British Ambassador.

Sir Roger Fry, Chairman of the King’s Group, attended the event and added; “because of the tremendous growth being seen in Panama every day, there is a clear need for more educated youth of the future. For this reason, King’s set about its mission to offer a first-class British education.”

From Sept., 2012 entry has been open to children from Nursery (aged 3) through to year 5 (aged 9 and 10) who were all present on the day to welcome the diplomatic party with banners and chorus singing.

The new school’s Head Teacher is Vanessa Whay who was also the Head Teacher at King’s Infant School in Madrid. Shan Hardy who also taught at a King’s College school in Madrid will be the Nursery Teacher. Another former teacher from King’s School, Madrid is Alexandra Hernández

PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT OPENS KING’S SCHOOL

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal at the official King’s College Inauguration

who will be the Year 3 teacher. Samantha Whay-Jenkins is the Director of Teacher Training. The school has signed an agreement with the Panamanian Ministry of Education to train local teachers in the latest British teaching methods. A purpose built training centre will be located in the new school.

(Above) Head Teacher Vanessa Whay gives the Panamanian President a tour of the new school. (Above, right) Sir Roger Fry, the founder of the King’s Group with H.E. Michael John Holloway, the British Ambassador to Panama who was previously the Consul in Madrid. (Right) King’s College young students get ready for the big moment.

Sir Roger Fry, the founder of the King’s Group with H.E. Michael John Holloway, the British Ambassador to Panama who was previously the Consul in Madrid.

Head Teacher Vanessa Whay gives the Panamanian President a tour of the new school.

1 May School Closed

10 May Author Visiting (Korky Paul)

13 May Study Leave begins for Y13 ONLY

16 May Y10 Trip to Xativa CANCELLED

30 May Race Against Hunger

Important Dates

Glorieta del Reino Unido 5Alicante 03008 Spainwww.bsalicante.com

email: carlos.lazaro@kingsgroup.org

I am very pleased to inform you that we have refurbished 2 rooms next to the Gym/Exams Hall in order to use them as part of our expanded Examinations Suite.

Both of these rooms are already being used for Oral exams and will provide us with an additional 50+ exam places for our future growth in secondary.

These rooms are welcomed additions to our accommodation which we will also use for various smaller class activities throughout the year.

EXAMINATION ROOMS