Newsletter // November 2022

We have so much to be thankful for this year, and one of those things is our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. This tradition we have held at our school for over 10 years is a wonderful time to enjoy good food and conversation with the whole school. 

This year's feast was held on November 25th. Thanks to Sergio Bonillo and the staff at La Masia restaurant, we had an excellent meal with delicious red velvet cake as a dessert. It was quite a treat!

Student Council went above and beyond to prepare the event and a charity raffle full of fun prizes. This years prizes included free private tennis lessons, equipment donated by HEAD, baked goods and a hamper full of special goodies.

The hosts of the event, Raqeem and Roman did a fabulous job and kept everything running smoothly. 

It was such a good opportunity to relax and enjoy time with colleagues and classmates and celebrate Thanksgiving together. 

The 10th annual Model United Nations conference was held at the American School of Valencia (VALMUN) from December 1st through 3rd. Choosing delegates to represent our school and tackle pressing global issues was no easy feat. 

Students in high school held workshops in the weeks leading up to the conference where they practiced debating and defending their resolutions. Middle school students practiced  giving their speeches to boost their confidence with public speaking.

In total, 14 students from 7th, 8th, and 9th grade were chosen to participate at VALMUN. These were students who completed all preparation work and demonstrated discipline and confidence.  "We also took into account those students who best represent our school values," explained Ms. Wynne. 

Our delegates joined six other schools' delegarions from around Spain and Luxembourg at the American School in Valencia for the conference. They actively participated and collaborated with other delegates as they tried to get their resolutions passed. Several of our students were recognised for their successes, skills, and improvements.  

"Model UN is about getting students to research and understand real world problems and work with other delegates to come up with realistic, practical solutions to these problems in a dynamic and structured environment," described Ms. Wynne. Preparing for and participating in MUN conferences gives our students the opportunity to delve deeply into the political

world, understand how the United Nations work, cultivate their analytical skills, appreciate the art of diplomacy and the importance of team-work.

Giving our students the opportunity to participate in Model United Nations fosters their skills of critical thinking, empathy, research, team-work, compromise and a chance to practice and advance their public speaking skills. 

We are so proud of the effort, dedication and discipline our delegates demonstrated at VALMUN this year. 

Students from 10th through 12th grades will have the opportunity to participate in the MUN conference at ESADE in Barcelona in April 2023. We can't wait to see what you all can do!

In their second unit of inquiry, elementary students are learning about 'How We Express Ourselves'. In lower elementary, their central idea is that we all tell stories in different ways. They have worked on how to describe parts of stories

including the characters, settings, and plot. They are starting to explore different ways to retell stories. This will include creating puppet shows with sets, picture books, acting, writing, and through music.

In upper elementary, students are focusing on how people can express beliefs and values through traditions and celebrations.   Each student chose a culture to research and share about.

The first country they investigated was Italy. Students brainstormed ideas about the country, looked at the geography and practiced cooking some Italian food and speaking some words in Italian. 

Students continued to think about how we express ourselves in their math lessons too. They looked at the different ways we can express multiplication through area models, place value chips and algorithms. 

The students are now preparing for their Unit 2 Showcase and deciding how they want to share their learning with the wider school community. 
 

We look forward to your final presentation!

On average, children spend between 4 and 6 hours a day watching or using screens, and teenagers spend almost 9 hours a day! This has serious consequences for social and emotional health. To take a break from this, middle school teachers decided to plan a 'technology free' overnight trip with their students.  

On Monday, November 21st, students and teachers turned off their phones and traveled to La Granja, an educational farm just outside of Barcelona. There, students took part in team building activities, horseback riding and equine therapy. They learned how horses can help people create emotional bonds.

At first, students were nervous about being technology free for two days. This fear, however, quickly faded. "I felt more free because I didn’t have to worry about what people posted on Teams, who texted me on WhatsApp, or if there was a notification on a game I like," explained 6th grader Aitana P. "I felt more relaxed and free."

At night the students completed a maze activity in the dark and had a disco party. "My favorite activity was the maze because it was super fun, and it was dark and we could barely see," detailed 5th grader Leopoldo. Overall, it was a great experience for the middle school students to disconnect and spend time with their friends - technology free!

It has been an eventful month for our Spirit Houses! At the beginning of November, the Blue Sharks were in the lead, but very quickly things have changed! Teachers have also been awarding students Sprit Points for actions that demonstrate our school’s core values of respect, effort, and discipline. Students have also earned points by helping others in our community, acting with integrity, reading and being inquisitive!  

Some notable examples of students being recognized for their work this month are:

Merali and Ivan for helping Mr. Rios set up all the Thanksgiving raffle prizes. Thank you! 😊 

Naysha and Moon for being caught reading on THE READING BENCH outside the office!
Well done! 👍