JANU A R Y - M AR C H 2 0 1 1
King’s College
E-Newsletter News from the Pupils and Teachers of King’s College
From left to right: Roger Fry, Chairman King’s Group, Carlos Zurita, Infanta Margarita’s husband, Joaquín Masa, King’s College student, Infanta Margarita, Sir Ivor Roberts, President Trinity College, Oxford
Joaquín Masa Y13 wins a full scholarship to finance his studies in Oxford Joaquin Masa (Y13S) who has been a pupil at King's College Soto de Viñuelas since he was just three years old, has been awarded the Infanta Margarita Scholarship for Academic Excellence. The award is for a full scholarship that will cover all of Joaquin’s undergraduate tuition at Trinity College, one of the most prestigious colleges of the University of Oxford. The Infanta Margarita, Sir Ivor Roberts, President of Trinity College, Oxford, and Roger Fry, president of King's Group, met to present the award of the grant that will fund Joaquin’s degree in Chemical Engineering. (Article continues inside)
Trinity College, Oxford
King’s College E-Newsletter
Joaquín Masa Y13 wins a full scholarship to finance his studies in Oxford "Joaquin has been a model student. We are proud to have helped him achieve his academic goals, “said Roger Fry, president of King's Group. Joaquin is not the only pupil from King's College who has won a place at one of the top universities in the world. Clara Pérez Bocanegra, has been accepted by St. Catherine's College, also part of Oxford University, to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics; and Marc de Witt, also an alumnus
of King's College, will go to Yale next year. Joaquin Masa starts his course at Oxford in September. "We are very proud of our pupils and thanks to their talent, and hard work along with the brilliant subject teachers and the expert advice of our university access team every year we are pleased to send pupils to top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Yale," said Elaine Blaus, Head teacher of King's College, Soto de Viñuelas.
Oxford University is one of the best universities in the world. Founded in the eleventh century, is the oldest English-speaking University in the world. Trinity College, founded in 1555, is one of the most prestigious colleges that make up Oxford University. The colleges that make up the university are much more than halls of residence, as they provide specialised tuition as well as accommodation, food, libraries, sports and social activities.
Head of Oxford University’s Student Recruitment visits King’s College Paul Teulon, Head of Student Recruitment at Oxford University, came to King's College, Soto de Viñuelas to make a presentation to eighteen of the most academically gifted pupils in Year 12, as well as the best pupils from five other schools in Madrid. Paul McNally, head of UCAS said: "Mr Teulon gave an excellent presentation. He managed to be both encouraging and approachable, yet he was very honest and realistic at the same time. The pupils were kept in rapt attention for over an hour without the slightest fidget. Following that, he spent time taking individual questions. This is Paul Tulon's second visit to King’s, and we’re very fortunate that he took the time out of a very busy schedule to come to Madrid and meet us." After attending the talk, Álvaro Marinas, who is thinking of studying Natural Sciences at either Oxford (or possibly Cambridge) said: "What I learnt is that if you want to get a place at a top university, like Oxford, you have to be really passionate about your subject. It is not enough to be quite interested, you have to be really passionate and be ready to communicate that passion in an interview. Reading above and beyond the A level syllabus is an important way to demonstrate your passion. I know it is going to be really hard work but I am inspired and will give it my best shot".
King’s College Events May Fayre Soto De Viñuelas 28th May 2011 We will be holding our annual May Fayre at Soto de Viñuelas on Saturday 28th May 2011 from 1.00pm 5.00pm. This will involve all 3 of the Madrid schools coming together to collaborate in one event to raise money for charity. All families and friends of the school are invited to come along. This is a family day for children, parents and teachers alike, and has been a popular Kings College event virtually since the school was founded. The May Fayre is a very traditional English event that is celebrated in schools and communities around England. The Kings College May Fayre follows this English custom. There is always a wonderful selection of food stalls, BBQs, ice cream and drinks and lots of games and events for the children. Bookworld España will be at the Fayre with a wide selection of English books for children and adults. Some of the children from school will be performing some dances, and there will be the chance for everyone to enjoy and experience many aspects of the school community. A large part of the May Fayre has always been the raffle,
where parents generously provide prizes personally or through their business or company. All money raised will be given to 3 of our ongoing charities that we support for their work in Haiti, Nepal and Jordan. Please put the date in your diaries, and we look forward to seeing you on the day!
Álvaro Escalada, Y9 winner of the Golf Federation National Championship! Why do you like Golf? “I like challenges and Golf presents many difficulties and challenges, especially when you miss the green and you have to use an approach to get the ball back on the green. I did not always enjoy golf at the start but with practice and winning games my confidence increased and now I love the sport. I also enjoy playing with my friends at the golf club, where we are competitive and make bets to who the winner will be amongst us – I have lots of fun!”, Álvaro says. What made you get into golf? “In the summer of 2006, at the age of 9, I used to watch my uncle play golf in his garden, and would ask him how to play the game. One day, he taught me how to put a ball into the hole and there was a sense of pride. He saw I had a skill and told my mother that I should take lessons. She felt it was a great idea to counteract my restlessness and make me relax, focus and concentrate. I did not always enjoy golf at the start but with practice and winning games my confidence increased and now I love the sport”, Álvaro concludes.
LAMDA Examinations Congratulations to the all the infant, Junior and Senior students who took LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) examinations in January. This was King’s Performing Arts third examination session and the LAMDA Candidates achieved a 100% pass rate. The students took a total of 46 examinations which included Using Spoken English (Public Speaking), Reading for Performance, Musical Theatre, Acting and Devised Drama. The 92% of the students achieved distinctions or merits. “We are very proud of all our KPA members and congratulate all those who took the exams this time. We are looking forward next examination session which will take place in April and we wish all the candidates good luck”, says Susan Birchwood, Head of King’s Performing Arts.
Jacqueline Emery, LAMDA Examiner and Susan Birchwood, Head of King’s Performing Arts
STATISTICS ON LAMDA EXAMINATIONS, JANUARY 2011 On 15th and 16th January 2011 we had our third session of LAMDA examinations in King’s College, Soto de Viñuelas The statistics on the results can be found below.
STUDENT ENTRIES: 46
RANGE OF EXAMINATIONS 39,13 %
INFANTS: 1 SENIORS: 18 JUNIORS: 27 Pass rate:100% Pass: 3 Pass with merit: 19 Pass with distinction: 24
2,17 %
58,67 %
(King’s Performing Arts students who are Non KC students: 3)
Communication: 10 Entries Reading for Performance: 5 Using Spoken English/Public Speaking: 5 Verse and Prose-not offered as an option in January 2011 Performance: 36 Entries Acting: 11 Devised Drama: 14 Mime: 0 Musical Theatre: 11
Model European Parliament 2011 King’s College students Ana Coto and Ángela Ortega, selected to join the Madrid chapter of the Model European Parliament 2011, are making a lot of progress. Paul McNally, coordinator of the university access department UCAS and responsible for this project, says “I was immensely proud of Ana Coto and Ángela Ortega in the national level of the MEP. They performed even better than in the first round, despite more difficult circumstances: the standard was much higher, which is no surprise given they were the best students from the whole of Spain”. This second stage of the EU debate program took place in Spain’s Congress and was attended by the Minister of Education, Ángel Gabilondo. The Model European Parliament is a debate program organised by the EU Parliament in each of the 27 member countries to promote political engagement and debate among students at the highest possible level across Europe.
Excellent Football Results for Year 4 & 5 and Year 6 & 7 The first part of the league season has just concluded with two of our three teams finishing top of the table. The year 4 & 5 team had a perfect record, played 11 and won 11, scoring 105 goals in the process, including a 20-0 victory. Year 7 team also finished top of the league by one point. This was achieved thanks to their superb recent form, where they were unbeaten in the last 9 matches, including 8 victories. Year 6 have also had a very creditable season by finishing 5th in the league, which would have been higher if they had been able to play the strongest team more regularly. All teams now proceed to play in a 4 team mini league (final Positions 1 to 4, 5 to 8 & 9 to 11) in which the winners in the 1st league go onto play against other league winners.
TOP GOALSCORERS MARCH 2011 Year Group
Player
Number of Goals
Year 4 & 5
Edu
27
Year 6
Jimmy
15
Year 7
Carlos
19
CONGRATULATIONS!
Proyectos solidarios Charity projects ESCUELA DE VERANO DE KING’S COLLEGE EN JORDANIA, MADRID-ANJARA, UN SUEÑO HECHO REALIDAD “Hace cinco años que empecé mi gran aventura en Anjara, un pequeño pueblo de Jordania. Destinaron a mi marido a trabajar a la Embajada española de Amman y mis hijas y yo le seguimos en su nuevo camino. Fue allí donde conocí a unos sacerdotes y monjas argentinas que hacen una labor maravillosa con los más desfavorecidos: ancianos, enfermos, presos y familias sin recursos. Hoy viven con ellos 26 niños en acogida, a los que proporcionan hogar y estudios para que puedan tener un futuro mejor”, cuenta Mar Vallejo, organizadora de este proyecto y profesora de Lengua española en King’s College Soto de Viñuelas. Cada año, alumnos de primero de Bachillerato y Year 12 (17 años) de King’s College Soto de Viñuelas, colaboran en este proyecto en el mes de julio durante tres semanas. La escuela de verano está integrada por 19 alumnos de King’s que se ponen al otro lado de los pupitres para enseñar inglés, informática, manualidades, baile o guitarra, entre otras disciplinas. “Lo más importante de esta experiencia no es lo que nosotros podemos hacer, sino el cariño que nos dan los niños jordanos y lo especiales que nos hacen sentirnos”, afirma Isabel, una alumna de King’s College. Desde Madrid se lleva todo el material necesario para las clases, que se ha adquirido gracias a la generosidad de los padres de los alumnos, que han
hecho posible recaudar más de 12.000 euros para este proyecto. “Llevamos mucha Ilusión y muchas ganas a Jordania, que son recompensadas con las enormes sonrisas que los niños tienen dibujadas en sus caras. Gracias por hacer que sus sueños se hagan realidad”, afirma Mar. Para colaborar con Mar en este proyecto, puedes mandarle un mail a: mvv333@hotmail.com Visita la web: www.unsuenocompartido.org (Calendarios todavía a la venta en: “Un sueño compartido”, 9 euros) KING’S COLLEGE SUMMER SCHOOL IN JORDAN, MADRID-ANJARA, A DREAM COME TRUE "Five years ago I started my great adventure in Anjara, a small town of Jordan. My husband was working in the Spanish Embassy in Amman, the capital city of Jordan, and my daughters and I moved with him to his new posting. It was there where I met some Argentinian priests and nuns who do a wonderful job with some of the most disadvantaged: the elderly, the sick, prisoners and poor families. Today, the priests and nuns have fostered 26 children and provide a home and place to study so they have the chance of a better future”, says Mar Vallejo, organiser of the “sueño compartido” project and Spanish language teacher at King's College Soto de Viñuelas. Every year in July a group of 17-year-olds from King's College visit Jordan to help Mar with her “Sueño Compartido” for three weeks. Nineteen students from King's swap learning for teaching and help children from Jordan study various subjects including English, ICT, crafts, dance and guitar. "Most importantly, this experience is not what we can do, but the love the Jordanian children give us. It makes us feel special," says a student of King's College. Everything needed to teach in Jordan is collected in Madrid from the generosity of parents at the school who have raised over 12,000 Euros for the project. "We take a lot of excitement and enthusiasm to Jordan, for which we are repaid with the huge smiles that the children have on their faces. Thank you for making their dreams come true." said Mar. To donate or help Mar with Sueño Compartido, please send an email to her: mvv333@hotmail.com Visit the website: www.unsuenocompartido.org (Calendars are still for sale at 9.00 euros)
New Residence
New residence works make significant progress towards opening in September 2011. Structure of the building has been completed, as flag signals.
Paseo de los Andes, 35. 28761 Soto de Vi単uelas, Madrid. Tel: +34 918 034 800 Fax: +34 918 036 557 info@kingscollege.es