Newsletter King’s College Alicante
SECONDARY
NOVEMBER 2013 / FIRST TERM
Message from the Head of Secondary With December just around the corner now, that festive feeling is definitely beginning to spread throughout the Secondary school. Thoughts of carol concerts, card competitions, Christmas fairs and other seasonal events are high on the agendas of pupils and staff. It has been apparent this month however that pupils are also very aware of those less fortunate than themselves in the local and wider community, and are keen to make a difference to the lives of others. Our school has a long tradition of collecting for those in need but this year we have a particularly pro-active and energetic set of Sixth Form students leading our Charity Committee. Between them they have been organising the collection of food and other items from Primary and Secondary school pupils for the Red Cross campaign for the Phillipines and the Caritas campaign to help local families. Your help, coupled with their perseverance and relentless hard work resulted in an incredible 1.2 tonnes of items for the two charities. There is no doubt that this initiative will have a massive impact on the lives of many but it also helps to shape our own children into the adults they will become. There are important lessons here for them to learn, not least about the power of teamwork and the collective impact you can have when you work together with a common aim. I am incredibly proud of everybody involved in this initiative but would be remiss not to say a special thank you to Fiona, Tara, Alba and Claudia for the dedication to the charity committee and its work. A special ‘well done’ to you all. This month has also seen us participate in a number of other events
including our inaugural Inter School Football Tournament. It was very exciting for both staff and pupils to participate in this event, involving schools from as far south as Murcia and as far north as Javea. More than 200 players joined various tournaments involving boys and girls from Year 7 to Year 13. Our pupils were not only a credit to the school on the day but had a great time meeting new people and being involved in some healthy competition! This is the second time this term we have involved the local community in sporting competitions and I hope this will form the basis of many more such competitions and friendly matches in the months and years to come. Congratulations to all who took part. On a final note, with only three weeks to go and the excitement of Christmas ahead of us all, I would urge everybody to keep focused on their priorities and would like to particularly wish our Y11 pupils luck with their fast-approaching, mock examinations. Read Mme. Maire’s advice inside this newsletter, ask your teachers if you need any guidance and really prove to yourself and your teachers what you are capable of achieving in your IGCSEs this summer. “Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking your potential”, Winston Churchill.
Simon Wicks Head of Secondary
London Trip Navigating through London from an English Student’s Point of View by Tara Y13, Head Girl It is often said that the memories created during school trips stay with a student long after their education is finished, and this trip did not disappoint.
actors on their rotating stage as we held our breath during the moments of high dramatic tension...and that was just Javi´s performance!
Sixth Form students of the English and Art departments met Ms. McGuinness and Ms. Manners at the airport on Sunday morning October 20th, ready to embark on an exciting journey north to England. Having successfully manoeuvred our way through check-in desks and security, we were all buzzing with excitement when we made it onto the plane, and after a rather uncomfortable train ride we finally reached the hotel and were able to settle down. That evening, we were given free time to roam around Leicester Square, have dinner and generally explore our surroundings, not to mention adjust to the drastic time change of a very long hour!
On Tuesday, the English group was guided around Russell Square by Holly, a local poet who told us all about literary history in the area. Next, we found ourselves in Westminster Abbey, where Ms. McGuinness wanted nothing more than to veer us towards Poet’s Corner to see the burial places of some of literature´s greatest legends. With Halloween fast approaching, nothing seemed more befitting than a visit to the London Dungeons. The obscure and chilling setting offered great inspiration for Year 12 students working on their Gothic Coursework. Our last stop – and boy, did we have a hard time finding it – was in the East of London, where we followed the wonderful John as he led us on a Jack the Ripper tour, telling horrible tales about the infamous serial killer in the very places he’d committed the murders. Talk about nerve wracking!! Misadventures involving fireworks and aliens ensued, followed by a sudden and unexpected downpour, so let’s just say we were all pleased as punch to find ourselves back in the hotel that night.
Monday involved no separation into our respective subject groups, so we were all able to enjoy a cheerful tour on a vehicle deemed “London’s Amazing Amphibious Adventure” (English students, note the alliteration). In other words, we made our way through London aboard...a duck. Our lovely tour guide Ruth was very enthusiastic and particularly pleased with Isabel’s expansive knowledge of London trivia. Passers-by were also immensely entertained when we drove by; we received quite a few quacks headed our way much to Fiona´s dismay. Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ was our first play and what a wonderful production it was. I do believe everyone enjoyed watching the
The 23rd of October marked our last full day in London. As English students, we could not go to this literature rich city without visiting Shakespeare’s Globe. There, we were shown around the most recent replica of the original theatre. Imagine, it
took them three tries to work out that a thatched roof wasn’t the best idea for a building that kept catching on fire. Later that day we crossed the River Thames once again for a fantastic showing of a modern adaptation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by the National Youth Theatre. It was most definitely different and borderline surreal, especially since it included 80s musical numbers. For our final evening, we were given free time on Oxford Street for shopping and exploring. We spent much of it searching high and low for a gift for our Poe-loving English teacher (surprise, surprise, we settled on the collective works of Edgar Allan Poe, a small book holding what can only be defined as ‘insults by Shakespeare’, and, of course, a small necklace, because what girl doesn’t love jewellery). Then to my surprise, we ended the day by celebrating my birthday in a Thai restaurant – thank you all for that wonderful treat. Now, the return day of a school trip doesn’t sound like it could be very interesting, but whoever said travelling was boring has never done it with us! We managed though, and now we have stories to tell and adventures we can fondly look back on for years to come. I can undoubtedly say we’ve become well-acquainted with maps of London at this point, particularly Roberto who was our knight in shining armour on more than one occasion. I’m also sure I speak for everyone when I say that London was a blast, and we Year 13s have just one thing to say – what a way to make a last trip memorable!
by Magnus Year 13
by Fiona Year 13 We had the best time ever on our trip to London! It was without a doubt the best trip I´ve been on with King´s College Alicante. A numerous amount of adventures kept us entertained throughout our entire stay. My favourite part of the trip was the London Dungeons...seeing our teacher screaming with fear isn´t something we see every day! Not even the bad weather could ruin our excitement each day. We enjoyed every second of the Literary Tour and Jack the Ripper Tour, not to mention the cultural experience of visiting Shakespeare´s Globe and two theatrical performances. Thank you for the memories Ms. McGuinness an Ms. Manners.
I really enjoyed the mixture of educational and tourist activities on the trip to London. We had the opportunity to see a number of interesting and different plays in the National Youth theatre and Ambassadors’ theatre. I particularly enjoyed the Ibsen play which helped me understand the wider significance of the dramatic styles we are learning during our English course. From a tourist´s perspective I had a great time at the Jack the Ripper tour in Whitechapel. As a history student London is very interesting to see the relationship between the city and its historical legacy at some of the places we visited like Westminster Abbey. I enjoyed exploring London’s Chinatown and Piccadilly Circus during the free time from our rigorous
by Emily Year 13 Amazing memories! It totally opened my eyes to the real London in all of its cultural and literary glory.
by Javier Year 13 London......such a great trip! I would encourage future A Level English students to grab the opportunity to go on this trip.
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EXAM REVISION HOW DO I REVISE FOR MY EXAMS?
Tips for Students The most important thing you can do in preparing for your mock and final exams is making sure you get yourself organized well in advance of your first paper. You should be well down the revision road by now but if not, fear not, it’s never too late to start a little revision! Knowing where or how to start revision is often harder than the revision process itself. The best place to start is with a revision timetable. If you haven’t already got one drawn up then you must start here. If you have, read on anyhow to make sure you have done it properly! Your revision timetable needs to cover all the subjects you take and all the topics within those subjects. Time spent doing this now will be time well spent and should reduce the amount of revision you have to do. It’s also a great buzz ticking things off on a chart as they are completed – you can see the progress you are making!
DO • Spread your subjects out over time • Plan for a maximum of one hour slots for revision • Indicate a start time so you stick to it • Give yourself breaks and treats in between revising • Leave time for some relaxation • Revise a topic not a subject. Otherwise you will not know where to begin • Remember that you can, and should, work on Saturdays and Sundays too!
DON’T • Try to revise more than two subjects (2 hours) on a weekday evening • Work non-stop late into the night - give yourself a break at least every hour • Try to revise with the TV, Radio or your mobile phone on in the background - despite what you say it DOES NOT HELP! • Just read through your text books or notes. Remember the work you did on learning styles and choose a method of revising that suits you. • Forget you can, and should, work on Saturdays and Sundays too (in case you mised that point in the DO section!)
Tips for Parents
How to help my child to revise The secret of exam success lies in planning. You can help your child to create a clear revision timetable that will make them feel in control of their work.
Tips for revision planning: • Prepare a revision timetable for each subject • Plan revision time into one hour-long sessions with short breaks at the end of each session • Make sure your child has all the essential books and materials • Go through school notes with your child or listen while they revise a topic • Time your child when he does practice papers
How to support your child at home Home life should be as calm and pleasant as possible and if there are other children in the house, they should be made aware of the importance of revision time. Give your child a dedicated quiet space with good natural light or lighting and with no distractions. Make sure your child snacks on healthy things and not sugary food or junk food. Encourage your child to join family meals, even if it's a busy revision day - it's important to have a change of scene and get away from the books and computer for a while. Also encourage your child to take short breaks. Avoid TV, computers and mobile phones during these breaks and encourage them to go for a short brisk walk to clear their mind. The internet can be a useful source of study but it is often a smokescreen to give the appearance of study. Keep an eye on how much time your child spends on line. Your child may want to revise all night but encourage them to have a good night’s sleep before an exam and eat a good breakfast on the morning of the exam. Plan a treat or a celebration for the end of the exam and make sure your child knows you’re interested in their work. Reassure them that they can only do their best, be positive and help them to put things into perspective.
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SIXTH FORM
NEWS This term the Sixth Form have been incredibly busy. The Committee have been in full swing organising a brilliant and scary Halloween disco and are now working on the Christmas Fair. We have students qualifying as PADI Open Water divers, others are following a film studies course at Ciudad de la Luz and a few are helping other students with their studies through the Buddy system.
This term, our Head Boy and Head Girl represented the school at the annual COBIS Conference and did us proud running a session for the other 23 Head Boys and Head Girls from across the COBIS group. Tara and Guillermo will give you a few more details in this newsletter. The Charity committee are off to a great start with the food donations; Fiona, the Head of the Charity Committee will explain more, but a big thank you from the school for the amazing amount of food donated in a very short space of time. Thank you for your support so far this year. Ms. S Robinson Director of Sixth Form
Reports from the students Charity Committee We pride ourselves in being a very charitable school and in times like these when another country is suffering so much and people locally don’t have enough to eat, we like to think we can make a difference to their lives. I would like to thank you all for all the food donations you have given the school and for the amazing 1200 kg we managed to collect in the first week alone. I cannot be happier that this has worked so well and that we have contributed towards helping make life a bit easier for people in the devastated nation of the Philippines and locally in Alicante. Fiona Y13 Head of the Charity Committee
The Team
Sixth Formers in Action!
Donations to Caritas November 29th 2013
Donations to Red Cross
Philippine Appeal - November 29th 2013 >> PAGE 7
COBIS Conference The 31st October found Guillermo and I in Murcia for the annual COBIS conference, where we were able to meet Head Boys and Girls from all around the world. On Thursday evening we came together for our first – more casual – dinner. The much more formal gala dinner wasn’t until Friday night. Friday and Saturday consisted of seminars from guest speakers – inspiring men and women with stories to tell and words of wisdom to share – and discussion groups, one of which we led ourselves. Guillermo and I were able to share how our school worked and then compare this to the feedback from the others. We observed the different roles of sixth formers in
each school, along with varying house systems and events. It was enlightening to get some insight into alternative ways of approaching all kinds of issues. We were only together for three short days, but by the end of it, I can confidently say we’d all become very close. It was definitely a great weekend spent getting to know an even greater group of people. Tara (Head Girl) and Guillermo (Head Boy)
Tara (Head Girl) & Guillermo (Head Boy)
REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY
On Monday 11th November Mr. Hewer presented a very memorable and moving assembly to mark Remembrance Sunday. The assembly looked at conflict around the world currently and in the past. Pupils read poems and a narrative to punctuate the audio-visual presentation.
POPPY COLLECTING BOXES On behalf of the Members of the Alicante Branch of The Royal British Legion, I would like to express our thanks for the tremendous effort on the part of both Staff and Students in which you raised the magnificent sum of 203.81 Euro for the Annual Poppy Appeal of 2013. This sum will be added to that which has been collected throughout the year by our Branch together with the collections made in and around the El Campello area during the Poppy Appeal month. It is thanks to the generosity of people like yourselves, that The Royal British Legion is able to continue to provide the support, which has made it the premiere agency for providing Welfare and Support for thousands of Ex-Service beneficiaries World Wide. A task that we have now been carrying out for over 90 years and will continue to do so. MA Rushbrook Branch Treasurer Shoulder to shoulder with all who serve Registered Charity No. 219279 (Spanish NIF: NB8261536J - N.A 4784)
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AP LE (U
ENGLISH LITERACY BULLETIN BOARD PREPOSITIONS QUIZ: In English we use prepositions with certain verbs and nouns. Examples: "I love swimming in summer." "I am writing my final exam on Thursday." Complete the sentences and insert prepositions if and where they are needed. 1. He was very kind ___ her. 2. She had a smile ___ her face. 3. We need proof ___ his story, it seems very convenient. 4. I was sitting ___ the bus when the explosion took place. 5. I always eat chocolate ___ patio time.
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STOP CLUBBING, BABY SEALS
Once again, puntuation makes all the difference. >> PAGE 11
the art corner ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Y9 Day of th
ANA YEAR 10H
Ana Y10
Ana Y10
Reina Y8
Aitana Y8
Y7 Charcoal Tools
he Dead Skulls
Yvanna Y10
Irene P Y8 >> PAGE 13
NEW MEMBER OF STAFF: MR. AYLING I am really pleased to have joined the King’s College English department. I have been so impressed by the positivity of the students and staff. I have been teaching since 2004 and have previously worked in Britain; Gävle, Sweden; and Gijón, Asturias. I graduated in 2001 with an LLB Law degree from the University of Leicester. I love books by Cormac McCarthy and Thomas Harris, libraries, highlighters, Frank Miller art, bicycles, and all things football related. I plan to facilitate a creative writing club that will allow students to share their writing and offer each other feedback.
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY DO YOU LIKE HORROR BOOKS? The student librarians were very busy this first term of the year preparing and putting up displays in the Secondary library. As Halloween was coming soon, they thought of creating a horror books corner. They looked for all scary books in the library, displayed them on a table and then decorated a panel around them with lots of pictures related to Halloween (even spiders hanging from the ceiling!). Secondary students had the chance to visit horrorland , flick through the books and borrow them if they wished. As an extension to the Halloween display, student librarians investigated on the genre of HORROR: names of famous horror writers- R.L. Stine, Darren Shan, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Terry Deary, Clive Barker or Simon Holt among others, best horror books for teenagers, scary vocabulary...
HERE IS THE FINAL PIECE OF THE “LOVELY” DISPLAY. They also did a survey to find out which are the most popular horror books in King’s College Alicante. Do you want to know what they are? “Cirque du Freak” by Darren Shan “Lord Loss” by Darren Shan “The Twilight Saga” by Stephenie Meyer “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman “The Vanished” by Celia Rees “Guess Who is Coming for Dinner?” by M.D. Spenser “Dracula” by Bram Stoker “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley “The Scream of the Haunted Mask” by R.L. Stine
Key Stage 3 Rewards Mid-Term Some of the hardest working pupils in Key Stage 3 had their continued efforts across school recognised recently in a special activity with Ms Castro to design and create their own, personalised pencil cases. It was a bit of a race, but pupils managed to put together bright and colourful creations of the like no-one else has a copy! Keep up the great work everyone!
Parental Support I am delighted for the wonderful support we are receiving from parents throughout the school. All schools rely on good relationships between parents, pupils and staff – what is often referred to as the ´3 way partnership´ or the ´home/school agreement´ - and I am proud that this is one of the continuing main strengths of our school. At the beginning of this term, more than 950 parents attended our various welcome meetings and since then almost 350 parents have attended our Mathematics Workshops in Primary. In addition, over 60 parents attended the first of our EYFS Parent Classes in November. In October we held our first Whole School Monitoring Day and I was delighted with the response from parents, pupils and staff with a total of 94% of parents attending (91% on the day). This is a remarkable show of support, not only for the school, but for your children´s learning. The importance and benefits of your support cannot be understated; they are vital in encouraging our partnership and leading to improved understanding, relationships and the future success of every pupil at our school. I am pleased to announce that in order to continue to build even stronger and closer relationships we are proposing to offer a series of Saturday morning classes specifically for parents. These classes will initially consist of English and Spanish language courses and may be extended to include other activities at the request of parents. In addition, I
would like to offer some sporting activities, such as football sala, badminton and table tennis for staff and parents. As the main purpose is to offer another service to parents and to facilitate some parent/staff activities, the cost will be nominal in order to cover only the cost of a tutor and security personnel. I will be sending more information to parents by e mail this week and if you are interested in any of these activities please return your form to Cristina Gonzalez at the school. email: cristina.gonzalez@kingsgroup.org Thank you for your support.
Mr D Laidlaw Head teacher
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Uniform Shop We would like to inform you that the opening hours for the Uniform Shop during the Christmas Season are:
Grease coming soon
Important Dates
23rd of December from 9:00 am till 1:00 pm 3rd of January from 9:00 am till 1:00 pm And we will be closed from the 24th of December until the 7th of January. If you have any doubt, do not hesitate to contact me at the shop by telephone 965107319 or by e mail: charlotte.hayne@kingsgroup.org
DECEMBER 2013
5 Dec
Y12/13 Teacher Meeting at 4.45pm
6 Dec School Closed 10 Dec Y11 Mock Examination Begin 1 0 D e c B o o k F a i r 16 Dec Interschool Humanities Competition (KC Murcia) 19 Dec Christmas Carol Concert 20 Dec Last Day of Term 1
End of Term 1 Reports Published (Y7-10)
7 Jan
First Day of Term 2
King’s College Alicante Glorieta del Reino Unido 5 Alicante 03008 Spain Tlf: 965 106 351 Fax: 965 108 096 info.kca@kingsgroup.org www.bsalicante.com