Newsletter

You can find past newsletters by clicking on the link below:

→ Academic Year of 2011/2012: Newsletters

 

 

 

   

 

                                                
 

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

It looks like summer is finally here, thank goodness!

With the sunny weather, it is important that you make sure your children are safe-guarded against harmful U.V. radiation, so please get them to use sun-block and to bring a hat for break times.

 

On a less happy note, Molly, Bella and Scarlett Brain are moving back to New Zealand at the end of the month. Molly and Bella are founding students of OIS and all three of them have been major contributors to the life of the school. We will miss them greatly and wish the family every success back home in New Zealand.

 

As for other news, agroup of parents are organizing a trip to Fátima on Sunday, 12th May for the candle procession. A coach will leave OIS at 7.30pm and the expected time of arrival is at 2.30am. Depending on the number of people interested, the cost for transportation will be a maximum of 30€ and a minimum of 9€.

If you would like to join this group, please send an email confirming to camuchatdrm@hotmail.comby 3 May 2013.

 

In CT, Ramona Dietrich has the following news:

“In Term 2 Year 6's created recipe flyers that included a recipe from the student's culture. The purpose of this project was to learn about other cultures and to teach others about our culture. The recipes (along with the Year 6 recipes last year) are located on a class wiki: http://whatscookin1.pbworks.com.



In Term 2 both groups of Year 9's added pages to a class wiki. The wiki is called Where Am I Going? The students chose a country or a city to gather information on and make a page to contribute to the wiki. The purpose of the wiki is to aid international students whose parents are being relocated. Theoretically, the student could consult our wiki and gather information on the new locale written by another student, and, therefore, offering a   student-centred perspective. The wiki address is: http://whereamigoing.pbworks.com”.

 

Steve Bruce-Lomba

 
 

Invitation from the Principal:

Chari Empis would like to invite you all to visit the revamped dining room and kitchen facilities as well as the new rooms for the Arts department. This part of the school took a bit longer to finalize due to host country requirements concerning listed buildings.

Francisca Abecassis would like to ask for parents’ support for the new initiatives in the After School Sports Activities. This could well include lunchtime activities. A very special thank you to Mónica Sottomayor, for her wise advice on behalf of all the parents, and a sincere welcome to Pedro Braga, the new appointed soccer coach.

 

 

The merits of the International Award

By Neale Davies

 

In Britain, in an age when companies hiring young adults have to make decisions based on the character of the individual, the top of their list is if they have done the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award because it requires commitment and discipline and speaks volumes for a person’s character. Whilst this is important it’s not the main reason I believe one should do the Award. I believe that the experiences that a participant gets from the expedition and the Service element are challenging and unforgettable experiences that make us better people. I described my experience in 1976 when I achieved my Silver Medal after an expedition in the Brecon Mountains of mid Wales. In rain, biting winds and real cold I fulfilled my goals and even though the challenge was tough and at times I thought of giving up, the satisfaction of completing such an expedition was so rewarding. And whilst I’ve forgotten most of the other things I did in 1976, I will always remember that expedition and the friends that I did it with. That experience will stay with me forever. It’s the same with the students at OIS, some of whom did their Service Residential Project in Soweto, South Africa in the summer of 2010. They taught Zulu children English and renovated a shabby classroom into a beautiful library. When the little Zulu children saw their library after two weeks of hard work, there wasn’t a dry eye in the library. And just as I will never forget 1976, the OIS students will always remember Soweto 2010 and the reaction of those little children, even when they’re as old as me. It will be an experience they will cherish and hold on to forever. And that is why the International Award has so much merit.

 

Around the school…

 

Year 11

 

 

Personal Project Exhibition, Wednesday, May 29th.

Starts at 8.30am and all parents are welcome to come visit in the morning.
 

 

The celebrated psychologist, Allan Hobson visited the school this month and spoke to a group of interested Y12 students and teachers. Professor Hobson is a leading authority on dreams and sleeping patterns and donated a signed copy of his latest collaborative work to the school library.

 

Yr12's are now fully engaged with their Extended Essay and must put in a lot of work during the months of May and June in order to fulfil all the Y12 finishing requirements.

 

Y13 students will start their exams on May 2nd and these will go on for the following 3 weeks.

All of us at OIS would like to wish them the best and encourage them to manage their study time to ensure excellent grades.  We ask for the support of their parents during this important period to make sure they study hard, but also take time out to rest, exercise and relax. Good luck to you all!
 
 

 

The Parents Club have arranged for the author, Francisco Salgueiro to give a talk to all interested parents on May 6th at 17:30 at the school. Mr. Salgueiro has written about the dangers of social networking and how we, as parents, can safeguard our children against some of the activities and hidden issues our children can innocently come across using these sites. Do try and come along.

 

Parents Club supported OIS students at the Spring Festival, despite all the difficulties it was great to hear the name of OIS several times, after all it's only our 3rd year of existence and the second one playing in the tournament. Well done kids.