Have a lovely half-term break! See you in a week 😉

Some spring crocus flowers that visit our garden once a year for a few weeks.

The entire Concha team wishes you a fantastic week ahead, whether you’re embracing the fresh mountain air and enjoying exciting adventures on the slopes or spending quality time with your loved ones in the warmth and comfort of home. May this week be filled with joy, relaxation, and memorable moments!

Despite being the last week and it being the perfect excuse for our Concha students not to accomplish their Study Hall duty, they stuck to their habits and studied as usual. Although it might be tedious for them at the beginning, the truth is this time is useful for them to catch up with summatives, formatives and any other kind of school work. What is more, some boarders are in the same class. Thus, they get the chance to work together and help one another out should they need an extra hand.

There are some tips our kids and us would like to give you to make your Study Hall successful.:

1. Make sure the lighting is adequate. Natural light is a really good option, but there might be times when it is not enough (e.g. nighttime). In this case, lamps are very useful. Mr Tarun and I always make sure the lamps are set up right before the kids start their study halls!
2. It is important to have all the materials you are going to use in advance. Prepare everything you might need not to go back and forth and waste time. Zhengtai always comes downstairs with tons of things he is going to use. That is what I call great organizational skills!
3. Study in a cozy place is essential for productivity. Besides lighting, there are other factors that make of the place where we study the ideal place, such as noise, space and resource availability. Would it be effective for you to study on the floor in a noisy environment? That is why our Concha living room counts on everything they need: comfy chairs, a spacious table, good lighting and quiet involved students!
4. Teamwork plays a pivotal role. If you are in the same class, try to share ideas and help each other out when needed. Gianni loves helping the other kids with their French homework!
5. Something we also recommend and love doing, is getting some snacks ready, not too greasy, otherwise it is going to be messy. Firdavs, for instance, is more productive when eating some crisps or gummy candy.

Is there anything you would add?

Everyone looks so concentrated! (Edu caught me taking the picture, tho 😅)

Martin! Get back to work!

Daniel’s piano skills are mesmerizing! 🎹

These two chose a less busy table for themselves

Look who’s in the back!

After practising some piano, Daniel went on practising his guitar skills!

Someone got jealous after finishing his homework… 😜

…to take us lands away.”

– Emily Dickinson

This evening our boys spent some more time in lands away.

Zhengtai started a new Sherlock Holmes mystery, Sam moved on to a non-fiction business related book, Jiarui started his second book from the Diary of A Wimpy Kid series and Firdavs is discovering the fun of the Magic Tree House books!

We had some pretty complex words today:

Abstruse, Cussed, Poise, Incumbent, Dazed, Attached, Transcendental, and Remonstrate.

Martin looking comfy!

Multitasking at it finest!

The return of Javier, we’ve missed you in Reading Club bud, especially Feydya!

In Firdavs own words “Maximum effort!”

Fanbo’s looking comfy…a little too comfy…

Zhengtai delving into some more Holmes mysteries

After a long week of classes, our Concha boys eagerly await Sunday afternoon – go-kart day! Laughter, speed and friendly competition await as they race around the track, leaving their homework behind. It’s the perfect way to unwind, bond with friends and create unforgettable memories before Monday.

The briefing room before the race

Before they put their talent behind the wheel, they practice their best shot.

Fanbo

Mr Sam

Fanyang

”The best part of climbing is when it all clicks and gravity ceases to exist”

– Chris Sharma –

Too easy for Henrique.

Martin, he’s a natural.

Mr. Jack took the Running Club to our local Sports Centre here in Versoix where most of the facilities are free to use. There, the children had a chance to run around the athletics track. For some of them it was their first time ever running on a professional track and they were surprised by the bounciness of every step.

It’s nice to see the Running Club varying from forest paths, lake-side runs and athletics track. Also, it’s great to have Gianni join and he really appreciates Mr. Jack’s motivating words when he can feel his energy dropping. Well done Gianni and thanks Mr. Jack!

Gianni is the pace setter out in front.

Une journée pleine d’amour.

Resident Lover boy

Vendredi 14 février – Concha Boarding House

Helping young adolescents understand how beneficial reading can be for them is not an easy task. In Concha Boarding House we have a bi-weekly Reading Club that regularly starts with us dragging the children into the living room and persuading them to grab a book to read.

You can imagine the push back we get everytime we even mention the words Reading Club, tonight was no different. Especially as some of the boys went to the Valentine’s Dance this afternoon. We really didn’t expect them to be willing to take part in the club. It started off as usual with the expected push back but the boys settled down calmy and did some reading; success!

After these weeks there is definatley one thing I have really noticed about this Reading Club. As much as the children a reluctant to join and it’s a struggle to get them started, when we tell them times up they will always continue to read. It’s these moments you see that the children are invested in their books and won’t stop immediately when told but would rather get to the end of their sentence, paragraph, page or chapter. I’m sure with consistency and finding books the children really enjoy, we can light the spark for them to start reading more and pick up books in their free time just for fun.

Fanbo found the confiest spot

Zhengtai chuckling to himself.