Dear Parents,
I am writing to you as the first half term of the 2018/19 academic year is coming to an end, and I would like to recap the events of the past months in Concha Blanca.
For many of the boys, the start of school in September was their first experience of Boarding School, living abroad and being away from their family. The boys have all adapted very well to the challenges of living away from home and have formed a close group of friends in the Boarding House. They have had the opportunity to participate in many weekend activities, including trips to Chamonix and Montreux, as well as the Inter-House Competition, in which we are currently in 6th position. The students have participated in the Sports Day and House Quiz events, and all performed and behaved impeccably. The boys have also been taking part in the CDL Soccer Tournament, under the team name ‘ConchAttack’. They have won one game, and lost on game, and have all impressed so far.
October saw the first Traffic Light reports entered, which has given us a chance to see how the students in Concha are progressing in their academic studies. For some this was a chance to celebrate their hard work before the first marking period, for others it was encouragement to increase their effort before November, with clear areas to improve. The Concha boys have been performing very well overall and were placed 3rd with a 92% positive feedback ratio. This reflects that out of 12 students, 11 students received at least 5 green lights or more, which shows an excellent start to the academic year. It is very pleasing for the Concha team to receive positive news from the boy’s academic teachers.
We have introduced several activities in Concha this term, to reward the students for their good behavior, hard work and going the extra mile to help others. The ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Race Track’ have been designed for the students to earn a reward once they have moved up ten positions. This can be anything from receiving an excellent mark in class on a test, to helping someone carry their bags or picking up litter in the garden without being asked to do so. It has been great to see boys working together in the house and around the school campus. We have also introduced a monthly ‘Movie Club’, which has been popular amongst the middle school houses.
Moving forward to after the October break, we will be preparing for the weather to change from the Mediterranean warmth that we have been receiving, to the colder and crisper winter days that will come around quickly in the coming months. Therefore, we please ask that the students return with the appropriate clothing and footwear. On their return, the boys should arrive between 16:00 on Saturday 27th October when the boarding house reopens, and the evening of Monday 29th October, before lessons start again on the morning of Tuesday 30th October. We would also like to add that for the next break in December, we will need to receive their travel details at least two weeks before they depart for the holiday, so that we can complete the necessary administration work and legal procedures.
Finally, I would like to wish you an enjoyable holiday and hope that your son will return, rested and ready for the challenges of the next academic period.
Kindest regards,
James, Matthew, Erik, Salvatore and Joanna