The Week @ St George's - 18 June 2021

Next Week is Week

The Week @ St George’s

Volume 3 Issue 34 Friday 18 June

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Principal's Message

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Dear parents, pupils and alumni, The final full week in school has been both a hot and a busy one. The highlight of the week for me was the outstanding combined Rock for Zambia and Summer Concert which finally allowed us to have an onsite and live event. The talent on display was exceptional and it really started to feel like a return to some form of normality. My huge congratulations to all involved.

As I mentioned in my last article, we are asking all our families and staff members to complete this travel declaration form whether you intend to travel or stay in Rome. This information will help us to plan in case of any changes to local, regional, national or international restrictions as the summer progresses. My thanks to all those of you who have already completed this and I would be extremely grateful if all families could ensure that this is completed prior to the start of the holidays.

I would like to end my article this week by thanking all members of our community at the end of a very different and challenging year in school. The teachers, who have gone well above and beyond all expectations to keep pupils learning during this year’s restrictions; the parents, who have been so supportive, understanding and flexible; and of course the pupils who have consistently shown such positivity, determination and resilience.

Have a wonderful summer everyone.

David Tongue, Principal david.tongue@stgeorge.school.it

Please complete the Travel Declaration Form

Announcements

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Donated uniforms welcome until last day of school Families are encouraged to donate clean, gently used school uniform elements that their children no longer need. The collection point at La Storta campus is the security station, and donations are welcome right up until the last day of school.

After a period of quarantine, these items will become part of the inventory on sale at the Nearly New Uniform Sales. The Nearly New Uniform Sale is a programme to offer conveniently priced uniforms, encourage sustainability, and raise funds for Parents of St George’s initiatives and charity.

The first Nearly New Uniform Sale of the new school year at La Storta will take place on Wednesday, 8 September, from 8.15 to 9.30 am, under the portico next to the church.

For more information, check Firefly.

Top Hat: Reservations now open Top Hat and St George's present the performance of Musical Moments and LAMDA Examinee Recitals on Sunday 20 June at 11.00am.

Location: Cavalieri di Colombo - Campo Pio XI (City Centre Campus) The additional seats will be on a first come first serve basis. Please complete the google form to register your interest.

We will manually issue tickets by Friday 18 June, 5.00pm, these tickets will be generated by www.eventbrite.it (the event cannot be found on Eventbrite, its hidden and in private). If you do not receive an Eventbrite ticket then you have not been successful in obtaining seats.

Please check your junk mail if you cannot find the reservation, reservations cannot be modified and seats cannot be changed. We have very little flexibility available to deliver this show due to COVID restrictions.

Seats are grouped in two's with a gap of two seat's either side, alternating row by row. Limited single seats are available. If you no longer require the seats allocated to yourself or family then please do let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer the seat(s) to someone else.

Please arrive at the school (City Centre Campus) no later than 10:40 for a prompt start. Protective face masks must be worn during the duration of the show.

Please feel free to email: rome@tophatstagschool.co.uk if you have any further questions.

CITY CENTRE JUNIOR SCHOOL

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City Centre Junior Dear Parents, Welcome to our final edition of the Week@ for this academic year and what a year it has been. Looking back on what has been so difficult for everyone, fills me with pride at the achievements and attitude that has been shown.

Wherever there has been a hurdle to climb, there has been a determination to scale it by all. We have all increased our creative problem solving and our resilience to issues that get in our way. Here from me is a huge collective pat on the back to the whole community for facing these issues with such a can-do attitude.

At the end of my first year here, it leaves me happy to know that I have joined such a community and excited to see what is possible as things gradually open up in the coming months. I look forward to working much more closely with parents on events and experiences which test and challenge the norm. I look forward to physically escaping the confines of the school and taking advantage of the wider opportunities in Rome. Finally, I look forward to running our new junior school curriculum which builds on learning that has happened through COVID to build on collaboration and sharing between our two sites.

Whatever you and your families are doing this summer, keep that St George’s spirit strong, take advantage of opportunities to do and experience something new and bring those stories back to us in September to share.

Have a wonderful summer break.

Matthew Woodhead Head of City Centre Junior School

CITY CENTRE JUNIOR Baking for Teddy Bears Picnic SCHOOL Green Dragons measure, pour, mix, stir and bake for the picnic of the year!

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Yummy!

Year 3 Learn about Seeds and Weeds!

Pupils in Year 3 were asked to read fact files about how seeds are dispeased and why weeds grow.

Great job Year 3!

Infirmary teamSCHOOL CITY CENTRE JUNIOR

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discuss health and safety

Year 3’s completing the crossing the ‘Bay of Naples’ challenge.

La Storta Junior Challenges across the Junior School This week, pupils across the Junior School have been taking part in a diverse range of activities in and out of class, based upon daily themes of body, soul, mind, adventure and enterprise.

Pupils have been taken outside of their comfort zone, developed new skills and felt success and achievement. The teachers have worked hard to ensure that children develop the kinds of skills they might ordinarily gain from a residential or day trip.

There have also been opportunities to engage in team-building, outdoor education, problem solving, health and creative workshops: On Monday all children completed team-building activities with Mr Barnard and Mr Waddington.

Year 3’s completing the crossing the ‘Bay of Naples’ challenge, pictured above.

On Tuesday the Infirmary team taught pupils how to look after themselves in the heat, as well as how to avoid and deal with common summertime issues such as choking.

On Wednesday they were fortunate to have Drama workshops based on Traditional Tales, delivered by Top Hat instructors and paid for by the Parents of St George’s.

On Thursday pupils engaged in nature trails and camp craft with Ms Gardener and Mr Blackburn.

On Friday Year 6 pupils organised ‘adventure’ themed activities for all pupils as an enterprise project to raise money for ZOA. It has been an exceptional week and we have witnessed the strengthening of inter-pupil and teacher-pupil relationships as well as the promotion of confidence and Independence ahead of the summer holidays.

Tarantella - from a dance to a cure LA STORTA JUNIOR SCHOOL

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During Activity Week, Year 4 pupils studying Italian, learned about the Italian traditional Dance 'Tarantella'.

Also known as “the dance of the spider,” the Tarantella is derived from the Italian word tarantola, meaning “tarantula.” The tarantola gets its name from the town of Taranto in Puglia, where the bite of the local wolf spider was widely believed to be highly poisonous.

The only cure was to engage in dancing the Tarantella, having “sweated out” the venom!

In class, pupils admired the typical costume and the instrument tamburello (tambourine), which they creatively made themselves.

"We had so much fun!" - Year 4 Musical Performances

In Music, the week began with exciting performances from Dragons and Key Stage 1, they sang three African inspired songs using body percussion.

Meanwhile, Key Stage 2 performed Wavin’ Flag using bucket drums and samba instruments.

Dragons also used the parachute to move to Tchaikovsky’s Russian dance while Year 2 enjoyed learning a Maori stick game in three beats. Year 5J were busy with those catchy Samba band rhythms while Year 5W strummed and pranced their way through La Bamba. Year 4 brought the rain this week with their fantastic moves to our African tribal rain dance!

SENIOR SCHOOL

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Senior ToK Exhibition Takes Centre Stage As part of their IB Induction, Year 12 participated in a ToK Exhibition held on the Oasis.

This is a new assessment, part of the new syllabus 2022, which allows pupils to present their work to the school community, after they have completed their IA written commentary.

Each pupil chose three objects (physical or digital) and had to link their significance to one knowledge question, such as 'Who owns knowledge?', 'Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?' or 'What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?'.

Pupils were pleased to present their work physically, in person, rather than online!

They presented their work with confidence and adapted their content to the audience in front of them, moving from TOK experts and teachers, to younger pupils, their friends, and non TOK teachers/specialists.

Next year, St George's ToK pupils hope to repeat the same experience, and hopefully be able to open the floor to parents too! Well done Year 12!

SENIOR SCHOOL

Year 9 take on the world in the international Junior Physics Challenge hosted by the British Physics Olympiad

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In May, four intrepid Year 9 science pupils pitted themselves against the physics world in the Junior Physics Challenge Results!

Nicholas D Flora Sveva Kevin

Silver Silver Bronze Bronze

This is really good going by these four young scientists! Congratulations!

You are sure to get gold medals next year!

Milan... are you ready for us?

St George's is excited to now be a partner school in the Junk Kouture project.

The Art department will enter teams from Year 8 to Year 13 for the 2022 Milan and Global competitions!

What is Junk Kouture? Junk Kouture is a global platform to unleash the creative brilliance of young people. One way it does this, is through a fashion competition which challenges the world’s most talented emerging designers, engineers, artists and performers to envision, create and model high end couture from everyday junk!

More information on this will follow in September! In the meantime, start gathering materials over the summer, don't forget to: • save all of your drink straws • gather dried palm leaves • save your coffee machine capsules

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SENIOR SCHOOL The French Department thanks the Parents of St George's Thanks to the generosity of the Parents of St George’s, the French department has been able to employ a Foreign Language Assistant (FLA) for a temporary period. Many private and state schools in the UK and around the world hire FLAs to give their students the chance to develop their oral skills, which is often not possible in class due to student numbers and time constraints (time in class is needed to present grammar and vocabulary and develop the other key skills listening, reading and writing).

Ms Esther Gagneux is from Paris and has lived in Italy for six years, working in embassies and schools. For the past few weeks, as well as working with pairs of KS3 and KS4 students, she has worked individually with students in Year 12 in preparation for their end of year oral assessment.

Here is a selection of their comments about this experience: “I was able to practise speaking for longer periods of time which I haven't been able to do so much in class. We also covered a range of topics from class which helped to recall the information. She also gave me some really good ideas for cultural links, for example, I learnt about the first climate change refugee in France who was not allowed to be sent back to his country of origin.”

“I really enjoyed working with FLA because it also helped me to not panic before answering the question and it helped my thinking in French and ability to express in a better way my ideas.”

“She was great because I was able to practise with her and she eased my nerves, as the oral exam can make me a bit nervous. She also corrected my mistakes and allowed me to practise expressing my ideas.” “...it would be good to do more sessions as it would help with the fluency (faster) and "complexity" of the language that I use.”

“She was great because I was able to practise with her and she eased my nerves, as the oral exam can make me a bit nervous. She also corrected my mistakes and allowed me to practice expressing my ideas.”

We are really looking forward to welcoming Esther back in September and we hope that she will be able to continue to support our students in the future.

We would also like to remind all French students to expose themselves to French as much as possible over the summer, through books, songs, films and series - suggestions will be available on Google classroom. And if you have the chance to go to a Francophone country or to interact with Francophone speakers, make the most of it! Bonnes vacances à tous!

SCHOOL YearSENIOR 7 and Year 9 Express Themselves in Italian

By Sasha

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As part of Italian A, Year 7 pupils chose their favourite words in Italian, explained the reasons for their choices and the meanings of the words.

Three videos have been chosen for your enjoyment below, each dedicated to a different word.

Video I

Video II

Video III

Meanwhile, pupils in Year 9 have been studying Dante’s Inferno and they particularly enjoyed the tragic story of the adulterous lovers Paolo and Francesca in Canto V. They have written a collection of love letters which Paolo and Francesca might have exchanged, and have made a video of themselves reading some of them.

A special thank you to Sveva for producing the video and to Koko for playing the music!

Brando reading a letter from Francesca's husband, Gianciotto Love letter between Paolo and Francesca

University Guidance

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SENIOR SCHOOL

Virtual Webinars 22 June, 5.00pm – 6.00pm: Study IT & Computing. IE University Spain, UWE Bristol, University of Essex Click here to register 23 June, 5.30pm - 6.30pm: Exploring Biomedical Sciences, University of Southampton Click here for the webinar booking form 24 June, 4.00pm – 5.00pm: Study Political Sciences. IE University Spain, UWE Bristol, University of Essex Click here to register 5 – 18 July, all day: University of Cambridge Virtual Open Days Click here for the Virtual Open Days 19 - 30 July, all day: International Summer Schools, Cardiff University Click here for more information

Sign up

SENIOR SCHOOL 5xMille Tax Contributions Did You Know?

A portion of your personal income taxes (IRPEF) can be used to support a non-profit organisation of your choice. Families, staff and alumni are able to contribute 0.5% of your Italian taxes (€5.00 for every €1,000.00 of taxes) to St George’s, as we are an Association belonging to a category that is recognised in art. 10, c. 1, let a), del D.lgs. n 460 del 1997.

It does not cost anything to donate, and your small gesture will enable additional funds to be re-invested into your child’s education.

Quick Facts • 5XMille is completely anonymous • It is easy to donate. Simply add the school’s Codice Fiscale 80016070585 to the dedicated section of your Annual Tax Declaration Form (Dichiarazione dei Redditi) • Contributing enables you to directly re-invest into your child’s future • Funds are used to purchase new teaching and learning equipment for the school.

For further details contact secretary@stgeorge.school.it

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SENIOR SCHOOL

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Highlights

Video Premiere and Raffle Draw Re-cap!

SENIOR SCHOOL

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Highlights As views approach 1,000 on the St George’s International Week video on YouTube, action is under way to get prizes into the hands of winners in the International Week 2021 Raffle Draw.

The video provides families with a glimpse of the activities that unfolded at both school campuses during the week of 7-11 June – a week to celebrate St George’s immense international diversity with 87 nationalities represented.

Footage includes: The International Week Flag Parades at both campuses on 7 June • A song performed by the School’s Chinese community • A dance number by the Latino community • A song and dance performance of “Mambo Italiano” by the Parents’ and Teachers’ Choir • A stirring rendition of “Waca Waca” with children dancing at City Centre, La Storta, and Serenge Children’s Home in Zambia (ZOA, the School’s longstanding charity partner) • And much more!

Parents of St George’s La Storta co-chair and Y1 and Y5 mother Sharon Molina produced and edited the video. If you haven’t yet seen it, don’t miss it!

Immediately after the video premiered last Friday evening, viewers watched as the International Week Raffle Draw was streamed live. Clad in a tuxedo for the occasion, Assistant Head and Head of Upper School John Talbot officiated, with Assistant Head of Sixth Form Amber Haq drawing the winning tickets. A rich array of enticing prizes – holiday accommodation, clothing, accessories, electronics, and health, beauty and sport experiences, signed sport memorabilia, international foods for the fancy food hampers – were raffled off, thanks to donations from local businesses and St George’s families and friends. Anyone who missed the live stream can still consult the list of raffle prize winners at:

Click here to see the list of Raffle Prize Winners! www.stgeorge.school.it/international-week-2021/raffle International Week 2021 was a collaboration of Parents of St George’s, School faculty, staff and community members. It was designed to take the place of International Evening – a favourite St George’s annual event that could not be held this year due to public health restrictions. All proceeds benefit the Parents of St George’s Grants Programme and other initiatives and charities.

Parents of St George’s wishes to express a HUGE thank-you to all those families, individuals, businesses, and friends of the community who donated prizes to this year’s Raffle. Another HUGE thank you goes to the pupils, teachers, staff, and parents who were involved in production of the video, and in many other aspects of a successful International Week.

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Young artists rise to the occasion in Olympic-themed SENIORcontest SCHOOL

With the Olympic Games as their overarching theme, pupils of all ages submitted their work to the International Week 2021 Art Contest. Here is how the judges evaluated their entries: Key Stage 1: Olympic torch First place is awarded to...

Dylan M in Year 1, for his multimedia treatment of the Olympic torch (pictured left).

Second place goes to Vedasree V in Year 1 and third place goes to Paddy R in Year 2, for their unique torch interpretations.

Key Stage 3: Olympic logo First place is awarded to...

Viola V, for her complete rethinking of the Olympic logo as a geodesic form (pictured left).

Second place is awarded to Diana T in Year 7, for her elegant adaption of the logo to the Tokyo context. Third place goes to Liraya R in Year 7, who incorporated football, volleyball and badminton into the Olympic rings.

Key Stage 2: Olympic mascot First place is awarded to...

Ruby E in Year 5, for her hand drawing of a raccoon with the Olympic rings on its tail (pictured above).

Second place goes to Thomas C in Year 5 for his depiction and written description of a bee as Olympic mascot.

Third place goes to William X, also in Year 5, for a skilfully drawn blue fantasy creature.

Key Stage 4 and Sixth Form: Olympic logo First place is awarded to...

Justine H. in Year 10, for her dynamic reimagining of the Olympic rings atop a mighty wave approaching Japan (pictured below).

Parents of St George’s congratulates all the Art Contest contestants for their imaginative and thought-provoking work! All the entries can be seen at: www.stgeorge.school.it/international-week-2021/art

SENIOR SCHOOL Parent Links earn thanks, and a summer break!

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As the school year comes to a close next week, parents who have served as Parent Links will have a break from their important communication role.

The Parent Link – or class representative, as they are known at City Centre – is the first point of contact for other parents with questions about school or about life in Rome. The Parent Link also moderates a WhatsApp year group chat for parents.

“These individuals are the glue that holds the St George’s community together, especially during these months when we haven’t been able to meet in person,” said Sharon Lee Cowan, Parents of St George’s La Storta co-chair. “I think all parents at both campuses will join me in saying thank you to the Parent Links for a job well done.”

A few Parent Links and class representatives will be leaving at the end of the school year, so do speak up if you’re interested in taking up this role! Contact parentsofstgeorges@gmail.com.

Just to say ...

Just to say....

The end of our school year is approaching and with it, the inevitable time to say goodbye to many friends who will be leaving school. Many thanks to all who have collaborated with The Parents of St George's this year and of course to my colleague Sharon Lee who has been wonderful in her role as Co-chair.

I would like to thank Sharon for her great commitment and dedication to the Parents of St George’s.

It's been a delight to work as a team with her and a pleasure to develop ideas together as well as counting on her constructive manner, her kindness and professionalism.

My best wishes in this new chapter of your life Sharon, don't forget to visit us!

Buen viento y buena mar!

Ms Sharon Molina, Parents of St George's Co-Chair

St George’s British International School • Rome • Italy www.stgeorge.school.it