OBSERVER

Oporto British School

Latest News Updates www.obs.edu.pt Established 1894

Congratulations to Form 10 accelerated Mathematics and Spanish pupils Congratulations to our Form 10 accelerated Mathematics and Spanish pupils who sat their IGCSE Examinations in November and achieved outstanding results. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Foxs Mathematics class achieved 100% A*-A and Prof Cristinas Spanish students, 100% A*. Both pupils and teachers were rightfully delighted with these results and certainly this bodes well for the upcoming examinations in May.

Newsletter Contents
Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Message from Mrs Coles Primary Section Form 4 Trip to Conimbriga Page 5-7 Page 8 Secondary Section Head Masters comment

www.obs.edu.pt

Latest News Updates

Established 1894

Message from Mrs Coles

When 'Mrs Coles' is mentioned, to most it conjures up images of a small and rather cluttered room up on the first floor. It is true that for many years my life has been based there, supporting OBS pupils of many different nationalities and for many different reasons. Sometimes in groups, sometimes individually, from the very young to much more 'mature' pupils, it has been my privilege to have known and interacted with so many interesting and memorable characters. Although English as an Additional Language and Learning Support have been my area since 1994, I was originally employed as a teacher at the OBS in 1987, to take responsibility for a Form Three class of twenty-six pupils, cramped into half of what is now the British Council space - then affectionately known as the 'Casa Branca'. Work conditions were very different from my previous teaching experience in Australiaand a great contrast to what the school provides nowadays in terms of amenities. As I have jokingly mentioned to many, I have been around the OBS longer than all the computers and most of the furniture! Twenty-five years is a long time! I have seen many promising young people grow and develop and head off to embark on their own careers. Lately, I have seen a new generationsons and daughters of former pupils. It is a pleasure to see this continuity and feel that the positive experience enjoyed by parents is translated into a wish for their children to be part of a similar educational experience.

I would also like to take the opportunity to commend the wonderful staff- past and present- I have had the pleasure to know, learn from, share ideas with and develop true friendships with over the course of the years at the school. It is with sadness that I am taking up retirement for health reasons. The school has been an integral part of my life and identity for a long time and it will no doubt take some adjustment to settle into a different life-style. I would like to thank all the OBS community - pupils, parents and staff - for enriching my own life in so many ways. Com saudades and um abrao muito grande, Glenda Coles

On behalf of the OBS community, I would like to pay tribute to Glenda as a dedicated, caring, gentle and considerate professional, colleague and lady.

Michael William Clack Head Master

2/8

www.obs.edu.pt

Latest News Updates

Established 1894

Primary Section

It was great to see all the pupils return from their Christmas break. Many shared wonderful stories of their holiday travels or recounting relaxing time at home with their families. Even though everyone seemed to have a good time they all appeared very keen to be back at school, and to see their friends again. As summer does not appear to be here just yet could we remind pupils to bring an appropriate rain coat to school. It is our objective to not cancel and extracurricular activity, though if, due to inclement weather, they do need to be cancelled, we will inform you via text on the day. We are now well into our second term, and along with the core academic areas, we have some wonderful activities for the pupils to look forward to over the coming weeks: All section Art Day Trips to Casa do Msica Carnival Day Inter school sports fixtures Green Day Form 4 and 5 Theatre Play

The After- Care facility at school continues to be popular with many parents and pupils. Could we Please remind parents to contact The After Care Staff if you may be Arriving past 6pm.

Personal reading at school and home is continuing to be encouraged by your childs teachers. We are continuing to build on our very successful Accelerated Reader programme. This initiative has been proven to accelerate a childs reading level, partly due to the competitive points nature of the programme, though also due to the highly individualised style of the reading programme. We would like to encourage all children to be reading (or to be read to) fifteen minutes from an English language book each evening.

Our pupils continue to be exemplary role models for our school when competing other local school. The recent visit of the French School proved to be a success. Results were good, though positive teamwork and sportsmanship were excellent.

Thank you again for your continued support of the school and the activities and events organised for the pupils. We look forward to seeing you at some of the special events throughout this term. Mark Evans Head of Primary Section

3/8

www.obs.edu.pt

Latest News Updates

Established 1894

Form 4 field trip to Conimbriga

How did the archaeologists manage to bring up this without breaking it?

Form 4 visited Conimbriga at the start of term to learn about what life was like in Roman times. They focused on imagining why Roman people chose to settle in Conimbriga and what made it special..

We had a fantastic time at the Roman ruins and have written repprts about what we have learnt.

This is a beautiful Roman mosaic of a labyrinth with a Minotaur in the centre.

Form 3 designed some wonderful Mummy Coffins as part of their study of Egypt

4/8

www.obs.edu.pt

Latest News Updates

Established 1894

Secondary Section
I know it seems ages ago but Happy New Year to all. It was wonderful to welcome back our pupils after the Christmas holidays, to set new targets for this term and take action to achieve them. Form 10 and 12 pupils returned to a week of mock examinations in preparation for their final examination session in May. By now they will have received their results and have been in the throes of setting targets for improvement in the next ten weeks before study leave. Parents of pupils in Forms 10 to 12 can look forward to receiving their reports on Friday, 5th February . This term we have welcomed back Mrs. Lesley Costello and Mrs. Veronica Wood. Mrs. Costello has kindly helped with Physical Education lessons in the Secondary Section whilst Miss Eduarda Ferreira away. Mrs. Veronica Wood has returned to the role of Head of the Humanities department and teacher of History. It is our pleasure to welcome back Mr Robert Bridges to substitute for Mr Stedman during his paternity leave. Mr Bridges has extensive experience in teaching IB and IGCSE Chemistry and we look forward to his success over the next seven weeks. We also welcome Mr Robin Quinn who joins us from England to teach History in the afternoons and support the Learning Support department in the mornings. Mr Quinn is qualified to teach History and Geography, has taught both at IB level and has also worked extensively with pupils with special educational needs. I have no doubt that the community will make them feel welcomed and at home. On Thursday, 10th January, our Form 11 Art students visited and interviewed artist Emerenciano at his studio and museum in Porto. This strip provided pupils with the opportunity to explore the artists career and style. Thank you to Miss Cristina Castro for arranging this trip and providing our pupils with this opportunity. We look forward to welcoming Emerenciano to our school on Wednesday, 30th January to meet with our IGCSE pupils.

On the 15th January, pupils of the Secondary Section welcomed retired WNBA player, Patricia Ticha Penicheiro and OBS alumni and national basketball player, Ana Tenreiro. Ticha, born and raised in Figueira da Foz, is known to the WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association USA) as queen of assists and holds the record for number of assists in womens basketball. For more information, please see the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieAs4eHps5Y. Ana Tenreiro, a qualified Engineer, plays for the national Portuguese team and local clubs. Both presented to the pupils in Assembly about their success as professional basketball players. The theme of the Assembly was determination to succeed and was enjoyed by all. In the afternoon, they ran a workshop for Form 8 pupils during their Games lesson. Thank you to Prof. Fernando for organizing this unique opportunity.

5/8

www.obs.edu.pt

Latest News Updates

Established 1894

Secondary Section
Please note the following messages from Miss Morgan:
Romeo and Juliet The rehearsals for the Senior School Production Romeo and Juliet are getting off to a flying start this term after a typically tempestuous start; full of drama that Shakespeare himself would have been proud of. We are delighted to have our castings complete and with your much appreciated and continued support, we are delighted to be making huge steps in creating an entertaining and educational journey for the pupils here at OBS. We will be posting a full cast list and Rehearsal Schedules, as well as any updates and changes thereof, on the notice board as you enter the school gates. We respectfully ask for your support in checking these notices regularly so that we can ensure that we keep to the tight schedule. May we take this opportunity to congratulate your pupils for their hard work and commitment. It is a delight to be working with them and we look forward to welcoming you to the Performances on the 2nd and 3rd of May. IMUN Oporto British School is excited to be sending our delegates to the Iberian Model United Nations hosted at CLIP in March. The pupils are currently working hard at researching the issues to be debated and we will keep you abreast of the progress as we eagerly await our designated countries and issues. We have further plans for trips abroad to represent the school in the IMUN and we will also inform you of these as we receive news.

This term is a short one but promises to be a very busy one. As Form 6 and 7 pupils prepare for their trip to England, Form 8 and 10 pupils begin to consider subject options and Form 10 and 12 pupils prepare for their final examinations in May. I take this opportunity to thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at upcoming events.
Paula Rodrigues Santos Head of Secondary Section

ROMEO AND JULIET

6/8

www.obs.edu.pt

Latest News Updates

Established 1894

Secondary Section IB Coordinator

The Form 12 students have been sitting their Mock examinations this January in preparation for May 2013. Once again they face a busy term with further pieces of coursework due in and a Theory of Knowledge presentation to prepare for in February. Many of our Form 12 students have applied to universities in the UK and are now receiving offers based on the IB results they will receive in July. Form 11 are starting to plan their Group IV Science project. They will work collaboratively on an agreed theme, conducting experiments and writing up their results as a contribution to their final IB result in which ever Science discipline they are studying. This will culminate in the students presenting thier findings to an invited audience. in June later this year to Mozambique. The students and parents have been invited to attend a further meeting on Tuesday, 29th January to hear more details of the visit. We hope it will be as successful as our previous trips to Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda.

On Thursday January 24th the IB Evening was held to present to our Parents, and in particular those of Form 9 and 10, the benefits of taking the IB qualification and what subjects can be taken at the OBS. This international qualification which continues to grow in popularity around the world can be a gateway to studying in many countries as well as the traditional destinations of our students to the UK and Portugal. Mr. J. Mutter Deputy Head (IB Coordinator) Pupil Blog http://obslive.weebly.com/ After a short hiatus the school blog is up and running again, with thanks to Pinky and Niki Kotecha. As Pinky is concentrating on her upcoming IGCSE examinations, Niki has kindly agreed to take over the reins and organise the blog. Contributions to the school blog are welcome - just email creativenmedia@gmail.com

Form 11 are to go on a University Fair on January 28th in Porto where they will have the opportunity to talk to a number of Portuguese and International Universities about what is on offer to them. This follows on from the success of the same visit last year by our current Form 12. Form 11 have also been informed of the planned Overseas CAS Trip due to take place

7/8

www.obs.edu.pt

Latest News Updates

Established 1894

Head Masters Comment

Dear Parents and Pupils,
Today I was afforded the opportunity to visit with four other Headmasters the British School of Prague- it was an enriching experience with time to observe teaching, to meet the children, to look at the facilities and to reflect on procedures and practices of the school. It is a superb school with enviable facilities and funding and I have been able to gain an a number of positive ideas that I believe will be beneficial for the OBS. This evening I met with other international Heads from around the world and we shared our hopes for international education in the future. Tomorrow I will attend a meeting with Heads from three continents to discuss various educational issues including, university entrance and the promotion of British and international education around the globe. What I am certain about is that the OBS delivers a welcoming, supportive and caring educational environment for all our children and what I, and my colleagues are committed and determined to ensure, is that we provide the very best standards of teaching and learning at our school. This is one (and only one) reason why with the support and approval of both the Board and the Senior Leadership Team, I have decided to invite the Independent Schools Inspectorate to visit the OBS. We believe that the OBS is a school that offers a a vibrant and challenging environment which opens the minds and hearts of our pupils. We are committed to delivering excellence for all and as such, encouarge every pupil to strive for success whether that is in mathematics, English, science, sport or the performing arts. We are not in any way complacent and only with your support can we build on our successes, such as the splendid results obtained by some of our Form 10 pupils in IGCSE mathematics and Spanish but also the recent commendable achievements of our children in the Primary Section at sporting events against other schools and representing the OBS at cultural visits in the locality. All of our childrens' achievements would not be possible without your continued support and the dedication and commitment of our staff. Please be assured that I am not complacent about how we must continue to strive for success and at the same time care for others but I am heartened by the tremendous achievements of all our children. I am confident that I speak for parents and staff alike that when we take the opportunity to reflect on the successes of our relatively small yet vibrant community, we should be justly proud of our School. Michael William Clack Head Master

Dates for Calendar

29th January CAS Trip Information Evening 31st January - IGCSE Evening 31st Jan 2nd Feb - Benjamin Sports Festival 1st February Deadline for ISI Questionnaires 7th and 8th February First 2 days of Inspection 7th February Form 10 to 12 Reports and Form 6 to 9 Effort/Attainment grades distributed 8th February - Primary reports distributed 9th -17th February Half-term 4th 7th March Inspection 6th March Form 7 and 8 Parents Evening 9th and 10th March Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Expedition 13th 17th March England Sports Tour 14th-16th March Varsity Sports 19th March Primary Cross-Country 21st March Secondary Effort/Attainment Grades distributed 22nd March End of Spring Term