Generation 2015: More than good bye….always thinking at you

1. Head Girl, Francisca Merino and Head Boy, Fernando Pimentel

2. From left to right: Mr Gabriel Gerszencvich, Mr Eduardo Rumié, Mrs Patricia Morel, Mr Peter Lacey, Mrs Macarena Jarpa, Mr Richard Darling and Mr Juan Pablo Contreras.

3. School choir accompanied by Year 12 pupils

4. Year 12 pupils, teachers, parents and guests

Flower Ceremony

On Tuesday, November 17th the traditional Flower Ceremony was held. During this ceremony the youngest children at Craighouse School say goodbye to our Year 12 pupils and give them a rose as a symbol of farewell.

The gift of these flowers also represents the growth of seeds, and how throughout the years great people begin to bloom, with solid values and convictions, which are fundamental pillars that will help them in different moments of their lives.

5. Year 12 A and their tutor, Mr Adolfo Alzamora

6. Year 12 B and their tutor, Mrs Pamela Noveroy

7. Year 12 C and their tutor, Mr Sócrates Aguilera

8. Year 12 D and their tutor, Mr Ricardo Solís

Flower Cup

Also on Tuesday 17^th November, all pupils of Year 12 had the sporting event "Flower Cup" with the Headmaster and all the teachers of the section.

Year 12 graduation

On Friday, November 20^th the Year 12 graduation ceremony was held at our school. Attended by the school’s authorities, one hundred and twenty-two pupils from the 2015 generation received the certificate that marks the end of their school life at Craighouse. During the ceremony, Mr Peter Lacey, the Headmaster, based his speech on respect for diversity and the responsibilities this entails. In his words, “in this day and age diversity is richness, diversity is strength, and diversity is creativity.”

13. Daniel Foot and Mrs María Paz Saumann presenting The Craighouse Story book to Mr Howie Brown, General Manager of the Sheraton Hotel.

14. Daniel Foot and Mrs María Paz Saumann presenting The Craighouse Story book to Mr Álvaro Paci, General Manager of the Diego de Velázquez Hotel.

15. Mr Richard Darling presenting the Charles T. Darling English Cup to Beatrice Steele and Joaquín Cánepa.

16. School Spirit awards presented by Mr Peter Lacey and Mr Eduardo Rumié.

17. Mr Fernando Stevenson presenting the Constant Effort award to Daniel Foot

18. Head Girl, Francisca Merino, Mrs Patricia Morel, Mrs Macarena Jarpa and Head Boy, Fernando Pimentel.

19. Year 12 pupils

20. Mr Gabriel Gerszencvich presenting the Highest Average Grade award to Lorenzo Bevilaqua.

21. Mr Mónica Trejo awarding the CAS prize to Antonia Santillán, Malena Massi, Fernando Pimentel and Mariana Cardona.

22. Shields for Best Sportswoman and Best Sportsman presented by Mrs Ana María Cabrera and Mr Mark Cross to Josefina Cambiaso y Mirko Domic.

Graduation dinner

As in every other year, on Saturday, November 21^st we had the graduation dinner, where pupils, parents and teachers dine together for the last time.

23. Mr René Jeria addressing to the audience

24. From left to right: Jorge Saint Jean, Miriam Hernández and Keko Yungue

25. Year 12 pupil, Mario Henríquez addressing to the audience

26. Year 12 pupils, Natalia Cardona and Benjamín Pérez addressing to their classmates

27. Natalia Cardona and Benjamín Pérez presenting a tree to Mrs Mónica Trejo and Mr Juan Pablo Contreras as a gift for our campus.

28. Benjamín Pérez, Mrs Pamela Noveroy, Mr Sócrates Aguilera, Natalia Cardona, Mr Ricardo Solís y Mr Adolfo Alzamora.

29. Mr Pablo Astete, Benjamín Pérez, Miss Olga Godoy, Miss Blanca Hernández, Natalia Cardona, Miss Ana María Cabrera, Miss Joyce Bahamondes and Mr Gareth Coghlan.

30. Benjamín Pérez, Natalia Cardona, Mrs Pamela Fischer, Miss Alejandra González, Mrs Mónica Trejo y Mrs Macarena Jarpa.

31. Parents of old girls and boys together with their sons and daughters

Primary Section: Foundational experiences

By Soledad Valdés, Head of Social Service and Experiential Learning

Pupils from Year 3 had a Foundational experience called “Sharing”, where the objective is to meet and spend time with children from associated nursery schools (Santa Rosa, Lo Barnechea and Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, Huechuraba).

This activity includes two visits to the same nursery school. Each class has to organise recreational activities for the children and keeps close contact with them, either through games or company.

On September 10^th the R, L, I, N & G classes made the first visit to Santa Rosa nursery school in La Dehesa, and on October 1^st the D & A classes visited Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza in Huechuraba. The second visit was made on October 15^th with the whole level.

During the first visit there was an excellent connection between our pupils and the children with all the simplicity of childhood, where our pupils were responsible for spending time with the children from the nursery school and looking after them.

On the second visit our pupils were able to strengthen their bond with the children, who were anxiously waiting for them. The activities included plays, storytelling, mask games, and even making aeroplanes. When we returned we used our log books to reflect on the highlights of both visits and discussed what we had learned from this experience.

On November 5^th we had a special assembly where we talked about the importance of working with the children, and of respect, responsibility, and patience. They were very grateful for having had the chance to meet one boy or girl in particular and to spend time with them.

“What was my favourite part of the visit? Playing with him and knowing that there will always be a place in my heart for him. Lucas, Year 3 I” (extract from a log book).

Middle Section: Foundational experiences

By Soledad Valdés, Head of Social Service and Experiential Learning

In Year 8, the Foundational experience is called “My grandmother/grandfather”, and the objective is for pupils to build a deeper, more permanent bond with senior citizens from Villa Padre Hurtado through visits where they take part in recreational and self-discovery activities.

The class representatives visited the Villa on October 1^st, where they had the chance to meet the old people and learn about the work model in order to identify the needs and plan the visits accordingly. The pupils were pleasantly surprised with the place and how happy the old people were to receive them.

The pupils made the first visit on October 22^nd, where they got to know the place and the old people who live there. There was a bingo where everyone won, cooking workshops and board games, mainly dominoes. The interaction between the young and the old through play provided an opportunity to share experiences.

When we returned from this first visit we took time to reflect on the aging of the population in our country. We also organised the second visit, which the class representatives have been preparing for November 18^th.

Senior Section: Foundational experiences

By Soledad Valdés, Head of Social Service and Experiential Learning

The founding experience “Working in campamentos” has been designed for Year 10. The objective is for pupils to learn more about campamentos and to bond with the families who live there by making improvements to a common area. In this process we are working together with Fundación Techo Chile.

We will be visiting three campamentos: Los Aromos in Colina, Chorrillos in Lampa, and Parcelas de Mapuhue in La Pintana. They all have specific needs and the families are willing to receive our pupils.

On August 28^th we visited the campamentos with the class representatives in order to plan the improvement projects which they will do on further visits, the first of which was carried out on October 7^th.

This first visit was a very enriching encounter between our pupils and this shocking reality. In each campamento there were different experiences with the families who live there, which allowed our pupils to learn more about them and help them.

On the second visit, our pupils were better prepared, after their first experience. In the Chorrillos campamento in Lampa, where they had made a football field and installed tables and chairs, they now decided to paint them and help with the organisation of the community centre, building shelves and other pieces of furniture. They also had breakfast with some of the families, who were extremely grateful for the work they had done. The pupils worked closely with one of the leaders of the campamento.

In Los Aromos (Colina) they nearly finished fencing and covering the community centre, as well as fixing a broken fence that separated the area from a gorge. They also had the chance to visit a lady who had been evicted from the community centre during the first visit and who had been living in a precarious house. They were happy to see that her emergency home was now in better condition.

In Las Parcelas de Mapuhue our pupils were unable to finish the games for the children due to the amount of work involved, but they did manage to finish a mural to decorate the campamento and finish the fence for the community centre. They also spent time with some of the families and children who live there. The class is now organising another visit to finish their work independently.

We will soon have a group reflection on these visits, where we will discuss poverty, and a closing assembly to talk about what we learned from this experience.

Interreligious exhibition

By Marcela Acuña, Head of the Religion Department

On October 28^th we had the interreligious exhibition, organised by the Religion Department, a testimony of the importance of encouraging our children to be tolerant and respectful of diversity, from a religious perspective.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by authorities from all three sections of the school, and by representatives from the Jewish, Protestant and Catholic religions.

This year, the main topic of the exhibition was the signs and symbols of the major religions of the world. Through visual arts, our pupils captured the product of their research and their own faith experiences.

Pupils in Years 7 & 8 had very significant round table discussions with a rabbi and a Protestant pastor, where they were able to clarify doubts and share different points of view regarding the faith experiences of each.

The community celebrates National Day of Protestant Churches

By Viviana León, Protestant Religion Teacher

October 31^st is the day where the Chilean Protestant churches commemorate the reform, and we also celebrate National Day of Protestant Churches. This year, the Craighouse School Protestant community has once again joined in the celebration.

The Baptist church was present this year, represented by pastor Julián Pizarro, who came to the school and explained the history of the Baptist church in our country. He told us about the first Baptist missionaries who arrived in Chile and how Baptist churches have sprung up throughout Santiago and all over the country. We would like to thank him for his willingness to visit Craighouse School and spend time with our community.

We would also like to thank pastor Robert Carter, who for years has joined us in different Craighouse School activities, such as the interreligious meeting we have every year, the celebration on October 31^st and the reflection meetings we have every Tuesday.

Inclusive Tennis Tournament at Escuela Diferencial Madre Tierra

By Evelyn Yupanqui, Communications – CARE

On November 3^rd Club Valle Escondido hosted the final round of the Second Inclusive Tennis Tournament organised by Escuela Diferencial Madre Tierra (an institution associated with CARE), Valle Escondido, Olimpiadas Especiales and the Lo Barnechea municipality.

120 children from five institutions participated in this event, including Instituto Estados Americanos (another institution associated with CARE), who spent a whole week with the competition where the idea was to promote integration with children with disabilities.

Craighouse School was present once again and brought snacks and drinks for these young sportsmen and women.

Important sports figures like Jaime Fillol and Pablo Araya (Paralympic tennis player) also contributed to make this experience a healthy, fun opportunity to do sports.

Eucerin visits Primary pupils

On Wednesday, November 4^th our Preschool, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils welcomed people from Eucerin who performed a play to teach them about skincare and the importance of using sunblock.

Each pupil received a sunhat and a small bottle of sunblock.

Recycling week

By Gigliola Falconi, Ecocommunity Coordinator – Primary Section

Last week the Primary Section celebrated recycling week. Preschool pupils worked in their classrooms with all sorts of different materials which they used to make toys, technological devices, plant pots and piggy banks.

Pupils in Year 2 had the opportunity to take part in a series of workshops organised by the Lo Barnechea municipality, where they learned how to make bats using toilet paper rolls. They had a lot of fun and the teachers were very pleased with their work. Meanwhile, Year 3 pupils set out to collect newspapers to participate in a football tournament.

Finally, pupil Laura Pagola organised in the playground a free corner for the children to create works of art using recyclable material.

Congratulations to all our pupils for their active participation during the week. We are convinced that we have to raise awareness concerning the importance of taking care of the environment from a very early age.

Year 6 pupil participates in a collective exhibition

Arturo Figueroa, a pupil from Year 6 A, took part for the first time in a collective exhibition called Expoartistas, which was held in the Club de Polo de Santiago, where different artists presented their works in painting, sculpture, engraving and photography.

Twenty-six artists were part of this exhibition, and Arturo was the only child among renowned artists such as Carmen Vicuña, Bernardita Domeyko, Josefa Balbontín, Paula Haeussler, Sonia Domínguez and Rebeca Marchant (Arturo’s teacher).

Congratulations to Arturo and his family for supporting his artistic skills.

Craighouse School girls participate in under 14, 16 & 18 hockey games against Tucumán

By Karla Galán, COBS & COGS Manager

From October 29^th to 31^st, pupils from our school who are members of the Craighouse Old Girls Club (COGS) represented Chile in a series of hockey matches against the lower divisions of Tucumán, Argentina, at the Manquehue and PWCC fields.

Congratulations to the following girls:

Under 14 category

Francisca González Troncoso – Year 8 C

Isidora Cabargas – Year 8 B

Martina Jana – Year 8 A

Under 16 category

Paskal Chappuzeau – Year 10 B

Paula Hernández – Year 8 B

Javiera Hernández – Year 10 C

Rosario Nelson – Year 9 A

Camila Pinto – Year 9 D

Elisa Smith – Year 9 A

Under 18 category

Maite Alliende Year 12 C

Colomba Jana Year 11 B

Daniela Robino Year 11 C

COBS: national junior rugby champions

On Sunday, November 1^st the Craighouse Old Boys Club (COBS) team beat The Mackay School from Viña del Mar 36-18 in the final game played at the FERUCHI CARR in Mahuida Park, La Reina. With this victory, COBS now have their second cup in this category at a national level.

The boys representing COBS were ahead in the score during most of the game. This advantage became evident at the 7-minute mark, with a try by Martín de Otto, scored by Tomás Contreras.

Freddy Díaz’s final whistle determined the final score of 36-18. Eugenio Segura, FERUCHI Manager, presented captain Juan Pablo Reyes with the second national junior championship cup, after having won the first back in 2011.

Source: http://www.feruchi.cl/index.php?id=12&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=3802&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=4984f54fb4

Craighouse School old boy gives lecture: how to begin again

Universidad Andrés Bello would like to invite you to Casona de Las Condes on Thursday, 19^th November at 11.45 a.m. for a lecture by Mr Fernando Demaría Lüders, Chilean sportsman and Craighouse School old boy from the 2011 generation. Mr Demaría will talk about his brave, touching story. You will learn more about his life, his first experiences on a motorbike, his accident in 2012, the hard emotional and physical work that has allowed him to recover his independence and many things he thought were impossible.

To register and for more information, please visit www.nanodemaria.cl.

Culture tip: Ikebana, Japanese floral art

Centro Cultural La Moneda would like to invite you to an Ikebana demonstration and exhibition, where you will have the chance to admire different floral creations and techniques.

Presentation: Wednesday, November 18^th 2015

Exhibition: From 3 p.m. foyer, level -2

Demonstration: 6 p.m. cinema, level -2

Free access

Plaza de la Ciudadanía no. 26 – Santiago Centro – Moneda subway station

Source: http://www.ccplm.cl/sitio/2015/ikebana-arte-floral-japones/

Personal Project – Year 9

By Michael Arington, Academic Coordinator

On Wednesday October 21^st, Year 9 pupils opened the doors to this year’s MYP personal project exhibition. A very enthusiastic crowd of parents, siblings, teachers and students filled the inquiry centre to view the projects and talk with the pupils about their successes. The exhibition that remained open for four days was visited by pupils from Year 4 to Year 8 to see how challenging and rewarding the personal project can be.

This year projects continue to show the wide range of interests of our pupils along with their talents, effort, creativity and knowledge. A range of topics from the physics of boxing, the art of positive thinking, crime scene investigations, clothing design, surf board design, raising money for a local pre-school and many more. Participants even had the opportunity to sample some traditional Chilean dishes.

Thank you to everyone who was able to visit the fantastic work of Year 9 students. Congratulations to them for their work on the final project of their MYP year.

ESS pupils attend environmental seminar

By Ana Díaz Córdova, Teacher of Biology and Environmental Studies and Societies

Agustín Lathrop (Year 10 A), Donald Bennett (Year 10 E), María del Pilar Lira (Year 10 E), Florencia Oneto (Year 10 A), Colomba Tamayo (Year 10 B), Victoria Armas (Year 10 C), Catalina Hurtado (Year 10 E) and Ignacio Adriasola (Year 10 D), pupils of the Environmental Studies and Societies (ESS) course, attended an environmental conference: “Who is the real animal?”

The event, organised by Wenlock School, took place on October 22^nd. The pupils, through Ecocommunity, learned about responsible pet ownership, listened to a representative from the metropolitan zoo who explained the role of the zoo in the preservation of species, and took part in an activity organised by bee keepers.

The eight pupils were accompanied by Mrs Janette Tolosa, Chemistry Teacher of our school.

Middle and Senior Sections take the SIMCE exams

By Michael Dumbell, Academic Director

Following the Ministry of Education's calendar, the pupils in Years 6, 8 and 10 sat for the SIMCE exams. The objective of the tests is to assess the learning outcomes defined in the national curriculum. The pupils in Years 6 and 10 sat tests in Mathematics, Spanish Language and Communication (Reading Comprehension) and History, Geography and Social Sciences. The pupils in Year 8 sat tests in Mathematics, Spanish Language and Communication (Writing) and Natural Sciences. The results of the SIMCE tests help us to monitor the progress of our pupils in their learning.

Glider championship - ABSCH

By Carlos Valenzuela, Physics Teacher

On October 23^rd we had the traditional glider championship organised by the physics committee of the Association of British Schools in Chile (ABSCH), organised by Trebulco School.

Pupils participated in two categories: from Years 7 to 9 in the time of flight specialty and from Years 10 to 12 in range. Our school won the bronze medal in the latter category.

We would like to congratulate our pupils for their good behaviour and their personal appearance. Apart from the competition itself, it was a lovely opportunity to spend time with pupils and teachers from other schools of the Association, and enjoy the event.

Mother-daughter evening – Years 5 & 6

By Gabriela Sierralta, Psychologist – Formative Area

On October 21^st we had our mother-daughter evening, called “changes in the mother-daughter relationship during this stage”.

The objective was to promote a space for reflection, based on the daily interactions between mothers and their daughters.

The attendants took part in different activities with enthusiasm. There were moments of great happiness and others filled with deep reflection about the changes that affect them. They all left this event with happy memories and the desire to continue talking about it at home.

A big thank you to all the mothers who were able to attend with their daughters.

Talks by Sergio Canals – Years 9, 10, and 11

By María Paz Saumann, Head of the Formative Area

On Wednesday, October 21^st Mr Sergio Canals gave a talk on “Alcohol and marihuana use in youngsters”. Mr Canals is a psychiatrist who specialises in adolescence and the prevention of substance abuse.

The activity was organised for pupils in Years 9, 10, and 11, with the purpose of providing information and strengthening healthy habits and protective resources for situations of risk, which are extremely frequent in this stage of life, making adolescents tend to act on impulse.

Unlike Years 10 and 11, who had attended the first part of this talk last year, this was Dr Canal’s first intervention in Year 9. The attendants took active part in the seminar, they were grateful for the information they received and acknowledged its importance to learn more about these issues.

2015 Poppy Appeal

We have arrived at that time of the year when we call on all our supporters to contribute to the charitable activities of The Royal British Legion here in Chile by participating in the annual Poppy Appeal. 2015 is the commemoration of the end of the Second World War in Europe in May, 1945, as well as the Pacific in August after the surrender of Japan. Memorial events have been held in various parts of the world. Many past and present Legion members in Chile participated in these theatres of war. The Legion was founded in 1919 to help the enormous number of returning wounded and disabled soldiers as the Government of the time did not provide adequate financial or any other support. The activities of the Legion in Chile are dedicated to supporting Chileans who volunteered to serve in the Allied Forces in World War II, and their surviving families.

Source: The Royal British Legion, Santiago, Chile

Metropolitan Skiing Championship 2015 – Craighouse School pupil wins first place

Manuel Horwitz Von Appen, a skier from Club Andes and Craighouse School pupil from Year 5, has won the Metropolitan Skiing Championship 2015 in the male U12 category. In this competition, the participants – who are all affiliated to clubs from the Metropolitan Region - gain points in eight different races that take place throughout the 2015 season. Congratulations to Manuel and his family.

Source: Club Andes http://www.clubandes.cl/

Craighouse Ski Team - erratum

The cup presented by the pupils to the Headmaster on October 14^th was the first place won in 2014 in the championship organised by the Association of School Ski Branches (ARSKI). This year they presented the prizes they won individually.

Cultural Tip:

http://shoutout.wix.com/so/03861bbd-32dd-4021-91ad-45f1d138259d#/main

Craighouse School - 56^th Anniversary

On Friday 23^rd we gathered to celebrate the 56^th anniversary of the founding of Craighouse School. Our Headmaster, Mr Peter Lacey, addressed the whole school and extended his sincerest congratulations to our distinguished institution, and at the same time thanked all of our excellent teaching staff, and staff in general for contributing to what Craighouse School is today.

This particular ceremony had a very special significance. With the passing away of Mrs. Joan Darling last December, this was the first time since Craighouse School started that neither of our founders were physically with us. Therefore, in honour of our founders this celebration will be now called “Founders Day”

We would like to thank them both for their vision in founding Craighouse School, but specially Mrs Darling who as a teacher gave the school her very personal seal.

On this occasion in the future we will recognize the outstanding contributions made by our pupils, staff, our Old Girls and Boys, our parents to the wider Craighouse Community.

Long service recognitions

We owe the school’s reputation to our teachers, and the work they do with the pupils every day. Each year, they receive a recognition for their effort, dedication, and professionalism, qualities that allow our Educational Project to become a reality.

This year, Mrs Cecilia de la Fuente, Primary Section Teacher, and Mr Adolfo Alzamora, Mathematics Teacher, were recognised for the twenty years they have been working at Craighouse School. During the ceremony Mr Alejandro Lizama also received a recognition for the 40 years he has devoted to the school, particularly in the Primary Section.

Retiring members of staff

During this opportunity, staff members who will retire this year were recognised for their long service to the school. They also received a bouquet of red roses according to the number of years they have worked at Craighouse School. Amongst them, Ms. Denise Aleksander, tutor, and English teacher in the Middle Section, who has been with us for six years; Miss Ester Guerra, nursery assistant for her 35 years at Craighouse School.

Craighouse School Values Award

This award is given to those pupils who have been selected as living examples of these values. In our daily lives at school, we should always strive to follow the values which help us to be a strong community, a learning community, a caring community, a community which honours the values of respect, responsibility, effort and honesty.

IB Diplomas

The IB diploma programme is the best and most demanding university preparation course in the world. Therefore, the students who achieved the diploma are "world class". And the fact that almost all the pupils in Year 12 were diploma candidates and that so many of them achieved the diploma means that Craighouse School is a world class institution.

The IB diploma programme is officially a two-year course starting in Year 10 and finishing in Year 12. But, in reality, it is a process that lasts fourteen years and starts in Kinder. Everything that the students learn in Primary (PYP) and Middle (MYP) is preparation for the diploma programme at the end of this learning journey. Therefore, in order to achieve the IB diploma, pupils need to demonstrate a great deal of effort and commitment during their whole school career at Craighouse School.

IB Diplomas - Year 12 “A”

IB Diplomas - Year 12 “B”

IB Diplomas - Year 12 “C”

IB Diplomas - Year 12 “D”

IB Diplomas - Pupils who achieved 33 and 34 points.

IB Diplomas - Pupils who achieved 35 and 36 points.

IB Diplomas - Pupils who achieved 38 and 39 points.