Easter 2014 - Xabia International College

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Xabia International College
...every child counts
We have had a fabulous start to 2014.
These are just a few of the wonderful
activities we have been involved in :
Year 6 Induction Day in Secondary in
preparation for their move in September.
Primary and Secondary annual ski
trips.
Years 1-4 day visit to the Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante.
Secondary students visit to the Fallas
in Denia.
International Day in Primary
Sports Day in Primary
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Fundraising for Hope Restoration Centre
On February 7th, to raise funds for the Hope Restoration
Centre in Nairobi, we held a non-uniform day and cake sale.
We were once again astounded by the generosity of the
families of XIC pupils as there was an abundance of beautifully baked cakes available.
Abi Fletcher visited XIC a few days later where she was presented with an amazing 358€. Abi began her journey to Nairobi on April 7th where she will be using the funds raised
towards:
Providing better facilities within the 'newly built' classroom that XIC funded .
Walking the children to the outskirts of the slums in
their XIC uniforms to an area where they can play.
Updating their water storage tank and providing better facilities for on site storage
Continuing to provide hot meals for them, funding
and providing support for local families etc.
Primary Ski trip
In February, pupils from years 3 to 6 travelled
to La Molina in the Spanish Pyrenees. They
enjoyed glorious skiing conditions and had a
fun filled week which included not only skiing
but ice skating, swimming, bowling and evening activities. The pupils and teachers alike
were in need of a weeks rest on their return
as they had had such an action packed week
away!
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Pancake Day at XIC Primary School
Children from Foundation 2, Years 1 and 2 had
great fun on Tuesday March 4th learning how to
make pancakes. After making them they all
went outside to take part in a `pancake tossing´
competition.
As you can see from the photographs it was another beautiful day and all of the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
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Primary visit the Santa Bárbara Castle
In March Years 1-4 went to Alicante to visit the Santa Bárbara Castle. As well as looking at the
castle there was an exhibition of several thousand Playmobil figures in scenes depicting the history of Alicante and famous films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean”. They all had a fantastic day.
Here is an account by Charlie in Year 4:
“Year 3 and 4 went on a school trip to a castle. The castle is called Santa Bárbara. There were two
exhibitions of Playmobil. We had our snacks and lunch in the picnic area. We also had an icecream at the café. On the way back we got a souvenir, it was a key-ring. There were lovely views
at the top of the castle. We saw weapons and some of them were cannons. The castle is 166 meters above the city and is 1,100 years old!”·
Here are a few accounts from children in Year 2:
“We went in the castle in Alicante, we saw cannons. We had lunch in the castle. We saw a gigantic castle of Playmobil and it had lots and lots of soldiers.”
by Nacho
“We saw some shields, my favourite was the Playmobil of the Olden times.”
by Zaira
As a souvenir for Years 1 and 2 we purchased some Playmobil figures for the classroom.
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Secondary Ski Trip
Forty four students and four staff members from Secondary recently undertook their 8th annual
Ski trip. We are pleased to say that the trip went without a single injury or incident. The students
behaviour was fantastic and the College, parents and students should all be extremely proud that
they represented XIC so well.
Round Town News Writing Competition
As you may know a number of XIC students entered a
writing competition organised by the Round Town News
in memory of their journalist, Louise Clarke, who sadly
died recently.
We are extremely proud to be able to tell you that students of Xabia International College gained the first three
places in the competition. In first place was Monty
Shebesta, in second was Jonny Gordon and George Biddiscombe came third. This picture shows Monty receiving
his framed story from Jack Troughton of the Round Town
News.
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Year 7 Gymkhana
Pupils from Year 7 participated in a Gymkhana organised by their teachers in the old town of
Javea on April 2nd. The students had to solve twelve clues distributed all around the town.
To find the answers they were required to speak to local members of the community and go into
local shops to find information. Students were able to familiarise themselves with the town of
Javea in an enjoyable way.
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New Head Student, Matilda Cloves
We would like to congratulate
Matilda Cloves, who has been chosen as Head Student of XIC for the
next academic year. She will work
closely with Alex Tripp Sharman
and Max Onkenhout, the current
Head Girl and Boy, to ensure a
smooth transition.
Year 7 visit the Fallas
During March pupils from years 7 and
8 went on a trip to Dénia. They visited
and learnt about the castle, looked at
the impressive Fallas, and even had the
chance to live a mascletá experience.
Matilda´s role will be particularly
important as she will be Head Student during our 20th anniversary
celebrations. We are all confident
that Matilda will be an excellent
ambassador for XIC.
Sports Day
On Monday April 7th the infants held their Sports Day. The children took part in races including
hoops, potatoes, beanbags and cones. The favourite was the `Dressing Up Race´. Parents too enjoyed a three legged race!
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International Day
On Friday April 4th we celebrated International Day. Each class had been learning about a particular continent in preparation for the celebrations. Rosie from year 5 bravely gave a wonderful
Zumba demonstration to start the day and all of the pupils joined in. The children then participated in an Assembly sharing what they had learnt throughout the week. There was also a demonstration of karate from the pupils who attend the karate club along with their “sensei” Geovanny. After lunch we were treated to an abundance of traditional food from all over the world.
The standard of food and quantity could not be surpassed. The weather was beautiful and everyone had an extremely enjoyable afternoon. Towards the end of the afternoon everyone enjoyed
a demonstration of Tango dancing.
The whole week was a truly multicultural experience. A huge thank you to all the parents, staff
and children who put in an incredible amount of effort to make the day possible.
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Message from Fiona Phillips
As we approach the Easter holidays, I would like to thank all parents for their support during this
busy term, which has seen many events of both a social and academic nature, and we have continued to maintain a strong local press profile and a thriving Facebook page.
All formal parents evenings have now taken place, and I hope that during those, you were able to
gather information about your son/daughter’s progress at XIC. However, dialogue continues, and
you are always welcome to talk to subject teachers, form tutors, or myself about any matter
which concerns you. Similarly, we will be in touch with you where necessary, usually via the
homework diary in the first instance.
Next term, although relatively short, will be dominated by exams. The all-important GCSEs and A
levels, where papers are set by the exam boards in the UK, will begin on 6 th May and continue for
the rest of the term. Oral and practical exams have, however, begun already. These represent
the culmination of many years’ work by our students, the results of which will determine their
future study and/or career paths.
The rest of the school will also be taking exams in June, followed by an end-of-year report. Year 9
have already begun to consider their GCSE option choices for next year, and decisions will be
made in May, as we begin to prepare the programme for next September.
Exciting events to mark the 20th anniversary of XIC are also being finalised, and more information
will follow soon.
Mrs Fiona Phillips, Head of Secondary
Dates for your Diary
Thursday 24th April
Thursday 1st May
Friday 2nd May
Wednesday 18th June
Tuesday 24th June
Friday 27th June
08.50 Summer term starts
School closed Fiesta Dia Del Trabajo
School closed, Puente
Prize Giving/End of term celebration at the Parador
School closed, Dia de San Juan in Jávea
End of term 12.00 noon
We hope that you all had a very Happy Easter!