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Year 1 pupils had an excellent start to the day on Thursday November 24th, when they participated in the “Multiskills Festival”. They showed with competence and lots of enthusiasm some of what they have learnt in their PE lessons, making their parents and teachers very proud and happy.
Besides all the movements, children showed other attitudes and skills they have developed in the PE lessons and school life, which are just as important, such as self-confidence, enjoyment, enthusiasm, effort, group work, overcoming challenges, organisation, helping and respecting others.
Year 1 children are to be congratulated on their level of ability and confidence at showing an array of difficult motor skills and action.
Well done to all the children and thank you to all the parents and staff for all their support!
Click here for more pictures of the event!
On Saturday November 26th we had our traditional International Day. One more time together, St. Nicholas parents, pupils, teachers and staff demonstrated that we are a true community of learners who are curious about different cultures and open minded to enjoy fresh perspectives. It was certainly another great hit and very significant to embrace this opportunity to celebrate diverse cultures within an international frame of mind. We had seventeen countries represented this time, in a sharing and friendly atmosphere.
Brazil's greatest hits were the pão de queijo and especially the brigadeiro; we also had a chance to enjoy the popular dance Bastões de Moçambique from the interior of the state of São Paulo. From Portugal we had a chance to once again have a taste of the marvellous bolinhos de bacalhau, among other delicious dishes. South Korea had a very beautiful stall where not only could you taste delicious food but also learn about typical clothes, artefacts and even have a go and play their traditional drum. Korea also kindly gave us a chance to enjoy the old and the new, with their millenary fan dance as well as contemporary K-Pop (Korean pop) with the group Black Diamond, and the participation of some of our Senior pupils playing and singing; a joy to watch. England brought some very refreshing ice tea, together with wonderful egg sandwiches and cakes. We also enjoyed the presentation of Saint Andrew Pipes and Drums representing Scotland. The Chinese stall made a hit as usual, bringing mouth-watering dishes such as spring rolls, fried rice and sweet and sour pork, to mention some. In the Italian stall you could find an assortment of Italian delicatessens, however on such a hot day the sorbet was the biggest success. Beside Italy we had the Peruvian stall with the delicious causa. Peru also contributed with two lovely typical dances beautifully performed by a veteran and charismatic couple. The Japanese stall was very busy with sushi and sake and a variety of games. Congratulations to Hidenari and to Kai for their presentations of Kendo and Karate. USA was present with the always popular hot dogs and cupcakes, right beside the Indian stall. India brought an amazing variety of dishes, and visitors could have their picture taken in Indian clothes. Both Colombia and Venezuela brought us their wonderful arepas, the Colombian ones filled with cheese and the Venezuelan with meat. There was "caliente" Latin music in the air, and such energy could also be felt in the zumba presentation, a mixture of dance and workout featuring music and rhythms from several Latin countries. South Africa delighted us with adorable dishes, fruit juices and wine. Nearby we had the Israeli stall, which offered tasty falafel, bread and homus and where you could learn how to write your name in Hebrew. Next to it you could have a taste of guacamole and other delights and have a go in the loteria mexicana. Finally, we had the "hermanas" Argentina and Uruguay, who joined their forces to offer us some of the best sweets in the world and of course the very famous dulce de leche.
There was a lot more than I could write in this short article, but I lack space and words to express the sense of communion and collaboration that permeated the whole event. Thank you very much to Sodexo, to our PTA and its wonder woman Tetê Santiago, to all parents, pupils, staff, maintenance, security guards and guests who made this an unforgettable delectable International Day. See you again in 2013!
350 people and counting as London do it again!
A fine array of swimming talents and ability were on show in an excellent morning of House representation and competition in the third solo Junior House Swimming Gala.
The gala, such a prominent event in the school sports calendar, was well supported again by an impressive number of parents, family members and a variety of Infant/Junior staff and student Senior House representatives contributing to the many successes of the morning.
Over 140 pupils/swimmers from the Junior School in all years competed in a total of 51 races that included all the recognised stokes, open races and a staff/student relay. Astonishingly 9 records were ‘smashed’ which in itself is a credit to the level of swimming on display. Congratulations to the new record holders and may the records stand: Luiza Perez, Ricardo Thiegui, Stefano Pedrinola, Esmeé de Meije, Gabrielle Borges, Rayan Al Masri and Jae Hyun Park.
Each Year Group House competition was extremely tight and Cambridge notably having more influence this year. Mr Pearcy’s London won Yr 3 and Yr 5, Mr Carlos’s Cambridge won Yr 6 and Yr 4 and Mr Chambers’s Oxford challenged but with two close second places could never quite secure a top place. It turned out to be the green of London’s morning and the title has been theirs now for 3 consecutive years. London are once again Junior House Swimming Gala Champions 2011/12.
On behalf of the PE Department a big thank you to all members of the St. Nicholas community and the Head of Houses for their support, time and contribution before and during the event. Congratulation to London and we look forward to the 2nd Senior House Swimming Gala come April/May.
The 16 students together with Ms. Shepherd and Dr. Browne gathered at Congonhas airport on the 15th of November at 5:45am. Feeling rather somnolent, we all boarded the plane, destination to Salvador, Bahia to participate in the Pan American School of Bahia’s Model United Nations conference, also known as SALMUN.
For those who are unaware about the Model United Nations (MUN), it is basically a simulation of what actually occurs at the United Nations, where most countries from around the world gather to discuss worldwide problems, including economic, environmental, social and political conflicts and disputes. The Model United Nations is specifically designed for students and it is practised worldwide. How the MUN works is that each person or partner will receive a country to represent during the conference, and then it is our responsibility to research about our given country and the topics that will come up during debate. The actual conference is all about speaking to the delegates, expressing the point of view and position of your country, to discuss with other delegates to merge into compromise and finally, create fruitful resolutions which contain useful solutions to solve the conflict being discussed.
The first day was mostly about getting to meet our host families who accommodated us during the whole trip. Some went to the beautiful beach, others stayed at their host’s homes as we all relaxed before long and tiring days of debating which were coming our way.
The opening ceremony of the event was on Wednesday the 16th where students from schools all around Brazil attended the conference. In total, there were approximately 170 students. Shortly after the ceremony, all of us went to our caucuses so we could already start debating. There were 8 caucuses, which are debating groups and each caucus discusses different topics. Each person can choose where they want to be allocated months before. Caucuses included the Americas, Asian, African, Middle East and European as the regional caucuses.
Furthermore there were the Security Council, War-Cabinet and the Conselho de Segurança Histórico, which was conducted in Portuguese. The debate would end at about 2:30pm; therefore we had enough time to spend the rest of the day with our hosts.
The following days had similar schedules, where we would have long intense hours of debating and afterwards, have some free time to go to the beach, a friend’s house, a restaurant or just relax.
On the 19th, Saturday, we had the General Assembly, which was a huge debate with all delegates representing countless countries to discuss about the reform of the UN and was held at Odebreche’s auditorium. Moreover, after we had the closing ceremony where prizes were given out (not to mention that Julia Herzog won best delegate within her Americas Caucus) a short clip with photos of the event were shown. Later, all delegates headed to the Pan American School of Bahia to attend the SALMUN party. However the St. Nicks delegates had to leave early and head to the airport as we boarded the plane back to Guarulhos.
In general, I believe that all delegates who were present from St. Nicks had the greatest time and certainly learned and grew from this incredible experience. We not only learned how the debates worked with the parliamentary procedures and complex terms, but also learned about public speaking, developing ideas efficiently, working under time constraints effectively and acquiring responsibility, organisation and independence. Apart from the debates, we all came back with new friendships formed as we got the chance to meet with other delegates. It surely was an unforgettable five days spent at Salvador where we can carry out what we attained from this trip and apply it to our daily lives.
For those who are interested in participating in this beneficial and helpful ECA, please attend on Fridays starting at 1:40pm as more conferences are on the way!
The Blaze! is the new student-produced magazine circulating around school! The initiative involves students ranging across the entire Senior School. Our editorial team wants to bring interesting news, joy and entertainment into students’ lives, which is why our articles focus on topics varying from celebrity gossip to sports to school events! A limited number of printed copies of the first edition is available around school and a PDF version can be visualized online through the school website or by clicking the link below. Anyone who wishes to collaborate is more than welcome and any comments/suggestions can be sent to any of the editors via school email! Find posters around school with more information and contacts. We are looking forward to our next edition and hope that The Blaze! lives through many more school generations!
Read The Blaze!
