On the Monday just before Christmas, a welcome visitor called by to see our children and check out who's on the Naughty or Nice list this year. The children were ever so excited to meet Mr & Mrs Claus in the junior school library and to hand over their Christmas lists! Along with the Make a Wish charity Chritmas tree, and the upcoming carol concert, it's beginnng to look a lot like Christmas round here!

On Monday 4th December, our Year 10 pupils participated in an educational trip to Lavrio, organized by the Greek Department and the Assistant Head of Key stage 4.
The day started with a visit to the Technological & Cultural Museum of Lavrio, where pupils enjoyed a guided tour of the museum and mining galleries. They had the opportunity to interview former miners from the metallurgical factory and took part in practical workshops, gaining experience and information about ancient mining techniques and the importance of mining in the development of Attica in the old times.
 
The workshop at the museum added a practical and scientific dimension to their knowledge, deepening their understanding of historical mining practices. Then followed a visit to the ancient theatre of Thoriko, the oldest theatre in Greece, which provided the pupils with a unique insight into the architectural evolution of ancient Greek Theatres.
 
To culminate the day, pupils spent some time exploring Lavrio town and enjoying local food.
It was a day filled with valuable experiences, combining new knowledge and cultural insights.

On the 29^{th of} November the Greek Department organised an educational trip to the Acropolis for our Year 7 pupils.

During their visit pupils had the opportunity to see the significant buildings, the age-old statues, the ionic columns, and old temples that draw millions of visitors every year. Experienced guides provided our pupils with all the necessary information about the history and the myths of ancient Athens to help them understand and appreciate their whole experience on the Acropolis hill.

The pupils enjoyed a day out of school with their classmates and had the opportunity to see and learn about the cultural treasures of ancient Greece.

Our over 16 boys and girls football teams took part in the Aegean tournament which took part over 4 days. 

Seven schools took part in the girls tournament. Our girls advanced through the group stage with 2 wins and 1 loss. In the semi final after a hard fought game our girls lost to host school Anatolia which eventually won the tournament. Well done girls for an amazing 3rd place finish!

There were 14 schools that took part in the boys tournament. Our boys advanced through the group stage undefeated. Beat the hosts Anatolia college in the semi final after an intense match with a few hundred people in attendance. In the final our boys narrowly lost 1-0 to German school from Thessaloniki. Well done to all boys for an incredible 2nd place finish!

All our pupils came closer by cheering for one another throughout the tournament, celebrating together and supporting each other, when things did not go our way. We could not be prouder of how our pupils conducted themselves this tournament. They displayed class on and off the pitch.

Congratulations to everyone, and a special thank you to the coaches Mr Styliatis, Mr Strzemiecki and Ms Kalara.

Congratulations to our International Award Bronze team for completing their first two training expeditions! The first one was a two-day expedition to Mt Parnitha, where the Year 10 pupils completed two hikes of approximately 6 kilometres each, one on each day. They also attended some orientation and navigation lessons and had the chance to practise these skills in the mountain. The second one was a one-day expedition to Mt Hymettus, where the pupils built on their navigation and orientation skills acquired during their first expedition. Well done to all of you!

A school disco was held for pupils in Years 5 and 6 on Friday 24th November in the school indoor gym. The disco was a great success and was thoroughly enjoyed as the children danced, laughed and made memories as their smiles clearly show! There was line dancing, there were dance competitions for wonderful prizes and there were a whole lot of excited moves being made on the dance floor all evening. What fun!

On Thursday 23rd November, Year 3 and 4 pupils visited the Cinemax 1&2 in Kifissia to view a selection of short films as part of the 6^th Athens International Children’s Film Festival.  This educational initiative promotes film and media literacy, making films accessible to young people and allows them to analyse and critically engage with the media. After the thought-provoking screenings, which correlated with our curriculum in relation to pastoral care and Persona, Socia, Health Education lessons, an open discussion about the issues highlighted in the short films was held.

Our year 5 and 6 pupils had their first taste of friendly competition against other schools on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th of November. Veritas and DES school brought their boys and girls football teams to compete against ours.
Overall, 80 pupils from our school took part in these 6-aside matches. The days were filled with laughter, fun and healthy competition. Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed this event and were quick to ask when they can do it again.
A big thank you to Veritas and DES for coming to our school to play. Well done to all the pupils who gave it their all during these matches!

On Thursday 23rd – Friday 24th November, a group of 24 Year 11 pupils enjoyed an overnight trip that took in various sites of natural interest such as the Recreational Park of Pavliani, the picturesque seaside town of Galaxidi, medieval Nafpaktos with its stunning fortress, and the quaint, traditional village of Mesaia Trikala Korinthias. Pupils enjoyed themselves hiking, ambling, relaxing and socialising in these wonderful locations.  

The past few weeks saw our debaters take part in competitions at Deree University and St Catherines School. Both competitions had over 65 teams participating and many of the St. Lawrence debaters were taking part in their first competitive debates. Our teams acquitted themselves well as always, with several of them ranking in the top half of very strong fields. The standout performers were Constantinos Zafeirakis and Theodora Farmakidi who qualified for the final in both competitions.

On Friday 24^th November, our dedicated junior school charity ninjas took off to the running track with Ms Diplas and completed as many circuits as they could all in the name of charity. It is always enjoyable for our eager young fundraisers to run for a cause – so they came prepared! With the knowledge of sponsors behind them, they walked, jogged and even broke into sprints as they covered the track as many times as they could. At the end of 40 minutes circling, they were exhausted but jubilant announcing their total “track record” to us all! Bravo children, you did really well yet again!

This November, Years 5 & 6 went on school trips to the Life in Space Exhibition at the Goudi Olympic Complex.  This exhibition brings children closer to the natural sciences and encourages them to grow their interest in learning about the positive impact of space technology on people’s daily lives (STEM). During the visit, pupils were encouraged to consider questions about why space research is so important; about how the International Space Station (the ISS) was built; and to explore how astronauts live in space. A fascinating topic to look into!

On Wednesday, 23^rd November, the PE department held an exciting, fun-filled day for families to raise money for this year's chosen charity endeavour that we have called Play for Thessaly. The aim of the day was to have fun, lots of laughs and plenty of energetic activities to create a sense of team effort and the pure enjoyment of participation. Our children were joined by their parents at the gym for a collection of physically energetic games. There were also raffle tickets on sale with some wonderful prizes including an all-expenses paid trip to see Panathinaikos BC play in Bologna next month, a luxury holiday on the island of Paros, meals out, jewellery and much more!

In November we wore odd socks to celebrate how it's ok to be different, and we learned about not crossing the line with teasing other people. Odd Socks Day is always a success! Our responsible and respectful pupils in Year 6 showed their schoolmates through an interesting assembly, what the difference is between harmless banter and hurtful bullying. ‘Do you know when to stop?’ they asked. This was the question that had our pupils thinking more deeply about the issue and we are sure they will keep talking and thinking about it.

The Golden English Theatre company brought their entertaining version of The Little Prince to St Lawrence on Tuesday 21^st November. Our pupils, from the youngest to the oldest made up audiences for each of the different versions of the play. The Little Prince is a beautiful story about loneliness, friendship, and love. On his journey through the universe, the little prince makes many observations about life and human nature. “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly: what is essential is invisible to the eye.”