Sunday 10th November was Remembrance Sunday, the day when British and Commonwealth countries remember servicemen and women who lost their lives during active service. This year’s Remembrance Sunday had special meaning as it was the 100th anniversary since the first Remembrance Sunday, held in 1919, one year after the end of the First World War.

Pupils of St. Lawrence College were asked by the British Embassy in Greece defence section to sing and read at the Remembrance Day ceremony held at the War Graves Commission cemetery in Falero. Year 12 pupil Jake Paternoster read a letter that a British soldier sent to his mother from the trenches of northern France in 1915. Eleni Kalendi, also Year 12, read the poem “To Germany”, written by Charles Sorley in 1915, which talks of longing for peace between the countries after the war. Both pupils’ readings were beautifully delivered and the attention of ambassadors from many countries, many military dignitaries and other members of the public was held as everyone reflected on the poignant words read by Jake and Eleni.

Later in the service wreaths were laid by a large number of ambassadors and representatives of countries, of army units and schools. Headmaster Mr Phil Holden laid a wreath on behalf of St. Lawrence College. While the wreaths were laid, a group of ten senior school pupils sang “Mansions of the Lord”, having been prepared for the occasion over a number of weeks by music teacher Ms Diana Romeos and accompanied on the acoustic guitar by guitar teacher Mr George Theofanidis.

After the event our pupils were thanked and congratulated by the British Ambassador Kate Smith and by the British Defence Attaché Tim Ferns. Everyone who attended the event was moved by the occasion and undoubtedly it was an honour for our school to be asked to play a central role in the proceedings.
 

As school gets into full swing once again, the thoughts of our Year 12 and Year 13 pupils have begun to turn towards the future and life after St. Lawrence College. With university application deadlines looming, Year 13 pupils have been working closely with their form tutors who offer guidance on all aspects of the application process. Our A-Level pupils have also been given the opportunity to ask questions directly of representatives from UK universities, such as Imperial and King’s College, who have visited the school over the last few weeks to talk about specific information relating to their university but also about campus life in general. As well as that, we were delighted to host diplomats from the Irish embassy who came to tell our pupils more about studying in Ireland; a destination that will undoubtedly increase in popularity in the next few years as the reputation of its excellent universities continues to grow.

On Friday 21st June 2019, the whole of St Lawrence College ended this academic year by celebrating the successes and achievements of its student body with a glorious evening at school. Our Guest of Honour this year was Mr George Samouris, a very successful member of our alumni, having graduated from St Lawrence College in 2005, going on to Magdalen College at Oxford University, then the London School of Economics for his Masters. 

The families and friends of our pupils were delighted to participate in the event, learning of a string of accomplishments gathered by the pupils, beginning with class prizes from Year 3 upwards, special prizes such as the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year, following learning journeys through the senior school, leading all the way to our graduating class of 2019. Awards for Academic Excellence, and the Outstanding Contribution to School Life are held in high esteem and a well-deserved acknowledgment of the supreme efforts put in by our young people. With St Lawrence pupils heading off to remowned universities all over the world, there was a smile on every face. Congratulations to all who achieved and all who gave the best of themselves in their studies.
 

And when the English Theatre Company comes to visit, that's certainly how it seems in the school hall! On Tuesday 5th February 2019, Early Years, Reception & Year 1 were treated to a rendition of 'Jack and the Beanstalk', Years 2, 3 & 4 watched 'Robin Hood and the Golden Honey' and Years 5 & 6 were highly amused at their hilarious version of Romeo & Juiet called 'Love versus Hate!' 

The children laughed and were totally enthralled by each and every performance. Thank you to the talented actors for their energetic efforts once again!

On Friday 18th May 2018, the junior school was treated to a visit by the raucously hilarious English Theatre Company. Their series of shows kicked off with 'The Crab and the Little Mermaid'  for Early Years, Reception & year 1, then 'The Emperor' for years 2, 3 & 4 and finally closed with 'Charlie' for years 5 & 6 in the afternoon. The theatre company had the children laughing as they watched the actors take over the cultural hall. No performance went without a good dose of audience participation and plenty of children got the chance to join the actors on stage and show off their own acting talents! 

A super set of entertaining episodes we'd all agree!

On Thursday 10th May, St Lawrence College hosted the annual Senior School sports day. The day proved to be a thrilling success with many new school records being set by some extremely impressive sportspeople.

The following new school records occured:

Year 9 Shot Put
Vasilis Kotsonis, 13.42.   

Year 7 High Jump
Monica Colombo, 1,33. 
Harutaka Ominato, 1,41

Yr. 8 Long Jump
Two boys achieved a new school record of 1.52: Marios Djionis and Leandros Mandilaris

Year 7 Long Jump
Harutaka Ominato,3.75

Year 8 Long Jump
Daphne Votsis 4.05

The final house points were:

Epirus: 1150

Attica : 890

Macedonia: 960

Through the week of 19th March 2018, the pupils of Key Stage 2 took part in the hotly contested Interhouse Quiz Finals watched by staff, friends and family. The results were always hard fought for and very close indeed - in one instance coming down to a nail-biting one point difference! The finalists all excelled themselves but someone always had to emerge victorious. The results were:

• Year 3 - Epirus
• Year 4 - Macedonia
• Year 5 - Epirus
• Year 6 - Epirus

Ms Orfanogianni's Year 6 class took a trip down memory lane, albeit from their futuristic perspective, in the last class assembly of the year on Friday 2nd June 2017. They transported the audience of schoolmates, teachers and family members to the year 2077, where they held a school reunion the likes of which have never been seen before!

The children made us laugh with their ambitions, their so-called achievements and their mixed recollections of all their varied experiences at St Lawrence College Junior School. 

Well done, children, on an assembly that made us all feel both sad and happy about the end of this era for our graduating year group. We wish you the very best of luck for your move to senior school in September. Onwards and Upwards!

On Friday 10th June, 2016, Ms Rickard's Year 6 class performed the Leavers' assembly for this academic year. In their show, called St Lawrence Has Got Talent, they took a very positive look back over their time in Junior School with an entertaining collection of tasks to carry out. With a humorous air, they took their turns to perform sketches as reality show contestants, teachers and TV presenters in a raucous competition that they tried to win in order to be rewarded with a pass to Senior School! They put on a show of poetry recital, piano-playing, drama, rapping and singing. A  super finale was their rhythmic performance of the well-known Cup Song taken from a well-known film, Pitch Perfect. Super!

Of course, the pupils were so successful at all their tasks they were all declared winners in the end! And winners they certainly are! We wish all our Year 6 pupils the very best of luck next year at St Lawrence Senior School or wherever they may find themselves! 
"We will miss them when they're gone!" declared Ms Rickard.

The annual club displays took place on Thursday the 15th of June in the indoor gym with pupils showing what they have been working on for months in Rhythmics, Yoga, Karate and Cheerleading.
Pupils were extremely excited to have a “sold out’’ audience with their parents and peers in attendance. The displays involved some fantastic acts by all four of the clubs. Parents cheered for their children as they performed a wide variety of acts ranging from acrobatics all the way to breaking wooden boards with their fists.
The following day, pupils in the Karate club had a second chance to display their skills in front of their parents during their Karate exams. All pupils were overwhelmed with joy after passing their exams and receiving new belts. These results were well deserved as pupils displayed an immense amount of effort throughout the year and enjoyed every moment of Karate.
Lastly, our young tennis players in year 1&2 displayed the fundamentals they learnt this year in an open lesson. Parents were impressed with the incredible amount of progress and loved the little games that their children participated in.
It was a very successful year for all the after-school clubs with more pupils joining than ever before. Pupils loved having an extra hour after school where they had fun participating in a sport together with their classmates which helped them develop not only their physical skills but social as well.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2026– 2027 CALENDAR

AUTUMN TERM

Monday 31st August ** Teachers return for in-school training and pre-term preparation
Friday 4th September ** Early Years & Junior School orientation meetings
MONDAY 7th SEPTEMBER ** Autumn Term begins
Mon 26th – Fri 30th October ** Half –Term Break
FRIDAY 18th DECEMBER ** Last Day of Term

SPRING TERM

MONDAY 4th JANUARY ** Spring Term begins
Wednesday 6th January ** National Holiday
Mon 1st – Fri 5th March ** Half –Term break
Monday 15th March ** Clean Monday
Thursday 25th March ** National Holiday
FRIDAY 23rd APRIL ** Last Day of Term

SUMMER TERM

MONDAY 10th MAY ** Summer Term begins
FRIDAY 18th JUNE ** ANNUAL AWARD CEREMONY
MONDAY 21ST JUNE ** Whit Monday
TUESDAY 22ND JUNE ** Summer School begins

SCHOOL RE-OPENS         Monday 6th SEPTEMBER 2027

Parents will be informed under separate emails for Parent/Teacher meetings and events.
Please note that in the course of a year unexpected circumstances may arise and cause the Greek authorities to issue directives which all schools must be in compliance with. For that reason, all dates on this calendar are subject to potential change. Parents will always be informed of any adjustment to the calendar.
If either General or Local Elections are held during the academic year, this will necessitate the closure of the schools on the Friday before and the Monday after the day of the election.

On Wednesday, 14th December, St Lawrence College held its annual Christmas Carol Concert at school. This year the show went on in two parts so that every pupil could play a role!

Early in the afternoon, friends and family came along to hear the choir along with all the children in Years 1, 2 & 3 singing their little hearts out, with mums and dads joining in too.

Later that evening, it was the turn of Years 4, 5 & 6 to dress in their festive finest and come along with their loved ones to sing a tune or two. The choir performed a lovely selection of carols while the violinists accompanied the singing beautifully. What a warm and happy atmosphere there was! Now we all feel ready for a fun-filled Christmas time!

On Thursday 15th December, a rather large sleigh driven by a dozen reindeer made a detour to the car park of St Lawrence College. Father Christmas took a few hours out of his busy schedule to talk with a lot of excited little children about their hopes and expectations of the coming holidays.

"So what do you want for Christmas?" he asked an eight year old.
"Well what have you got?" the child answered cheekily!

Ho Ho Ho! Oh what a hard job Santa has on his hands these days! We wish him the best of luck for this, his busiest season.

Sustainability is meaningfully promoted when pupils act to make positive changes to the world around them. This year, Year 9 science pupils learning the topics of Genetics and Chemical Reactions worked on controversial socioscientific issues of their own choice. These were gene editing and skin cosmetics, respectively. They did so by carrying out a range of activities, such as constructing concept maps, clarifying their values in relation to ethical dilemmas, and engaging in self-directed secondary and primary research. Finally, they utilised the knowledge gained to create materials aimed at raising awareness of the scientific, socioeconomic, and environmental dimensions of these issues. You can see them below and access them using the following links:

• A video on genetic engineering, with a focus on the issue of designer babies – by Or, Romy, Sofia and Yehwon
https://youtu.be/v1myf3O2cz4

• An interactive poster on genetic engineering, presented here in the form of a slideshow – by Jieun, Nour and Taiga
https://youtu.be/v9dP8Ljrn2U

• A video on genetic engineering, with a focus on the issue of genetically modified crops – by George, Maksym and Oleh
https://youtu.be/riKH_8Qtjc0

• A petition on skin cosmetics – by Ale, Christina, Kyriako and Nina
https://c.org/vpLkvB4f4N

In collaboration with the Geography Department, a poster presentation event took place in which pupils showcased their project work. On Monday 15th June, pupils set up their work at stations around a classroom, while pupils from Year 8 Geography groups and other Year 9 Science groups visited. Visitors moved around the room, asking questions and engaging in discussion, creating a real buzz in the classroom as many important issues were explored. 

Congratulations to all pupils involved! A big thank you to all the Geography and Science teachers who helped make the event possible!

During the long weekend of Friday 14^th to Sunday 16^th December 2018, sixteen pupils of our school from Year 7 up to Year 13 took part in the 13th Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations (CGSMUN). Our pupils represented Germany and United Arab Emirates in various committees, such as the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the Economic and Financial Committee, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Environmental Commission (EC), the Special Conference on “Global Health Inequalities” (SPECON) and the International Court of Justice.

The pupils debated and proposed resolutions to international matters as diverse as Strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean (especially in the Middle East and Northern Africa), Reform of the IMF and the World Bank, Preservation of endangered languages and dialects, Ensuring access to water and sanitation for all, Challenges to successful implementation of HIV and AIDS-related health policies, Promotion of vaccination to interrupt community-wide outbreaks, Youth mental health in the digital era, Ensuring access to education in refugee camps, Towards a green transportation infrastructure,  The impact of climate change, desertification and land degradation on global health or the Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

On this occasion, not only did two of our pupils act as Committee chairs, the Disarmament and International Security and the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committees respectively, but a Year 12 pupil was a Judge in the International Court of Justice and was voted the best Judge. Our participant in Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), representing Germany, was also voted the best delegate of the Committee. Both awards are given to participants for their hard work and preparation as well as their excellent presentation and contribution during the three days of the Conference. This year Ms Evangelia Tzironi, a lawyer and asylum expert, who works in the UN Refugee Agency in Athens, visited our school and addressed the members of the M.U.N. Club who had the opportunity to engage in interesting discussions with her as part of their preparation for the Conference. Her help was greatly appreciated and we are all looking forward to her visiting us again to provide our pupils with more insight into the work of the United Nations. And as always all old members of the M.U.N. Club as well as any interested new pupils are welcome to join our next participation in April 2019.

Key Stage 2 is for children aged 7 to 11, covering Years 3 to 6. At St. Lawrence College, this stage typically has a three- or four-form entry, with class sizes of up to 24 pupils, allowing for individualised attention and meaningful teacher-pupil interaction.

Teaching is delivered through a unified curriculum that blends the Cambridge Primary Programme for core subjects with the National Curriculum for England in the foundation subjects. This broad and balanced curriculum includes History, Geography, Computing, Art and Design, Physical Education, Music, and Greek, and is structured to ensure smooth, progressive learning both within and across year groups.

As pupils progress through Key Stage 2, the curriculum naturally broadens to reflect their growing cognitive and academic development. Greek continues to be taught across the key stage, and native speakers have the opportunity to follow a Greek Language History course.

the curriculum naturally broadens to reflect their growing cognitive and academic development

A strong emphasis is placed on ongoing formative assessment to identify each child’s needs and sustain learning momentum. Strategies such as metacognitive questioning encourage pupils to reflect on their thinking. Termly summative assessments in the core curriculum enable the effective tracking of pupil progress and achievement, supporting targeted teaching and academic planning. These are complemented by weekly spelling and times tables quizzes.

In Year 6, pupils take the end-of-year attainment tests in English, Mathematics, and Science during May. Ample support and preparation ensure each pupil approaches these assessments with confidence and readiness.

Reading plays a central role across the key stage. In lower Key Stage 2, reading is closely monitored and pupils are given level-appropriate books to practise at home. Alongside this, guided reading sessions provide focused support to develop comprehension skills and reading confidence. As their fluency develops, reading becomes increasingly independent, guided by individual choice and teacher recommendations to foster a love of literature. To further nurture this enthusiasm, our Reading Challenges encourage pupils to explore a wide range of texts and celebrate their progress as growing readers.

High-quality novels are studied as part of the English curriculum, helping pupils develop comprehension skills, broaden their vocabulary, and build confidence in reading through structured class discussion and analysis.

Pupils learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) are supported with a tailored approach. While integration into mainstream lessons is based on individual readiness, EAL pupils are included in subjects such as Physical Education and Art from the outset to promote confidence and connection.

By the end of Year 6, pupils are fully prepared for the transition to secondary education. They leave Key Stage 2 as confident readers, competent mathematicians, curious scientists, and reflective learners — equipped with the resilience and academic foundation needed for success in the next stage of their education.