Friday, the14th of March is celebrated worldwide as the International π -day. This special day was also celebrated in our school by the Mathematics Department with KS3 pupils being involved in hands-on π activities. Our traditional pie sale was a success, with pupils bringing in impressive circular pies and the proceeds collected will be donated to support Salvia – The Greek Association for Burn Survivors. All Year 9 pupils, formed a human chain of π digits to understand, by displaying it themselves, that π is a never-ending decimal number.  Both the pupils and the teachers enjoyed the important mathematical day with all their hearts!

On Friday 14th March, we were very pleased to hold our annual Junior School Science Fair in the gym. The pupils from Years 3 to 6 took their chance to showcase their scientific understanding and shine like real scientists.

There were some truly outstanding entries, and the judges had to think long and hard about what the children, working on their own or in groups, had managed to achieve. There were chemistry experiments, physics investigations, biology experiments and even challenging AI related studies, all presented with flair and confidence by our young learners for their peers, teachers and parents too. 

Thank you to our Science Leader, Ms Maniatis, for putting on such a wonderful event which was enjoyed by all who attended. 

On a crisp day in February, the carnival spirit was clear for all to see as St Lawrence College Junior School celebrated the end of this half term with a traditional carnival day. As is customary at this time of year, communities get together to dress up and have fun parading and dancing in fancy dress costumes of all kinds. The children certainly lived up to our expectations and they weren’t the only ones – their teachers made an effort to put a smile on their faces too. No one can take themselves seriously on Carnival Day, can they?

On Tuesday 4th  and Thursday 6th February, our school proudly hosted annual mini-basketball tournaments for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. These two action-packed days brought together more than 150 enthusiastic players, all eager to display their basketball skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship. A total of seven schools participated in these thrilling events, making for an atmosphere filled with energy, competition, and cheers from supporters. The level of play was truly commendable, with players showing remarkable determination, quick passes, and impressive shots. The courts were alive with excitement as young athletes dribbled, defended, and aimed for baskets, embodying the spirit of the game. Teachers, coaches, and supporters were all delighted with the high standard of play and the enthusiasm displayed by every participant.

A heartfelt congratulations to all our young basketball players who proudly represented St Lawrence College. Your dedication and effort were truly inspiring! 
 

On Wednesday 20th November, the Greek Department organised an educational trip to Lavrio for our Year 10 pupils. 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 complete the day, pupils and teachers went to a local restaurant where they all enjoyed their lunch. It was a day filled with valuable experiences, combining new knowledge and cultural insights!

Friday nights are sometimes turned into disco nights at St Lawrence College for our 9- to 11-year-olds. Dancing away the wintery blues is just what the doctor ordered for these energetic youngsters. And dance they did! With all the latest big tunes to jump around to, as well as a bunch of old classics that get everyone's feet tapping, they had a really enjoyable evening of laughs and good times with all their friends. 

Competitions too, set the heartbeats racing as the children attempted to scoop up prizes for showing their best moves under the watchful eyes of our expert teachers who judged it all. Thank you to all the staff who stayed to supervise the evening and enable the children to have so much fun.

The pupils of St Lawrence are showing just how happy they are to be back at school with their friends and teachers. Playtimes are the best times for our children as they have the chance to enjoy the sunshine and our wonderful outdoor environment. 

The games they play, the laughs they have and the friendships they build are grounded in security as they are always under the watchful eye of our staff. 

Ready! Respectful! Safe! These rules guide our school through every part of every day.

Welcome back to school everyone!

On Thursday 6th June, the children of year six joined their teachers at the Efilena estate to say goodbye to their friends with a formal dance. They danced to everything from Baby Shark to Eurovision favourites to the latest Taylor Swift hit. There was tasty party food to eat and each one of the children looked amazing in their best party outfits. Here’s to high school just round the corner!

Our annual Year 6 Milias Camps residential trips were hugely enjoyable experiences for our Year 6 leavers this June. The teachers and children set off to the foot of Mount Parnassos for a three-day adventure in the fresh mountain air. They settled into comfy cabins and were taken on excursions including exhilarating river trekking and hiking. The children particularly loved pool time and many learned archery and practised new climbing skills under the watchful eye of experienced coaches Georgie and Carolina. They cycled around the locality with Ion and Manolis and those less confident on two wheels were even given cycling lessons – core memories of camp! 

We are thrilled to announce that our school was proudly represented by pupils from Years 4, 5, and 9 at this year’s No Finish Line event held at OAKA on Thursday, May 16th, and Friday, May 17th.
A total of 223 of our pupils and teachers participated with immense joy and enthusiasm, contributing to the biggest charity run for children in need. Our school's dedication and spirit were truly remarkable.
Our school finished in 5th place out of 24 participating schools and 12th out of 112 teams, accumulating an incredible total of 1,733 kilometres.
A huge congratulations and well done to everyone who came and gave it their all during this event! Your hard work and commitment have made a significant impact.
 

On Friday 15th March, we celebrated Carnival with a fun day of class parties, fancy dress, parading and dancing too. The sun shone kindly on us and allowed everyone to really enjoy the occasion with a smile. The children were exceptionally turned out as always with creative, colourful and clever costumes of all kinds. Teachers too got into the spirit and wore hilarious costumes that had their classes laughing along.

What a great start to a long weekend and the coming of Lent.

On Friday the 15th of December our school hosted the parents vs pupils matches.
The day began with the draw of the raffle. Pupils and teachers celebrated winning incredible prizes with the whole school in attendance.
With the conclusion of the raffle, the parents vs pupils football and basketball matches took place. The matches brought smiles to both the parents and their children who competed valiantly against each other. The day produced lots of laughter and unforgettable moments for both pupils and parents alike.
All the proceeds will be added to the total sum of money raised for Thessaly.

With university application season in full swing, the first half of term saw several experts from the UK and US visit our school to discuss options both with Year 13s and with Year 12s who are just starting to seriously consider life after St. Lawrence College. At a mini university fair and presentation, representatives from four UK universities were on hand to talk to pupils both collectively and on an individual basis, giving them guidance and advice. This was followed just before the half-term break by a visit from a representative of St. Andrew’s whose interesting talk helped pupils understand why this university is one of the highest regarded in the UK. With the US becoming increasingly popular amongst our pupils, we were also pleased to be able to host a representative from Boston University who talked to pupils and also did a workshop with teachers on writing effective references.

During the half-term break, the Year 4 classrooms fell victim to some rather unwelcome visitors who left quite a mess behind them when they left. DRAGONS were caught on camera getting up to the kind of mischief only dragons can do, leaving tables and chairs overturned and books tipped out of cupboards! The children and their teachers were shocked to learn of this event so got straight to work tidying the messy rooms and writing newspaper reports about these terrible crimes. Evidence of the dragons’ presence was examined, eyewitnesses were interviewed, and the authorities were contacted to help solve the mystery of the dragons at SLC!

From 9^th-13^th October the senior school had some interesting events happening for Mental Health Awareness Week.

To get the ball rolling, on World Mental Health Day the assembly by Ms Perraki was all about ending the stigma attached to mental health. All pupils and teachers in the senior school wore stickers of a green ribbon for the day showing our support for reaching out and talking about mental health. Also, some Year 12 and 13 pupils took fun photos of senior school pupils and staff with helium balloons and our St. Lawrence College mental health matters photo frame at short break and lunch. It was incredibly popular, and it was great to see so many people enjoying the photoshoot!    

On Wednesday 10^th October all the senior school had extended form for ‘Friendship Form’. An older and younger form group were paired up and pupils had the opportunity to discuss scenarios about mental health support and the older pupils shares advice with younger pupils. We will have some more Friendship Form opportunities at regular intervals in the year to encourage the cooperation and interaction between different year groups. At lunchtime on Wednesday, Ms Michaelides ran a yoga session for staff and pupils to enjoy. The Year 7 and 8 pupils that attended really enjoyed the session. 

During the week the Art, PE, Science, EAL and PSHE lessons had an array of happenings related to mental health. Pupils in Years 10-13 did an activity about managing stress in form time to get pupils to consider how to manage pressures they may face.

Around school, wall displays also raised awareness of the importance of looking after your mental wellbeing and ending the stigma attached to mental health.

The Pastoral Team ensure that mental health is considered every day at St. Lawrence College, but this very varied week was much appreciated and supported by all our school community.