On Tuesday 15^th November our Year 10 pupils went on a trip to Lavrio, organised by the Greek Department.

The pupils visited the Technological & Cultural Museum of Lavrio where they took part in a guided tour around the museum and the mining galleries, interviewed miners that used to work in the metallurgical factory and participated in a number of interactive workshops on ancient mining.

Then they visited the ancient theatre of Thoriko, the oldest theatre in Greece, a unique sample of the architectural evolution of ancient Greek theatres.

Finally, the pupils went to a traditional Greek tavern in Kalyvia where they enjoyed a lovely meal.

A wonderful day full of new knowledge, culture, and tradition!

The Senior school Study Zone has been a hive of university activity in recent weeks. After an initial visit by two UK university representatives a few weeks ago, we were delighted to go one step further and host our first ever mini university fair on November 11^th. On that day, representatives from five top UK universities were on hand to talk to Year 12 and Year 13 pupils on an individual basis, giving them guidance and advice. This was followed by a presentation to Year 11 pupils to give them a general idea of what to expect if they were to attend university in the UK. Finally, on Friday 18^th, for those who are interested in tertiary education a little closer to home, we were happy to welcome the International Enrolment Manager from Deree, the American College of Greece who came to talk to our sixth formers about another possible option for life after St. Lawrence College.

After 3 years of online tournaments, our debaters were back debating face to face over the past two weekends. On the 12^th of November,  a team of 10 pupils took part in the St Catherines tournament and last weekend 6 debaters went to the Deree University Invitational. At St Catherines, Theodora Farmakidi and Constantinos Zafeirakis broke to the semi-finals, but lost a close debate about how to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. At Deree, Kimberley Wang and Dora Svitsunova made it to the final for novice teams but didn't manage to defend the idea that they regret the 'chosen one' trope in popular culture.  It was great to be back in person and we are looking forward to continuing the tradition of successful debating at St. Lawrence.

On the 10^th of November our Year 7 pupils visited the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum in a daily trip organised by the Greek department and the KS3 Head.

First, pupils climbed the Acropolis hill to visit the ancient citadel above the city, containing the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.

Then the pupils enjoyed a guided tour of the new Acropolis Museum where they watched finds from the sanctuaries on the slopes of the Acropolis, as well as objects that Athenians used in everyday life from all historic periods. They also walked amongst the statues from 7 B.C. to the Persian wars.

It was a great day under the Athenian blue sky, a well-deserved day out for our Year 7 pupils!

Year 1 had the opportunity to meet some small, wild animals from Attica Zoo Park, such as snakes, baby sea turtles and geckos. We learned about what they look like, what they eat and their habitats. 

We had a WILD time!  

Mummies, coffins, canopic jars, gods and goddesses, writing tools, hieroglyphics, jewellery etc… Ancient Egypt and its breath-taking artifacts came to life when Year 5 visited the National Archaeological Museum in the centre of Athens last Friday. We loved learning even more about this ancient culture and seeing up close the incredible work of ancient Egyptian artisans. We learned everything from how their society was structured, to how they buried their dead, to the significance of scarabs and the ankh, and even how they made beer! We marvelled at alabaster statues, mummies of cats and crocodiles, and miniature carvings of servants who accompanied their masters to the afterlife. What a marvellous way to augment what we learned in class about ancient Egypt!

On Monday 14^th November, SLC hosted a morning workshop for parents in building children's self-esteem. Dr K. Hatjipateras along with our school counsellor, Ms Stefania Zarri, spoke of the ways and means we can support our children’s wellbeing and personal development. They shared their expertise in a fascinating discussion about the issues and challenges we, and our children, face today. The event was held at the Efilena Estate adjacent to the school and was a real success for all it gave to our school community.

On Friday 4th November 2022 the author and theatre instructor, Mrs Myrsini Lenoudia, visited our school to make a presentation of her latest book «Μια παράξενη καρδιά». Mrs Lenoudia talked to our pupils (Years 1 – 3) about the creation of the universe in an innovative, inventive, and unconventional way using rare musical instruments and interesting images. She finally signed the books our little pupils bought and promised to return to our school to present her next book.

On Monday 7^th November, Year 2 went to ‘Explore’ Entertainment Center at the Golden Hall in Athens. There, they saw a wonderful array of exhibits with everything from fish to teeth, electricity in action and much more. As the science topics this year focus on Habitats, The Human Body and other fascinating scientific areas of study, the children had ample opportunity to immerse themselves in an environment designed to inspire and encourage their curiosity.

On Friday 11 November 2022, Year 5 pupils who follow the Ancient Greek History course visited the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The pupils toured the Prehistoric Collections (Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean) and followed an educational programme on the main characteristics of these civilisations in Greece focusing on architecture, weaponry, pottery, sculpture, wall-paintings, jewellery and burial customs. The visit was concluded with a view of artefacts from the Geometric and Archaic periods.  

This October, all Year 2 classes visited the ARCHELON Sea Turtle Protection Society in Glyfada, to learn about how to protect sea turtles and their habitats. The children learnt about the organisation's facilities and efforts to rescue and rehabilitate injured turtles in Greece. With the donation we offered, we were able to cover the cost of a sea turtle’s rehabilitation for forty days!

Did you know turtles don’t have teeth?

Instead, they use their strong jaw muscles and hard beaks to crush the shells of their prey – crabs, sea urchins and clams. Amazing facts!

On Friday the 11^th of November our girls under 16 football team and boys under 16 volleyball team took part in their annual interschool tournament.

The girl’s tournament took place in Campion with four schools taking part in a round robin format. In the first game of the day, our girls faced St. Catherine's were in a close game they won 2-1. In their second game of the day our team faced host school Campion and again won 2-1. In the final game of the day our girls dominated the game and easily won 4-0 against ACS. The girls won the tournament with 3 out of 3 victories bringing the trophy back and placing it in our brand-new trophy cabinet in the indoor gym.

The boys’ volleyball tournament was a round robin format and took place in ISA school. Our boys lost their first game against Campion after a close game 2 sets to 1, and then faced host team ISA where they lost 2-0. In their final game of the day our team beat ACS 2-0. These results were just enough to earn the boy’s 3^rd place and receive bronze medals.

Congratulations to all members of both the girls under 16 football and boys under 16 volleyball teams for outstanding performances at these interschool tournaments!

A big thank you to our coaches Mr Styliatis and Ms Dikaioulia for their excellent work with their respective teams.

On Friday the 4^th of November 43 pupils from year 8 took part in a 3km cross-country race. The event took place in Syggrou park and was hosted by ACS with various international schools taking part.

The boys race took place first and our top 3 runners were Adam Kayssar, Leon Raptis and George Depolo. Out of 59 boys Adam Kayssar finished in 6^th overall with a time of 13:43. In 11^th place we had Leon Raptis with a time of 14:40. Finally, George Depolo finished in 16^th overall and had a time of 15:27.

Then in the girls race 56 girls took part. Our top 3 runners were Vivian Glymakopoulos who finished in 21^st place with a time of 19:13. Athena Bouillon in 25^th place with a time of 20:16 and Sophia Mikati in 26^th with a time of 20:18.

All boys were cheered on at the finish line by the girls and vice-versa in a light-hearted tournament.

Congratulations to everyone taking part in what was a very pleasant event!

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,” George Bernard Shaw.

Never a truer word was said about how important it is to have time to play. Early Years pupils in the Reception class were treated to a wonderful morning of creative play at Playmobil on Tuesday, 11^th October. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves in an environment specifically made for them to use their imagination in and have fun with the toys there. Their smiles say it all and it is always a trip they look forward to.  

On Friday 7^th October, our FS1 and FS2 classes took an excursion to Ktima Aristi, a super destination for young learners to explore nature and enjoy the outdoors. The children had a chance there, to plant vegetables as well as observe how different fruits and vegetables grow. Our little gardeners tended their crops and planted lettuces too – what fun!