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.

For the past few weeks, pupils in year 8 have been working on a project in relation to a socio-scientific issue. What is a socio-scientific issue? It is a controversial socially-relevant issue that is informed by science. Some socio-scientific issues, relevant to our Year 8 science curriculum, are presented below through pupils’ project work: lithium batteries; energy drinks; veganism; smoking; fast food. During the project, pupils engaged in secondary research by collecting and analysing data from the internet. Then, they conducted primary research by creating surveys and/or planning experiments. Finally, they used information from their research to carry out an action with the aim of contributing to the raising of awareness.

Below you can find links of the pupils’ actions.

• a leaflet on lithium batteries by Tommy, Louis and Jia
• a video on energy drinks by George D., Jed and Sofia
• a leaflet on veganism by Georgina and Natalie
• a leaflet on smoking by Alexia
• a slide show on fast food by George H. and Meiran

Congratulations to everyone!

What a night was had! The pupils of Year 6 along with their happy teachers and other members of staff in St Lawrence College junior school trotted along to the Efilena Estate for our official graduation event – the Year 6 Formal Dance. The children were treated to an evening of fun and dancing with a super graduation photo booth to make memorable moments that last. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming with the DJ playing tunes that kept the kids on their feet right up till the end!

On Tuesday, 9th May, Year 8 went on a Geography trip to the Ellinikon Experience Centre and Park, to study sustainable living and development. This was a great chance to learn about the urban development of our local area, and emphasised their study on sustainable cities earlier in the year. They enjoyed a guided tour of the centre and activities based around the park, with a focus on how the former airport space is environmentally friendly and going to be used for the people of Athens in the future. The students left a great impression of the school on this trip thanks to their excellent behaviour. 

Last week, the Year 8s went on an exciting trip to Lake Plastiras. Once we arrived in the Lake, we enjoyed an afternoon with activities, such as canoe-kayak, mountain bike, archery and teambuilding games. We developed our cooperation, teamwork skills and admired the beauty of this significant location.

On the next day, we headed to Agrafa mountain where we started our hike. We followed a trail through a forest area and continued in the “alpine zone” from where we enjoyed the views to the Thessalian plain, the Agrafa peaks and Lake Plastiras.  After reaching the top, we crossed four consecutive peaks, until we started our descent on the west side of Tembla. After the hike, we enjoyed our lunch at the Agrafa Mountain Hut.

This was a highly engaging educational experience enjoyed by all. We spent some quality time as a year group and created memories we will never forget.

At the end of November, a group of 30 Year 11 pupils had the wonderful opportunity to visit the unique natural landmark of Meteora in Thessaly, Central Greece. This UNESCO World Heritage site was an ideal setting for plenty of outdoor activities, including hiking and rafting on the nearby Venetikos river. A visit to the local Natural History Museum also enabled pupils to experience the variegated flora and fauna of the area in an interactive and visually-stimulating way. A lot of fun was had by all and plenty of memories were made on this last school trip for the current Year 11s. 

One of the topics examined in the Year 12 syllabus is “Climate change and its impact”. Therefore, on Friday 16^th December the Greek department invited Dr Sevastianos Moirasgentis to talk to our pupils online about the environment and climate change, the issues that arise, the impact it has globally and more importantly its mitigation.

Dr Moirasgentis is a Research Director in the National Observatory and is specialized in Climate Policies. He is also the Lead author in IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).

During the presentation our Year 12 pupils listened with great interest to the information Dr Moirasgentis conveyed to them and asked relevant questions to satisfy their curiosity in learning about this important issue.

A huge thank you to Dr Moirasgentis for sharing this essential information on Climate change with our pupils.

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!

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.

This term Year 8 pupils have demonstrated excellent research and critical thinking skills by completing an action science project. We are delighted to be sharing the outcomes with you.

The pupils chose topics relating to our Year 8 science curriculum, particularly our Chemistry unit 8E and Biology unit 8C. These are 1) climate change and extreme weather events, 2) electric cars and 3) smoking. They carried out a pupil-directed collaborative research process, giving over much of their personal time, thus going above and beyond their normal science work.

First, the pupils became involved in secondary research, collecting and analysing information from articles and the internet. Then, they designed a primary research in order to learn more about their chosen topics. This took the form of surveys and/or experiments. Their final step was to utilise their findings in a way that would make a positive difference to their community, mainly by informing members of the public.

Through their actions, the children link knowledge gained in lessons to everyday life, as well as undertake the responsibility to seek sustainable and equitable solutions to controversial issues. Thus, they make a vital step towards becoming active citizens.

Below you can find the pupils’ actions:

• a video on electric cars, by Sergios and Aris
• a leaflet on smoking by Pervin and Panayiotis
• a video on electric cars by Tara and Isabella
• a leaflet on electric cars by Konstantino and Thisseas
• an art poster on electric cars by Apollon and Nikolas
• a video on climate change and extreme weather events by Antigoni and Konstantino

Congratulations to our pupils who participated with great success once again in the Panhellenic Forensics Tournament which, for the first time, was held online on 1 – 4 April.

St Lawrence participated in many events: Oral Interpretation, Monologue, Impromptu, Group Discussion and of course Debate. We had two finalists: Harry Courts (Comic Oral interpretation) and Dimitris Thodis (Impromptu Speaking), both Year 12. We also had three Honourable Mentions: Charlotte Galatis (Dramatic Oral Interpretation), Jason Spanoudis (Comic Monologue) and Lenora Kirkland (Comic Monologue), all Year 12 pupils. 15 schools and around 400 pupils from many parts of Greece were involved, making it a very successful tournament.

Many thanks to our teachers who helped by coaching and/or judging, Ms Stephanie Stafford (Head Coach and Judge), Mr Russell Courts (Debate Coach and Judge), Ms Argyri Kladouchou (Coach and Judge), Ms Peggy Iliadou (Coach and Judge), Ms Rania Kouvari (Judge) but also to SLC alumni who came back to help coach and judge: Stefanos Strzemiecki (Coach and Judge), Rosie Vorri (Coach), Achilleas Papadimitriou (Coach), Melina Spanoudi (Judge) and Arietta Valmas (Judge). 

For the past few weeks, our Year 9 pupils have put their brains and hearts into creating their own science projects which we are delighted to be sharing with you.

The pupils chose the topics, all of which link to our Year 9 science curriculum. They examined their topic thoroughly, often devoting much of their personal time as this went beyond their normal science work.

First, the children engaged in pupil-directed secondary research, which entails learning from relevant articles. Then they designed their own primary research to learn more about their chosen issue by distributing online surveys to other pupils in the senior and junior school of St. Lawrence College. Their final step was to think of a way they could use those findings to counter each problem by informing members of the public and influence them to bring about change. Three of the projects aim to inform through the creation of videos and one in the form of an article and a petition.

Through their actions, the children illustrate valuable skills such as critical thinking, care, responsibility and courage. At a time when meaningful communication has become more difficult, these pupils managed to express themselves and take a vital step towards becoming active citizens. Throughout the duration of these projects, they demonstrated resilience, overcame obstacles and collaborated despite the challenging circumstances.

Below you can find the results of all this hard work:

• a video on sound pollution, by Fang Fei Liu, Han Xu, Zihan Zhang and Yuxuan Sun - Click here
• a video on skin cosmetics, by Arthur Bastos Ferreira and Stefanos Peralta Galanopoulos - Click here
• a video on artificial ultraviolet tanning by Harry Tsanis - Click here
• an article on energy drinks, by Dorothea Svistunova - Click here

Congratulations to all of them!

Leonardo Da Vinci- 500 years of Genius was the exhibition that inspired and educated our young scientists and artists in years 4 & 5 when they visited on Friday 1st February 2019. Replicas of some of Da Vinci's most ingenious inventions were on display to be admired and marvelled at from up close in Gazi, Athens. A well-informed guide took the children through the objects of curiosity on display and taught the children what they were all about. it was fascinating and well-worth a visit!

Years 4, 5, 6 and the St Lawrence College Choir will fill our morning with seasonal music at our annual Christmas Carol Concert. Each class will be singing carols and poems/passages will be read by various children in each year group. Wednesday 13th December at 9:30 am.

Years 1, 2, 3 and the St Lawrence College Choir will help us embrace the true spirit of the season by performing to parents in the annual Christmas Carol Concert. Each class will be singing carols and poems/passages will be read by various children in each year group. Tuesday 12th December at 9:30 am.