Due to a government imposed school closure, St Lawrence College is not currently able to physically open its doors to its student body. However, we are able to offer a comprehensive set of online alternatives under these unprecedented circumstances and have undertaken considerable efforts to cover every level of learning from FS1 right up to A' level classes.

The Early Years department is in regular contact with families to continue each pupil's development using the online Tapestry platform which is already a big part of the shared learning experience for our youngest children. In KS1, teachers are regularly distributing and receiving work via email and modifying it according to individual learners' needs. 

Right from KS2 (Year 3), to Year 13 for A' levels, the online Microsoft Teams Platform is being utilised successfully by all. It is new to some of our pupils and staff, but not all. Having said this, all pupils and faculty have adapted quickly to the whole situation and are making excellent use of the facilities the platform offers. 

Whilst nothing can replace face to face classroom interaction between teachers and learners, the features of this learning platform mean that lesson material is being delivered with live feedback, thus providing a valuable class experience for our pupils. Lesson material is provided and work handed in as it would be at school. Teachers, who log on for lesson time between 9 a.m. and the end of  the school day, give their classes real time support during lessons and tasks. The experience is proving worthwhile, thus we hold our teaching staff in high regard and thank them for the professional, dedicated effort they are making to ensure no one loses valuable learning time during our closure. 

We wish the whole St Lawrence College community the very best of luck and sincerely hope we all stay safe and healthy in these trying times. 

On Friday 21st February 2020, our youngest children in Early Years took part in a super fun day of dressing up. However, they weren't just dressing up for the fun of it, there was learning to be done too. Books came to life as the little ones shared their favourite stories and pretended to be storybook characters from them. What a fun day it was!

On Tuesday, 25th February 2020, Year 3 took an interesting trip to Planet Physics in Athens. There, they examined all kinds of interactive displays which taught them about their latest topic in science, Forces. There were experiments pertaining to gravity, magnetism, pushes and pulls, torque and inertia. Learning happens everywhere!

Both St Lawrence boys' and girls' under-16 basketball teams competed in tournaments last week.  Six international schools participated from all around Athens, putting on an impressive dispolay of skill and sportsmanship. 

Though our girls played very well, this time they did not leave with medals. The boys however qualified all the way through to the end where, after a tightly-fought game, they took a very respetable 2^nd place, losing only to ACS in the final.

Well done to everyone who took part.

On Thursday 20th February 2020, the PE department organised a huge friendly tournament here at St Lawrence College with several other international schools. Years 5 & 6 played mini basketball matches against players from Byron College, Campion School, DES Elementary and St Catherine's School. In excess of 220 children played for all their worth - their hearts were set on victory even if the scores weren't being tallied up officially. What a fun event it was!

On that day when all things pink and heart-shaped rule supreme, the pupils came back to school for a fun-filled disco party. Friday, 14th February was a noteworthy evening for St Lawrence College Junior School. Dancing, a photo booth, bubbles and flashing lights were all on show to be enjoyed. Yummy pizza was scoffed down by hungry dance enthusiasts preparing themselves for the hotly contested dance competitions. Kids dressed up, or down, for the occasion depending on which style they considered most cool and it was a real treat to see them enjoying themselves so much.

Last weekend, 6 of our Senior School pupils took part in the 2020 First Lego League Competition held in Athens. It was the first time St Lawrence College has entered a team and proved to be a great learning experience. The competition tasks participants with designing a robot to navigate a course and completing challenges in a set times, well as devising a solution to a real world problem. St Lawrence students gained points for their robotic design as well as impressing the judges with their presentation skills. The team had an excellent time and gained some valuable experience and skills which they can't wait to put to use in next year's competition.

On the 28th of January 2020, we were lucky enough to be treated to a visit by the English Theatre Company who performed three different shows for all our children. The Early Years children were very happy to meet Snow White and were very excited on being asked to join the cast up on the stage. Having the chance to take pictures with a real life princess was something that really made the children's day!

Pupils from KS1 and KS2 were also highly amused by further riveting performances that kept everyone laughing and smiling all day!

Last week Natasha Tsitiridis, the managing director of Noesis Consulting, came to talk to the pupils in Key Stages 4 & 5 about planning and managing their transitions from IGCSEs to A-Levels and from school to university. The talks were engaging and informative and the feedback from the pupils was very positive. Most exciting of all was the fact that Natasha is a former pupil of ours here at St. Lawrence so as well as sharing her careers story and giving stellar advice, she was able to really relate to the choices facing our seniors.

Just as last term drew to a close, the Upper Sixth Biology pupils were taken on an educational visit to Biodynamics SA, a reputable private company specialising in molecular technologies and innovative scientific instruments. The leading molecular biologist, Dr Laura Benzonana, demonstrated the procedure of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a fascinating DNA amplification technique which is a critical part of the A level Biology syllabus. The demonstration was followed by a short lecture and an interactive discussion during which the pupils expressed great interest and enthusiasm. It was truly a valuable experience, which the class appreciated tremendously.

This week, our Year 8 pupils presented their projects on the topic of fast food.

The pupils’ research project on ‘How fast food affects health and the environment’, linked to the science department’s  unit on ‘food and digestion’, and gave the pupils the opportunity to explore various aspects of the topic in an open-ended manner. Thanks to their research on this unit, the pupils have been motivated to make positive decisions about their diets, as well as to take action and further and inform and educate our school community, through a poster presentation event.

The event took place on Monday13^th of January, with teachers and pupils from across the senior school visiting the Year 8 science class. During the poster presentation, the Year 8 pupils set their stations around the classroom and presented simultaneously, as their guests circulated and asked questions. They explained the controversies of the topic, described the conclusions and made proposals for the future, discussing their views.

There was definitely a real buzz around the room and our guests were impressed by the pupils’ presentation and debating skills. Several pupils expressed that the experience of researching the topic and what they had learnt through listening to pupils would encourage them to rethink their fast food consumption. Well done Year 8!

A ‘40 Year St. Lawrence College Reunion’ took place on Wednesday 18th December. It gave us all great pleasure to see former pupils of the school again, in some cases after many years, and it was a wonderful opportunity to catch up on their news and keep the St. Lawrence community alive.
 
Over 120 Alumni responded to our invitation. They came to compete against our current school teams in volleyball, football and basketball matches, representing their old school houses of Attica, Epirus and Macedonia. Beyond the sports field, they participated in a number of forensics and debate events. It was a wonderful opportunity to reminisce!
 
For this event our school decided to support PIKPA VOULAS and through a number of charity drives, ending on the day of the reunion, we managed to raise 6,182 euros to be able to purchase mattresses, which are urgently needed for the beds of the children in the orphanage of PIKPA VOULAS.
Dear alumni, you know that you are always welcome here at St. Lawrence College and it will always be our pleasure to see you. Don’t forget us, keep in touch!

We would like to thank our sponsors without whom this event would not have been possible:

Amigos Mexican Restaurant

Seacon

Subdued

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

On the 5th and 6th of December, the Greek Department organised a Greek book exhibition which was held by Kalendis Editions. There were many interesting books for all ages and levels. It was a great opportunity for the pupils to choose the books they liked for their Christmas reading.

On Sunday 8 December, debaters from all over Greece came to St. Lawrence to take part in the Athens round of the Cambridge University Schools Debate Competition. After 4 rounds of high level competition, 3 teams qualified for the finals, which will take place in Cambridge in March. Unfortunately, none of the qualifiers were from St. Lawrence this year (one of our teams came 4th). We wish the qualifiers from I.M. Panagiotopoulos, Moraitis and Pierce College all the best at the finals.

The photo shows some of the debaters preparing for round 3.

As part of the Greek curriculum, the Greek department organised an educational trip for all Year 7 pupils to watch the play “Odyssey”. Pupils were very enthusiastic about the plot and adventures of Ulysses. They realised the importance of having a goal in their life and working hard to make it happen. They also understood the danger of arrogance and the fact that it is not the destination that matters but the experiences one gains during the journey of life.

Well done to Y7 pupils!