During our March half-term, a special day was celebrated around the world on the 14^th of March, the International Pi-Day!  Pi is a mathematical constant having the value 3.14….. (that is the connection to the specific day of March) and is represented by the Greek letter “π”. It is the symbol used in Mathematics to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter and it is one of the defining constants of our Universe.

Pupils and teachers celebrated Pi-Day the week after half-term with several events.

Pupils

·         measured the circumference of circles and, using hands-on activities, found the relationship with the diameter

·         investigated different relationships between angles in circles as well as areas of squares inscribed in circles

·         and passionately participated in several competitions.

Well done to all the pupils that took part in those competitions and here are winning pupils!

·         Haijie Su (Year 8) who won the competition of pi recitation by reciting the amazing number of 124 digits of π!

·          Delfin Saygi (Year 9) who won the competition of writing the most words beginning with pi in ten minutes, she managed to write 50 different words!

·         Dimitris Thodis (Year 10) who won the competition of inventing the most interesting word using π “rib-π-steak”! 

All the events were well enjoyed by both pupils and teachers. The celebrations ended with a very successful pie-sale. We, in our department, are very grateful to all pupils and parents who contributed generously to this unique pie-sale. We are happy to inform you that an amount of 410 euros was collected! All the money will be donated, through the Services Society, to charity and more specifically to the children in the Eleonas Refugee Camp.

It was a really insπring week!

On Friday 29th March 2019, the gymmnasium came alive with the buzz of all-things-scientific in our 3rd Annual Junior School Science Fair. There was a truly impressive level of participation from almost every pupil in KS2, and their efforts to show scientific study and learning was awe-inspiring. 84 projects from individuals and groups of friends were on show for all to see. Friends and families poured in to view these projects which varied in the science fields, encompassing biology, ecology, chemistry and physics. 

The judges, the senior school science department, worked tirelessly to interview every single participant and we thank them for their gargantuan effort to closely examine all the projects and then make the extremely difficult decisions about winners in each year group. Not an easy task at all! 

Once again, what we saw was the significant effort and huge amount of learning that this science fair created so a very big 'Well Done' to all who took part. 

On Tuesday 26th March 2019, our littlest tots in St Lawrence were certainly horsing around in the sunshine! As part of their "Animals" topic, FS1 and FS2 classes visited the Antoniou Farm in Kouvara, Attiki. The children were very excited to see a range of ordinary and rather extraordinary farm animals which call it their home. They also had the opportunity to go horse riding which they loved. What a great experience that was!

On the last day of this half term, Friday 8th March 2019, there was a wonderful carnival atmosphere as all the pupils and their teachers dressed up for a day of celebration and fun. With a parade around the playground for all to admire each other’s costumes, disco music blasting from the speakers across the playground and party foods including cupcakes, pizzas and all kinds of goodies, the children thoroughly enjoyed a day of special treats before the Bank Holiday weekend for ‘Clean Monday.’

The celebrations ahead of the long weekend for Greek Independence Day got off to a wonderful start in the Junior School at St Lawrence on Friday 22nd March. The pupils working together with the teachers in the Greek department put on a delightful and touching performance that told the story of the struggles of the Greek people in the fight for independence in 1821.

The children sang, danced and acted their way through a heartwarming performance that brought smiles and tears to their family and friends.What a way to bring history to life! Bravo everyone who participated!

On Tuesday the 19th of March, our Year 12 Mathematics A-Level pupils visited the Herakleidon Museum in the centre of Athens. They attended an interactive presentation on the evolution of Mathematics from ancient times until the Middle Ages. Our pupils were given the opportunity to observe an interactive model of the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient Greek computer, a wonder of the ancient technology that produced extremely accurate astronomical results and much more. The pupils had the chance to understand real-life applications of Mathematics along with admiring other exhibits of ancient technological accomplishments. It was a revealing experience that enlightened them and opened their minds towards the vast world and the beauty of Mathematics and its applications.

On 2 March 2019 two Year 13 pupils, Rea Karkabi and Isabella Kontogiannis, attended the Cambridge School Debate Competition at the Cambridge University Debating Union in Cambridge, UK. By debating with participants from all over the world, our pupils gained a lot through this challenging experience. We are all extremely proud of them!

On Monday 25th February 2019, Year 1 went to the Herakleidon Museum in Athens, for a Young Engineers workshop. The children explored this opportunity to problem solve through collaboration in groups as they came to understand simple machines including pulleys, gears, wheels and axles. They were fascinated by Ancient Greek “automata” (automated machines) including a striking wooden servant statue that moved and poured water or wine when a glass was put in her hand. The children saw how the Ancient Greeks had used technology in their temples to make people believe in the gods.

To start off their new topic of Animals with a bang, the Early Years' classes had a few special visitors in school today, 1st March 2019. They were visitors of the four legged or no legged variety!

Pets are part of many families, but even the children who do not have pets at home were very interested in the dogs, cats and fish that came to visit us today. Everyone learned a lot about what we need to do in order to take care of  pets and keep them happy. The children had the opportunity to interact with their friends' pets and learn lots about them. 

On Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd March, St Lawrence College participated in the ACS International swimming cup 2019.

14 schools participated and our school competed with 15 athletes, winning an amazing 7 medals. Congratulations to the following pupils, and everyone involved!

Mylonas Aggelos

50 freestyle 1 bronze M.

Syriopoulos Aggelos

50 freestyle 1 bronze M.

100 freestyle 1 gold M.

100 Medley 1 silver M.

Philipopoulos Phaedon

100 freestyle 1 silver M.

100 Medley 1 bronze M.

Dimitrakopoulou Christina

50 Breastroke 1 silver M.

Total 7 Medals

This week in Computer Science, pupils have been creating their own 'wire buzz' games using the BBC Microbit as a microcontroller. Pupils programmed the game to detect when the metal wire is touched and even store the score of the player. Some even extended this to implement a high score leaderboard. Impressive stuff!

Vision Statement

Our school is one community, united in our respect for each other and ourselves; tolerant of differences and proud of our diversity; honest and positive about our learning and behaviour every day.

On Friday 15th February 2019, the Early Years classes held a Superheroes Day. It was an important part of their Make Believe topic for learning these past few weeks. Our tiny tots really enjoyed dressing up as their favourite superheroes and were quick to see that we all have strengths we barely even realise are inside us. What a fun way to learn!

On Wednesday 13th February 2019, Year 6 headed off to Gaia, the Earth section of the well-known Goulandris Museum in Kifissia, Athens. Having studied a fascinating science unit on the environment at school since this Spring term began, the children were well-prepared to respond to our guides' questions and quizzes during the visit. Information about how humans affect the Earth was shared and displays about our precious natural resources were discussed. A very valid experience was had by all.

On Monday 4th February 2019, the Early Years children went on a wonderful outing to Playmobil as part of their 'Make Believe' unit of learning this term. Out delighted youngsters really enjoyed small world play and were given the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings through imaginative play. They were able to create both real-life and fantasy worlds using the figures, both big and small. What super fun they had!