On Saturday 16th December, the St Lawrence College Junior rugby team comprising of pupils from years 5, 6 & 7 played two games of seven-a-side against the club Attica Springboks at Glyka Nera Municipal Stadium in East Attica. In the first match our boys powered their way to a victory score of 30-15 but in the second match we were narrowly defeated to the score of 25-30.
   
Both games were played strongly with a very respectable number of tries and some brave tackling. Even the new team members got to experience a real taste of the sport at a competitive level, which is no mean feat! Well done boys, with the guidance of your super coach Giannis Rizos you're sure to go far.  

Year 7 pupils thoroughly enjoyed their recent excursion to the centre of Athens. In surprisingly warm December sunshine they climbed the 150m high Acropolis to visit the ancient citadel above the city, including the Parthenon. The guide told them about the ancient Greek civilisation and informed them about the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. They were also given the opportunity to take in the panoramic views over the modern city.   

Then the pupils enjoyed a guided tour of the Acropolis museum. They saw 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 walked amongst the statues from 7 B.C. to the Persian wars. Moreover, they visited the Parthenon gallery to learn about the construction, inscriptions and cultural decorations of the architecture at this world-famous site.

Pupils certainly were able to enjoy the day out and they learnt plenty about the history of the city in which we live. An interesting time was had by all! 

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, St. Lawrence was visited by Marialena Kalyva-Dragazi, a clinical psychologist who specialises in family therapy and working with young people. On Monday morning she spoke to parents on the topic of Internet and Gaming Addiction, a subject which is a very real issue in many households. The seminar was very well-received by a packed room of parents who stayed for a long time afterwards to ask questions and receive practical advice.

The rest of Monday and Tuesday was spent with pupils, as Ms Kalyva-Dragazi worked with Years 9-13, talking to them about mental well-being and ways of coping with stress, both positive and negative. Pupils were given useful strategies on how to live happier lives and also had the opportunity to talk in more detail and more personally about some of the issues raised.

On Thursday 7th December, in order to enhance the children's learning and to make the most of the festive season, Year 3 visited Paradise Park in Acharnes. The children had a whale of a time decorating Christmas shortbread biscuits with melted chocolate and sprinkles. They  took part in tremendously fun activities which included a ride on a horse drawn cart with Santa, built an obstacle course and played lots of group games too.

"This is the best day EVER!" exclaimed one excited pupil. We have to agree it certainly looks like they had a lot of fun!

Eight pupils of our school will take part in the 12th “Costeas-Geitonas School” M.U.N. (Model United Nations) Conference which will be held on Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th of December 2017 at the Costeas-Geitonas School.

The Costeas- Geitonas School M.U.N. conference is THIMUN Affiliated Model United Nations and its higher level is certain to be appreciated and enjoyed even more by the pupils taking part. This year the CGSMUN conference focuses on The Rise of Populism.

The pupils have to be at Costeas-Geitonas School at 9:00 am on each day and will have to stay there until approximately 6:00pm. On Friday morning only will they be taken from our school to Costeas-Geitonas with our school bus.

Key Stage 3 trip to the theatre at Megaro Mousikis in Athens. Almost 50 pupils from Years 7, 8 and 9 will have the opportunity to watch ‘Shadowland’ performed by the New York Pilobulus Theatre Company. The show will commence at 5pm and last about 1 hour and 30 minutes.The pupils will leave school at the end of the day (3:30pm) and return to Ag. Konstantinos Square Glyfada (outside the Public store) at approximately 7:30pm.

The pupils of years 4, 5 & 6 were burning up a serious fever, DISCO fever nonetheless, on Friday 24th November 2017. They had a blast, it has to be said! The dancing was frenetic, and when THE HAT was placed on their heads, boy did they go for it! They were searching out the spotlight to show off their talent and enthusiasm for getting down to the music. 

Of course as usual, the pizza, juices and litres of water were consumed with as much gusto as the music, so all in all it was undeniably a success. Well done to all the children and teachers who participated so enthusiastically and kicked off the weekend to a roaring start!

In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, the children in Early Years had a wonderful celebratory feast on Thursday 23rd November 2017 to mark this special holiday. They learned all about the pilgrims, the Mayflower, and they even donned bonnets and hats in the traditional style. 

When asked about why it was important to share their food around a big table, one happy little voice piped up, "We want to give food to our friends like this!" Yes indeed, sharing with friends is very important. And fun too by the looks of it!

On Wednesday 22nd November 2017 Year 4 had a special visitor, Mrs Navarro, who came to talk to them about her specialist subject, the Maya civilisation. This was a valuable visit to enhance the children's understanding of a topic studied in History.

Teachers and pupils were fascinated by her interesting and insightful presentation which made clear her in-depth knowledge of this subject. Everyone found it both informative and enjoyable, a fact that was reflected in the many questions put to her. The children's curiosity was piqued, and she taught them many amazing facts about this great civilisation.

Many thanks to Ms Navarro!

On Wednesday 15th November 2017, Year 5 had the opportunity to visit an Egyptian exhibit at the Archaeological Museum in the centre of Athens. Led by a tour guide with plenty of expertise in this area, they experienced first-hand, hundreds of artifacts from Ancient Egyptian times. 

The highlight of the trip was the amazement of the students when they saw a sarcophagus with a real mummy still inside! Their imaginations ran wild, I can tell you, and they were fascinated! Let's just be thankful it didn't wake up! 

49 pupils, from Years 7,8 and 9, will enjoy an after school trip on Friday, 15th December at Megaro Mousikis in Athens. They will have the opportunity to see "Shadowland" performed by the New York Pilobolus theatre company. The show will commence at 5pm and will last 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

It combines multimedia, projected shadow play and front of screen choreography. This is the first shadow theatre event of its kind to tour the globe and it has already been watched by more than a million people in 32 countries. Indeed, before Pilobolus come to Athens it will be in Argentina and then is off to China. 

Year 10 Geography pupils went to Viotia, in central Greece, for a two day trip last week to gather data for their IGCSE coursework. On Mt. Parnassos they investigated the impact skiing is having on the soil and vegetation. In the stunning town of Arachova they evaluated the effect of tourism on the environment by conducting litter, traffic and environmental quality surveys. They interviewed locals to ask them about whether the town has changed economically and socially/culturally due to it being a tourist honeypot.

After gathering information for their projects, the pupils then enjoyed a guided tour of the ancient Delphi site and the museum. Moreover, they spent an afternoon by the sea in beautiful Galaxidi. All the pupils were enthusiastic about having the opportunity to do their tourism research in the field. As well as learning, much fun was had by all!

More than 51,000 runners, from some 100 countries, took part in the Athens Marathon races this weekend and St. Lawrence College was represented as always! We had an enthusiastic group of teachers and pupils taking part in the 5km and 10km races. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the sporting events and the atmosphere throughout the city centre was electric. Finishing in the Panathinaikon Stadium was a truly memorable experience for all involved. Next year we are hoping to enter an even bigger team….so great training if you're interested!  

On Tuesday, 17th October 2017, Year 4 children and their teachers visited the beautiful coastal park near Vravona, Attikis.To enhance their learning of the Geography syllabus, they took a leisurely stroll along the mudflats towards the estuary, studied the features of the area and its wildlife, and saw firsthand how the water cycle works.

They also visited the extraordinary, ancient ruins at the Temple of Artemis, exploring the site and learning about its history. Later, the children were given a guided tour of the Museum there, and were able to view many artefacts which had been found both on site and in the surrounding area.

It was an enjoyable and rewarding day for all.

On Tuesday, 10th October, 2017, our Year 3 children visited Pedopolis where they took a close look at a subject very close to their hearts in more ways than one - Healthy Eating. They participated in numerous hands-on activities related to their science unit under study this term.

The children really enjoyed making themselves a colourful place mat which illustrated all five different food groups. Then, they followed instructions to prepare a delicious healthy smoothie! Eating it afterwards was even more of a treat! 

The children also listened to a guest speaker, Mr Bill Kokkalis, an Australian trained physiotherapist who taught them about the importance of exercise in their daily life and the many benefits it offers to their body and mind. When asked if the children preferred an active 'Kangaroo Lifestyle' or an inactive 'Koala Lifestyle', we were extremely happy that they happily chose the kangaroo over the koala! A great day overall!