We are incredibly proud to congratulate both of our International Award Bronze groups for successfully completing their final adventurous journey on the island of Kea during the weekends of 3rd- 4th May and 24th- 25th May.
Over the course of these two weekends, each group undertook a challenging two-day expedition, carrying all their own equipment and preparing their meals independently using portable cookers. This journey tested not only their physical endurance but also their resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
On the first day, after completing a demanding hike through Kea’s beautiful yet rugged terrain, the students were rewarded with a refreshing swim—an enjoyable and well-deserved break that lifted spirits and celebrated their hard work. As evening fell, the groups gathered to cook hearty meals, followed by the timeless camp tradition of roasting marshmallows under the stars, sharing stories and laughter around the warmth of their cookers.
Throughout the expedition, all pupils demonstrated exceptional teamwork, determination, and maturity. They applied skills they’ve developed over the past year—not just in mountain navigation and map reading, but also in leadership, collaboration, and self-reliance. From managing group dynamics to cooking safely in outdoor conditions, each participant showed remarkable growth and adaptability.
This final journey was a culmination of months of preparation, learning, and effort, and each student should be incredibly proud of their achievements. They 've not only conquered mountains but also grown as individuals and as team members.
Well done to each and every one of them!

As we are all very aware, Christmas is a time of giving, and we are incredibly touched by the generosity of our families and the willingness of our pupils to help with charitable causes this Christmas season. For one, the Junior School Charity Ninjas have worked together with the Senior School Services Society to gather Christmas gifts for needy refugee children in Athens, and our wonderful Shoebox campaign enabled us to give hundreds of gift boxes to Ark of the World Metadrasi, Faros and the Soup Kitchen in Anavyssos which has been long supported by SLC.  

Furthermore, the charity Floga (Φλόγα), the Panhellenic Association of Parents of Children with Cancer, has been supported with a large donation as our pupils hosted a holiday sale with their items. This charity represents and supports thousands of families all over Greece and fights for better medical, psychological and social care of children suffering from cancer. 

We also supported Make A Wish Greece by having our pupils make a donation and write their heartfelt wishes on a star that we then hung on our branches of kindness. This well-known charity is one of the charities we donate to annually and has expressed its appreciation over the years.  

Another charitable effort was held with a Festive Jumper Day to raise money, as well as a raffle that offered a lusciously full gift basket brimming with all kinds of goodies as the prize. Both were successful enough for us to make a sizeable donation to Doctors of the World Medecins du Monde and Ark of the World. 

We thank all our generous, kind families for their efforts to help others through our combined efforts. Community is everything, as we certainly can see.  

On Wednesday 2^nd of November our school hosted the over 16 girls’ football and over 16 boys’ volleyball tournament.

Four schools took part in the girls football tournament; St.Lawrence, ACS, Campion and St.Catherines. The tournament was a round robin format where our girls faced Campion in their first game of the day. Our girls dominated the game beating Campion 4-0. In our second game we would face St.Catherines. Our girls took the lead winning 1-0 however, our team would concede later in the game and drew 1-1 after fighting hard. In the final match of the day our girls faced ACS. The girls scored an early goal winning the game 1-0. With two wins and a draw our girls finished the tournament in 1^st place lifting the trophy on home soil while shouting Lawrence in the centre of our newly built football pitch.

Five schools and six teams took part in the boys volleyball tournament; St.Lawrence over 16, St.Lawrence under 16, ACS, Byron, Campion and ISA. In the first game of the day our over 16 team faced Byron and won 2-1. Our next match for our over 16 team was a must win against ACS to advance to the final. Unfortunately, ACS would win the tiebreaker after a thrilling match. In the first game of the day for our under 16 volleyball team we faced a strong ISA team and lost 2-0.  In our last game of the day our under 16 team faced Campion. In the tiebreaker we were 1 point away from winning the game against Campion. However, that point did not come, and we lost 2-1 but the display of our young team shows how bright the future is for our school.

Congratulations to all team members for participating in the first tournament hosted by our school since covid. Thank you to the coaches Mr Styliatis and Ms Dikaioulia for doing a wonderful job with our teams.

Lastly, a shout out to this year’s sponsor of all our school’s football teams Lobo Del Mar yachting and the Kallimasia family who are ex-pupils of ours. Markello Kallimasia was a member of all our school teams and a super athlete but was best known for his footballing ability and love for the sport. Thank you, Markello, for being ‘Happy to do my part’ which in turn brought happiness to the faces of the girls dawning their brand-new football kit.

During the weekend Friday 5^th, Saturday 6^th and Sunday 7^th eleven of our pupils took part in yet another Model United Nations in the American College of Greece representing three countries, DPRK, Slovakia and Equatorial Guinea, as Delegates in various Committees, as diverse as the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, the Legal Committee and the Security Council. This time two of our pupils held the position of Chair of two Committees, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The theme of this Conference was “Digital Citizenship”, an extremely interesting and thought provoking area of discussion. Some of the topics that were debated in the Committees during the three days of intense work were related to the theme of the Conference, like assessing the security and privacy of digital footprints, use of artificial intelligence in medicine, artificial intelligence and robots embedded in the workforce, but others were as diverse as combating political propaganda, impact of military materials on the environment, rejuvenating the economies of former conflict zones, the question of the diminution of the birth index, balancing the roles of public and private sectors in economic growth, the issue of DNA cloning, combating the international obesity and diabetes epidemics, the return and restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin, or the journalistic responsibility and the fight against the spread of false information online.

Taking part in an MUN Conference has become very popular among our pupils, older and younger ones, as young as Year 7, who very bravely sacrificed a whole weekend, debating over long hours on topics that are really challenging for them. As for the old ones, they are used by now to be Chairs of various Committees and to help the younger members of the MUN Club of our school feeling excited as well as informed and prepared. We are all looking forward to our next participation in October, in an MUN Conference which will see one of our pupils as the President of the General Assembly! Well done to all!

The audience was stunned at the incredible performance given by the cast of the play Mary Poppins on Friday the 9th of June 2017. From the magical voice of the Bird Woman, played by Ariadni Markantonaki-Kouletaki, the endearing voice of Dora Svistunova as the singing Mrs Andrews, and Lydia Stephenson with her cheerful demeanor and Suffragette song, everyone was transported to Broadway. Notwithstanding the beautiful singing and acting skills of Mary Poppins played by Poppy Dardanis, Jane played by Marita Katsouridis and Michael played by Clio Votsis, Max Stephenson in his role as Bert and Kristian Narsesian as Mr Banks stole the show. 

Talented actors and actresses such as Admiral Boon played by Nicholas Papatheodorou with Mr Binnacle played by Mehmet Alkoc, gaily greeted Eleni Darom as Miss Persimonn and Georgina Kolias as Miss Bertha as they wandered through the park. Filippos Anastasopoulos as the Constable did his rounds, whilst Sofia Tzagkaraki-Kaseta, ran to and fro hanging up coats and hats whilst trying to keep an eye on the children. Layan Yaghnam was a superbly strict Miss Andrews as well as a stiff Mrs Dawes, who underwent a transformation at the end of the play.
Neleus played by Nikolas Giannopoulos came alive in the park and the wonderful chimney sweeps played by Jed Stephenson, Lucas McIntosh, Nicci Dardanis and Phoebe Votsis, kept time with the beat of the catchy music played by Carole Crawford. All in all one of the best performances that have come together under the direction of Lindy McMullin, it could not have been done without the invaluable help of senior school drama club members, Christina Grammatikopoulos and Yannis Apostolakpoulos who assisted direction throughout the year. 
Special thanks go to Dimitris Zafiris, Panagiotis Spyroudis and Erzan Turimbetov for stage development and last but not least, Daphne Votsis for giving up her afternoons during rehearsal time to assist. 

IGCSEs

These exams are organised by Cambridge International, who have issued a statement that these exams will proceed as planned in May/June 2020 in any of the schools across 160 countries conducting Cambridge IGCSEs – so long as the schools are allowed to open. If schools cannot open it is not yet clear what will happen.

AS & A-LEVELS

Our AS and A-Levels are conducted by three examining bodies – Cambridge, Edexcel Pearson International (International AS/A-Levels) and Edexcel Pearson (who conduct “British” AS/A-Levels).

Cambridge AS/A-Levels – these go ahead as planned so long as the school in question can be open to conduct examinations. If schools cannot open it is not yet clear what will happen. The AS/A-Level subjects in this category are Art & Design; Geography; and Literature.

Edexcel Pearson International – these go ahead as planned so long as the school in question can be open to operate the exams. If the school is unable to open, grades will be awarded to those who have been entered for exams. How grades will be determined is yet to be decided. The AS/A-Level subjects in this category are Mathematics; Further Mathematics; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Economics; Greek; AS-Level French.

Edexcel Pearson (“British” AS/A-Levels) – these have been cancelled, barring any change of decision from the UK authorities. Grades will be awarded but no decision on how that will happen has yet been released. The AS/A-Level subjects in this category are History; Politics; Chinese; Russian and French (but not AS-Level French).

Advance oral exams and advance Art exams – some exam qualifications require an advance component to take place. These include languages where an oral examination is conducted, and Art & Design where an earlier exam is scheduled. These instances occur at both IGCSE and AS/A-Level. In these cases we are awaiting a definitive decision about whether time frames can be extended, or whether the advance component will occur at all.

That is where we stand currently, as of Friday 20^th March. The situation may well change rapidly and the school is in almost hourly contact with exam bodies. The exam bodies themselves are in a state of flux as they wrestle with a sudden and new scenario. Even so, they understand their responsibility to pupils and schools. We are also in touch with other British schools facing the same scenario and we are seeking guidance from COBIS – the premier organisation of British schools around the world. Furthermore, we will be investigating any possibility of the school opening exclusively for examinations if the school as a whole in its regular form is ordered to be closed at the time of examinations.

In short, we are doing all in our power to get answers to all the questions relating to examinations while planning for an array of possible scenarios as well.

Our pupils in Years 11-13 who are scheduled to take examinations are advised: 

1. Focus on your study. Let the school do all the worrying, investigation and planning around this disrupted examination (and school) period.
2. Rest assured that however the coming weeks and months unfold, and whatever happens, the interests of you, our pupils, will be safeguarded as our top and guiding priority at all times. We will demand and ensure with all our power that pupils facing public examination assessment will be treated as fairly as possible and all this disruption that you have suffered will be taken fully into account.

Senior school assemblies
Assemblies create a chance for pupils to gather in a larger group, comprising a significant proportion of the school, in order to listen, learn and sometimes contribute to a key theme. As such, an assembly is a special moment in the week of a pupil’s schooling.

All pupils attend one of two assemblies per week while in senior school. As well as performing an administrative function, the purpose of an assembly is to raise awareness on a topic. This is often part of the delivery of the PSHE programme, initiating a topic that will be explored further in form classes. It might be to report on the activities of pupils in other spheres of the school, such as trips or debating or sporting tournaments. Or perhaps the assembly simply aims to provoke reflection among pupils on some aspect of global or local current affairs.

For example, in recent months, senior school assemblies have covered themes as diverse as examination preparation techniques; the dangers of tobacco and e-cigarettes; code-breaking and cryptology; the ethics of depicting animals as humans in photography; issues related to bullying; the results of a school photography competition and a celebration of origami – where all children created a paper box following live instruction.

Assemblies also provide an opportunity for collective commemoration. This is the case of anniversaries, with assemblies held for Remembrance Sunday and for Greek celebrations such as “Oxi Day” (28th October) and Greek Independence Day (25th March). Special assemblies may be called to commemorate major current affairs. The Peshawar school massacre of December 2014 and the Paris bombings of November 2015 both triggered whole school assemblies where pupils were given the opportunity to reflect quietly and collectively as a group.

Junior school assemblies
Every morning at 8.40am, all pupils in the Junior School assemble in the playground to meet their teachers, before being admitted into class.  Here the Headmistress and Deputy Headmistress greet the children to say good morning, make any important announcements and wish them a good day.  Very often morning assembly is also a time when we discuss whole school initiatives, acknowledge pupil achievements and have pupils present a variety of topics to the rest of the school.

Class assemblies are held on Fridays for all classes in Years1-6. Pupils prepare for several weeks to present a topic that is related to specific PSHE and Citizenship themes that they have been learning about. The children are encouraged to have their thinking extended by each assembly and often take part in follow up activities on the theme presented.

All of our assemblies follow themes and issues that we feel are important for our pupils to understand as they prepare for life in the modern world and also to cope with everyday life in school.  Such themes as learning about values, respect and tolerance, diversity, building resilience and being proud of who we are.

Over the past couple of weeks, our school has taken part in two exciting tournaments, featuring four of our Over 16 teams. We were proud to host the Boys Football and Girls Volleyball tournaments, while our Boys Volleyball and Girls Football teams travelled to ACS to compete.

All our teams represented the school with outstanding skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship. A special congratulations goes to our Boys Over 16 Football team, who earned a bronze medal after winning two out of their three matches on the day.

We would like to extend a big thank you to our coaches, Ms Dikaioulia, Mr Strzemiecki, and Mr Styliatis, for their hard work in preparing the teams.

Finally, we wish both our Over 16 Girls and Boys Football teams the very best of luck in their upcoming tournament in Thessaloniki later this year.

On Friday 13th December, the school gym here at St Lawrence College was transformed into a wonderful theatre full of Christmas spirit. Voices rang out loud and clear, as all our pupils sang a wide range of songs about this festive season. The choir and the Instrumental club took part too in creating the warmest, loveliest atmosphere of celebration. 

Congratulations to all our pupils who participated in the concert, and to all the members of staff who helped us put on a truly warm and welcoming celebration. Happy Holidays to all our children and families at this special time of year!

On Saturday the 1^st of April, junior school members of our after-school Rugby club took part in friendly matches against Attica Springboks. Our young rugby players won both of their matches of touch Rugby. Children were overjoyed with their first ever Rugby competition and loved the competitive yet friendly atmosphere.

Thank you to all the parents who came along and enjoyed the games from the stands. A special thank you to the coach Mr Stefanos Stephanou for his excellent work with our young Rugby players not only this weekend but also throughout the year.

Last Saturday, nearly 40 of our pupils were joined two ex-pupils for their first online debate club meeting. Rosie Vorri (Durham) and Achilleas Papadimitriou (Cambridge) headed the debate societies at their universities and were very successful debaters during their time at St. Lawrence, so they brought a wealth of experience, which the young debaters can tap into. This meeting was just the start of the club's activities as the online format should allow for us to take part in competitions all over the world over the course of the year.

A very warm welcome to St. Lawrence College Junior School and Nursery.  St. Lawrence College is a friendly school where we provide a happy, secure learning environment so that everyone feels valued- an excellent extension of the best home! The warmth of our staff and pupils, the strong atmosphere of camaraderie and cooperation and a nurturing environment are evident throughout the school from the moment you walk through the entrance.

At St. Lawrence College we cherish our pupils and encourage them all to develop socially, emotionally, academically and physically to achieve their full potential in every aspect of their school life.  We pride ourselves on providing a learning environment where children grow and develop in safe and supportive surroundings, becoming creative thinkers and lifelong learners. All of our children are known, appreciated and respected as individuals who leave us ready for the next stage in their education with life skills which prepare them to be future global citizens. We promote high standards whilst fostering creativity and imagination, therefore, encouraging children to be reflective and self-motivated learners.

Our curriculum is exciting and innovative, giving all pupils the opportunity to be successful, develop their skills and enjoy their learning.  We work hard to create an environment where the enjoyment of learning is fostered and nurtured, allowing pupils to feel safe and confident to participate fully. We believe that school should be fun and indeed that school days should be the best days of our lives.  Our pupils are taught that mistakes are simply learning opportunities and to always strive to do their best.

We also firmly believe in a genuine partnership between home and school and consider the relationship with parents and carers invaluable. We all want the best for our children and it is only when this partnership is thriving that children flourish in our care.

Our team of dedicated staff look forward to welcoming you to St. Lawrence College Junior School and Early Years.