"I predict success" they said, and boy were they right! Friday 10th March was an amazingly experimental day at St Lawrence as the children of KS2 (years 3 - 6) brought their best selves to school to put on a science fair of superb quality and first rate effort. 

Having prepared their projects at home with friends and family also involved in the fun, they showcased their learning with an eye-catching array of displays all about the subjects they'd chosen to explore and exhibit. Every topic imaginable was there to see, from foaming chemical reactions, to coloured flower petals, erupting volcanoes, intoxicated plants, to studies of the brain and human reactions to certain stimuli. The Senior School science teachers who were judging the entries really had their work cut out for them in choosing winners for each year group. 

So what was the conclusion? That it was an amazing and inspiring day for all! Well done to those children who participated.

On Friday 24th February 2017, the whole school rang to the tunes of the carnival celebration that is such a great occasion here in Greece. It was a day of fancy dress costumes like you've never seen before with all kinds of characters lurking about in the classrooms and the staffrooms too. From princesses to police officers and Harry Potters to hairy monsters there was no shortage of imaginative characters to be seen over the whole school.

With a spring in their step, the pupils and teachers of the Junior School took part in a parade that had everyone cheering on the smallest to the biggest children. The Senior School created their own atmosphere with all kinds of weird and wonderful outfits worn by young and old alike. Well done to all our pupils for their enthusiastic participation and our staff for their unending patience and active support. 

The World Scholar’s Cup was back in Athens this year calling young scholars to explore our ‘Unlikely World’. The 2017 Athens Round took place at Ekpaideftiki Anagennisi School in the Northern Suburbs on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th February. 

Ten teams of our school participated in the WSC, five in the Junior Division and five in the Senior one. Going through various events, such as Debates, Collaborative Writing, multiple choice papers and interactive competitions in Science, History, Literature, Arts and Social Sciences, all our teams qualified for the Global Round. We were happy to see pupils of our school in the top team of the tournament as well as in top places in different events or subjects. 

Many thanks to all the teachers involved, to Ms Kyriakopoulou & Ms Sapountzaki for organising and coaching the school delegation as well as to Ms Lagonikos, Mr. Courts, Ms Brown, Ms Papadatos, Ms Kramer, Ms Andrews, Ms Lazaris, Ms Spiliotis, Ms Douglas & Ms Galloway for preparing lunch time sessions to support the pupils in their preparation.

There are always fevers spreading like wildfire every winter, and on Friday, 10th February, a serious case of DISCO FEVER hit the pupils of Years 4, 5 & 6! The children excitedly piled back to school on Friday evening for a few hours of crazy dancing and exuberant antics in the cultural hall. Teachers loved seeing the children delightedly laughing, grinning at each other and spinning their little legs as much as they could in time to the music... and occasionally not so in time to the music but it's the effort that counts, isn't it?

With the classic half time snack of pizza and juice on offer to revitalise any weary dancers, the dance competitions continued the fun and saw many-a-pleased child take home a pair of cinema tickets for their whole-hearted efforts. Bravo kids!

Thursday 15th December was the day we said bye-bye to Kerri and Diane, two student teachers who have spent the last six weeks on their final teaching practice here with us. All the way from Taylor University, Indiana, USA, they came to share their ideas and experiences with us all.

Diane worked closely with all the children as a music teacher while Kerri enjoyed the company of a Year 6 class for her time here. Thank you both, girls, for everything. The children will miss you MADLY!

The Christmas spirit was certainly in the air in the Early Years section of the Junior School on Friday 2nd December, as the little ones got their fingers, arms and elbows stuck right into the doughy mixtures on the table and cooked up a storm!

The flour was flying, the sugar was sifting and the children were chewing on all the sticky bits that got left behind on their fingers - not that they weren't washing their hands frequently and keeping themselves clean and hygienic! It was learning and having fun all in one easy to follow recipe!

Well done to the teachers who had their hands full of little bakers baking as well as trays of cookies and cakes galore!

On Wednesday 2nd November our Year 6 pupils who follow the Greek History course of study enjoyed a trip to the well-known ship, the Giorgios Averof armoured cruiser which is on permanent display in Palaio Faliro, Athens.They participated in an educational programme on the Balkan Wars and World Wars I & II. In addition, they experienced what everyday life on a battleship was like through observing original source material of objects and artefacts from those times.
 
The Greek teachers who accompanied the children were warmly congratulated on their pupils’ excellent behaviour and their academic knowledge. Bravo Year 6!

The St. Lawrence College Art Club: Creativity and Fun!

The Art Club meets one lunchtime per week and is open to all pupils and to all levels of ability. The only thing required is enthusiasm! Much of what is created by the Art Club is exhibited around the school or at our annual, extremely popular, Art Exhibition.

Activities within the club allow its members to use of a wide range of materials and introduce pupils to a variety of artistic techniques and applications, such as mural painting, which go beyond what is taught during Art lessons. Moreover, club activities help promote pupils’ visual and historical awareness in Art and Design, while enhancing their confidence through the development of projects which require initiative. They also aim to encourage friendships and help pupils practise social skills, through working with children from different year groups. Above all, the club encourages creativity both individually and also through group projects.

When the club meets, Art teachers are always on hand to help pupils who want to further develop their natural talent as well as to those who need more guidance on improving practical skills. They build on the skills already taught during lessons and help children to improve their knowledge and understanding of the subject.

The Art Club offers A-Level Art and Design pupils an opportunity to show their appreciation of the subject through the organisation of small seminars or presentations based on a topic of their choice, which they prepare themselves. It also gives those pupils who have not chosen Art in Key Stage 4 an opportunity to continue to stay in touch with the subject and exercise their creativity in a safe and nurturing environment.

The Club is informal, fun, therapeutic and instructive in its style and content, while practically contributing to our school environment by creating and displaying work which can be enjoyed by pupils, staff and visitors alike.

‘Music making is about enjoyment and personal satisfaction’.

The aim of the music school is to enhance this statement thus enriching the pupils’ school life at St. Lawrence College. The Music School provides instrumental tuition in piano, violin, flute and guitar to both Junior and Senior school pupils.

Children are encouraged to prepare for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music practical and theory examinations. These examinations are internationally recognised and form part of the British National Qualifications framework. In this area, the school has set a record of all pupils achieving Merit or Distinction in their grades.

Concerts are held regularly, with pupils, teachers and also, visiting artists performing. This gives parents the opportunity to see and hear the children’s progress.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2025– 2026 CALENDAR

AUTUMN TERM

Monday 1st September ** Teachers return for in-school training and pre-term preparation
Friday 5th September ** Early Years & Junior School orientation meetings
MONDAY 8th SEPTEMBER ** Autumn Term begins
Mon 27th Oct - Fri 31st October ** Half –Term Break
FRIDAY 19th DECEMBER ** Last Day of Term 

SPRING TERM

WEDNESDAY 7th JANUARY ** Spring Term begins
Mon 23rd - Fri 27th February ** Half –Term break
Wed 25th March ** Greek National Holiday
FRIDAY 3rd APRIL ** Last Day of Term

SUMMER TERM

MONDAY 20th APRIL ** Summer Term begins
FRIDAY 1st MAY ** Labour Day
MONDAY 1st June ** Whit Monday
FRIDAY 19th JUNE ** ANNUAL AWARD CEREMONY
MONDAY 22nd JUNE ** Summer School begins

SCHOOL RE-OPENS         Monday 7th SEPTEMBER 2026

Please note that in the course of a year unexpected circumstances may arise and cause the Greek authorities to issue directives which all schools must be in compliance with. For that reason all dates on this calendar are subject to potential change. Parents will always be informed of any adjustment to the calendar.
If either General or Local Elections are held during the academic year, this will necessitate the closure of the schools on the Friday before and the Monday after election day.

"A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men," Roald Dahl

Last week saw the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of the renowned children's writer Roald Dahl. His books are numerous and widely appreciated by children all over the world. With this in mind, the pupils here at St Lawrence took the opportunity to join in with the celebrations that have been going on in his honour. There were readings by children and teachers both in class and in our morning assembly, thus the whole school took on a 'whizzpopping' atmosphere! This was especially true on Friday 17th September, when many children wore yellow to school. Why yellow? Well it was the author's favourite colour of course! In addition, the children contributed a small fee for the privilege of being out of uniform with the money raised donated to Roald Dahl's Marvellous Charity for Children.

"Us giants is making whizzpoppers all the time! Whizzpopping is a sign of happiness. It is music in our ears! You surely is not telling me that a little whizzpopping if forbidden among human beans?” as the Big Friendly Giant said!

At St. Lawrence College, we take your children’s health and safety very seriously and have two qualified nurses on site to cater for the needs of our community here at school. In case of a pupil being in need of medical care due to sickness, injury or an ongoing medical condition, we are able to offer professional help.

The school has a well-equipped nurses’ station, with a suitable area for treatment and a bed for pupils if pupils need to rest and recover after an incident. Our nursing staff are able to treat minor injuries, attend to illnesses, administer prescribed medication and offer support to pupils with on-going conditions. In all instances, they communicate any treatment given at school to parents/carers by phone, email or in the homework diary, and will always contact parents/carers immediately in case of emergency.

Their responsibilities also include monitoring and recording the pupils’ well-being and physical development as well as working with pupils, teachers and parents to promote good health and well-being for all pupils.

Parents are asked to complete a medical questionnaire before their child joins St. Lawrence College, and they are always welcome to contact us to discuss any particular concerns at any time.

The assessment of pupils takes two forms: formative and summative.

Formative assessment takes place daily. It enables teachers to monitor children’s learning in all subjects and ensures they receive the feedback they need to make good progress. Children’s understanding is constantly assessed by the teacher to inform planning and cater for each child’s needs in every lesson. This information also forms an integral part of longer term planning for future learning enabling every child to progress.

Summative assessments are like a snapshot of performance and are most likely to be carried out at the end of a unit of work, term or at the end of the year. At SLC, to ensure the data we collect is as reliable as possible, we use a combination of measures from standardised testing systems and teacher judgements from observations. The class teacher undertakes continuous assessment of academic achievement regularly in classes, and differentiation is applied at all stages of learning.

Foundation Stage and Reception children are given Aspects and PIPS baseline assessment produced by the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) centre at the University of Durham. They provide the teacher with valuable information about each child’s starting point in the year. A similar assessment is undertaken at the end of the year to enable school to track and record their progress.

Pupils from Year 1 onwards sit for InCAS tests online, produced by the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) centre at the University of Durham, while pupils in Key Stage 2 are additionally tested using in-house subject reviews, and in year 6, the Cambridge Primary Progression Tests. These are internationally recognised tests to determine the level of knowledge, understanding and skills in the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science.

The Art Club meets one lunchtime per week and is open to all pupils and to all levels of ability. The only thing required is enthusiasm! Much of what is created by the Art Club is exhibited around the school or at our annual, extremely popular, Art Exhibition.

Activities within the club allow its members to use of a wide range of materials and introduce pupils to a variety of artistic techniques and applications, such as mural painting, which go beyond what is taught during Art lessons. Moreover, club activities help promote pupils’ visual and historical awareness in Art and Design, while enhancing their confidence through the development of projects which require initiative. They also aim to encourage friendships and help pupils practise social skills, through working with children from different year groups. Above all, the club encourages creativity both individually and also through group projects.

When the club meets, Art teachers are always on hand to help pupils who want to further develop their natural talent as well as to those who need more guidance on improving practical skills. They build on the skills already taught during lessons and help children to improve their knowledge and understanding of the subject.

The Art Club offers A-Level Art and Design pupils an opportunity to show their appreciation of the subject through the organisation of small seminars or presentations based on a topic of their choice, which they prepare themselves. It also gives those pupils who have not chosen Art in Key Stage 4 an opportunity to continue to stay in touch with the subject and exercise their creativity in a safe and nurturing environment.

The Club is informal, fun, therapeutic and instructive in its style and content, while practically contributing to our school environment by creating and displaying work which can be enjoyed by pupils, staff and visitors alike.

On Friday 10th June, 2016, Ms Rickard's Year 6 class performed the Leavers' assembly for this academic year. In their show, called St Lawrence Has Got Talent, they took a very positive look back over their time in Junior School with an entertaining collection of tasks to carry out. With a humorous air, they took their turns to perform sketches as reality show contestants, teachers and TV presenters in a raucous competition that they tried to win in order to be rewarded with a pass to Senior School! They put on a show of poetry recital, piano-playing, drama, rapping and singing. A  super finale was their rhythmic performance of the well-known Cup Song taken from a well-known film, Pitch Perfect. Super!

Of course, the pupils were so successful at all their tasks they were all declared winners in the end! And winners they certainly are! We wish all our Year 6 pupils the very best of luck next year at St Lawrence Senior School or wherever they may find themselves! 
"We will miss them when they're gone!" declared Ms Rickard.