On Friday 29th January, 'Book Character Day' was held here in our Early Years section of the Junior School. Our littlest pupils looked their cutest as they dressed up in some imaginative costumes for a fun Friday at school! They chose a range of their favourite story characters to represent including Little Red Riding Hood and even the Big bad Wolf! By bringing their favourite story to school, they were able to share the enjoyment with their classmates and teachers. What a lovely day!

In St Lawrence College Junior School we are currently supporting the Make a Wish charity with our very own tree of wishes hanging for all to see and appreciate. A donation of €2 contributes to a wonderful cause that brings joy to children in need. Our families are always more than willing to lend a helping hand to a worthy cause and our children learn about the benefit of giving to those less fortunate. 

The Make a Wish charity began in Greece in 1997 and is a renowned organisation which supports children in serious health crises. They say:

'Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
It’s more than a wish. It is about empowering the impact.
It is about the strength, the hope, the joy and the believing in life again.
Help us grant wishes to empower children with critical illnesses.'

https://makeawish.gr/

Despite this year's changes, selection of the 2020-2021 the St Lawrence College House Captains is complete and we're delighted to have some extremely hardworking, determined and mature young people representing the PE department. Being a House Captain is an extremely important role in our community and once again our pupils will be working diligently to organise events, support charities and take part in some of our extremely succesful sports teams. Take a look at the pictures below to meet our new House Captains, find out what they'll be up to, and see what you'll need to take on the role in the future. 

We are proud to unfold our adventurous, creative and magical journey which brought us to this impressive Koropi Campus where we celebrate our 40 years of operation

NORTHERN JOURNEY: The School did not pop up in 1980, the year of our foundation, looking as we do today. We started in Paleo Psychico, Filothei, Halandri,
occupying five different buildings that were necessary to house our constantly increasing pupil body, as our growth rate was phenomenal. To accommodate a number of non Athens resident pupils, we also ran a boarding house at Hotel Frini in Kifissia.

September 1984 finds the School in Gargitos in a purpose–built school building. We have left Paleo Psychiko and Halandri, but we still keep Filothei.

SOUTHERN JOURNEY: In September 1981, the School opened a branch in Hellinikon, naming it “L1” i.e. Lawrence One. The success was instant and in the years that followed new buildings were added, one after the other, in the area to accommodate the pupil body -three of which were built by us. Again the need to accommodate a number of boarders was covered by running a small villa in the area as a boarding house.

As time went on, the Board of Governors realized the   need to bring together the North and the South and
so the three component schools, Filothei, Gargitos, Hellinikon, merged in Hellinikon in September 1987.

A new beginning was made in Hellinikon. An impressive success story both in numbers and particularly in academic achievements follows bringing the buildings to the staggering number of eleven, “L11” i.e. Lawrence Eleven.

In the summer of 2004 the time had come to move again.

So “Farewell Hellinikon”, “Good Morning Koropi” and the gate of our impressive Koropi Campus opens in September 2004.

To sum up this building/geographical journey, we have worked out of 17 buildings, two boarding houses, in six suburbs before reaching our present beautiful home – the Koropi Campus.

Summer SCHOOL: The St. Lawrence College Summer School has been taking place as follows:

-Alexander Beach Hotel, Arachovitika, Peloponnese, 

  Summer 1982

- Tolo Camping, Nafplio, Peloponnese, Summer 1983-1989

- Hellinikon Campus, Summer 1994-2004

- Koropi Campus, Summer 2005 – Present  

Our School has come such a long way and it is in the hands of people, teachers and administrative staff, who will continue to nurture it as the safe educational oasis that it is.

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.

During the weekend Friday 11th to Sunday 13th December, fourteen pupils from St. Lawrence College participated in the Costeas-Geitonas MUN Conference, following a long tradition of pupils from our school taking part in this event which is held every December. This year’s Conference was held online and, despite the challenges, our pupils were as excited as ever and participated with enthusiasm, dedication and commitment. Everyone is very proud of them, especially their teachers and their parents, as they sacrificed much free time preparing for the event as well as participating for long hours over the weekend, discussing important international issues with their fellow delegates from other schools. And they are already discussing their participation to the next MUN Conference! A special mention needs to be made of Eleni Kalendi, Joanna Sakkadas and Christina Beykou who held Chairing positions in the Legal Committee, the Environmental Commission and the International Court of Justice; positions of great responsibility and ones that required extra work from them even during the summer. And they held those positions like true ladies! This event seemed to prove once again that young people are the only hope we have for a better future!

Pastoral Care: Supporting Social, Emotional and Physical Well-Being

At St. Lawrence College we recognise that the positive relationship between young people, their parents, their friends, and the school is fundamental for our pupils to grow and flourish into well-rounded individuals. Children and teenagers today, in all walks of life, face real concerns; they are exposed to some overwhelming external and internal struggles. It is important that pupils and parents have access to accurate and appropriate information about social, emotional and physical well-being. This page shares highly relevant guidance from many well-regarded external agencies and services, both in the U.K. and here in Greece, that will help to support the needs of our pupils and their families. Click the links to access up-to-date documents about a range of pastoral care issues.

Websites and helplines for a variety of organisations related to the well-being of young people

Mental health and well-being

You are never too young to talk about mental health Tips for parents and carers on talking to young children. (Anna Freud)

Understanding Mental Health Problems Information for anyone who experiences problems with their mental health. (SAMH)

Am I ok? Thinking about your mental health. (SAMH)

How can I ask for help Tips for when it’s time to talk about your mental health, or if you want to help a friend. (CWMT)

How to help a friend A guide to helping your friend with their mental health. (SAMH)

Helping someone else How to support a friend with their mental health. (Anna Freud)

5 ways for better well-being How pupils can look after their mental health and well-being. (SAMH)

I am worried about my child A guide for parents and carers worried about their child’s mental health. (SAMH)

Starting the mental health conversation How to talk to your children about mental health. (SAMH)

A parent’s guide to talking mental health with young people at secondary school Advice about how to talk to your child about mental health issues. (Anna Freud)

5 ways for better well-being for families How to look after your family’s mental health and well-being. (SAMH)

Seasonal Self Care Survival Kit Looking after your mental health over the Christmas and New Year period. (Anna Freud)

Self-care pack (Junior School) What Junior School children can do to look after their mental health. (Anna Freud)

Self-care pack (Senior School) What Senior School children can do to look after their mental health. (Anna Freud)

Low mood and depression

Understanding Depression Information about the symptoms, treatment and strategies to deal with depression. (SAMH)

Depression the warning signs What are the warning signs that you or someone you know may be depressed? (CWMT)

Depression Facts and advice about the ‘common cold of psychiatry’. (CWMT)

A parent’s guide to depression Supporting your child with depression. (CWMT)

Depression and Low Mood A self help guide for anyone experiencing depression and low mood. (NHS)

Stress

Stress A guide to understand stress, how you can help yourself and get support. (Mind)

Exam stress Useful tips for those sitting exams. (Childline)

Anxiety

Understanding Anxiety Advice aimed at anyone suffering from anxiety. (SAMH)

Self-esteem

Issues with self-esteem?  A self-help book to help you cope better with low self-esteem. (Wellbeing Glasgow)

Anger

Anger Explaining anger, practical suggestions for what you can do to deal with anger and where you can go for support. (SAMH)

Anger Issues A self-help book to help you cope better with irritability and anger. (Wellbeing Glasgow)

Perfectionism

Perfectionism When striving for excellence becomes unhealthy. (CWMT)

Social connections

The social connection planner How to better meet your social needs. (The Wellness Society)

Self-harm

Understanding self-harm Information for anyone that self-harms, their friends and family. (SAMH)

A parent’s guide to self-harm The nature and causes of self-harm and how to support a young person that is facing this problem. (CWMT)

Suicidal thoughts

Suicidal feelings A booklet explaining why you may have suicidal feelings and providing some options to help you look forward and break the cycle of negative thoughts. (Mind UK)

How to support someone who feels suicidal Practical suggestions for what you can do to support someone who is suicidal and where you can go for support. (Mind UK)

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders – A carers booklet A guide for friends and family of someone who has bulimia, anorexia, binge eating disorder or OSFED/EDNOS. (Beat UK)

Eating Disorders – the signs What to look out for as the first signs of an eating disorder. (Beat UK)

Eating Disorders Advice if you are worried that someone has an eating disorder. (Beat UK)

Alcohol

A parent’s guide to alcohol What is the harm of alcohol before 18 years of age? (What’s the harm, UK)

Drugs

The Truth about Drugs An A-Z booklet giving the low down on lots of legal and illegal drugs. (Talk to Frank)

Drugs – Does your child know more than you? Detailed drugs advice for parents and carers. (Talk to Frank)

Bullying

A parent’s guide to bullying Information and advice to support you and your child if they are being bullied. (Family Lives)

Cyberbullying 10 things you need to know to support your child. (Internet Matters)

Anti-bullying A tool for parents and carers. (Anti-Bullying Alliance)

Bereavement

After a loved one dies – how children grieve How parents and adults can support bereaved children and young people. (New York Life Foundation)

Coping with the loss of a loved one Some guidance on grief and bereavement. (Cancer.org)

Divorce or separation of parents

Questions and answers about separation for children Answers to the most common questions about separation in simple terms a young person can understand. (Australian Government)

My family’s changing Coping with your feelings when your parents separate or divorce. (CAFCASS)

Step-families

A parent’s guide to successful step-families Advice and guidance for step-families. (Family Lives)

LGBT+

Coming out Answers to some questions you may have. (Stonewall)

Transgender A guide for parents and family members of the transgender community. (Consortium of LGBT voluntary and community organisations)

Social Media

Building a good online reputation Tips to help children create a good digital footprint. (Internet Matters)

Social Media and Teenagers A practical approach including a family digital strategy. (CWMT)

Instagram Checklist to make sure that your Instagram account is safe. (Internet Matters)

Instagram  Advice to young people on social media. (SWGFL)

Parental control - Instagram Parental advice for safety and privacy. (Internet Matters)

Snapchat  Advice to young people on social media. (SWGFL)

Parental control - Snapchat Parental advice for safety and privacy. (Internet Matters)

Tik Tok Advice to young people on social media. (SWGFL)

Parental control – Tik Tok Parental advice for safety and privacy. (Internet Matters)

Facebook Advice to young people on social media. (SWGFL)

Parental control – Facebook Parental advice for safety and privacy. (Internet Matters)

Whatsapp Advice to young people on social media. (Internet matters)

Parental control – Whatsapp Parental advice for safety and privacy. (Internet Matters)

Parental control – Youtube Parental advice for safety and privacy. (Internet Matters)

Cyberbullying 10 things you need to know to support your child. (Internet Matters)

Internet safety

Online safety for parents of children 0-5 years Offers advice on how to ensure that very young children remain safe when online. (Internet Matters)

Online safety for parents of children 6-10 years Offers advice on how to ensure that young children remain safe when online. (Internet Matters)

Online safety for parents of children 11-13 years Offers advice on how to ensure that young people remain safe when online. (Internet Matters)

Online safety for parents of children 14+ years Offers advice on how to ensure that young people remain safe when online. (Internet Matters)

Moving to secondary school guide Offers advice on how to ensure that children transitioning between junior and senior school remain safe when online. (Internet Matters)

A parent’s secondary school guide Information about how to support your child so they are safe online. (Internet Matters)

Set up safe checklist A simple checklist for your child’s safety on the internet. (Internet Matters)

Digital resilience 11-13 years Advice for parents of children 11-13 to help them become more digitally savvy. (Internet Matters)

Digital resilience 14+ years Advice for parents of teens to help children become more digitally savvy. (Internet Matters)

Online Gaming

Gaming advice to support teens Parental advice for when teenagers play computer games. (Internet Matters)

Online gaming An introduction for parents and carers. (Childnet International)

Balancing Screen Time

Balancing screen time Key Stage 3 Advice for parents on helping children in Years 7-9 find a balance between life on and offline. (Internet Matters)

Balancing screen time Key Stage 4 and 5 Advice for parents on helping young people in Years 10-13 find a balance between life on and offline. (Internet Matters)

In these unprecedented times our school's Services Society managed to complete two projects during the first part of the Autumn term. All of us together, pupils, parents and teachers, continued our support for the Soup Kitchen in Anavyssos, a philanthropic organisation with whom we, as a school, have longstanding strong links, by providing them with much needed food items for their everyday operations. 

We have been supporting the unaccompanied refugee young teenage boys of FAROS for a few years now. Currently there are 22 young boys who have very little to occupy them in their spare time. The Services Society, assembled 22 back-pack bags for them, packed with items as varied as notebooks, pens, pencils and other school supplies, drawing items, small puzzles, cereal bars, toothpaste and toothbrushes, Dettol soaps and disinfectant gels. We also donated to the organisation that takes care of them books that both the English and the Greek Departments kindly offered. It is certainly with great pleasure that we gave these bags to the 22 boys, who have experienced tremendous struggles in their lives so far, something constructive to do in their free time.

Many thanks are offered to all of those involved in these projects from precious young volunteer helpers of the Services Society from the Junior School through to the oldest Year 13 pupils who have never refused to contribute and help.

On Tuesday 27th October, St Lawrence College exhibited a celebratory air with lots of Hallowe’en fun!  The children and teachers came to school dressed for the occasion  and had a day of active learning with an autumn theme! The family efforts with classic pumpkin carving were outstanding again with some breath-taking designs!  

The Greek National Holiday to commemorate 28th October 1940 was celebrated before the half term break at St Lawrence College Junior School in a socially distanced manner for the first time. The classes of Year 6, which usually head up our performances, took part in a History Quiz based on all their learning about OXI Day and the significance of the Greek resistance. Through the quiz, the pupils learned about the main events of World War II in Greece and the battle of Democracy against Fascism. Despite the masks and the absence of a parental audience, the children enjoyed the experience.  

A different kind of autumn term is well underway at St. Lawrence as we navigate our way through the end of 2020. Every day brings a new challenge to deal with. This term sees a masked school population, social distancing as the new norm in our playgrounds and classrooms, but we have come to terms with the alternative ways we are obliged to operate. This week, we held our first round of virtual parent teacher conferences successfully and realised that effective contact can be meaningfully maintained with the help of our devices. All in all, we are doing very well under the circumstances and would like to say a heartfelt thank you to our pupils, small and big, who are coping admirably, and to our teaching faculty too.

During the weekend of Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th of October 2020, 13 pupils of our school, from Year 8 to Year 13, took part in a “different” online MUN Conference organised by Campion School under the guidance of Ms Kladouchou and Ms Tsirigoti.

It was their first experience of an online public speaking event and for some even their first experience of an MUN Conference. Yet, both the old and the new members of our school’s MUN Club enjoyed the experience enormously. Two of our oldest pupils were Presidents of WHO (World Health Organisation) and ICC (International Criminal Court) respectively and made themselves and the school very proud with the calm and effective guidance they provided to all delegates of their committees. Three of our younger pupils, two of whom took part for their very first time, were voted ‘Best Delegate’ or were awarded an ‘honourable mention’ for their successful preparation and impressive presence in their committees, the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council), the WHO and the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee respectively.

We all feel very proud of them, not only because they sacrificed their whole weekend for this participation but also because they did show that extracurricular activities can be performed and enjoyed even during these unprecedented times. Well done to all participants and good luck with their preparation for the next MUN Conference, the DSAMUN!

Our pupils received very proudly their awards for the Intermediate and Junior Mathematics Challenges that took place during the academic year 2019-2020! We are very proud not only for the pupils who were awarded a certificate but for all the pupils who participated in both challenges. The results of the Junior Mathematics Challenge can be found below while the results of the Intermediate Maths challenge can be found here.   

In the meantime, our senior mathematicians have started their preparation for the Senior Mathematics Challenge that will take place online the week beginning 2nd November. It is the first time our school will be participating in the Senior Mathematics Challenge. We wish them the very best of luck and we are looking forward to seeing our younger mathematicians again at the E = mc² lunchtime club to learn and be prepared for new challenges!  

Gold Certificate Winners:  

Yifei (Fiona) Wang and Haoting Jia 

Silver Certificate Winners: 

Yanran Cao, Karim Bakri, JiaChen, Lin, Ye Yutong and Konstantinos Zafeirakis  

Bronze Certificate Winners:  

Xu (Lucy) Han, Nicholas Lembidakis, Cui Qikai and Wang Yilin (Rosemond) 

Our pupils’ 2020 public exam grades attain the highest of standards

Mid-August wouldn’t be the same without the anxious wait for the public examination grades of our eldest pupils. Although all 2020 public examinations were cancelled by the UK authorities as a consequence of the covid-19 pandemic, pupils who were working towards IGCSE, AS-Level and A-Levels had been promised grades and certificates by the exam boards. Those grades have now been awarded and released.

The qualifications have been issued by exam bodies who used a combination of data and “assessment grades” submitted by schools as well as the exam bodies’ own statistical records regarding how schools’ pupil cohorts had performed in recent years.

This year, our pupils have received, collectively, grades that represent a tremendous achievement and they have improved upon the grades of recent years at A-Level and AS-Level, while matching the standards of recent years at IGCSE. Even in a ‘normal’ year these would be outstanding results, but given the challenge of recent months, our Year 11, 12 and 13 pupils should be especially proud of themselves.

A-Level

The 38 pupils of our Year 13 have been awarded 123 A-Level grades. The statistics are very impressive:

·         26% of all grades were an A* (up from 20% in 2019 and 13% in 2018)

·         More than half – 52% - of all grades were A*/A (up from 51% in 2019 and 34% in 2018)

·         More than three quarters – 76% - of all grades were A*/A/B and 85% were at least a C grade; again higher percentages than in both 2019 and 2018.

Two of our A-Level pupils each achieved a remarkable four A* grades – congratulations Ioanna Moirasgenti and Harry Karaiossifides; while Yueyang Li managed three A*s and two A grades.

AS-Level

Perhaps even more impressive are the AS-Level grades awarded to our Year 12 pupils. A total of 147 grades have been awarded to 43 pupils and the statistics truly demonstrate the excellence of this cohort of pupils. Note that the highest possible grade at AS-Level is A; and that A* does not exist at AS-Level.

• 56% of all AS-Level grades have resulted in A; up from 41% in 2019 and 40% in 2018.
• 86% of all grades awarded were a C grade or better; up from 73% in 2019 and 59% in 2018.

Outstanding individual pupil achievements included Panagiota Paraskevopoulou (AAAAB); Yijun Chen (AAAA); Yurui Cui (AAAA); Eleni Kalendi (AAAA); Markella Papadopoulou (AAAA); Jake Paternoster (AAAA); and Kaibo Wang (AAAA). Very well done to those young men and women and all our pupils.

IGCSE

A huge number of IGCSE grades have been awarded to our Year 11 pupils – 522 in total. This is far more than in recent years; in 2019 there were 420 IGCSE entries and in 2018, 386 entries. This year’s IGCSE grades were as equally impressive as in recent years and, by some measurements, even stronger. Thus:

• 25% of all IGCSEs resulted in an A* (2019 – 23%; 2018 – 25%)
• 47% of all IGCSEs resulted in an A*-A (2019 – 47%; 2018 – 45%)
• 83% of all IGCSEs resulted in an A*-C (2019 – 79%; 2018 – 90%)

Stand out achievements included Katrina Lemane (9A*); Leda Persidi (8A*, 1A); Athanasios Kapoutsis (7A*, 2A); Zoe Raptis (7A*, 2A); Danil Tsaran (7A*, 2A) with many other pupils securing multiple A* and A grades – congratulations to them all!

Higher Education

Many of our A-Level pupils are now progressing to higher education courses. The most popular destination is, of course, the UK, with pupils leaving us to start as undergraduates at such renowned universities as UCL, King’s College London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sussex, Queen Mary London, UEA, Lancaster, Bath and Southampton to name just a few. Other pupils are continuing their education at universities in countries such as the USA, Canada, The Netherlands; while a few will remain in Greece and attend institutions such as Deree College and BCA.

Our graduating pupils will study a fascinating diversity of degree courses including (but not limited to!) Medicine, Mathematics, Marine Technology & Engineering, Theoretical Physics, Chemical Physics, Aeronautics & Astronautics, Design Innovation & Creative Engineering, Neuroscience, International Relations, International Business Management, Classical Studies, Animation, and Environmental Geoscience.

Headmaster Phil Holden commented “I am delighted with the collective achievement of our pupils in this most difficult of years. These remarkable grades reflect the outstanding work our pupils have invested into their IGCSE, AS-Level and A-Level courses and I am very happy, and somewhat relieved, that their efforts have been recognised by the exam bodies of the UK. I congratulate all our pupils and I especially wish to thank all our school staff who have also supported our pupils with such consistency and dedication. This includes teachers of these pupils from earlier years in each child’s education. I know that so many of our pupils worked very, very hard through a stressful period and were well supported by the school and parents and so I am not surprised at how well they have done – their success was richly deserved and we can all take pride in their accomplishment”.

As we head towards the end of June 2020, the children of the junior school are quietly unwinding and dreaming about the summer holidays ahead. The teachers are really happy to have had these few weeks back at school to reconnect with their classes and finish off the academic year with some semblance of normality. What a rollercoaster of a year it was! But when we can take the time to sit with our children in a shady spot, read a book or discuss a topic of interest in class, we realise the importance of just being together as a group and sharing the pleasure of each other's company. That's what school is about, after all.