Here at SLC we love Hallowe’en and all our autumn celebrations, none more so than our wonderful annual pumpkin competition. Each class takes on the challenge as a family project and usually whips up a frenzy of pumpkin soup in the process! As always, we’re all blown away by the creativity, energy and excitement of such an astounding display of carved, painted and fully disguised pumpkins that cater to all tastes. What an excellent effort all round!

Last weekend, St. Lawrence debaters took to the (virtual) podium once again to compete in the St. Catherines Debate Competition. Our senior teams did well, coming in very close to qualifying for the knockout stage, but this time round, the plaudits go to our younger debaters, with Alexandra and Sofia, 'Team SAvvy' (Year 9) and Theodora and Constantinos, 'Team The Con' (Year 10) taking part in their first senior competitions and all qualifying for the Novice Final in which they debated the motion "children should be taught to challenge authority from a young age".

After a very close debate which also included teams from Athens College and Pierce, Theodora and Constantinos took first place. Constantinos also took home the title of top novice speaker (If only his webcam had been working). Congratulations to all involved.  

As with every year since this event started in Athens, back in 2009, our school participated in the ‘Race For The Cure’ at the end of last month. This event is very close to the hearts of many pupils, teachers and parents and has become an event that gathers all of us together at the beginning of every school year. The event is organized in Greece by the “Panhellenic Society of Women with Breast Cancer, ALMA ZOIS” with the aim to support women who have or had breast cancer and to raise awareness of prevention of this disease.

‘Race for the Cure’ started in 1983 in the city of Dallas, in the USA and from the first event's 800 participants, the concept has now expanded to annual Races that attract hundreds of thousands of participants in more than 120 locations globally.

‘Race for the Cure’ has now become the biggest sporting event for women’s health in Europe. It helps breast cancer organisations and hospitals to collect funds and raise awareness. With 500,000 new diagnoses and 125,000 people who die of breast cancer in Europe every year, these funds are of vital importance. This year, as with 2020, the ‘Race’ could not happen in Greece, nor in most countries, in the usual way with the physical presence of participants due to measures to protect against COVID 19. It was not cancelled however, and instead took place ‘virtually’, with participants being encouraged to do their own walk or run. In St. Lawrence College, pupils from all year groups performed a walk or run during their PE lessons and many teachers also completed a run or walk during their lunch times, to show once again that our community is stronger than ever in the belief that breast cancer can be prevented and cured. Each participant donated some money and altogether through these events we raised €1,030 which has already been handed over to the ‘Race For The Cure’ organisation. Well done to each and every person who took part in these events and contributed generously to this important cause.

Managing your child’s fears and worries can be a challenge at the best of times and we all require a little extra help. On Thursday, 30th September, we hosted a unique event at the Efilena Estate (next door to our campus)  in order to explore issues that concern our families and how to recognise their significance. The first part of the workshop was a tremendous success and is sure to encourage participation at the follow-up session in the same venue.  

Our school counsellor, Ms Stefania Zarri, a qualified and experienced psychologist, gave parents the opportunity to listen to the science behind the subject, express themselves and share their experiences too in a friendly atmosphere of mutual care and concern. We warmly invite all parents to join us for the next workshop on 4th November, and look forward to enjoying a light brunch in the delightful surroundings of the estate immediately afterwards.

At the end of the summer term in May and June 2021, a number of pupils who receive tuition from our experienced team of peripatetic music teachers sat for important music exams with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. And what an outstanding set of results they achieved! We wish the warmest congratulations to our pupils to our young pianists:  

• Mike Enyuan received Grade 6 Distinction 

• Xizhe Ji received Grade 6 Merit 

• Lawrence Papadakis received Grade 1 Merit 

• Julia Min received Grade 1 Distinction 

• Abby Su received Grade 5 Distinction 

• Leona Zhu received Grade 5 Merit 

And for our young guitarists too, we heartily congratulate them: 

• John Esther received Grade 5 Merit 

• Kimberly Wang received Grade 4 Pass 

Here we are at the start of an exciting new school year, the academic year 2021-2022. As St Lawrence College enters its forty-first year, the pupils have made a super start. They have come into school today with smiles on their faces and a spring in their step. The classes are calm and teachers are getting to know their children already. It’s an exciting time and we are all prepared for whatever we may face this year!

Here’s to a successful year ahead!

May and June 2022 saw the return of public exams for our school’s eldest pupils. These were the first public exams to be held since 2019 as a consequence of the global pandemic. This year’s A-Level and AS-Level results have now been released and the results achieved by the Year 12 and Year13 pupils of our school are truly remarkable!

A-Levels

At full A-Level, which marks the final qualifications a pupil takes in a British school, 52 candidates took 170 A-Levels. This was a greater number of A-Level pupils and entries than ever before at our school. The standard of the grades achieved would be considered outstanding in any year. But when it is noted that because of the covid pandemic, these pupils had never taken public exams before (all exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021) and that these pupils experienced disruption over the last two years through all manner of covid-related impacts and restrictions in school, their results can only be considered as brilliant.

Of all the A-Levels taken, 22% resulted in in A* grade and 54% in an A or A* grade. This was markedly up on the 20% and 51% respectively from 2019, which was the last time exams were held. Furthermore, an astonishing three out of every four (75%) of all A-Levels taken resulted in a grade in the A*/A/B range.

A number of exceptional performances stand out. These include Lin Ning Huang (3A*1A), Ioannis Kontomihos, Katrina Lemane and Danyl Tsaran (3A*), Athanasios Kapoutsis, Leda Persidi and Zoe Raptis (2A*2A), Isabella Karaiossifidi and Nikolaos Zairis (1A*3A) and Marina Vassiliadis (4A).

And on to higher education!

Our school leavers are heading off to universities both in the UK and elsewhere in the world. UK destinations include UCL, Lancaster, Sussex, St. Andrews, Edinburgh, Surrey and many other locations, while other school leavers have chosen universities in France, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and the USA for their higher education. Our school leavers will study a wide range of subjects, including Medicine, Politics Philosophy and Economics (PPE), Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, History, Applied Mathematics, Psychology, International Hospitality Management, Computer Science.

AS-Levels

At AS-Level, a whopping 85 pupils took 282 exams, which is comfortably the largest number of AS-Level candidates in a single exam session in the history of our school. As with those pupils who sat A-Levels, these pupils had never taken any public exams before as a consequence of the pandemic and also had experienced disruptions and restrictions through their recent education. Nevertheless, the collective performance of this large group was truly impressive and well up on the most recent AS-Level exams from 2019. This year’s cohort of pupils managed an A grade in 53% of all AS-Levels, compared to 41% in 2019. Likewise, this year an extraordinary 81% of all AS-Levels resulted in a grade in the A-C range (2019: 73%)

There were 16 pupils who scored four A grades, and standing out among those top performances were Nikolaos Synodinos with five A grades and Leandros Mandilaris with four A grades plus one B.

IGCSE

Pupils in Year 11 who sat their IGCSEs also have all their results now – well, nearly. They are still waiting for their GCSE Greek results which, being a different qualification from the IGCSEs, sees grades being released one week later. A full analysis of these results will appear in due course once the Greek results are known, but already it is clear that our Year 11 pupils have done very well indeed.

Reaction from the Headmaster

St. Lawrence College’s Headmaster, Phil Holden, commented “All these pupils have been through so much in recent years through no fault of their own. They have worked through lockdowns, online lessons, periods of having to self-isolate and quarantine, and restrictions in school in the classrooms, playgrounds, and extracurricular activities. It isn’t easy to wear a mask all the time in school, and to learn from teachers who are also wearing masks. What is more, it has been well-publicised in the British media that A-Level grades are down this year globally. Given all that, what a fantastic achievement it has been to see our pupils do so well at A-Level and AS-Level. I congratulate them, am immensely proud of them, and wish those who are leaving us the very best of luck. Likewise, I thank all the teachers and staff of the school who have worked so brilliantly and who have made it possible for our pupils to reach these dizzying standards. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful staff and I am in awe of their achievement through what has been such a challenging period of time for many reasons”.

On consecutive Fridays, the 4th and 11th June, our senior and junior school drama clubs put on their wonderful performances. Both plays, 'The Lost Tribe of Arrendale’ and ‘The Spirit of the Jungle’ were versions of famous stories adapted by Dr Lindy McMullen, our drama club teacher.  Our pupils had managed to persevere through a lockdown with online rehearsals, then on our return to school it was all about preparing for each of the big nights. They did an outstanding job, performing like professional actors and making all their families and teachers proud of them. Well done to all who participated! 

Moving on from the end of primary school to the start of senior school is a significant milestone in any child’s life and is not to be taken lightly. Here at St Lawrence College, we take this transition very seriously and are sure to facilitate the most seamless transition between key stages as possible. Ms Zarri, our school counsellor, is always on hand to help; this term year 6 pupils have been guided through a series of lessons which help them prepare for September and have been taught useful strategies to cope with all kinds of worries and concerns they may have. With this level of positive support, we are sure they have nothing but excitement about the year to come! 

Our youngest pupils in the Early Years department have been happily bouncing around since returning to school last month. Doesn’t it show on their faces? They reflected on a year of learning at school and at home with their teachers on a computer screen. As they realised, they may not have heard as much or seen as much as usual, but it was most definitely a year filled with LOVE! 

In our three Reception classes, the five-year olds have been wrapped up in fairy tales this summer term. They have been learning how to re-tell and illustrate their stories as well as perform to an audience in class. Jack & the Beanstalk has been the story under scrutiny, with improvisations about it using imaginative classroom materials to represent the singing harp and other key features of this well-loved children’s tale.  

The tug of war competitions got the pulses racing too, with our three house teams giving it their all to win! The children certainly made the most of being in school and enjoying these classic sports competitions!

At St Lawrence College, the Junior School Gardening Club has been running for the last three years. Pupils have loved learning how to take care of the flowers they have planted and to see them bloom. The vegetables were ready to be harvested during the period of online learning, so the pupils did not manage to harvest the radishes, parsley, cabbage or cauliflower this season, but we hope next year will be kinder to us and our budding, green-fingered children!