The wait for the 2017 exam results for IGCSE, AS-Level and A-Level pupils is over and once again the standard of achievement from SLC pupils has proven to be remarkable. 

IGCSEs
At IGCSE, 59 pupils took a total of 470 IGCSE examinations, and the results were outstanding. Of those 470 IGCSEs, precisely 235, which is exactly 50% of the total, resulted in either an A* or an A grade. This is super impressive – last year this measure was 44% of all IGCSEs. This year’s achievement of 50% of all IGCSEs receiving an A/A* grade was only bettered in one of the last five years of IGCSE examinations at our school. What is more, 27% of all IGCSEs resulted in an A* grade – making A* by far the most frequent grade among all the IGCSEs. 

A frequently employed measure among British schools is the proportion of candidates who scored five or more IGCSEs of grade C or better, with the national UK average hovering around 55% each year in the UK. For St. Lawrence College IGCSE candidates this year, 91% managed to secure at least 5 IGCSEs of grade C or better. This is particularly pleasing given that for a significant number of our pupils, English is not their first language. Many pupils did very well, collecting multiple A*s; but Anastasia Samaras deserves a special mention for her extraordinary haul of nine A*s and one A among her IGCSEs. Congratulations to her!

AS and A-Levels
At AS-Level and A-Level our Year 12 and 13 pupils took on many more exams compared to last year, with 89 pupils sitting for 316 AS and A-Levels. At both AS-Level and A-Level the most frequent grade awarded was A. Extra impressive was the number of A*s that were awarded at A-Level. A total of fourteen A*s were achieved by Year 13 pupils compared to six last year, with this year’s haul including four A*s in Biology alone, from a class of thirteen pupils. At AS-Level, where the highest achievable grade is A, around one in three of every AS-Level sat resulted in an A grade.

At AS-Level there were particularly exceptional performances from Alessandro Gressani who achieved straight A grades in his four AS-Levels (AAAA), Alex Petropoulos (AAAA), as well as Ivy Hewett (AAAAA) and Emily Holden (AAAAAA).
A-Level pupils are on their way to higher education, with the majority of our Year 13 students progressing to universities in the UK. Achilleas Papadimitriou’s achievement stood out. His astonishing four A*s plus one A (A*A*A*A*A) takes him to the University of Cambridge, where he will study Chemical Engineering. Other impressive performances included Tanya Malhas (A*A*A) who progresses to UCL for Pharmacology; Nathan Marks (A*A*AC) who will study Biochemistry at the University of Warwick and Rosie Vorri (A*AAA), on her way to the University of Durham to study Law. Other students are progressing to universities such as Bath, Essex, UWE Bristol, King’s College London, Sheffield, Sussex and Queen Mary London to study subjects as diverse as Economics, Film Studies, Languages and Culture, Business Management, Sport and Exercise Studies, Mechatronics and Robotic Engineering, Accounting and Finance and Computing Science. A full list of the universities and courses that our school leavers will attend will be posted at a later date but for now, congratulations to all those pupils who are on their way to university to study.

This week, the After School-Κοινωνικό Φροντιστήριο, a school which aims to help migrant and refugee children integrate into Greek society visited the zoo using funds raised by the St. Lawrence College Sixth Form Committee. We sincerely hope this is the beginning of a strong relationship.

For more information about the school, visit their Facebook page 

We all love those long hot summer days soaking up the sun and splashing in the waves, don't we? That's why the last day of term is such a special treat for our junior school graduates. They get to spend their last day before moving on to senior school at the beach with their teachers and friends.

On Thursday 15th June 2017, Year 6 happily headed for Avlaki beach in Porto Rafti for a fun-filled day playing, swimming and eating ice cream. As you can see from the smiles on their faces, they loved every minute of it. Goodbye and good luck to all of them! 

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. 

This week at SLC saw two exciting events for the Junior School children in years 3 to 6 as we held both the High Jump Finals on Tuesday 30th May and the Annual Swimming Gala on Friday 2nd June, 2017. 

The children who jumped on Tuesday were determined and strong, showing their skill and their desire to reach ever higher goals! Despite the absence of a new school record this year, no one can fault the children's efforts. 

And in the swimming events, the children were more than happy to dive into the cool water on a very hot day that saw some really fast races. From freestyle to breastroke to backstroke, the swimmers really made waves!

Well done to our dedicated staff who enabled our sporty pupils to have these opportunities to excel outside of the classroom. And congratulations to all eager participants too! Take a look at our new school 25 metre swimming records from Years 3 to 5.

Year 3 Girls Backstroke
Nicci Dardanis 26.92 sec

Year 4 Girls Freestyle & backstroke
Estheleen Charalabidi 17.79 sec & 22.42 sec

Year 4 Boys  Breaststroke
Alexios Mylonas 21.51 sec

Year 5 Girls Breaststroke
Konstantina Bograkou-Tzanetakou 23.80 sec

Year 5 Boys Freestyle, backstroke & breaststroke
Konstantinos Chachamopoulos 15.62 sec;  18.84 sec; 21.19 sec

Ms Orfanogianni's Year 6 class took a trip down memory lane, albeit from their futuristic perspective, in the last class assembly of the year on Friday 2nd June 2017. They transported the audience of schoolmates, teachers and family members to the year 2077, where they held a school reunion the likes of which have never been seen before!

The children made us laugh with their ambitions, their so-called achievements and their mixed recollections of all their varied experiences at St Lawrence College Junior School. 

Well done, children, on an assembly that made us all feel both sad and happy about the end of this era for our graduating year group. We wish you the very best of luck for your move to senior school in September. Onwards and Upwards!

...from my friends," was the title of the assembly put on by Ms Treharne's Reception class on Friday 2nd June 2017. The story of the Rainbow Fish who wanted to play with all the other underwater creatures was told sweetly by our 5 year olds. There was a starfish, an octopus, a shark and a stingray too. The moral of the story was that 'Caring is Sharing' as the rainbow fish realised she had to give away some of her beautiful shimmering scales to the other sea creatures. The octopus told her, ‘You will no longer be the most beautiful fish in the sea, but you will discover how to be happy,' because she'd have so many friends.

The children happily sang the Beatles song ‘With a little help from friends’ and ‘Sunshine in my heart' with Ms Bakewell accompanying on the piano. Bravo to the children and many thanks also to the parents for their help with the wonderful costumes that really helped to bring the whole performance to life on stage!

Year 8 took their Geography learning outdoors this week by conducting coastal fieldwork at Psatha beach. They enjoyed the day doing field sketching, measuring the angle of the beach, sampling the beach material and examining wave types and longshore drift. It was a great opportunity for pupils to see the Geography they have learned about in the classroom in real life. After completing all the data collection, they enjoyed a three course meal at a local seaside taverna to complete their lovely day out.  

The Year 10 pupils enjoyed a school trip to the stunning island of Santorini from Thursday 25^th –Sunday 28^th May. Their first day on the island commenced with a memorable visit to the archaeological site of Akrotiri to see the ancient town that had been frozen in time by ash from the volcanic eruption 3,600 years ago. Pupils were amazed to see how advanced the ancient homes were with earthquake proof designs, fully equipped bathrooms, water storage and sewage systems etc. Afterwards, they toured the Koutsogiannopoulos Estate to see how wine has been grown by the family on the island since the 1600s. Pupils learned about the history of wine and the machinery used as well as seeing the stages of the winemaking process. They then enjoyed some relaxation with a swim and a delicious lunch in a taverna on Perissa beach, famous for its black sand. After lunch, the Year 10 pupils went to the Industrial Museum of Tomatoes in Vlychada to learn everything about the small, cherry-sized tomatoes of Santorini! They saw how these famous tomatoes of Santorini are cultivated, processed and produced. Each pupil had the opportunity to make a Nomikos tomato paste tin can, to take home as a souvenir, using the machinery from the heyday of the factory. Then it was time to visit Oia to enjoy a walk around this well-known town and take plenty of photos.

The following day involved a boat tour over to the volcano in the middle of the caldera and pupils climbed to the top of the crater. They saw all the interesting volcanic rock formations and even smelt the sulphur gases that were being released from the fumeroles near the peak. Some of the Year 10s then braved the cold waters of the caldera to swim to the hot springs. There they bathed in the warm waters and enjoyed making body masks using some of the rich, mineral muds. Afterwards, the teleferik ride took them up to Fira, Santorini’s capital, to enjoy some free-time walking around the cobbled streets and shopping for souvenirs whilst appreciating the panoramic views out to sea. From Fira there was a walk along the top of the caldera past picturesque villages to Imeroviglii. The views were awe-inspiring! 

On the final day it was as if everyone had taken a step back in time in the traditional village of Emporeio. A wander around the quaint village allowed the pupils to catch a glimpse of the quieter side of life in Santorini. Before heading back to Athens everyone enjoyed a hearty meal in Fira.

All in all, the Year 10 pupils enjoyed an action-packed trip. They learned lots about the geography, history and culture of Santorini and much fun was had by all! 

...scaring the normals since 1823!

On Saturday 27th May, 2017, the St Lawrence Junior rugby team made us proud when they took part in a rugby tournament in Glyka Nera against the Attica Springbox Academy. They played with passion and committment in their first tournament that allowed them to experience the game as a contact sport of strength and skill. The number of rucks they took part in, their tries and above all else their strong tackling were all reasons to admire their guts and determination.

  They came away with a very respectable result table of one win and one loss, giving them overall second place. Their coach, PE teacher Giannis Rizos, was exceptionally pleased with their performance.

 "The boys really showed what they were made of - they weren't afraid and they went for every opportunity to tackle that they had!" he said with a smile.

Well done to Ivo, Hugh, Max, Jack, Charalambos, Andrew and Gregory on a fantastic debut into the world of rugby tournaments with school. We look forward to the next action-packed event with bated breath!

Ms Roumanas' year 4 class gave us a lovely class assembly called 'Perseverance' on Friday 26th May 2017.  The children acted out scenes from their favourite class novel and showed us examples of people who had persevered until they finally succeeded in overcoming all the obstacles in their way. 

A cute sing-a-long at the end rounded off this entertaining and educational assembly which was a lesson we must not forget: that success is down to 90% determination and only 10% talent, not the other way round. Well done 4R on a super assembly!

Ms Tsatsouli's year 2 class assembly this year was called “Empower me!”

The message was clear: when you educate children and believe in them, you empower them to go after their dreams. Isn't that the key to a good education? Isn't that what learning should be all about?

The children spoke about their dreams, their wishes and desires of things they ought to learn at school and they shared their Cobis competition video entries too. Thank you 2T for a sweet lesson in how to believe in yourself and reach for those goals.