The Environmental Club members spent lunch time today planting olive trees in the school grounds to help improve our local environment. Everybody had a great time and it felt fantastic to help the planet!

For the month of December, the pupils of the Junior school were asked to approach the idea of an advent calendar in a very thoughtful, generous way. Instead of receiving a treat each day, they were asked to bring in a small donation of necessary supplies for children being hosted at the Kivotos tou Kosmou (Ark of the World) in Athens. This charity was selected for the admirable work it does in helping children and families of refugees from many parts of the world.

The children of St Lawrence and their families made a huge contribution, sending in packets of food, clothing and other essentials which were then taken by a representative group of children on 20th December, to the main building and centre of Ark of the World in Kolonos, Athens. Pupils got to see firsthand just how much valuable work is done by this charity and how important it is for us all to continue our support for it.

Well done to all and thank you for lending a helping hand once again.

As well as studying the Greek language, the Greek department knows how to take learning and drama outdoors. On Thursday 15^th December, they took Year 5 pupils into our olive grove to pick olives and picnic in a most traditional manner. The children learned what it meant to farm the land and produce one of our staple food products.

Then on Monday 19^th December, a well-known children’s writer Maria Klini, came along to read her children’s novel to Year 5 in the Junior School library. Her story, called Ο Λαίμαργος Αγιος Βασίλης (Greedy Father Christmas), kept the children entertained as well as providing an opportunity to learn about writing as a career. In addition, there was an enlightening discussion about the spirit of giving and the true meaning of Christmas.

Well done for giving the pupils a chance to experience so much more than usual!

Christmas is celebrated all around the world – but Christmas traditions and names for 'Father Christmas' vary in many ways!

In keeping with the theme of celebrating differences, this was the message that came out loud and clear by Ms Grivas’ Year 2 class. The pupils did an amazing job of informing us about how Christmas is celebrated in the different countries they or their parents come from; from far off and sunny Australia and Nigeria, to the Philippines, to cold cold Russia...but not only... Let’s not forget Canada, home of Santa Claus! A catchy song with Rudolph 'leading the way' ended this seasonal, information-packed assembly.

Congratulations to Ms Grivas and her Year 2 class on their super work.

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!

On Friday the Upper Sixth Geographers had the opportunity to go to ACS to hear Dr. Jane Goodall speak. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to hear about her life and work as a primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist and UN Messenger of Peace. She is considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on chimpanzees and is best known for her 55 year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. She shared some of her experiences of living in the wild and spoke about the importance of conservation and environmental protection.

All the pupils were inspired by her and it was great for them to see how the biodiversity topic that they have been learning about in Geography lessons links to Dr. Jane Goodall’s real life experiences.   

On Wednesday, 14th December, St Lawrence College held its annual Christmas Carol Concert at school. This year the show went on in two parts so that every pupil could play a role!

Early in the afternoon, friends and family came along to hear the choir along with all the children in Years 1, 2 & 3 singing their little hearts out, with mums and dads joining in too.

Later that evening, it was the turn of Years 4, 5 & 6 to dress in their festive finest and come along with their loved ones to sing a tune or two. The choir performed a lovely selection of carols while the violinists accompanied the singing beautifully. What a warm and happy atmosphere there was! Now we all feel ready for a fun-filled Christmas time!

On Thursday 15th December, a rather large sleigh driven by a dozen reindeer made a detour to the car park of St Lawrence College. Father Christmas took a few hours out of his busy schedule to talk with a lot of excited little children about their hopes and expectations of the coming holidays.

"So what do you want for Christmas?" he asked an eight year old.
"Well what have you got?" the child answered cheekily!

Ho Ho Ho! Oh what a hard job Santa has on his hands these days! We wish him the best of luck for this, his busiest season.

On Tuesday December 13th, The St Lawrence College over 16 boys' football team competed in a football competition at Campion School.

A total of four international schools participated and our impressive display saw us beat Campion 1-0, draw against St. Catherine's School and beat Byron College 4-1, achieving 1^st place overall. A massive well done to our boys for continuing to make us extremely proud!

On Sunday 4 December the St. Lawrence College senior school rugby team had the wonderful opportunity of meeting the Panathinaikos rugby team.

After the initial introductions, the school team was put through an extremely challenging training session followed by a friendly demonstration game.

The school team obviously lagged behind in speed and stamina during the game but the boys played with all the tremendous passion they feel for the sport and managed to score three times, the final score being 35-15.

This was an amazing experience for the school team as they played rugby at the highest level in Greece.

We all know how the playground rhyme goes: Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me! Well Ms Siafakas' year 5 class showed us the other side of that saying though, when they explored the topic of exactly how hurtful words can be.

On Friday 9th December, 5S put on a super assembly all about the choices we make and the way we choose to use our words every day. With a series of scenes and some great songs too, the children taught us all just how incorrect the idea of words being harmless is. So they rewrote the verse to be more appropriate and to say: Sticks and stones may break my bones and names can really hurt me! Something for us all to remember!

The 18^th Annual Speakathon, taking place at the SLC Cultural Hall

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 Friday 2nd December, Year 4 treated us to an assembly all about different religious celebrations that are held in all corners of the world. They took a look at Diwali, Hannukah, Ramadan, Buddist New Year and Christmas which is right around the corner! They talked, sang and danced their way through an entertaining show that expressed the meaning of joy, caring, kindness and consideration which is at the core of so many festivals like these.

Bravo to 4b on sharing your joyful ideas with us!