This year’s Panhellenic Forensics Tournament took place on 4-7 April, hosted by Mandoulides Schools in Thessaloniki. 22 schools with over 400 participants competed in the various events: Duet Acting, Oral Interpretation of Literature, Oratory, Impromptu Speaking, Group Discussion and Debate.

With a very strong and enthusiastic team of 24 pupils, SLC achieved 2nd place overall, with 6 Finalists in total!

Our finalists were:

• Troy Mikaelian (Year 10) – Group Discussion
• Kimberly Wang (Year 11) – Dramatic Oral Interpretation of Literature
• Koralia Datsiou (Year 10) – Comic Oral Interpretation of Literature
• Katerina Athanasopoulou (Year 13) + Michael Ziogas (Year 11) – Comic Duet
• Elise Katholos (Year 11) + Thea Colson (Year 11) – Comic Duet
• Sasha Frangos (Year 12) + Andres Van Meek (Year 12) – Comic Duet

Koralia Datsiou, and Katerina Athanasopoulou and Michael Ziogas won 1st place in their categories!

Congratulations to everyone who participated and helped make this such a great team!

On Friday 21st June, St Lawrence College marked the ending of its 44th year with a magnificent evening of recognition for a wide range of accomplishments throughout the school. The guest of honour was the renowned academic, Sir Roderick Beaton, who as well as being an accomplished author of many publications including “The Greeks: A Global History”, held the Koraes chair at Kings College, London until 2018. The delightful Sir Roderick stood amicably with us and congratulated all our outstanding pupils as they took to the stage. 

From years 3 to 6, individually selected pupils in every class were rewarded for the attainment, effort and progress as well as citizenship and other notable performances in particular subjects. From year 7 upwards, pupils were rewarded for their various achievements, culminating in our graduating class of 2024, the year 13 school leavers. Furthermore, recognition was given to several award winners amongst last year's graduating class by our A level exam board, Pearson Edexcel: students now in university who had achieved the highest marks last year in Greece, in Europe and indeed in the world! Huge congratulations for such outstanding achievements; we are very proud of them. 

As always, we look at all our wonderful pupils with great fondness and look forward to the coming year ahead with anticipation. But for now, it's time to sit back and enjoy the summer holiday!

Over the past couple of weeks, the annual sports days and running events took place for the junior school and high school pupils.
Pupils in years 1,2 & 3 took part in their annual flat races and their sports day incorporated 9 different displays of skills which they have worked on throughout the year. Whereas pupils in year 4-9 took part in track & field events such as running, high jump, long jump, tug of war and shot put.
This was the first year our pupils of years 4 and up enjoyed using the brand-new track and they managed to set many new school records in various events.
Junior school and high school pupils alike worked hard leading up to these events, and created sporting memories that will last them a lifetime.
Thank you to all the parents who were in attendance cheering from the sidelines and made the events that much more memorable!
 

On Monday, 25th November 2024, our Year 6 Greek History pupils embarked on an exciting journey back in time, visiting the Ancient Agora in the heart of Athens. Organised by the Greek Department, this incredible day brought history to life as pupils explored the fascinating evolution of the Ancient Agora through different eras.

The adventure began with a tour of the Ancient Agora, where pupils wandered through the remains of administrative buildings that once upheld ancient democracy, admired grand ancient temples, and imagined the hustle and bustle of the commercial centre. At the Stoa of Attalos museum, pupils were captivated by a variety of artefacts, gaining insight into how these items shaped the everyday lives of ancient Athenians.

The group followed the historic streets of Monastiraki to the Roman Agora, where they gathered, much like the Athenians of old, in the central forum to share their findings and reflections. The final stop was the awe-inspiring Tower of the Winds, the world’s first meteorological station. Pupils were amazed to learn how it combined a weathervane, water clock, and sundials to track time and weather in ancient times.

It was a day brimming with discovery, curiosity, and hands-on learning about ancient Greece. Our pupils returned filled with new knowledge and unforgettable memories of walking in the footsteps of history.

On Thursday 14th November 2024, the Greek Department organised an educational trip for our Year 9 pupils to Herakleidon Museum, in the centre of Athens.  During our visit our pupils enhanced their understanding of the Ancient Greek technology and its significance in shaping modern culture, science, and art. 

The museum featured a variety of displays, including models and artefacts that demonstrate the ingenuity of ancient Greek civilisation. Year 9 pupils engaged with interactive exhibits and explored ancient Greek inventions and innovations.

The whole experience of our visit to Herakleidon Museum not only enriched our pupils’ knowledge but also enhanced their critical thinking about the impact of technology on society. 

Back in May and June 2024 just under 250 pupils sat public examinations at our school and this week has seen the results of these IGCSEs, AS-Levels and A-Levels released. A record-breaking 1,176 separate qualifications were sat for by our pupils, and although 64 pupils will need to hang on until later in August for their GCSE Greek results, the vast majority of grades are now known, making it possible to celebrate the achievements of our pupils.

IGCSEs

Exactly 100 pupils sat for 731 GCSE/IGCSE qualifications. Of those, 29% resulted in an A* (“A-star”) and 49%, resulted in an A* or A grade. These percentages are well up on last year’s 20% and 42% respectively. Pupils whose performances stood out included Mainta Kourounlian who attained an A* in every subject, scoring 9A* in total; Leonidas Drongitis, Alexandra Mavromichali, Petra Todd and Jiayu Zhu who each achieved 8A* among their exams, while Mohamed Abdel Fattah, Sofia Tzagkaraki-Kaseta, Nga Sim Kimberly Wang and Xuefei Zhang each attained 7A*s among the IGCSEs they sat for. 

AS-Levels

Year 12 pupils sat their AS-Levels, where the highest possible grade is A (there is no A*) and where the AS-Levels are, essentially, the first half of what will become a full A-Level following Year 13. A grand total of 273 AS-Level qualifications were sat, with 44% resulting in an A grade, and 77% achieving in at least a C grade. This is up from last year’s 36% and 71% respectively. Pupils who achieved exceptional grades included Despoina Salachas (5A), Nicholas Lempidakis (4A1B) and Penelope Farmakidi, Theodora Farmakidi, Gerasimos Kazianis, Jiachin Lin, Andres Van Meek, Yifei Wang Konstantinos Zafeirakis and Marita Katsouridis all of whom achieved 4A.

A-Levels and Universities

At A-Level, where 202 qualifications were sat for in total, grades are vitally important as many pupils’ acceptance into their chosen university was dependant on the outcome of their A-Levels. The proportion of A-Level grades that were A* was 22% this year. This is up from last year’s 16% and is, in fact, the equal highest in our school’s history, barring the COVID years when exams were cancelled, and grades were awarded by school assessment. The proportion of A-Levels awarded A* or A was 41%, down from last year’s 45%, and the proportion in the A*-C range was 77%, slightly down on last year’s 81%. 

Individual stories of excellence from some of our pupils include Dimitris Grigoropoulos, Yun Li, and Ziqing Qian who each scored 4A*, Paris Larios and Yuhan Chen who each scored 3A*1A, Sofya Semenova (3A*) and Kristian Nersesian (3A*). Most remarkable of all was Huijie Su, who secured an amazing 5A*s, and who scored 100% on nearly all her exams this year. 

The UK remains the most popular destination for higher education among our school leavers, and this year we see our graduates starting degree courses at UK universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London, University College London (UCL), City, Warwick, Lancaster, Southampton, Leeds, Exeter and Bath. 

Beyond the UK we have school leavers beginning degree courses at such institutions as diverse and widespread as Rhode Island School of Design, USA; Milan University for Modern Languages, Italy; EU Business School, Barcelona, Spain; Utrecht University, The Netherlands, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA; and The Moscow Institute of International Relations in Russia. 

School reaction

Headmaster Phil Holden commented “These wonderful results, and the fact that so many excellent young people are leaving our school to begin the next chapter of their education in such a variety of locations, is a testament to the hard work of pupils and staff at St. Lawrence College. I congratulate our school leavers and thank the teachers throughout the school, the staff of St. Lawrence College, and the parents of our pupils for a collective achievement which we can all be proud of”.  

On 21st May 2024, St. Lawrence College organised a charity event in aid of Salvia, the Greek Association of Burn Survivors.
The sponsored walk took place on our school grounds, transforming a typical day into one of compassion and unity. The event was more than just a walk; it demonstrated the incredible spirit of our school community coming together with the shared purpose of supporting an important and worthy cause.

We thank Salvia for all the important information we have been able to share with our pupils through our PSHE lessons on fire and burn prevention.

A special thank you goes to Zagori and Mr. Chitos for their kind donation of water for the event, keeping us all hydrated as we walked.

We also extend our thanks to the British Embassy for their assistance in translating and printing informative leaflets on burns, burn treatment and burn survivors rehabilitation.
 

On Wednesday 10^th January 2024, Year 1 took its turn to visit the highly acclaimed Life in Space Exhibition, at the Goudi Olympic Complex. This exhibition aspires to bring children closer to scientific thinking, encouraging them in an educational but at the same time entertaining way to discover the positive impact of space technology on people's daily lives. Very exciting for our children of the future!

ACADEMIC YEAR 2024– 2025 CALENDAR

AUTUMN TERM

Monday 2nd September          **     Teachers return for in-school training and pre-term preparation 
Friday 6th September            **     Early Years & Junior School orientation meetings 
MONDAY 9th SEPTEMBER          **     Autumn Term begins 
Mon 28th Oct - Fri 1st November     **     Half –Term Break 
FRIDAY 20th DECEMBER     **     Last Day of Term 
 

SPRING TERM

TUESDAY 7th JANUARY           **     Spring Term begins 
Mon 24th Feb – Fri 28th Feb          **     Half –Term break 
Mon 3rd March                **     Greek ‘Clean Monday’ 
Tues 25th March               **     Greek National Holiday 
FRIDAY 11th APRIL     **     Last Day of Term 

SUMMER TERM

MONDAY 28th APRIL               **     Summer Term begins  
Monday 9th June               **     Whit Monday       
FRIDAY 20th JUNE               **     ANNUAL AWARD CEREMONY 
MONDAY 23rd JUNE               **     Summer School begins 

SCHOOL RE-OPENS         Monday 8th SEPTEMBER 2025

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.