Sierra Bernia School

'make do and mend' with upper primary....

2012-01-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

Mrs Letchford's upper primary group are currently looking at life just after the second world war. Those of a certain age might remember the Governments 'make do and mend' campaign, which was designed to encourage women to do such things as unpick knitted jumpers and reuse the wool, plus alter and mend clothes. The government at the time issued posters such as the examples shown left and above.......

The upper primary group were then encouraged to try the skills of embroidery and knitting, skills which for todays generation are completely unknown. The following photos show many pupils having a try at these skills, to get a feel of life was like during this time.....

It's difficult this knitting lark!!!!

Sue helping out......Sue was one of the few staff at the school who remembers how to knit!!!

This was fantastic experience for these young pupils , where activities like these give pupils a feel of what life was like in these ' history in action' activities.........Look out parents, your next birthday or next Christmas present could be a garment made by your child!!

Bowling and Beach!

2011-12-31T06:50:00.000-08:00

December in Costa Blanca!!

Come and join us!

On the last day of the Christmas term, the Primary and Lower Secondary pupils had a great day out , bowling in Benidorm and then expending energy on the beach. One of the advantages of this part of the world....sunny beach days on the 20th of December!....

Here are a number of photos of a great day out which the staff and students all enjoyed after a hard terms work, and it was a perfect build up to Christmas...

Time for a drink! not sure whether it was before or after the bowling!

( below) fun in the sun!

organised chaos!!

Mrs Letchford giving a new student a lift....!

A great day out , the pupils behaviour was a credit to the school and thanks to all staff who made it all possible. See you all next term...

Sierra Bernia Christmas Charity...

2011-12-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

Every year the pupils at the school, collect toys, toiletries, stationary etc, in Christmas bags, for the orphans at Emaus, sporsored by the Bed Centre ,Calpe. This year the pupils were as generous as ever, and the many full christmas bags ensured that children, who are not as fortunate, have a Happy Christmas. These are some photos of the younger pupils before the bags were given to Emaus ... Well done all and thanks for your generosity

Move over Wayne Rooney!! Sierra Bernias 5-a-side footy!

2011-12-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

On a damp Friday afternoon, Sierra Bernia school organized a 5 a side football tournament at the local Sports centre, with more dribbles than the Bernia Babies on a good day, the day was a great success!

Organized by one of our parents, Mr Cooper, who has helped train and organise the football all term, and without whose valuable support the football would not be as popular as it is, the tournament was closely contested, with the winning team, led by Dani, running out the eventual winners. (pictured left)

With exams looming, this was a great release of energy, (ohh to be young again.....!), and although the competition was closely fought, all the players showed fair play and sportsmanship and did not show the 'prima donna' attitude of many footballers! Below are a number of images of a great fun day, which all helps in making Sierra Bernia the close community school it is ....

Well done all!!

Geography Art......

2011-12-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

Continuing the theme of making art with the basic materials found around them, the Upper Primary have been studying coasts in their Geography lessons, and have been exploring the different types of beaches found in the local area.

They found sandy beaches, shingle beaches and pebble or stone beaches. From these beaches they gathered materials of each beach type to make some original and exciting art work. Throughout this page are a number of images that were created.......

This theme of 'Art in Action' stimulates creative activity in enquiring minds, skills and abilities that are encouraged throughout the pupils time at Sierra Bernia, also this kind of work proves that you do not need massive amounts of expensive materials to produce excellent work.

With the world around you, a creative mind, supportive teachers and a bit of imagination you can produce the kind of work seen in many of these recent blogs.

Christmas is coming with the Bernia Babies!!

2011-12-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early for the mums and toddlers at the Bernia Babies Club when Santa made a surprise visit last Tuesday

Whilst the babies were working away like busy little elves, preparing Christmas cards for their mums and dads, Father Christmas made a grand entrance and then presented each child with a gift and plenty of Christmas cheer. Even the mums recieved a little something from Santa...a cheeky kiss!!

The following pictures need no commentary as they show the wonder of Christmas for the little one's.........

Due to school examinations and the Infant Christmas play, Bernia Babies will not be regrouping until 17TH JANUARY 2012.

Mrs Letchford would like to thank all the mums, dads, grandmas and grandads for bringing along their little ones to join in the fun, games and singing each week, and on behalf of everyone at Sierra Bernia School, wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Maths? Fun?...........Yes!!..read on.....

2011-12-01T09:10:00.001-08:00

Many students ( and adults!) have a fear of Maths, so in Sierra Bernia school,under the guidance of Kanchan Ahuja, our Maths specialist, the school recently held its second ' Maths Fun Day' following on the success of the first day in May of this year.

Nursery, Lower secondary, and Upper secondary were all involved, and the day was a great success, and certainly helped to dispel any idea that Maths is boring...

The Upper Secondary were set a task to build a newspaper bridge strong enough to hold heavy weights . The only materials they were given were newspaper and masking tape.....

The picture on the left shows Kanchan and some of the upper secondary pupils mulling over the problem....

The project required a knowledge of strong base structures in Maths shapes, and here Vera, one of our Upper Secondary students, is seen considering another solution to this problem.....

Did it work ? there was only one way to find out! Mr Westcott who would be considered ( even by himself!) to be a 'heavy weight' ,was asked to sit on the finally completed bridge , so with much trepidation of all involved he lowered himself (gently) onto the bridge in front of all those who had spent a great deal of effort putting this together.........

YES!!!!!!!!!

It worked!.. all this with just newspaper and masking tape...This was a fantastic effort by all and below is a photograph of the upper secondary group involved, with Kanchan, whose drive and enthusiasm is, as you can see from this and other blogs, typical of the staff at Sierra Bernia School

With Kanchan are (from left to right) Daniil,Borja, Vera, Donna, Menno, Kirill and Maxim...well done all.

The nursery and infants also had great fun on the day with fun activities such as skipping, apple bobbing, hula hoops, eating cookies and blindman's bluff. We all look forward to Maths Fun Day 3!!

Aztec Art......

2011-11-30T12:24:00.001-08:00

Mrs Letchford's Upper Primary class have been learning about the Aztec civilisation in their History lessons this term. As part of their studies, they have created a range of Authentic Aztec artefacts including Aztec temples, 'Day of the Dead' masks, Aztec books, also known as codices, and golden pendants.

The variety of materials used to create their work, produced some amazing results which are shown throughout this page.......fantastic images, we hope you agree!!
All these pieces are in amazing detail, if you visit school at any time, we are sure that the Upper Primary pupils will be more than glad to show you them, and all the other examples of their work!

Again well done, this is a flavour of the standard of work we see almost daily at Sierra Bernia, and just another example of how our teachers continually support our pupils to be creative and develop all the skills that a truly rounded education should offer...

Viking longboats.......

2011-11-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

During this term, Mr Westcott's Lower Secondary group in History and Geography, has been working on such topics as The Romans, The Middle Ages, Volcanoes, Earthquakes and map reading skills. As part of their work the group has been encouraged to undertake projects to emphasise what they have learnt.

With the support of Mrs Byles, a student teacher with us at the moment, they have just completed a project on building a viking longboat, which also brought in teamwork skills, drawing to scale, and art and craft studies....The results were amazing, top left shows one of the boats that was completed. Top right is a picture of the other boat completed. Both very impressive......

left are one of the groups who completed one of the boats, Marcelo,Ahmar, Sofia, Charlie and Amelia.

Right is the other group of Jack, Maksim, Ella, Alex, & Kieron

All the group together with Mrs Byles, who helped them through this project....well done all!

A Day in the life......of Sierra Bernia

2011-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

We went around the school on a typical day with a camera to get a snapshop of what is going on ......quite a lot!!!

pictured left are the Nursery to Year 2 children
starting practicing for the nativity play on the 16th of December

(left)Joseph making sure that Mary is ok!..ahhhhhh!!The rest of the choir ( below)also practicing hard for the big day!!

Fernando, who teaches Spanish and Valenciano, helping students in his room. It is very important that although we are a British Curriculum school, that the Spanish language and culture is taught to all students.
Sierra Bernia is a truly international environment, where students from, Spain, UK, Russia, Holland, Pakistan etc all work happily together...

Below are examples of the displays that are evident in all classrooms , which pupils and staff are very proud to share with all visitors to the school...

....When we called into Mrs Letchford's room there was a very interesting discussion with years 5 and 6 about the issue of bullying....It is very important that these kind of topics are discussed at an early age so that pupils are aware of the issues involved, and this Personal and Social education has a great importance in Sierra Bernia, so as we say we can 'educate for life'.......

This was just a brief visit around the school, but we hope it gives you a feel of the range of activities that the dedicated staff try and encourage at all times......remember our motto ' Education for life'......look out for more daily snapshots.

A Smoothie Process.....!

2011-11-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

THE WHOLE TEAM....ENJOYING THE FRUITS OF THEIR LABOUR!!

Mrs Letchford has been working with the Lower Secondary pupils to find ways to encourage people to get their 'five a day'. After weeks investigating the range of smoothies available by to the public on the market, each student developed their very own smoothie by finding a suitable market for their health drink, and then designing their product to suit. Below are pictures of Charlie, Kieron and Marcelo, a real trio of smoothies!!

The students assessed thickness, texture and flavours, as well as correct dairy ingredients to use. They came up with a range of smoothies that were suitable for young children, sports people, school children and the 'older market' who would benefit from the extra fruits found in their smoothie drinks. Ella ( below right) is obviously enjoying hers!!

All the Lower Secondary were involved and really enjoyed the project. This practical example of Food Technology was a great success, and if in the future one of our students becomes a budding entrepreneur selling smoothies, then remember where it all started!!

Below are Maksim and Alex hard at work... not forgetting Sofia and Ella...

Red Nose Day

2011-03-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

On Friday 18th March the whole school really got involved in our annual Red Nose event.

This is a great chance to raise money for those less fortunate than ourselves.

The day started with some video presentations about the Red Nose charity which focused on how the money would really help other young people.

The pupils all listened very carefully and really developed an understanding oh how hard life can be for some children in other parts of the world.

We then had an excellent display from the local Protection Civil unit. This is another voluntary organisation that plays a very important role in local community life. The children were allowed to see inside the ambulance and listened with great interest to the commentary from the officers.

The day went on with the Upper Secondary really entering into the spirit of the day by competing boys against girls to see who could raise the most money for charity.

This was part of their Business Studies work, and both groups worked extremely hard to get every last cent out of the rest of the school!

In the afternoon we were treated to some wonderful cup-cakes that had been lovingly iced by Years 5&6. All money raised from the sale went to the Red Nose fund.

The day finished with a massive rounders match with the Upper School narrowly beating the Lower School with the very last strike of the day.

All in all this was a wonderful day, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to make this an outstanding success.

It's Carnaval Time!

2011-03-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

One of the annual festivals that is always looked forward to by both pupils and staff at Sierra Bernia is Carnaval!

It is a time for dressing up (no school uniform for a day!) and a great opportunity to do some different things at school.

This year we had a wonderful display of food sculpture and some Salsa dancing.

As well as our annual Carnaval Parade. With the theme of Cowboys and Indians there was definitely a sense the Wild West around Sierra Bernia for the day!

Renewable Energy Display

2011-03-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

With all the sunshine that we get on the Costa Blanca, it is perhaps not surprising that Spain is very advanced in its thinking about alternative energy supplies.

Years 3 - 6 attended an excellent exhibition at the Casa d'Cultura in Alfaz, and learned a lot about how we can use renewable sources of energy.

The students were all very interested in this excellent display.

End of Term Fun Day in Benidorm.

2010-12-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

Yay - we've reached the end of the term!

After all the hard work (and especially those dreaded exams) it's time to relax a little. And what better place to do that than at the Bowling Arcade in Benidorm!

Upper Primary joined the whole of the Upper School and all had a very enjoyable time with everyone showing off their bowling skills.

I think some of the staff must have enjoyed a very misspent youth - Mrs Holmes, where did you learn to bowl like that?

This was followed by lunch and a time to relax on the beach before returning to school in time for 4 pm.

Well done to everyone - you all behaved so well throughout the day.

Upper Primary Christmas Production

2010-12-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to class teacher Mrs Letchford and all the pupils in Upper Primary for putting on a wonderful production of "A Christmas Carol"!

It was standing room only in the school hall as parents and friends were massively entertained by what they saw.

The ghost of Christmas Past was very scary and it all turned out well in the end as Scrooge saw the error of his ways and allowed Christmas to happen - phew!

This was a stunning and very enjoyable piece, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who had the opportunity to see it.

Enjoy the photographs - but watch out for that ghost!

Well done to all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

International Day In Alfaz del Pi

2010-10-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday 3rd October saw a wonderful event in the grounds of the Polidesportivo in Alfaz.

It was "International Day" with members of our truly multi cultural community here, celebrating and sharing the very best of their respective cultures.

A bright sunny day saw the event packed, and the atmosphere was tremendous. Many SBS pupils and staff were in and around the stalls and all thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Top: Matthew (Lower Secondary) with mum!

Middle: Maths teacher, Miss Kanchan (right), manned the Indian stall. And the samosas were to die for!

Bottom: Olivia (Lower Secondary) about to sample those samosas!

"We Are Not Amused" Victorian Art for the Upper Juniors

2010-10-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

The children in Upper Junior have been studying pictures of Queen Victoria including a family portrait by Winterhalter, 'The Royal Family', 1846.

On Friday, they discussed the symbolism of some of the more luxurious items in the painting, then made a sketch of some of the items.

The class used a range of pencils and shading to show texture and light in their drawings and produced some excellent pieces of work.

The children will continue to work on their sketches over the next few weeks adding colour and texture with paints and pastels. They will also make their own golden frames to display them in for a mini exhibition.

Sports Activity Day In Alfaz

2010-10-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

On Friday 24th September the whole school decamped to the Polidesportivo in Alfaz for our special Sports Activity Day.

One of the main goals for this day was to promote a sense of school spirit and teamwork, as we encouraged the older students to lead and work with the younger pupils in their teams.

This they did magnificentally and it was great to see the way in which everyone was encouraged to do their very best.

A big congratulations to all the Upper Secondary for their outstanding work on the day.

Sometimes just keeping up with the little ones was hard work for our team leaders!

Members of the winning "Green" team can be seen here with Lewis from Upper Secondary.

Sierra Bernia Live On Cool FM!

2010-09-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

What a great time we had on Friday 17th September as Sierra Bernia School went out live on Cool FM - one of the leading English speaking radio stations on the Costa Blanca!

DJ Dave Owens broadcast the whole of his morning show live from the school, assisted by many of the pupils and staff who all contributed brilliantly.

As one listener commented "Sierra Bernia sounded like a school of happy kids who liked to talk about what they do at school".

Congratulations to everyone who took part - but a special thanks to Jodie (Upper Secondary) who acted as Dave's assistant throughtout the morning; Mrs Letchford who had liased with the radio station to make it all possible; Mr Allan for sorting out the technical issues; and Dave who interacted with the pupils so well!

Cool FM can be found on 97.4 or visit their web site on www.coolfm974.com.

Sierra Bernia Goes To Sierra Bernia!

2010-09-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Mr Allan, Sierra Bernia School's Director, believes that every pupil should have the opportunity to visit the range of mountains the school takes its name from.

So, with this in mind, an intrepid group of Upper Secondary explorers took to the mountains on Wednesday 15th, to climb and explore the Sierra Bernia range.

Once again, this was a real team-building exercise and it was great to see how the group worked together to make sure everyone succeeded and enjoyed the day.

After thoroughly exploring the old fort near the top of the range the group climbed still higher until it was time to turn around and head back down.

A tired but elated group arrived back at school just after lunch. The day was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

School's Back From Summer!

2010-09-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's September 8th and Sierra Bernia School is back!

With many new students joining us this term we wanted to welcome everyone back with some fun "get to know you" activities.

And what better way than to enlist the help of Jimbo from the Broadway Theatre Group to teach the upper school some circus skills!

Great fun was had by all as they tried their hands at juggling, balloon sculpture, and the amazing micro cycle!

Many thanks to Jimbo for a wonderful session and well done to all the pupils who took part with such enthusiasm.

Swimming Gala!

2010-06-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

One of the most enjoyable events in our annual calander in the school swimming gala. This year was no exception and a wonderful day was had by all who took part at the open air pool in Alfaz.

The pupils were divided into teams and, once again, Kirill in Year 9 showed his leadership qualities by powering his Red team to yet another outstanding victory.

Kirill is Russian and his motivational style is very simple yet very powerful. He was overheard coaching some of the younger pupils with the following gem:

"You want medal?" The two year 3's said "Yes" Kirill then replied with a simple "Then win"! It worked - they did! Perhaps we should get him to manage the woeful English football team!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable day and well done to everyone who competed so splendidly.

School Prize Day

2010-06-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

With the school year nearing an end it was time to look back and celebrate all the great achievements of the pupils at Sierra Bernia.

So, on Thursday 24th we arrived at the Casa de Cultura in Alfaz for our annual Prize Day.

Mr Duncan Allan, school owner, set the tone for this wonderful celebration by reminding pupils that school is about preparing for the future. His opening address was followed by Years 7 and 8 reading poetry in English, French, and Spanish.

Each class then performed something to show the work they have been doing, and individuals received prizes for their attitude and achievements throughout the year.

In addition to the individual awards, every pupil received a certificate for successfully completing the school year.

This was truly a celebration of all the great work that happens at Sierra Bernia School and there were certainly some emotional tears of pride from the parents who supported the event so well.

Sports Day Awards Ceremony

2010-06-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

At the end of an exciting day all the pupils came together for our Sports Day Awards. The event was won by the Red Team who were led brilliantly by Kirill from Year 9.

It was wonderful to see the way the way the older Team Captains worked with their younger team members to lead and inspire them. A big congatulations to Kieren, Josh, Michael, and of course Kirill, for providing such a great example.

There were special awards for individual performances too. The girl's award was shared by Tanja (Year 2) and Sylvia (Year 3) and the boys award went to Alex (Year 4).

The day was a massive success and a special thanks must go to Mrs Letchford who organised the whole event.

Sierra Bernia Sports Day!

2010-06-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

Friday 18th June saw the whole school attending the Polidesportivo in Alfaz for our annual Sports Day.

This is a really fun day where four "house" teams compete against each other to be crowned champions at the end of the day.

Everybody has the opportunity to gain points for their team and, although it is always good to win, the real fun is just in taking part.

Many parents and friends came to add their support to the day as the pupils went through a variety of sports events, both serious and fun. I'm not sure there is currently an Olympic category for "Egg and Spoon" race!

Enjoy the photographs of our future sporting stars in action!

Assemblies At Sierra Bernia School

2010-06-26T23:10:00.000-07:00

Every week the Junior School has an assembly with each year group taking it in turns to present the work they have been covering in class.

This helps to improve the children's confidence as they are in the "lime light", performing to both their fellow pupils and the many parents who love to come in and watch.

Our assemblies are also an opportunity for pupils to receive public acclaim for their Academic Excellence Merit Awards.

All pupils strive to progress through the various levels of award from Bronze through to Platinum.

Here are a selection of photographs from the excellent lower school assemblies we have had in recent weeks. Congratulations to all the pupils who give such great performances as they share their knowledge with the rest of the school.

The Complete Pirates Show!

2010-06-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Time to get out the popcorn, put your feet up, and sit back and enjoy the whole "Pirates" show.

Pirates Of The Caribbean!

2010-06-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

After four intense weeks of rehersals, Sierra Bernia School's Summer production came to a wonderful climax at the Casa de Cultura in Alfaz del Pi on Wednesday 19th May.

What a wonderful show it was! With children from reception through to the exam class taking part it really was a "whole school" event.

Congatulations to everyone who worked so hard to make this possible and a special thanks to Pascalle and Victor from Street Wise Productions for making it all possible.

John And Yoko Visit SBS!

2010-05-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

Years 5 & 6 had some very special guests arrive in their classroom on Friday 7th May. They have been working on a 1960's project which included finding out all about the The Beatles! As part of their studies they staged a re-enactment of John and Yoko's famous "Sit In" in a Paris Hotel room.

Well done to Mrs Letchford and all the pupils for this very clever piece of work. Mrs Letchford is actually too young to remember the original event but was able to draw on real life memories from some of her (more mature) colleagues!

In a surprise turn of events Mr Allan suggested that Year 5 & 6 could play live on top of the school building in an attempt to re-create the Beatles playing on the Apple building in London!

We'll work on that for next year!

The Pirates Are Coming!

2010-05-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

There is great excitement building within the school as we prepare for our annual music and drama production - this year based around "The Pirates Of The Caribbean"! Here's a quick look behind the scenes at rehearsals .....

Watch Your Heads - King Henry Visits Sierra Bernia!

2010-04-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Year 4 took us all back to Tudor times with a wonderful assembly on the life and times of King Henry VIII.

You remember? Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived! And that was just his wives! Tough times for a king's wife in those days!

Ahh! I can't watch! This was how to divorce your wife Tudor style!

This was a full production with wonderful costumes and great acting shown by all.

The Hall was filled with parents and friends of the school, who all thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.

Congratulations to Mrs Sweet and all the Year 4 pupils (plus guests) that made this such a thrilling assembly.

Bernia Babies

2010-04-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sierra Bernia School has launched its very own baby and toddler group, and it is proving to be a huge success!!

Bernia Babies welcomes parents and grandparents to join their children for a fun filled morning of crafts, activities and play in an educational environment.

For only 1.50€ you and your children can enjoy toys, games singing and stories. Mrs Luckhurst holds the meetings every Tuesday morning in the school hall at Sierra Bernia School and refreshments are provided too. If you would like to join them, just come along on Tuesday mornings between 10:30 – 12:00.

Amazing Assemblies

2010-04-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Each Friday the primary classes at Sierra Bernia School are given the opportunity to show the rest of the school what they are learning about by presenting a class assembly. Parents are welcomed to watch the assemblies and many weeks, the school hall is packed out!

This week however, the parents took over when Isaac’s mum came in to talk to us about a book she had written. Sophie talked to the children about the meaning of access and about places being accessible, then read her book about wheel chair accessibility.

The children loved the story, which is also written in French, and Sophie’s colourful illustrations and gave her a huge round of applause at the end. Thank you Sophie for coming in and sharing your book with us.

All parents are welcome to join our assemblies held every Friday at 9:20 in the school hall.

Junior School Visit To Terra Natura

2010-04-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday 24th March Years 3-6 had a wonderful visit to the Terra Natura animal park near Benidorm.

The day was full of workshops and guided tours, and the children were brilliantly looked after by the Terra Natura staff for the day. Everyone learned so much about the various animals on show.

It was particularly exciting to be in the aviry with birds flying around the children's heads. This was followed by the bird of prey display were we could see these magnificent creatures up close.

It was a wonderful day out for the children and a great deal was learned about the work of the park. Our sincere thanks go to the staff of Terra Natura who made our day there so informative.

Saint Patrick's Day Fun - Spot The Leprechauns!

2010-04-12T01:17:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful Mrs Vaughan - always full of Irish mischief - was visited by a whole family of Leprechauns on St Patrick's Day. It turns out that her class have another life with the little people. Have a good look at the picture and see if you can spot your favourite little friend!

World Maths Day!

2010-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 3rd March saw the whole school throwing its collective mental muscle behind World Maths Day.

This is a truly amazing world-wide competition with children from all parts of the globe competing against each other in a series of graded mental maths challenges.

Everybody had great fun throughout the day and there were some great results from many of our pupils.

If you look carefully you can even see Mr Allan, School Director, having a go!

The day was made possible by the re-launch of our Computer Suite which handled the work load really well.

Our thanks go to Mrs Letchford who organised and set up the whole day.

Special congratulations go to the following pupils:

Name (Year) Number of correct answers

Kirill (Y9) 7210
Ahmar (Y4) 4782
Maksim (Y5) 4023
Alex (Y4) 2911
Daniil (y7) 1328
Faye (Y4) 1043
Maite (Y7) 827
Lucas (Y1) 806
Dylan (Y8) 747
German (Y10) 695

And finally... A quote from the World Maths Day Site. "World Maths Day is all over! Congratulations on a new World Record! 1,133,246 students and 56,082 schools from 235 countries have united to set a new world record by correctly answering 479,732,613 questions."

Brilliant!

The Lower School Celebrates Carnaval

2010-02-27T05:01:00.000-08:00

On Friday 12th February, the whole school celebrated the annual fiesta, Carnaval!

It was a day of great colour with wonderful costumes and much fun and merriment.

We will let the photographs speak for themselves.

Year 1 Assembly - The Three Little Pigs

2010-02-27T04:42:00.000-08:00

On Carnaval day Mrs Vaughan and Year 1 gave us a wonderful assembly telling the story of the Three Little Pigs.

The children really loved this story and acted it out with great energy and enthusiasm.

The assembly was thoroughly enjoyed by the other pupils, the staff, and the many parents who came in to support the children.

Carnaval - Sierra Bernia Style!

2010-02-27T04:12:00.000-08:00

The annual Carnaval Fiesta was celebrated in style on Friday 12th February!

Everyone entered into the spirit of the day with fantastic fancy dress and a wonderful atmosphere.

The Upper School sports afternoon was taken over with some silly fun and games - including limbo dancing and a very wet few minutes with some water bombs, which were mostly aimed at the "lucky" members of staff.

Mrs Letchford in true Fiesta dress and Mr Cowley dreaming of former times when he actually had hair!

The glamourous Mrs Holmes with some of the Year 8 girls.

Year 5 & 6 Writing Assignment "What's In The News?"

2010-01-31T15:08:00.000-08:00

As part of our PSHE studies, Year 5&6 have been looking at What’s in the news. We have learnt that people like to read about news that happens in their local area and that articles are written to appeal to a target audience. We have written some articles to appeal to other children in the area who might be interested in what we are doing in our local area. We hope you enjoy reading them!

I go to Sierra Bernia School and next to the school there’s a studio of ballet. I have been going to ballet since 2003. Every summer we practice to do a show in the casa de cultura. I like classic ballet. I go on Tuesdays and Fridays. I like to go there because it’s very interesting. By Ariadna (Year 5).

My name is Ella Mae and I live in La Nucia and I got o Sierra Bernia School. Near my school there is a theatre group called Broadway and we practice at Don Quijote. We did a big performance at the casa de cultura in Alfaz. I was the star of the show, I was Peter Pan. This year will be my third year, it is very friendly and I love it!

Jimbo and Sharon Gaffeny run the Broadway. Sharon was on television when she was younger. We do a pantomime at Christmas and Benidorm’s got talent in February. We also do a summer show, a Hallowe’en show and then back to the pantomime.

The times are Thursday and Friday, 5:30 to 7:30 and on Saturday 10:30 to 2:30. I am ten years old and it’s very fun if you love singing and dancing or acting. By Ella Mae (Year 6).

I am Amalia and when I came to Sierra Bernia School, I made lots of friends and we’ve got kind teachers like Mrs Sweet and Mrs Letchford. You can eat in the comedor or you can bring a packed lunch. I’ve got a friend called Ella, she’s cool. I am a good singer and I like to sing Hannah Montana or Miley Cirus songs, and Camp Rock songs. By Amalia (Year 5).

In Sierra Bernia School we are learning all about spies and the gadgets they use. In Maths we are learning about area and perimeter and in science we are learning about planets and the Sun. I have learned that it takes a year for the Earth to go around the Sun. By Joe (Year 5).

Lower School Visit To Jungle Book

2010-01-31T14:52:00.000-08:00

On Thursday 14th January Years 1 - 6 were taken on a wonderful day out to see a production of Jungle Book in Alicante.

The performance was in Spanish with English songs, and was visually stunning.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day with lunch in the park after the performance.

Matthew and Emma enjoyed the park!

Excellent costumes and a great production!

It's Father Christmas - Look It Really Is!

2010-01-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

The end of term is always an enjoyable time for all the students at SBS.

The excitement in the Infant block was amazing as rumours of the arrival of Father Christmas spread! It was some party and everyone received their own special gift from Old Nick!

The party went with a real swing and it was a fitting reward for all the hard work everyone has done this term. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves.......

Carol Singing In Alfaz Del Pi

2010-01-05T05:24:00.000-08:00

With Christmas approaching fast the Infant School and Year 3 headed down to the centre of Alfaz for a carol singing extravaganza!

The children have been practicing hard for several weeks and, accompanied by staff and parents, they really helped to bring the Christmas Spirit to our local community.

Well done to everyone who sang so heartily!

Save The Children Charity Event

2010-01-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

Each year the school supports many charities, both local and international. One of our big annual events is the sponsored walk and run for Save The Children.

During the last week of November both Junior and Senior school took time out from their busy shedules to raise money for this worthwhile cause. These were great days and helps our pupils to realise that there are many in the world far less fortunate than they are.

From the top - Mrs Vaughn and Mrs Luckhurst organising the walkers. Middle - we can run this no problem. Bottom - how much further!

And just to prove they did it too - the Upper after completing their run!

Congratulations to everyone who took part and did their bit to help others.

Merit Awards

2010-01-05T04:52:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Year 8 who are storming the Merit Award tables at the moment! From left to right we have Alicia, Claire, Lucia, and Jodie.

Every student at SBS recieves Merits for a whole range of activities - excellent homework or classwork, helping or showing kindness, or just going that extra mile as a pupil.

The awards qualify them for different levels of certificates from Bronze up to Platinum.

Well, Year 8 have certainly thrown down the challenge. It's now up to the other years to catch them up!

Sierra Bernis Pupil Wins Art Competition!

2009-11-22T04:37:00.000-08:00

The pupils in Year groups 8 and 9 at Sierra Bernia School have been working hard to produce entries for the International Peace Poster Competition, organised each year by the Club de Leones, Alfaz del Pi.

This year’s entries were displayed in the Casa de Cultura and were judged on their content and artistic ability on Thursday 12th November. The winner was Oleg Ummels from Sierra Bernia School.

His entry will now go to Alicante where it will be judged against other district winners. The winning entry will then go to Madrid for further judging and lastly to America, for the final stage of the competition. We wish Oleg’s entry Good Luck!!

Stop Press! Year 4, 5, & 6 Visit Costa Blanca News

2009-11-22T04:15:00.000-08:00

As part of our literacy studies this term, years 4, 5 and 6 have been learning about various aspects of media and journalism. On Friday, they consolidated their knowledge with a trip to the Costa Blanca News offices where they were escorted round by the Editor James Parks.

The children spent an hour questioning the Editor and asking a range of challenging and interesting questions about the history and production of the paper before being given a tour of the offices. The children spoke to some of the journalists on the news desk and looked at how the both the news paper and website are edited and maintained on a daily basis then went downstairs to the print room to see how a newspaper is printed.

Some of the children took a real interest in the running of the paper and were keen to show the Editor some of their own work. Jack, Joe, Matthew and Laurence of year 5 and 6 presented James Parks with a copy of the school news letter they had produced and Ella gave him a news article on the Trojan Horse she had completed over the weekend. The children's work certainly impressed the Editor and he will be keeping his eye on a couple of budding reporters who caught his attention.

As the latest edition of the Coasta Blanca News was out that day, each child was given their own copy of the newspaper to take away with them and the children also had their photo taken outside the offices and with the editor himself!

So watch this space and look out for the next generation of journalists and editors coming for our very own school!!!!

A Scary Night At Sierra Bernia!

2009-11-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Friday 30th October saw our annual Halloween Party at Sierra Bernia School! It was a wonderful warm evening and it seemed to attract ghouls, ghosts, and goblins out of the hiding places in massive numbers! The costumes were absolutely fantastic and a big "Congratualtions!" to everyone who put in so much effort!

The stalls all looked great with The Chocolate Fountain, Burgers, and Bar proving very popular. The pupils were able to extract some "revenge" on Mr MacInnes and Mr Cowley by hurling wet sponges at them in the stocks - the determination on some of the pupils faces was a bit worrying!

Parents, would you allow your children to be taught by these ghouls? From left to right Mrs Letchford. Miss Marie, and Mrs Vaughan.

Sierra Bernia is a true family school with parents, teachers, and pupils all giving up their time to contribute to a truly successful evening!

Year 9 Science Trip To The Cuevas del Canelobre

2009-10-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

In their science lessons Year 9 have been learning about the formation of rocks. Rocks in a science lab are one thing, but to actually go into a real cave and see some magnificent rock formations is quite another!

The trip to the Caves at Canelobre near Alicante, was a wonderful opportunity to see these powerful processes at work first hand. Leaving a wet SBS at 9.30 we reached the caves by 10.30 and entered the cave itself at about 11.00 am.

For those of you who have never been there the cave is like a massive natural Gothic cathedral! It has a fascinating history stretching back hundreds of years, and many splendid examples of stalagmites and stalactites.

(Now, which way around is it? Which ones come down from the ceiling and which grow up from the floor? Ask any Yr 9 - they will know.)

The class was brilliantly behaved throughout and thoroughly enjoyed their day's exploring!

Year 2 Assembly - Doing The Right Thing When You're Six Years Old!

2009-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

In a brilliant assembly Year 2 showed us all how they make decisions about how to behave.

We all know that doing "the right thing" can be very difficult at times! As part of their Personal, Health, & Social Education Programme, Yr2 have been exploring the importance of thinking carefully about the choices they make!

This was very cleverly shown in an assembly that had all the lower school really thinking about what was going on. Congratulations to Mrs Luckhurst and all the Yr 2 pupils for a very thought provoking 20 minutes!

Years 7 & 8 Become Greek & Roman Time Travellers!

2009-10-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, 13th October, immediately after the October "puente" holiday, Years 7 and 8 set off, on the School bus, for Alicante, for an all day excursion. Mrs Ana Rico, Year 8's Form Tutor, and Mrs Holmes, who teaches History to both classes, were guides for the pupils.

Their first stop was at the Tossal de Manises, the site of the Roman City of Lucentum, which today, we all know as Alicante City. Archaeologists are still at work on the site, excavating ancient ruins. One of the main points of interest of this part of the excursion was to look at a part of the original floor mosaic, which is situated near the observation point.

The group moved on to the Parque de Palmeras, where they enjoyed some free time and their snack lunches, before going on to Alicante City.

The main purpose of the excursion was to visit MARQ~the Museo Arqueologico de Alicante, where The Body Beautiful exhibition is being held. This excellent display of ancient Greek sculptures is a result of collaboration between The British Museum in London and the MARQ.

The Exhibition, which has been running since April, was opened by Her Majesty Queen Sophia of Spain. The high light for all of the pupils was the remarkable Discobolus, or the Discus- thrower. This sculpture is famous the world over, and the one on show in Alicante is a Roman copy that was found in Emperor Hadrian's villa in Tivoli, Italy.

Year 3 Assembly - Scarecrows

2009-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Mrs Martinez's class welcomed the autum season with a display of hand-made scarecrows in this week's assembly at Sierra Bernia School.

They also introduced themselves and their families in perfect English which was great considering that four of the children began the school term not speaking any English whatsoever!

Well done Year 3 and keep up the good work!

Year 5 & 6 In The News.

2009-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

After producing the school magazine and delivering a wonderful assembly all about newspapers, Years 5 & 6 have found themselves in the papers themselves!

Front page on The Costa Blanca News and inside The Post! So, "Hold the press", and let's look forward to hearing from our budding journalists in the future!

Coughs and Sneezes!

2009-10-04T13:54:00.001-07:00

The school was pleased to welcome back Mrs Sweet this week after a few days away with a very bad chest infection. Year 4 were very pleased to see her as were all the art classes who are producing outstanding work under her guidance.

Sadly, Mr MacInnes was unwell on Monday and had to go home. All the pupils and staff wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back with us again soon.

Cricket Training In Spain

2009-10-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 3rd October Matthew Cowley (Year 6) represented the school at an all day training session organised by Cricket Espana.

Matt, a keen junior player with Sporting Alfaz Cricket Club, went to La Manga with 16 other young people from SACC. All the boys and girls had an absolutely brilliant day, and received expert coaching throughout.

At the end of the day Matthew captained the Alfaz side against an older and stronger Spanish team in a game of Kwik Cricket. Although well beaten, all the players thoroughly enjoyed the game. The picture shows all the chidren taking part in the training day organised by Cricket Espana.

Teddy Bear's Picnic!

2009-10-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday 30th September Nursery and Years 1 & 2 had their annual Teddy Bear's Picnic. Due to the somewhat uncharacteristic weather we have been experiencing this week it was decided to hold the picnic in the school grounds - just in case we needed to get all the teddy bears under shelter quickly!

As always this was a fun day for the children and, thankfully, the rain even held off until near the end of the day!

All teddy bears and children were safely returned to their mums and dads at the end of a very enjoyable day.

It's A French Song, In An English School, In Beautiful Spain!

2009-10-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Year 5 and 6 would like to say Merçi beaucoup, to Mrs Llorca Salvador (Amalia's mum),who has been helping them this week with their French lessons.

They have been busy learning a song about a lonely witch in preparation for the SBS Hallowe'en party and began by translating the song from French in to English.

We look forward to learning more from Mrs Llorca Salvador. Á jeudi!

Geography Field Trip To Algar Falls

2009-09-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

On Friday 11 September, the Examination Class went on their first Geography Field Trip of the year.

Field work is an essential part of the IGCSE course, and so it was decided that the first Field Trip should be held during the first week of term. The destination was the Rio Algar, in Algar village, about 25 minutes from the School.

At the river, the Class worked in groups to measure the width and average depth of the river. This meant that everyone had to get into the river.....and there were screams of how cold the water was! Soon enough everyone was working away with ranging rods, tape measures and metre rules.

The next part of the exercise was to measure the surface speed of the water at each site. The students used oranges as their floats and timed their float over a distance of 10 metres. They took readings at the left bank, in the middle of the stream and at the right bank~and found the average speed, as this is more accurate. With this information they were able to calculate the discharge of the river, which is measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs).

Once the exercise had been carried out at two sites, we all made for the Restaurant Don Joan, where there were showers, and more importantly, a very inviting swimming pool and diving board!

There was a bit more work to do......drawing graphs of the cross sections of the river and checking of calculations and then lunch, followed by more fun in the pool.

Mrs Holmes, the geography teacher, was pleased with the attitude and application of the class. The Class thanked Mr Holmes, who had driven them to and from Algar in the School van. It was a perfect way to spend the first Friday of the new academic year!

Upper School Games at The Club Personal Fitness

2009-09-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

To get the new school year games lessons off to an exciting start the pupils of Yrs 7, 8, & 9 were taken to The Club Personal Fitness, a private fitness facility situated a few minutes from the school.

Here they were put through their paces by Lynn Cowley, owner of the centre, who showed them how to use the gym equipment safely. She then took the pupils through a short program that taught them the main components of fitness - strength, stamina, and flexibility.

The final part of the session was a coached swimming session with Mrs Letchford in the centre's pool.

The afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by all pupils and we will look forward to repeating this at various intervals throughout the year.

Back To School!

2009-09-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Today was the moment the summer ended for the pupils of Sierra Bernia School and a new term began!

Everyone seemed pleased to be back and start the serious business of work all over again! Several new pupils have joined the school for the start of this term and we all welcome them to the school.

Along side regular lessons this year we have a full programme of extra curricula activities. If you're feeling musical there are guitar and recorder classes; dance classes for the more energetic; along with table tennis and chess!

A parents newsletter will be out in the next week with news of all our programmes and activities.

More From Prize Day

2009-07-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

Year 1 & 2 going
on a "Summer Holiday"

Years 4, 5 & 6 "We Are Family"

and the brilliant "Dragon Hunt"
performed by
Year 3

School Prize Day - Thursday 25th June 2009

2009-07-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

One of the most looked forward to events in the Sierra Bernia School timetable is the annual Prize Day. This year we were able to celebrate the achievements of so many pupils with awards being presented by the mayor of Alfas, the director of education, and Mr Duncan Allan, owner of the school.

It is sometimes easy to forget all the hard work from pupils and staff in the hussle and bussle of daily school life. The Prize Day gives us a special time to step back and really recognise just what has been achieved throughout the year, and congratulations go to eveyone who received a certificate or award this year.

This year's event was especially marked by some great "performances" from each of the junior school classes. This was appreciated and enjoyed by all parents present.

This was a very happy day and a real celelebration of the very best of Sierra Bernia.

Annual Swimming Gala - 19th June 2009

2009-07-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

On a Friday 19th June pupils from Year 3 through to Year 11 gathered at the open air pool at the Polisportivo in Alfas Del Pi for our annual swimming gala. The event was taken very seriously by all competitors as they swam to raise points for their respective teams.

Once again the Blue Team triumphed, ably captained by Yr 9 pupil German Voss.

After the main events were over the pupils were able to enjoy some relaxing general swimming under the supervision of the Polisportivo staff.

This was a great day for all concerned and the behaviour of the pupils throughout was outstanding, bringing comments of commendation from the centre.

A massive well done to our champions in the Blue Team and all who took part in the gala.

School Sports Day - 28th May 2009

2009-07-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

The Junior School Sports Day was held on Thursday 28th May on the school playground. On a beautiful day parents gathered to watch their children compete in a variety of exciting sporting events.

The pupils were divided into four teams with everybody winning points for their team in each event they competed in.

It was a very close run competition, but at the end the Blue Team, captained by Year 5 pupil Simon Munoz, triumphed!

At the end of the afternoon all the competitors gathered in the school hall for the prize giving ceremony.

Welcome!

2009-07-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Sierra Bernia School Blog!

Please bookmark this page and come back regualrly to find out everything that is going on at the school.

Thanks