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 A number of day and residential trips are organised each year to support the educational programme. The school believes that fieldtrips are of great educational value, providing opportunities for active engagement in the learning process and supporting the personal and academic development of the pupils.
Assemblies are important occasions when larger groups of pupils
and teachers get together to share information and celebrate
their achievements. Pupils often participate as presenters or
performers and special visitors may be invited to inform or
entertain the audience. Most assemblies also create an opportunity
to share an important moral or ethical point, but remain non-denominational.
The school has a very busy calendar which includes a variety
of family events such as a Brazilian Festa Junina and Carnival, Founders’
Day Fête and Extravaganza Party.
Throughout the year, a variety of special presentations and
exhibitions are held to celebrate the work of our pupils with
their parents and with the wider community. This gives children
a sense of pride and achievement and is an important aspect
of our school.
 The Music department is active with students rehearsing in bands, choirs and percussion groups. We have a great number of students learning instruments through our curriculum classes and through our music curriculum and extra-curricular programme and there are events throughout the year for students to present their skills and talents to their families and friends. Students from Pre-Nursery (2 years-old) to IB (18 years-old) learn about the history of music, and about listening, performing and composing, using music from a wide range of cultures and styles. Children are introduced to several different kinds of instruments, from percussion to strings. In Class 2 they start learning the violin. A Steel Band is also part of the Music programme and children are encouraged to try as many different areas in music as possible.
 Drama is a popular and fast-developing area of the highest standards, both within the curriculum and beyond. There are a variety of drama productions each year, undertaken by students throughout the school, both as an integral part of their studies and extra-curricular programme.
The Drama productions are open to the school community on all sites, both children and staff, and involve large numbers both on stage and behind the scenes, enabling members of the cast and crew to work in areas of their own interest and expertise. Other, smaller theatrical presentations are staged as part of other evening events, House Competitions or assemblies.
The school has produced a wide variety of genres of performance, ranging from full scale musicals such as Chicago, Grease, GuysDolls and Little Shop of Horrors, to smaller studio performances of plays such as The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter, The Bald Prima Donna By Eugene Ionesco, Antigone by Sophocles and many other exciting scripted and devised pieces.
Annual Sports Days and House Competitions that are held throughout
the year are popular events among the pupils. Pupils compete
in both individual and team sports, always representing their Houses.
Our school regularly participates in tournaments involving other
international schools in Brazil and South America. These are
held for the under 15 years old teams as well as for the under 18’s.
School teams include boys’ and girls’ basketball
and football, boys’ and girls’ football and girls’ volleyball.
A central part of our mission is to prepare our students to be responsible and caring citizens with a broad understanding of, and empathy with, all facets of the world around them. We aim to promote an active awareness and concern for the disadvantaged. To this end we offer increasing opportunities for our pupils to become actively involved with charitable or community work.
Opportunities exist throughout the Senior School for community service, much of which is organised through the pastoral system and the Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) IB programme. Examples of projects include working with established NGOs such as "Onda Solidaria" and "Task Brazil" that help abandoned children; "Resolver", a cardio hospital for children and "Informação, Conhecimento e Atitude (ICA)" which works to empower young people in favela communities.
Primary pupils, together with the PTA, are also engaged in community projects notably CELPI, an NGO that helps families form "Santa Marta favela" through monthly donations of non-perishable foods and other items. The pupils also support other food and clothing campaigns organized each year.
The British school hosts an annual Model United Nations conference open to participants from all classes which allows students to discuss and seek solutions to problems ranging from human rights abuses, conflicts between nations and environmental issues. In addition students participate in several MUN conferences outside the school including the Brazil MUN in Hotel do Frade, Angra dos Reis – RJ, and the internationally acclaimed Harvard MUN in Boston, USA. Participation in these events enables students to develop a far better understanding and appreciation of current global affairs. Several subjects areas support the MUN programme by encouraging debate and public speaking within their academic curriculum.
Every year, two IB students are selected to participate in a Theory of Knowledge and outdoor activities course in the Andes mountains together with students from Latin American IB schools. IB students are also selected to represent the school in the annual LAHC (Latin American Heads Conference) student conferences, which has a varied theme from year to year but focusing on leadership. In recent years the school has hosted this conference twice focusing on Model United Nations and the Arts.
See also: The British School, Rio de Janeiro Model United Nations Conference 8, on the 14-16th May
House System
A very active House System promotes the integration of the different age groups all the way from Foundation Stage to Seniors. On entering the school, all pupils are allocated to a House and, in principle, members of the same family will be allocated to the same House. Membership of a House enhances the pupil’s sense of identity and belonging and creates a spirit of friendly competition and cooperation, as well as providing additional opportunities for participation in various non-academic events. The House system provides a vehicle through which social, sporting and cultural events, including competitions, are organised. Each House is led by a Head of House appointed from among the teaching staff. Captains and Vice-Captains, elected from among the student body, are responsible for assisting the Head of House in the organisation of House activities and competitions. See also: Houses
Student Council
 The Student Council is a group of pupils elected to represent the views of their classes, regarding how the school can be improved. They take part in discussions, projects and presentations in order to achieve this.
One of the aims of the Student Council is to help the students to become more confident and articulate in speaking their opinions and to listen with respect to the ideas of others. I am sure they have had a lot of fun too! To be in the Student Council demands a lot of commitment and willingness to help with the various projects, but for all those involved, we congratulate them and hope they have benefited from the positions of responsibility they have taken.
Over the years, the Student Council has been an enthusiastic team with lots of ideas and has got involved in a number of projects to help bring improvements to the school. The Student Council has presented fun assemblies to encourage saving energy and reducing waste in the school. Another important involvement has been the part they have played discussing and drafting the new Anti-Bullying Policy with the Heads of Site and the Management Team.
The Student Council is also involved with the PTA, helping to raise money for charities, such as for SUIPA, (a charity for abandoned animals) and they have often sent interesting suggestions of improvements to the school canteen menu to the PTA too!
These are just a few of the areas in which the Student Council has some vital input in the school life.
Other student committees are organised for specific activities such as the production of the student newsletter, the school’s yearbook and the organisation of the Class 11 Graduation party.
 The Duke
of Edinburgh Award scheme is well established and extremely popular among Upper Primary and Senior School pupils. Outdoor pursuits are offered at both primary and senior school level. The Duke of Edinburgh´s International Award is well established and extremely popular and it is offered to students aged 14 years and over. Expeditions and explorations take place in Brazil and other countries in South America and hiking, mountain bike and horse riding options are offered. Younger students in the primary school from aged 10 years onwards can take part in residential pre-DoE weekends which include horse riding and mountain bike in addition to other team-building activities. Outdoor pursuits are supervised by two members of staff and up to 10 other primary and secondary school staff are regularly involved in expeditions and residential weekends. In addition to the expeditions, students complete the service, skills and physical recreation requirements of the DoE International Award to gain Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.
See also:
For the younger pupils, the PTA organises a variety of after
school activities that are on offer each week. These take
place after dismissal until 17:00 and include several activities such as Brownies and Guides,
football, capoeira, volleyball, basketball, ballet, choir, music,
cookery, judo, gymnastics, drama and art.
In the Senior School, the Student Activities Coordinator organises
activities at nearby facilities according to student demand.
These have included climbing and sailing with instructors at
facilities close to the Urca site. |
