PRIMARY SCHOOL POST
PARENT NEWSLETTER – BEGINNING OF SEMESTER 2 2011 - 2012
WELCOME TO FDR!
This semester we have 26 new students who will be joining FDR’s primary
school. We have students joining every grade level from
EC3 – G5. On behalf of the primary school, I would like to extend a very
warm welcome to all new families and hope that you will be very happy at
FDR. I am sure you will find our school community ready to support you!
EXCITING VACATIONS?
I hope you have all had a wonderful vacation
and that you are feeling relaxed and reenergized. Whether you stayed in Lima, went
to the beach or travelled to more exotic
locations, I trust you had a great time!
I went home to England for Christmas and New
Year and in February I went to Argentina. The
photo on the right is a picture of me icetrekking on the Perito Moreno glacier in
Patagonia. I recommend you add this to your
list of things to do in South America!
ENTERING AND EXITING SCHOOL CAMPUS
As most of you already know, FDR is building a Performing Arts Center (PAC) and making some changes to the secondary school drop off lane.
Unfortunately, planned improvements are not quite finished and the delay will temporarily impact how we all enter and exit school. It is anticipated
that these improvements will be ready next week. In the meantime I must ask for your unwavering cooperation in regards to entering and exiting the
school campus. As per instructions, already disseminated via email by Russ Jones, I would like to remind you of the following:
Walk-In Traffic

If you normally enter school using the pedestrian door in the main gate, (arrival by taxi, bicycle, or on foot) please enter campus
using the small red gate in front of the swimming pool.
Secondary and Primary School student drop-off for cars

Enter through Gate 4 (in Calle Eucaliptos) and exit through Gate 3 in the corner of Eucaliptos and Av.
Palmeras.

Please remember that the traffic flow is OPPOSITE to what it has been in the past.

We highly recommend accessing Gate 4 from Calle La Floresta (behind school).

No cars will be allowed to park or wait inside the car pick up area.
As many parents choose to send their children to school with the nanny and driver, it is imperative that parents share these instructions with
members of their household staff.
Members of the school’s Leadership Team will be stationed at the pool gate, as well as in the Car Pick-Up Area, to help monitor the safety of the
students and to check that everyone adheres to the guidelines the school has shared. Traffic police, provided by the municipality, as well as FDR
security guards will be directing the traffic flow. Please be sure to follow all of their instructions so that traffic is kept flowing and traffic jams are
kept to a minimum.
FDR ID CARDS
Please remember that all members of the FDR community, faculty, staff, parents, drivers and nannies are required to wear their
FDR ID cards at all times while on campus. This is an important security regulation that must be respected. Parents who do not
have their ID cards will be asked to sign in and will be issued with a visitors pass instead. Please make sure you know where your
ID card is and have it ready to bring to school on Monday, if you plan on coming to campus.
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Does your child have a BALANCED lifestyle? If not, why not sign your child up for an after school activity?
On Friday, March 2nd Daryl Radford (After School Activities Coordinator) and Rossana Coronel (Assistant to the Athletic Director), will be sending
out information outlining all the after school activities that will be on offer this semester. New activities such as Marinera, Chorus, Media Network
and Chess have been added to the available options. After school activities are open to students in Grade 1 – Grade 5 and start on Monday, March 12th.
Sign up for after school activities is done via email and places are offered according to a “lottery” system. Sign up closes on Monday, March 5th at
15:00. On Thursday, March 8th the final after school activity lists will be sent home via email. Please note that the dates mentioned here are
different to the dates published in the FDR calendar.
Additional information pertaining to after school activities can be found by contacting the PE office. Rossana Coronel’s extension is 1311. Please note
that spaces in after school activities are limited and not all students will get their first choice of activity. Daryl and Rossana work very hard to try
and make sure access to the after school activities is fair and transparent. Students who sign up for after school activities must attend them. They
cannot choose to “hang-out with friends” instead. Students who make this choice will be taken off the after-school activity list and will consequently
lose their place.
LIBRU
What is the Libru?
Libru is the Quechua word for “book” and it is this host-country word
that we have chosen to use as the name for our newly created EC3-K
library!
Over the January and February vacation a variety of different individuals
have been working hard to prepare the Libru. New furniture was
delivered, organized and positioned. Carpets, cushions and chairs were
ordered and fitted. Decorative items and plants were purchased and
placed to create a pleasant environment. As you can see from the
photograph everything is in place apart from some finishing details and…
the BOOKS!
The 5,000 titles that will be housed in the Libru are currently being
catalogued, organized and processed. On Wednesday, February 29th (Leap
Day), the Libru will be officially opened at 08:00 a.m. and the EC3 – K
Photo taken on Monday, February 20th 2012
students will LEAP into READING in the LIBRU!
IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EC PLAYGROUND
Over the vacation, several jobs have been completed in regards to the EC playground. We added several truckloads of sand so that the level of sand
is now higher, all ropes were replaced and wooden furniture was sanded down and re-varnished. This means that the overall safety of the playground
has been enhanced. The playground looks beautiful and I suggest you stop by and take a look!
ELEMENTARY GYM
The floor is the ES gym was resurfaced over the summer so that it meets international standards in terms of size and floor markings; the new court
is slightly larger and better proportioned. In order to complete this job, the bleachers were removed from the gym. As FDR is hosting an
international school tournament in April, the bleachers have not been reinstalled. (This is because when the bleachers are extended, they cover part
of the court.) If you stop by the gym you will notice that the bleachers are safely stacked, wrapped with foam and plastic and securely tied and
bolted to the wall of the gym. After the international tournament is over, the bleachers will be reinstalled.
IMPORTANT DATES
All the important dates for upcoming events and activities are clearly labeled on the FDR School Calendar. Please make sure you have a copy of the
calendar so you can plan in advance. If you have lost your calendar, please see one of the school secretaries and they will provide you with a new copy.
One of the highlights of this semester is the PYP Exhibition. This involves the Grade 5 students and it takes place on Wednesday, May 23rd. This is
the culminating project of the Primary Years Programme and is a celebration of student learning, passion and action. All parents are invited to attend
the Exhibition so please keep this date open on your calendars. More details will be sent out at a later date.
The PYP Exhibition unit commences on Tuesday, April 3rd with a preparation day. It is imperative that all G5 students do not miss school during this
seven-week period of time. Please do not plan any trips that might take your G5 child out of school!
SUN SMART
After monitoring Ultra Violet readings and conducting research into sun safety, FDR decided to become a Sun Smart school. Although this initiative
is one year old, I wanted to take the time to remind parents about our school policy regarding being Sun Smart. As we start a new semester, the sun
is at its strongest and I want all students to be well protected when they are outdoors.
Teachers have an Ultra Violet Index connected to their computers. This UV index determines what action needs to be taken.
 UV index of 1 or 2 = No Protection Required - You can safely stay outside without a hat
 UV index of 3 - 7 = Protection Required – FDR sun hats must be worn – NO HAT, NO PLAY!
 UV index of 8 - 11+ = Extra Protection - sunscreen and a hat are a must! NO HAT, NO PLAY!
If the UV index is at a level 3 or above students in EC3 - G5 will be asked to wear their FDR sun hats when outside. If they do not have a hat, they
will be asked to play in the shade (Blue Toldo/Eating Area). Students will also need to wear their hats when PE classes take place outside. It is
strongly recommended that all students keep their hat in their backpacks at all times. (Please make sure your child’s name is on the label or in another
prominent place.) The FDR sun hat meets all the Sun Smart regulations and students are not permitted to wear a different hat of their choosing. The
ONLY hat allowed is the FDR sun hat! Baseball hats are not sufficient as they leave the ears and neck exposed to harmful UV rays. If you would like
to send a bottle of sunscreen to school, your child can keep this in his/her backpack and self-apply before going out to play.
The primary school faculty has FDR sun hats and they will be modeling sun smart behaviors so the students have an excellent model. We ask that ALL
parents support his initiative and, if you are at the beach, remind your child that Sun Smart behaviors apply there as well. 
RECRUITMENT
In December, January and February, FDR sent out the several recruitment teams to International Recruitment Centers. Teams visited Bangkok,
London, Atlanta, Boston and San Francisco in order to hire new teachers for the academic year 2012 – 2013. I would like to report that all primary
school positions have been successfully filled and I am thrilled with the quality and experience of the new teachers who have been hired. In a future
communication I will share who is leaving, where they are going and who will be replacing them.
WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!
BEST WISHES, RACHEL