Exam Time - Upper School and Year 6

Exam time has come again. Year 6 are taking their Achievement tests which will give them a diploma saying how well they are doing as they finish primary education. Students in the Upper school are doing IGCSEs. This exam period we are offering IGCSEs in English as a Second Language, English as a first language, Korean as a First Language, Maths, Biology and English Literature. We are a registered Centre with Cambridge International Examinations (University of Cambridge, England), and can offer IGCSEs, AS-levels, A-levels, Checkpoint and the Cambridge International Primary Curriculum - which ends with the Year 6 achievement tests.

Left at the old location

Teacher, Sara Galbraith, herself studied with Dr Pamela Dickens Alves here in Manaus, and took IGCSEs. Afterwards she studied at a University in Manaus. Today she is the form teacher of years 1b and 2a. These students are 7-8 years old and have parents who are Koreans, Australians, Americans and Brazilians. Some of her students have learned to read and write this year. This will now be the 'baby' class at the old location.

This house is in Marina Tauá, about 5km from the Estrada de Turismo, in a quiet neighbourhood, surrounded by trees and birds. The school began to rent it in September 2006. It has 8 classrooms, and houses students from 7 years until 18 years old. It also has a swimming pool and students take weekly lessons. There are roughly 75 students at this location.

New Start

Monday 15th October, the four classes: Nursery 1 (9 students), Nursery 2 (7 students), Reception (9 students) and Year 1a (12 students) will begin in their new building on Estrada de Turismo. This is a much more accessible location, and the building is well suited for the younger children. We are expecting the move to generate more interest in the neighbourhood for parents with younger children.

In this section of the school the students learn to use their English while playing, and then move on to learning their letters and to read and write in both English and Portuguese (if that is what their parents want for them). We have students in Year 1a who have been in the school for 3 years (now 5 years old, almost 6 years). They speak fluently, and are reading and writing in both languages.

Nursery School

Pupils from around the world! Nursery 1 and 2 contains pupils with British, American, Korean and Brazilian passports. There are three different first languages in the group: English, Korean and Portuguese. The students play with the teacher using only English, and they are taught colours, shapes, numbers and letters as appropriate, according to their age and development. In Nursery 1, (2-3 years old) there are 10 students (and 2 teachers), and in Nursery 2 (3-4 years old), there are 6 students.

Quick History

Amazonas English Academy is an International School in Manaus, Amazonas. We began just about three years ago from a desire to help British missionaries who were having to return to Britain for their children to finish their education. We were accepted as a centre of International Examinations by the University of Cambridge, England in January 2004, then became a member of their International Primary program in July 2005. This means that we can offer an internationally recognised qualifications to our students to prepare them for university in more than 130 countries.

During these three years, we have grown quickly, and now have about 110 students between the ages of 2 and 18, from several nationalities.

We are located in a suburb of Manaus, called Marina Tauá, about 8 km from the international airport. Its a calm setting, with lots of trees around, and we can get out and see nature. It's about a 25 minute drive from the city centre of Manaus, and in an area of Manaus that is growing rapidly.