ISSUE 1 SCHOOL NEWSLETTER #37
The British International School of Marbella
NEWSLETTER A Newsletter for Parents, Students and Friends of our School
April 2019
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Headteacher’s Message Dear Parents and Students, There have been some lovely events at the school this month that have showcased our children’s talents and creativity. ‘Milkshake for Mummies’ was super this year. The songs and gifts that the children prepared were fantastic. It was a great turnout with many happy Mummies in attendance looking extremely proud. Thank you to all the parents that were able to attend, it truly means the world to the children when you come to school, even if there are a few tears when you then have to go. The children in the Lower School worked very hard to put on a fantastic performance during this year’s Pantomime. With some children sharing character roles, they performed with talent and charm to their enchanted audience. The singing and acting, coupled with the beautiful backdrop and lighting, made it a magical experience for the actors and audience alike. Well done, children and congratulations to the staff for another successful show! The last day of the Spring Term was full of colour, flowers and chocolate eggs when the children donned the Easter bonnets during the parade. The children looked super as they paraded their bonnets for the parents. There were all sorts of colourful, beautifully decorated creations, although some were missing a few of their chocolate eggs by the time it came to be worn. Well done children and parents for working so well together to make such super hats!
We are now back for the last term of the academic year. I am amazed how quickly this year has flown by; it is true what they say - time flies when you are having fun and we certainly do at BISM. But there is also a lot of hard work happening too behind the scenes and, as we come to the final term of the year, we have been reminding the children of the importance of working hard to finish the year as well as we can. During our first whole school assembly of the term we discussed not only the importance of achieving academic success but also personal success - being the best version of ourselves in every capacity. Now we are approaching the end of the academic year it is the children’s last chance to meet their targets and accomplish everything they set out to do in September. With diligence and determination they are capable of achieving this and more. With very best wishes, Sian Kirkham Headmistress
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Pre-Nursery Lets go to the Beach
Pre Nursery have been learning all about the beach. They started off looking at the Interactive Whiteboard to see what they could see on the beach. Albie pointed out a starfish, Amelia found a fish and Arianna found a little boy swimming in the sea. We talked about what we would wear on the beach, Albie enjoyed trying on flip flops, Olivia had fun wearing sunglasses. We explored a beach tray containing items from the beach. The children described the texture of the shells. They splashed in the water, they named the sea creatures and made sandcastles. Using the sand from the beach we coloured it with powder paint and glitter. The children drizzled glue onto coloured card, they sprinkled different coloured sand onto the glue. The children enjoyed using sand creatively. The children loved learning about the beach, they shared stories about visiting the beach with their families. They were very proud of their sand art and look forward to exploring our new beach cafe role play area. Mrs Pottinger Pre-Nursery Teacher
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Nursery Peace on the Beach
Beach School has become a highlight of our week in Nursery. At the end of the Spring Term we introduced beach school which gave the children a chance to really appreciate their surroundings. Usually when we get to the beach the children are very active and busy but this week was very different, this week was about slowing down and feeling a sense of calm. Ms Conlan came with us and she helped the children listen to all the sounds they could hear and use their imagination to create a story. The children then selected different instruments to create a musical accompaniment to the story. The children were able to create a beautiful sound which really gave you a feeling of being at the beach. Mrs Rutherford completed a special beach yoga session as well. The children had to hold several poses including ‘The Sand Castle’ and ‘The Crab’. The children were amazing and really worked hard to create the poses. Part of the yoga gave the children chance to slow down, breathe and listen to the sounds of the sea. It is not very often a group of such young children are so calm and quiet but they responded beautifully. The children have also grown and become increasingly independent in getting ready for beach school, getting their own boots on and emptying the sand from them at the end of the session. I am very proud of all of them. Mrs Riddell Nursery Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Reception
‘Egg’cellent Fun! On the last day of term, the children in Reception class were having a great time doing all things egg-themed. They made delicate egg shape cards, writing inside to wish their families a Happy Easter, and completed maths challenges hidden inside little eggs. The children then used coloured pens and sparkles to decorate a real (hard boiled) egg, ready for the grand finale of the day: The egg rolling competition! The children sat in a row ready to roll their egg. Using a cone to mark the distance the eggs travelled, the children each took their turn to roll. There was shouting and laughter galore as the eggs rolled, bounced and even exploded across the playground! The crowned winners were Paula and Nico. It really was an ‘egg’cellent end to a wonderful term. Mrs Rutherford Reception Teacher
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Year 1
Performing Poetry
In Year One we welcomed the month by working on a poetry unit focusing on counting down and rhyming. We read a variety of poems such as Mrs Sprocket’s Strange Machine, Countdown and Down by the School Gates. The children enjoyed listening to the rhymes and the suspense the countdown poems generated. The class learnt how to rhyme, thinking about suffixes and using the alphabet to find different rhyming words. They even made a big list of what rhymes with numbers from 1 until 10. From all of this work we wrote a lovely rhyming class poem and also individual ones for our Big Writes. I have got to say the element that the children particularly enjoyed the most was performing poetry using their voices and different actions. This made us all laugh! They truly demonstrated that they understood what they were reading in a fun way. Mr Thomas Year One Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 1
Garden Centre Trip
We visited a local garden centre with the Year One pupils this term. The trip supported our topic about sensory gardens and plant scientists. The pupils have learnt the names of the five senses and have been exploring how different types of plants stimulate these senses. We have looked at different types of herbs including mint and thyme and a variety of flowering plants. The children have created pictograms of the plants that have stimulated their sense of smell, sight, taste and touch. During the visit to the Garden Centre the pupils were given the opportunity to visit the greenhouse and see some of the plants that need to be kept in a very hot environment. We also looked at a greater variety of herbs. They were able to see a range of Cacti and try the fruit from different trees. They were all given a cooking lemon to take home with them along with a little plant to grow and care for over the next few weeks. We looked at different varieties of evergreen and deciduous trees and the children we able to practice potting plants and learning how to care for their own plants. Ms Ladds Year One Science Teacher
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Year 2
Light Work
Year Two made light work of their maths lesson about weight. The children first handled different weights ranging from 100g right up to 1kg. They explored the weights and put them in order from lightest to heaviest. Like all good mathematicians, they then checked that the weights had been put it in the correct order. They used scales to measure and record each weight. Reading measurements is no easy thing but Year Two ensured they were successful by looking carefully at the lines and working out the scale. The children then tested their new knowledge about weight by ordering household objects and used the scales again to check their predictions. Well done Year Two!! Miss Allen Year Two Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 3 Fantastic Footballers Some of the boys from the Year Three class have been doing a fantastic job representing the school Benjamin football team as they battle at the top of the Marbella league table. As their class teacher it has been delightful to see that they have been able to take their enthusiasm for the game from the playground into organised matches, most of which they win. Maximilien has proven himself a tough tackling and commanding defender, whilst both Cesar and Frankie have demonstrated great flair, speed and trickery, playing wide in midfield. Ioseba has spearheaded the attack of the team all season, highlighting that he has the predatory instinct and cannot be far off the league´s golden boot! Many other members of the class are passionate about football too and we all got the chance to support Maximilien, Cesar, Frankie and Ioseba at Parque Quinones as they played a one off match against the school´s older Alevin team. It was great to see the fantastic four in action and witness their friends supporting them too! Mr Holden Year Three Teacher
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Year 4
Modern Europe Wow Day
Writing Playscripts
Hola! Salut! Hei! Zdravo! Ciao! Bok! Hello! The children had a fun day celebrating the wonderful continent that we live in and our new Humanities topic: Modern Europe! We began the day learning about some famous European landmarks. Then we had some special guests (Miss Kerlin and Miss Aburuza) teaching us about Ireland and the Basque Country. In the afternoon, some more special guests (Zoe, Sara, Ekaterina and Ekaterina’s mother) taught us about Spain and Russia. The children labelled a map of Europe, took part in some Kahoot quizzes and ate lots of delicious European food (thank you to the parents for sending that in)! It is going to be a fun topic! Miss Marseglia Year Four Teacher
Inspired by our Lower School Production, Year Four wrote some of their own! To begin with, they looked closely at the Panto Pandemonium play script and discussed the differences between play scripts and other kinds of texts. The children wrote a new scene for our production, involving the same main characters but visiting a different fairytale story. Finally, they were ready to act! Each group chose one person’s play script and allocated parts. They practised their lines, reading them with expression, and performed them brilliantly to the rest of the class. These playscripts were so good, they should have been part of the real production! Miss Marseglia Year Four Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 5
Reflection During our unit on Geometry: position and direction, we have extended our knowledge on how to identify, describe and represent the position of a shape following a reflection and translation use the appropriate language know that the shape has not changed. We started this learning journey by identifying first what coordinates are and how we use x- and yaxes to accurately place a shape on a grid. Then we proceeded to translate shapes. Translation is when you move a shape to another position on the same grid. The translated shape (image) has to be an exact replica of the object; the same size and shape. Next we established what a reflection is and where in the real world reflections can be observed. We used the same x- and y- axes grids to plot the new coordinates of the translated shape. The children needed to be very aware of where the line of reflection lies, as this is the starting point to accurately count how far the shape is from this line. After a few practise questions we were confident with reflecting shapes and very soon children explored some of their own polygon shapes to reflect. Our next step is to learn how to reflect a shape by using the original shape´s coordinates and then calculating what the shape´s new reflective coordinates would be, without any form of visual aid. Mr Kuhn Middle School Maths Teacher
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Year 6
Interviewing an Inventor! Year Six have started their new topic ‘Amazing inventions’. This non-fiction unit children explore the Big Question: What do you think is the greatest invention? We are reading the interactive eBook, identifying key facts and then sorting and classifying the information. We are using our imagination to consider what the world would be like without modern inventions. As part of our unit, we participated in drama based activities including hot seating! This involved some members of the class taking on the role of an Inventor and being interviewed by their peers. In preparation for the role play, Year Six researched lots of key facts and information about famous inventors and inventions. We had great fun pretending to be famous inventors! To complete the unit we will have a class debate where we present our arguments for or against the internet. Finally, the most exciting part of the unit is the project! Our May project is a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style project where children have been challenged to design an invention for the future and present it to a panel of VIP judges! The inventions are well underway and there will be some crazy inventions created by Year 6 for you to enjoy soon! Miss Kerlin Middle School English Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 7
Digestion We have been studying the topic of nutrition and digestion over the last few weeks. The digestive process starts even before you put food in your mouth. It begins when you smell something irresistible or when you see a favorite food you know will taste good. Just by smelling that homemade apple pie or thinking about how delicious that ice cream sundae is going to taste, you begin to salivate and here the digestive process begins. Food is the body’s fuel source. The nutrients in food give the body’s cells the energy and other substances they need to operate. But before food can do any of these things, it has to be digested into small pieces the body can absorb and use. We looked at a model of what happens to a cheese sandwich as it passes through the digestive system. Moistening saliva fed into the mouth from nearby glands starts the process of chemical digestion using specialized proteins called enzymes. Secreted at various points along the digestive tract, enzymes break down large molecules of food into smaller molecules that the body is able to absorb. We grinded the food up with saliva and fed it into a tube which we squeezed to move the food bolus to the stomach by a process called peristalsis. The stomach is a large, muscular chamber that mixes food up with digestive juices including the enzyme pepsin, which targets proteins, and lipase, which works on fats. Hydrochloric acid likewise helps to dissolve the stomach contents while killing potentially harmful bacteria. The resulting semifluid paste called chyme it is sealed in the stomach by two ringlike sphincter muscles for several hours and then released in short bursts into the duodenum. The first of three sections of the small intestine, the duodenum, produces large quantities of mucus to protect the intestinal lining from acid in the chyme. Measuring 6 meters in length, the small intestine is where the major digestion and absorption of nutrients take place. These nutrients are taken into the bloodstream, via millions of tiny, fingerlike projections called villi, and transported to the liver. What’s left in the digestive tract passes into the large intestine, where it’s eaten by billions of harmless bacteria and mixed with dead cells to form solid feces. Water is reabsorbed into the body while the faeces are moved into the rectum to await expulsion!! The pupils watched with horror as the food bolus was ejected from our model anus! Pupils were fascinated about the processes that occur in the digestive system and why the process is so important in order for us to survive. We also looked at a variety of dietary deficiency diseases and the importance of eating a balanced diet. Remember, you are what you eat! Ms Ladds Middle School Science Teacher
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Year 8
Industrial Dragons Den As we came to the end of our unit of learning about the Industrial Revolution this month, Y8 formed teams and took on the personas of of inventors and entrepreneurs from the 18th and 19th century. In order to help the children appreciate the value and impact of these innovations and inventions they were tasked with pitching them to potential investors. The children researched the inventors themselves and what they had created:
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 8 The children had a lot of fun and did a great job of explaining why their creations were so important. They also showed a lot of business acumen and negotiated some good terms for their deals. The children have, earlier this year, been learning about the British Empire and were able to assimilate their prior knowledge and use it to make connections with the development of industry at the time. Mr Herron Middle School Humanities Teacher
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Sport
Amazing April The Spring Term ended with a bang for the Sports department, as the Alevin took on the Benjamin team in a fun football friendly match. The school came to support both teams! The Benjamin team put in a fantastic effort, considering half of their team were absent! They drafted in Mark for Y4 at the last minute who managed to score 2 goals to the Alevin`s 6, which was a super effort! We are also looking forward to competing against 6 other schools at St Anthony`s college next month. Good luck to the 20 children from Y3 - Y6 who were selected, we wish them all the best! Benjamin Team The Benjamin Team have continued their winning streak with 2 more comprehensive wins. They are still in third place with a couple of games in hand so they are still in a fantastic position to finish the season. Well done! Alevin Team April had some tough fixtures scheduled for the Alevin team. The first was Marbella FC B which we lost 5-6, we led for large parts of this game and really should not have lost! However, next came a match against San Pedro B. The team played brilliantly and worked so hard to earn a 4-2 win! The last game of April was set to be one of the toughest of the season, playing against Collegio Aleman (one of the contenders for the title). Again, the work rate and attitude of all the players was exceptional and despite losing the match 2-6 we were very proud of ourselves (especially seeing as we actually drew the second half 2-2)! Last game of the season against Costa Unida next week so let’s hope to finish the season with a win! Basketball Team The basketball team had a great time in their recent competition. The children are really enjoying the opportunity to compete and have really improved! It is great to see them having such fun in sport. Miss Bruce and Mr Allen PE Teachers
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Music
Rock Band Children in the Middle School have been enjoying the resurrection of ‘Rock Band’. Playing together as an ensemble requires different skills to playing one’s instrument alone, and musicians need to be good communicators, team players and engaging performers. They need to learn to listen and react, and often need to focus their attention around the room instead of on themselves. An ensemble also provides the opportunity to develop communication skills, interpretative opinions, and the reward of making music with friends and like-minded musicians. Our Middle School Rock Band launched last term with ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor, and we took it up a notch more recently, with AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’! All our drummers take it in turns to keep the beat, and also help out the vocalists. Our guitarists and keyboard players have been busy learning the power chords that are so integral to the song, and then the real work begins – learning to listen and to play together, in time! And, most importantly, everyone’s having a lot of fun! We’re hoping to perform outside later on in the term – we’ll keep you posted! Mr Everist Middle School Music Teacher
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Spanish
San Jorge y el Dragon And Saint George knelt down, picked a rose and gave it to the princess and she, grateful to her savior, wrote him a poem in return. Have you not been told about St. George and the dragon yet? Tale as old as time. Monster terrorises people and no one dares to fight. Knight in shining armour saves damsel in distress...and red roses bloom. Legend has it that it all happened in Spain, in a little town in Catalonia, and, like all folk tales, it all took place a long, long time ago.
Misha, Year Three Summer term! We are back to school on 23rd April, St. George’s Day. The Spanish Team has grabbed this opportunity and worked with lower-school students to make them aware of Spanish traditions and one of the so many existing bonds between England and Spain. St. George, England’s Patron Saint, and the red rose, the national flower of England, are part of a local story in the region in the NE corner of our country, Spain. On la Diada de Sant Jordi (St. George’s Day in Catalan) women and men exchange roses and books to honor that happy ending to the story. Incidentally, 23rd April is also World’s Book Day because two influential writers from both countries, William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, both died on that same day. Our students have been trying to summarise the legend of our hero through pictures and have been asked to add words and sentences to go with them. Despite the difficulties that learning another language may entail at first, it is rewarding to see how the efforts the littles ones have been putting in are finally paying off and they, forever eager to face these challenges, start blooming like the roses in the story. Miss Rodríguez Spanish Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event
Millshake for Mummies 2019
Everyone at school kept telling me what a special event ‘Milkshakes for Mummies’ is and I was certainly not disappointed. The children were eager to create a special event for their Mummy and they worked hard to create a memorable occasion. Ms Conlan had worked hard to teach the children two lovely songs about their Mum and the children rose to the challenge of playing a musical accompaniment which really showcased their talents. All the children had created some cards and gifts for their Mums. Pre-Nursery decorated plant pots which looked beautiful. Nursery and Reception collected treasures at beach school and made a clay tile to present these as a special gift. Of course, the highlight for the children was sharing a milkshake and the cake they had decorated although I am not sure many Mums got chance to eat their cake. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the adults for attending this event, the children were thrilled and it was lovely to see them spending time with you. Mrs Riddell Foundation Stage Leader
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event
Foundation Stage Easter Bonnet Parade The last Friday of the Spring Term was certainly a busy and special one. During the week is was an amazing sight to see the most amazing and beautifully decorated bonnets. The children were excited to show off their fabulous creations while parading around the hall to the parents. Everyone was thrilled to receive a chocolate egg as a gift from the school for participating and their were definitely a few chocolate faces before the end of the day. Thank you to all the parents who supported this event by decorating the bonnets and coming to celebrate. Mrs Riddell Foundation Stage Leader
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event
Lower School Production Panto Pandemonium
This month, Lower School did a big production called Panto Pandemonium. The show was about goodies vs baddies. There was a wicked witch and beautiful, kind fairy and eventually the witch turned good and stepped into the light. There were many panto stories and it was very interesting for the parents to watch. Our heroes were the children, they got all three magic objects, saved the panto and saved the day! All the parents enjoyed the show and laughed at the pantomime jokes. “I liked the birdie song the most out of all of the songs,” said Alysia in Year 2. All the children worked really hard and some even had to replace children who were absent and act as two characters. “I liked the ‘Hear it for the Baddies’ song the best because it had a good beat,” explained Matilde in Year 2. Sophia (Year 2) said, “My favourite song was the Master Plan song because it was unspeakably spooky and it was bone chilling.” You can see some of the songs here: https://youtu.be/F8W19M2UUpo Written by Reading and Writing Club Carmen, Daniela, Matilde, Alysia, Florence and Zak in Year Two (and Miss Marseglia)
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Current Affairs With the proliferation of the La Liga cards in the playground currently, this article caught my attention and is one many of the children will relate to:
This month’s news story is an interesting way into a discussion which comes up lots in school. Take the opportunity to speak with your child and see if they have encountered this themselves. How did it make them feel and how did they react? You might want to use some of the examples below:
If you have any interesting conversations or viewpoints please encourage your children to share them with their teachers. Best regards, Mr Herron Deputy Headteacher
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E-Safety
The Internet as a resource is wonderful; information is so easily accessible it is important that we teach our children how to do so effectively. Searching the internet is a fantastic way to find information for your homework, check out the latest games or movies, choose somewhere to go on holiday, get directions to a cinema or swimming pool, or even to discover how much spaghetti you would need to reach the Moon! You can search for almost anything on the internet, but remember: not everything on the internet is true. When you search the internet, be sure to include as many details as you can. Check the results you get – if more than one site has the same answer, it is more likely to be true. This is something we have to constantly remind the children of when asking them to complete research and fact finding. Find out how to use the settings on your browser and your search engine to filter your search results and remove inappropriate sites and images, or use child-friendly search engines such as KidRex and Google SafeSearch which provide safe search options for young people. As this month’s current affairs article highlights, it’s also important to remember that you shouldn’t copy other people’s work and you should mention the sites you have used to find information, if you include their facts in your work. (Our school subscription to the online site ‘Espresso’ is a good resource for further information.) The internet is a great place to have fun, do your homework and share the things you like. Remember though: not everyone online is who they say they are, so it is important to know how to keep yourself safe. Happy surfing! Mr Herron Deputy Headteacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Talking Point
Aspirations and Resilience Throughout the year we have discussed with the children their aspirations, both academically and personally - asking them: What are your targets? What do you want to get better at? What are your goals? As we enter the final term of the year it is their last chance to reach their aspirations. During a whole school assembly we discussed that now is the time for putting in maximum effort in order to succeed rather than think ‘it’s the last term now, I’ll just try better next year’. Resilience is the key characteristic that will enable them to reach their aspirations. But what does it mean to be resilient? It means to: Cope with difficulty Be prepared to try again (and again) Have a positive mindset Solve problems Adapt to change We shared a video about an ex-paratrooper who was disabled and had given up. However, through hard work and resilience he turned his life around (you can watch it clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448). Although it brought a tear to many eyes, it demonstrated that anyone can achieve anything with determination and resilience. So let’s keep encouraging our children by supporting them in reaching their aspirations. Help them to learn from their mistakes, remind them that failing is part of learning and that they can achieve all they want to if they truly put their minds to it. Ms Kirkham Headmisress
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Marathon Epidermolysis Bullosa, also known as ‘butterfly skin’ is a rare and incurable disease that causes extreme skin fragility. Due to genetic mutation the ‘glue’ that unites the various layers of the skin fails, so it breaks off with the slightest touch. Debra piel de mariposa is an organization that represents over 250 families throughout Spain to improve the quality, care and treatments available for people with this condition. They raise awareness and provide specialist training to health care professionals. To help this amazing charity I set up a fundraiser page and with the help from lots of supportive and generous people managed to raise over €600. I was sponsored to run a 42km marathon which my partner and I, travelled to Madrid to complete and with a great time of 4 hours! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that donated and sponsored, if you would like to donate you can do so by visiting www.pieldemariposa.es or we have a donation tin at the reception desk. Miss Portelli Year Two Teaching Assistant
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