Issue 4 - April 2014
Skipping to a brighter future
BSB Office Staff Otopeni Airport
Baneasa Forest
- Ploies Bucharest
AISB
ti Road
Administration If you need any information or help in regard to your child’s education and
Io n
es c
u
42, Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190 Voluntari, Ilfov County Bucharest, Romania
301, 783 Baneasa Airport
Porsche Romania
rii B
v.
Ro
Nordului St.
is el K
135 rie Dimit
de Glu
Bv . peiu Pom Pipera
coza St
.
.
Tei Park
.
r Road
e ch
Bv .
Ro a d
Aviatorilor Bv.
135 P Cea iotr Ilic lkov i ski St. 135
Tei Lake ei St. uri T Ra m
La cul
Tei Bv.
Grigore Moisil St.
Tu rd aS t.
ad
Fa bric a
Bv
Floreasca Park
Dorobantilo
Bv eleff
021 267 8969
is el K
Fax:
la ha Mi
021 267 8919
Pa v
Phone:
Ciresari Park
Ro
135
301
Ion
Email: admissions@britishschool.ro
Herastrau Park
Alexa ndru Bv . escu Constantin
Av ia
.
For admissions please contact Mr Simon Lambert:
301
ra pe Pi
resc u
021 267 8969
Bv eleff
Fax:
Herastrau Lake ril or
021 267 8919
Flore a sc a
Tel:
Se Alex rba a n ne dru sc uS t. 112, 301 Embassy of China Aurel Vlaicu
to
0728 133 432/3 Pa v
Mob:
Bu
Email: services@britishschool.ro
ch a re st
-P
loi est i
Aer oga
ad
please contact:
Ro
ad
.
rd No
For specific help relating to school transport and student lunches,
Bv
st a re ch
Br ad
Bu
de la
Nursery, Primary and Secondary
Pipe ra -T una
Io n
ri Ro
IKEA Selgros Hypermarket
Ba r bu Va c a
021 267 8969
ad
Carrefour Hypermarket
Email: office@britishschool.ro
Fax:
Tunari Roa d
301
normal working hours, 8.00am - 5.00pm, Monday-Friday.
021 267 8919
Atlantis Club
Zoo
301, 783 METRO
support at BSB, please do not hesitate to contact our office team during
Tel:
Casa Alba Resta urant
Police Aca demy 301
182, 282
Dear Parents & Friends of BSB, In a recent education book I read a definition of a classroom as the theatre of teaching and learning dreams inside the school. On reflection I thought about our classrooms here and the wealth of activities and experiences the teachers create and the students enjoy. It is not all teacher-led however, or even bound by the walls of the classroom, there are many initiatives that are started by the students and take them beyond the school gates. Reading about the Mugs of Love event this year is a fine example of our students living their values. Our pupils have very busy lives and there are a plethora of demands placed on them in terms of family, friends and school work, so the idea that in the midst of all this some take the opportunity to consider how a kind deed could change someone else’s day is powerfully inspirational.
The coming term sees a small group flying up country to assist in an Olympic games for disabled children. While they are helping to fund raise before the event they are most keen to help the students in Bistrita in fulfilling their dreams to take part in an athletics event just for one day and to feel special. The BSB students are volunteers and I am really impressed at the commitment they are making to this venture as their help will make this a sustainable activity we hope to be involved with for years to come. Giving up their time in this way is more valuable than simply giving money and they have all our support in making this a success.
“the Mugs of Love event this year is a fine example of our students living their values”
The recent theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was spectacular and we were all so proud of the final show, yet the lead up to the performance was really where all the learning experiences were happening, and it was not all about learning lines. The skills acquired or extended went beyond the academic and will be used and honed in lifetimes to come. The children were so pleased with their efforts, they had challenged themselves to do their very best in whatever capacity and some remarked afterwards that ‘not in their wildest dreams’ did they think it would be so good
We often refer to BSB as a place where memories are created but as good as those memories are I hope they are never as good as the dreams our students have. Jo Puddy-Wells, Principal principal@britishschool.ro
Issue 4
April 2014
3
Country in Spotlight: Pakistan I am from Islamabad which is the capital of Pakistan. Pakistan lies in the temperate zone. It has all four seasons: a cool, dry winter from December through February; a hot dry spring from March through May, the summer rainy season, from June through September and retreating monsoon of October and November. Pakistan has unmatched natural beauty. It has sky high mountains, lush green valleys, mighty rivers, beautiful lakes and amazing wildlife. Pakistan is known to be the largest Islamic educated country. It is one of the 9 nuclear powers of the world. It has one of the top 10 strongest armies of the world. The world’s highest mountain ranges (Himalaya, Karakorum, and Hidukush) are in Pakistan. Jhangeer Khan and Jansher Khan the greatest squash players in the history are from Pakistan. Pakistan is 4 times hockey champion and 2 times world cricket champion. The traditional food of Pakistan: Tandoor, Biryani and Karahi. I have been living in Bucharest for one month. Teachers in BSB are caring, enthusiastic and learned as my previous school teachers. In BSB we have focused approach towards understanding of the subject and application of knowledge. Places to visit in Pakistan include Kalash Valley, Huza Valley, Sawal Valley, Deosai Plateau, Taxila, Moen jadaro and Muhal Heritage. Haseen means pretty.
Pakistan is an ethnically and linguistically diversified country with picturesque sceneries especially in the northern areas of Pakistan. Pakistan is hotter than Romania in winters. Snowfall is only present in the cooler regions. The variation of people, environment, culture, traditions, and language are things which make it a lot different than Romania. I am well aware of the fact that Pakistan has this image of a very non-socialising, dangerous country. However, I would like to say it’s untrue as Pakistan is a very welcoming country and the people there are genuine. Additionally, the cultures and traditions there are very inspirational and encouraging. It consists of amazing historical places such as the Badshahi Mosque. Last but not the least, the food is scrumptious and mouthwatering for example the hot and spicy “Biryani”, which as a matter of fact is very popular and is loved by most of the secondary teachers at BSB. People in Pakistan show their unfathomable gratitude towards everything from nature to their wellbeing by contributing in various different activities. They are kind, faithful and hospitable. Majority of the population is able to communicate in English. Mangoes are hard to find here, whereas in Pakistan these fruits are one of the most common and sweetest fruit available in the market. And may I add, they are one of my favourite fruits. I’ve been in BSB for six years now, and personally I think it’s the best school I’ve been to. The teachers are extremely friendly, hard-working and committed. The school is filled with versatile students, remarkable staff and striking buildings. Noor, Y13F
Avisheh, Y2S I am from Vehari, Pakistan. During summer time the weather is up 52 degrees so it is too hot! In winter, it is much nicer as it is not too hot. We celebrate Eid and so many people come to our house and we wear new clothes. My country is famous for cricket and chicken biryani. I have lived in Bucharest for six years. My first school was when I was very little and we only learnt a bit but we didn’t learn how to read. Ayesha, Y3S
I come from Multan in Pakistan. The weather is usually very hot and humid, if by any chance the weather changes it usually rains. I am not a big fan of the weather there. I favour Pakistan for many different reasons but I think the main reason is because I have my family there. Pakistan is specially known for it being the largest Islamic educated country. It is also known for their cricket teams which usually play internationally, and not to forget its spicy food. There are many traditional foods in Pakistan such as Biryani which is a type of coloured rice, Pakoray, Tandoori chicken which is baked chicken. Important tourist attractions are: The Faisal mosque, Minar-e-Pakistan, Lake Saiful Malik and Mount K2. My favourite word in Urdu is Khushi which means happiness. This is my sixth year here in Bucharest. I don’t remember a lot about my old school but I can remember it was a bigger school with an indoor playground. Sara, Y7M
4 Newsblast
Ahmad, Y5S
Firas, Y6C
I am from Karachi Pakistan. I came in Bucharest 3 years ago. My country is famous for the cricket. I like halal food and my favourite word in urdu is ‘Neir’ which means ‘No’.
Haris, Y9S
Arish, Y4P
I am from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The weather is very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I like the natural beauty in the northern parts of Pakistan. It is famous for handicrafts, cotton products and basmati rice. Rice is the traditional food of Pakistan. I have lived in Bucharest for about 6 years. The main differences between BSB and my previous school are that we didn’t have golden time and we didn’t have to bring our PE kit to school to change into. The most popular tourist destinations are Naran and Kagham located in the north of Pakistan. My favourite word in Urdu is pronounced theek-hai, it means OK.
I am from Islamabad, Pakistan. I like the spicy food. The traditional food in Pakistan is biryani. I came to Bucharest 3 months ago and I like BSB because is bigger and better than my old school. The weather in my country is very cloudy. We have a very good cricket team. Hasan, Y4S
Emaan, Y6C I am from Lahore, Pakistan and sometimes the weather can be very warm. In Pakistan I love granny’s house the most. We are famous for our tea, rice and our big mountains. I like Bucharest and BSB because I have lots of friends. Eshaal, Reception F
Pakistan is very warm. I like it when we can go outside to play. My country is famous for ‘Meendi’, the shops and the traditional food is the spicy chicken. I came to Bucharest 6 years ago. I’ve been here since crèche. BSB is my first school. My favourite word in Urdu is ‘mama’ which means ‘mother’. Inaya, Y1L
Issue 4
April 2014
5
I am from Islamabad. The weather is hot like fire. The traditional food is rice. I have lived in Bucharest for 6 months. BSB has more facilities than my previous school.
Maryum, Y3T
Shayan, Y2P
In Pakistan it is windy and sunny and too hot. The traditional food in Pakistan is ‘nahare’ – this is a spicy chicken you eat with roti. I like roti so much. My favourite word in urdu is ‘kya’ which means ‘what’. I miss my friends in Pakistan. I started school in crèche.
Yahya, Preschool V
Mishaal, Y1L
Muhammad, Y11M
Yashal, Reception E
I am from Islamabad, Pakistan. This is my first year here at BSB and I like it because here I can go swimming. My country is famous for the wheat and our traditional food is the rice. In Pakistan tourists can go and visit Minar-e-Pakistan which is a building with a big garden and beautiful paintings.
Zoraiz, Y6H
Mussavir, Y5M
6 Newsblast
From the Engine Room! Interactive Newsblast The school is proud, and rightly so, of the Newsblast magazine. However, we are always looking at ways of improving the content and giving parents access to the wealth of images that we have at our disposal. One of the problems that we face on a regular basis is deciding which pictures to include that best portray the activities that are carried out at school. We have, therefore, invested quite heavily in developing a new platform to enhance the magazine. At present it is only available for iPad but we are continuing to seek ways to deliver it for Android and Windows. If you have not downloaded the school app from the App Store then please do so. Accessing Newsblast on your iPad will then give you access to more content and allow you to comment and post pages to Facebook and Twitter.
directly to videos on YouTube, post videos shot using vine and other mobile applications. We anticipate further developments that will allow us to record the children reading their poetry, for example. Newsblast is a great way for the school to market itself to prospective parents and we hope that this new vehicle will afford us even greater opportunities. It is all part of our integrated social media plan which will see all departments tweeting, posting regularly on our Facebook site and looking at new developments for the school such as Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and augmented reality. It is an exciting time and, whilst not deflecting us from our core purpose, will increase our coverage and reporting of everything that is great about BSB.
Tap on any page and icons will appear on the right hand side allowing you to post a comment. You will see videos of activities within the classroom, slide shows of Clubs, Universities and sporting activities. We are able to link
Simon Lambert
Issue 4
April 2014
7
ALUMNI
BSB Alumni Where are they now? Martin and Hannah Martin recently paid a visit to the school to catch up with former classmates and bring everyone up to date with his movements. Martin and his sister Hannah have been monitoring the progress of BSB through Facebook and were jealous of the recent ‘snow days’. Following their departure from Bucharest some three years ago the family moved to Rome for a short while before moving to the UK in February 2012. The children have settled back into life in the UK really well. Moving back to the area they were living in before - Newbury - so Hannah had a few friends that she had kept in touch with. For Martin, it was all new as he had not been to school in the UK, but he soon found friends. The children continue to be active - Hannah returned to her gymnastics and Martin can’t get enough of football. Hannah and Martin have very fond memories of BSB and as communication across the globe is so easy these days they have been lucky enough to keep in touch with lots of friends that they made in Bucharest.
Martin and Hannah - now settled in the UK
Where are they now? Antoine and Isabelle Antoine and Isabelle also returned to school recently to visit and spend the day catching up with old friends.
8 Newsblast
Introducing: Iunia Plaiasu, BSB nurse Working at BSB is a fantastic opportunity for me that includes both personal and professional challenges. I have been working as a nurse for seven years now, mostly in private clinics, therefore, caring for over 450 students from 45 different countries and cultures was an opportunity that I did not want to miss! In the short time that I have been working here, I have realised how much I can learn from the pupils and teachers. It is pleasing when they put a smile on my face or they thank me for my help! I come from a large family with many brothers and sisters who live in all four corners of the world. I enjoy cooking, reading, music, hiking, tennis and biking.
Getting to know your TA: Dalila Danu I enjoy working in this school a great deal. My challenge this year is to help Y4P to achieve their goals and my aim as a Teaching Assistant is to have all the pupils healthy, safe and successful in all areas. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to fulfill their potential and to maintain a commitment to raising attainment regardless of background. After a brief professional introduction, you have to know more about me as a person: I love hiking on the mountains and my dream is one day to climb up to the top of the world... in the Himalayas.. I spend all my holidays in the mountains and I like meeting people up there and sharing with them the freedom and the beauty of nature.
Hello everybody, I am Miss Dalila, many of you have known me for quite a long time, I have been working in our school since January 2005. My experience in this school is varied and I have been working with all age groups of pupils from EYFS and KS1 to KS2 for the past three years, as well as helping some pupils from Secondary. My own personal experiences and professional skills that I bring to my work also play a part in determining what I do. My main purpose is to enable pupils to become more independent as learners, to encourage them to think for themselves by giving guidance when needed and to support their participation in the life of the school and of the community.
Issue 4
April 2014
9
www.imupro300.ro
www.imupro300.ro
10 Newsblast
BSB Congratulates: Tabitha Tabitha in Y6C competed in the Godalming Music Festival recently and performed outstandingly throughout a gruelling weekend. She achieved first place with distinction in Humourous Verse (with thanks to Miss Oliver), first place in Religious Text, first place in Narrative Prose and first place again in Sight-reading for which she also won the Speechskills Trophy. She is also a member of a ballet group that have recently qualified for the final of the Dance World Cup which will be held in Portugal during July. This will be preceded by the final of the European Dance Star in Croatia at the end of May. We will follow her progress with interest. Tabitha is pictured with her certificates from the Godalming Music Festival and in a typically graceful pose at the Dance Star finals in Romania.
My favourite teacher – Joan Stahl I still remember the mixture of excitement and nerves aged 5 when I walked into my new Infants classroom for the first time. Right from that moment I knew I was going to like being in Infants and I have my lovely teacher, Joan Stahl, to thank for that. Her warm, welcoming smile was there every day and still beams out at me when I look through my school photos. In fact, I remember laughing with her about how she had “sneaked into” the back of our class photo without us noticing! Mrs Stahl had just the right combination of “firmness” and “fairness”. She took a genuine interest in us and in all the little trinkets we brought in to show her – and we did, in their hundreds! Things were always explained in just the right way for a 5 year old and in ways that we remembered. One day, we had all drawn fairground pictures with people sticking out at various uncomfortable upside-down angles from the top of the Big Wheel, so Mrs Stahl gently sat us down on the carpet and, using her handbag as a prop, showed us how the seats on the Big Wheel don’t actually go upside down (fortunately). Not exactly an earth-shattering moment, but that memory has always stayed with me and, funnily enough, my best friend remembers exactly the same afternoon!
Joan Stahl – in the blue dress, second from the left at the back
I don’t know if Mrs Stahl is still around, but if I met her today I would firstly give her a big hug, then I would thank her for encouraging my love of reading, for nurturing our curiosity in the world around us and finally for being a wonderful, caring teacher. Sarah Porter
Issue 4
April 2014
11
12 Newsblast
The COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff
On the 20th and 21st March the school welcomed over 40 delegates from COBIS schools throughout Europe and beyond to a conference where the challenges and opportunities for British International Schools were keenly debated. Workshops to discuss managing key relationships, fundraising, websites, alumni, market research external relations and more were led by invited speakers who were keen to pass on their experiences to an eager audience. Delegates enjoyed a great evening in Bucharest on Thursday at Caru’ cu bere and returned to their schools having been impressed by the welcome, the school grounds and the politeness of all of our students. Many thanks to
those that were involved with tours, to Mr. Lupu and his staff for making the school grounds look magnificent, as always. Thank you as well to all of the staff for putting up with a little disruption! This was the first time that the school has hosted such a conference and we look forward to hosting many more in the future. We are grateful to Caru cu Bere for sponsoring the Conference Dinner. All of the delegates returned to their home countries having enjoyed a true Romanian experience. Simon Lambert
Issue 4
April 2014
13
PTA Review As I am writing this a hectic and fun week at BSB has come to an end. Spring arrived with force – well above 20 degrees for a whole week in March – and Pipera draped itself in that long awaited for happy light green and yellow spring colour. In the same week the many talents of BSB students, teachers and parents who had worked incredible hard all winter now blossomed in the production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. What a success! Like the effect of the spring sun, spirits were lifted and laughter came easily and we were left inspired and with anticipation for more greatness to come. Well done BSB! Maybe Spring also played a role in attracting so many to come and eat, dance and enjoy our Black and White party that Friday night? Or after what felt like a long and grey winter, maybe we all just wanted to have some fun. Fratellis delivered beautifully and the giggle continued long into the morning hours. Again, we were left in anticipation for more to come. Maybe next year will bring some colour? Continuously, different people add to the PTA mix and a new cocktail is created. We are welcoming that. So after a little rest now, the preparations for the summer season will start with the main event being the Summer Fair on June 7th. Organised by the school, support from the PTA and parents is critical to make it a special day for everyone. Therefore, the PTA is looking for parents who would like to contribute and get involved and all suggestions are welcome. Please sign up on the PTA board or come to our open meetings every first Monday of the month for more information and to contribute.
14 Newsblast
The Summer Fair is the main fundraising event for the PTA. By participating at the Summer Fair you also contribute to activities enjoyed by the children during the school year. The PTA committee, together with school, decides how to best spend the funds available. This year we have funded the ‘Bug Club’ – an online site that stimulates children to enjoy reading more. We have purchased musical instruments so that the music department can give children the opportunity to try different kind of musical instruments before deciding if/which to take up more seriously. Also among other things, funds are spent on Halloween parties, a lower school disco, a teddy bear picnic, and author visits. In all cases the PTA funds were to benefit the children directly, aiming to give that little extra learning inspiration and fun. So now that we have kicked off our winter boots and smiling is easer, please also suggest/arrange/join in the PTA parents’ activities. Ursula’s tours are always interesting and enjoyable and flower arranging timely. Some would like to learn traditional Romanian egg painting, and topic evenings have been suggested… Let’s see what we all can come up with. My hope is that the PTA can work as a forum for new ideas and concepts that can materialise to foster a welcoming, diverse and sunny BSB community – much like the look of the Pipera forest right now – covered in flowers of all shapes and colours. Warmest regards, On behalf of the PTA Susanne Fearnhead
Lower School Review One of my favourite days so far this year has got to have been our Book Day. It was great to have so many students and staff dressed up and having such a wonderful time. Mrs. Morgan organised some excellent activities throughout the week and took the brave decision to get the whole of EYFS and Primary into the dome for an assembly. This brought us all together and created a real sense of school community. The staff and students felt confident and happy to share in an enjoyable day to finish off an exciting week. One of the special parts of the assembly was that everyone, including myself, was able to parade around the dome regardless of age or what they were dressed as. Events such as these highlight the importance of having fun and ensuring students are able to enjoy their learning experiences at school. I believe that children do not just learn in the classroom, but through engagement in the wide variety of activities that make up the curriculum that we deliver. Staff are constantly looking for creative opportunities to enable the students to share their learning throughout the year- these include class assemblies and presentations, theme days and productions. Having fun can have a really positive impact on students’ learning. We have to take advantage of our environment, to get out of the classroom. It is wonderful to observe learning taking place in all parts of the school. I have shown a number of visitors around school recently and they have been impressed with the breadth of our curriculum coverage and the enthusiasm shown by the students towards their learning. When students are actively engaged and involved, having fun - they learn better. These students are enjoying themselves and this means they are more motivated. They are learning, although they may not always realise it. Next year it would be great to invite parents to dress up and join in the celebration of book day!
“I believe that children do not just learn in the classroom, but through engagement in the wide variety of activities that make up the curriculum that we deliver.”
Robert Ford, Head of Lower School
Issue 4
April 2014
15
Crib Spring
A quiet time in a busy day
How tall before it falls
The youngest children in school have been keeping themselves busy inside due to the colder weather. The children have been busy with paint and craft activities but they have also enjoyed playing together on the soft play
apparatus. As they play, share and have fun together they are also learning about the world around them. We hope to be out and about as soon as the sun begins to shine again! Rachel Gregory
contact@ieRomaneasca.com 16 Newsblast
+40 723 678 662 +40 743 760 634
www.ieromaneasca.ro www.ieromaneasca.com
Crèche Roaring into space
Here come the aliens, they have landed in the Crèche garden Crèche have been on a space and rocket learning journey recently. They have read many books about planets, Space travel and Aliens, aliens being the favourite part of this topic. Crèche have discovered that aliens come in all kinds of different shape, colours and sizes but most importantly, in all the stories they have read, aliens just want to make friends, have fun and wear underpants! Claire O’Brien
Engaging in some imaginative role play
Designing and building our own rockets. Start the countdown!
Painting planets
Issue 4
April 2014
17
Preschool adventures
Preschool children hiding in their den There’s a rumble in the Preschool V jungle and we have explored the great outdoors in Preschool D. Preschool V have been busy transforming our class into a magnificent jungle. So our next learning journey has begun. We have been talking about where the animals live in a jungle and how animals will find homes within their habitat (the jungle) which they make into a home for them and their families, this could be a nest, a den, a burrow, under a rock, or in a hollow tree trunk. Some other activities included making zebra biscuits, yummy! Planting our own grass to make an animal habitat and making jungle masks. In Preschool D we have been on our own journey and have explored the great outdoors. We have enjoyed getting messy in our sensory swamp and have had lots of fun constructing dens from the things that we have found around our classroom. We have been working hard on learning about our letters and numbers and have enjoyed finding different ways to make marks. The children have had a wonderful term and were very excited to see the sun after the winter. It has been lovely to have the opportunity to use the outside area again.
While finger painting a jungle scene children are encouraged to describe texture and use their language skills to explain why they have chosen a certain colour for their painting
Priscilla Varban & Kate Dibble
Preschool D children practicing their writing skills in the flour 18 Newsblast
Miruna, Maxi and William are wearing their animal masks and working together to paint the tree trunk for our role play jungle, practising taking turns and sharing responsibilities
Role Play in Reception In Reception there is an emphasis on learning through play, and a key feature of this is imaginative role play. Imaginative play not only aids intellectual development but also improves children’s social skills and their creativity. In addition it gives children a chance to play out events that they have observed or experienced in real life. Throughout the year the role-play areas are adapted according to the current interests of the children to provide a varied learning experience to support class themes and topics. Kayleigh Evans & Isobel Ford
Children exploring the role of astronauts working together to ensure their rocket is space worthy
Writing the Captain’s Log and traveling through space
Hospital role play
Tracking down the baddies using the police radio to call into the station
Role play in the home corner enables children to explore familiar roles Issue 4
April 2014
19
Reception F visit to the Family Clinic
Technology allowed everyone to see the nurse at work This term the children have been investigating all about people who help us. We began our theme with a visit to the Family Clinic where we were able to look around, ask questions and find out first-hand just how the equipment works. It was amazing being able to explore inside an ear and a mouth and see everything magnified on the computer screen. We even experienced an ultrasound in action and saw just what an actual beating heart looks like - It wasn’t heart shaped and looked more like ‘a baby dinosaur moving!’ on the screen. Thank you so much to everyone at the Family Clinic for being so helpful. Isobel Ford
Ultra-sound equipment
Checking your pulse 20 Newsblast
Checking the vital signs of Mrs. Ford
Reception E Visit the Natural History Museum
Look out for the Reindeer When learning about animals and their different habitats Reception E visited the Natural History Museum - Grigore Antipa. This was a very enjoyable day out which began with a picnic at the museum. Kayleigh Evans
Reception E children excited to have arrived at the museum
Holding hands through the dark dark cave
Issue 4
April 2014
21
EYFS Friendship Day
Carefully decorating their salt dough hearts On Friday 14th February all EYFS classes took part in Friendship day activities. We worked in small groups of Crib, Crèche, Preschool and Reception children to move around the different friendship related activities. These consisted of making heart shaped jam sandwiches, salt-dough heart decorating, hat making, as well as producing necklaces, bracelets and Valentines card for our friends. Kayleigh Evans
Preschool children carefully making their sandwiches 22 Newsblast
Working together with others to decorate their hearts
Making sandwiches whilst wearing friendship necklaces
Reception children helping younger ones to zip up their coats
Reception children kindly helped Crèche to get ready for home time
Issue 4
April 2014
23
Me and my pet Nanook is a five-year-old Weimaraner. The name Nanook comes from my father’s childhood dog, which he named after a book character. When he was a puppy he had incredibly blue eyes and people would constantly want to touch him when we took him out for a walk. His energy is sometimes overwhelming but he is extremely friendly and playful. Although we have never taught him to be a guard dog, he has developed a protective instinct towards our home and each one of us. We take him out four times a day, three of which are hour-long strolls in the forest near home. He is always the centre of attention and all of us love him very much. Federica, Y13F
Smile
Flexible, Dynamic and Open to All Upgrade your professional skills Earn recognized British qualifications Discover your inner talents www.bptc.ro
The BPTC College campus is a unique modern learning environment designed to help you realize your professional aspirations, meet with friends and make new ones. Alternatively learn on-the-go from your home or work place with one of our Distance Learning Programs
Romania’s British College for further education, continuing professional development and lifelong learning
24 Newsblast
Pitman Training UK opens first Centre in Romania exclusively at BPTC. With a 150 year history of delivering training programs and qualifications around the world, the Pitman Training offers learners of all backgrounds more a choice of more than 200 short courses and qualifications recognized by international employers and learning institutions.
Get the Pitman AdvantageTM
Visit www.bptc.ro to see the full list of courses now available in Romania.
Year 1 Wonderful stories
Our favourite Julia Donaldson story During book week Y1 pupils focused on the wonderful stories by the author Julia Donaldson. The children listen to a range of her stories during the week including “Room on a Broom”, “A squash and a Squeeze” and “Monkey Puzzle”. Our main focus was on “The Gruffalo” and “The Gruffalo’s child” which we all enjoyed. “I like ‘The Gruffalo’s child’ best because it’s fun.” Sattvik “My favourite thing about her books is that they all have a funny ending.” Ellie “I like the Gruffalo sound book best.” Evelyn “I like it when Tabby Mctat sings with the old man.” Marcus “Room on the Broom is my favourite story, I like it when they make the new broom.” Sophia
A selection of Julia Donaldson books
Our activities included retelling the stories, acting them out, rhyming word competitions, writing book reviews, making story wheels and creating moving characters. Y5 and Y7 pupils came to visit and read some Julia Donaldson books with us and helped us write some character descriptions. Y1 are looking forward to hearing more of Julia Donaldson stories during the rest of the year. Jodie Lewis
Acting out the story of The Gruffalo
Issue 4
April 2014
25
Year 1 Trip to Jumbo
Pupils worked in groups to make their decisions Y1 visited Jumbo Superstore on 26th February as part of their theme work for ‘Toy Story’. We identified and discussed how toys were grouped and displayed within the store but shopping for our classroom was the highlight of our visit. Y1 used their bake sale money to buy toys for their classroom. They children had to think very carefully about suitable purchases - Can more than one person play with it? Would other children enjoy playing with it? Do we already have one? Suggestions were made and then a vote took place. The children were very sensible in their decisions and we came back to school with two jumbo ‘Jumbo’ bags of toys which included board games and puzzles, sand toys, play doh and accessories, role play costumes and props. Jodie Lewis
A good choice for our role play area “Quack! I think this duck would be nice.” 26 Newsblast
Looking at the soft toy section
These were our favourite purchases
In the trolley or back on the shelf? Y1 voting on sand toys
The role play equipment is our favourite
“Would we like cushions for the book corner?”
This group liked the soft ducks but unfortunately they didn’t make it to the check out
Issue 4
April 2014
27
Year 2 Chocolate
The chocolatier addresses the whole class and demonstrates what she would like them to do Y2 have had an exciting term and their topic has been chocolate! At the beginning of the term the children were lucky enough to have a chocolatier visit school and the children were able to create small chocolate treats and decorate biscuits with melted chocolate and sweets. The children have been investigating properties of materials and were exploring melting with chocolate. The children really enjoyed themselves and as they were so proud of their efforts they invited their parents in to sample some of the lovely treats they had made. Here are a few pictures of Y2S in the midst of their chocolate melting activities.
Examples of the beautiful treats the children made
28 Newsblast
The children were engaged and exciting while listening to the chocolatier
Brecht and Isobel getting started on their biscuit activity
Anais and Avisheh experimenting with chocolate patterns on their biscuits
Issue 4
April 2014
29
Year 3 The Great Outdoors
Year 3T sharing their Roman adventure stories with Year 1 The Y3 children have had a wonderful time exploring their new topic, The Great Outdoors, this half term. We have learnt many interesting things about plants and how to sustain healthy growth. We worked hard with our twinned classes to grow our own garden in our outdoor space and we had to be extremely responsible and remember to water our plants each day and ensure that they were getting enough sun. Our topic encouraged us to research different artists who focussed on the outdoors and flowers, such as Monet and Georgia O’Keefe. We were also motivated by Van Gogh and Warhol to create our own Pop Art pictures of sunflowers using oil pastels. In our English sessions, we have actively used the outdoors to inspire our beautiful Spring poetry and descriptive writing and had great fun with our outdoors maths trails. Book Week at BSB allowed the children to celebrate their love of reading. The children especially enjoyed the Radical Readers competition and loved dressing up as their favourite book characters. Charlotte Smith & Dan Thomas
30 Newsblast
Sofia explaining the grid method to her class
Bianca enjoying the World Book Day
Y3S looking fabulous in their World Book Day costumes
Quick thinking skills
Issue 4
April 2014
31
Year 3 Roman Day
Year 3S with Mrs. Smith and Miss Valentina To complement our Roman topic the children came to school dressed as Romans. They enjoyed a day of Roman activities including making clay pots, learning some basic Latin and enjoying a Roman feast. Marching as Roman soldiers, the children used the words ‘sinister’ and ‘dexter’ for left and right. They then had to use their homemade shields to make a ‘tortoise’ formation when their class teachers attacked them with soft balls! The children all had great fun learning about Romans. Charlotte Smith & Dan Thomas
Carmen learning Latin 32 Newsblast
Issy making her Roman shield
Y3 experienced life as both citizens and centurions
Roman marching – “sinister, dexter, sinister, dexter...”
Jason and Alex getting into the spirit of being Roman gladiators
Pupils learnt defensive strategies
Issue 4
April 2014
33
Year 4 ‘The Terrible Tudors’
As part of design classes Year 4P created a model of a Tudor village The children were focusing on Henry VIII’s wives and learning about their history. They also began exploring Sir Francis Drake and the journey he took and how this led to the Spanish Armada. Each child travelled back in time to explore what life was like on board these ships. They created a diary explaining how they were treated and what life was really like. The gruesome part of the term was learning about diseases and illnesses that were caught during life on board. The children learnt about the types of medicine that were used and how lucky we are today.
Globe Theatre. At the banquet there was music playing in the background which the children had made using a computer program called ‘Garage Band’. Catherine Passmore & Matthew Scragg
The children learnt all about Tudor houses and how they were built. They looked at the structure in both 2D and 3D models. The children can identify various features which Tudor houses have. With this in mind the children built their own houses using features that appealed to them. When all were complete they were arranged into a Tudor village. They learnt about beheading and why Henry VIII did this to almost anyone! The children wrote persuasive letters to Henry VIII which was allowing them to give their opinions and feelings about being beheaded. The children found out what life was like in a Tudor school and how this differs from today. They soon all decided they like school better today when they found out that school started at 5am and finished at 6pm!! Towards the end of the term the children enjoyed a Tudor banquet in which the children shared all of their achievements with their parents. They enjoyed some readings from Y8 pupils and were shown a 3D model of Shakespeare’s
34 Newsblast
Pupils researched the layout of a typical village before constructing their model
Y4P dressed to impress
Y4S looking colourful
The parents ready and waiting for the banquet to begin
Issue 4
April 2014
35
Year 5 Three! Two! One! Blast-off!
Eagerly anticipating the first launch Term 2 saw Y5 launch into the new ‘Space’ topic in which the students were invited to participate in the ‘Young Astronaut Programme’. They had to demonstrate certain competencies that would be used in a journey to space, from Earth to the outside of our solar system! The students have been learning and practicing the mathematical skills necessary for piloting a space shuttle. This began with the design and production of accurate models of their rockets, combining knowledge of measurement and ratio to scale their blueprints, as well as constructing precise nets for each part of the rocket body. The next step was preparing to launch, so Y5 used their skills in measuring angles to launch stomp rockets to varying heights and distances. In preparing for life in outer space, each crew was also tasked with producing a short documentary of a chosen study area of space, ranging from the rings of Saturn and black holes, to the Kuiper belt and the Big Bang! The film needed to demonstrate their communication skills and required a great deal of time and effort using the iPads and Macs to film, produce and edit their documentaries. Dale Darby, Anne-Marie Hesmondhalgh & Helen Stevens
36 Newsblast
Polyhedron nets, measurement and scaling all come together
Students discussing their different designs
Using all of their existing space knowledge in our space quiz
Finding the best circumference for the most powerful rocket launch
Issue 4
April 2014
37
Year 5 Hot off the Press!
The printing machine is so big that the whole of Year 5D can fit on the machine’s platform! As a finale to the ‘Six Greatest Inventions to Mankind’ topic, and because we studied the invention of the printing press, Y5 went on a trip to Best Print. Prior to the trip the students were asked to provide a photograph of themselves which was then sent to Best Print and digitally enhanced before being laser printed before their own eyes. The students learned that all coloured printed materials are made up from a mixture of dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. They witnessed other modern methods of printing as well as computerised cutting and folding machines, which can make the advertising displays and brochures that we see in everyday situations. All in all, it was a very successful and informative trip. Many thanks to the thought and preparation that Mr. and Mrs. Florescu and their team at Best Print put into the visit! Anne-Marie Hesmondhalgh
Poster sized prints of the children appear from the laser printer
Y5H are shown the magic dots 38 Newsblast
Year 6 Colonising a new planet
Year 6 showing off their life-sustaining colonies In Y6 this term we have been learning about ‘New Frontiers’ as our theme. We came up with the scenario that the world’s natural resources had been depleted so much that the human race had to leave Earth and colonise a new planet. This new planet could sustain life, but was a desolate and extremely cold desert - similar to the place on Earth that we call Antarctica. Our mission was to prepare for our life on this new planet by researching to find out everything we possibly could to help make our mission safe and successful – the human race was depending on us! We designed and made models of research stations that could provide shelter while we conducted our research. There are so many different designs, but we are sure that you will agree that all are amazing in their own right. Naima Hussain & Paul Curtis
Antarctic research stations
Issue 4
April 2014
39
‘Snoowwww Much Fun’
A successful first day skiing During the February half term, 14 children and 3 teachers embarked on a journey to Italy for the annual ski trip. For some children being the first time they had been away from home without their parents. The trip began with a short stop in Rome before catching another aeroplane to Verona. Eventually the children arrived at Hotel Kube in Folgaria. On the first day the children collected their equipment and were ready for the skiing to begin. The students were separated into two groups and were soon off skiing with their instructors. The end of the first day was tiring for some, but everybody was in good spirits and happy to be out on the slopes again the next day. The weather conditions were varied, however the students did not complain as they were able to ski each day. Their enthusiasm and energy for skiing grew more and more positive through out the week.
I had never been skiing before and I loved it when I came down the slopes for the first time. It was brilliant – Veani Swimming and ice skating were so much fun, but the best bit was gaining the confidence to get on and off the chair lift – Marti Some of the children had never been skiing before but they soon become accustomed to the slopes and proved to be natural skiers. Overall despite the weather conditions changing daily the children had fun and all said it was a great way to spend their half term holiday. All of the children were awarded a badge and a booklet for their efforts skiing. The teachers provided the children with a certificate for their adventures during the week. Catherine Passmore, Helen Stevens & Paul Farrell
The students developed and improved their skills and techniques throughout the week and completed it with a slalom race competition at the end. Here’s what some of the children thought: This was my second year of going skiing and it was even better then the first! It was fun, the hotel was good and had good service. The food was good and the activities were great. I will definitely be going again next year – Patrick It was easy to start skiing and was nice learning new techniques. I would love to go again next year – Jo-Andri Ice skating was really fun. I would definitely go again next year because I met lots of new friends. The skiing was lots of fun and movie nights were great – Damian
Enjoying ice skating as part of the après ski activities 40 Newsblast
Crazy Hair Day fun
Antonia and Diana scared by their peers’ crazy hair styles The last day of the Spring half term had a crazy feel about it. This may have been something to do with the crazy hair styles which both the children and staff came to school with. Some of the styles were spikey, some were messy and some people had even changed their hair colour. It was a good excuse for all the great natural ‘Bed Head’ hair styles we often see to come proudly into school. All of this fun tied in with some Valentines celebrations too. Secondary students sold beautiful flowers and Cadburys chocolate, which caused quite a stir in the lunch room with both students and teachers trying to buy a bar. The children kindly donated 10 Ron on Crazy Hair Day and all of the money raised during this crazy, Valentine celebration will go towards a local charity supported by BSB. Helen Stevens
The boys in Y6 enjoying each other’s funny styles
Lily and Veani carried on with the normal day even though their hair was far from normal Issue 4
April 2014
41
Book Week
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” – Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the USA At the very core of the BSB English Department is the belief that reading is one of the most vital skills that a child can learn. With this is mind, what better way to celebrate the magic of the written word than by joining the rest of the globe in commemorating World Book Day? The week was crammed with activities: students had the opportunity to enter competitions, tell the world how they felt about books, and even dress up as their favourite book character. Most impressively, on 11.45am on Thursday, every member of the Secondary school – staff and students alike – took part in Drop Everything and Read. Below are the results of each competition – congratulations to the winners and well done to everyone who took part. Draw a Description: 1st - Cindy, Y10 2nd - Ioannis, Y7 Micro Fiction: 1st – Alexandra, Y10 2nd - Gruia, Y12 3rd – Irini, Y7 4th – Joseph, Y10
42 Newsblast
First Lines: 1st – Anastasios, Y9 2nd – Alexandra, Y10 3rd – Annie and Irini, Y7 Micro Fiction Winner – Alexandra, Y10 So this is the end. As the last spark dies out, I realise that I’ll cease existing, like the bright flame now extinguished. Nobody will remember me; my family’s long gone. My experiences fade with me, and all is lost in time’s continuum. Nothing will change, for I never changed anything. Another girl will sell matchsticks. It’s an eternal cycle; people and memories wither away, new ones replace them. These thoughts are insignificant, they’ll vanish too. Contemplating being void of thoughts is terrifying, but nonexistence allows escape from the cold’s bite, the lash of the master’s whip. The mortal bonds that retained my soul are now broken. I am free. Micro Fiction Runner Up – Gruia, Y12 He struck me as a curious fellow on the first day, me being new and everyone but him staring at me. Things soon changed, though, as time passed we grew ever closer. Sometimes we’d just sit and talk, whilst other times we’d rather go outside and play. When there’s work to be done, he helps me day after day until it’s done. But for him, I don’t think I would have finished my playground in the garden in
only a week. Truth be told, he couldn’t have done that artwork and got an A* without me. Yes, we sure are good buddies. Alas, there are times when I wish I were taller or stronger, or at least had hands instead of paws. Yet, simple are things from down here. Micro Fiction Runner Up – Irini, Y7 I walked down the red carpet in my silk blue dress, never once stopping. How had this happened? I let go of the golden trophy I’d been awarded. It clattered to the ground and echoed in my mind. The bombs had come out of nowhere.
First a faint whistling and then the deafening sound of explosions. How am I still alive? How is the dratted carpet the only thing unaffected? I heard the next whistle before I felt it. Micro Fiction Runner Up – Joseph, Y10 My legs were shredded, blood ran down my shins and onto my bare feet. It was done, I was over the fence. My head throbbed, my arms ached and my legs dripped blood. Suddenly, I heard the sirens start, the lights illuminated the field behind me. I heard the hounds’ howls behind me. I ran. A rifle shot echoed, pain tore through my stomach. I felt myself falling slowly, slowly out of the world.
The book sale in the Parent’s Room was a popular attraction
There were plenty of pirates and princesses on World Book Day
Issue 4
April 2014
43
The variety of costumes reflected the breadth of reading that goes on at BSB. Which characters do you recognise in the pages that follow? E-mail your answers via the interactive edition on your iPad.
44 Newsblast
Issue 4
April 2014
45
46 Newsblast
Issue 4
April 2014
47
BSB Detectives University Course
Lost something? Call the BSB Detectives! One of the aims of the KS2 university courses is to introduce children to skills and experiences that they wouldn’t cover as part of the normal curriculum. In this course, run by Ms. Ileana Galma, the children have been learning about the world of forensic investigation. They have experimented with detection strategies, planned their own crime scene investigation, made suspect profiles and used real-life techniques such as dusting for fingerprints. Jo-Andri, Y5H, told us about investigating footprints: ‘If shoes have a flat surface it is difficult to use this as a clue for finding suspects; a rough surface with prints and patterns is easier to identify.’ For the final class, the children were visited by Alexandru Porosanu who works at the Forensic Institute of Bucharest. He is trained as a CSI investigator. He brought in forensic tools to show the children and set up an investigation scene in the classroom. Reception F also came to visit, to show off their fingerprinting skills. Emily Thomas
No two fingerprints are the same 48 Newsblast
Whodunnit? These sleuths may have the answer
COBIS Games
COBIS Games team looking forward to Abu Dhabi games The COBIS Games team has been training hard for the competition that is this year being hosted by last years’ winners The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi. The seventeen students in the squad have been training weekly for the swimming, athletics and football competitions that will start with an opening ceremony for the fourteen schools on Thursday 28th May. “I am really looking forward to the swimming competition and meeting lots of new people.” Henry “I am looking forward to going to Abu Dhabi and trying to win lots of medals.” Lara “I can’t wait to play in the football competition.” Theodor David Hughes
COBIS Games team working on stroke technique for the swimming competition
Issue 4
April 2014
49
Universities
Prop design - working on props for the school productions
Homeskills, learning to sew 50 Newsblast
Cooking, learning skills that will last a lifetime
Scrapbooking - choosing materials for a lovely looking scrapbook
Issue 4
April 2014
51
Origami - the ancient Japanese art of paper folding
Music - sounds like a good idea!
Design and Technology - working with various tools and materials
Trampolining - the ups and downs of life
52 Newsblast
Clubs
Rock climbing - a combination of strenght, skill and agility
Homework club for Y4-Y6 - working with technology
Gymnastics - poise, flexibility and grace
Issue 4
April 2014
53
KS2 Science club - getting to grips with technology...
...and experimenting with construction
Romanian for beginners - always popular 54 Newsblast
Secondary School Review Book Week at BSB was terrific with a particular highlight in Secondary being the DEAR – Drop Everything and Read. Everyone, children and teachers alike, stopped whatever they were doing wherever they were and read for 20 minutes. The silence was golden, broken only by the turning of pages. We are blessed with a beautiful, central and well used library and aim to continue to look for ways to encourage all our students to read more. “Children who read become adults who think”. This phrase and various accompanying pictures such as the one below went viral amongst the online educational community recently, and for good reason. The benefits of reading are clear but worth re-emphasising especially in a time where we are increasingly consumed by technological advance
. Expansion of individual vocabulary is perhaps one of the most indisputable and obvious benefits of reading. Children should be encouraged to read for at least half an hour a day to expose themselves to various writing styles and to learn new vocabulary. Whilst reading books, especially challenging ones, children will be exposed to many new words that they are unlikely to otherwise encounter and a larger arsenal of words inevitably enables the reader to express themself with increased eloquence. Even when we do not understand every new word, we absorb something from the context that deepens our understanding of it the next time the word is encountered.
“Children should be encouraged to read for at least half an hour a day to expose themselves to various writing styles and to learn new vocabulary.”
Reading fiction has been demonstrated to increase creativity within the brain, especially at a young age. Creative people write books and music but they are also vital to solve business problems or forge advances in scientific thinking and the like. Enhanced vocabulary and an increase of creativity and imagination can together foster improved writing skills, while reading the grammar and style of the author is absorbed almost subconsciously. Indeed, great authors can take over your mind. I observed this recently as my eldest son’s writing improved in response to his voracious reading of The Hunger Games; his writing mirrored the writer’s style to an extent and will be influenced again by his next great read. This, of course, makes choice of book all the more important. Two other significant benefits involve enhanced memory and developed analytical thinking. Reading has been proven to significantly help improve memory at a young age and later in life. Books require the reader to remember details, facts and figures in plot lines, themes, and characters and such practice is important to train the brain to memorise information. Recent studies have also shown that reading enhances analytical thinking. Readers spot patterns quicker. If one can spot patterns at a faster rate, then analytical skills are enhanced by speed. Our recommended reading lists are available on Moodle or from one of our English teachers whilst they will also happily steer children and adults alike towards books which will suit each individual’s tastes. I am looking forward to the next large and regular delivery of new books to our library and in the future e-books onto the iPads. Let’s do it more often – drop everything and read. Philip Walters, Head of Secondary School
Issue 4
April 2014
55
Master Class Workshop
Earlier this month a Saturday morning Art workshop was led by Mr. Walker and Mr. Williams. The school dining room served as the perfect venue with its generous floor space allowing the possibility of large scale drawings to be created. The teaching aim was to increase student’s self-confidence and drawing skills. Gesticulating, touching, feeling, doodling and moving were just some of the actions that were used as starting points for putting ideas to paper. Pencil, pen, charcoal, chalk and ink were used to express form and surface across a large flat white canvas. The activities were designed to inspire anyone to embrace visual thinking. “The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing…should be taught to every child just as writing is”. – John Ruskin 1819 – 1900 People who draw more consciously evaluate what they perceive by engaging in visual thinking. Those who draw use not only their eyes but also other senses to ‘see’ something. And those who draw create a void between the lines, which opens up space for other thoughts. All you need is some paper and a pencil to make lines that sway, swing, intertwine, delimit, and that spark ideas. Lines, contours, and shading that help us complement what is in front of us and create a reality that doesn not really exist - that doesn not aim to look exactly like something - but comes from another motivation: to create something that did not exist before. Drawing is as much about thinking and behaviour and is possible to identify stepping stones to help young people find a greater depth of interest in the subject. Combining both learning from drawing and facilitated discussion, students were encouraged to look at the way they currently learn through drawing and explore how this can be strengthened. Mr. Walker and Mr. Williams were keen to create a workshop that was non-judgmental, flexible and experimental in an attempt to create an experience that was refreshing and stimulating. Well done to everyone for giving up their Saturday morning and making the session a memorable and valuable experience. Mark Williams
56 Newsblast
Issue 4
April 2014
57
Planet BSB Eco Warriorsmaking a difference • Guest speaker from the Green WEEE recycle company
Georgiana Badalicia came to talk to all of Y5 about recycling.
• World Water Day
We will hold assemblies and promote activities to help raise awareness.
• Earth Day Friday 25th April
Our first Earth Day event! We will have stalls from:
• GREEN companies to explain what they offer such as recycling, setting up wind turbines and other renewable energy resources. • The European Nature Trust bus will be coming to talk about their work in trying to reduce deforestation in Europe’s last natural forest here in Romania in the Carpathian Mountains. • “Eco Rocks” featuring the BSB (recycled) steel pans band and the Y5 choir. • Recycled products and Eco Warriors T-shirt. • Eco Quizzes and prizes. • Eco Games. • Non Uniform green/blue day.
Planet BSB is an integral part of the British School of Bucharest. It is an ethos which we would like to run through the whole school from crèche to Y13. We want all students, parents and staff to develop an appreciation and respect for their environment and to understand that even small change from everyone will collectively make a big difference.
There will be a letter to follow with more details. Our students will take part in the afternoon from 1-3pm and we will then open the gates and invite parents to join us from 3-4pm. Do please come along. We would welcome your ideas. You can get in touch with us via pam.beer@britishschool.ro.
Thanks to Ciaran McRae and the previous Eco Teams hard work, we hold both the Bronze and Silver Eco Schools Awards. There is no gold – the highest award which we are currently working towards is GREEN. The award is by no means the main goal; it is a means of measuring how far we’ve progressed to date. So what are we doing this year? Eco Warriors: a group of dedicated students working together to make changes for the better. Our numbers are growing and we have now appointed student representatives to key positions to help co-ordinate our initiatives: • House Paper Recycling Competition
We have just finished a 2 week marathon of our first House Paper Recycling Competition. Students, staff and parents cleaned out their cupboards to try and gain the extra kilos of paper needed for their house to win. The students and teachers had fun and there were some crafty moves. It was a close call and came down to 14:55 on a Friday afternoon when Danube sneaked in those few extra kilos needed to win the GREENEST HOUSE TITLE with a total of 55.29kg. In total we recycled 160kg of paper in 2 weeks and we are already looking forward to next year’s rematch.
• Introducing paper recycle bins to all classrooms and offices
To keep the momentum rolling.
• New Battery recycle bin
Outside the Parent’s Room.
• Developing Eco Warriors/Planet BSB Moodle page
Which will have information about our aims as well as current and future projects.
58 Newsblast
“I enjoyed it a lot!” Eve “I thought that it was a great idea and I would love to do it again!’ Laura “It was a great idea, it got people motivated to recycle.” Anne “I thought it was fun and it is a great way to get people to recycle. Pam Beer
Secondary House Mastermind 2014 Following a similar format to the famous TV quiz show the second annual House Mastermind tournament saw 40 students take to the hotseat. The quiz is based around two minute rounds of intense interrogation requiring outstanding knowledge, quick recall and a steady head. Eight brave students answered questions individually on their specialist subjects and new high standards were set with very high scores. The diverse topics included Norse mythology, Horses, Harry Potter, The Big Bang Theory, Pokemon and rock band Lordi. Teams of four then battled through general knowledge rounds prior to some questions for the whole House. Mrs. Wells and Mr. Walters would like to thank all the students for taking part in such good spirit – it was a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding afternoon for everyone. Ultimately there has to be a winner and this year Danube won the House Mastermind trophy with excellent individual rounds from Alexandra and Finn coupled with strong general knowledge from Dilara, Clara, Beatrice and Helene in the girls team and Joe, Tim, Radu and Muhammad for the boys. I’m looking forward to next year already. Philip Walters
Finn and Alexandra lifting the Mastermind trophy for Danube
Leaving Artists four eager students applying for the positions. Isabella remained after school on Fridays with her art teachers and prepared a small yet impressive portfolio of work. The school was extremely impressed by her thoughtful and decisive drawings awarding her an Art Scholarship for next year. Well done to the students and the teachers in the creative faculty for all their efforts in creating a culture of creativity. Mark Williams & Derek Walker
Chalk and charcoal Two of our leavers this year are to be congratulated on achieving places to continue their studies as a result of their expertise in art. Joseph has been accepted to study on the prestigious and highly competitive Arts Foundation course at the Groningen University in the Netherlands. Joseph worked hard to prepare a strong portfolio of work that focuses predominately upon his experience of living in Romania. His work explores a multitude of techniques such as photography and printmaking. We wish him every success in the future – he has huge artistic potential. Isabella applied for an art scholarship to her new school in the UK (Sevenoaks). There were only four scholarship places available and over fifty
Isabella, self portrait in pencil Issue 4
April 2014
59
COBIS Debating Competition 2014 From the 7th to 9th of February, six BSB students took part in the annual COBIS World Debating competition in The Hague. Last year’s winners, the British School of the Netherlands, hosted the event which included 16 teams from 15 different countries in Europe and the Middle East. Our team: Ilinca O, Ilinca T, Dilara and Alexandra in Y10 with Andrei and Filippo in Y11 were easily the youngest in the competition and proud to be one of three Romanian teams, being joined by IBSB and Transylvania College. After a great deal of preparation and practice both in and out of school time, we set off for the Dutch capital early on the Friday morning. With a few hours spare in a very wet Amsterdam, we visited Anne Frank’s house before taking the super modern double decker train to The Hague. After a long and tiring journey, all were relieved to relax for an hour in our hotel before spending the evening meeting and socialising with the other teams. Despite being keen to get to know their counterparts, our students were feeling trepidation at what lay ahead. Saturday was the day of the prepared debates. Our team began against The British School of Prague opposing the motion that “Olympic nations should embody the Olympic ideals”. After a heated debate, we were pleased with a draw. The second debate against Cairo saw a BSB win, arguing against the motion that “military intervention should be used to seize banned weapons”. Finally our third round versus Al Khubairat School also ended with a draw, with BSB this time proposing the motion that “whistleblowers belong in top secret organisations”. After a tiring and demanding day of persuading, arguing and quick-thinking, BSB found themselves through to the Quarter final round. The debaters had definitely earned their free time and were rewarded with an evening event aboard a canal boat cruising the Dutch polders.
the creative and performing arts are the most creative subjects in school. After a spirited reply speech from Filippo, the judges awarded a draw which then needed to go to a points count. After a certain amount of tension and drama, BSB had won in points and were through to the semi-final. Our next opponent was Dubai College, one of the favourites to win the competition. The impromptu motion was that “nature is more important in a child’s development than nurture”. Arguing for the opposition, our team came up with clear and logical points to win this debate. Against all expectations, we were incredulous to find ourselves in the final! Before this however a lighthearted showcase event took place involving mixed teams of those debaters voted to be the best by those judging on day 1. BSB’s Ilinca T was part of the opposing team on the motion that “Children should be seen and not heard”. The audience was treated to a combination of joke arguments, mime, drama mixed with a little logic in a most amusing debate. Finally, it was time for the grand final between BSB and BSN. The two teams were debating the motion that “This House would be vegetarian”. For the proposition, our students spoke with conviction and passion yet could not quite match the carnivorous confidence of BSN who came out, for the second year running, as COBIS champions. Our BSB finalists happily received their runner up trophy and should be incredibly proud of their staggering achievement at this competition. The team left The Hague having learnt a huge amount about the skill of debating and have had a unique opportunity to mix with a wide range of students from around the globe. Congratulations to all our talented and brave debaters and my thanks goes to my colleague Mrs Palmer for her help in coaching the team and organizing the trip. We are already looking forward to hosting this event here at BSB next year.
Sunday’s action began early with a full day of debates. The first impromptu for BSB was against our old friends and rivals IBSB, opposing the motion that Elisabeth Citron
Ready for the final 60 Newsblast
Happy runners up!
Mugs of Love
On 14th February, I went on a trip to Casa Ioana with Sara from Y7 and Ryan from Y13. It was the first time I had had the opportunity to visit a shelter for homeless families and I can say it was an experience to remember; not just because it was my first time there, but really because it changed my perception of life. There were children at the centre from just a few months to older children, about 14-15 years old, who were waiting for us. A boy who was about 5 years old caught my eye, as he cried when we were leaving because he didn’t want to lose his new friends. When I arrived I felt like I had entered a whole new world. It looked like a place seen only in picture books, where dedicated staff with experience frequently difficult conditions, treat their families with dignity and respect. With the mugs, we also brought love. Seeing the happiness on the children’s faces made me appreciate what I have and now I think twice before I complain about something. In the hour that we spent with them I learnt a new game, but more importantly, they made new friends. The main thing they were seeking was love and care, in other words, a friend. And I was surprised to see how well behaved and happy they were, despite the fact that they didn’t have many of the basic necessities that most of us are blessed with daily. Lastly, a gesture that really touched me was when they invited all of us again into the park to play, an offer that we couldn’t refuse. I would like to thank Mr. McGowan, Mr. Porter, Mr. Walters, and Mrs. PuddyWells for letting this fabulous trip take place. I would also like to thank all the parents and teachers for contributing to our Mugs of Love initiative. The Mug of Love initiative resulted in donations from students, parents and staff of mugs full of sweets and other goodies. Noor, Y13F
Issue 4
April 2014
61
Sports reports BSB Success on the Basketball Court Secondary boys have had a lot to cheer about on the basketball court this term. The U13 team won against AISB and finished fourth in the International Schools competition. The U18’s also won at AISB 44-22 with Victor in Y12 scoring a record 26 points. The U15 team played out a draw against AISB. The Bucharest International Schools Football league has kicked off again after a winter break and will see all teams completing the second round of their respective games as well as looking forward to the French Cup and Lumina Cup in April and May respectively.
Arges on the break against Mures
Training for Sports Day is Racing Ahead Training for Sports Day has begun with students training and looking to improve their personal bests ahead of the big day, which will this year take place on Thursday 1st May at the Iolanda Balas Soter stadium near to the Arcul de Triumf. The biggest Inter-House competition on the sporting calendar has been dominated by Olt in recent times, who have won the trophy for the last three years. Arges, Danube and Mures students will be working especially hard to ensure the bragging rights do not continue for a fourth successive year.
Danube players try to close down another Olt attack
Mures and Olt run out winners on the Court Mures were the deserved winners of the Secondary Boys Inter-House Basketball competition whilst Olt picked up the closely fought contest in the Girls’ competition. There were some excellent performances on the court in what was the highest standard of matches played in BSB’s inter-house competitions. Stand out performances for Mures came from Victor (Y12) who scored 15 points Alina (Y9) who scored 8 points.
62 Newsblast
Students begin training ahead of Sports Day
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Filippo as Bottom taking centre stage with the Primary Fairies I can not believe that the production is over. I am extremely happy about the way it turned out; in fact it exceeded my wildest expectations. I never could have imagined how fabulous it could be.
something on a larger scale and something which had the potential to be truly outstanding. I wanted them to be proud and take ownership of the rehearsal process and the finished product and to be able to celebrate their success.
The success is down to the students who were involved, the hours of work they put in and their commitment.
If the students were to take something away from the experience of being in ’A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ I would like it to be this: that hard work and determination do pay off. And that we should always strive for excellence.
Teaching teenagers, I am constantly amazed by their flexibility, their adaptability and their ability to rise confidently to new challenges. No where is this more evident than in a production such as ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’
Victoria Oliver
Being part of such a production, as well as being an incredibly rewarding experience can also be tough. Learning masses of lines (in Shakespearian English), turning up ready to work to each and every rehearsal, and managing to deliver three perfect performances in two days takes strength, stamina and determination, especially when this is done on top of a normal school day. On the evening of the performance, the pressure is on to perform! After six months of rehearsal, there is no room for mistakes. Focus and concentration are needed during every second of being onstage. Managing these expectations as well as making sure costumes and personal props are organised, the radio mic is turned on and off at the right times, remembering lines and how to deliver them, remembering dance moves and when to come in with the band is highly a complex process. Here at BSB, we expect students of twelve years old and upwards to be able to do this all competently and I am aware of how exhausting this can be. However, I believe that there is no point in doing anything unless you go into it aiming for excellence. Otherwise, why bother? I really wanted to instil the idea into the students that we were not rehearsing for ‘just’ a school show, but
All of the actors were outstanding Issue 4
April 2014
63
64 Newsblast
Issue 4
April 2014
65
University Offers All of last year’s leaving Y13 students successfully attained the grades necessary to progress to degree courses, including large numbers moving to some of the most competitive degree courses including Electronic Engineering at Imperial in London, Medicine in Spain and Romania, Business Studies at Manchester University, Law at Bristol University, Dentistry in Turkey and Mechanical Engineering at Southampton University. Indeed all of last year’s leavers have, or will this autumn after a GAP year, progress to a wide range of exciting and challenging degree courses in the UK or abroad. The levels of academic achievement were truly outstanding. Once again this year our senior students have been working tirelessly to complete their full A Level courses and have received offers to study at a wide range of prestigious academic institutions. We strongly encourage students
to maintain their mature approach to their learning and wish them luck in the final lead up to their examinations. University offers have arrived for all current Y13 students that have applied. All our UK applicants have received multiple offers and others have already confirmed their favoured and most likely destination. Offers have been achieved from universities including University of Exeter, University of Bristol, Warwick University, Regents University London, Queen Mary University London, University of Surrey, Bournemouth University, Oxford Brookes, University of Strathclyde and the prestigious University of Groningen in the Netherlands. We look forward to updating you of the final destinations of our students in September. Paul Farrell
iPad Training for staff and the understanding of what you could do with great apps, as many staff had a good idea of this already, it was the ability to bring them all together to create a useful process for active classrooms. From making books, setting assignments and tasks, marking work online, giving annotated feedback, audio feedback to creating augmented reality the sessions gave BSB staff the information, inspiration and ideas to move our iPad initiative forward to a new level. With these systems and apps that Joe introduced to us already being used in many subject areas across the school and Primary teachers working hard on integrating the use of iPads into topics for the start of the new academic year the training in a short period has reaped dividends for teaching and learning across the school. Mark Monaghan
Learners for life - staff expanding their knowledge of the new technology With our iPad initiative set to expand next year across the school all staff had the opportunity at the start of March to get creative and hands on with their iPads. Joe Moretti an Apple Distinguished Educator came into school for a hands-on world wind visit completing four individual training sessions with staff in less than 24 hours! This started with a twilight session after school and then three sessions the following day before Joe rushed to the airport for another engagement in Europe! The sessions really engaged staff and the enthusiasm to get back into the classroom with all the ideas that Joe shared was tangible. The biggest single thing I feel staff benefited from was not necessarily the hands on creativity
66 Newsblast
Augmented reality - coming to a classroom near you
Humanities Week ‘Flag Off’ As part of Humanities week all students in the Secondary School were invited to enter a competition to identify flags from all the over the world. The inspiration for this quiz came from two of my Y10 Geography students who have a flag app on their iPad and challenge each other regularly. In the end, 6 students guessed all the correct answers so it was decided that we would have a ‘flag off’ in assembly where these students would compete against each other.
The 6 finalists were given a week to learn the flags of South America and Africa before the head-to-head. However, after completing the first part of the final the students could still not be divided. So it went to sudden death where eventually Annie from Y7W and Akis in Y13F emerged victorious. They are the 2014 BSB Flag champions! This is the quiz that they did which was designed by Aaron in Y10. How many do you know? Sarah Palmer
Send us your answers using the comment tab on the interactive version of Newsblast via the BSB app.
Issue 4
April 2014
67
BSB Quiz Answers 1.
‘What makes you beautiful?”
52. Glasses
2.
206=Bones In The Human Body
53. Rudolf Hess
3. Catflap
54. 1785 miles
4.
55. Montgomery
Mike Oldfield played Tubular Bells the theme for the film
5. Cromer
56. 50%
6. @
57. The remains of birds that fly into plane engines
7.
Doolally. The camp was at Deolali
58. 32
8.
Colin Cowdrey
59. 4=Pints in a quart
9. Shelter
60. It is the home of Zamolxe, the Supreme God of Dacians
10. Ouija Board
61. The Bad. Lee Van Cleef
11. Malaysia
62. Incubate its eggs
12. 50 = Golden Wedding Anniversary
63. Dance
13. An ostrich
64. 1978
14. Tesco magazine
65. Brutus in Julius Cesar
15. Bonnie and Clyde
66. Iran
16. T. S. Eliot
67. In Pere Lachaise Cemetry
17. Florida
68. Herman Van Rompuy
18. Stephen Fry I.Q. Q.I
69. 100=Cents in a Euro
19. 36 = Stations on the Circle Line
70. Billy Bailey
20. Dean Martin 21. 122cm
71. The judges’ computers weren’t designed to show a perfect score as no one had thought it possible. 14 years old
22. Jim Broadbent
72. Marilyn Monroe
23. Idi Amin
73. Grapefruit
24. Not paying your TV licence
74. Great Dane
25. Chicago
75. 4
26. Liechtenstein. Uzbekistan
76. 25=Knights at the Winchester Round Table
27. 2=Wrongs don’t make a right
77. Vlad Tepes
28. Polish
78. Chariot racing
29. Hal David
79. Lake Titicaca
30. 2004
80. 7
31. He spoke them in German she was American
81. 4=Weddings and a Funeral
32. Seville (128)
82. Bill DeBlasio
33. Castaways on Desert Island Discs
83. Nottingham Forest
34. Palladium
84. Trevor Horn as he produced them
35. Ruth Ellis
85. A clown
36. Anita Brookner
86. 40, 000
37. Sudoku
87. The Corrs
38. 14%
88. CAT5 cable
39. 42=The answer to life, the universe and everything
89. In Beatles songs
40. The fans
90. Diplodocus
41. Alphabet spaghetti
91. Pope Francis
42. 100 billion
92. 3=Blind Mice
43. James Dean he crashed into a car, while the others all drove into trees
93. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
44. Folk costumes
94. Wells Fargo
45. Distance to the horizon in miles
95. Mycroft
46. It was the face of Elvis and people wanted Return to Sender on it. 517 mn stamps sold
96. Plato
47. Henrys
98. Paul Gaugin
48. 10=Green Bottles Hanging on the Wall
99. Nicole Simpson
49. 12%
100. Batman
50. George W Bush
101. 267=Trees on BSB Campus
51. Temple
68 Newsblast
97. 7=Brides for Seven Brothers
30TH JUNE TO 25TH JULY 2014 AGES 4 TO 16 YEARS
SIGN UP NOW!
www.britishschool.ro/summerschool summerschool@britishschool.ro
42 Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190, Voluntari, Ilfov County, Romania T. +40 21 267 89 19, +40 728 133 432, +40 728 133 433
70 Newsblast
/britishschoolro
/BritishSchoolBucharest
www.britishschool.ro
42, Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190 Voluntari, Ilfov County, Romania T. +40 21 267 89 19, F. +40 21 267 89 69 E. office@britishschool.ro
Spring is in the air!