BSB School Magazine December 2018

@BSB “Excellent”

Rated by UK Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)

December 2018

Christmas Fair BSB Innovation Day

Meet the teacher

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS COBIS Conference

Autumn Cup PLUS HEADMASTER’S WELCOME | PRIMARY SCHOOL REVIEW | SECONDARY SCHOOL REVIEW | FUN & ENTERTAINMENT AND LOTS LOTS MORE!

@BSB | December 2018

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For further details about this opportunity,

please contact marketing@britishschool.ro

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@BSB | December 2018

Welcome from the headmaster Philip Walters

I have had the privilege of visiting several elite UK independent boarding schools during the past year whilst calling in on previous colleagues in their new posts, or new friends encountered via COBIS. The traditions, facilities and academic results of these schools are certainly impressive and are in many ways what we seek to emulate here at BSB. Indeed reviewing our academic results at GCSE and A-Level this year, we are on target when one takes our non-selective context into account. These particular schools and several others like them have developed many leaders in a variety of fields including industry, science, the arts, academia and even nations over their illustrious histories.

However there was one significant element that perturbed me, one in which I feel that BSB are treading a more appropriate and modern path and that is in nurturing leadership and indeed the notion of responsible leadership. I saw relatively widespread evidence in some of these schools that practices within some boarding houses were still rooted in the past. Younger students were sometimes given menial tasks or used as ‘lackeys’ for the most senior students.

Sense of community seemed to be based around horizontal friendships and peers rather than vertical integration of all year groups. Their definition of leadership seemed somewhat removed from what we work to develop.

Essentially I witnessed elements of bullying with, in my view, morally questionable leadership based on unquestioned orders. Coupled with this, inclusion and fully embraced internationalism did not seem to be a reality despite the efforts of staff, appearing to cause unwanted issues for some of the students from different countries.

I believe that the leaders of tomorrow will be internationally minded. They will manage others decisively yet with empathy and understanding whilst also leading by example. They will demonstrate characteristics and values that we hold dear at BSB and expect our students to seek to emulate . Perseverance, respect, self-control, equality, honesty and concern for others. These are within our stated School Aims alongside our belief in the importance of creating an environment that develops knowledge and respect for different cultures, values and beliefs.

We have an increasing number of leadership opportunities for all students, not just the eldest, and we will never allow our student leaders to bully. We aim to give all students leadership opportunities whether through the House system, Prefects, Sixth Form Senate, School Council, Co-Curricular activities such as Community volunteering, Debating, the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, Public Speaking, MUN or Sports Leaders programmes to name but a few.

To encourage, to justify, to create ownership of tasks for others is arguably a more difficult route to leadership for young people to grasp and many learning opportunities will be had along the way. However this is the BSB belief, that the future national and global leaders are likely to be far removed from those of the twentieth century. Responsible leadership can be developed through embracing our ethos on a day to day basis in the classroom and around school. International understanding and genuine empathy for others and other cultures is surely vital today. We will continue to embrace this fully at BSB as our young leaders look to shape their futures.

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@BSB | December 2018

The BSB community joined us in a festive wonderland of magical delights at our annual Christmas Fair. Santa’s arrival was enjoyed by the entire BSB community, children greeting him with joy and wonder.

A wide selection of quality handcrafted toys, interesting books and many more fantastic gifts for children and adults were available. There were creative activities for children and plenty of delicious food and beverages. Musical performances by our school choirs and orchestra enhanced the festive atmosphere. Great prizes were won by the lucky parents who purchased winning raffle tickets.

Thank you to all the teachers and staff, students and parents involved in creating this magical event!

Happy Holidays!

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Events in school

A busy term at BSB has seen visits from The Royal Marines Band, representatives of prestigious UK Universities, local booksellers, COBIS members and, of course, our friendly owls who have returned for another season.

We have celebrated the Romanian Centenary through memorable activities and wearing ie and commemorated The First World War generation on Remembrance Day. Another brilliant term at BSB!

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PrimaryREVIEW As new parents joining our school or as returning parents embarking on a new academic year in a new year group, you will often hear teachers and school leaders referring to the importance of the ‘Home/ School Partnership’. This tends to appear most often during those initial ‘Meet the Teacher’ meetings that occur in early September, at which time staff express the need to foster and nurture open, positive communication between parents and the various adults who contribute to children’s experience of education. Communication not only keeps all parties informed about children’s progress and attainment, but also helps us get to know each child better as we learn more about their unique interests, aspirations, likes and dislikes, as well as their academic, physical, social and emotional needs from those who know them best. However, the Home/ School partnership need not be limited to an exchange of messages via email or the Communication Book, nor to conversations at the gate or during scheduled meetings.

Many parents have taken the definition of this partnership to a new level over the last few years, through their ongoing involve-

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ment in different aspects of everyday school life.

Already this academic year, we have seen increased parental involvement in our special events. Celebrations such as the Café of Cultures and Halloween have benefitted hugely from the outpouring of support from the mums, dads and extended family of our students. Our families’ unique talents and careful consideration for the range of ages in Primary when preparing activities has made it possible for all children, whether 2 or 11 years old, to enjoy themselves, learn and take special memories away from these exciting community experiences.

In support of our robust programme for enrichment, several parents also kindly volunteer their time to lead or assist both CCAs (co-curricular activities/clubs) and BSB University courses, sharing their special skills and expertise with a range of children. Whether it be Girl Guides (Rainbows, Brownies and Guides), The Fundatia Project (a University course during which children prepare meals for a local

hospice) or ‘Cardtastic’ (another University course that creates greeting cards to be sold for charity), parental support has helped us to expand our involvement in local service and citizenship-related activities. In addition, our Library programmes benefit greatly from the support of parent volunteers who help us promote a love of books and reading throughout our school.

We are also delighted to see an increasing number of parents coming in to do special activities with children in class, including special cooking activities, arts and crafts projects, reading with children, helping to make props and costumes for productions and assemblies, joining excursions and so on. We very much appreciate the extra dimension that your participation adds to children’s experience of learning at our school and look forward to ongoing collaboration as the academic year progresses.

I would like to thank all of our parents for all that you do!

Victoria Smith, Head of Primary School

@BSB | December 2018

by Kate Rand With a fabulous wooden adventure castle to explore, new water features and state of the art mud kitchen, what is not to love in our amazing Ringwood Kingdom? Over the summer holidays, the Early Years outdoor area has been revamped into a stylish, purpose-built area for exploration and creativity. Children at BSB are encouraged to think for themselves, solve problems, test their ideas, predict and review strategies. Showing ‘can-do’ attitudes and taking calculated risks are the prime factors in developing confidence and independence and within the Ringwood Kingdom, anything is possible!

The new water feature allows children to become young engineers and explore how water moves by damming the channels and

realigning the waterways. Open ended opportunities are around every corner inviting children to investigate and find new ways of challenging themselves.

Most recently, some wooden features have been added in the form of a wooden ‘Loch Ness’ monster, a giant worm, a ladybird and a snail and these have provided children with opportunities to communicate and extend their language and social skills.

Ringwood Castle stands proudly in the EYFS playground where children are supervised carefully so they can access this exciting equipment. It comprises a climbing wall, crawling nets, super slides, sliding poles and ladders. As children develop and grow they will be able to complete more of the challenges within the castle and become

more independent in their physical development skills. Children in Key Stage 1 are also fortunate to have dedicated sessions where they can access the castle too. Only this week, a secret egg was hidden somewhere on the castle – this was a ‘hook’ to stimulate a new topic of learning for Year 2.

As a newcomer to BSB, I have been hugely impressed by the facilities available to our youngest children and of course, no kingdom is complete without its inhabitants. I have been welcomed into this magical place by dedicated, experienced staff who take care of our most precious people, the children. Come and experience the magic for yourselves!

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@BSB | December 2018

PreNursery YOUNG EXPLORERS

By Raina Myson It is a huge leap starting school for a young child, and we are fortunate to be the ones charged with nurturing and exciting their little minds on the first step of their learning journey.

The youngest learners at BSB have had an amazing time exploring their new classroom and surroundings since the start of term. This term has seen the children experiment with colours and sensory exploration through a multitude of activities ranging from making patterns in shaving foam and playdough, to running and jumping in the garden.

These activities strengthen the child’s fine and gross motor skills and help them to build friendship groups and develop their self-confidence.

Developing a child’s communication skills at this young age is imperative and this has been enhanced by the singing and stories that the children have been immersed in at school.

BSB provides a rich, vibrant and calm environment which allows young inquisitive minds to grow and mature along with their peers. We hope our children have had as much fun as we have during this term.

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Nursery

NEW FACES AND NEW FRIENDS

By Jenna Batson The children have settled in very well to life in Nursery. We always love getting to know new faces and making new friends and what better place to do so than in our new EYFS outdoor space? The children have loved playing alongside each other in the new ‘Texture Kitchen’ using fruits and natural objects found in our garden to make amazing pies and soups. They have also loved exploring the castle and hiding in the little nooks and crannies so that they can call each other on our school phones - the children have been working hard on how to hold a conversation with each other, thinking of what questions we could ask.

This term the children showed a keen interest in the story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’. They were able to retell the story to each other using the book and together we drew a story map so we could act out the story with our ‘Mini-Me’ characters, along with a small world brown bear toy.

Amazingly, the children were able to adapt the well-known story and make it their own.

They introduced different obstacles that they had to get through, different ‘bad’ characters to chase them and eventually they changed the story entirely so it ended up in a rather different setting, under the sea. The children called the story ‘We’re Going on a Shark Hunt’ and the fish

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characters had many surprising obstacles to get through. The children loved the idea of being able to make their own versions, and so they continued to make other stories up in their Learning Journeys.

More recently the children had their first adventure outdoors and went to visit Baneasa Forest. We first went for a walk through the forest searching for little treasures to put in our special box. The children even took it upon themselves to sing ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ as we meandered through the autumn leaves.

Once we had collected enough treasures we sorted these onto our 10-square mats and counted how many things we found, if we found more than one thing, and if we could sort them by colour or size. After we finished sorting and counting the children were given some clay and had to find a special tree on which to make a face.

They squashed the clay on to the bark and shaped it, then they searched the ground around them to find items which they could use for the features. They found acorns, little twigs, stones and even used small leaves to represent the different facial features. Miss Jenna returned to the forest a few days later and our faces were still there. So next time you visit Casa Alba Park, please go and see if you can find our tree faces!

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Reception A Fantastic Start to the Reception Year

By Emma Sauer and Kate Rand In Reception we have had a fantastic start to the year. We began the year by getting to know each other and developing our friendships. We have been participating in circle times and team games in order to get to know each other better and to find out about our class mates’ likes and dislikes.

This term we have been exploring how to become good learners. This has involved the children understanding and keeping the Golden Rules so that they can work together in a safe, secure and enjoyable environment. Our child friendly ‘rules’ are specifically created to help develop children’s personal and social skills as they learn to acknowledge and respect the thoughts and feelings of others. Children are encouraged to listen carefully, always have kind hands and feet, share and take care of each other as well as their belongings to support the development of their independence throughout the year.

In order to develop skills for learning, Reception children have been challenged with a wide variety of activities. We have learnt that to be a good learner we need to be ready to ‘have a go’, ‘keeping on trying’, ‘problem solve’ and ‘learn from our mistakes.’

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Most recently we have loved listening to a range of books and especially enjoyed the activities associated with ‘The Gingerbread Man’. We retold the story, acted it out, did some Maths related activities and baked our own gingerbread men. We even experimented to find out what would happen to the gingerbread man if he fell in the water! We have enjoyed cooking a range of foods in the Food Tech Room including cakes, muffins and soup.

We had our first Field Trip this term, which was an enjoyable day at The Children’sScience Museum. It was exciting to experience science in a hands-on, interactive and fun way.

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@BSB | December 2018

Year 1

By Rachel Eglinton

‘The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,’ Bob Dylan Answers Year 1’s enquiry question this term is, ‘What was life like in the past?’ The children were presented with a simple brown box and asked what they might want to know about it. Questions were not easy to pose. We had to explore what makes a question different from a statement and sought answers to some such as: Is it old?

How old is it? How did it get in the box?

How many things are there?

The box was opened, and the children were delighted to see the contents: toys. A metal carousel, a wooden windmill, a wooden cup and ball. Where was the plastic, we are all so used to? A fluffy teddy caused the most discussion, as he did not seem to be old. He was not dirty, torn or worn. Or was he really old, and just unloved?

The children explored the topic further in our Toy Shop Role Play Area in the centre of the classroom. This provided a great opportunity for them to try their hands at writing lists and buying and selling toys.

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Traditional games, like marbles and snakes and ladders were enjoyed by many. Some children recognised coins, and some mentally completed addition and subtraction transactions. Research was undertaken on the properties of different materials, and there was lots of sharing of toys. Well done to the children!

Friends The transition into 1E saw friendships being developed, both old and new. The Autumn term is a period of adjustment and we worked hard to ensure we show kindness and helpfulness, listen to each other and are honest. We wanted to show our friends how we can care for them, so we each made a birthday card. When a birthday is celebrated, a card will be chosen, and signed by everyone. Team games also helped to build trust and enjoyment in our relationships this term.

The wind We learned a lot about Autumn this term, simply by being outside and observing how the sun was high enough for us to

play a shadow game, yet there was dew on the grass and apples on the ground. At Herestrau Park, we admired the canopy of the trees, the leaves changing colour and were in awe of nature as the wind blew the leaves from the trees.

The theme of National Poetry Day was ‘Change’. Once the colours of Autumn were identified, we mixed paint to match natural features, and the seasonal clues inspired some wonderful poems.

“White changes to grey, like the rocks.

Yellow changes to orange, like the leaves.

Black changes to dark grey, like some of the wooden logs.

Black changes to dark purple, like some of the fallen leaves.

Black changes to dark green, like some of the damp grass.

Orange changes to dark orange, like the leaves.

White changes to pink, like the apples.”

@BSB | December 2018

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@BSB | December 2018

Year 2

What Was Life Like In the Past

By Ann-Marie Isaac and Adam Pegrum

It all started when Year 2 went outside to learn some playground games and rhymes.

These were not the kind of games we play today, or were they? Did the children know what the rhymes and games were about?

Why were children singing them? Many of the children in Year 2 were interested to find out all about them and to let their teachers know what they knew about the past.

So, we transported back in time to when The Great Fire of London started. The children enjoyed discovering information linked to where and how the fire started and the effect it had on the city. The topic allowed the children to focus on developing an understanding of important events that have taken part in the past and how we can use timelines to identify when these events took place. During English lessons, the children worked towards writing a diary entry about the event. In order to do this, they needed to develop their understanding of sentence structure using past tenses of verbs, a variety of adjectives and noun phrases and applying those to the final piece.

This topic was a great opportunity to talk about Materials and their different uses.

Why were the houses made of wood? How did this contribute to the spread of the fire? Which materials were used to rebuild Page 22

London? The children carried out a variety of different tests to decide which materials would be more suitable to withstand a fire.

The children created a cityscape of the fire using pastels and considering the different ways they can be applied. In DT, they designed, built and evaluated a model of a Tudor house having researched images and structure on the internet. We also visited the DT kitchen to make bread exactly how they made it in the past!

During Mathematics lessons, the children have focused on place value, addition and subtraction. They have been working hard to develop their understanding of these topics through solving word problems, applying the concepts in real world situations.

We were visited by the Fire Brigade and compared the differences between the fire service today and from the past.

To end the topic we spent an enjoyable day in the Village Museum discovering and learning about the past in Romania. The children loved looking at all the different houses, researching the dates they were built, the materials they were made from and the furnishings inside.

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@BSB | December 2018

Year 3 Exciting Enquiry and Investigation

By Natalie Pitchley

Welcome to Year 3, and what a fantastic start to the academic year it has been! It has been wonderful getting to know all the children and we have already experienced so many exciting things.

We learned how to use a variety of equipment safely, whilst also investigating the nutritional importance of different ingredients.

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Our term started with the topic ‘Wonderful World’. We journeyed to the Natural History Museum, where we learned about animals in their natural habitats, got a glimpse of fossils, discovered the different shapes of animal skulls and saw a vast array of different rocks and minerals. Whilst there, we also practiced our observational drawing and drew some incredible pictures of animal skeletons. Back in school, we enjoyed spending many lessons in the DT kitchen cooking up big platefuls of pasta, pizza and burgers. We learned how to use a variety of equipment safely, whilst also investigating the nutritional importance of different ingredients.

During the second half of the term, we moved on to our next topic, Romans. Here the children explored what life was like

in Roman times, using the library and the internet to discover what the Romans ate, wore and played with. The children produced fantastic information booklets about Roman times and each made their own Google Slide on some of the Roman Gods. The children also donned their investigation hats in Science and spent time exploring the topic of ‘Light.’ Here they carried out two investigations looking at shadows and reflection. The children asked many exciting questions and used their enquiry skills to answer them.

In addition, the children have been working tirelessly to rehearse their production of ‘When Sasha Got Swept Up the Chimney’.

Everyone has worked diligently to learn their lines, make props, gather costumes and sing their hearts out.

We are incredibly proud of everything that the children have accomplished in their first term and we are already eagerly anticipating the start of the next term.

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@BSB | December 2018

LIFE IN

Year 4

This term, Year 4 have been studying newspapers and how to write articles.

We decided to write some newspaper pieces based on what has been happening in Year 4 so far this year...enjoy!

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@BSB | December 2018

Harvest-tastic!

The year 4 students practiced their lines day and night for their Harvest production this term. Each child had their own part and lines to say and learn. All the students were very nervous to sing, deliver their lines and do the actions for the song but when October 16th arrived, the production went ‘like a dream’ and was a huge success!

The children sang beautifully, remembered their parts and the parents cried with tears of joy and laughter.

“The teachers came up with a great script for this production” said Maya.

The Amazing Chocolate Factory In October, Year 4 travelled to the Heidi Chocolate Factory because they were learning about the origins and making of chocolate. They arrived after a fun bus journey, and created some incredible chocolate bars of their own. They were able to choose from a variety of chocolate types and toppings.

“We had a terrific time!” said Sofia.

“The chocolate was delicious!” chanted all of 4R on the bus on the way home.

The Most Chocolatey, Scrumptious Chocolate!

Year 4 have been working on making chocolate in Design and Technology. They were learning about descriptive language in English as they were reading ‘Charlie and Chocolate Factory’, so they decided to make their own chocolate creations.

In October, they designed their very own bars of chocolate! Using chocolate moulds, children selected their own chocolate bases and enhanced these with a range of

healthy and enticing toppings.

“This chocolate is amazing, can we have more?” said Mark.

Year 4 have since said they would like to have their own chocolate factories one day!

Ancient Egypt returns from the dead In November, Year 4 have been carefully studying the Egyptians. They have been learning about how Howard Carter found Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor in 1923. The children have been asking questions about mummification and pharaohs. They learned by looking at different historical sources and research on the internet, as well as watching videos and reading books.

“We love learning about Ancient Egypt because it’s full of mysteries and interesting facts” said Qaiser.

“We have learned about the River Nile and the Gods that the Ancient Egyptians worshipped.”

Disgusting Digestion!

In November, Year four did some amazing work on the digestive system. They worked hard at reading books and carrying out computer research to find out more about this important topic. This helped them to understand about the human body. They have been researching different organs and have been working hard to prepare a presentation for the rest of the class.

“It is lots of fun learning about the digestive system, as we learn about where our food goes and what happens to it on its journey through the body.” said Aisha.

Extreme Maths

division, multiplication, decimals and fractions! They get better and better every day by working very hard to learn new concepts and doing their homework and practicing in class every day. They claim to be the best at Maths in the whole school.

“We have lots of time to practice and we have great teachers.” said Robi.

Clickety-click click!

All of the hard working students of Year 4 complete a ‘Big Maths’ CLIC test every two weeks. They have to work independently, so they are using their own brains, and they are trying to get a better score than the week before, thus showing they are improving. “CLICs are great fun, which is why I love them.” exclaimed Matei.

Magnificent Science Year 4 have worked very hard in Science so far this year and their topic on solids, liquids and gases was fantastic fun. They went into the kitchen to find out how water evaporates into gas as it boils. Their many experiments helped them to secure their knowledge and understanding of the topic.

“Science might seem hard, but when you do experiments, it is not that hard!” suggested Hyunwoo.

PE Rocks!

All of the coolest children in year 4 (and that’s all of them) play superb sports in PE in their fantastic dome, pitch and mirror room venues. They do PE to get faster and become more fit. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, they practice their ball skills and physical fitness. “PE days are my favourite days of the week,” says Mark.

Year 4 at BSB are extremely good at

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@BSB | December 2018

Going With the Flow in

Year 5

By Karen Cojocaru and Rebecca Doganay What a fantastic start we have had to our time in Year 5! This term has seen the children taking part in some amazing activities and we have risen to the challenge of high expectations from our learning.

Natural Park where we learned how people manage and sustain the local environment.

Some great ideas for mixed media collages in Art also arose from our experiences and we had fun exploring our ideas in the Art studio.

Our learning across the curriculum was linked at the start of the year through the theme of ‘Rivers’. In Geography, we explored how rivers are formed and how they change the shape of the landscape.

Lots of great writing, both fiction and non-fiction, came out of this and the children applied their new knowledge of grammar when planning, drafting, editing and redrafting their stories and explanatory texts. We enriched our knowledge of rivers during our visit to the beautiful Comana

More fun was had while planning, and writing about, our investigations in Science.

We have focused on developing our scientific working skills through a number of investigations and we are looking forward especially to seeing what happens to the eggs we have left in cola for the rest of the year! We also learned about Laboratory Safety in preparation for our upcoming lessons in the Secondary Science Laboratory. We can’t wait! Besides this, we have enjoyed extending our Mathematics

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skills while working with numbers up to a million and have been learning how it is important not only to calculate correctly, but also to explain the reasoning behind what we have done.

In Computing, we have focused hard on staying safe online and on how to be a responsible digital citizen. This has also been a focus in our PSHCE lessons. We were lucky that our special visit from Traci Good coincided with our learning this term and that we were able to put into practice the suggestions she shared with us.

We are looking forward to the rest of our year in Year 5 and can’t wait to share our learning with you all next term!

@BSB | December 2018

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@BSB | December 2018

Year 6

An eagerness to learn

by Nicola Pinson After a great start to the year with a fantastic display of cooperation during our team building day, Year 6 children have continued to impress their teachers with their determination, eagerness to learn and creativity throughout the term.

One of our topics this term has been World War I. As this year is the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Treaty, it has been a particularly poignant topic.

We started by learning about enlistment through analysing propaganda posters and reading letters written by soldiers at the time. Children also used a range of primary sources to find out what life was like in the trenches on the front line. They were

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surprised to find out that soldiers faced more dangers than just their enemies. By looking at photographs of soldiers with trench foot, the Spanish Flu or shell shock, children empathised with how horrific it must have been. Shortly afterwards, we had a visit from Colonel Thomas McDonald Baker (thank you Mr Allsop) who presented a very different view of the war which he experienced from his post far from the front line. Children really impressed their teachers with the range interesting questions which they devised for our visitor.

We continued the theme in our Art topic, where we perfected the art of lino printing.

Initially, this is a tricky skill to master,

but after a period of experimentation, identifying mistakes and working out how to correct them, all children created fantastic prints depicting a scene or symbol from World War I. Our trip to the Commonwealth War Memorial was a reflective moment as well as a great learning opportunity. By reading the inscriptions on the headstones and observing the emblems carefully, children learned about those who died on Romanian soil in World War II. The topic culminated in an outstanding performance in the Year Group assembly, which depicted the lives of soldiers at war and their families left behind.

@BSB | December 2018

The topic culminated in an outstanding performance in the Year Group assembly, which depicted the lives of soldiers at war and their families left behind.

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@BSB | December 2018

Art IN DEVELOPMENT

By Cheryl Baker

If you had walked through our Primary buildings on Thursday 21st November, what would you have seen? Giant weaving, tee-pee building, experimenting with natural dyes and felt-making would be just some of the incredible activities on offer during our Art enrichment day, a whole day where we go off the well-planned path of our usual curriculum and try new and exciting things that would not fit anywhere else. Can we dye fabrics using red cabbage? What can we do with synthetic wool roving? Can we express a story through sewing?

Well, today is the day you can find out!

“It was really hard but fun. We had to solve lots of problems and adapt our original ideas if something didn’t work.” Albert, Y6 Enquiry (asking questions, finding the answers and discovering ways to solve problems) forms the basis of many lessons, including Art. In all Art units children are given ideas, study relevant artists and learn new processes and techniques, but ultimately the learning journey is unique to each child. Children are taught to experiment and problem-solve, using their sketchbook as an artistic diary to record what works and what does not. They can put their own ideas into their work so that outcomes are not uniform, but a unique reflection of what each child has discovered.

And who wants their artwork to look like everyone else’s? Just ask Stefan in Year 3: “Imagine you went to a gallery and you walked past the same painting ten million times! It would be so boring. Everyone’s artwork will be different, because everyone has different talents.” Wise words indeed.

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@BSB | December 2018

eSafety FIRST

By Dan Batson

Technology is very important to us here at BSB. From iPads to Chromebooks, PCs to iMacs, we have it all. In fact, we have a lot of it! Rarely is there a lesson at BSB where the students do not have a device of some kind on their desk, ready to use and access high-quality resources as and when needed. Technology can truly be an effective and efficient tool to support good learning with teachers having the means to allocate the right materials to the right students in an instant. This is not to say that students spend an unhealthy proportion of their time at school looking into a screen and typing into a keyboard.

Far from it. Pens and pencils are used as much as ever with handwriting standards being raised in many areas of the school recently. The difference, however, is simply that there are better resources for students to find online and as a result, significantly less photocopying printed each morning.

Our students are also learning and mastering necessary 21st Century skills that they will often depend upon in their future workplace. The independence and freedom they gain from the device resting upon their desktop, their ‘window to the world’,

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leads to an environment that they must be comfortable and confident navigating.

Nevertheless, here at BSB, we are very aware of the potential pitfalls that exist in life online. All safeguarding matters are treated most seriously and as a matter of priority, including those involving technology. Consequently, we are committed to teaching children to use computers and electronic devices safely and responsibly.

We are firmly committed to eSafety.

Naturally, eSafety issues are regularly addressed within Computing lessons. However, a progression of eSafety topics is also taught throughout our Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education (PSHCE) curriculum, from EYFS to Key Stage 5. These include: • • • • • • • •

Self-image and identity Online relationships Online reputation Online bullying Managing online information Health, well-being and lifestyle Privacy and security Copyright and ownership

During this school term, BSB invited an online safety consultant to Bucharest for two days. Traci Good, who has many years of experience working in child protection and safeguarding in England, led different eSafety workshops with students, staff and parents. In all of the sessions she highlighted current online risks and offered practical and well-considered advice with regards to safe practice and how best to manage our technology. Traci also worked with senior leaders, as well as the school’s technical team, to audit the existing provisions we have in place relating to eSafety, such as policies and protocols, antivirus and firewalls, filtering and monitoring.

Our aim at BSB is to develop, guide and support a generation who will be as familiar with the world online as the one offline. We aim for them to be skilled and productive users of technology. However, most importantly, we aim for our children to be safe wherever they work, play, communicate and spend their time.

@BSB | December 2018

Wellbeing

Welcome to the COBIS Pastoral Conference, ‘Wellbeing in the Digital Age’

IN THE DIGITAL AGE

9 – 10 November 2018, British School of Bucharest, Romania COBIS PASTORAL

CONFERENCE 2018

By Paul Gildea

Our young people are faced with extraorto pastoral care in schools – mental of an online presence and how we can well-being in children and young people dinary pressures of self-image, self-worth encourage and support our young people and online safety. and self-esteem. The relentless ‘24/7’ to build up a positive ‘digital tattoo’ which nature of social media, the prevalence of will be attractive to universities and future Our guest speakers on the subject of technology and the accessibility of extreme employers. We were also lucky enough to mental health and well-being included material is leading to many children and have our own Head of Secondary, Jason Dr Pooky Knightsmith, researcher and adolescents struggling to find their place Porter, deliver a very well-received session governmental adviser on mental health in the world. They may encounter images, on pastoral leadership and Michelle Tyrell issues, Nina Jackson, director of ideas and content that their parents and who spoke about her role as National Crime Independent Thinking and Grace Barret, teachers have likely not directly Agency Liaison Officer for Romania and Arrival, Registration and Welcome Coffee 8:45As-educators, 9:30 co-founder of Self-Esteem Team. Each of experienced. we have Moldova which was extremely useful.

9:45 -to 10:45 Mental and Emotionalthese Wellbeing for Children and Young pressureswas of a resounding success, professionals shared their People faced with a responsibility develop our The the conference 21st Century life and learning, Nina Jackson experiences as well as a range of strategies understanding of these issues in order and the delegates commented very favourdevelop the apastoral systems in to provide11:15 a pastoral systemMental for theHealth Pick ‘n’toMix: ablySelf notEsteem just onTeam the conference itself, but Creating Culture care Conducive to Mental Health, - 12:15 schools. Robin Watts 21st century. also on our school. The grounds and 12:15 - 13:15 The Prevent Duty andour Radicalisation, facilities, the warm welcome they received NUPEH Mirror Room Drama Studio Our online safety experts included Robin In light of this, we were honoured to host and of course the behaviour and attitude 14:00 - 15:15 ‘You Look Fine to Me’ Mental Health Pick ‘n’ Mix Introduction to interview Watts and Jonathan Taylor, both with the 2018 COBIS Pastoral Conference, where of our pupils impressed the delegates Mental Health and Emotional workshop: addressing techniques: how to talk to extensive experience law enforcement we welcomed nearly 50 teachers from for ALL, Nina enormously.

BSB considers the professionWellbeing delegates’ in stumbling blocks children, Robin Watts who now provide training globally on around the world to engage Jackson in al development of staff of vital importance. and barriers to wellbeing in matters relating to online safety.Team One of the presentations and workshops related It is what keeps our school at the cutting schools, Self Esteem messages teachers and parents to ideas to different aspects of pastoral care. Weand Next key edge of developments in education and 15:30 - 16:30 Reflections Steps, time for for delegates to discuss and share come out of this was not just about online developed a programme that would contributes to our ongoing success. risks, but also about the positive aspects address two of the biggest issues relating

DAY 1

DAY 2

8:30 - 9:00 9:15 - 10:15 10:15 - 11:15 11:45 - 12:45

Arrival, Registration and Welcome Coffee Wellbeing in a Digital World: Why You, Why Now, Why Me, Jonathan Taylor Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Every Learner, Dr. Pooky Knightsmith What Can You Do? The role of CEOP, National Crime Agency and Embassy Support, Michelle Tyrell NUPEH

Mirror Room

13:30 - 14:30

8 Practical Strategies to Support Students Who Are Struggling, Dr. Pooky Knightsmith

Online Safety and Social Authentic Leadership and Media: A School’s Pastoral Care, Jason Porter Responsibility - Navigating the Digital Minefield, Jonathan Taylor

14:30 - 15:00

Reflections and Next Steps, time for delegates to discuss and share ideas

15:00 - 15:30

Conference conclusion and thank you

Drama Studio

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@BSB | December 2018

Secondary School Review Jason Porter Head of Secondary Recently I was taken by surprise by a driver who raced past me making rude hand gestures and verbally abusing me out of the open window of his car. The intensity of his reaction must have meant I had done something pretty catastrophic. I am sure I was in the correct lane, so maybe I was going too slowly, which was possible as my practical family car seems to be naturally constructed to observe local speed limits.

Moving on, I quickly dismissed the incident believing that my furious motoring adversary was just ‘having a bad day’ and had lost control of his emotions in the safety of his speeding car. Surely, I had done nothing wrong?

As road rage seems to be OK when you are surrounded by glass and metal and can speed away, so it also seems that hiding behind a screen in the safety of your own home connected to the internet whilst delivering abuse is also fine. At times, the slightest provocation on social media can cause a torrent of abuse, often leaving a toxic digital footprint, just as an angry exchange through a car window can lead to humiliation, especially when we realise that we know the other person. When we feel

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strongly about an issue and want to make a point impassioned by a sense of injustice, the line between anger and conviction can become only too easily blurred. The distinction appears to lie within our emotional intelligences and how well we can exercise our self-control. With an absence of self-control, we run the risk of words becoming angry and the point we are making being dismissed, as I did with the angry car driver.

This term alone at BSB has provided us with many examples of how we encourage our students to use emotional intelligence and exercise self-control. We aim to equip them with enough passion and drive to stand up boldly for their beliefs. In resonance with this, we were delighted to host again the COBIS pastoral conference with the title ‘Well-being in the digital age’, to have run a series of workshops on online safety for students, staff and parents and to be taking part once more in international debating competitions. And yet so much more has happened which offers our students so many more opportunities to develop not only their emotional intelligence, but also their skills and competencies and

their concern for others. The student-led Charities Committee have been active with fundraising in Jeans for Genes Day, the Macmillan and Little People Coffee Morning and the Harvest Festival donations destined for St. Stelians care home. The new House Captains have been settling in to their leadership roles well in launching a new series of House competitions, BSB sports teams have been in action across Bucharest and our students have been braving the weather in the mountains on the Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh International Award expeditions. The F1 in Schools programme took our students to Singapore where they raced their car against schools from all over the world. Later in the term, Year 11 students visited the Danube Delta for field studies and our Head Boy and Girl attended the COBIS leadership weekend in Madrid. Culturally, we have also been active with tea time concerts and recitals and the splendid Language Week events and Café of Culture which, through the hard work or our staff and parents, brings the whole community together. Following this, we had another hugely successful Humanities Week and university visits from European and UK institutions, including UCL and Imperial College.

@BSB | December 2018

THIS TERM ALONE AT BSB HAS PROVIDED US WITH MANY EXAMPLES OF HOW WE ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO USE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND EXERCISE SELF-CONTROL.

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@BSB | December 2018

Languages Week and Café of Cultures 2018

by Nicola Pinson

By MFL Department The start of another year at BSB is the best time to celebrate the diverse nature of our community. With so many different nationalities within our school walls, the Languages Faculty continually strives to promote this cultural diversity. To tie in with the European Day of Languages, we hold our annual Languages Week at BSB in the final week of September. This year, the MFL teachers asked classes across the school to register in a different language each day and at lunchtimes students were treated to games of ‘pétanque’, linguistic Jenga and a ‘piñata’.

As the highpoint of our BSB Languages Week, the Café of Cultures took place, welcoming parents and pupils from a wide range of nationalities to teach us about

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their cultures and encourage us to taste their gastronomic specialities. From 8 am to 12 noon, the school buzzed with the sounds of different languages as pupils from years 2 to 13 visited the stalls, learning new phrases via quizzes and games and completed their Bingo card to be rewarded with snacks and prizes. It is always a pleasure to hear so many students trying new sounds while discovering cultural facts and customs.

We were lucky to have parents join us from many countries including Korea, Turkey, South Africa and Russia as well as those representing the languages taught in the school curriculum. Without doubt the morning was a huge success. Thanks must go to our wonderful BSB parents, our student helpers and of course the MFL department for coordinating the event.

@BSB | December 2018

Speaking UP for bsb

By Elisabeth Citron

This year’s Winston Churchill Debating Competition brought together our Bucharest and Cluj International Schools as well as The English International College of Marbella and for the first time, St George’s School, Luxembourg. With a total of twelve teams competing, it proved a busy day for both debaters and judges with little time for pause! Our BSB team of eight students from Year 10 to 13, some experienced and others new to the event, had devoted many extra hours preparing their speeches to be ready for the day.

In the first prepared round the motion was whether the Internet has brought a “new dark age” and our Proposition team delivered their arguments with force against the French School, resulting in a

draw. In the following impromptu round, it was the turn of four more BSB students to convince the judges of the benefits of ‘open borders between countries’ and they succeeded with a clear win over The Cambridge School. For the first time in my debating experience, one of the judges awarded a full 100% score, to our very own George.

Random drug testing was the motion for our team after lunch and again, BSB prevailed over Avenor College, with strong opposing arguments and a resounding reply speech from Laura. This took us to the Plate Final against the French School who had defeated EIC to gain their place. The motion for this last round was whether ‘cultural artefacts should be

returned to their original country’ and proved a worthy Plate final. With an impassioned speech from Antonia and strong teamwork throughout, BSB emerged victorious with a 3:0 win. The judges deemed the reply speech from Kira the best they had heard all day.

As we know, hard work pays off but standing up to speak before others also takes great courage and determination. We are extremely proud of all our 2018 Winston Churchill debaters: Alexia, Ipek, Laura, Antonia, Ioana, Harriet, Kira and George and look forward to seeing them debate again at future competitions this academic year and beyond.

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@BSB | December 2018

Research, design, develop

By Scott Allsop This year’s Humanities Week followed the joint IGCSE Geography and Biology trip to the Danube Delta. Within Key Stage 3, each year group had an extended session in which they focused on a particular aspect of the humanities that is not always covered in a ‘conventional’ curriculum.

A collaboration between the Humanities Department and the Secondary Library resulted in Year 7 students focusing on research skills. Following a carousel of workshops on how to research using books and the internet, the students were challenged to use these skills to answer taxing questions about periods and places in history that they have not studied before. The students worked

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collaboratively yet competitively to complete the challenge and they are now equipped to think more critically when viewing information.

and campaign has begun at www.femeipebancnote.ro. We hope they will be interested in seeing our students’ designs - watch this space!

Year 8 worked on a project overseen by Mr Bird that entailed designing a banknote that features a famous woman from Romanian history. They were given a list of celebrated and unsung women to select their most deserving candidate, and were required to explain the reasons for their choice. They also had to make a persuasive argument in favour of Romanian banknotes including important women as well as men.

This project was first introduced at BSB three years ago and this year a real petition

Meanwhile Year 9 students took on the role of the development agency, ActionAid, in a decision-making exercise. In teams they had to use their understanding of development issues gained throughout the term to decide which of three sustainable development projects proposed in Kenya the charity should invest in. Each team had to present to the ActionAid Board of Directors (Ms Mattingley and Ms Allsop!) to explain how their choice of scheme would help the community in the long term and hence be sustainable!

@BSB | December 2018

Danube Delta trip

By Aylin, Year 11 At the start of October, all the year 11 Geography and Biology students travelled to Enisala, in the Danube Delta, to complement their IGCSE courses. Aylin writes the following account of the trip.

It was a great educational experience, full of new activities every day that will help us in our coursework and examinations. We visited many wonderful places on the different day trips. On the first day, we went on a boat trip around the Danube Delta with a guide and they told us stories about the area and about their life as fishermen themselves. Fishermen are so friendly with each other, since it’s such a small community. We also spotted

numerous beautiful species of plants and animals that were gracefully living in their natural habitat, including the huge pelicans which were just visiting the area.

On the following days, we had some day trips close to our hotel where we did more fieldwork, looking at data collection techniques for vegetation and rivers, as well as pollution. We also visited Cetatea Enisala, a beautiful old fortress that was in our village.

We developed amazing geographical and scientific skills through the activities we did on our day trips, but most importantly we achieved remarkable teamwork skills and

we’ve come closer together as a class. We had to work in different teams each day to carry out the investigations. This meant we had to work well together and communicate clearly about the tasks that needed to be done, how to use the equipment correctly and safely and in recording our results. In the evening we analysed our results back at the hotel and practiced applying the skills we had learnt to our curriculum.

Overall, the experience opened my eyes as it showed me what it is like to live in an area like the Danube Delta and also the wonders of the environment surrounding us that we don’t necessarily understand or appreciate.

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@BSB | December 2018

Audi Innovation Day Keeping up with the future During the first week of November, 23 students from the Innovation Hub at the British School of Bucharest had the amazing opportunity to attend the Audi Innovation Day, an event shaped to bring pupils closer to the innovation in the automotive industry.

During this unique experience students had the opportunity to join the Audi team in their ‘state of the art’ training centre.

Together with trained professionals they delved into what an Audi car is and the technologies behind them. From Engines to Transmission and the highly advanced comfort electronics students together with experts in their respective field took apart and analysed what each aspect of a car comprises, not only stimulating their curiosity and analytical skills but also showing the students what opportunities exist within the broader field of engineering after school.

1. Engines Pupils had the opportunity to go into the “Cylinder On Demand” technology unique to Audi Engines. This is where the car smart system efficiently switches between having 2 and 4 active cylinders. The students learned about cam adjustment actuators, sliding cam sleeves, and many other aspects. At the end of the workshop, the students were challenged to use in practice the new information in some engaging and

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fun activities whilst also learning the importance of working towards a more efficient transport industry in this age of changing climate.

2. Transmissions Here the pupils learned about the DSG gearbox. This gearbox allows quicker and smoother gear shifts down to milliseconds, much faster and more efficient than a regular manual transmission. Furthermore, the workshop highlighted the mechanical principles behind a wet and dry gearbox as well as how the actual gear change occurs within both manual and automatic gearboxes. At the end, students broke a DSG gearbox down to the individual plates and springs.

3. Comfort Electronics & Audi Connect Audi vehicles are masters in comfort electronics and communication systems.

Students had a chance to experience and experiment with the immersive 360º Bang & Olufsen audio system, remote car lockunlock features which allow the user to lock or unlock their car from a different country, as well as to learn about how some vehicles possess a 360º Birds eye view camera system algorithmically switched together to give the driver a perfect parking experience.

The Audi Innovation Day was a clear success demonstrated by the interest of the pupils, their excitement and also by the fact that Audi trainers were impressed by their understanding of technical aspects and their capacity of understanding details regarding these processes and features.

The future of the automotive industry is in safe hands with such talented pupils.

BSB is thrilled that this experience took place and that the students had such a fantastic time learning about the wonders of innovation in the automotive industry.

We cannot wait for the second edition and thank Audi for this opportunity.

@BSB | December 2018

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@BSB | December 2018

Creative Faculty

EQUIPPED FOR the future

By Mark Williams

The Creative Faculty has seen some significant expansion this year having doubled in size from the previous year.

The additional space has allowed staff to construct quarters that create improved workflow opportunities and support for independent learning. Students now have direct access to all the workshop tools in Design and Technology. In Art, several research units have been built as well as printmaking, textiles, film and photography sections.

At the heart of any creative pursuit is the ability to generate an idea and the willingness to develop the technical understanding in which to make the idea tangible. Our new creative zones allow students to gather information and encourage the exploration and experimentation of techniques and concepts. Access to tutorials, inspiration and objectives can be found on the surrounding walls, comprising ‘QR links’, project examples and the clear labelling of tools. With emerging technologies it has become possible to hold an electronic device up to the wall and immediately obtain access to technical knowledge, artist practices or a range exemplars in the form of augmented realities, videos, images or text. For example, in the near future students will be able to scan an image on the classroom wall or floor to bring up a 3D version of a Brancusi sculpture, a Starck chair or Mies Page 44

van Der Rohe building which they could walk around to observe and analyse.

Additional information will be embedded in these classroom links such as articles and documentaries on the artist or designer. Obtaining a deeper insight into artists and designers in this way will enhance and enrich students personal output.

The faculty is committed to the integration of technology in the experiential environment and each teacher has been supplied with an iPad Pro. The hardware is used to great effect and allows for excellent differentiation, with the teacher able to track and guide multiple projects at GCSE and A level. The goal is to efficiently assist individual student interests and stimulate curiosity and autonomy. It is now possible to provide each student with live access to images, notes and all kinds of feedback including links and annotation directly on their work in digital format.

We consider our role in generating creative thinkers to be one of the most dynamic and ever changing in education with a strong emphasis on setting up the conditions for uniqueness, self-direction and for self-initiated learning. We are not preparing students just for the creative industries but moreover equipping them with a creative toolkit that can be applied in any walk of life.

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@BSB | December 2018

Meet the TEACHER Mark Williams, Head of Creative Faculty

Mark Williams joined the British School of Bucharest in 2006 and is now Head of the Creative Faculty. Mark graduated with a First Class BA in Fine Art from the University of Exeter School of Art and Design, followed by an MA from Chelsea School of Art and a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) from Brighton University. He previously worked as an exhibitions coordinator, curator and freelance illustrator. Now a teacher and inspiration for his pupils, Mark continues to create art. Last year he held several solo shows in Bucharest including the Cube, the Uzunov gallery and Madam Pogany’s. His work appeared in Tristan Manco’s book ‘Make Your Mark’ and other publications including the Bucharest Institute’s magazine. He is now moving into the International scene with his first shows in Miami, USA.

PROFILE How did you get into Art and what triggered your passion?

I don’t remember getting into Art. I saw art in school as something static to be learned, understood and emulated rather than invented. I didn’t realise that my creativity was an artistic process. One of my earliest memories was when, at 16 years old, my parents went away for a holiday leaving me ‘home alone’. I removed as much furniture from the house as possible, placing it in a giant tower on the lawn. I took the lamps, torches and Christmas lights and covered the structure in them, trailing cables across damp grass. Once dark, I placed speakers Page 46

and turned on the music and the lights. I visited neighbours to invite them to witness the spectacle. I remember the shocked look on my parents’ faces seeing the ‘work’ as they returned. I don’t remember how much trouble I got in for that!

I also experimented with video before any digital editing was accessible. I carried around a bulky VHS camera that had about 20 minutes of shooting power. I enjoyed making ‘mash-ups’ and filming my own short movies. I hoped for a career in film but my Art Foundation course showed me painting and completely changed my direction.

How did you get into teaching and to where you are today?

I quickly tired of freelance illustrating which seemed to destroy my artistic autonomy.

Most of my work was not what I really wanted to make, nor from my own ideas.

Teaching was accidental. I worked for a gallery in England where we had children visiting to respond to art in a workshop.

Seeing children’s minds opened to possibilities they had never considered led me to a career in education. I love the open attitudes of children and their mischievousness and humour - much underrated aspects of creativity! Teaching gave me opportunities to work with students and the longer vacation time needed to develop my own practice.

What do you enjoy most about your career?

I keep updated on teaching developments with UK forums and am frustrated with the

level of bureaucracy, sensing a lot of procrastination and unproductive paperwork. I enjoy the level of autonomy and independence that the subjects of Art & Design can offer. We have no rigid curriculum nor prescriptive skillset. This is essential for good practice in teaching the creative process. Art & Design comprises a multitude of processes and concepts, none of which have hierarchal importance and all of which can be ‘crossed over’. The unlimited possibilities hold my interest in teaching Art. What has been your personal key to success?

I’m more focused on process than outcome, not thinking about things in terms of success. If there is any ‘success’ at all it is in the ability to perpetuate meaningful productivity and to discover or learn something new every day.

What has been your greatest success?

Having the courage to change direction when things go stale. The ability to make new iterations is at the heart of Art and Design and can be applied to daily life.

Rethink, adapt, reapply.

What are some favourite projects in your lesson plan?

I enjoy the potential of collaborative work when teaching but don’t have favourite projects and avoid teaching the same outcome twice. If I have a favourite aspect of the subject it is that it allows for infinite freedom.

@BSB | December 2018

What are some of your personal and professional goals for the future?

To continue developing accessibility and insight into Art & Design, to take away the shroud of mystery around creativity and to prove that anyone with a will can produce stunning work. To continue to promote my own work both locally and internationally.

EDUCATION INFORMATION & ADVICE How did you decide on BSB? I arrived in Bucharest by accident after applying for a role on the Italian Riviera that didn’t materialise. I was offered an interview at BSB, got the job and made a very quick life changing decision to accept.

I started as a primary school teacher where my interests lay in teaching the youngest pupils with their unending enthusiasm, willingness to play and experimental attitude. Later, my interest grew in other elements so I moved into secondary teaching.

What are the most respected and prestigious art schools and programs?

The best program is the one you set yourself. I achieved highly at my degree because I was surrounded by students who gave each other guidance and motivation and connected well. I found my Masters more challenging as although I was at a ‘prestigious’ school I did not make the same connections. Undoubtedly, there is logic in being drawn to a location where the highest quality work is produced, but it is by no means a sure recipe for success.

What factors should students consider when choosing a school, particularly if they want to specialise in certain areas?

In Art and Design school a very high level of autonomy is expected. Sometimes I would go weeks without seeing a tutor and lectures were limited to two hours a fortnight. If you’re not self-driven and curious then it’s unlikely that the Creative Industries are for you. Specialisation tends to come later. There are good reasons for Foundation Courses to exist, providing time and stepping stones before you commit to a speciality.

Does graduating from a prestigious school make a difference in landing a good job?

It should be the individual not the school that opens up opportunities for vocational appointments. I don’t doubt that certain schools have close connections to the industry but if you have the work ethic and the outstanding quality that could get you into a place like St. Martins or the Rhode Island School of Design then that’s likely to continue afterwards. It is prudent to look at courses that certain universities offer to support applications for vocational roles.

For example, I was very impressed by Marangoni’s record for producing employees for Armani, with 80 percent of workers having attended a course at the Italian school of Art and Design.

Is there anything else you can tell us about yourself, your career, or the art education profession that would be interesting or helpful to others aspiring to enter and succeed in the field?

There is no such thing as talent, just different levels of effort. While some may appear to grasp technical processes or ideas faster, everyone must put in effort as a habit of daily practice. If you want to achieve at the highest level then you must also work at the highest level. Train yourself intelligently and make use of all the resources the internet has to offer. It’s possible to learn so much for free now. Be willing to experiment - not all the answers are out there in books and online and the most interesting work will arise from your own experiences. You will always have an element of doubt about your work - it’s what drives creativity and makes you want to build the next thing. With infinite possibilities, perhaps the hardest part of creativity is deciding about where to start.

The best ideas are formed in the process of working, coming as a result of being productive and frequently arising by ‘accident’.

Give yourself simple and manageable tasks, don’t worry about profundity, grandness, cleverness or technical brilliance. If that comes, it will come naturally. There will always be those that like your work and those that don’t. The important part is that you’re working as authentically and honestly as you can and that you’re doing it all the time.

Finally, connect with the community. It is unlikely you will be headhunted, so put your work out there in every format, attend events, make friends and become a master of self-promotion - or find someone willing to do it for you!

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@BSB | December 2018

Alumni Achievement Mary’s Journey to Art School

Mary, one of our amazing BSB graduates with an artistic dream, achieved the highest possible A Level result in Art after a tough examination! She started studying at BSB in 2014 with only basic English and in just 4 years, with the support of our BSB teachers, she has performed superbly with spectacular results!

The University of the Arts London (UAL), a world Top 6 university for art and design (2018 QS World University Rankings®) and Europe’s largest specialist university for art and design, is where she now has the opportunity to fulfil her dreams as an artist!

Her path to success was not at all easy.

Mary’s final art examination consisted of four objectives: recording of observations,

contextual investigations, development of processes and concepts and a final piece.

She had a ten-week period for this final piece and a 15-hour examination in which to give it her final touches. Romanian artists coupled with famous artists from other countries inspired her to come up with a spectacular result – a bronze masterpiece.

We are all delighted with the results of our 2018 graduates and so very proud of their achievements! We wish them the best of luck and urge them to continue to write their own success stories with ambition and determination. Embrace your dreams and conquer the world!

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@BSB | December 2018

Music @BSB The Autumn term has had a very busy musical calendar with recitals at the gate, Teatime concerts and most recently our Winter Concert. Amongst these and other events, academic music continues during curriculum time. We have been delighted with the engagement and commitment of all our students and staff and we are looking forward to so many more musical highlights as the year progresses!

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@BSB | December 2018

Primary COLOURS

By Paul Gildea

Our Primary School House competitions and events have got off to a flying start this term. September saw the Key Stage 2 football competition and the Key Stage 1 bean bag toss tournament. Both of these events saw the children displaying healthy competitiveness, teamwork and wonderful sportspersonship.

We began with our Year 3 and 4 football competition where Mures House powered to victory thanks to some spectacular performances in the girls’ matches. They were unable to maintain their winning streak as Arges House dominated the Year

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5 and 6 event. Arges House extended their unbeaten run into the Year 1 and 2 bean bag toss tournament, where they showed poise and coordination to leave the other houses scrabbling for second place.

Olt House picked up their first victory of the year in the Café of Cultures house point competition. Members of Olt House gained the most points for speaking different languages and engaging with the cultures.

The Yellow Eagles’ momentum continued into October when they won the Humanities Week History Quiz by an incredible margin.

Their map drawing skills were not quite as

impressive and they were not able to defeat Mures House, who drew the most accurate world map, as judged by Mrs Read of the Humanities Department. Olt House returned to winning ways in the Key Stage 1 obstacle race, where despite being hampered by fewer members, they stormed to first place.

Now on to poor Danube House who are yet to pick up a win this term, and are indeed languishing in fourth place in the weekly house point totals. However, the Key Stage 2 Tug-of-War competition, traditionally Danube House’s strongest event, is yet to come, and I’m sure the Blues are already planning their victory party…

@BSB | December 2018

House COmpetitions

By Thomas Smith

House competitions began this year with a great attendance for the History quiz where Arges House was victorious. Mures House took 1st place in the Humanities quiz with Danube House closely following in 2nd place. Mures House again took top spot in the Mathematics quiz displaying a huge turnout, the biggest in the history of this event. The football tournament is well underway with a close battle between Arges

House and Olt House, but with Danube House collecting two second-place points this year, it is all to play for. The overall scores are extremely close at this stage with only 40 points separating first and fourth place. All credit goes to the eight new House Captains Lena, Hannah, Kira, Stephie, Alex, Jemin, Laura and Andra who have all worked extremely hard to ensure every event has had a great turnout.

As always, it will be the team who has the most students who compete that will stand the biggest chance of winning each event.

Let’s keep the attendance at events high, continue collecting those House Point tokens and attend the lunchtime competitions to see who will be the ultimate House of 2018/19!

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@BSB | December 2018

Co-curricular Activities FOOTBALL AT BSB

the hard work and commitment of weekly training sessions our students have progressed to compete at a high level with their opponents. The best characteristic of our BSB teams is the respect they have for the game and for each other. The coaches, parents and staff have commented on the sportsmanship and fair play demonstrated by our student athletes. Let’s keep it up BSB and next term we will accomplish so much more. Go Bears!

2018 BSB Autumn Cup

By Andrew Koene

This term BSB has been very busy with our Sport CCA’s, focusing on football this first season. Each team has been progressing and developing their skills during practice sessions and through multiple inter-school fixtures with other international schools.

Throughout the term many students have demonstrated their BSB spirit and competitive nature. As the season has come to an end we would like to highlight our achievements with summaries of the BSB Autumn Cup Football Tournament.

Everyone that has participated this term should be proud of their accomplishments both personally and as a team. Through

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Under 9 Boys

motivation has moved forward this term.

The BSB Team 1 lost two hard fought games, coming third in their group and BSB Team 2 won one game and lost the other which meant they unfortunately missed out on a semi-final appearance. There was some fantastic goalkeeping by Eduardo and an awesome sliding goal line clearance

by Emre.

Under 9 Girls

By Thomas Smith

By Adam Pegrum

The boys were excited about the prospect of fielding two teams during the Autumn Cup Tournament. Both teams played some fantastic football and it was amazing to see how much their confidence and

The day was filled with excitement as the three teams battled it out for the top spot.

Throughout the day the BSB team proved dominant and under control. Despite very constructive play that opened up the opposition’s defence, the first game

@BSB | December 2018

resulted in a draw. The second game really displayed the team’s individual and collective ability and resulted in a 7 – 0 victory. The girls did themselves proud and should be extremely happy with the impressive football they played as they took 1st place in the tournament!

Under 11 Boys

In some ways the tournament was quite frustrating. Our U11 girls played a very tight game, marking was solid, and passing was creative. It was evident that much has been learned and much progress has been made this term. There has been a genuine improvement not just in individual skills, but also in awareness of the game and team work.

By Milton Cropper

In the first game we out-played the opposition, passed the ball around well but did not manage to create any chances in the final third of the pitch. A 0-0 draw was a fair result.

The Under 11 teams competed in the Autumn Cup Tournament with high hopes.

The second team played strongly but did not quite manage to progress from the group stage. The highlight of the day was the first team’s victory against IBSB. However, despite their energetic and committed approach, they were unfortunate to lose their next game to the French School who went on to be eventual winners of the tournament.

The second game against the American School was the best we have played so far this term. Unfortunately, we fell behind to an early goal and despite a few goal-mouth scrambles in the dying minutes, we were unable to get the equaliser that we probably deserved. Jenny looked dangerous in attack and Maya’s rapid runs forward asked questions of the American defence. After the tournament the girls were very positive and proud of their performance on the day.

Cambridge School Bucharest, American International School of Bucharest and International School of Bucharest. They had incredibly bad luck, hitting the woodwork three times during the AISB game which they lost 1-0. BSB boys played some nice attacking football and demonstrated exemplary behaviour and fair play. Our areas of focus over the coming months will be presence, teamwork, shouting for the ball and getting into key positions to receive. One area that does not need improvement is bravery, best displayed by Jemin whose perseverance and total commitment resulted in two badly grazed knees as he clattered along the sidelines whilst fending off a challenge during an attacking run (which resulted in a yellow card for the opposing player). Overall, very well played boys!

Under 14 Girls Gerard O’Hara

Under 14 Boys

By Chris Baker

Under 11 Girls

By David Pering

BSB Under 14 boys put in a brave set of performances in the Autumn Cup Tournament during matches against

The Under 14 girls had a wonderful showing at the Autumn Cup Tournament this year as they took first place! Our first match was against the French School. The teams were evenly matched throughout the game and due mainly to the goalkeeping exploits of Hannah the result was a hard fought 1 – 1 draw. The next game was against the American School and this match would decide the tournament winners. AISB had already beaten the French School and were favourites to win the tournament. This Page 55

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seemed to be confirmed when they went up 1 – 0 against us early in the game. However, our team stuck to the game plan and two excellent goals from Anastasia ensured victory and the tournament.

Congratulations to the Under 14 girls whose teamwork and determination really paid off.

Under 18 Girls

By Rebecca Edwards

The Under 18 girls entered the Autumn Cup Tournament with enthusiasm and determination as a strong and able team.

We started the day with a challenging game against the American School, a team we were yet to beat this season. The girls have worked hard to improve their control with their first touch and with making decisions under pressure. This really showed in this game with the team keeping calm and really pulling together in defence. This brought the game to a 0-0 draw, a fantastic achievement for the girls. Next, we faced our close rivals ISB. The girls showed maturity in their play and conducted themselves fantastically allowing their skills to do the talking. We walked away with a 3-0 victory. Next, we faced the French School. After two defeats against them the previous weekend, we had a point to prove.

Our first aim was to take more shots on goal and our second was to go for the victory.

Not only did the girls have multiple shots,

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they got one past the keeper and the game finished 1-0.

This took us to the semi-finals where we played against the French School again.

The competitiveness of both teams was shown throughout this closely fought match, which ended 0-0 and went to penalties. The outcome was not decided until the 11th penalty was taken and the French School went through to the final against the American School. BSB came out with a bronze medal, but in our hearts we were winners. An amazing end to a fantastic season, where everyone should be very proud of their efforts. Our progress should be an inspiration to the younger years and a clear example of what hard work and determination can achieve.

Under 18 Boys

By Thomas Smith

The Under 18 boys competed in six games against four strong and fit teams. They displayed some outstanding attacking football and demonstrated well executed passing and moving that carved up the opposition’s defence. With six games being played fitness proved a key factor in the results. BSB worked hard against every team and did not give up, even against the strongest teams. All credit goes to the boys for the way they conducted themselves on the pitch, demonstrating great sportsmanship!

Under 18 Girls French School Football Tournament

By Rebecca Edwards

On Saturday 10th November, BSB’s Under 18 girls football team were invited to their first tournament at the French School. We were excited and keen to show how much we have developed and improved this year. Our first game was tough, against a powerful and skilful French team. In our second game against IBSB, we truly blossomed showing confidence an excellent team work and executed our aim to improve our control of the ball with our first touch. This all paid off with goals from Anastasia, Cli, Yasemin and Maria.

Our next game against ISB was much anticipated. The girls showed real maturity and went from strength to strength with Ana in particular proving just too much for them to handle. This took us to the finals, where we had a rematch with the French School.

We were far better focused and much more determined in this game but they were a little too strong for us. We came away with a silver medal after a fantastic morning of football. The girls proved that with hard work and determination they can achieve so much and improve as a team.

Well done girls!

@BSB | December 2018

Girlguiding PROMISES

By Rachel Eglinton, 1st Bucharest Girlguiding Coordinator

We are proudly wearing our Bucharest District badge! It’s a hexagon because Rainbows are 6 years old, Brownies are sixers, and Guides are in Year 6.

For our Girlguiding Autumn District event, we ventured into the forest. Our activities included making an animal, getting to know a tree, designing leaf art and creating a story stick.

Some Guides have written about our expedition: “We enjoyed being out in the fresh air and working together with the Brownies and Rainbows. After singing our welcome songs and eating a quick and delicious snack, we took part in many different kinds of activities. We learned about trust, co-operation, helping others and respecting the natural environment. Everyone had a lot of fun being creative together.”

“It was fun and relaxing to work with children of smaller ages.”

Mrs Rand has reflected on what Girlguiding has meant to her, so far:

“It was amazing meeting new children and working with them.”

“My personal experience as a Girl Guide provided opportunities to go camping, learn new dances, perform to audiences, visit hospitals, and homes for the aged, as well as working hard to collect badges by learning new skills. Without Brownies and Guides, I would have been unlikely to have done any of these things. As a result, my horizons have been broadened and my life and that of others has been enriched.”

“It was such an amazing experience and I learned a lot of leadership skills.”

“I felt so happy and responsible helping the young children for once, instead of people helping me and the activities were so different and interesting. A great day 10/10.”

Mrs Rand joined 1st Bucharest Brownies in September. She made her Girlguiding Promise, along with Miss Pinson and our parent helpers, in the forest!

Some girls in Rainbows, Brownies & Guides have also shown their commitment to Girlguiding by making their Promise at the end of term. They were all supported by their parents & teachers and our Brownies made cakes to share! It was a lovely celebration.

This term has seen the introduction of a new programme. We have all worked on ‘Know Myself’, one of the six themes. Girls have considered what they enjoy, what they value, who is important to them and how feelings can affect us. When we make our Promise, we think about our beliefs and the Rainbows consider how they are special.

The school nurse has supported the Brownies as they explore their community and the Guides have developed teamwork skills.

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@BSB | December 2018

F1 in schools

Malaxa’s miniature model

Malaxa’s car track time ranked 12th out of 50 teams worldwide in the final “F1 in schools” competition, in Singapore! We are so proud of our 5 young engineers and entrepreneurs, Emilia (Team & Marketing Manager), Lara (Graphic Design & Marketing Manager), Andrei (Financial Executive), Pavel (Manufacturing Engineer) and David (Manufacturing Engineer)! The only team representing Romania in this competition prepared tirelessly, for almost two years, to create a unique concept car and to make it as realistic as possible. Not only does it look magnificent, this beast performs like a real F1 car!

What was the challenge about? Malaxa had to design and build a miniaturised car model that can reach 100 km/h, with an

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aerodynamic design, utilising compressed air propulsion.

What did our fantastic students do? They created a miniature F1 model, a unique concept car made of polyurethane foam miniaturised to a scale of 1/20th and projected on a 1/20 scale. It has aluminium wheels less than 0.5mm thick and the whole car weighs less than 40g (unpainted). It sports titanium axles and complex aerodynamics, resembling a real F1 car.

Competing against 50 teams worldwide was not at all easy. The projects were judged by over 45 specialists from the industry, Formula 1 and education, taking into consideration the car’s speed and

performance, alongside the team’s marketing strategy, graphics, financial plan and sponsorship strategy. After all these areas of review were taken into account, Team Malaxa was ranked 34th out of 50 teams worldwide.

@BSB | December 2018

Volunteering WORK

by Ioana (Year 13, BSB Deputy Head Girl)

During the summer of 2018, I travelled to Thailand to work as a volunteer teaching English to children from Year 1 to 5 in a rural school on the beautiful island of Koh Samui. I applied for this post through a volunteering company called 'Bamboo Projects' and was accepted to participate in the programme. It was amazing to experience the authentic lifestyle of the island and to live amongst the local community.

Teaching the children was a very fulfilling experience.

It was also very enlightening and surprising to note the contrasts between our educational systems at BSB and those in a local Thai school. Overall my adventure gave me the perfect opportunity to fulfil my passion for travelling and my desire to give back to the community.

EXCELLENT WORK, IOANA, WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU! Page 59

@BSB | December 2018

BSB Congratulates

Emma, our Year 12 student, who won a gold medal and the title of ‘National Champion’ at the latest Senior Fencing Championship in Romania held at the end of October. Well done, Emma!

Karina, our Year 9 student, who won the title of ‘National Champion’ in both the individual and team fencing competitions.

Congratulations, you make us very proud!

En garde!

Alexandra for a fantastic Athletics season. She won a gold medal and the ‘National Discus Champion’ title for her age group, in addition to her many other medals and achievements over the summer. We wish her good luck in all the competitions to come in this new school year.

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Esperanza won 1st prize in the singing National Festival Star 5***** representing BSB. Congratulations and keep the prizes coming!

Daria who won the Under 14 ATH Tennis Tournament held in Bucharest during October. Congratulations!

David participated in an international motor race on Barcelona circuit and he was victorious in the third class with a Ginetta G40 GT5. Our congratulations to him and his family for this superb result!

@BSB | December 2018

BSB Charities

By The Charity Committee

In just one term, BSB has already been very active in supporting charities and raising awareness of their causes. This year the work of the school Charities Committee has been supported by the Secondary CCA ‘BSB Make A Difference’ and the Primary House Captains.

To mark Jeans for Genes day, we organised a non-uniform event and a badge sale raising 5600 lei for a charity that researches genetic diseases. By presenting in assemblies and preparing slides for Daily Notices we also raised awareness about the work that this charity does.

Parents and students were treated to a coffee morning and bake sale in which we raised 2700 lei by selling a range of delicious treats prepared by some parent volunteers. The money raised went to two important charities, Macmillan Cancer Care in the UK and Little People Romania. Both charities focus on supporting people with cancer and their families, an issue that affects so many of us.

Our Harvest Festival was launched in a thought provoking assembly by Reverend Paul Goodridge from the Anglican Church

of the Resurrection, and during our collection week we managed to fill seven tables with generous donations from parents and students. These gifts were donated to St Stelian’s who will pass them to the families and young people they support who are living on the poverty line.

We will be welcoming St Stelian’s to our assemblies in December to talk more about the work they do and the people they support.

As we write this, we are working on raising awareness for the Movember Foundation, a cause that focuses on men’s mental health and prostate cancer. We have managed to convince many of the male members of our teaching faculties to grow a moustache (!) and are actively seeking sponsorship and donations from around the school to raise money for this cause.

We would like to thank the families at BSB for all their kindness and generosity in supporting our Christmas Gift Appeal, where we will be giving presents to babies, children and young people in care who would otherwise not receive a Christmas gift.

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@BSB | December 2018

We are pleased to announce that our new BSB Uniform, Gift and Book Shop is now open and ready for your visit. Come and explore our BSB products. We look forward to welcoming you.

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British School of Bucharest Early Years Foundation Stage/Primary/Secondary 42 Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190, Voluntari, Ilfov County, Romania T. + 40 21 267 89 19, +40 728 133 432, +40 728 133 433 F. +40 21 267 89 69 E. office@britishschool.ro

www.britishschool.ro The School is operated by Crawford House Foundation. Registered 3/25.01.2016. Fiscal Code 24879960