The British School of Bucharest Magazine
Issue 4 - April 2011 Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro
BSB Eco Initiative receives Royal Patronage Environmental awareness is an important issue at BSB with a well established Eco Committee working hard to help make BSB more environmentally friendly and this term students were excited to discover that HRH Prince Nicholas of Romania has formally agreed to be the Royal Patron of the newly launched initiative, Planet BSB.
Book Week transforms BSB campus
GCSE Geography heads to Bran
House Competitions heat up
One could be forgiven for thinking that BSB had been transformed itself into a modern day movie set, when on March 3rd the campus came alive with every fictional character imaginable, as students and teachers alike dressed up as their favourite book characters.
One of the pleasures of studying geography is the many opportunities students have to leave the classroom and head out into the wide world to explore the varying landscapes. This term our IGCSE students headed to Bran to study the surrounding geographical features firsthand and to explore a few of the local caves.
As we near the end of Term 2, and with only one term to go, the House Competitions in the various schools are really starting to get exciting with regular House Events giving the students plenty of opportunity to gain valuable points for their team as they each bid to be this year’s winning House.
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Editor’s Note
Kendall Peet
As we approach the end of Term 2 we find ourselves in the pleasant position of feeling that we have each achieved a lot, whilst at the same time looking to the future and the many exciting events that are yet
to come, including the BSB Ball, Sports Day, the many school trips that have been planned, the summer productions, the end of year break up parties, and of course the Summer Fair. There is also the excitement and anticipation of the end of year exams almost upon us, for which the students have all been working so hard. Looking outside I think we can now say with some certainty that winter has now come and gone, and that spring is finally on our doorstep with the promise of summer just around the corner. We have now switched over to daylight saving and can enjoy the longer days, Temperatures are on the rise, and the students have changed over to their summer uniform and are spending more and more time outside gathered in groups laughing and talking and enjoying and making good use of the many facilities available to them. It has been a good term for our students in many ways, with success achieved in both the Bucharest ESU
public speaking competition, and also with the school debating team winning the Sir Winston Churchill ‘Future Leaders’ International School Public Debating Competition for the second year running in an exhilarating final against AISB. I would particularly like to congratulate Gaya, from Year 6 for achieving a first in the ESU public speaking competition as I was her EAL teacher when she first arrived at BSB in 2009 and I remember how hard she worked and to see her up in front of a large audience speaking confidently in English reconfirmed that I have the best job in the world. This issue is as always a very busy one, offering you the chance to get to know some of our students more personally in Student Spotlight, and also for the first time in Country Spotlight, which will be a regular feature in future issues. You can learn a little more about how numeracy is taught across the curriculum; as well as about some of the good work that the Eco Committee have been doing to help BSB become even
more eco friendly. You can find out how the Houses have been doing in the various House Competitions and who is currently topping the table; and read about the many events and activities the students have been enjoying, such as Crazy Hair Day, Green Day, and Maths Day. I would like to say a big thank you to the PTA and the many parents for actively helping out with the many school events this term and also for creating such a colourful calendar for the parents with city tours and various parent workshops and events planned. Thank you also to the teachers and students who have worked hard all term and to those of you who have contributed to make this Issue of Newsblast such a good read. On behalf of everyone I would like to thank Mada for being driving the force behind this issue. Enjoy your Spring Break and the very best of luck to all our students taking exams in the coming term. Kendall Peet Kendall.peet@britishschool.ro
Key Dates
BSB Sports Day
BSB Summer Fair
May Monday 2nd Term 3 Starts Primary Handwriting Competition Starts Monday 2nd - Thursday 5th Author Visit Wednesday 4th Gafencu Rec. visit Pipera Monday 9th Clubs Start Wed 11th- 13th BSB Book Stalls in Parent’s Room Thursday 12th Primary Science Day Wednesday 18th Year 7 to 6 Transition- Stage 2 Wednesday 25th Sports Day Friday 27th Coffee Morning Gafencu Saturday 28th BSB Ball Monday 30th-3rd Year 6 PGL Trip Monday 30th Swimming Lessons Start
Wednesday 25th May Iolanda Balas Stadium 8.30am-1pm
Saturday 4th June BSB School, Pipera 12pm-4pm
June Thursday 2nd-3rd Year 3 Trip Saturday 4th Summer Fair Monday 6th- 10th Year 5 trip Wednesday 8th-9th EYFS/Key Stage 1 production Wednesday 8th-10th Year 4 Trip Wednesday 8th Year 6 to 7 Transition- Stage 3 Monday 13th School Closed- National Holiday Wednesday 15th Gafencu Production Friday 17th EYFS Water Day Clubs End Saturday 18th - Friday 24th Year 8 - 12 Trip to Paris Tuesday 21st Lower School Transition Day Tuesday 21st -26th Year 7 Trip to Madrid Friday 24th Gafencu Coffee morning Gafencu Teddy Bear’s Picnic Pipera Barnaby Bear’s Picnic Tuesday 28th Secondary Awards Ceremony Wednesday 29th KS1/KS2 Awards Ceremony Term three ends 12 noon July July 4th-29th
Sports Day
Summer Fair
BSB Book Stalls
BSB Ball
Wed 11th- 13th May Parents’ Room Until 4pm each day
Saturday 28th May Fratelli 7pm Start
BSB Summer School
Please note that some of these dates could change
Book week
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BSB Ball
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Principal’s Report Dear Parents & Friends of BSB, It has been interesting to consider our numeracy focus for this issue and how algebra skills are developed through the school. At every stage of our students’ development we are reminded how spiral their education is building on understanding and experiences to broaden their experiences and awareness as they grow. Strategies for solving algebra problems can be part of forming a logical approach to other aspects of education and life in general; this supports BSB’s aim to provide our students with the capacity to solve tomorrow’s challenges. Reading through this edition of our school magazine you will see that there are a huge variety of activities which either directly or indirectly allow our students to see the world through a wider lens. Drama lessons that allow students to explore their confidence levels, and deal with difficult topics, Physical Education
tasks that push pupils to their limits and increase their personal stamina, University courses where children have an occasion chosen to explore an unknown area, accepting responsibility posts such as Play Pals or House Captains: all examples of our students exploring beyond the standard curriculum and providing these opportunities is something we pride ourselves on here at the British School of Bucharest. We truly believe that life out of the classroom should complement the traditional academic school life, and will ensure our alumni will successfully go anywhere in the world and still feel at ease. I hope you enjoy our news and we wish our families a relaxing holiday ahead of our busy summer term. Jo Puddy-Wells principal@britishschool.ro
The Front Desk
Pipera Office
Pipera If you need any information or help in regard to your child’s education and support at BSB, please do not hesitate to contact our office team during normal working hours, 8.00am-5.00pm, Monday-Friday. Email: office@britishschool.ro Tel: 021 267 8919 Fax: 021 267 8969 For specific help relating to school transport and student lunches, please contact: Email: services@britishschool.ro Mob: 0728 133 432/3 Tel: 021 267 8919 Fax: 021 267 8969
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For admissions please contact Ms Madalina Cioc either by e-mail at: Email: admissions@britishschool.ro Phone: 021 267 8919 Fax: 021 267 8969
Gafencu Mrs. Camelia Stoian Email: camelia.stoian@britishschool.ro Mobile: 0731 300 804
Mrs. Camelia Stoian, Gafencu
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Charity Report The Parent Teacher Association convened to donate the money raised at last year’s Artisan Fair to 3 of our partner charities: - To Light into Europe for their guide dog training programme - To Fundatia Inocenti, in support of their pilot programme against school abandonment - To Second Chance, to support the Internet Café in their social centre in Berceni 1. Light into Europe visit We have had very special visitors in EYFS- Chloe the Guide Dog and her owner Gabi. We learnt about how Chloe helps make Gabi’s life easier and even though we all wanted to pet her so badly, we learnt that because Chloe was working we weren’t allowed to distract her. We really enjoyed having their visit and would like to say a huge thank you. KS2 children met Chloe, the guide dog, and her owner Gabi at a special assembly in February. The children learned about the charity, “Light into Europe” and the work it carries out. They learned that at present, Chloe is the only fully trained, working guide dog for the blind in Romania - and we had the privilege of meeting her! We presented the charity with money that we had fundraised, to help them continue their work and hopefully train more guide dogs for blind people in Romania. Kayleigh Evans and Tracy Milligan On behalf of the Charity Committee
Ms Sarah Waterfield, Head of the PTA, presenting Light Into Europe with the donation in Secondary Assembly
2. Fundatia Inocenti - programme against school abandonment and illiteracy Our donation of stationery went to Fundatia Inocenti’s Educational Centre, which has been opened next to the hospital. The project supports 15 children who are cases of school abandonment due to parental neglect. They attend the Centre’s after school classes and get help with homework plus attention and care that they maybe lacking from home. Valentina Maghirescu picked up the donation and then addressed the Secondary School in assembly to present the project.
Year 9, 10 and 11 help loading the donated stationery into Valentina’s car
Chloe the Guide dog with owner Gabi, talking to children in Reception.
Children benefitting from Fundatia Inocenti’s project against school abandonment and illiteracy
Valentina Maghirescu addressing the Secondary Assembly
Preschool C children listening carefully to Light into Europe, and information about Chloe.
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Children benefitting from Fundatia Inocenti’s project against school abandonment and illiteracy
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3. Donation to Second Chance Letter from Second Chance thanking us for the donation. Dear Gwen, On behalf of Second Chance please pass on our thanks to the British School for their very kind donation towards the Internet Café. This donation has allowed us to start the redecoration of the room and will pay for the painting and the flooring. Once again I would like to thank you on behalf of Second Chance for your continued support. Kind regards Jane Harkin
BSB is proud to be a supporter of the TUTOVA LIBRARY PROJECT Alexandra Geneser is a Peace Corps Volunteer living in Romania teaching 5-8th grade students in two village schools in the Tutova comuna, which is a community of small villages with a population of 4000 about 6 hours drive from Bucharest.
We would like to ask for anyone in the community who can help toward this project to donate any books that they have and don’t need anymore. Children’s books, novels, non-fiction books, even magazines.
She says that most of her students are raised by their grandparents, or by one parent as most of their parents are working in neighbouring countries due to lack of employment options.
BSB have donated books from our school library to help this project and we would like to encourage all students who have books at home that they don’t need to bring into the school office to be stored for collection by Alexandra Geneser.
She says, “My students are eager to learn and see their education as a ticket to a better life, but unfortunately both schools in our area currently have closets with books locked inside them, which are not accessible to teachers or students, and most of these books are out dated, and in most cases, not appropriate for the age of the children”
We believe this is good cause and would encourage everyone to get behind it as best they can.
Alexandra Geneser with Salar, and Nina, 4D making a contribution to the Tutova school library
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Ana Maria Marin, BSB Librarian Scoala cu Clasele 1-V111 Tutova
Tutova School Entrance
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PTA Newsblast I was looking forward to writing this article whilst enjoying the sunshine, but alas, where is Spring? Hopefully by the time you have a chance to read this we will all be enjoying some much needed sunshine. This term has been a busy month for Kerstin our Parents’ Activity Co-ordinator who has been organising a range of activities. The first event was a City Compass tour of ‘Little Paris’ as you will see from the photographs everyone had to wrap up warmly to enjoy the tour. Kerstin also arranged a Batik course in the DT room at school where parents had the opportunity to try their hand at silk painting and were able to walk away with a unique creation. March was definitely the month of Arts, no event more so than the beauty day at ‘The Hobby’ where ladies were encouraged to be creative with their make-up! Brushes at the ready and a multitude of colours to play with resulted in the playground being filled with catwalk ready ladies. I am assured that we can all look that beautiful we just need to learn how … so I anticipate the next sessions to be
filled with eager women wanting to learn the skills, I only wonder if our husbands would notice the difference! This month we were able to handover the money raised at the Artisan Fair to the chosen charities. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to present our donation to Light into Europe when they visited the school. The students were very excited about the 5,000 Ron donation we made to the charity and that they had been able to see the only guide dog in Romania, lets hope Chloe will be the first of many. We also supported Fundatia Innocenti with 4,000 Ron, which was spent on providing school supplies that will support their programme aimed at tackling school abandonment and preventing illiteracy. We also provided Second Chance with 1,000 Ron towards their development of a new Intergenerational Centre for the community of Catuna. So, what’s ahead? … After the holidays we will be working on the Summer Fair and as always would welcome volunteers to help co-ordinate either an International Food Table, co-ordinate donations for
PTA batik course
“Little Paris” PTA Tour
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a Country basket for the raffle or liaison with the Artisans for the event. There are many opportunities to get involved whether you have only a few minutes a week or more, please let anyone on the PTA know if you would like to get involved we will always welcome your support and involvement. I wish you a happy holiday and look forward to seeing you at the coffee morning on 6th May , when hopefully the sun will be shining!
Finished product, it’s worth all the effort
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Student in the Spotlight lot in the past few months. If she would have a day where she was able to choose two hours of free time she would play games with her friends. It seems she enjoys life, meanwhile she is really adventurous. Rebecca 6H
Michael 6B
Michael in 6B comes from New York City in the United States. He thinks that he can make friends a lot easier at BSB, than where he lived before. He also thinks that having friends from other countries is very interesting because he can learn more about other countries. If there was anything he wanted to change about our school, he thought that there should be better computers in the ICT room. He doesn’t have relatives in this school. He likes having bake sales on Friday because after the bake sale they can donate money to other countries that need some help. He feels very happy at BSB because he has nice friends in his class. He also feels that he has learned a lot in the past few weeks. Hyun Jung 6H
Ryan, Year 10 Joe, Year 10
Joe is a Year 10 student at BSB. He was born in Newcastle in England and has only been in Romania for a short time. However he describes Romania as ‘awesome’ and the main reasons for this is because he has so many friends here. His favourite movie is ‘Avatar’, yes the one about the blue aliens. Joe also said that his favourite singer is M&M, or was that Emine? His favourite subject is history, due to the brilliance of his teacher apparently! Joe has travelled to many parts of the world including the USA, Greece and Turkey but Romania is his favourite yet. He loves BSB because it has a small, friendly community atmosphere where everyone is welcome.
Ryan has graced BSB with his presence since September. He is in Year 10 and is from England. He has travelled to many places including Scotland, Wales, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Israel, Australia, Hong Kong, Spain, Belgium, Greece and Egypt. He thinks that Romania is ‘nice’. He likes music including ‘funny songs’ but, rather curiously, doesn’t like movies. Ryan likes sports and computer games. He says, (with a completely straight face), that the most interesting thing that has ever happened to him is that ‘ a bird once flew into his room through the window’. Awesome! Noor, Year 10
Noor, Year 10
Miruna 4H
Miruna Nuredin is in year 4H. She comes from Romania, she likes having friends from all around the world. She has no relatives in BSB but overall she appreciates everybody. She even has an opinion on how to improve our school: changing meals and helping the environment. She thinks donating to the poor or other people that have problems is the nicest thing a person can offer to people who suffer. If the year 4H students would have a bake-sale she would suggest giving the money to Japan as they are having a very difficult time due to the recent earthquake. What does she like about 4H? Well she likes her teachers and she wants to thank them for teaching her well. Miruna also said that she has learned a
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Huzaifa, Year 8
Huzaifa has recently joined the school and is currently in Year 8. He has one brother and two sisters. He is from Pakistan and that is also his favourite country! His favourite subject is history. Huzaifa has many hobbies. He likes to play football, cycle and read books (but not all at the same time!). Huzaifa doesn’t really like television shows but is a huge fan of the movies especially Kung-fu Panda. He also likes cats and is a big fan of cricket.
Seoyearn has recently joined BSB and is currently in Year 7. She was born on the 14th October 1998 and is from South Korea. Seoyearn really likes Romania especially the Romanian culture and its castles. Her favourite movie is the Pixar classic, ‘Up’. She really enjoys Korean classical music.
Danial, Year 9
Dilara, Year 7
Seoyearn, Year 7
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Spotlight on Spain Welcome to new article highlighting the diversity of BSB. This issue we are focusing on beautiful country of Spain. Many families and teachers at BSB have strong ties to Spain and here you can read about some of them.
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Pol 3M
Mariam REC B
Jorge, 6H
Benji. 1P
Marina, 10G
Claudia, 3M
Carmen, REC
Rocio Marti
Claudia, 2B
Martina, 1P
Angela, 6H
Nicolas Presch
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Barcelona
Pol 3M, Mariam REC B, and Mrs Eva Recasen Where in Spain are you all from? Barcelona How long have you lived in Bucharest? 3 years Describe Spain to somebody who has never been. Eva - It is an country of contrasts with the snow/mountains and the sun/ beach. There are also many writers, artists and architects from Spain which gives Spain a very rich culture. The people of Spain are very open and friendly. How does living in Spain differ from living in Bucharest? (Culture, Food, Activities, Weather) Eva - Living in Spain and Bucharest differs quite a lot even though some of the customs and traditions are similar. The roads are a bit better and there are not as many street dogs.
Spain
Jorge, 6H
Marina, 10G
Benji, 1P
Where in Spain are you from? Malaga
Where in Spain are you from? Malaga
Where in Spain are you from? Seville
How long have you lived in Bucharest? 2 years in August
How long have you lived in Bucharest? 2 years in August
How long have you lived in Bucharest? 5 Years
Describe Spain to somebody who has never been. Its really nice, you can swim, there’s a lot of pools and parks and its really big and in most of the places is hot and beautiful.
Describe Spain to somebody who has never been. Nice, open space, trees
Describe Spain to somebody who has never been. People are nice and its big
How does living in Spain differ from living in Bucharest? (Culture, Food, Activities, Weather etc) I can go out more often and use public transport. My Mum and Dad think its quite dangerous for me to go out alone.
How does being at BSB compare to your previous school? I love playtime
How does living in Spain differ from living in Bucharest? (Culture, Food, Activities, Weather ) I don’t get to go in the sea very much, the language and there is so much more snow. How does being at BSB compare to your previous school? In my old school it was only boys so it had a huge impact on me. Here there are mixed classes and I like that What do you like about the chool? I like my friends and speaking in English
How does being at BSB compare to your previous school? Pol - In my old school in Morroco we could play in the playground for a bit longer and also parents could come in the playground too. What do you like about the school? Mariam - I like the toys, my friends and the teachers are really nice. I like talking in English but talking in Spanish with Carmen. I like the playground and I really like Mr Jonathan’s music.
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What do you like about our school? My teachers and other kids
How does being at BSB compare to your previous school? Obviously speaking in English and being taught in English so being here is an adventure for me. I really enjoy conversing in English and feel that I have made lots of progress in such a short time. What do you like about the school? Green space, gardens, I like the pool, friends, teachers, everyone is really friendly. I like the fact that PE is taken seriously because PE is my favourite subject.
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Preparing for the Future… Having almost completed Year 12, the students now have to turn their minds to their career journeys at the end of Year 13 and begin to seriously consider their options; what they want to do and where they want to study. To this end, the school is assisting them by providing opportunities for them to meet representatives from universities all over the world. On March 11th, Elsa Perez, from the European University in Barcelona visited the school and gave the students a presentation on the European University which specialises in management studies and business courses, the courses available to undergraduates, entry requirements and university life on their various campuses all over Europe. The students found the presentation both interesting and helpful.
In addition to this, all Year 12 students will be attending the CIS (Council of International Schools) UK University Fair at the American School on Thursday, 7th April. The fair is held annually at AISB and among the universities attending this year are: City University, London The University of Birmingham The University of Bristol The University of Essex The University of Leicester The University of Plymouth The University of Reading The University of Southampton The University of Sussex The event will start with a presentation about attending and applying to universities in the UK, followed by brief introductions from each university.
After that, there will be a fair inside the school’s main entrance. This is an excellent opportunity for students to find out more about the application process and to talk to university representatives about course requirements, personal statements, tuition fees and any concerns they might have about the whole process and experience. While BSB provides such opportunities as these, students should simultaneously be undertaking thorough internet research on possible career paths and suitable universities and courses. They should be contacting a range of universities to ensure they have all the information they need before we begin the serious business of applying to universities in September. Patricia Lovelock Post-16 Coordinator
Senia, Denis and Alex enjoying the presentation
Post 16 students
University Diary Dear Newsblast readers, It has been a year since I moved on from BSB, but it feels like much longer. I truly do miss BSB and the unforgettable memories I formed over the years I studied there. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life to date and I wouldn’t change a thing about my time there. Right now I’m back in my home country Lebanon, Beirut, studying at the Lebanese American University. I have just finished my second semester working toward a degree in Interior Design and it’s been a rough few months as University work isn’t easy at all! However, I can say that BSB prepared me well for life at university showing me the right path by guiding me throughout the last year and by helping me find the right University. I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for a few teachers who really helped me and stood by me when I had obstacles in my way. I would especially like to thank Mrs Wells for being a great Principal and for your words of support, which will always be with me. I also want to thank my wonderful teachers who taught me over the years: Mr Pantella, Ms Greenwood, Mr Murchison, Mr McGowan, Ms Kemp, Mr Peet, Mrs Lavery, and Mrs Renaudin. Thank you also to the office staff. Thank you are two very small words that hardly seem to be enough to show how grateful I am for all you did for me, but I hope they show you that your help and support meant and still do mean a lot to me. BSB helped to make me who I am now and so I will never forget BSB and the people I met and all the
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friends I made there. I am sure in the future we will all meet up and talk about the wonderful memories we have from our time at BSB and how our time there helped us later in life. My younger brother Hassan is still studying at BSB in Year 6 right now and I would like to wish for him and the rest of the current students at BSB all the best. I am sure you will take away as many great memories as I have.
I am honored to be writing this for all of you and wish for the current year 11&12 the best of luck with their up and coming exams. I will be visiting Romania very soon and I am sure will be visiting BSB to see the new and improved school. Missing you all dearly. Nour, Lebanon University, Beirut
Nour
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Dear BSB, It is my pleasure to be writing back to the school that has invested so much time and a lot of hard work into me over the years. Firstly, I would like to thank all the teachers and in particular the office for being very patient and cooperative indeed over the years. I left BSB having built up a tremendous amount of knowledge due to the continuous effort and hard work I and my teachers put in throughout Years 8 to 12. This has definitely helped me in my new situation starting at University. Expressly, I have found the ease with which I am able to communicate in English at university entirely comforting! In fact I am happy to report that both my verbal and written skills in English have resulted in me achieving an A grade for my first semester in the English course. Thank you to Mr Peet and Mr Murchison for this! At first, I must admit that I was quite hesitant, of no one on campus, however, within a short period of time I was able to navigate my way around campus to my various classes easily. I have found the Chemistry course that I have been taking quite challenging however I am working hard and am sure I will do well. I am aware that it takes an extraordinary amount of study and a lot of extra work at home to stay on track but I ‘m enjoying it and so it does not seem like such hard work at all.
Currently I am a freshman student, attending the ‘Freshman Year’ of university, therefore I still haven’t started my major courses. I will most probably major in Management Information Systems (MIS). This major focuses on the use of technology in running most businesses nowadays; for instance, the use of e-commerce and the use of e-shopping or what’s called ‘online shopping’ in businesses. I already have a clear understanding and a solid start of the subject. I went over a lot in Year 12 AS level ICT. Kind regards to Mr Pantella who has significantly helped me build base knowledge in this field. Finally, I would like to say something about the social life on campus which is superb. People here seem very friendly and easy-going and I have found it quite easy to make friends. I must admit, at the very start of the semester it was somewhat strange because I met classmates of ages 20 to 24 while I was only 17!, However, now it feels normal to me and it truly is a great new experience! Once again, I would like to thank everyone at BSB for all their help and support over the years, including all the teachers, and in particular Mrs Puddy-Wells. Best of luck to everyone, Mahmoud, BSB Graduate Mahmoud
Where are they now? Hi there all my old friends. I am sure that some of you recall that I left Romania and returned to England to give birth to my daughter, Molly. She came three weeks early so I only just got home in time!!! I stayed in the U.K. for a year but then moved to Bratislava in Slovakia where I now live and teach. We have now been here for two years and have enjoyed our time exploring the country side and playing in the snow. I hope everyone in Romania is well and happy. We will come to visit you all soon.
Rachel with Molly in Bratislava
Lyndsay Davies was a KS1 teacher when BSB was in Aron Cotrus and some of our older children will remember her. Lyndsay left Bucharest a few years ago to live in Cyprus and has been able to indulge her passion for golf. BSB is still in touch with Lyndsay and was pleased to hear she is keeping busy; as part of work she has recently been visiting lots of Golf Fairs as a representative of the fantastic Korineum Golf and Country Club golf course. Aside from enjoying her dogs and the beautiful views from her villa Lyndsay has started teaching some local children in her village and is loving being back in the classroom. Lyndsay actually operates a bespoke bed and breakfast from her property so welcomes any visitors. We wish her all the best with her new ventures.
Lyndsay playing golf.
Who Are the People In Your Neighbourhood? “Who are the people in your neighbour, in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood, yes, who are the people in your neighbourhood, they’re the peole that you meet each day”. In this issue of Newsblast you are going to get to know Mrs Rachel Gregory. Rachel is from the North of England and has recently started working at BSB for 2 days a week in Primary. So what do you need to know? Rachel was born in England and has lived in Romania for 3 months. She is a huge fan of the school because she says that the children are lovely, the teachers are very helpful and the buildings are beautiful. Rachel has also been very impressed with Romania and loves going to the town centre and
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seeing lots of new places. She also thinks that the weather is great, which is not really surprising when you compare it to the UK’s weather! Rachel has two sons who work in the UK. In her spare time she likes to knit, sew and do gardening. She plays the clarinet, and enjoys lots of different types of music. Rachel is also a bit of a film buff. Her favourite movies are The Kings Speech, Titanic and the Harry Potter movies. She also likes to walk her dog and used to go for long walks in the Lake District. An interesting fact is that Rachel also take Latin University class in Primary. Surprisingly, or not, this is the first time that Rachel has lived outside the UK before, but she has travelled a lot on holiday. She tells us that she usually goes to France or Spain on her holidays, although her favourite place is Norway because of the beautiful mountains and fjords. Dilara, Year 7
Mrs Gregory and Dilara
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Eco Committee Eco Committee Green Day and Eco week
Exciting developments in the Eco committee
Green Day is the day when everybody wears green clothes but they need to donate at least 5 Ron. Half of this money is going to rescue charities in Japan, because they need it more than we do. The other half will go towards eco projects throughout the year.
It has been a very exciting week for the Eco Committee as not only has it been Eco Week, but HRH Prince Nicholas of Romania formally agreed to be the Royal Patron of Planet BSB. Prince Nicholas’ executive secretary informed us that he is very interested in ‘Working closely with BSB in the future and raising the awareness of the environmental issues in our society’.
One project has been the planting of a seed in a pot in every classroom, that we bought from the money from the bake sale. On Monday we had an eco assembly about the environment and what we can do to make the world better. We read some information about this to all of KS2 and we enjoyed giving this information to them.
We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with His Royal Highness and are happy to announce that the winning Planet BSB logo that he has chosen is the flower design created by Sandra, from 8V. Well Done, Sandra a special prize is heading you way.
Stanislav, 6B
3M preparing for seed planting
3M
Darius 3M plants a seed for Green Day
The start of a new plant!
Mena, 8V
• A n Eco Points System has been introduced in KS2, using plastic bottle tops to record points for ecologically aware actions such as switching off unnecessary lights and working to keep our environment clean. This initiative has been a huge success with eco reps thriving on the opportunity to reward positive peer behaviour
• T he BSB Eco Committee and Eco Reps are participating in the 2011 Eco Technology Trade Fair organised by the InfoMediu group A classroom is to be set up in the centre of the exhibition, with various guest speakers/teachers including the Minister for the Environment, Mr Laszlo Borbely (to be confirmed). We have been invited to speak at this event, and some of our students are to participate in the class presentations. We assisted InfoMediu by advising them on how the ‘classroom’ should be laid out, and we suggested that our eco reps speak at the event in addition to BSB teachers. The organisers have agreed, and are looking forward to our participation in the event.
Eco Committee Achievements 2010-11 academic year The BSB Eco Committee is stronger than ever this year, with many eco events already enjoyed by the students and several exciting projects currently running: • T he Eco Committee has set up Planet BSB, which has received the royal patronage of HRH Prince Nicholas of Romania • E co Week, now past, was a week of awareness building activities, including talks in assembly time by Eco Representatives and Eco Committee Staff, and fundraising activities such as ‘Green Day’, when children were able to come to school in non uniform clothes, as long as the clothes were green. The money raised will be put towards green projects both in and out of the school. Every class will be provided with a pot full of soil to plant seeds in so that every classroom in the school will have a plant or flower growing in it.
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Mr Bill Ellis
• E co warning signs have been produced in KS2, for eco reps to put up when they see lights/ heaters (for example) left on unnecessarily, and so on. The signs indicate that someone has identified un-ecologically aware behaviour, and that it has been rectified by the eco reps • M r Ellis from the Eco Committee accepted an invitation to present the Award for ‘Eco Attitudes without Borders’ at the Award Gala organised by InfoMediu group, in the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and had the opportunity to speak to the organisers of the Gala to find out about future events that would be of benefit to the students of BSB.
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Environmentally conscious pupils at BSB Gafencu The children enjoyed a range of activities which helped them celebrate a Health and Eco week 21st -25th March. Initiatives that have so far been introduced include an increase in the number of recycling bins in classrooms and common areas which help us in sorting paper and plastic, a Green Classroom Guide, and Eco Week. The children learned that “Eco� is all about helping the environment and making sure the world is clean. All the children took part in activities to increase their awareness of ecological issues. They worked on projects to help improve and care for the
environment, their motto being: re-duce, re-use and re-cycle. The children enjoyed making musical instruments out of rubbish, using face paints to represent endangered species such as pandas, butterflies and cheetahs. We learnt about the importance of water and the rain forest. The website mongabaykids. com told us about why the rainforests have been destroyed and what we could do to save them.
was design the costumes in our art sketch books. We then had to choose the most appropriate materials for our costumes, such as coloured bin bags, materials that can be composted and other rubbish and recyclable objects. After we had finished our designs we started making our costumes. It was a delight to come together and celebrate Eco week.
Another one of our fun activities during Eco week was our Eco Fashion Show. The first thing we did
BSB Gafencu goes Green for Eco week
I hope green is in this season
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Priscilla Varban, Gafencu Coordinator
Down the catwalk
Celebrating Green Day
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Creative fashion
Eco Fashion Show Presentation
We learned the importance of recycling
Welcome to our Eco Fashion Show
Look I see the fashion show catwalk
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Military fashion
Stop, we need to learn to recycle
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Maths Learning Pathway Maths is a vital skill and all the children at BSB spend considerable time mastering many skills in order to become competent mathematicians. Here you can see some of the steps on the journey to understanding the complexities of algebra; from the beginning understanding of maths concepts in EYFS, to understanding how to work out the question when you know the answer in KS1; through to KS2 skills or understanding how to use symbols to represent numbers and how to use known facts to answer a calculation. These all support the early stages of algebra. At the end of the journey you can see the work produced by some of our most senior students.
These children are ordering, sorting and comparing lengths of shoes - a skill that can be transferred on to numbers later on.
Learning to order numbers is an important part of early numeracy.
These simple number sentences with numbers missing are early steps in algebra.
Children learn to show number sentences in different ways and to see connections between multiplication and division - such as through arrays.
Skills of addition and subtraction as well as reasoning about numbers are needed to solve these equations. Another step on the way to solving algebraic equations.
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Knowledge of shape, space and measure as well as calculation skills are needed to work out missing angles in this Upper KS2 work.
Skills of addition and subtraction as well as reasoning about numbers are needed to solve these equations. Another step on the way to solving algebraic equations.
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Year 7 Solving algebra equations.
Year 7 Solving algebra equations.
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Year 10 Studying methods of solving simultaneous equations.
Year 12 Algebra -Binomial Expansion and Factor Theorem.
Design Technology Learning Pathway EYFS In EYFS design technology forms part of the Knowledge and Understanding of the World (KUW) area of learning and may be referred to as ‘designing and making’. Through this children work towards developing skills to build and construct with a wide range of objects, selecting appropriate resources, tools and techniques. They begin to communicate their plans for simple constructions, adapting their own work and making simple evaluations and records of their learning. Working closely with the rest of the KUW area, this aspect includes the use of ICT, baking, exploration, investigation and much more.
Key Stage 1 During Key Stage 1 pupils learn how to think imaginatively and talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making. They build on their early childhood experiences of investigating objects around them. They explore how familiar things work and talk about, draw and model their ideas. They learn how to “design and make” safely, and could start to use ICT as part of their designing and making. Some examples of this…..
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Key Stage 2 During Key Stage 2 pupils work on their own and as part of a team on a range of designing and making activities. They think about what products are used for, and the needs of the people who use them. They plan what has to be done and identify what works well and what could be improved in their own and other people’s designs. They draw on knowledge and understanding from other areas of the curriculum and use computers in a range of ways.
Key Stage 3 During Key Stage 3, Design and Technology pupils combine practical and technological skills with creative thinking to design and make products and systems that meet human needs. They learn to use current technologies and consider the impact of future technological developments. They learn to think creatively and intervene to improve the quality of life, solving problems as individuals and members of a team.
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Designing and Making in Reception. Children cut out their photo frame, decorated it and then chose a picture to put inside.
Evaluating: talking about what a student likes about a finished product and how they would do it differently in the future.
Using different joining techniques to make items such as Pom Poms in Year 1.
Learning to thread a needle is an important part of textiles work.
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Working collaboratively is an important DT skills. Here the children are working in partnership: Y2 with Y5 in order to achieve a set task.
Experimenting with fabric pattern techniques such as tie dye can be an important part of a design process.
A finished textile project - these slippers have been designed and made by a Year 6 student in order to satisfy a given design brief.
Textile skills are refined to include use of appliquĂŠ technigues for a project to design an Eco Bag.
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Learning to use the sewing machine is an important step for textile based projects.
Older students are expected to conduct and present research before settling on a final design
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A final idea using photomontage to represent the chosen decade in order to fulfil the original design criteria.
A secondary textile design project to research and create a T-shirt.
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Head of Lower School Report We are all feeling happier in the Lower School, now that Spring is really here. It has been wonderful to see the pupils outside in the sunshine, enjoying the fresh air and taking full advantage of the learning opportunities provided on the campus. I hope that you enjoy reading about all the activities the children have been getting up to in their classes. From reading their articles you can see just what a variety of learning the children are covering.
Naima Hussain
All the children in school have been working hard this term on achieving the targets set for them at Christmas and it has been very satisfying for them and the teachers to see them achieving their goals and building on their hard work. Whether they have been focusing on spelling or the use of grammar; learning division or making better decisions about behaviour, all the children are starting to see their hard work paying off and are seeing real
improvements. There were a lot of proud children gathering their work for their parents to look at on Parents Evening recently, which was a pleasure to see. As you are looking through the pages of Newsblast and reflecting on just how much has been happening at BSB since the last issue, I am sure you will agree with me that the children are enjoying an action packed term. I am already looking forward to the Summer Term and what it will bring. Naima Hussain Head of Lower School
Creepy Crawlies in Crèche After reading “The very Hungry Caterpillar” during Book Week, all of the children in Crèche have been very interested in Caterpillars and Butterflies. The children particularly enjoyed acting and trying to move like caterpillars. This involved their physical and imaginative skills as they chose different ways to use their bodies to express how they felt. Some
beautiful art work has also been created based on the story and we now have a bright and colourful display of butterflies. To continue with this exciting learning journey, we read another book about a caterpillar. Through this story, the children were introduced to many more bugs, which they found very amusing.
With the help of some insect masks, the Crèche classroom is now becoming an exciting neighbourhood full of creepy crawlies. Claire O’Brien, Crèche Class Teacher
Bugs take over
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All about Jerry You may or may not know this, but in Crèche there lives a hamster called Jerry. Jerry recently celebrated his second birthday. This happened during Friendship week, so all of EYFS got together to have a party. Many of the EYFS children know Jerry very well, having been in Crèche over the last two years so this was a very fun day for everybody. All of the children made special hats for the party as well as birthday cards.
Two of Jerry’s oldest friends are Samuel and Mariam from Reception B. They first met Jerry when they were in Crèche two years ago. I interviewed both of them about when they first met him and what they think of him. Here is what they had to say about Jerry:
“He likes eating very much and sometimes I give him food” “He also eats carrots” “Sometimes I take him home, we play with him. In my home we take him into the garden and take a photo, we make sure he can’t get out”
“We was holding him carefully with our hands and he was looking at us when we were playing” “We make a house out of blocks and we put him in”
Miss Claire held Jerry for all the children to see. They showed care towards Jerry by acting kindly and gently around him.
Claire O’Brien, Crèche Class Teacher
Preschool E demonstrated their knowledge of health awareness eating their healthy snacks at the party to “stay big and strong”.
Preschool C developing their social skills talking together excitedly whilst preparing to go to Jerry’s party.
Some of the children counted how many candles were on Jerry’s cake before helping to blow them out.
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Everyone gathered in a big circle to share their creative music skills singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jerry.
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EYFS Specialist Session Focus - Music At BSB we value the importance of music, especially in the younger years and know that most young children respond with pleasure to a strong beat, a catchy tune or an opportunity to experiment with musical instruments. Classes which provide such experiences are great fun, but they can and should offer more than just enjoyment and this is just what BSB music specialist sessions in EYFS do. By taking part in a range of musical activities (singing, playing instruments, moving, etc), children can begin to understand concepts such as high and low, loud and quiet, fast and slow, and other basic elements of music. They can learn to distinguish between tapping, shaking and scraping sounds and recognise the distinctive tone qualities of simple instruments made from different materials such as wood or metal. It is easy to see how a child’s wider learning can benefit directly from certain music session activities. For example, singing songs supports the widening of vocabulary; being encouraged to listen attentively for a particular musical sound will improve listening skills; and playing a simple rhythm on a percussion instrument develops coordination. However, there are also many other, perhaps less obvious, areas of a child’s development which can be stimulated through music, such as imagination, memory, concentration, confidence and social interaction, and this is why we believe music is an integral part of a young child’s education. A typical music session will include a variety of musical aspects including topical songs linked to individual classes’ learning e.g. focusing on the weather, animals, numbers, seasons, songs which highlight musical elements such as high/low, fast/slow, loud/quiet; activities using percussion instruments such as tambourines, maracas and bells to encourage appreciation of different qualities of sound such as wood or metal, and different ways of making sounds e.g. tapping, shaking, scraping; listening games, developing concentration and awareness of different sounds; activities to encourage a feeling for a steady beat; circle songs to encourage turn taking; interpretation and movement to sounds and music; and relaxation songs.
Crèche develop their knowledge of body parts and their co-ordination singing ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’.
EYFS music sessions are an aspect of creative development in the EYFS areas of learning, and development through the sessions is progressive so a new song may be learnt one week and then another verse added the next week; similarly a new skill may be acquired one week and built upon and developed in following weeks. We are very lucky to have a very talented and enthusiastic music teacher, Mr Jonathan, who works with all our EYFS classes making the children’s learning creative, fun and enjoyable. Mr Jonathan uses catchy songs, musical games, instruments and fun as some of the main ingredients of his sessions, and is supported by the class teaching assistants. Staff are aware however that while some children enjoy expression through the form of music right from their very first session with Mr Jonathan, other children can be more selective and so are encouraged with sensitivity and a great sense of enthusiasm. After developing the basic skills of the music session and enjoying the fun and creativity that Mr Jonathan brings to the lessons, our EYFS children become very expressive and continue to develop their creativity which in turn supports their learning and development across the other areas of learning. Claire Cowlishaw, EYFS Coordinator Crèche sing simple songs from memory. Here they are singing and acting out ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’ one of their favourites.
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Daniel and Sasha develop their understanding of pitch through exploring high and low notes.
Taking turns in activities such as music supports PSED, sharing, using manners, and learning to respect each other and to sustain attentive listening.
Preschool E demonstrate turn taking and wait patiently as each child takes a turn on the Irish drum.
Leo gained an awareness of instruments from different countries and cultures.
Reception children recall a variety of songs accompanied by Mr Jonathan on his guitar.
Preschool C show an eager enthusiasm when using their recall skills practising a story song they learnt the previous week.
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‘Spring’ in to the classroom community! This half term Preschool C have been learning about people and places in the community. It has been a busy few weeks after transforming the classroom into our very own town, now aptly named ‘Preschool C Ville’ complete with it’s very own hotel, hospital, police and fire stations, railway station, and airport, all linked by the roads running throughout the room.
from Camelia who this time brought her large nurses bag to the class and showed the children how to do dressings and bandages. Camelia demonstrated how the different bandages were used and what for and then the children worked in pairs to practice bandaging each other. They also looked at the oxygen mask and Camelia explained how and when this would be used.
The learning has provided fantastic opportunties for the children’s devloping imaginations through role play, taking on the roles of doctors and nurses, surgeons, police officers, firefighters and other familiar faces from the community. We studied our homes and families, our friends and neighbours and discussed the places we like to visit most in the areas we live. The children are developing a great breadth of knowledge about their community as well as that of others and how communities differ between places and countries.
All in all it has been a very eventful few weeks, with a lot more still to look forward to. The children have been extremely busy in their learning, including making junk model houses to pretend to put out fires with the fake hose; making ‘wanted’ posters for the police station, and working in teams to build the railway track.
Alongside this we have been developing our learning about seasons and have moved onto the season of spring. We linked our spring learning into book week looking at a variety of spring themed stories and have been looking at animals born during the season and flowers and plants that typically bloom in spring. Now that the warmer weather has made an appearance we are going to take full advantage and continue our spring learning by planting and monitoring our own seeds. Claire Cowlishaw, Preschool C Class Teacher
One of the most favoured areas in the class so far has been the small world hospital and role play, with a highlight of the children’s learning being two very interesting visits from our school nurse, Ms Camelia. During her first visit Camelia showed the children her nurse’s bag, packed with all sorts of medical equipment. The children found the toy equipment in our hospital area that matched the ‘real’ equipment Camelia showed them and discussed the simlarities and differences between the pretend and real items. Following this Camelia also demonstrated the use of each item with the children taking turns to use the stethoscope to listen to each others heartbeats, having their temperature taken with the thermometers and checking their eyes and ears with the otoscopes, amongst other procedures. After Camelia’s visit the children had a greater understanding of what the different pieces of equipment were used for, how, when and why they were used and they put this into pratice through their pretend play. The role play has also provided fantastic opportunities for writing, through the children making their own identity badges and writing patient notes for each other; and number skills through checking temperature readings, looking at amounts for ‘medicines’ and much more. We were then lucky enough to have a second visit
The children develop their speaking and listening skills as Nurse Camelia explains different equipment.
Parsa and Just displayed attentive listening whilst Camelia eplained how to bandage, they then followed instructions to take turns bandaging each other
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Taking turns develops personal and social skills through PSED, the children demonstrated this while using the stethascope
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Growing Together in Preschool E We have had a very busy start to the half-term in Preschool E, learning all about plants and flowers through our wonderful Garden Centre role-play area. This provided many learning opportunities across the six areas of learning within the Early Year’s Foundation Stage. We started off looking at pictures of different plants and developing our language by thinking of exciting words to describe these. Alexander thought the daffodil was “pretty and bright” whereas Faaiz described it as “long and pointy at the top.” We made our own information books about plants and flowers to go in the role play area, to “teach people [customers] about plants and flowers,” like Stefan suggested. This has linked with our knowledge and understanding of the world as we have learned all about the importance of our plants having both regular sunlight and water, Lena is very good at reminding us when we need to water out plants. Timothee and Maria very much enjoyed investigating whether things around our classroom including paper, Lego, puzzles, pencils, plants and flowers were living or non-living items. They came up with the suggestion that if it can grow then it must be living as they are growing now as they are 4 years old.
features of a typical store. They were also learning to cooperate with one another and share the different roles that our role-play has to offer. Writing receipts for our customers is also important when they have bought plants, as Lucy identified that every time she goes shopping she is given one. Whilst acting as the shop keeper and customer Yassin and David demonstrated good manners by using “please,” and “thank you,” with each other. Overall, we are very excited to play in the role-play area, and sell the plants and colourful flowers to our friends. We will also continue to look after the bulbs and seeds we have planted and keep you updated on how well they are growing via our class blog. Kayleigh Evans, Preschool E Class Teacher
Maria using the interactive whiteboard to perform simple programs and functions on the computer.
In order to make our Garden Centre “more lovely” Max thought it would be good if we made some flowers with bright colours. This led us onto a creative adventure where we made several different types of flowers, using different tools and techniques to attach the flowers petals, leaves and stems together. Damian enjoyed making flower patterns with sponge paints and used 2D magnetic shapes to make flower pictures. Aleksandra and Julia both made wonderful flowers that are for sale in our Garden Centre. Through the Garden Centre we have been developing not only our social skills, through conversation and body language but the identifying
Maria demonstrating the use of tools and techniques when cutting out her flower made of various 2D shapes.
David using 2D shapes to create a flower pattern.
Max and Aleksandra showing curiosity and interest in a bulb that they are going to plant.
Jewelry Making in Reception This half-term we were very fortunate to have Adriana Vrskova (Samuel’s mum) visit our class and give the children the opportunity to make a bracelet. It was a valuable learning experience as we began by looking at and describing some of the different beads, there were shiny, smooth and sparkly ones in a variety of colours. We worked in the lunchroom where the children were able to chose their own beads and sort them out into their own patterns. For most of the children the difficult part was getting the beads on the string, a true test of hand-eye coordination, but the children concentrated and worked diligently and were all
Ayesha displays concentration whilst threading her beads.
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able to complete a bracelet to take home. Many of the children said ‘I liked it because I got to choose my favourite beads.’ All in all it was a great experience and we wish to extend a huge thank you to Adriana for bringing in her skills and her resources to share with our class. Deanna Beggs, Reception Teacher
Anya makes her own choices selecting the beads she likes.
Celia develops hand eye co-ordination making her bracelet.
The children take turns developing their PSED skills while selecting their beads.
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Gafencu Preschool update We’ve been very busy since our last Newsblast update. Half-term has been and gone, and Spring seems to be here - finally! We celebrated the 1st of March with Martisor, a delightful Romanian tradition of giving and receiving trinkets, brooches or flowers that are tied to a red and white thread believed to bring health and strength to the wearer. Some of the children made their own ones to give to their Mums, and the staff also received some lovely Martisor gifts from the parents - thank you for those! Still on the theme of Spring, we made lamb pictures using cotton wool. But we also made the most of the last days of winter, having lots of fun throwing snowballs and making snow castles.
Meanwhile, we’ve also been nurturing our creative talents. We have been making collages and drawing pictures of our families. We have even established our own portrait gallery. In one exercise, we observed our heads in a mirror and drew what we saw onto head-shaped paper. This activity drew on our touch, sight and numeracy skills as well as teaching us about texture, colour and shape. We have also been re-enforcing our knowledge of shapes by making squares and triangles out of lolly sticks.
Engaging in imaginative play and role-play based on own first hand experiences.
All children have a sense of personal identity.
And our creative sides have gone ‘stratospheric’ as we’ve continued making rockets out of connecting bricks. When we ‘came back down to earth’ afterwards, we started thinking about our planet.
Of course our own planet is important too! We have started learning about recycling our paper and plastic and we now put them into separate bins. We have been learning that abandoned plastic bags are detrimental to our planet, causing misery to animals and fish. We have to learn to use natural resources instead of man-made ones if we are to keep our planet safe and healthy. Before we finish, I would like to apologise to Mr Jonathan for omitting his name from the list of staff involved our Christmas production! We would like to wish you all a happy Easter holiday. Chris Stowe, Preschool Teacher
Showing interest in shape by sustained construction activity or by talking about shapes or arrangements.
There’s a rumble in the Reception jungle! We have been busy transforming our class into a magnificent jungle. And so our next learning journey has begun. We introduced the word “jungle” and gave a brief description of what it is. We have books on the jungle, jungle pictures posted around the classroom, jungle animal toys on the toy shelf, jungle themed puzzles and we even play jungle music. 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 of our next activities include: Making Gorilla Bars, yummy! Planting our own grass to make an animal habitat and making jungle masks. Priscilla Varban, Gafencu Reception teacher
Reception is ‘Walking through the Jungle’
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Jason and Alex are talking about animals that live in the rainforest.
The children are exploring the grass they planted, by using their senses.
Look we found jungle coconuts !
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Marvellous Maths in 1M
Going On Safari in 1P
1M are really enjoying lots of Mathematics activities at the moment. In our class we use different items to help us with our number work - we have buttons, bottle tops and even golden treasure. Recently we have been focusing on Money and subtraction. We can choose which coins we need to use to pay and are even starting to be able to work out how much change we need. I think this now means that many members of 1M can help with the shopping.
1P are enjoying the Geography and Art aspects of our new topic ’Carnival of Animals’. In our class we have been learning about the African Savannah. This is such an exciting topic as we have looked at clips of elephants tearing down Acacia trees to eat, read books about African countries, tried to speak Swahili, contemplated how each zebra has a unique pattern as well as discussing the newly acquired knowledge that the Savannah only has two seasons - wet and dry. We don’t think we would like to be somewhere where it is hot and dry for nine months and then has 2 or 3 months of heavy rain. Of course we all think we would enjoy a short visit because we would all like to go on a Safari trip. We are just starting to create factual cards on some of the animals that we know live on the Savannah but of course that won’t include tigers as we first thoughtdo you know why?( if you don’t know- ask one of us we will tell you.)
also found out that you can sing poems too. We learnt one poem that we sang to the tune of ‘Here we go round the Mulberry Bush’. The children also had to make up their own verse to this poem. The class thought of some fantastic words to describe the different parts of the elephant’s body. Arish wrote about his elephant’s big legs and how they ‘stomp, stomp, stomp’. Filomena wrote about her elephant’s wobbly tummy and Natalie wrote about her elephant’s flapping ears. Oskar A. told us how his elephant’s ears were so thin.
Lisa using the golden treasure to support her subtraction work. Listening to poetry and being happy elephants.
Calin painting a Savannah landscape during rainy season.
Paris and Miki are using buttons to help with their subtraction.
Another of our favourite things has been using ICT to help us research for our current topic ‘Carnival of Animals’. We have all chosen a different animal to research and have produced our own information cards. We have learnt how to use an online dictionary and we all found out something new about our chosen animal. We also have a lot of lovely books about animals that we have used to add further information to our very professional looking information cards.
Tudor creating a lovely, green Savannah landscape.
We also love the art work we are doing about our African savannah. We have masterpieces in progress at the moment. We started by washing a base pale yellow colour onto our paper. Once that was dry we each chose whether we would like to do dry or rainy season and then painted the sky and grass accordingly. Now we are busy adding creatures and trees- can’t wait to show you all ! Tiffanie French-Paris, Class Teacher
Animal poems in 1S
Vlad is using an online dictionary to find out more about elephants.
1M have been learning some Swahili words as part of the topic - we know that ‘Jambo’ means hello and ‘Kwaheri’ means goodbye. We are now learning how to count to ten in Swahili. Asante kwa kusoma. Tiffany Moorcroft, Class teacher
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Also in Literacy, we have been looking for ‘i ng’ words. We thought about different action words that would describe elephants and wrote some fantastic sentences. Moritz and Remi thought of some fantastic ‘i ng’ words. 1S are beginning to remember to always use full stops, capital letters and finger spaces in their work. Anya has been spotting ‘i ng’ words all over our school and the classroom. She spotted lots in her reading book too. The children wrote some fantastic sentences describing their elephants. Arina wrote’ The elephant is blowing,’ and explained how he blows water through his trunk.
Throughout Year 1 the children have been learning about poetry and looking at a whole range of poems all about different African animals. This links in with our new ‘Carnival of Animals’ topic which we recently started. In class we went on a rhyming word hunt and tried to find as many rhyming words as we could in the poems that we read. Emile, Stephanie, Thea and Zsuzsanna all turned into rhyming detectives and were able to spot lots of rhyming words in the poems. Efe and Omar enjoyed making up some silly words that rhymed. We also learnt how not all poetry has to rhyme but the most important things are the rhythm and pattern. We
Working hard on writing our elephant poems.
We have also been looking at a book all about Tanzania and learning to count in Swahili. I shared with all the Year 1’s where I lived in Tanzania and taught them how to say ‘Mimi ni mwalimu’ which, in Swahili, means ‘I am a teacher’. We used Google Maps to find Mount Kilimanjaro and used Street View to see ‘Moshi’ the town I lived near. David in 1M told us how he saw Mount Kilimanjaro from the aeroplane on his recent trip to Zanzibar! The class love all the different poems about the animals and are very excited about our new topic. Helen Stevens, Year 1 Class Teacher
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2B In DT we have been looking at vehicles and the different parts. The students are very excited about taking their designs and building their own vehicles. We are looking forward to see if all the designs work as well as they were planned.
Rares, Nicolas and Paloma can often be found playing shop-keeper, learning how to give change and choosing the correct coins. Amina has been working very hard in numeracy, learning doubles and her multiplication tables.
an inspiration for our own creations. We sketched everything from castles to apartment buildings and then built 3-D models of our designs. Finally, we decorated them in the colourful mosaic style of Gaudi. When you see our Year 2 Art projects from this term, you will understand why buildings can often speak louder than words. Kristen Swanson 2S Class Teacher
Year 3M Julia learning about dividing and sharing.
The students of 2B were excited to make their cars after creating their perfect designs.
We have also really been enjoying Geography as we have learned about things we did not have any previous knowledge of. For example, we now know that many people in developing countries do not have glasses and it makes it difficult for them to see clearly, but if they had glasses they would be able to see. Thank goodness for a charity called ‘Vision Aid’ who helps people across the world to see again- we designed posters for them. In connection to this theme we also heard the fascinating life story of Louis Braille who developed a system of reading by dots to help people who could not see to read and write. In Literacy this term we have been looking at different stories from the same author. The students have been taking the story about Naughty Nora and writing their own story using the same dialogue and structure that the original author used for Horrid Henry. The stories are excellent and the students enjoyed showing their work to the rest of the class. Brianna Beitz, Class Teacher
Springtime, Subtraction and Science Spring is finally here. 2F have been enjoying the sunshine outside. What’s more, Daniel and Tudor earned a place on the Eco tree of achievement for their environmentally friendly tidying up outside. Sara, Isabella and Julia have been playing together outside and demonstrated how to be good friends, taking turns and being kind to each other. Gregory has loved being outside, practising his dribbling skills and timing his own achievements during Golden Time to improve his aiming skills.
We have been reinforcing our multiplication and beginning to divide and Kristian has been enjoying practising to share the dinosaurs equally. Letitia has been enjoying memorising her tables and has used this in class to complete her work. We have been thinking about halves and quarters and working with these concepts to 100.
The children in ear 3 have been exploring the properties of magnets in our Science unit this term. The pupils have carried out several experiments. First they wanted to see what materials in our classroom were magnetic. The children had to make a list of materials to test and then make a prediction about whether or not they thought the materials would be magnetic or nonmagnetic. Some of the results were surprising, especially when we discovered that not all metals are magnetic!
We also learned about capacity and measuring and we enjoyed using rulers and metre sticks as well as non-standard objects to measure length and width. Sophie was good at estimating this and then carefully measuring to check if she was correct. In Science we have been investigating Forces and Motion. The children have enjoyed using toy vehicles to examine how to make them go faster, slower or change direction. Honzik, Mete and Thomas were very enthusiastic in explaining how we could make the car change direction and Tom enjoyed experimenting how he could go faster, slower or change direction.
Taking care to record our learning in our Science books
Kellyanne Feeney 2F Class teacher
Exploring Architecture This term in Year 2 Art we have been finding out what the expression ‘Buildings Can Speak’ means. By exploring the stories behind historic and modern buildings, we have learned much about the materials and designs used. For example, 2B examined Tudor homes from 17th century London as a part of their study of the Great Fire of London. They then built their own Tudor village, incorporating the patterns and shapes that they had observed.
Testing various materials with magnets during our experiment.
2B Designing and constructing Tudor houses
Mete and Honzik learning about forces and movement.
We have been working hard at Numeracy this term and we have been making the most of our role-play shop corner to practise using money.
The British School of Bucharest Magazine
In 2F they made rubbings of the various textures that they found within the school building and then used these as inspiration for clay tablet carvings. The clay tablets were then painted and pieced together to form an ‘Eco Mural’, celebrating how nature influences design and provides us with necessary building materials. In 2S we studied the Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi. We used his beautiful tiled buildings as
Working together to learn about the properties of magnets.
The pupils also tested the strengths of different magnets using a ruler, a paper-clip and various magnets. Next, we will look at the properties and uses of springs. Tracy Milligan, 3M Class Teacher
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Numeracy in 3T
In Numeracy we are learning division. We answered some dividing questions and learned a way to find the answer to division questions using multiplication. In Science we measured objects with a force-meter and wrote how many Newtons it takes to move different objects. By Erin
4H’s Charming Chairs
Emi, Boris, Theodor, Pavel and Tae Min are measuring different volumes in ml
We have been working so hard these last few weeks that we all deserve a rest. It’s just as well that we have made our very own comfy chairs to provide the perfect perch for relaxation. After weeks of studying chair designs and experimenting with materials and joining techniques, we completed our personal, final designs. These ranged from the calm and sophisticated with plump cushions to ease our backs, to the zany and wacky with pockets, feathers and teeth!
5L - History Focus In our History lessons this term, the Year 5 children have been studying the ‘Victorians’. The first question we had to answer was ‘What do we want to find out about this time period?’ You might think the children would have been interested in Queen Victoria, the abolition of child labour or toys in Victorian times… not 5L! They were very keen to find out about criminals and how they were punished, the hygiene levels of Victorian people (unfortunately we couldn’t get any Victorians to visit for a smell test), and what school was like for children in Victorian times.
Matthias, Tudor, Nicolas, Andrei and Paul are estimating and timing different activities
After a fortnight of working hard on addition and subtraction strategies, 3T were ready for a change so we started investigating measures. We used practical activities to remind us of what units to use and to estimate capacity, length, time and mass. Our measuring was a lot more accurate than in the first term, especially measuring length - during Art and DT lessons earlier in the term we realised how important it is to measure carefully, so we all practised and improved our skills. Test us by letting us help in the kitchen at home - we know that good cooks need to weigh ingredients accurately to make delicious recipes!
Cristina using empathy and information from research to act out a defence plea for a Victorian child on criminal charges Safety First - Bram and Matthieu check the wood is secure before they begin sawing.
Thomas Class 3T teacher
Year 4D In Art we have been looking at chairs, their different uses and also what materials are used to make them. First we made a plan of a chair we wanted to make and then we started to build our own chairs. We used cardboard and wood. In Geography and History we are learning about Ancient Egypt. We searched on the laptops about their traditions, pyramids and lots of other subjects. Alexandra and Salman learn woodwork skills while other pupils perfect the art of papier mache.
Work soon began on creating a model of each design. Sawdust and paper lined the floors and the sound of wood being cut, nails being hammered and paint being splashed filled our ears. Even the gentle to-ing and fro-ing of needles seemed like a symphony to the eyes - like a dozen trombone players tooting in unison. However, the real beauty was not to be found in the classroom during our hard work, but in the testing of our creations in which we now recline; listening to a story or reading a book. Bliss! Sara and Alessandro sanding the wooden parts of their chair.
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4H Class
Marcel and Raluca investigating the uses of historical artefacts
We investigated the case of Henry Catlin; a fourteen year old boy sent to Australia, (this was regarded as a punishment in the 1800s!) for stealing a small amount of money. We also looked at how teachers dealt with poorly behaved students in their class…the cane! Next week we are looking to sniff some Victorian socks - if any of your grand parents or great grand parents have some to donate we would be most grateful. Sonny Leese, class teacher
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Year 5 Trip Apa Nova water plant
Year 6B Heads Above the Rest
6H Writing Plays and Saving the Planet!
One of Year 5’s geography units is ‘Water’. As a part of this, the students went to the Apa Nova water treatment plant, just out of Bucharest. During the trip we followed the path of water as it moved from the Danube river, in through the filtering and cleaning system, and then distribution to the many sub-stations around Bucharest. We went into the main control room where all the water in Bucharest is controlled. We saw how it is possible to shut down some supply if there was and emergency in an area and how Apa Nova monitor the tank levels across Bucharest. If the level in one tank is low they can pump water to it from another pump somewhere else in the city. A big thank you to Apa Nova for giving us a tour of their plant.
For the last few lessons in art 6B were making their very own head wear. We started by learning about all the different types of hats and masks around the world, some were amazingly wild and some were quite simple. From the wild Japanese hat, to the simple straw hat. We also researched about the Australian cowboy hat, Italian masks, the witch’s hat etc. It has been real fun working on these amazing pieces of art and giving it our all.
6H has had another busy term in school and we are beginning to get ready for the up-coming SAT’s. Lately we have been working on making plays in Literacy and bringing them to life. We were divided into groups - luckily the boys and girls were separated - and it was our task to write and perform a play. Due to the fact that our plays were going to be performed during ECO week, we decided that our playscripts should focus on the environment. Writing the playscripts proved to be quite challenging because we had to add humour, a conclusion, the history of the character, and an environmental message. Acting, was even more challenging as we had to become the characters on stage, whether they were good or bad. In the end, the process was very rewarding because we got to perform in front of our parents and the other students of KS2. I just hope they got the message, we need to help our planet! Gaya 6H
6B and 6H working together with papier mache
Y5 learning how water is stored and cleaned during their visit to Apa Nova.
5M Traffic and Transportation in Geography Geography this term in year 5 has been focused on traffic and transportation of people around the world. The students investigated different forms of transport and the advantages and disadvantages of each. We looked at different countries and cities around the world and found out that some countries use motorbikes a lot, others use bicycles to get around and some have excellent train and metro services. As a part of this investigation we conducted a survey on the traffic flow out of the front of school. The students noted how many vehicles and which types of vehicles drive past the school gates at different hours during the school day. From this data we used the graphing skills we learnt in maths to create posters that displayed both our raw data and our findings from the survey.
Recycle! Year 6 finish their performance with a statement during the Assembly.
Jakob, Stanislav and Tudor making the basic shape of their hat
When it came to making our hats we first made the basic shape out of card or paper and then we went on to the messy stage of papier mache. Using newspaper we had to put several layers of disgusting, gluey paper mache to make our hat strong. After that we put one layer of clear paper to paint over. A few children were sent in one by one to paint their hats. After the painting came the wonderful job of decorating, some people printed pictures off the internet and glued it on their hats while others drew stuff on their hats. Then after a long, hardworking period all the children’s hats looked meritorious!!! By: Zain & Alessandro
Chi Bin giving a fine performance as Antoine, Patrick and the rest of KS2 watch during the Year 6 Assembly.
Clara completing her survey poster.
The British School of Bucharest Magazine
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House Points Race
Hi everyone, as you know I’m Alex and I’m the House Captain of Danube. I am Thanos, the Vice Captain of Danube. We had a discussion for the logos of Danube. We decided on the Eagle which represents bravery and the river which represents speed. The up coming Inter House competition is Hockey. As the Danube Year 5&6 boys won the last Inter House competition we have good chances to win. Danube is now 3rd in House points because we passed Arges. Danube never gives up and they will win every competition!!!
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Primary house point chart Hi everybody, Well,my name is Patrick and I am the House Captain of Olt. With my Vice Captain Antoine we discussed our logo for Olt. We chose Cougar for Strength and Falcon for speed and intelligence. Olt is1st place in the House point competition and we will stay first place. There is a Inter House competition coming up and the sport is Hockey. As you all know we will win. If Olt are positive and try their best like last term, I guarantee you that we will win. Olt doesn’t do things because they’re easy to do but because they are hard. Keep going Olt if you want to win.
Patrick 6H
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Hi everyone, I am Mures’s vice captain and during this half-term Mures has been working extremely hard. Teams can win, fail and draw, so many people think that the point of having teams is for more competition but from my point of view it is to make us work in a team get new friends, and accept our differences. Luckily we don’t have any bullying happening in Mures. We have been having lots of fun during this time of year and I can tell you we are ready for the house team’s competition. Mures’s vice and house captain has also decided our logos: A lion for: Power and respect A wolf: Bravery and loyalty And so we both agreed. Mures you are strong enough to go in the house team competition! We wish you the best of luck!
Francois 6H
Alex 6H
Arges is an independent house team, they work well together. Previously Arges have been working hard on house points as well as getting ready for their house competition. If you’re wondering what a house competition is, I’ll tell you. A house competition is similar to a sports competition. All the houses play against each other. We play in separate aged groups, gender and houses. We chose some animals for our shield - the dragon and a pen. The dragon symbolises strength and speed; the pen symbolises knowledge and writing. Have fun! Keep going Arges!
Kayla 6H
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Maths World Cup 2011
During the first three months of 2011, the foyer of the Crawford villa hosted two exhibitions of stamp collections, kindly presented to us by The Romanian National Philatelic Museum. The first one, donated to the Museum by a Romanian collector, was titled “The Journey of the Letter from Sender to Recipient”. It gathered stamps from all over the world picturing different stages of a letter’s journey. We could see somebody writing a letter using a quill, how a letter was mailed, ways of sorting the letters once they arrived at the Post Office, letters being distributed to their destinations by various means-by horse, by plane, catapulted or parachuted in areas hard to access, and all of these on stamps! The collection we are hosting now is called “Self-portraits”. Each exhibit presents a stamp
together with an enlarged version of it picturing self-portraits of famous painters from all over the world, who created their masterpieces in different periods, from the Renaissance to the Realism of the 19th century. You are invited to come and see Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, Goya, Aman or Grigorescu the way they saw themselves. The exhibition will be with us until Easter. Also, if you like stamps and would like to see more collections, visit the Romanian National Philatelic Museum on Calea Victoriei or go to their website www.muzeulfilatelic.ro for more information on what they are exhibiting. Ana-Maria Marin, Librarian
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On 1st March BSB students in Primary flexed their mental maths skills battling against over a million other students’ world wide in order to take part in the Maths World Cup 2011. The students really enjoyed the event which they could take part in both in and out of school. Each game let them play in real time against three other students of a similar age from other schools in the world. It was a wonderful chance to improve the speed and accuracy of their mental maths skills in a fun and competitive environment. 234 countries took part in this event with over 1,000,000 competitors playing in total. The winning country was Malaysia followed by Australia and Pakistan. Maybe next year Romania will top the charts… the children of BSB are certainly hopeful.
Stamp Exhibition captures students imaginations
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Join us in a celebration of numbers as students from across the globe unite in their quest to set a world record in answering mental arithmetic questions. Be part of this great education event involving more than two million students. • Play students from 235 of countries • Represent your country as it takes on the World! • Win Great Prizes! All you need to do is register from 1 February and sign in to www.worldmathsday.com on Tuesday 1 March.
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www.worldmathsday.com
4H looking at the self-portraits pictured on stamps.
ESU For the second year running BSB have entered students for the English Speaking Competition held in Bucharest. This is a national competition and many other schools were taking part. This made us very proud that some of our students did such a wonderful job representing BSB and coming away with top prizes. The theme this year was “Dreams and Fantasies” and students from our Year 5 and Year 6 classes all took part in writing and performing a short speech on this theme. We then held an in-house competition to determine who would be sent to represent the school. As you can see from the photos, they did a really wonderful job and we are really proud of them all.
Public Speaking Competition Winners -Alex, Gaya, Alina and Tudor.
The British School of Bucharest Magazine
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World Book Day 2011 World Book Day took place on Thursday 3rd March. As is the custom at BSB and many other schools worldwide, children, staff and parents were invited to dress up as their favourite book character for the day. It seems that each year the costumes get more and more inventive! Parents were invited to join in for different events across the school such as assembly costume parades or Beat the Teacher challenges. Of course World Book Day was just one day in the whole book week schedule of activities, which included competitions designing bookmarks, designing and covering class room doors as a book, reading with our twin classes and visits to Anthony Frost bookstalls to name but a few. Book Week always highlights, how as a school we have a great love of books and stories. We can really pat ourselves on the back for demonstrating our love of Literature in very funny and creative ways once again. Well done to all! French-Paris. Primary Literacy Coordinator.
On Thursday 3rd March, 2011, BSB celebrated World Book day! We did many different things to celebrate: dressing up as book characters, Stump the Trumps and many, many more. There were ton of great costumes and many great readers. First prize for the costumes went to Tudor, with his hand made Gondorian armour, (he spent much of his time creating chain-mail, breast plates and even a knife). Second and third prizes went to a group of Year 8 girls, who had dressed up as different characters from “Alice in Wonderland”. Later on, we started the Great Reading Race. This is when you get a sheet of paper that tells you what sort of books you have to read- horror, mystery, a childhood favourite and so on. For each book you read an adult signs that box to prove you read it. Once you are done you hand the paper in to a teacher or librarian and they stick it up on the wall and tell everyone that you are done. If you finished first you get a magic prize.
Alina, Angela and Rebecca, 6H in their costumes
Another great success was the “Stump the Trumps” competition. This is when you get into teams and think of a classic book. You must now find a paragraph in that book and type it up on the computer, then you are put up against a panel of professionals that must guess the book and its author, each professional is allowed 2 questions to help them on their way. This year the students bettered their score from the previous WBD events, but were still unfortunately bettered by a panel of experts. Next year we will see if we can persuade Mr Murchison to stay off the expert panel. We almost got you! Max and Megan 8V
Raluca and Anda, 5L doing some book shopping.
Book Day Door - The Secret Garden
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Isabella, 2F enjoying assembly while seated next to some scary looking characters!
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Charlotte’s Web - One of Year 3’s favourites
Preschool E stay in character posing for a class photo.
The winning book cover door in Key Stage 2 - 5L!.
Robin Hood cheered on all his ‘merry friends’.
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Eleana, Chira, Sam & Jasmine ‘Stumping the Trumps Bob the Builder was on hand all day incase anything needed fixing!
Y6B decorated their door as Jules Verne’s class C
The British School of Bucharest Magazine
Many classes were overcome with beautiful dresses on proud ‘princesses’ and ‘fairies’.
Sam sporting his handmade wings as Skellig
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The illustrious ‘Stump the Trumps’ panel entertained
The children were very eager to look at the books one another had brought in, spotting their characters on the pages.
Tudor in his handmade costume based on JRR Tolkien’s epic fantasies
The children shared books together developing their reading and storytelling skills
Year 8 girls coordinated as characters from ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Who knew Harry Potter was friends with the cowboys?
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Friendship Week In EYFS we have recently taken part in Friendship Week. Personal, Social and Emotional Development, including “forming relationships with adults and peers,” is seen as a significant aspect of our daily routines in early years. As part of Friendship week children enhanced their ability to work in groups, take turns and share fairly. During this week the children embarked on several activities which provided great opportunities for them to work together and link up with children from not only their own class but other classes, including EYFS and our twinned classes. Valentine’s Day started off Friendship Week nicely, with the children really thinking about important people in their lives and who they love. This then encouraged the children to think about who their friends are, and what makes a good friend. Crèche, Preschool and Reception children took part in a number of creative activities, including making heart and flower necklaces and bracelets, hanging mobiles, pop-up cards for our families and muffins and biscuits for our friends. These provided opportunities for children to select and use different tools and techniques in order to create with a purpose in mind. We also took part in EYFS afternoons, where we made the most of our free-flow, with children having the opportunity to choose from several friendship related activities, giving them the chance to interact and communicate with children from other EYFS classes.
Agnes and Sarah using mathematical language, using various sizes of hearts to create a collage.
Preschool C showing off their lovely hats and creative ability, in preparation for Jerry’s celebrations.
Faaiz and Yassin are excited to be attending Jerry’s Birthday Party. They made their friendship hats by measuring each others heads, and cooperating well.
Reception children demonstrating the use of cooking utensils to make muffins for their friends in other EYFS classes.
Year 7 Students celebrating Friendship Day in Secondary
Year 7 Working on their friendship bracelets
Friendship Day 2011 Friendship Day (Friday 18th February) was a particularly special day this year! Not only did we celebrate our friendship in Secondary by making bracelets for one another, we went over to see Miss Milligan’s assembly about love and the student council arranged a secret gift similar to secret santa! There was so much love in Secondary! I even had a full rendition of Happy Birthday…Thank you! Jen Kemp Assistant Head of Secondary
Miss Milligan accompanies her class singing “One Love”
The British School of Bucharest Magazine
Secondary students visiting Primary to watch Miss Milligan’s assembly about LOVE
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Student council Update Primary Student Council has been very busy, as always! Friendship Day was a huge hit once again. The teachers led some super games during break times and we sold 612 Candy Grams, which doubled last year’s sales. However, it was the Crazy Hair that was the most popular.
Each student is put in a group with four or five students. He/she has a certain week that they will go to KS1. They will teach younger children to play some new games that they haven’t heard about. They spend their whole first break enjoying the fun of the younger kids.
that lots of people know and it’s named, Duck Duck Goose. Every month a class chooses a game or small event that will be going on for the whole month in the playgrounds. Lots of children have enjoyed learning new games, so we feel that the Craze of the Month is a great idea.
Play-pals have also been a success. Play-pals are a way of communicating between older and younger students.
The Craze of the Month has been happening again and now it is Year 4H’s turn. They have chosen a game
BSB’S GOT TALENT SHOW!!! Finally it is coming and we can’t wait! It is an event that is spectacular. Last
Emma and May on Crazy Hair Day Student Council.
Louisa from Student Council on Crazy Hair day
Sophie, Veronika and Samantha modeling some “Crazy Hair”
Student Council have been kept very busy this term! We just recently had Crazy Hair Day, and we managed to raise a staggering 2720 RON for a Romanian orphanage, and for the floods in Pakistan. We also had the very successful Friendship Day on February 14th for yet another year, in which everybody received a small gift from somebody else in their year group! The following term promises to be just as exciting as we have auditions for BSB’s Got Talent starting the last week before the endof-term break! We’re hoping for an even larger turnout than last year, so please see a student council representative for more details, if you’re planning on participating! Ana, Year 9
Ana Student Council
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year our KS2 winner was Julia who is now in Year 6B. Lots of people joined in and had fun. We were able to demonstrate our talentS. The final was during the Summer Fair; everybody watched and it was splendid. Auditions will be held the week of April 11-15. We hope you will join-in and show off your talent. Alina, 6H
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Secondary Review It’s Green Day and I write straight after completing a PSHCE lesson with Year 9 about Global Citizenship. I opened the lesson with a couple of controversial quotes “Why should I care? I’m not interested in world issues. They’re too remote” and “charity and do-gooding doesn’t solve problems”; and I could see the students frowning and shaking their heads in disagreement. They protested just how important being interested and wanting to make a difference is and the fact that we are an international school with around 40 nationalities and we must think about one another and bring about peace. This was the reaction I was hoping for when I opened the lesson. The more and more time I spend with our students the more passionate they become about global issues. We went on to talk about global citizenship and students quoted to me, ‘being a member of a community’, ‘ being concerned for the environment and global issues’, ‘the importance of solidarity and support in times of need’ and ‘universal equality linked to human rights’. It is very hard not to mention the horrendous earthquake followed by tsunami which hit Japan on the 11th March 2011 in this issue. The magnitude of 7.2 has rocketed Japan and the photographs
and articles are so hard hitting its very important students recognise and realise the effect that this has on the people and the world. Over 10,000 people have been killed and thousands more are missing. We talked about perspectives, empathy and points of view and the importance of offering support during this time so it was impressive to see so many students dressed in green to support the cause. I also talked to our students about change and although Japan may appear many kilometers away, we all have the ability to make a change and the change starts with us. “We must become the change we want to see.” (Ghandi) I was totally astounded sitting in my chair, goosebumps starting to appear on my forearms totally in ore of our debating team. The focus, knowledge, confidence and ability to organise their ideas in such a short period of time was outstanding. Again, this question of thinking and knowing about global and current world issues impresses me. This was also reflected in our World Book Week and the great reading race. The types of challenging literature the students choose to read for their own pleasure is wonderful. I was also
impressed with our students helping one another on Friendship Day to master the art of making friendship bracelets and I know Mr O’Brien, Miss Jones and Mr Burt were delighted by the support and encouragement students gave to one another during House Matches this term. We also look forward to welcoming Year 6 soon as they start their transition journey to Crawford House; not forgetting the educational journeys our Year 9 and Year 11 students will shortly be embarking on. They are very busy choosing their options for their GCSE and AS level courses. We look forward to some very successful results this summer. Being very well informed about options and choices is very important and I was glad to see many parents at our meeting to inform parents and students about the Post 16 courses which are available at BSB. It is very important our students understand the pathways available to them in their quests to go to university and develop a career. Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow. Jen Kemp Assistant Head of Secondary
Work experience
Petrom
My work placement was in OMV Petrom, where I learned a lot about the company. I gained a lot of confidence; the staff were very helpful and tried to give me more and more knowledge about what the company do. I was interested about how the oil is exported; my favourite part was interviewing people about what they do. I think the work the members do over there is very hard for me, but I think that I will be able to do that type of work when I will be big enough. The qualifications we need before joining the company are different in different fields, the SAP, E&P and Microsoft Office is widely used. Huzaifa, 8V
We the three musketeers consisted of: Basil, Robert and Johann all enjoyed the experience of working in Romcab. Romcab SA is one of the largest manufacturers of copper cables and electrical wirings of Romania. Theit manufacturing consists of these qualities: • Production of cables and conductors • Production of power cords and extension cords • Production of wiring harness for the automotive industry (including motorcycles, trucks and buses). Along the course of our stay we visited different departments; in which we used different skills, a few we applied communication, application of number, ICT, working with others, problem solving and most importantly teamwork.
The British School of Bucharest Magazine
Our favourite part of the experience was the feeling of working with others and knowing our knowledge was applied to what the company does, and therefore the reward we received at the end of the day was worthwhile. However our favourite department was the laboratory, and there the experts showed us the different types of testing for a single wire. In the future we would enjoy being a beginner worker in any of the departments in Romcab. The qualifications needed for the jobs at Romcab are firstly: experience, flexibility, initiative, problem solving, and determination, and these are applicable to all domains. Basil, Robert and Johann 8V
Our Work Experience at the Anthony Frost Bookshop From the 9th to the 11th of February 2011, we went to the Anthony Frost bookshop for work experience. We think that the main skills we developed were having a can do attitude, being determined, and being able to communicate well. The “can do” attitude and being determined helped us get through some little problems like the activities that we were supposed to do and they didn’t really suit this kind of place, so we swapped them with suitable ones. Being a good communicator helped us because we had to work and cooperate with the staff and customers. Our favourite part of the work experience was the last day. When the new books arrived to the bookshop and we had to help to sort them out. We liked this better because it was really fun and interesting to put the labels on and see what kind of books they would sell the most. Although it is a nice job we both agree that other jobs could be more interesting and the fact there are not a lot of people working in there didn’t really make it seem as social as we would like it to be. But it was still enjoyable and lovely to be surrounded by books all day. Manuela and Helene, 8V
Le club work experience I went to “Le club” a private club with Sports Food and Fun My favourite part was when I had to do the poster for the”Champions League at Le Club” The most important skill was being creative and being able to solve problems. I would like to do this in the future. Matei, 8V
Work Experience When I was at work experience I worked at my father’s office. There was the main building where he was working. The building was 4 floors high. The office is located Bd. Aviatorilor , nr 31. At work experience I learnt what my father is doing. My father is working in the real estate business but sometimes he does business with the petrol industry. There was a little problem that I had to wake up at 8 o’clock. My favourite part was the day my father had to rent a house. So I was there when the people that were renting signed the contract. I would really like to do the real estate work in the future because it’s interesting and really exciting. For this work you will need to know what you are doing and know the risks and the benefits. You need confidence and you need to be reliable. Alex. 8V
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My Awesome Work Experience
The concept of this was to make people feel good at the company which is very important especially in this particular company because Genpact hires people who just came out of University, offers them free training and builds them from “scratch”. Now, spending so much money on trainings, Genpact wants to make sure that the employees stay with them and that is the concept of Fun@Work and many other similar things. To make the people working for the company feel good.
On the 9th of February I went to Unilever South Central Europe (USCE) Distribution Center & Warehouse. I learnt about the history of Unilever, which is very interesting; I went on a tour through the warehouse, and saw all the different jobs people have. On the 10th of February, I went to the Unilever office, and talked to the Human Resources representative. I was taught how the Unilever system works, how they recruit workers, and all the information about the inside of Unilever. On the last day, I went to the Warehouse again, and saw co-packing and re-packing, which again, was very interesting. I was also taught how Unilever deals with sending and receiving goods. I really enjoyed my work experience, I had no specific favourite part, I really loved everything. Key skills I developed, which are most needed for this job, are communication and working with others, determination, confidence, ICT and reliability.
Csenge, 8M
On work experience I learnt a lot of things which were... mostly very interesting. i went to a factory which buys a lot of glass from factories that produce glass and then cuts it, reinforces it in many different ways, prints colour on it softens the edges and so on. The company gets orders from companies that need glass for their products, for example one of the orders that came in while i was there was one from IKEA who wanted about 500 pieces of glass about 1 cm thick and a little more than 1m2; plus a black image of a tree with birds was printed on it. The glass was for a table. In total Ihad a good time and had some fun.
Sandra 8V
Work experience Mohammed and Filippo went to Serban & Musneci Associates (SMA). SMA is a company that does integrated corporate communication solutions. Our part was attending the conference on Romanian tax, law & lobby. It was hosted at the Howard Johnson Grand Plaza. Our favourite part in the conference was when Filippo’s Dad was speaking at the conference and gave a definition of “lobby” which we had come up and given him, and he mentioned that we gave him the best definition he had ever heard and pointed at us, (everyone turned around and looked at us). The key skills we needed were communication skills and working with others. We think we might like to do this job in the future. Although Filippo’s father has experienced different careers, he originally has a degree in economics. Fillippo and Mohammed 8V
Alex 8M
Work Exp Things 8M On my work experience I went to work at Genpact, which is a backoffice for other companies, some of which are very big. After learning the basics about Genpact I went to “work” at the Human Resources Department (HR). Everything there was very intresting and complicated, such as the trainings, promotions, hiring processes but the part I found most complex was Fun@Work. Fun@Work is on Fridays, when certain teams do something fun together such as bringing in baby photos of themselves and guessing who was which baby.
The Adventure NS&S Corporation was a pleasant one; I have learned many things. Such as distribution, logo designing and also advertising. It was the hardest job I’ve seen but not an impossible one but I’ve meet many great people who managed to get me past the worst. I hope next year in work experience I will learn new and exciting things! Antonio 8M
For me work experience was quite enjoyable. Apart from learning about advertising and selling products (in the commercial department) I met new people that I hope I will work with in the future. The thing that impressed me the most is that even at work they are all a community. They are all friends between them. That is important for a company because it helps to keep it together. I hope that next year will be even more fun and eventful. Christos
Futurism In The Creative Faculty The theme of this term’s Secondary Creative Faculty cross curricular collaboration is Futurism. Futurism originated in Italy 1909-1916. Its aim was to express the energetic and dynamic quality of contemporary life, evident in motion and in the force of modern machinery. They displayed this sense of movement by simultaneously representing several aspects of forms in motion.
For example in one of Balla’s paintings he depicts a dog whose legs, tail and leash - and the feet of the person walking it - have been multiplied to a blur of movement During their recent unit of work in PE the Yr 9s have been looking at badminton. In one of the lessons they were photographed making simple hitting actions. Mr Burt used a continuous shot which was
able to take 23 pictures per second. During their Art lessons with Miss Greaney they will use this reference material to create a sense of movement and will produce pieces of work based on their own movements and the concepts of Futuristic art. This material will also be used to create flip books and could also be the inspiration behind some futuristic music composition. Anthony, Martina Greaney and O’Brien
Nikita Futuristic Badminton serve
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Futuristic Art
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Science Technician Interview Within the Science Faculty we are keen to promote the practical applications of the Sciences. Happily, this means lots of experimenting during lessons, but also a lot of preparation. To help us achieve our aims, the department has recently grown in number with the addition to our team of Miss Catalina Atomulesei, who will act as our Laboratory Technician. Louisa, Year 11, kindly took the time to interview Miss Catalina to find out how she is adapting to her new role at BSB.
Geography Trip On the 1st March to the 2nd March Mr Sykes and his two GCSE Geography classes accompanied by Ms Sugdon went up to Bran for a school geography trip. After a long 3 hour bus journey to get there we enjoyed a refreshing lunch and small break in our toasty warm hotel rooms. The first activity of the day was a trip into the town where we wandered round and drew a rough map of the area which seemed to pose much difficulty for the less artistic of the group. While drawing maps we also looked inside some of the shops to see who they were
‘We extend a warm welcome to Miss Catalina, the new laboratory technician in the Secondary school who organises most of the practicals for Chemistry and Biology. Miss Catalina went to Polytechnic University and is currently studying towards her Masters in Applied Sciences. She also wishes to pursue a P.h.D. qualification if possible. Miss Catalina is also interested in environmental protection and enjoys doing research in this field. Before she came to BSB, she used to work in an
office but it wasn’t what she expected it to be. On the bright side, once joining BSB she found the students very polite, and is happy to be doing a job she likes. In her free time Miss Catalina likes reading, listening to music and spending time with friends or simply just going outside.
targeted at and some of us even got to try the local hot chocolate. That evening, before dinner the boys had fun playing table tennis and competing in the hammer and nail game, (which Chi won despite initially telling us that he hadn’t entered), and the girls had fun gossiping in their rooms. That evening dinner also proved quite interesting when a giant bear and sheep came dancing through the restaurant for the March 1st celebrations.
hours at the cave it was time to head back to the restaurant where we were to pick up our lunches before we heading back to the bus to head back to school. All in all it was a great couple of days and we definitely saw some beautiful scenery and places. We got a chance to practice our field sketching skills and see some real life geographical features. A big thanks to the teachers for arranging and taking us on the trip and hope that future students get the same opportunity as us.
The next morning we headed over to a cave where we talked about the geological events which had created the cave and we stared in awe at the beautiful ice stalactites and stalagmites that littered the front of the cave. After spending a couple of
Louisa, Year 11
Chi Bum, Bethan and Emma, Y11
The pupils had an excellent view of Bran Castle from the hotel
Vanessa and Iulia plan the afternoons mapping task
Our view of the valley from the hotel
Pupils compare and appraise the afternoon’s work
Pupils are briefed on the mapping exercise to be done in Bran village that afternoon.
Maria, Bethan and Emma taking time to warm up after working outdoors all afternoon
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The pupils saw some unusual ice formations inside the cave
Pointing out some of the excellent features of the valley
Learning how to duck in the lower parts of the cave
Mr Fluffy the sheep insists Panos finish his greens
Pupils explored the gorge on the way to the caves
Everyone likes Mr Fluffy’s “knock knock” jokes
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Year 6 to 7 Transition The transition from Primary School into Year 7 is an exciting step - and feeling nervous is also very normal! As part of the transition process for our Year 6 to begin their educational journey into Year 7, we invited our Year 6 parents to school on Wednesday 23rd March 2011 to discuss this important move with us. We explained how the Secondary School will support our Year 6 students both personally and academically through this crucial stage in their development.
There are 4 stages to this important transition and the dates are as follows: Stage 1
Wednesday 23rd March 2011
Year 6 Parents invited to Secondary
Stage 2
Wednesday 18th May 2011
Year 7 students visit Year 6 in Primary
Stage 3
Wednesday 8th June 2011
Year 6 students visit Secondary for a Taster Day
Stage 4
Transfer of Assessment Data - Year 6 teachers meet AssCo - TBC
If you have any questions or queries about transition please do not hesitate to contact me. jen.kemp@britishschool.ro Jen Kemp, Assistant Head of Secondary
KS2 and Secondary House Matches… The annual House Competitions were organised and run by the PE Department for all Key Stage 2 and Secondary pupils this term. The highly anticipated Football and Hockey matches were held over three days. The emphasis during these competitions is on playing fairly and participating to the best of your ability within the House Team environment. Depending on the numbers within the Houses, each student has at least one full game to represent their House.
and I were very impressed, and proud of the way that our students participated and played. As a department we have noticed that the level of skill in our students is improving and increasing each year. As always, in all of the games there was fierce competition between all four of the Houses - Arges, Danube, Mures, Olt. All of the matches were played in an inclusive, supportive and encouraging manner where some games were tighter than others leading to an extremely close competition overall.
This term, on behalf of the PE Department I would like to say thank you and congratulations to all of the participants. Mr O’Brien, Mr Burt
These successful House Matches have become annual events which have now become part of the BSB tradition and we look forward to organising
The House Competition Results are as follows… Secondary Girls Hockey
TOTAL COMPETITION POINTS
GOALS SCORED
and participating in the next House competition. This will be the BSB Sports Day. This whole school event will be held on Wednesday 25th May and will be based on a points system throughout the day to see which house will lift the Sports Day Trophy for 2011…watch this space! During the Football and Hockey Matches, teams score the following points for a Win: 3 points, a Draw: 2 points and a Loss: 1 point for your House. Billie Jones & Clayton Burt, PE Department
Years 5 & 6 HOUSE POINTS TO BE ADDED…
Girls Uni-Hockey
TOTAL COMPETITION POINTS
GOALS SCORED
HOUSE POINTS TO BE ADDED…
ARGES
8
5
50
ARGES
6
2
50
MURES
6
4
30
DANUBE
6
1
25
OLT
5
2
20
MURES
6
1
25
DANUBE
5
1
10
OLT
6
0
10
Boys Football
TOTAL COMPETITION POINTS
GOALS SCORED
HOUSE POINTS TO BE ADDED…
Boys Uni-Hockey
TOTAL COMPETITION POINTS
GOALS SCORED
HOUSE POINTS TO BE ADDED…
MURES
9
5
50
ARGES
7
5
50
ARGES
6
2
30
DANUBE
7
4
30
DANUBE
5
1
20
OLT
6
2
20
OLT
4
3
10
MURES
4
2
10
Years 5 & 6
Overall Competition Results - KS2 & Secondary
Girls Uni-Hockey
TOTAL COMPETITION POINTS
GOALS SCORED
HOUSE POINTS TO BE ADDED…
MURES
8
5
50
ARGES
7
3
30
OLT
5
1
20
DANUBE
4
1
10
Boys Uni-Hockey
Yr 3 & 4
GOALS SCORED
Secondary
TOTAL POINTS
100
60
80
240
MURES
35
60
80
175
DANUBE
55
60
30
145
OLT
30
40
30
100
Competition Goal Scorers - Secondary & KS2: ARGES
TOTAL COMPETITION POINTS
Yr 5 & 6
ARGES
HOUSE POINTS TO BE ADDED…
Lola
DANUBE
MURES
OLT
5
Mattia
4
Gaya
3
Antoine
1
Alessandro N. 4
Alex G.
3
Ryan
3
Basil
1
DANUBE
8
5
50
Akis
2
Anouk
1
Hyun-Ji
2
Emma
1
ARGES
7
3
30
Clara R.
2
Antonio
1
Johann
2
Jesus
1
OLT
5
2
20
Zain
2
Matei G.
1
Rida
2
Matthieu
1
MURES
4
1
10
Haris
1
Philip G.
1
Alexandra P.
1
Maxence
1
Ilayda
1
Raluca B.
1
Alexandra S.
1
May
1
Lara
1
Seo Yearn
1
Lewis
1
Patrick
1
Lukas R.
1
Marina
1
Raluca M.
1
Mena
1
Salaar
1
Saher
1
Sasa T.
1 18
20
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13
10
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A great leap for the ball
Arges Year 3-4 boys win the House Cup
Deniz and Enzo start their team games
All girls together
Basil and Nikita compete for the ball
Down but not out, great defending from the ground
Arges and Danube boys battle for the ball
Going for Goal
Great sports high five at the end of the game
Arges show their joy of winning the house cup
Danube boys win the Upper Primay House Cup
Johann shows of his ball skills
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Matei shows great skill retrieving the ball
Mures celebrate their victory in the house football tournament
Miruna defends her goal whilst the others wait to pounce
Mures girls win the House Cup for the Upper Primary girls hockey competition
Ready and waiting to start
Two Olt girls protect the ball
Secondary girls cross sticks in the house match
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Team talk
Arges Year 3-4 girls win the house competition cup
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CPD
realised that they haven’t practice this skill as much as others like reading, writing or listening. The course was excellent for my professional development, I learnt a number of new ways of approaching oral tasks and how to motivate students to express themselves in Spanish. Rocio marti, Spanish Teacher
The Class is a Stage
The benefits of resorting to drama elements when learning a foreign language are numerous. Theatrical play strengthens the personality of the students and sets their spontaneity and creativity free, at the same time as helping them overcome natural inhibitions. When learning a foreign language far away from the country where the language is spoken, learners have few opportunities to experience language in an authentic setting. This drawback can be compensated by the implementation of role-plays and sketches in class. While preparing a performance in the foreign language, students practice all their language skills in a meaningful and motivating setting: reading and listening comprehension, writing and, most importantly, speaking skills. My students have already staged various German role-plays in class and they confirmed my conviction that BSB has very talented students. I am looking forward to implementing the new impulses I received from the two courses in my classes.
Rocio Marti, Spanish Teacher
Course title: Oral expression when teaching Spanish as a second language. This course was conducted by the ‘Instituto Cervantes’ and the content was based on how to improve the speaking activities in the classroom. Learning a language can be a daunting experience and some students find it difficult to involve themselves in speaking activities and when it comes to exams such as IGCSE or A level students
and the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) respectively. The focal point of both courses was the use of drama and theatrical performance in the German classroom.
Dorothea Draser, German Teacher Head of MFL Ms. Dorothea Draser
In January and March I attended two teacher training workshops offered by the Goethe Institute
Leading Learning from the Middle During the February half term we, (Mr Leese and Mr Madsen) attended a conference in Prague run by Karen Ardley. It was a COBIS (Council of British International Schools) run conference of which BSB is a part of. This was an intensive 4 day course that focussed on developing leadership skills, an area that Karen specialises in.
with coordinator roles, like ourselves, through to some heads of schools. There were teachers from all over the world including Czech Rebublic, Portugal, Spain, Japan, and the Cayman Islands. As well as what we learnt from the course, it was an excellent opportunity to share experiences and teaching ideas with these other teachers.
Over the four days we were in a classroom with 28 other teachers, ranging from classroom teachers
We both selected an overall goal for our positions of responsibility at BSB and throughout the 4 days
Karen introduced us to strategies and ideas that can help us to achieve our goal. We looked at how to give feedback to both students and teachers, about their performance and we investigated different ways to introduce new initiatives. Overall this was a very intensive and rewarding conference, and one we would recommend to teachers looking to move forward in their career. Sonny Leese and Dan Madsen
Haut-Lac ski trip 2011 This March, the British School of Bucharest organised an amazing ski trip to Switzerland. In total, thirteen children came along. Three of us had been there before and knew about all the fun we were going to have. We flew to Zurich and then took a bus to Haut-Lac. There we ate dinner, got fitted for our boots and skis and went straight to bed. The first day, we were put into our groups; beginners, intermediate and advanced. We were lucky enough to have marvellous weather the whole week and some of us even skied in our t-shirts. The first day we took it slowly, and the feeling of having a pair of skis beneath us made us all glad to be there. We got to sunbathe after eating lunch up on the mountain and many of us got tanned! I remember that as soon as we got back from skiing, we ate and we had our first night of activities. We could either choose between Pictionary, arts and crafts, killer pool, twister and foosball! They were all loads of fun and after a full day we fell asleep; we were absolutely exhausted! The rest of the week just got better and better. We started perfecting our skills, enjoying everything more, and some of us even making some new friends. There was also another school there from Britain called Lumen Christi, which we had encountered the year before. We kept having
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wonderful activities such as: movie night (where we watched The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), challenge night, casino night and last but not least…DISCO NIGHT! The hardest activity was probably challenge night where we had to split up into the four Haut-Lac groups - Eagles, Warriors, Raiders and the Sharks. We had to gather as many points as possible for our teams by either beating an instructor at foosball, skipping the rope as many times as you can in a minute or winning at SPLAT which is more difficult than it sounds. You have to gather all you strength, clench your teeth and try as hard as you can not to scream while supporting someone’s weight on your thighs. Did I mention that this happens in a circle of four people who have to hold each other up after a full day of skiing? At least we went to bed with a march of victory! The second last day, after improving our skills, skiing faster, jumping higher, and falling in even funnier positions, the instructors decided to test us by making us compete in a slalom race. We were all pumped and even a little bit scared, but after a long week of effort, we felt a lot more confident than at the beginning. We all competed in the slalom and felt amazing doing it!
The night that people probably enjoyed the most was Disco Night! It was the last night and people were already saying their goodbyes and their farewells, but this didn’t mean that it wasn’t also a great opportunity to wear their favourite clothes and their best shoes to a night of dance and laughter. Before we had our Disco night, we had an exciting presentation with all the kids, instructors and teachers. It was time to give out the awards and certificates! I thought, it was great that we were getting rewarded after a week of hard work. Each group would be called out and their instructor would give each child a certificate with their level and regale us with funny anecdotes about their group. In the advanced group, Tudor (who has been skiing his whole life, practically), managed to get a level 9 which is the highest level achievable. Amazingly he was also the one who won the overall fastest speed for the slalom race. He beat all the ski instructors but one, who beat him by a few milliseconds! Filippo and Basil came second and third overall! Great job you guys! Out of the beginner group, we had some unexpected achievements. Laura, who had never laid foot in a ski boot before, won first place for the slalom race in her group! All this and she is merely 11-years-old.
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The last day, we left Haut-Lac and went on a trip to the Gruyere cheese factory and the castle of Gruyere where we got to learn loads of interesting facts about Switzerland, its history and why the cheese is so delicious. All in all, it was a marvellous experience which most of us said would like to have again next year. Even though many of us were glad to be home, we missed hitting the slopes, playing games and laughing with newfound friends. It was a great trip! For more information about next year’s whole school ski trip to Switzerland contact Mr Murchison. PS. He told me that he booked it again in March and there are 20 places! Vanessa, year 10
Filip of the mountains
Aryan and Luca actually turn Swiss!
Mr Hamacher, Joanna and Ioana atop the Alps
Astrid the Amazing!
Vanessa barrelling down the slopes!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane... nope it’s Tudor landing!
She’ll be comin’ down the mountain when she comes... (Laura )
WIPEOUT a la Basil and Filippo (ask them about it)
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Max giving ‘snowplough’ a new meaning
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BSB Summer School So much fun, but more than that … so much learned. At first glance, Summer School is a place for children to learn to swim, speak English, or just to have fun but when we look closer we will see that children are learning through the choices made and the friendships bonded. They are learning self sufficiency, leadership and self confidence. A summer school student catching tadpoles by the pond is engaging in a first-hand biology lesson. A group of secondary students, some too shy to raise a hand in school, bow to applause, having found confidence and their voice in a summer drama production.
The British School of Bucharest Magazine
At each day’s end, at BSB summer school your child will be describing challenges met and memories that fill personal diaries. Summer school builds skills for life by helping children become more independent, self confident, improving interpersonal and social skills and becoming a good community member and citizen.
Most of us at one point or another during our child’s summer break have heard the words M-o-o-o-m-m-m, I’m bored!” so instead of spending the summer in the hot car furiously shuttling children from one activity to another to keep them happy and occupied, this summer consider having your child spend their time developing assets that help them grow into successful adults.. Priscilla Varban, Gafencu Coordinator
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BSB Wins International School Debating Competition For the BSB debating team, it’s been a tough month, but, as it turned out, completely worth all the hard work. The Winston Churchill ‘Future Leaders’ Bucharest International School Debating Competition is an annual event, in which the International Schools in Bucharest, get together to enjoy a day of debating. This year was the second competition and since we had the good fortune to win the previous year, we were hosting the other 5 schools, including: Mark Twain, ISB, AISB, IBSB, and CSB. Naturally we were all looking forward to March 22nd very much, though with a certain degree of anxiousness as we knew there would be some tough competition this year. Before the day, came the research, the speechwriting, and the Saturday debate sessions. Starting after the half-term break, the debating team members (Basil, Mohammed, Filippo, Mihnea, Louisa, Senia, Mr. Peet and myself) came to school on Saturday mornings to prepare for the debates ahead. Debating requires a lot of time just doing the research and writing the speeches, so organising sufficient preparation time is crucial. By the time Tuesday 22nd March came up- THE BIG DAY- we were all in the mood to debate; the question was, were our arguments good enough to resist all attacks from the other teams? Early we met for a final team briefing, to check we had everything we needed, and to talk team tactics. By 9am, all 5 visiting schools had arrived and were gathered in the Secondary School assembly hall for the pre competition briefing. After a warm welcome and some question and answer time, students from various schools picked out the schools that would go together in Group A and Group B - 3 in each. BSB came up first, had to debate The Cambridge School in the first round. The other school in our group was IBSB. We then flicked a coin, lost, and so were
scheduled to debate IBSB in the second round, with Cambridge debating IBSB in the third round. On the other side of the fence it was Mark Twain up first against ISB, followed by AISB vs Mark Twain, and then AISB vs ISB. Fortunately for us, the motion drawn out for our first debate was the one that we were most comfortable with - ‘The house believes that zoos should be closed’. We won the coin toss and decided to go as Proposition, arguing that ’Zoos should be closed’. The 3 members chosen to debate were Louisa, Mihnea and myself. After an exciting debate, and a very suspenseful wait, BSB was awarded the win 3-0. The second motion was ‘The house believes that we should use less energy, not create more,’ another motion we had prepared well for. Our team consisted of Basil, Mihnea and Senia who argued the side of the Opposition taking a view that in fact ‘We need to use less energy and create more’. Or team did a great job and won 3-0, guaranteeing a place in finals. During lunch break which we started discussing possible motions that we could end up debating (in the finals, the motion is given to the teams 30 minutes prior to the actual debate). Following lunch, our guest judges arrived: Mr Jonathan Gayther from the British Council, Mr. Edmond McLoughney of UNICEF and the British Ambassador, Mr Martin Harris. Our final motion was ‘The house believes that the UN Council was justified in taking action against Col. Gaddafi’s government.’ Our opponents were AISB, and as they lost the coin toss, we got to choose which side we would prefer to debate. We choose to argue the side of the Proposition, and Louisa, Mihnea and myself were chosen to go up
British Ambassador Martin Harris with team BSB
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against the AISB team. We had been printing news articles for some time, as we suspected that the final motion would probably be something current, so we had a large stack of BBC reports on the happenings in Libya. So we set to work preparing our arguments, working as a team. After a close debate, and a long period of deliberation, BSB were eventually declared the winners of this year’s debating competition! We were absolutely ecstatic, and all 5 of us received small trophies to remember the debate. Louisa, Mihnea, and myself also received library memberships from the British Council and phones, kindly donated by LG as did 2 other speakers from other schools. BSB also received a large trophy, and a 125cm platinum screen TV and home entertainment system donated by LG. Oh, and everyone attending received a medal and an Oxford Word Power Dictionary kindly donated by The Educational Centre. On behalf of the debating team, I would like to thank LG , the British Council, and the Educational Centre for sponsoring the competition and for donating all the prizes. Special thanks also go to our guest judges, as well as to all the other schools for agreeing to come to this event. A special thank you to Mr Martin Harris for his wonderful speech at the end on the competition of the importance and art of debating. I am sure we will remember his words for many years to come. We are also exceedingly grateful to anybody who offered any kind of assistance, from agreeing to give us paper to print, to coming in to one of our Saturday debate session to help (Thank you, Mr. Nichols!), to letting us prepare during school time. And finally, our huge thanks to Mr Peet for organising the whole competition, for teaching us so many things and for all his help and support! Ana, Year 9
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Final results: Group A The British School of Bucharest
3
Group A
The Cambridge School of Bucharest
0
Mark Twain
The International British School of 0 Bucharest
The British School of Bucharest
3
The Cambridge School of Bucharest
The International British School of Bucharest
2
1
0
The International School of Bucharest
3
The American School of Bucharest 2
Mark Twain
1
The Cambridge School of Bucharest 2
The American School of Bucharest 1
Final The British School of Bucharest
3
The American School of Bucharest 0
Ana, Best Middle School Speaker
Louisa, Best First Speaker
British Ambassador Martin Harris giving a moving speech
Mihnea, Best 3rd Speaker
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