@BSB
EXCELLENCE
WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
March 2021
To the Mountain Top BOOKTASTIC Keep Calm & Carry On
music in covid times Harry Potter Book Night
Building Careers @BSB The Application of Science #CONCERNFOROTHERS
EXCELLENCE
WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
www.britishschool.ro
@BSB | March 2021
To the
MOUNTAIN TOP Large sections of society and schools in Romania have been in lockdown or periods of closure for substantial parts of our Autumn and Winter terms. However, with the relevant approvals and authorisation, taking into account the thoroughness in planning and implementation of our COVID protocols, BSB did not lockdown. Even during brief periods of enforced online learning, the majority of our staff continued to teach their remote lessons, separately and safely, from their classrooms on our campus. BSB still hummed with activity during this period as our fantastic teachers continued their online learning programmes. As a result, we have been very encouraged that in most instances pupils have made the degree of academic progress that would have been expected if BSB had been fully operational. Our doors have been open to students, yet it is true to say that it has been a life that none of us could have anticipated and we cannot underestimate the impact on our community. The children and staff have endured year group zones, masks covering our faces, sanitising and ventilation regimes, enforced distancing, one-way systems and governmental edicts which both determine our movements and the learning activities that are
possible. In addition, the guidelines have at times seemingly changed by the day, meaning that this most irregular of years has required steadfastness, resilience, maturity and sense of togetherness from all members of our community. These times have also shown me how important it is to try hard to find joy! Yoda’s words resonate…
‘When you look at the dark side, careful you must be. For the dark side looks back’. He understood that we need to be careful when we choose to look negatively rather than positively. Some recent research indicates that teenagers in particular see their moods affected by those with whom they spend time and it may be true for us all that
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@BSB | March 2021
negativity can be potent and contagious. Therefore, more than ever, we understand the need to consider everyone’s well-being more seriously. We take the responsibility of setting an example when it comes to monitoring and addressing mental health. However, I would urge us to count our blessings: our children have been able to study and meet together; exercise and enjoy some time out of doors. Whilst looking on the bright side, we do though acknowledge that there is well founded anxiety too. As a community we therefore have a responsibility to each other to remain positive and to continue to look for the good in each situation. If we do not, we will all feel the worse for it. Finding joy in recent months has required significantly more effort than usual. In my time as Headmaster, few experiences have been more gratifying than the manner in which our students have adjusted to these new strictures. Behaviour has been exemplary, adherence to the new codes of conduct remains high and, importantly, the data indicates that effort and attainment across all year groups is at or close to the
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level our Senior Leadership Team would have expected in a normal year. These are exceptional outcomes in exceptional times. Behind this lies the relentless work and commitment of all our staff. Our support staff continue to work tirelessly to keep pupils safe, happy and well-fed. The Catering Team have delivered a full menu and adapted to serve this safely and in line with all protocols. Our Maintenance Team labour from sunrise to sunset and beyond, sanitising buildings and classrooms so that they remain spotless and COVID-free. Our teaching staff have taken on a huge increase in duties to ensure protocols are observed. This is alongside the massive workload and stresses involved with adapting teaching successfully for all the children, some of whom are online and others who are following the in-class protocols which limit our usual approaches to learning. We may have a hard road still to travel with further setbacks and a much longer period of disruption and change than any of us would have anticipated. However,
presently, the measures that we have in place, the collective judgment displayed and the manner in which our pupils and staff have conducted themselves, have taken us to Easter in a very strong position. As this term draws to a close, I know that everyone in our community is tired; the days, the weeks and the term are long in the imposed conditions with which we have become accustomed. However, we have very good reason to keep going, like Sam and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, collectively we can get the ring up the mountain. We did not ask for this task, but we have been given it and I am hugely proud of the way this community, our Board, pupils, staff and parents, have tackled the challenge.
Philip Walters Headmaster
@BSB | March 2021
Primary
REVIEW
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@BSB | March 2021
Book-tastic! In spite of the pandemic and early Spring snowstorms, the week beginning 8th March 2021 saw another epic Book Week at the British School of Bucharest. Though limited in ways by social distancing expectations, year group zoning and other sanitary norms, our children made the most of virtual visits from real authors of children’s stories, reading sessions conducted by parents via Google Meet, lightning brainstorm story-writing sessions and of course, the ever popular ‘Dress as Your Favourite Book Character’ Friday. I, myself, flitted around the Primary School to share some of my own favourite stories with students – an extremely enjoyable activity which not only reminded me of why being a Primary Teacher is the best job in the world but also why the gift of reading is one of the most precious we can hope to bestow. As I teased my way through the pages of timeless classics such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Monster at the End of This Story and Charlotte’s Web, changing my voice for the different characters and pausing for effect, I could not help but notice that something strange was going on around me - the room (whichever room I was in) was motionless. In each case, no matter how young or old, the children sat mesmerised by the alternate reality offered by the authors’ crafty choice of language and quirky character profiles. The ruckus of squabbling farm animals and tragic decisions taken by unsuspecting children were met with giggles and gasps as the
children immersed themselves in joyful pretence and the genuine pleasure of being read to. But we were not only on this journey for mere recreation! Reading to the children provided a whole host of learning opportunities of which I was determined to take advantage. Why is reading with and reading to children so vital? Some of the benefits include: • Reading extensively exposes children to a rich bank of vocabulary and grammatical structures that, once familiar, can be instrumental in enhancing their ability to clearly articulate their thoughts and opinions, both in speech and in writing. As Ros Wilson might say, ‘If a child can’t say it, they can’t write it’, so cultivating language proficiency is an essential piece of developing successful writers. • Genres of literature follow an established structure and repeated exposure to these helps children not only distinguish between the key features of various text types (and identify preferences) but also to adopt these conventions in their own writing.
• Reading can provide licence for being imaginative, can spark children’s curiosity and can promote overall cognitive development while helping them develop listening skills and the ability to focus for increasing periods of time. • Regular reading routines create space and time for us to be with our children, enjoying each other’s company and delighting in the exploration of literature. Teaching children to read, and to love reading, is one of the most important jobs we adults do. So, when you have a moment, just for the sheer pleasure of it, I hope you will pull out your favourite book and share an imaginative moment with your child. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to celebrate Book Week with our students, to experience their enthusiasm and perhaps even to inspire them to borrow some of the books we shared so they can find out what happens. Thank you children and happy reading!
Victoria Smith Head of Primary School
• The ability to visualise and identify with characters, their feelings, their situations and choices, activates prior learning and experiences and encourages children to further develop their social understanding of the world around them. Reading can provide opportunities to exercise logic, as well as to learn about the consequences of our actions. Page 07
@BSB | March 2021
Pre-Nursery @BSB Unzipping Learning and Fun
By Raina Myson, Loredana Barbu, Adriana Diaconescu This term the children in Pre-Nursery have been learning how to become more independent in every aspect of their learning, from unzipping and taking off their coats and changing into their indoor shoes to selecting activities in the classroom of their own choosing. All these skills are essential for the children to develop their confidence in themselves. We have also been developing our communication skills using Makaton (child friendly signing). Developing communication skills at this young age is imperative and this has been enhanced with the singing and stories that the children have been engaging in at School. Currently the children are enjoying the story of ‘Stick Man’ and I can’t wait to see the children’s Arts & Crafts that go with the story! At BSB, we provide a rich, vibrant and calm learning environment which will allow their young, inquisitive minds to grow and mature along with their peers. We hope they are having as much fun as we are during this term.
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@BSB | March 2021
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@BSB | March 2021
Nursery @BSB
The Little Art of Learning and Laughter
By The Nursery Team Dear Parents, Nursery have yet again had a wonderful term here at BSB. The Spring term is one of our favourites for being able to observe the changes around us as we move from Winter to Spring. From playing with ice and painting in snow to spotting new shoots and buds on the bushes and trees. The days have been getting warmer and the children are much relieved as they no longer have to wear their winter layers and can move around with more flexibility. This has meant we have been testing our bodies and seeing what we can do. Climbing trees being a current favourite, as well as rolling, crawling and sliding on the floor. We love Music and Movement here in Nursery and are always keen and eager for Miss Dalila’s visits. The children continue singing the songs they have learnt and am sure you have had many a rendition of them at home too. The children can now add movements to their singing which is a tricky thing to do: coordinating our bodies as well as singing lyrics and remembering melodies. During P.E., the children have focused a lot on manipulating objects by either patting, rolling, bouncing, hitting, catching, throwing and kicking. Basketball and Page 10
Football are popular playtime activities now. We have been very pleased with the children’s attitudes and willingness during our Art and Crafts sessions. In Early Years, creating art is a process and we love to get the children to investigate, explore and discover new ways of mark making when painting or drawing. As much as we adore their end products the learning has very much taken place in its development. We were particularly proud of our Spring fields where we explored many ways to paint without using a paintbrush.
it must not be forgotten that the basic law of children’s creativity is that its value lies not in its results, not in the product of creation, but in the process itself. it is not important what children create, but that they do create, that they exercise and implement their creative imagination - vygotsky Story time is becoming more and more popular in class. Children are getting a deeper understanding of the English language and those who are new to English are now able to follow the stories. We
very much love silly, humorous stories such as Whiffy Wilson, Dinosaurs in the Supermarket and I Can Only Draw Worms. However, stories with repeated refrains and phrases are the most popular as we love to join in. We hear many times requests for the same stories and it is important to keep rereading them as this is how children begin to learn story structure, anticipate what will come next and eventually retell the story themselves in their own words. So, if your child asks for the same story again and again – read it, the learning from it is immeasurable. So, another term is drawing to an end and our final term of Nursery will soon be upon us. Time goes far too quickly. Miss Adi, Miss Antonia and myself have the best jobs in the world as we get to spend time playing, learning and growing with your little wonders and the progress they make in the year is an absolute delight to be part of. Have a wonderful Easter full of adventures and we will see you all soon for the final, and sun-filled, term of the year. Best wishes, The Nursery Team
@BSB | March 2021
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@BSB | March 2021
Reception @BSB Natural Born Pirates
By Angelica Cosgrove, Jodie Lewis After a School year that started with so much change during these unprecedented times, we have been truly impressed with the resilience our children have shown. The children have embraced being back in School, reconnecting with their friends, teachers and learning environments. The start of Spring, and finally a bit of sunshine, has fuelled our curiosity for understanding the world and the changes nature brings at the start of a new season. Our weekly visits to the local forest have been the perfect opportunity to get close to nature and to observe first-hand the recent changes. We are developing our respect and enjoyment for the natural world. We all understand not to pick the beautiful snowdrops and purple flowers, to not touch any insects we find with our hands and to leave the forest the same way we found it. We enjoy the freedom to run, climb and explore in this environment, to squelch in the mud and even challenge ourselves on the zipline. Every other week we have the opportunity to combine and develop skills from many areas of our curriculum in the DT cooking studio. We know how to keep safe by washing our hands before cooking and remembering that the oven is very hot. Page 12
We are developing our understanding of what it means to be healthy and have experimented cooking with a variety of fruit and vegetables when making banana muffins, pizza faces and smoothies. We are learning the names of different cooking utensils and how to use them. We have developed the strength in our hands and arms through kneading bread, sifting flour and stirring mixtures. Promoting the love of reading is always on our agenda but we had extra special fun during Book Week this year with our theme ‘Pirates’, based around the book ‘Pirates Love Underpants’, written by Claire Freedman. We loved dressing up and parading around in our very impressive character costumes. Friendship Week was a fantastic opportunity to show our friends how much we care about them and to partake in some activities with a new friend. The children were paired up with somebody that they don’t usually play with from their House Team. Together they took part in a blind folded obstacle course, made friendship bracelets, friendship cards and biscuits. It’s great to make a new friend! We have also been learning how to be kind and have enjoyed collecting pom-poms for our Kindness Jar for every kind act that we carry out. Our jars get really full!
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Year 1 @BSB Story Tellers By Ann-Marie Isaac, Adam Pegrum Traditional tales and their characters played a big part in the first half of the term. The children used adjectives to describe the good and bad characters of the stories. They seemed to enjoy describing the Big Bad Wolf and wrote some excellent ‘Wanted’ posters. The children identified the beginning, middle and end of a story. It is fantastic to see that their sentence structure and spellings are improving. Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood played a role in our Geography lessons. We looked at the features of a map such as trees, ponds, rivers, mountains and caves and the children needed to create a map of the journey the character took. In groups, the children made one map to input an algorithm into a Bee-bot to move it from the start of the map to the end. The other was made independently using colouring pens and pencils. The children thoroughly enjoyed the Design and Technology project to create a toy car. They carefully worked through the design process before building and evaluating a final product. During Internet Safety day, the children understood the importance of speaking to an adult if they see something unfamiliar on their screen. They all created some beautiful posters to let others know what Page 14
@BSB | March 2021
they should do. They enjoyed an e-safety assembly with Mr. Batson and they all made promises to follow the e-safety rules in the classroom. Friendship Week was a tremendous success toward the end of the first half of term. The children discussed the difference between friendly and unfriendly behaviour, how to be a good friend in the classroom, playground and dining hall. It was lovely to hear so many compliments that children gave to each other in Year 1. Fun with Toys The children were invited to bring a toy from home to place in our Toy Shop role play area. It allowed us to discuss the similarities and differences between old and new toys. So many questions were asked about toys:
How do toys talk? How do you make a smart toy? How do you make a toy with a remote control? What are they made out of? How were toys made in the past? The children could sort old and new toys and tried very hard to create a toy timeline with a partner. They were interested in describing all the different materials and noticed that toys from the past were made from different materials than today’s toys. In Art, the children explored Piet Mondrian’s work, looking at his use of lines and colour. The children found out that he used the three primary colours in his work and were challenged to create a collage in his style. As another fantastic term comes to a close, we look forward to a fabulous Summer term. Well done, Year 1! Page 15
@BSB | March 2021
Year 2 @BSB
Of Dragons, Castles and Fire & Ice By Emily Marsh, Kate Dibble This term Year 2 have covered many topics, all under the banner of FIRE & ICE! This has included some fantastic oil pastel Art using changing colour tones to show fire and ice clashing together, alongside some beautiful and imaginative poetry based on ‘The Magic Box’ by Kit Wright. Year 2 showed they can create their own fantastical similes alongside great descriptive language. We then travelled back in time to 1666, landing right in the middle of The Great Fire of London! Year 2 had a brilliant time acting out scenes from the fire and constructing our own daub and wattle houses with real thatched roofs straight from the 17th century! The children were fascinated to find out about Samuel Pepys who was an eyewitness to the event and gained a greater understanding of how to order events in time. We used the Diary of Samuel Pepys as a model and wrote our own diaries recounting the event as if we were Samuel Pepys’ servant. The children really enjoyed this activity and we had some fantastic diary entries which really could have passed as something from the event itself! During the second half of the Spring Term we took our learning in a slightly different direction and went to the fantasy world of dragons. We shared the story of ‘The Snow Page 16
Dragon’ and loved looking in detail at some interesting and complex characters - not everyone is just good or bad! The children wrote some beautiful retellings of the tale and then had great fun thinking how they could change the ending - this time so the ferocious fire dragons would win! This made for some very dramatic new endings! In Maths we collected and sorted data using tally charts, pictograms and block graphs. The children were keen to think of their own questions to ask and used this as a way to find out more about their peers’ likes and interests. We have also been exploring our School environment, searching for 2D and 3D shapes. We learnt the names and properties of many of these common shapes and gained an understanding of symmetry. This term we have been lucky to have the opportunity to cook with Mr. Soulsby. This has been a really great experience and we have been working hard to develop our weighing, measuring and mixing skills. We made delights such as cheese scones, sweet scones and chocolate cookies. We will be developing these skills further as we move into the Summer Term. Finally, we would like to congratulate the children on their enthusiasm toward completing their Rainbow Challenges. We
have seen many more children completing all six each week and they should be proud of their efforts to extend and further their own knowledge and learning. They were particularly keen to get stuck into the challenges which involved being creative and we got to see the extent of their creativity with some amazing junk modelling castles, shape and symmetry inspired printing and artwork in the style of Kandinsky.
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Year 3 @BSB Thriving in Year 3 By Geraldine Andrews, Rachel Eglinton This Spring term the children have been growing and changing. Predictions, investigations and conclusions have led our learning. Friendship Fun During friendship week, we made our own friends from a stone. There was much creativity and effort and the children undertook the task earnestly, creating characters with names. There were three challenges in this friendship activity, with the aim being for the children to take responsibility for their actions. Firstly, children had to take care of their friend for the rest of the School day. One was fed lunch and one was cleared to the bin having been left behind on a lunch table! Secondly, the friend was invited home for the night and needed to be back in School for morning registration the next day. No mum, dad or gran was informed; therefore, they could not be used as an excuse for forgetting! The third task was the greatest, as the friend accompanied us to the forest. Left
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somewhere safe during the forest activities, children had to find their friend at snack time. All trees look the same!
practice by designing a tool that will help an elderly person pick up a dropped paper clip.
Two weeks later, a child sat in our assembly circle in the forest and sitting by a nearby tree was his stone friend!
Roman Rescue We have been learning all about life in Roman times. The children have enjoyed finding out about Roman invasions, Hadrian’s Wall and life as a soldier. They have even tried on some Roman armour and handled historical artefacts.
Forces and Magnets What force is used when we walk, when we climb the stairs to class or write our sentences? These are some questions we considered before heading to the forest. There, the children explored friction by rolling and throwing different balls over a range of surfaces and taking measurements. Having noticed that some forces need contact between two objects, children were surprised to observe magnetic forces working at a distance when investigating poles. Furthermore, there was much wonder when a paperclip seemed to be suspended in mid-air and children then conducted their own practical enquiry to measure magnetic force. More amazement was seen, as children explored a range of materials and discovered that not all metals are magnetic. To conclude the unit, they applied theory to
Our work in history has been supported by our work in English which has centred around a story called ‘Roman Rescue’. The children have heard how the main characters went back in time and were trapped! They had to fulfil roles as slaves which wasn’t very pleasant! Children used the ideas from the story and knowledge from history lessons to write their own Roman adventure. Roman mosaics have provided a focus for our Art lessons. After studying photographs of original mosaics and planning their own design carefully, children created patterns and pictures using tiles to replicate this Roman art form. The results looked very authentic!
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Year 4 @BSB
Year Four Egyptian Explorers By Susan Walsh, Madelaine Reeve and Thomas Brooks The Spring term has brought new learning to Year 4. Our main topic has been ‘The Egyptians’. Children have learnt about life in Ancient Egypt through stories, artefacts, atlases and videos. Humanities Children went back in time to over 3000 years ago to the longest lasting civilisation known to humans; The Ancient Egyptians. They first learned the grand scale of our historic timeline and were shocked to find that the latest Egyptian Pharaoh, Cleopatra, was alive closer to the invention of the mobile telephone than she was to the building of the pyramids. They have explored various sources relating to Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and asked questions like real historians. Children also learned about the Duat, the journey into the afterlife, by making their own sarcophagus and mummy. Children have demonstrated their learning by developing their own published website using Google Sites with any other information they wanted to include, becoming experts in different fields. Science Children explored their School environment to identify different sounds they hear.
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They classified them into different pitches, volumes and lengths the sounds continued for. Through this exploration they learned that sounds are created when there is a vibration and these vibrations travel in waves to the ear. By making their own instruments, and experimenting with the School ones, children realised that the pitch can be altered by making the vibrations quicker. The children enjoyed themselves exploring all the different activities on offer. The second half of term saw children learn about ‘Electricity’ and how to make a complete circuit using reliable conductors. They learned how voltage can affect the brightness of a bulb and other appliances. English The children began this term by writing their entries for the COBIS poetry competition. We explored lots of different styles of poetry such as shape poems, kennings and free verse. The children enjoyed exploring language and creating some very effective poems on the theme of connections. To link with our Humanities topic, the children wrote setting descriptions of an Ancient Egyptian tomb and then wrote the diary entry of an explorer. The children showed off their Drama and storytelling skills by retelling the myth of Osiris and Isis and
then using this as inspiration to create character descriptions. Maths The children have been focusing hard on learning all their times tables and division facts up to twelve this term. We have been so impressed with how much they have all improved in both speed and accuracy! Some of them have even earned some special Ultimate Times Table Challenge certificates and we’re looking forward to awarding more of these in the Summer term. Art Children have explored the drawings left behind by the Ancient Egyptians and have used these to turn themselves into important pharaoh figures with extravagant headdresses and crowns. Book Worms March saw the arrival of Book Week with children excited to watch virtual author visits. They learnt some new techniques and tips to improve their creative writing. The week was topped off by our Book Character Day, when children came to School dressed as a favourite character. Hopefully this has inspired our Year 4 children to become life-long readers.
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Year 5 @BSB
Lessons in Friendly Scares By Karen Cojocaru, Laura Gildea The children in Year 5 have had an action-packed Spring Term. Practical investigations in Science provided children with opportunities to make predictions, take measurement, draw conclusions and discuss observations. By making parachutes, our young scientists could demonstrate how surface area affects air resistance. These investigative skills were sharpened even further when learning about reversible and irreversible changes, carrying out observations over a sustained period of time and using a range of techniques to separate mixtures. The children have had the opportunity to use filtration and evaporation as a means of recovering a substance from a solution. Creativity flowed in our Art lessons. The children were able to add collage to drawn and painted backgrounds. Using a range of techniques, the children created beautiful mixed media landscape collages. When asked about their work the children had the following comments ‘I enjoyed being creative!’ ‘I liked choosing colours for my background and blending them together’. ‘Making the collages was fun and messy!’ The Year 5 Teachers and Teaching Assistants have continued to be impressed
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with the children’s enthusiasm towards their Maths work. Not only have the children developed confidence with formal written methods for division and multiplication, they have also been able to dive deeper with their learning when applying skills to problem solving situations. Building suspense and tension in our narrative writing was essential when we studied Scary Stories. The use of ‘Show not Tell’, similes and short snappy sentences were some of the techniques employed by the children to build atmosphere when creating spooky stories. We enjoyed listening to the children read their stories aloud and were impressed with their use of expression to add more drama to their scary tales. Friendship Week allowed us the opportunity to reflect on our friendships and consider how we can be an even better friend. Inspired by this, we considered the traits of a good friend. The Year 5 children then created Friendship Critters. Once these creatures were created, they were carefully labelled with their name and friendship super strength before being delivered to classes around our School as a symbol of our friendship.
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Year 6 @BSB
Cooking and the Ancient World By Rebecca Doganay, Berian Thomas, Carl Helps This term, Year 6 pupils have been learning all about the ancient Maya civilisation. This sophisticated and enduring pre-Colombian civilisation made tremendous advances in terms of Mathematics, Science and Art. Year 6 pupils have explored various aspects of Maya society and compared the Maya civilisation to other well-known cultures which existed during the same period. Their wide-ranging study has encompassed English, Mathematics, History, Geography and Cooking.
Over the term, the children switch between various genres of writing. From character descriptions, to letter writing and diary entries. Using their imagination, they will decide how the characters are tricked into travelling to Columbia and then deal with one of the agents being kidnapped. How, or even will they be rescued? Who will save the day? Will there be a happy ending for the agents or will the characters think of themselves and be blinded by the possibility of gold!
In English, the children are linking with their Humanities theme of ‘The Mayas’ and are going to be writing their very own South American pirate adventure story - covering several genres of writing: character description, letters, narrative, diary and information writing.
The children have made a fantastic start to their character descriptions and letters and we cannot wait to find out what happens next. This is a real opportunity for the children to implement all the fantastic writing skills they have been learning this year and we are positive that they are going to take us on an adventure we will never forget.
Using inspiration from the book ‘El Dorado’ by John Roberts, the stories begin with three characters who work for a detective agency. The story starts very innocently with one main character receiving an unexpected but exciting letter, inviting them to travel to Columbia. But sadly, all is not as it seems!
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Linking to their work on the Maya civilization, Year 6 cooked Mexican inspired dishes which transported them to Mexico without having to leave BSB. They have had fun making nachos and dips, used their chopping skills to make quesadillas and
incorporated Maths by carefully weighing out their ingredients when baking Mexican chili and chocolate cookies. They learnt new skills when making churros and empanadas. The students then used their knowledge of Maya cuisine and farming when they became archaeologists and discovered Ancient Maya coprolites. They carefully examined the coprolite to identify what the Ancient Maya people ate and how much of it. The children thoroughly enjoyed their work on the Maya and produced some excellent work across a range of different subjects. They have an appreciation of where the ancient Maya civilisation sits in relation to other great civilisations and they are able to recognise some of the key similarities and differences between these. In spite of the current restrictions, Year 6 pupils were able to complement their theoretical work with a number of engaging practical tasks; they can be proud of how maturely they adhered to our COVID protocols in order to make this practical work possible.
@BSB | March 2021
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@BSB | March 2021
COBIS Poetry Competition 2021 Connections By Karen Cojocaru The annual worldwide Poetry Competition hosted by COBIS (Council of British International Schools) has become a regular feature on the BSB calendar and this year there were a record number of entries from our talented Primary pupils across the whole School. The competition is held in collaboration with Pobble - an excellent organisation in the UK which publishes children’s work online, securely and with parental permission, to a global audience. This includes the superb efforts of our own children at BSB. The theme all our budding poets were given to address was ‘Connections’ - an apt theme for the times we currently live in. All forms of poetry are acceptable and this allowed our students to be as creative as they liked under the expert guidance of their class teachers.
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As always, an internal School competition was held in order to select three poems to send to COBIS and the judging in School was completed during January. Our Primary School leaders had a difficult task this year due to the extremely high standard of poems submitted and the three they chose for our competition entries for the final can be seen below. Congratulations to our selected poets and well done to all those who entered. Fingers crossed for the competition final! I hope this will inspire more of you to have-a-go next year!
@BSB | March 2021 Our Connection by Janu Covid19 has severed our social bonds, Through isolation and death, it rips us apart.
Poem by Mathias
Nurses and doctors from everywhere, filled with grim determination Line up to fight a war with compassion, medicines and vaccines Battle by battle to better these circumstances,
tion. The web the place of imagina The place for relaxation. The place of conversation. . can talk, see and hear you What can be better! red. Than the memories we sha The messages we sent. The images we shared. The friends we made. It's almost like reality. s. The embarrassing moment The sad moments. Even the funny ones. d hall of Will all be kept in the digitise our chat history. And in my heart.
striving for a better tomorrow.
Covid Student 2020 by Denizhan Google Meeting, Microphone muting, Screen presenting, Work submitting, My learning! Screen freezing, Internet lagging, Out of meeting, Connection losing, My problems! Mask wearing, Hand washing, Social distancing, No touching, My protection! Friends missing, Family loving, Boredom living, School longing, My feelings!
Globally, shop assistants and delivery drivers, connect us with our daily needs, whilst teachers work hard to arm the young and older students with knowledge to equip them for a successful future. The world is different... but we have today and we have hope for tomorrow. And this unites us. It is a bond we share, This connection forms a solid foundation to build on. Today is the time, our opportunity, to make a difference. So, people all over the world Big and small, come together as one Respect the rules and have great gratitude,
salute those who have risked their lives to save others in this war against an invisible enemy. Connecting with each other we can reclaim a better future.
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@BSB | March 2021
By Ana-Maria Marin The Harry Potter fun went virtual this year and what an evening it was! This fantastic online event happened on Thursday, 4th February from 4.00pm to 5.30pm, via Google Meet and gathered close to 50 participants in total, students and staff from both the Primary and Secondary School. Our magical activities catered for fans of different ages and older students have passed the magic on to young readers who have not yet discovered all JK Rowling’s unforgettable books. Participants competed with much delight and determination, gathering points for the House they were sorted into at the beginning of the evening. The activities were varying from cooking a calzone snake (can you guess the magic secret ingredient?) to learning the secrets of Arithmancy (how would you like to know what adding up the corresponding
numbers to the letters in your name can say about your personality, strengths and weaknesses?); from breaking the codes of an Escape Room to crafting book marks and folding perfect origami frogs. For those trying to keep fit, navigating the Gringotts Maze proved quite a challenge. Laughter and wit came together when taking part in a game of Charades (mimicking the ‘Whomping Willow?’ we dare you to try it and see how it goes!), when guessing whose voice Mr. Gildea was impersonating for the final part of our quiz or making a hard choice in a game of ‘Would you Rather…?’. Give it a go, see if you find it easy. Answer honestly: Would you rather babysit a screaming Mandrake on New Year’s Eve, or have someone spike your drink with polyjuice potion to make you look like Mad-Eye Moody? Would you rather have to brush Lucius Malfoy’s hair every morning for a year, or do Trelawney’s
‘Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic’. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Page 28 02
dishes every day for a year? Would you rather have an invisibility cloak or have a time-turner? During or between some of the Meets, there was time for Show-and-Tell and it was a delight to see some of the students displaying and willing to talk about costumes, decorations, crafts or even snacks they have prepared ready for the event. For all their efforts and as a keepsake, participants received Certificates confirming their attendance at the event. Who says that casting spells, competing in quizzes and maybe even flying on a broomstick cannot be done in the safety of your home? Our 2021 Harry Potter Virtual Book Night proved quite the contrary!
@BSB | March 2021
Girlguiding
NEWS By Rachel Eglinton
1st Bucharest Girlguiding Coordinator
To celebrate World Thinking Day, over 10 million girls from around the world come together annually. Despite unprecedented times, this year was no different for us! 1st Bucharest Guides and Brownies joined together online to explore the theme of ‘peace building’. Peace means different things to all of us, according to our experiences and culture. Peace building is about developing positive relationships with everyone.
Stand strong
Magpie launched the first strand of the event. We explored how messages in the media can be a tool or obstacle for peace building. We considered stereotypes we have, such as those for pilots and nurses. Then we thought about prejudice being the opposite of tolerance and sang a song about peace.
Stand up
The second activity, led by Kingfisher, involved girls exploring the link between discrimination, exclusion and peace. Girls responded to statements they agreed with by standing up. Things to consider ranged
from, ‘I have made changes in my daily life to fit in’ (for example, changing friends, how I dress, how I talk) to ‘Someone has done something nice for me in the past week’. When reflecting, we recognised that we are a community without a lot of conflict, unlike the situation for some girls in other parts of the world.
how they can keep their Promise. Some suggestions were working hard, respecting other people, looking after stray dogs and helping to recycle. We ended the event by renewing our Promise.
Stand together
In the meantime, our girls have access to a wide range of activities. Currently, the Royal Navy are sharing their expertise, by supporting the programme theme ‘Have Adventures’. Girls are encouraged to develop their skills of exploration, navigation and survival. This has piqued the interest of some Brownies who have started their ‘Aviation’ badge. The first challenge is to name 40 things that fly! Then, they have to work on making an aircraft that will fly far and another to fly high.
Lapwing showed a video of a pebble being thrown into a pond and causing ripples. Exploring how a single small act of peace can have a wider impact, girls declared a daily good turn they would be doing in half term to cause ripples in their community. Ideas included speaking kind words, giving hugs and simply smiling. Around the world, Girlguides share a set of unique values that help us to live with a purpose to make the world a better place. We read a selection of Promises from different countries and recognised they all have three common features. So, girls made a paper chain with three parts thinking how they can be the best version of themselves, how they can help their community and
It was great to see each other and we are waiting to meet again!
With Girlguiding, girls are being supported to expand their knowledge and ability, overcome obstacles and be the best they can be.
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@BSB | March 2021
Friendship
week @bsb By Paul Gildea
Kindness, compassion and concern for others are hallmarks of the BSB experience. One of the highlights of our calendar is our annual ‘Friendship Week’. Traditionally this is a week when we focus particularly on sharing and collaboration and building new connections across the School. This is such a valuable part of the BSB journey and we are always so proud of how the children respond. Although our COVID restrictions prevented us from crossing bubbles and interacting face-to-face, we haven’t let that stop us acting in the spirit of friendship! Each class took part in a variety of activities aimed at highlighting the importance of friendship and treating others with respect and kindness. Just walking around the School during Friendship Week meant seeing children engaged in a host of meaningful and engaging learning experiences. Our Year 6 children remembered how important it was to stay connected with our online learners and made special cards to remind those at home, that while they are not on campus, they are still part of our community. Year 5 delivered ‘Friendship Critters’ to the classrooms - each with their own name and friendship superpower. The theme continued in Year 4 with their friendship bricks and recipes, while Year 3 decorated
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their friendship stones, even taking them on a trip to the forest. The children in Ringwood didn’t miss out on the fun and learning. Key Stage 1 focused on learning about what makes a good friend and giving compliments, while our EYFS children played with someone they had never played with before and made friendship biscuits. The week then culminated in our traditional ‘Crazy Hair Day’ - some of the colours and styles were truly spectacular! All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable week.
https://bit.ly/3lpcznS
@BSB | March 2021
Languages
week @bsb Our School is a richly diverse learning environment, with students representing approximately 50 nationalities. In February, we celebrated our linguistic diversity through particular actions designed to promote the benefits and joys of language learning. Our Key Stage 3 students attended an assembly where our MFL Star of the Month pupils did tongue twisters in various languages. They also competed in a countries quiz and an MFL House quiz, where they earned valuable House Points.
https://bit.ly/30SPyAc
During Friendship Week, our Year 3 expressed their feelings by reciting a poem that captures BSB’s values of self-control, honesty, respect, equality and concern for others. We’re proud of their performance and we’re looking forward to hearing some more. To end the Languages Week activities, our students created a video that perfectly sums up BSB’s diversity philosophy.
Bookweek @bsb Throughout the Primary Book Week, our pupils had the pleasure of meeting several renowned authors via online sessions. Also, parents helped us keep the tradition of reading aloud to students via Google Meet. In addition, we invited our Primary students to come to School dressed as their favourite character. We were delighted to see our students’ creativity at work. During their Book Week, our Secondary students shared their passion for the
written word and celebrated reading through various activities. One of the highlights was Karl Nova’s virtual session. He is a hip-hop artist, poet and author of the award-winning book Rhythm and Poetry and we were excited to meet him, as we were unable to last year!
https://bit.ly/3qXNEsJ
Our students also participated in Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) during their English classes, to reinforce their love of the written word.
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@BSB | March 2021
Ready...Steady...cook By Peter Soulsby This year there have been a few changes to the way Food Technology has been taught in the Primary School. My arrival as a full time Food Technology Teacher (you may have seen me in the Yummy BSB videos) has allowed Primary children to develop skills and confidence in the kitchen on a more regular basis. The benefits of regular Food Tech lessons include: • • •
•
Students working more independently Building confidence Learning the basic kitchen skills which not only benefit them now but will also prove instrumental in their future Introducing the students to new food produce and flavours
There has been a big push on healthy eating and the importance of eating a nutritional diet, and yes, that includes your five a day! Recipes such as ‘Five Veg’ Pasta Sauce’, ‘Sweet Potato Muffins’ and ‘Carrot and Courgette Cakes’ have been adapted
to include hidden vegetables. The amount of sugar in recipes has been reduced, replacing this with fruit and vegetables, which produce natural sugars, allowing the children to reduce their sugar intake dramatically. The lessons in the Food Tech Studio have allowed children to travel the world and experience cuisines and flavours. Children have made and tasted food from six of the seven continents. They have managed all this without having to spend 14 days in self-isolation as they did not leave the BSB campus. All children from Reception up to Year 6 have learnt knife skills at an age appropriate level. They know how to use the claw, bridge and rock-chop methods to cut, slice and dice different vegetables. They have also learnt how to handle high risk foods such as raw meat and the importance of using coloured chopping boards (red for meat and green for vegetables) as well as the correct way to wash their hands. They know the rules to keep themselves and others safe in the kitchen which has allowed them to produce some high-quality, restaurant-standard dishes which I hope they shared with their family!
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@BSB | March 2021
Music in
COVID TIMES By Alexandra Killham
COVID-19 has proven to create learning obstacles for schools all around the world. Primary Music classes at BSB have been no exception. The biggest obstacle, as all students are acutely aware, has been our inability to safely sing indoors. Singing is a pillar of Primary Music lessons and has been greatly missed this academic year. However, the students and myself have been feeling inspired and creative! We have found fun and innovative ways to engage with Music inside and outside the classroom. My name is Ms. Killham and this is my first year teaching at BSB. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, I have been warmly welcomed into the BSB community. In the Autumn Term, students had all of their Music lessons in their classrooms. We went outside if the weather allowed and sang new songs. We brought small pitched and unpitched instruments into the classroom and experimented with different sounds and musical expressions. We learned a lot about Music analysis and Page 34
built our musical vocabulary to describe and relate to different pieces of Music. We learned about Music theory and continued our education in reading and interpreting written Music. We spent time watching and listening to new Music ranging in genre, including classical, pop, rock, hip hop, folk, world and more. We developed a vocabulary to describe how Music made us feel, which types we liked and disliked and how Music can impact our lives. This Autumn, Year 6 did an amazing job in their Remembrance Day assembly. 20 students formed a small Year 6 choir and performed two songs. After auditioning, we spent a few hours over two weeks studying and practising. They developed their musical ears by singing two-part harmony in a group, responding to cues from myself and their peers and following musical direction. The rest of the assembly was very moving and an amazing effort by all of Year 6 and many teachers. This choir was a bit of an experiment as we had to sing masked and socially distanced, both very large challenges for singing well. We wanted to see what kind of group activities were possible using online streaming and I think we learned a lot.
Year 1 and 2 have gained a lot of musical vocabulary in their lessons and are engaging in Music using small instruments. They are now able to safely come to the Music room for their lessons and we are all so happy for the extra space to dance and move to Music! Year 3 have been studying Music from South Africa and also composers like SaintSaens, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky. We have been learning to analyse quite challenging classical pieces and playing along with our pitched and unpitched instruments. Year 4-6 are really developing their Music theory knowledge so that when we are able to play instruments across year groups again, they will be ready to communicate through Music and enjoy the communal Music making experience. In times of hardship, Music becomes more important than ever. I feel grateful to teach a subject that can offer comfort and joy even when things feel hard. As Nelson Mandela once said, ‘Music is a great blessing. It has the power to elevate and liberate us. It sets people free to dream’. I am certainly drawing inspiration from Music during this pandemic. I hope that students at BSB will continue to depend on the power of Music and feel free to dream of what is possible in the days to come.
@BSB | March 2021
Safeguarding:
Everybody’s Responsibility By Dan Batson
At BSB, the responsibility of safeguarding our students is priority. The Safeguarding Team works hard to ensure that clear systems and procedures are in place to identify and support any students of concern and that these measures are governed carefully to ensure they are effective and robust. For a school to safeguard effectively, nothing can be left to chance; keeping children safe is the first consideration in everything we do, in all parts of School. This begins with safer recruitment procedures; a regular and thorough training programme for Teachers and TAs; higher level Safeguarding lead
training for our Safeguarding Team and pastoral leaders; strict expectations for the supervision of visiting adults on campus; and clear guidance and systems for reporting and managing any concerns raised regarding matters of student welfare. Nevertheless, any systems and procedures for safeguarding our children are all dependent on the vigilance of the staff and it is not just the teachers and TAs who are required to be attentive to the children’s wellbeing. At BSB we also have our Maintenance Team, the Cleaners, Takanaka staff and Security, all of whom are needed to help us safeguard effectively.
With this in mind, the Safeguarding Team and HR led bespoke training for our nonEnglish speaking staff during the half term break. The event focused on the importance of everyone at School taking responsibility for Safeguarding; the signs and symptoms of abuse and mental illness; as well as how to respond and report concerns if and when they present themselves. Finally, emphasis was given to a BSB Safeguarding mantra, that no concern is too small to report and follow up on: it might be nothing; it might be something.
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@BSB | March 2021
Secondary
Review
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@BSB | March 2021
Keep Calm and Carry On If you are an avid @BSB magazine reader, you will know I have written about online learning, COVID and technology on more than one occasion over the past year. Although I have to admit that this article does follow these familiar themes again, I will also be focusing on a BBC news report which caught my attention last month, so do read on. Many of us, myself included, would not have heard of Handforth, a sleepy and mostly middle-class UK town in Cheshire, with a population of just over 6000 and surrounded by forests and a golf course. That is, until an online meeting of the local parish council in December descended into chaos and subsequently attracted millions of viewers on social media. The meeting quickly turned into a shouty power struggle between members of the council, all claiming authority over each other, until Ms. Jackie Weaver, Chief Officer of Local Councils, stepped in and began to remove offensive individuals from the online meeting. The fracas had reached such a fever that later on, the British Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy, who viewed the footage, asked: ‘Who needs Netflix when you have Handforth?’ Perhaps this was not democracy’s finest hour but it did reveal the sangfroid of Ms.
Weaver who calmly navigated the verbal monstrosities and onslaught during the meeting to bring calm and order. Ms. Weaver has since become a social media legend, even more so for her comment to ‘stay calm and collected’ and to ‘never wear your pyjamas’ on an online Meet. There is a leaf we can take out of Jackie Weaver’s metaphorical book here and arguably one which we are teaching and demonstrating to our students at BSB. We would want to believe that the challenges of what will have been a little over a year since lockdown and school closures, have reinforced our own resilience, our own sangfroid, our own BSB values and the fact that we can also stay ‘calm and collected’ in the face of adversity. That is not to say that we are not afraid to admit when we need help or to support each other by holding out a (virtual) hand to those in our community or beyond to those who need it. BSB this term has been as strong and as busy as ever and with School fully open and functioning we have been able to host some musical events, House competitions such as Mastermind and the COVID-safe House Basketball, as well as debating, the continuation of the Innovation Hub’s activities, other CCAs and breaktime Table Tennis. The Charities Committee has been
active with a whole host of initiatives which have continued with the same vigour and passion as ever. It would be wrong to not acknowledge that the past year has brought us not only the damage and challenge of COVID but I believe that we can be humbled and proud at the same time to witness everything that we in the BSB community have achieved together in this time. One day, hopefully soon, we will emerge from the challenges of the current global pandemic and we will take with us the lessons that we learnt at this time. One such lesson we would expect all BSB staff and students to take away, would be to maintain mental and emotional focus by never wearing pyjamas during an online meet, in true Jackie Weaver style.
Jason Porter
Head of Secondary School
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@BSB | March 2021
#BuildingCareers@BSB #ExcellenceWithoutBoundaries By Louise Thomas During form time on Monday afternoons, there have been activities for the students to do to get them to start thinking about their future careers and what it would require to get there. There were interesting discussions about how their favourite subjects could lead to a career based on pursuing them. We also had guest speaker Michal Schwartz kindly speak to Sixth Form students about Laromet, a leading provider of copper technological solutions in Romania. She discussed the business, the requirements for landing great jobs in these times and how to stand out against competitors. The students then went on to develop their C/V’s in preparation for future jobs or university applications. There will be more careers related work going on with students across the School in the Summer term.
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In January this year, BSB hosted its first ever ‘Careers Carousel’. The evening had five professional guest speakers who presented online their education and career path to date. Students then had the chance to speak to them and ask questions. The students could choose to attend any one of the presentations, in a job or career that interested them the most. This helped them develop their understanding of a particular job or industry. The event had guest speakers who have excelled in their careers, including a Lawyer at Google; a Journalist at CNBC; a Regional Director at Investec; a Diplomat at the British Embassy in Bucharest and a General Manager at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Nearly a third of Secondary students took advantage of this event and gave positive feedback. There will therefore be the second Careers Carousel held in the Summer term; please do take advantage of the opportunity to
hear from successful professionals in a job you may consider pursuing. A big thank you to all those that spoke and attended. Mărțișor and 1st March also marked the start of National Careers Week. All teachers presented to their classes about future careers directly linked to their subject. This was an opportunity for students to learn which jobs were available to them if they continued with their studies in certain subjects. There were also form time quizzes, where students had to guess the teachers’ former jobs and guess celebrities’ former jobs! I hope the students gained some useful information during the week.
@BSB | March 2021
A World of Language By Darragh Cotter The English Department of BSB is very aware of the international community we are part of and how the prescribed texts of IGCSE and A Level English, with its Anglocentric focus, does not always reflect the world our students live in. A BSB student who is only exposed to authors like John Steinbeck or Rudyard Kipling might end up believing that the only experiences worthy of being depicted in literature are those of dead white English-speaking men. Key Stage 3 is a wonderful opportunity for us to correct that imbalance and to introduce our students to literature that reflects a multitude of experiences. Students in KS3 read poetry by the French poet Robert Desnos, the Caribbean poet Derek Walcott, the Polish poet Wisława Szymborska, the Chinese-American poet Chen Chen. Reading about a French surrealist’s all-consuming relationship with love, the tribulations of a gay child of immigrants bringing his boyfriend home for dinner and a poem where the clichés of love at first sight are dismantled, allows students to read about a world that is reflective of their experiences and not just those of a post-World War One England. Students in KS3 found a poem in their mother tongue with the help of their family and the MFL department and translated it into English. With this unit students are encouraged to engage with the poetry of their culture and others, to read the poets who have shaped the literature of their
http://bit.ly/3lqhK6T homeland and deepen their relationship with their own cultural background. Students also study a graphic memoir, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, listed as one of the 100 greatest books of this century by the Guardian, which details Marji’s childhood in Iran during the Cultural Revolution. Reading about an Iranian Muslim teenager dealing with the difficulties of an adolescence they are also struggling with, allows students to engage with cultures they may never have the chance to experience and to see how much they have in common with people of different races and religions around the world; a type of character who isn’t represented in texts like in IGCSE such as ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ or ‘An Inspector Calls’.
http://bit.ly/2OF3ew8 After studying ‘Persepolis’, students create their own graphic short story and we can see two examples of these stories in this month’s magazine. It is heartening to see students at BSB engage with the inherent inequalities of the class system and how it limits opportunities through a rich retelling of a chapter in ‘Persepolis’, as created by Qistina. In Antonia’s short story she has crafted an original story of a teenage boy’s refusal to conform to gender stereotypes despite pressure from his fellow students and society. These are just two examples of a range of stories created by Year 9 students engaging with themes from social class, to sexuality, to teenage rebellion. Seeing the students of BSB create their own stories that reflect the world they live in shows us the future of literature is in safe and diverse hands. Page 39
@BSB | March 2021
THE APPLICATION OF Science
By Stephen Young
As an educator I am often seeking new ways to motivate and inspire students to learn and so this year I introduced students in Year 8 and Year 9 to MIT’s App Inventor. With students having a huge interest in mobile phones, it seemed ideal to focus on using smartphones in an incredibly fun and new context by having them build their own mobile apps. App Inventor allows the development of Android based mobile apps using databases, interactive maps and other advanced concepts without having to write code. Being relatively simple to learn I have not been surprised with the positive outcome it has had in the classroom. App Inventor uses block code and constitutes an alternative to a platform that our students are already familiar with, Scratch, allowing them to feel more comfortable with the tasks and challenges given to them. Of all the coding platforms that I have used App Inventor provides the easiest way to take advantage of the hardware in our phones. For example, with just a few blocks of code, students can get their phones to respond by shaking them using the accelerometer sensor. Whilst it may take several drags of coding blocks to get the phone to display a message on the screen, it only takes a few more clicks to make it use a phones text to speech engine to actually say a message out aloud. First of all, students were introduced to how App Inventor works with three projects that allowed them to learn how to make interactive apps for the phone, these apps were also able to run on their Chromebooks using an emulator. After learning the basics, students were then encouraged to follow their interests and use their imagination to develop a mobile app of their choice, firstly planning their screen designs before creating the screens and then adding the code to make them interactive. The results have been a variety of apps ranging from an array of mobile phone games, mapping apps for the School campus, a School student planner, educational apps to learn a language or study Mathematics and lots of quizzes, these are but a few examples of the work that students have produced during this unit of study. ‘I found that App Inventor was a fun and interesting program to use with its own set of challenges and obstacles and it was fun to try and work out how to make your ideas reality. I loved it!’ Hemin, Year 8. ‘I found App Inventor easy to use and even when there were challenges, they were fun to overcome. I enjoyed using App Inventor.’ Kais, Year 8. ‘I found App Inventor interesting. It was easy at the beginning, then got harder but once you catch the idea of blocks and learn how they work it’s fun. I created a game with a ball that moved through a maze to find the gold. You could guide it using the phones accelerometer. If you put the phone upside down the ball will go up for example.’ Andrei, Year 8. Page 40
@BSB | March 2021
DRAMA @BSB Introducing LAMDA Speaking in Public By Abigail Turkmore •
•
Organisation - a focus on structuring your speeches effectively and designing visual aids to support them through your presenting. Performance - to deliver messages effectively to influence and impact their audience
Students will be taught through the LAMDA syllabus in preparation for assessment which will involve students performing: Here at BSB, we pride ourselves in our comprehensive enrichment programme provided for our Sixth Form students. As of the next academic year, we’re pleased to announce that students will have the opportunity to complete a Speaking in Public Level 3, Grade 8 (Gold medal) certification through the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, also known as LAMDA. The course will be delivered by Mr. Samuel Kennedy, who is a teacher of Drama and English. The course is carefully constructed to support and develop a student’s ability to speak in front of an audience. Students will develop the following desirable professional and soft skills that universities and employers always seek within candidates: • •
Confidence - to stand in front of an audience and take control of a room. Communication - how to articulate, gesticulate and project their voice to an audience.
• • •
One prepared speech on a set subject. One prepared speech on a subject of their choice. One impromptu speech on a set topic (the student would have the choice of three topics).
Moreover, students will also learn how to stand out when delivering or presenting in the future. Vocal technique is a focus as clarity of diction and variation of tone, pitch, pace and use of a pause is vital for a speaker to give their speech impact. Another focus is what LAMDA name the ‘imagined audience’. On this course students will be encouraged to think creatively and when rehearsing should always imagine the audience for whom they are speaking, as this will govern the vocabulary they use, their body language and general style of presentation. This gives students the freedom to explore different possibilities through their performances as through changing the context of their imagined audience they will be able to
identify a style that suits them. Furthermore, students also have the option of adopting a role or persona for their speeches if it enhances their delivery of the subject matter. This amazing, new enrichment opportunity will prove invaluable to students in the future as although speaking in public may not be at the forefront of their roles during their careers, all students will face obstacles in life in the form of interviews, meetings and presentations which this course can not only equip them for but also enable them to shine amongst competition. Additionally, LAMDA Speaking in Public does not only look fantastic on university applications but it also gives students the possibility of gaining more UCAS points which could be crucial when it comes to securing their university choices. Pass: 24 points Merit: 27 points Distinction: 30 points Page 41
@BSB | March 2021
A Musical
Miscellany Progression after A Level Previous students of A Level Music have moved on to careers as jazz musicians, classical orchestral players, studying opera, Music Technology degrees and working in musical theatre. In fact, all of the students who have taken A Level Music are now active in the world of performing arts. This year we have two musicians in year 13 who are following their dreams of careers in the music industry. Let’s see what Ranaich and Aylin have to say about their chosen degree courses and what careers they hope to pursue on completion of their studies.
Ranaich, Year 13 ‘When I leave BSB I’m going to continue my music career; I will be heading back to Scotland to continue learning about the music industry where I will be attending university and interning at a music studio. If you ever had a conversation with me about music, I probably mentioned The Beatles. They have definitely been my biggest influence in music. I remember Page 42
watching a performance by them in Year 9 Music and thinking to myself ‘that looks easy enough’ (it wasn’t). After a lot of YouTube videos, I started to learn guitar. A year later I would be performing the same song I watched a year ago at a show in front of my entire School. Since then, I have only got more interested in music and the industry. Over the past year the music
@BSB | March 2021
industry like many others have been heavily impacted by Covid-19 but it has allowed me to have seemingly endless amounts of time to practise, learn new songs and even start to write my own. Most people think that you need to be a child prodigy to have a chance in the music industry, I only got interested in music about six years ago. I have recently been accepted onto Spotify and Apple Music and built a home studio. I have met some of my music idols and made dozens of friends and connections with the same interest in the industry. Music gave me a direction, when before I had no idea what I wanted to do. My advice for students interested or thinking about entering the music industry is to not stop. Keep learning, keep connecting with people in similar industries and investigate all aspects of the industry for yourself and know how they work, from songwriting to publishing. it is a very competitive and challenging industry but if you have the will and motivation you will stand out. You will never know what can happen if you don’t try’
Aylin, Year 13 ‘When I finish BSB I will go on to study Popular Music in the UK, so far I’ve received an offer from Falmouth University and an interview from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). I think Popular Music is an amazing course for me, because it teaches me elements from Performing and Songwriting, as well as Composition and Production. It is rare for contemporary musicians to specialise in more than just the performing aspect and that means that artists become less and less involved with their own work, focusing on the ‘stage image’ more than the music. I want to challenge that and bring music back to its older beauty when it was all about creation. I don’t think that artists will ever feel understood. We are aliens, we feel everything, it can get lonely sometimes. In my opinion art is an excess of feelings that we just fail to express verbally, so we express it through performance, visuals and movement. Artists are often called clueless, air headed and all sorts of weird names… I thought that people were right, until I entered the first community of artists a few years ago at the COBIS Music Festival in 2019.
Being surrounded by people with the same mind-set as you is fulfilling, so of course, if you chose this career path, and you’re passionate about it, being surrounded by other fellow aliens will just make it better! Take my word for it. Choosing GCSE and A Level Music were the best decisions that impacted my future career choice. I really thought that being a musician was all about the talent and the performing aspect but thanks to the wonderful Music Department, I got to discover the beauty of composition and songwriting. The GCSE Composition aspect made me, as well as my Teachers, realise that I am inclined into this area, thus I should work on it. To be completely honest, I got to understand the music industry on a deeper level only when I started working with Puzzles, my band and the process of recording, composing and songwriting were as important as the performance (new album will come soon #notsponsored, stay tuned). A musical career does not only refer to performing and talent...it is enough to purely enjoy listening to music and appreciating the artists’ work, who knows? Maybe a radio broadcasting career is for you. (it’s so fun as well!).‘ Page 43
@BSB | March 2021
BSB CONGRATULATES Magical Maths Twenty students from Year 7 participated in the Noetic Learning Maths Contest, a biannual Maths contest that encourages students to develop their problem-solving skills and inspires them to excel. Our students did a fantastic job and won various diplomas, ranging from honourable mentions to team winner. Congratulations to all of them for their hard work!
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@BSB | March 2021
Working Out Work Outs Last year, in June, five senior students from our Sports Leaders Programme designed a fitness session for their younger peers. They covered various activities, from cardio to stretching exercises, to help their Year 4 colleagues do a full-body workout. Their proactivity didn’t go unnoticed. On the contrary, their efforts were rewarded and cherished by the BSB community. Once again, we’re incredibly proud of their initiative in helping their peers stay in shape during the lockdown. Here’s their workout session that earned them a merit diploma: https://bit.ly/2Q96PD6
Briana Keeps a Tight Rein Our Equestrian star, Briana, has done it again! She participated at the Equestrian Winter Tour Show Jumping and repeated her performance last time out of achieving first place in the children’s category on all three days. We congratulate her on this outstanding achievement! You can read more about her feats of determination and grace here: https://cutt.ly/Fxv68RD
Karina Stays Sharp! Karina sharpened her skills, swished her sword and won the National Champion title in Cadets and Vice-champion in the Junior level at the National Fencing Championship. What an outstanding display of grace and elegance from our Year 11 student! Read more about her achievements here: https://cutt.ly/Gxbqqm1
For Diana, Ski’s Not the Limit Diana, our talented Year 11 student, slalomed through the poles, overcame her opponents and became the Romanian U16 Ski Champion! Congratulations on this incredible performance! Read more about Diana’s achievement here: https://cutt.ly/Lxbqt9M
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@BSB | March 2021
BSB House NEWS By Scott Allsop
The Spring Term of the Secondary House Competition saw everyone embrace the new approach to events, allowing us to expand the range and type of competitions being held. Throughout the term we have collaborated with the P.E. Department to run a series of Basketball skills and hoop-shoot competitions during Monday form time. This has enabled us to bring one year group at a time together in their Houses, in order to race each other to win the first basket. The competition has been fierce and fun and across the different year groups we have seen each House win at least one competition which has buoyed up everyone’s enthusiasm! February was very much a month of quizzing. The MFL Department prepared a fun and fascinating online languages quiz, which acted as a great warm-up to the annual Mastermind competition. Mr. Walters prepared the questions, ably assisted by Mrs. Haysom, while Mr. Allsop handled the technical challenges of filming and editing the competition. Mastermind traditionally takes place in front of a packed assembly but with imagination and patience we found a way to overcome the challenges of social distancing! The final
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https://bit.ly/3tvapWF videos were watched by each Key Stage the week after they were filmed, in what was an engaging and energetic series of rounds that saw Olt secure victory for the first time in the history of the competition. Olt’s Year 12 entrant Rafael also secured the highest-ever individual score on his topic of Formula 1 racing.
Two months of planning also came to fruition towards the end of term as each Key Stage took part in the annual Interhouse Chess Competition. We used an online platform to enable students to play against each other in real time and utilised Google Meet to link students in different year group bubbles together. It is clear that lockdown has seen many students take the opportunity to hone their Chess skills, with some games being so close that they even resulted in draws. At the time of writing the final Chess results have yet to be settled but we hope to announce the scores online soon. As the House Competition prepares to enter the Summer Term, the overall Cup Points are still too close to call. This is definitely going to be a close final result!
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Mural Design
A PROBLEM-SOLVING CHALLENGE!
The Creative Faculty was asked to design a mural for the basement lockers in Crawford House. Collaborating on a largescale artwork is difficult under normal circumstances. Attempting to create a cooperative work while COVID restrictions are imposed is extra demanding. In fact, it was so challenging that Mr. Williams decided the students should do the planning and organisation entirely by themselves. They would need to find creative solutions to a whole range of logistical obstacles - not to mention come up with an appropriate and visually appealing design. As a result of current protocols KS3 students do not have access to the Art Room, with its usual supply of materials. The temporary classroom environments do
not contain sinks or shareable items. On top of this, students cannot currently visit the wall that the mural will be placed on, nor can they work near each other. Mr. Williams asked students to investigate potential formats, subject matter and themes. He asked them to consider how they should respond to the space. Should they create something that contrasts with the narrow corridor or should the work be in harmony with the features and characteristics of the space? The techniques involved had to be accessible to all students for the work to have stylistic coherence. These same processes also had to be developed using limited tools and space. Mr. Williams asked students to imagine designs
beyond drawings, such as a photographic assemblage, three-dimensional work, digital projections and found objects. There were a fantastic range of ideas and topics, from using pages out of old textbooks as a drawing surface, to creating a modifiable tile mosaic, from an interactive mural in which the viewer could place themselves in the image, to a pixel-based animation that could be projected onto the wall. At this stage the outcome is undecided and students have a few weeks left to plan and execute their ideas. Presented here are some photographs of their workings. Which one do you think will work the best?
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HEALTHY SCHOOLS Committee News By Andrew Koene The Healthy School Committee has continued to offer students and the School community opportunities to take personal well-being into consideration. We have focused on several aspects of what it means to be a healthy individual and how our choices can impact our health. In January we focused on Nutrition where the theme was, ‘We Are What We Eat’. What we take in through our mouths becomes part of what we are. Students learned about food groups, looked at how to read
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food labels and reviewed applications to help anyone track the food they eat. We also looked at Relationships in February but specifically with friends and family. The theme was ‘We Are Family’, which focused on what it means to be part of a wide group of friends, having that special best friend and differences with family relationships. Lastly, in March we looked at Technology and focused on how to make Technology a helpful tool. Students discussed e-safety, talked about the positives related to
Healthy Relations Healthy Science Technology and were challenged within lessons to use Technology differently. They also learned about the importance of social skills and its continued influence on our daily interactions. Overall, the awareness and acceptance of the shared activities given to the students has been very receptive. Students are gaining some positive experiences that will have a larger impact on them in the future. The Healthy School Committee continues to ask for the support of parents at home to participate in the monthly themes.
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Fast
and furious By The Innovation Hub Team
Since the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year, Project Zephyr and Automotive Design have been faced with serious challenges. Our CCA’s cannot be carried out online for too long and eventually require a physical presence. To rise up to this challenge we employed technological solutions. Basing our solution on the relevant science, and assisted by our smaller class sizes (that do not change), we gave each student a full face aerosol mask from 3M, fitted with FPP3 filters, the highest possible filtration filtering >=99% of aerosols 0.6 microns or larger. This is sufficient to filter our COVID carrying particles and can thus keep our students safe. Further to this, students wear surgical nitrile gloves along with the standard workshop safety equipment. Following each class, the room is cleaned and the tools and cars are sprayed with alcohol. Fortunately, our School managed to remain open and the students were able to work on their cars, continuing on from the 20192020 academic year. They are currently on track to finish their vehicles by the end of the year and, COVID permitting, drive them.
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We are also incredibly proud to announce a new method of manufacturing car bodies for Automotive Design. While still offering composite methods for students interested in learning, our new method is theoretically 99% recyclable/biodegradable as it uses a biodegradable, super-reusable polymer and our composite panels can be recycled. Furthermore, the polymer is touch-safe and does not require any special tools, safety equipment or methods to carry out work. This makes it much easier to do by students of all abilities and has thus become even more accessible (the previous method was age restricted). This has allowed students to create a lighter, cleaner and safer car body while learning about sustainability and the challenges involved. Here at the Innovation hub we strive to find and promote robust solutions to climate change. We need to learn to live cleaner, not live less to be cleaner. Team Mario and Team Luigi of Project Zephyr are well on their way to finishing their vehicles, having recently had a quick unpowered test drive on campus. Team Mario is trying something new this year, a car with two seats. This should be interesting.
On the other side of the workshop, both automotive design teams are attempting challenging designs to their vehicles which so far are taking shape well. We are excited to see how things play out here. For the Summer Term, we hope to finish all four vehicles to be able to carry out a track test in June, as well as select a winner from Automotive Design whose car will take its spot in the prestigious showroom on top of the hub. Finally, we are working on a mind boggling, imagination defying, adrenaline supercharged, hyper-spectacular megaevent to be announced sometime in the future (COVID permitting).
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE By Alice Allsop, on behalf of The Charity Committee BSB’s commitment to charity activities has continued to grow, and although we leave winter behind us, the impact that our fundraising will have on charities will continue to be felt for months to come. This term has seen a number of fundraisers, as well as the restarting of our BSB MAD group in Secondary. In December, the BSB community were delighted to hear about the birth of the ‘E’ litter of puppies for Light into Europe and when the opportunity came to name one of these gorgeous pups, we jumped at the chance! Donations were made, votes were cast and we welcomed ‘Ecco’ to the BSB family! Ecco is currently with one of our BSB families and we look forward to seeing him grow and complete his training. The 2977RON raised for Light into Europe will go towards the costs of raising the puppies which includes vaccinations and training. We celebrated Romania Day at the end of January and enjoyed wearing our traditional ie and the colours of the Romanian flag for our non-uniform day. As well as traditional ie being worn, we were able to fundraise by selling some face masks that had been made with the traditional ie design. Chef Peter Soulsby and Year 6 were tasked with cooking some traditional salam de biscuiți and these proved so popular that they had to go back into the kitchens the following week to make some more! We were
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#ConcernForOthers
delighted to share the 5303 RON raised between two charities working here in Romania: LiberatED and Light into Europe. We wouldn’t let wearing masks stop us doing something crazy on Crazy Hair Day and this year we raised 1632 RON for our BSB charities and saw some imaginative designs! Speaking of crazy designs - if you spot someone wearing a face mask with a moustache on it, then hopefully it will make you think of men’s health and Movember! We managed to raise 500 RON for Movember this year through facemask sales and donations.
https://bit.ly/3ts5p52
The activities taking place this term have been aided by the MAD (Make A Difference) students in Secondary School. We have student volunteers in each year group meaning that we can more easily promote events in each ‘bubble’ and get ideas from across the School about future events or activities. The MAD reps really helped us this year with our Mărțișoare sales as they had a slot every lunchtime to sell mărțișoare within their bubble area. The mărțișoare were handmade by the beneficiaries at Fundatia Inocenti and were very popular. Sales on the way to the gate for Primary meant that in total 3,606 RON was raised for Fundatia Inocenti. A perfect way to welcome in Spring!
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#MeetTHETEACHERS Thomas Brooks Class Teacher
Why did you become a teacher? I used to work in Criminal Law, particularly defence. My role involved working with lots of people much older and more experienced than me. I also felt very reactive to people. I wanted to be more proactive in my job and so I decided to do some volunteer work in a local school, working with Year 6 children. I thought it would be really basic at first but was blown away by what 10 and 11 year olds were capable of, as well as their sense of humour and outlook on the world. What made you want to join BSB?
Mr. Thomas Brooks joined the British School of Bucharest in 2020. Thomas studied at the University of Greenwich and received his teaching certificate in 2013. Before joining us, he worked at Millennium Primary School, Bangkok Patana School and at the International School of Brunei. Thomas has worked across Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 in both London and South East Asia and has thoroughly enjoyed managing sports teams and nurturing teachers’ confidence using technology along the way. His biggest passion is developing confident mathematicians and instilling a love of the subject.
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I had been in Asia for five years. I met my partner there and my daughter was born there too. We missed family and so wanted to move closer to the UK. I’d heard amazing things about Romania, especially the internet and the beautiful countryside and so began to research schools and it was evident that BSB had the best reputation. How have you adapted to life in Bucharest? We arrived during a strange time in our lives with COVID-19 and so adapting has been a little strange. Life in Europe has been lovely though. It’s been great being able to afford the basic things like cheese and milk again as these are really expensive in Asia and I enjoy the abundance of green space and parks which is what we love doing at the weekends. I see the strange times as a positive though because in my view, things can only get better.
What are the biggest joys of being a Class Teacher? My biggest joy is when I’m working with a child or a group of children and they’re listening to everything I say and soaking it all in and then, during me modelling a problem or explaining something they say ‘Ohhhhh, I get it now!’ For me, that’s the best bit about being a teacher. How did your prior experiences at Millennium Primary School, Bangkok Patana School and at the International School of Brunei help you be a better teacher? I really enjoyed my first two years teaching in London. I was in Year 6 and I enjoyed preparing the children for their end of year exams but the work/life balance can often be unsustainable in England. I knew that starting a family would be very hard in England and so I moved internationally. I didn’t know what to expect regarding International Schools and when I arrived in Bangkok I was blown away by the facilities and the amount of professional development that is concentrated towards teachers. It changed my thinking towards how a school should be run; if we want children to make progress then we need our teachers to be at their best. I have since thrown myself into learning more about how the brain works and the best ways of teaching different subjects and hopefully that will stay with me. I liken it to a heart surgeon; for a doctor to be effective, they
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must continually update what they know in order to carry out their job. Teachers must do the same, it’s just that we work with brains and it’s probably a little messier too. How do you help students develop a positive mindset about Mathematics? By having a passion for the subject myself. I originally wanted to be a Secondary School Maths Teacher but I changed my application at the last second after working with Primary children in my local school. This passion for Maths then permeates in lessons. I promise all my children that they are good mathematicians but it takes a while to find it. They also need to meet me halfway and I put the onus on them to learn their times tables at home. I firmly believe that if a child is fluent with their times tables in Year 4 then this has rippling effects for their confidence and then their progress and it’s an easy, accessible way into understanding Maths and numbers. What strategies would you use to help students who struggle with Maths?
Modelling! I’ve read a few books on how to develop as a Maths teacher and I listen to a great podcast called ‘How I Wish I’d Taught Maths’ and the one thing I’ve taken from this is how best to model and explain different concepts. I make sure I do quality modelling in front of the class, breaking down each part and then getting the children to mirror this on a whiteboard. I slowly take away steps until they can do it independently. If they can, they then have time to practise and consolidate before moving onto more complex problems. I like to think all children struggle in EVERY Maths lesson. My class know that if they’re not struggling, they’re not learning because only when we have time to struggle do we have the opportunity to think. What do you think are the most significant challenges that teachers are facing today? This may be controversial but I think a big challenge is teachers themselves. Many teachers can think their way of doing things is the only right way and I’ve probably been guilty of this in the past. What I like about BSB is that teachers are trusted to teach their class in the way they think is best. This might be different to the teacher next door but often I’ve seen teachers that have been made to teach a certain way because of some latest fad and it’s hard doing something you don’t believe in and then the enthusiasm is lost. Teachers teach because they’re passionate and the challenge is making sure the passion stays there. What is the most outstanding achievement you’ve had so far? Sticking with the theme of education, it would be having a girl who was in the top 20 quickest times table recallers in the
world. I introduced an amazing app to my last school called Times Table Rockstars. It uses an algorithm which works out which times tables children struggle with and it plans their multiplication journey for them. I developed a small league and knockout competitions but one girl was clearly gifted. I told her about a Guinness World Record attempt and although she didn’t get it, she was the fastest in the country and top 20 in the world, managing to answer three questions per second. That will always stand out for me. If you weren’t a Class Teacher, what would your dream job be? A darts player. It’s my favourite sport and has been since I was young. At one time I had three dartboards in the house. It probably gave me a good sense of numbers as I used to have to quickly calculate my scores when playing with my Dad. I try to watch it as often as I can and I attend the big matches if I’m in England. I can’t think of anything better than walking out to my favourite song and throwing a 180 in front of a crowd. It also means I can continue my love of eating chocolate and STILL be considered an athlete. And finally: tell us something unexpected about yourself. Before I became a teacher, I was on a TV show called Countdown. It was this appearance that accidentally led me to working in a local school, teaching children Maths. I often wonder, if I hadn’t been on would I still be a teacher. I was on the show a couple of times but an 82 year old woman called Beryl beat me and I’m still bitter to this very day.
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#MeetTHETEACHERS Dalila Istrate
EYFS Music Teacher and Primary Music TA
Why did you go into teaching? After I lived in Argentina for several years and worked with children with poor backgrounds, I realised that I have the skills and knowledge to prepare them for a better world. Teaching is a way of offering a solid learning experience to each pupil and this was one of the reasons that inspired me. What made you join BSB? I was very thrilled to find out that BSB was offering me a job as a class TA in January 2005. It was a huge opportunity to develop my professional skills and a motivating factor was teaching the international young children to become role models and good citizens for the rest of their lives.
Ms. Dalila Istrate joined the British School of Bucharest in January 2005 as a Teaching Assistant. She brought with her a wealth of talent and experience gained working with children, both within and outside Romania. Dalila is a qualified Art Teacher and has also completed three international courses as part of her continuous professional development during her 16 years as a Teaching Assistant.
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How do you combine your responsibilities as an EYFS Music Teacher and those of Primary Music TA? I will start with a Maria Montessori’s metaphor ‘The Child, His Majesty’. From this point I will respond to this question. Every year group demands specific necessities. Being an EYFS Music Teacher is a challenge for me to make them understand and embrace Music at such an early stage of their lives. Being a Primary Music TA is a very good opportunity for me to support the Music Teacher to have high quality lessons. Working beside them taught me different
teaching strategies that I can apply in my Music TA role but also in my position as an EYFS Music Teacher. What’s the role of Music in the EYFS curriculum? For this young year group, PLAYING is the best way of learning and to discover the surrounding world. Listening, playing an instrument and singing Music in a fun way is one of the best learning techniques for the children. How do you inspire and motivate pupils to learn how to play an instrument? The children are keen and open to learning new things. Before learning how to play an instrument, it is very important to listen to all kinds of sounds from nature. To motivate a pupil to discover an instrument by themselves is the beginning of the learning process. As an EYFS Music Teacher, I motivate the children by stirring their curiosity and sensory skills and introducing them to the world of sounds. One of my teaching strategies is using the ‘I am the Music Man’ game, that not only makes them roleplay and develop listening skills but also to practise playing an instrument. How do you assist a pupil who struggles with singing in tune? In my Music lessons, all the pupils have the chance to show their skills and
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enthusiasm. One of the proper teaching techniques for singing in tune is using their own bodies by jumping high and crouching low to embody the sound. It’s a very useful technique that gives them the chance to become more confident in coordinating their moves and singing in tune.
What is the most outstanding achievement you’ve had so far?
What do you think are the most significant challenges that pupils are facing today? One of the significant challenges for pupils today is to face the reality of COVID-19, that changes come quickly and to learn the pace of their new lives.
If you would have to summarise BSB in a song, what would that be?
In my free time, I love hiking. I have hiked different mountain ranges in several countries. So, my dream job would be exploring them more. As a mountain explorer you can find out more about the wonderful world.
I will describe it as ‘We are the World’ sung by Michael Jackson.
And finally: tell us something unexpected about yourself.
I love my job a lot and it is fundamental for me to offer all pupils my best. One of the examples can be when the students come to me and ask for more Music lessons.
If you weren’t an EYFS Music Teacher and Primary Music TA, what would your dream job be?
I am quite a good Ping-Pong and Badminton player and I received a title as a Champion in Secondary School by competing with different school teams from Romania. Page 57
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#MeetTHETEACHERS Ranya Al-Ghawi Teaching Assistant
Why did you choose to become a Primary Teaching Assistant?
How do you help children succeed in School?
I chose to become a Primary Teaching Assistant because I wanted to work at BSB.
I help my children succeed by accepting their differences. I help them discover their own potential, hidden talents and find new ways to overcome their daily challenges.
What qualities are necessary to be an excellent Primary Teaching Assistant?
Ms. Ranya Al-Ghawi joined the British School of Bucharest in 2020 as a Primary Teaching Assistant. Following her deep passion for English language and literature, Ranya acquired a PhD in Philology and a Master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Bucharest. She has a published work entitled ‘Memoirs and Dreams’, which was edited by the RomanianAmerican poet, Gene Tanta. Her long experience in teaching English as a second language started in 1998 in Jordan and continued in Romania. She worked at public and private schools with students aged 6-18 and was responsible for some extra programmes like gifted students and SPANA Club. The UNICEF training programmes that she obtained on different topics such as youth participatory, development and gender sensitiveness endowed her with more tolerance and understanding. Page 58
I think an excellent Primary Teaching Assistant needs a lot of patience and resilience. You need to constantly think out of the box because Primary children’s imagination can be limitless. What made you want to join BSB? I wanted to get out of my comfort zone! All my life I was teaching English for Arab students in Arab schools. I wanted to have a totally different experience. In addition, I wanted to work at a place where I could have a new experience every day. What expectations did you have before coming to BSB? Were they met? Frankly speaking, I was expecting a little bit of being ‘out of place!’ These expectations vanished on my first day at BSB. I settled in easily with everyone’s flexibility and easy-going behaviour towards me! I started making friends and enjoying the fascinating campus as well!
How is BSB different from schools you’ve previously taught in? BSB has a great friendly atmosphere that any person would enjoy. Moreover, BSB has an interesting flavour of different cultures which enriches my experience. Sharing duties by all staff members erases any sense of exclusion and means having much more rapprochement with staff members as well as students even with whom you don’t have classes at all! Can you give us some examples of how you would contribute to an environment that promotes tolerance and understanding? Well, I’ve always felt that a successful teacher must have tolerance and understanding for everyone, particularly for their students. Tutors need to put themselves in their learners’ shoes in order to perfectly understand them and help them develop. In BSB, I would gladly answer any personal questions concerning my culture, religion even my different type of clothes! Little ones might be so curious and I answer all their queries with a great happiness! To some extent, I think that might help, my students correct any mistaken stereotyped images they previously have had!
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How has your experience in teaching ESL helped you connect better with students?
How do you transmit your love of language and literature to students?
What do you find the most rewarding in working with young children?
Having a previous experience in teaching ESL gave me better chances to connect with my students and a broader conception of the problematic issues they may face in their educational journey. My experience in teaching ESL also provides me with better understanding for my students’ personal needs and the best ways to meet them.
I transmit my love of language and literature to my students by creating a sense of curiosity about the topics they learn. I help them relate their own life experience to the pieces of literature they read and listen to. Sometimes all you need is a little scratch of the surface and they would write like genuine poets!
The most rewarding thing in working with young children is sharing their innocence and purity. I enjoy that so much! Moreover, seeing children flourishing in day–to-day progress is priceless.
What are your most valued observations drawn from your experiences?
What are the most significant challenges that you’ve faced up until now in your professional life?
If I weren’t a full-time teacher, I would be an author. I would love to share my life experience with others; however, I think I need to be a bit more courageous!
Honesty, respect and believing in yourself! You don’t know what you are capable of doing until you have the courage to step into it! In my view, all students must have the opportunity to have their personal imprint within the group.
I would say that dealing with different tasks and responsibilities at the same time. Working as a teacher, a person needs to take very good care of the learner’s educational needs as well as their personal developmental needs as different characters.
If you weren’t a full-time teacher, what would your dream job be?
And finally: tell us something unexpected about yourself. I had many lovely experiences at school as a student. I was a singer, a scout and a stamp collector! As a teacher, I have always been a friend of my students.
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#MeetTHETEACHERS Rocio Marti Alarcon Teacher of MFL
Why did you become a teacher of MFL? I think it was by chance! My main degree is in Pedagogy and years after I did my PGCE to become a teacher. I started supporting students in their learning but realised I also liked to deliver lessons too, so I carried on studying. I think it is a profession that has to be a passion, students deserve it. In addition, I am a proud Spaniard, so I love sharing the knowledge of a beautiful language and a great holiday destination! What made you want to join BSB? The challenge of starting a life in a country that I had never been to before. After a lot of research, I discovered that IKEA had opened a shop the year before so I knew I would be fine. How has BSB change through the years?
Mrs. Rocio Marti Alarcon introduced Spanish as a Modern Foreign Language (MFL) subject to the British School of Bucharest when she joined in 2008. She has previously taught in international schools in Madrid, Spain, where she is originally from but is now proud to call Bucharest home, where her eldest son was born.
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The campus has changed so much! There was no Ringwood, no Taylor, no facilities for the innovation Hub, Greenwich… there was no Takanaka either! I don’t know how we did it! Which aspects of Spanish grammar frequently pose a problem to your learners, and how do you approach them? Romanian and Italian students have a huge advantage over other nationalities.
However, there is a specific noun – problema- that is an exception so it is not la problema but el problema. I always tell my students to remember that problems are always masculine. What strategies would you use to help students who struggle with MFL? Organisation and practise. There are great tools available now to help you revise – Quizlet for instance. It is essential to act upon feedback given in class so you can make progress. What factors do you think might make it easier for students to learn a second language? Never ever be afraid of using the second language in class! Just try and enjoy. Sometimes the connections you made are correct, others aren’t but you learn from that too. What are the most significant challenges that teachers are facing today? Technology is a double-edged sword. It helps a lot with practise, translation, games, etc. On the other hand, it is very frustrating to see students sneaking around online in lessons and do things that are not related to the task, or when they just use Google to translate their homework.
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What made you stay in Romania? I love the country and it is a fantastic place to raise young kids. What is your greatest accomplishment? Having my three gorgeous boys. If you weren’t a teacher of MFL, what would your dream job be? A journalist for Lonely Planet so I can get paid while travelling the world. And finally: tell us something unexpected about yourself. I am dyslexic. Page 61
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#MeetTHETEACHERS Susan Marks Teacher of Science
Why did you go into teaching? Teaching was in my soul and I felt it was my vocation from a very early age. To be able to inspire younger generations to follow a career pathway and similarly saving some from falling through the cracks is incredibly rewarding. I am proud to call myself a Teacher. What made you want to join BSB? I am an ardent Europhile and to teach in the European country furthest from the UK in the best school in Bucharest was a very exciting prospect so I took it! My children are all grown up so it seemed the perfect time to take the leap and escape babysitting duties for my grandchildren in term time.
Ms. Susan Marks joined the British School of Bucharest in 2020 and brought significant experience in her role as a Chemistry Teacher. Having completed an Open University degree, she spent 17 years teaching at an independent girls boarding school in Wales with a coeducational sixth form. In addition to her role in the Science Department, Sue is an accomplished pastoral leader. She has worked as a Head of Year with a variety of age groups for over a decade and has been instrumental in mentoring colleagues new to similar roles.
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Have you adjusted to life in Bucharest and at BSB? The city, even in COVID times is vibrant with fascinating and beautiful architecture. I can spend hours wandering the city, coffee in hand. Staff at BSB have been incredibly welcoming and supportive and being a Year 7 tutor is great fun. How is BSB different from the independent girls boarding school you previously taught in? There are a lot more boys! The impact they have makes for a very different atmosphere but also a very interesting and energetic environment. Did I say loud?
How does your prior teaching experience help you be a better Teacher? Experience brings a deep knowledge of the examination system and the ability to give hints and tips that will gain extra marks for students, is golden. This increases the confidence of students and a self-belief that they will achieve. What makes an excellent pastoral leader in a school? A pastoral leader must be one of the most trusted members of staff for pupils and colleagues alike. To know everybody’s name and be omnipresent is essential: it would also help to be cloned. What do you think are the most significant challenges that students are facing today? The uncertainty over the current examination system and entry to universities is causing huge anxiety and it is very difficult to advise as a Teacher, as we know little more than the students do. What we can be sure of is that the system will adapt to what is happening and students should keep their ambitions active and access whatever comes next. If you weren’t a Chemistry Teacher, what would your dream job be? I would own a Koala sanctuary. They are the cutest animals on Earth.
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And finally: tell us something unexpected about yourself. In the summer of 2014 a friend asked, ‘Do you fancy an adventure?’ Nobody had ever asked me that before. She had bought a very old and slightly decrepit, 1970’s black and red Bedford camper van, online and unseen, and wanted to travel Europe in it, so we did. We collected it en route and called him Bertie. We travelled to lots of
countries and we were allowed to park in public car parks. We were quite the spectacle for local children everywhere who always gathered every morning to watch us open the door. Bertie’s engine got so hot when travelling, we couldn’t put our feet
on the floor but we had the best fun and I laughed so much my jaw ached! We almost got stuck at the very top of the Gotthard Mountain Pass but my knowledge on the manual choke saved the day. Our last stop was the Montreux Jazz Festival. What fun!
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#MeetTHETEACHERS Rachel Horley Teacher of Drama
Why did you go into teaching?
What makes a good Drama teacher?
I was a disengaged student when I was at school. I enjoy engaging my students, lighting a fire in them and making them feel seen.
Finding the balance between teaching and facilitating. Knowing when to lead and when to step back. It is about listening to the students and at times making yourself look silly in front of them (especially the younger students). It is about giving them the space to express themselves as well as giving them the tools to do it effectively.
What made you want to join BSB? The fact that I get to teach my subject as a specialism across so many Key stages. How have you adjusted to life in Bucharest and at BSB? I have adjusted well to life in Bucharest because I know that I can enjoy city life whilst not being too far away from the mountains (I love the outdoors). BSB has been an easy School to adjust to because everyone is so welcoming.
Ms. Rachel Horley joined the British School of Bucharest this academic year as a subject specialist Drama Teacher. She graduated from the University of Huddersfield, where she gained her BA in Drama and Master’s in Performance Research. Rachel, who started her career as a freelance educator 10 years ago, qualified as a teacher in 2015. For the past two years, Rachel was based in the Middle East, where she taught Drama across Primary and Secondary School.
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How does Drama help students in their academic and personal life? It consistently asks students to reflect, evaluate and justify.
BSB manages to find the right balance between supporting both the students and the staff.
It encourages students to communicate with a wide range of people on multiple levels. It develops self-awareness and confidence in how to use body language, facial expression and voice. It provides students with a vocabulary in which to communicate with clarity, precision and a strong sense of artistic vision. Drama is a subject that clearly develops skills that are useful in all aspects of life. Most magnificently, it develops confidence.
How does your prior teaching experience help you be a better teacher?
Why are role play and Drama important for every child?
Each year, I search for new challenges professionally. Whether that be directing shows or teaching year groups I haven’t taught before. I like new experiences and I enjoy finding out who I am at the next level… and the next!
It gives students opportunities to practise empathy, to see things from others’ perspectives. It empowers students in their ability to persuade, to dissuade or to present in multiple situations.
How is BSB different from schools you’ve previously taught in?
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What is the most outstanding achievement you’ve had so far? At my previous school in Abu Dhabi, I directed an Arabic speaking production. It was a new experience and incredibly challenging but it was certainly worth the effort. Students and staff from all parts of
the Arabic speaking world joined forces and demonstrated just what can be achieved if you put your mind to something. If you weren’t a Drama Teacher, what would your dream job be? I think I would love to be a hiking guide. I don’t have a great sense of direction
though… Hmm. Maybe a history tour guide (Drama and History are best friends I think). And finally: tell us something unexpected about yourself. I write and (before COVID) perform poetry for fun!
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#BSB REPORTERS Get to Know Our teachers:
Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Mulchrone Written by Ada and Alexia, BSB Reporters. Edited by Daniel, BSB Reporter
Mr. Kennedy As some of you might know, Mr. Kennedy is our School’s new Drama teacher. Unfortunately, neither of us take Drama, so this interview allowed us to take a closer look into a teacher’s life. Firstly, we talked about how he discovered his passion for Drama and why he chose to become a teacher. His choice was based on the fact that he always enjoyed Drama and that it is a subject that gives a person the freedom to express themselves. He specifically highlighted the fact that it allows people to toss their worries aside to explore something new unconditionally. He also shared that his own Drama teacher played a big role in his development. He found it very inspiring that he was also a man, as Drama tends to be a very female dominated area. Even though his teacher left around Year 9, Mr. Kennedy was already convinced that Drama was what he wanted to pursue in life. Since he always enjoyed working Page 66
with young people, something that came naturally to him, becoming a teacher was the right path. That being said, the figures he looks up to most are his own parents, in particular his father, due to the successful career he had to sacrifice so much for. This also inspired Mr. Kennedy to become a teacher, as his father taught him to always try and be his best and help others. That is why he took the opportunity to teach at BSB. Even though he was interviewed in July when Covid-19 was already an issue, he thought it was a fantastic chance to pursue his passion in a new place. In spite of the restrictions, he still decided that moving here could only benefit him. Not only the job opportunity but also the vast amount of scenery, the history of the cities and the country in general and the fact that it is not in the top search of destinations attracted him to Romania. We asked about Drama misconceptions
that he’d like to correct and he pointed out that Drama isn’t about pretending to be a tree, it’s very important for a young person’s development and awareness of people around them. It’s not just about the acting but it also builds on leadership skills, altogether making Drama a fantastic subject. When asked about what tips he would give students that want to pursue Drama but aren’t sure, Mr. Kennedy said, “If it’s your passion, you should follow it no matter what. Besides, you will gain public speaking skills, management roles, it makes you more open to do new things, it encourages you to go outside of your comfort zone and teaches you how to adapt to unusual situations”. As some words of encouragement to students in general, he said you should always try to be the best version of yourself, therefore you will never be disappointed and you will never have any regrets or concerns. Don’t be afraid of challenging yourself, because if you do that, you always gain something new in the end. Thank you,Mr. Kennedy for giving us some of your time!
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Ms. Mulchrone Ms. Mulchrone is this year’s new Psychology teacher, which is a new subject for Year 12. We started our interview by asking her about how she decided to become a teacher. Ms. Mulchrone began by explaining how she discovered that she wanted to teach Psychology during her second year of university. She always found it to be a fascinating subject and she loved the fact that it is very versatile and that throughout her career she would be able to teach different topics within this wonderful subject. She shared that her Philosophy teacher was someone she looked up to and really connected with because they were very similar and since she was quite young her teaching techniques appealed to her. On top of that, she was a family friend and Ms. Mulchrone found out that her teacher was going through a hard time, but she still made class interesting and it wasn’t noticeable at all that she was going through a rough period and that also inspired her. Another teacher she connected with was one of her two Psychology teachers. She also highlighted the fact that her other teacher made this amazing subject
seem quite boring and this inspired her to become a teacher so she could help others fall in love with it like her first teacher did. Another one of her role models is Jane Goodall, an English Primatologist and Anthropologist. She spent a lot of her youth observing chimpanzees. Ms. Mulchrone also loved that she helped raise a lot of awareness for the chimpanzees’ situation and the fact that at the time there were very few women working in this particular field. When asked about her decision concerning her move to Romania, she said she decided to move in November, back when COVID-19 wasn’t a problem. She chose Romania because she thinks it’s a beautiful country with an interesting history. She was also very excited to visit the countryside, since it would contrast the barren landscapes of Vietnam. The definitive reason was motivated by a desire to live closer to her family. Ms. Mulchrone claims the pandemic didn’t affect her when adapting to Romania since she was able to familiarise herself to the culture thanks to tourist guides. However, during these past couple of months she had hoped to visit some other cities like Cluj or Timisoara but unfortunately COVID 19 has impacted that and she hasn’t got to see those places yet. The language was more accessible than Vietnamese because she took French GCSE and that helps her understand certain
words but she is also looking forward to studying Romanian. Ms. Mulchrone underlined the fact that Psychology is a very versatile subject and it can complement many careers. The only problem with students who major in Psychology is that when they graduate it is hard to find a job so they should have a career in mind beforehand. It is extremely helpful to take it as an A Level, even if it isn’t someone’s career choice, it can help prepare people for different situations and it provides them with a set of very useful skills. We asked about Psychology misconceptions that she would like to correct and she was quick to point out that Psychology isn’t just about what’s wrong with people, it covers so many other areas and it helps us understand human behaviour better. In history, people were afraid of psychologists but psychologists are not mind readers as some are led to believe. Psychology is a very interesting science that benefits everyone. Lastly, as some words to every student at BSB, she encourages everyone to look after themselves and take care of their mental health. She said that we should all be nice to ourselves and be our own best friend. Thank you for spending some time with us and doing this interview!
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#BSB REPORTERS
The EPQ: Should You Do It? A compilation of reflections by Alexandra, Bonny, Georgina and Laura
At the start of Year 12, we were given the option to either complete an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or a Community Sports Leadership Award (CSLA). By the start of Year 13, a majority of students decided to drop their EPQ. Hopefully, this article will provide you with some insight into the process of taking on an EPQ, which could help with your decision-making when you arrive in the Sixth Form. We begin with a series of reflections by students who took on different ‘types’ of EPQs, namely an investigation, dissertation and artefact. The selection we have here is still not representative of what you can make out of the project. One student wrote a song and designed his very own album cover, another recorded a series of lectures on Astrophysics. At the end of the article, you can take a glimpse into what is expected by end of the EPQ. If you have any questions, you can talk to any of us.
The Process The investigation, by Alexandra For my EPQ I conducted an investigation aiming to find out whether I could predict the athletic performance of Sixth Form students based on their body type. I chose Page 68
this topic because at the start of Year 12 I was really interested in Sport Science and was considering it as a course at university. My project mainly involved me researching many articles and studies about information I could use to create predictions for each body type, planning and carrying out my investigation and analysing all the results to come to a conclusion. Our favourite virus, COVID-19, proved to be a big impediment to my project, however, I was able to work around it and safely continue my research. Even though it proved to be very tough at times due to lack of motivation, looking back, I learnt a lot from my EPQ. I learnt how to effectively plan and conduct my own investigation, the importance of time management and how to correctly reference studies - all things that will be extremely useful at university. Additionally, I learnt about the joys of having to manage and motivate Sixth Formers who would rather die than run. Also, fun fact, if you get an A in EPQ, some universities will lower the grade requirements for your course ;)
Dissertation, by Bonny At the start of Year 13, I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do in the future. I just knew that it would be something Biology and Chemistry related because those were the subjects I was most interested in. Therefore, I opted to do an investigation because I wanted to really hone my practical skills since I knew that wasn’t my strong suit. After exploring a few topics, I felt like the topic Bioplastic was kind of interesting, so I decided to work on that. A few months of research shaped my end objective, to create a biodegradable
bioplastic from the waste stream that was suitable for one-time use. I quickly realised that this was a very idealistic goal that was very difficult to achieve. My two hours in the lab trying to extract starch from potato was already a failure, so I started to have doubts about this project. Just a few weeks later, School was shut down and we all went into lockdown because of COVID, which made it impossible for me to conduct an investigation in the lab. I then decided to write a dissertation on the biodegradation of bioplastics. Sadly, the longer this project went on, the less effort I put into it because my interest in it was faltering. Yet, I didn’t want to give up, not only because of my ego but also because I thought the EPQ was genuinely an excellent way to hone my research skills, explore my interests and stand out in university application forms. Hence, in May I made the bold decision, after talking to Mr. Notley, to restart my project and choose a completely different topic. This time around, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do in the future, which was Medicine. I was also reading this book The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carrey which really piqued my interest and ended up inspiring my new project. The book introduced me to a neurodevelopmental disorder, Rett Syndrome which was found to be reversible in mice models back in 2007. Now, my EPQ topic is ‘Understanding Rett Syndrome and the path to a cure’. Although the process was tedious, it’s safe to say that I’ve learnt a lot along the way. I think my biggest challenges included referencing sources (until I started using the Google Docs citation tool) and the topic change. I’m not sure if the EPQ has boosted
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my university application in any way but I would still recommend it. I feel like it prepares you for what is to come later on in university, which is independent learning, conducting your own research and writing papers.
Artefact, by Georgina For my EPQ I decided to do an ‘artefact’ where I would produce a blog centred around the geopolitical tensions surrounding climate change. My blogs have covered topics from the Geopolitics of Geoengineering to the effects of entire countries sinking as a result of rising sea levels. I had decided very quickly that I wanted to produce an artefact and a blog seemed like a perfect fit as I would be able to explore a topic of interest more widely than I could if I was writing a dissertation. However, it took quite a while to finally settle on this particular topic for my project, having originally wanted to focus on the challenges faced by the environment in general. I eventually decided to narrow it down to Geopolitics because after a while it became clear that the topic I had chosen was much too broad and had become unmanageable. Some of the largest challenges I have faced have been trying to choose a topic to focus on that wasn’t too broad or niche and keeping on top of my activity logs (which I would highly suggest
doing to anyone starting on the EPQ programme). Overall, I would recommend it to anyone looking to further their knowledge in a particular topic or improve their research and essay writing skills.
The Result, by Laura Below is an abstract (summary) of Laura’s dissertation, along with the question she explored. How susceptible are we to misinformation and disinformation shaping our political views? This thesis attempts to come to a conclusion on a seemingly unanswerable question: how much are we truly impacted by negative external forces when creating political opinions of our own? Four case studies – UK, USA, China and Romania – are used throughout the dissertation as cornerstones of the study. By tackling different aspects of public political manipulation throughout the world, the thesis attempts to evaluate the extent to which humans’ political views are impacted by false information they receive through various sources they encounter on a day-to-day basis.
By researching the effects of ‘legacy media’ in former Soviet satellites which have fostered a culture of watching television despite being consciously aware of disinformation being actively propagated through the media outlet, one can start to evaluate the extent to which individuals allow their own selves to be politically swayed. By investigating the extent to which China’s government itself, implements severe control over media outlets and the way impacts of disinformation on a population that has no other choice but engage in a censored society can be evaluated. Perhaps the most relevant to us all is the investigation of the role of misinformation and disinformation in some of the most prominent democracies of the West, where politicians forge entire campaigns around simple yet cunning acts of ‘fake news’. Despite the unquantifiable results obtained through this thesis, the conclusion is undeniable. As social human beings, we allow ourselves to be swayed by external forces – some less so than others – in an attempt at acquiring information. Therefore, as a species, not only are we subconsciously susceptible to misinformation and disinformation but some of us unfortunately forge our entire political spectrums based on false claims. Page 69
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#BSB REPORTERS
Turtles All the Way Down An article written by Ilinca and edited by Daniel About the book: • Author - John Green • Genre - Young adult • Book Type - Fiction Despite my preconceived impression that this would be nothing more than a generic mystery novel, my expectations were quickly subverted. In fact, this has easily claimed the role as my personal favourite book. ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ recounts the story of Aza Holmes, a teenager with OCD, who gets involved in the mystery of the missing millionaire - the father of her forgotten childhood friend, Davis. But really, even as exciting as the storyline turns out to be, what strikes me about this book is that in only 400 pages, I, as a reader felt as if I’d been allowed to peek into someone’s inner world. The way in which every one of Aza’s unfiltered thoughts was displayed on paper allowed me to understand and, to some extent, even experience overwhelming emotions that I wasn’t familiar with. The character’s mental illness makes it hard to validate her spiralling thoughts, yet that still didn’t present a barrier as I ended up relating her eerie perception of life and caring deeply about her story. Page 70
John Green effectively grapples with the theme of friendship and conflicting relationships in teenagers’ lives. He realises complex characters in a lifelike manner by highlighting how they are lost in their interactions just as much as the reader. He portrays the challenges they face as they attempt to understand the meaning of their own life and the philosophy behind it, closely linked to the paradox of turtles, and how this ends up complicating their living. Out of all the interesting ideas brought forward in this book, in the context of deep conversations under the stars or sleepless nights of contemplating, there is one that stuck with me to the end: ‘We never really talked much or even looked at each other, but it didn’t matter because we were looking at the same sky together,
which is maybe even more intimate than eye contact anyway. I mean, anybody can look at you. It’s quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see’. I felt like it expressed the exact type of special bond that can be created between two people, a connection that cannot be labelled as love or friendship or by any other single word out of the dictionary and just like this, it opened my mind to understanding more of the world and less of it at the same time. Though I don’t find that the author intended for the ending of the book to be sad, I ended up having to hold back tears as a character’s journey, one I had been so incredibly dedicated to, is brought to a striking conclusion. However, you will have to experience, ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ for yourself to truly understand what I mean.
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#BSB REPORTERS
The Black Panther Party Parallels and Perpendiculars, what Their History Can Teach Us, an article written by Rafael
The Black Panther Party exists as a brief blip in American history and as an even smaller matter on the world stage. When spoken about or written on, the Panthers are depicted in polarising ways, as a violent militia, as a united humanitarian front but rarely for what it truly was as a whole. These parallel and perpendicular narratives of the enigmatic movement have led to its incredibly important history being buried, forgotten and misrepresented under a mound of controversy and deceit. Historian E.H. Carr once said: ‘History is an unending dialogue between the past and present’. History can teach us as much about ourselves as the present can; healing and learning are just what the world needs, even after events such as the George Floyd or Breanna Taylor murders. To tell the story of the BPP you need to tell it twice from two angles, I will tell the story from two voices, Fred Hampton and Afeni Shakur; two of the most famous and important Panthers and political figures in the past century of American history, and by reciting their story we learn more about ourselves and what we should strive to be. Fred Hampton was born on 30th August 1948 and he was born for one purpose, to
which he served until his death. From the age of 10, he was proactively helping the community in the suburbs of Chicago and protesting and campaigning for civil rights. He was a leader, a visionary and a man of sheer will. His most memorable work was uniting groups all over Chicago into a Rainbow Coalition, erasing the racial and cultural tension between different gangs and parties and forming a class-conscious alliance against the racist and repressive institutions that oppressed them all. His position as the Deputy Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, along with his drive, helped him inspire and help thousands in Chicago, giving them hope, a cause and solutions. He was a believer in education and the youth and his instrumental involvement in the Black Panther Free Breakfast Programme, which fed tens of thousands of kids every week, and his teaching of political classes defined his image along with his charisma and oration skills. ‘We don’t think you fight fire with fire best; we think you fight fire with water best. We’re going to fight racism not with racism but we’re going to fight with solidarity’. Fred Hampton was killed on 4th December 1969 and he was killed for one purpose; to continue the FBI’s unrelenting campaign to dismantle the Black Panther Party from within. From their early years, the BPP was a target of the FBI director himself, J. Edgar Hoover. The now-famous quote ‘The Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest threat to the internal security of the country’, is a testament to the existence of this personal vendetta. The FBI infiltrated the party and manipulated informants into sabotaging the Party’s plan for unity
and growing the community. During these dark times, Hampton stood out and rose in the ranks thanks to his innate ability to inspire and unite and he was on the brink of assuming the leadership of the entire organisation, were it not for his untimely death. He was murdered in his bed in a raid carried out by the FBI and the local police. The government and police said that he was a believer in communism and was waging a race-war and now his controversial death defines his image to most, as a danger to America and an insignificant blip in History that doesn’t deserve to be taught about. Afeni Shakur was born in 1947 as Alice Faye Williams. As a young woman in New York, she immediately became entranced with the Harlem renaissance and culture and subsequently joined the Panthers where her attention to detail in her activism and leadership didn’t go unnoticed. Her warmth and humanity also set her apart and her impact is still felt today as she can be credited with creating the first version of a Patients Bill of Rights. As a mother to Tupac Shakur (widely recognised as arguably the greatest hip-hop artists of all time), she involved him in the creative arts and fought for his education, and now through her foundations, she supports and involves thousands of children in the creative arts and fights for their education. She was a believer in education and the Arts and her lifetime dedication towards building facilities and systems to support children and help them thrive defined her image along with her unfaltering kindness and intelligence. Afeni Shakur was indicted in 1969 as a conspirator in a baseless domestic terrorist plot alongside 20 other Black Panthers. Page 71
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#BSB REPORTERS
The government slapped a one hundred thousand dollar bail on each of the victims, Afeni and another were the only ones released because of their ability to speak for the others and raise money. Facing 300 years in prison, she fought to raise funds, interview witnesses and built her case as the youngest Panther at the stand, all while being a pregnant single mother. After two years, the trial collapsed and the full total of 156 charges were dropped for each and every one of the 21 Panthers. The government and mainstream media said she was a believer in terrorism and violence Page 72
but luckily her long life until 2016 saw her defy expectations and she defined her image as an American hero along with the astronomical success of her son. What we can learn from these two and the Panthers organisation as a whole is invaluable. One of the best characteristics that Hampton and Shakur shared was their fusion of vision and idealism with their rational intelligence and initiative. They got so much done but never lost focus on the
true eventual goal. You can see in videos of Fred Hampton the two sides of his energy: the passionate and electric orator and the visionary, inspiring the masses with every syllabus, alongside the composed and deliberate planner and organiser. We need more great men that can inspire and conjure up ideals to live by and fight for, that simultaneously fight, achieve and act. One of the best characteristics of the Black Panther party was their ability to identify and target the real problems in their society and their ability to fight against
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them. Some of their ideals and goals they fought towards (outlined in their 10 Point Programme Manifesto) have been lost but many of them are still painfully present in today’s population and their movement and their struggle can teach us so much about the sometimes hidden evils within the system millions live in today. The gross lack of representation of these historical figures and the even more concerning misrepresentation of their past can no longer be overlooked. Problems and corruption in the education, police, prison and healthcare systems are all too common and the most significant menaces to the people of the USA. The failings and malfeasances in these systems don’t only need to be attacked head-on but new systems and facilities need to be built to counteract them, just how the Panthers built free healthcare clinics and breakfast programmes built on the backs of volunteering doctors, nurses, nutritionists and donors and of course formed their own police force and militia. Movements nowadays such as Black Lives Matter failed to unite and achieve. All the money that was meant to go to black communities was instead funnelled directly back into the institutions and governments that oppressed them. What we learn is, not only to follow their own policies and ideas but to think and act with the same desperation and perfect blend of realism and idealism; by doing this we can make the world a better place.
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By Rob Notley Once you have studied at BSB you are always a member of the BSB family. With COVID-19 we have been unable to host an Alumni event, however it does not mean members are forgotten about. We have kept our Alumni up to date with termly emails. As many of you know, our students leave BSB with fantastic memories and head off to pastures new in a range of different countries. We have students studying in the USA, China, Lebanon, Canada, Mexico and many more. From university many of our family members go on into the industry they have studied for. A few of our Alumni have also been at the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from medical researchers, doctors and paramedics. We are immensely proud of these students. We are also proud of our most recent graduating class. The class of 2020. Not only are they the 20th year group to successfully complete their education at BSB but also, I am personally proud of the manner in which they handled the lastminute changes to exams and the anxiety this caused. We never knew the full picture until the end but they all achieved the fantastic results they deserved. Page 74
Once restrictions are lifted, we would like to invite all members of the BSB Alumni back onto campus for a reunion. If past students would like to join the Alumni database and receive invitations to Alumni events please contact the School Office, office@britishschool.ro. In the meantime, you can enjoy reading some of our successful Alumni stories here: https://bit.ly/3rj22vO
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Meet the Team Behind the SceneS By Virginie Staal
Back in August, I was entrusted with the revamping of FBSB. There was no team, no calendar of events and all kinds of restrictions in place. We have come a long way since then and FBSB has never been so dynamic! To organise online conferences, tasting events, charity initiatives, walking tours and so on takes a lot of time and none of these would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our FBSB Team. Time for a proper introduction! Come and say hello if you see us!
Virginie Staal
FBSB Coordinator – France I’m originally French but I have been ‘on the road’ since 1996, first as an engineer and then as a spouse, consultant and Teacher! I met my Dutch husband along the way and managed to fit in three children between ten international moves, although two are now in London and only one in BSB. I enjoy our weekly FBSB Team brainstorming sessions. It has been challenging to create interesting and entertaining options for our community but fun and rewarding too. By also working with BSB support staff, I have discovered a whole new world behind the BSB front-scene. Finding wonderful people out there working hard for the good of the community has been stimulating and uplifting.
Fiona Dyas
FBSB Vice-Coordinator – England We moved to Bucharest from Scotland in 2018, after living in Kenya and France. Our two eldest children are now studying in Scotland and our youngest son is here in Year 8. I love photography and learning about the history of this fabulous country. I have been volunteering for Spouses associations in Bucharest. I enjoy being part of the FBSB Team, as I appreciate the support we can all provide each other, with our different experiences and meeting people from so many different countries and walks of life. I appreciate the chance to be involved in School life, especially at the moment!
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Saray Duque
FBSB Welcome Coordinator – Venezuela I am Saray, a mum of three in BSB, originally from Venezuela and traveling and discovering new places since 2002. I enjoy being part of the FBSB team and coming up with ideas and activities, especially during these times of pandemic, to create a sense of community and to get to know the culture and history of Romania.
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Sheila Ebeciljodi
FBSB Team member - Netherlands As a makeup artist, I used to carry suitcases full of cosmetics around, until one day I decided to use my suitcases for travel only. From Amsterdam to Paris, Latin America and Asia, I worked as an art dealer, helped kids grow their own vegetables and met a kindred-spirit in an Englishman I married. We are now a family of three and moved here from Brussels last summer, where I have helped build the School community. I am now looking forward to sharing my experiences, new adventures and open spirit with other parents here at BSB.
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Julie Allan
FBSB Team member – Scotland We moved to Romania in August 2019 from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. I have three children who attend BSB. I have found the School community very welcoming and joined FBSB to be a part of it. I enjoy walking, especially in the forest. I like meeting new people so please feel free to say hello if you see me.
Karine Peeling
FBSB Charity Coordinator – Canada We arrived from Canada last summer and have three children in Primary. I quickly got involved with FBSB and Light Into Europe (fostering Ecco, the puppy the School got to name!). I am extremely happy to be the Charity Coordinator for FBSB. It gives me the chance to interact with parents at School and to reach out to charities in Bucharest. Even during Covid we have many opportunities to meet online and create a sense of community. I am excited to meet more people in person.
Luminita Gerea
BSB Events Coordinator – Romania Born and raised in Bucharest, I joined the BSB team in the Summer of 2018. As BSB Events Coordinator, I provide administrative support to FBSB, from contract management, to marketing materials and logistics. I am more than happy to be part of the team and to contribute to activities and events for the entire BSB community. Throughout our collaboration we have discovered an ideal way of working, understanding both the administrative details and those needs from the FBSB community. The biggest challenge has been to offer activities in line with the current safety measures and the positive feedback from the community has been very encouraging. I am sure that in this formula we will not stop here.
I would like to thank the Year Group Partners and all the other parents who have also helped us in our journey and have participated in our events. Building a positive, supportive and dynamic community is down to all of us and every little bit counts. Feel free to join the FBSB Team if you want to get more involved and help make a difference
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About @BSB @BSB is the termly school magazine issued by the British School of Bucharest. The British School of Bucharest (BSB) is an established, well-resourced international private school located on a spacious campus in Pipera, to the north of Bucharest. The school provides a comprehensive international education based on the National Curriculum for England taught by fully qualified and experienced native English-speaking teachers, our School being the only one in Romania whose teachers are all native English speakers. We welcome more than 600 students each year, aged 2-18, and teach them in modern classrooms with an impressive pupil to teacher ratio. This ensures a personalised and highly supportive learning environment which is part of a richly diverse learning community, with students representing approximately 50 nationalities.
Contact:
If you need any information about BSB, please do not hesitate to contact our Office Department: Tel: (+40) (0)21 267 8919 (+40) (0)728 133 433 Fax: (+40) (0)21 267 8969 E-mail: office@britishschool.ro
Other useful e-mail addresses: Admissions: admissions@britishschool.ro Marketing: marketing@britishschool.ro Data Protection Officer: dpo@britishschool.ro
British School of Bucharest Crawford House Foundation 42 Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, Voluntari 077190, Romania Registered: 17/2008 Fiscal Code: 24879960
Parking Address: The School’s car park is situated on Erou Iancu Nicolae nr. 65, next to the Strip Mall. Access to the car park is based on the car registration and access is restricted for the public. After leaving your car, it is a five-minute walk to BSB.
The British School of Bucharest invites you to become a partner in the @BSB School Magazine. For further details of this opportunity, please contact marketing@britishschool.ro.
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As well as uniforms for BSB students, we have a great variety of seasonal gifts. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 – 10:30 and 14:30 – 16:30 42 Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, Voluntari, Ilfov You can purchase your desired items online soon! Page 79
British School of Bucharest Early Years Foundation Stage | Primary | Secondary 42 Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190, Voluntari, Ilfov County, Romania T. +40 728 133 432, +40 728 133 433 E. office@britishschool.ro BritishSchoolBucharest
britishschoolro
british.school.bucharest
British School of Bucharest
www.britishschool.ro The School is operated by Crawford House Foundation. Registered 3/25.01.2016. Fiscal Code 24879960