BSB School Magazine - June 2010

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

Issue 5 - June 2010 Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Winners of this year’s BSB Sports Day House Competition On Thursday May 21st Iolanda Balos Stadium was painted green, yellow, red and blue as our students took to track and field to compete for the Ilie Nastase House Cup, proudly sponsored this year by the Porsche Finance Group Romania. Competition was fierce, but in the end it was Danube who stood triumphant on the winner’s podium.

Prince Radu visits BSB as a part of his 50th celebrations

Sinaia, Moeciu de Sus, Poiana Brasov, BSB students learn about healthy England, Madrid, and Berlin eating during Healthy Schools Week

BSB students were honoured with a visit by Prince Radu, accompanied by HRH Queen Anne, HRH Crown Princess Margarita, HIRH Archduke Georg of Austria, HRH Princess Alexander of Belgium, HRH Princess Philomena of France, and HIRH Archduchess Eilika of Austria, amongst others, who visited the British School of Bucharest this term as a part of Prince Radu’s 50th birthday celebrations.

What do these destinations all have in common?

They are all destinations that BSB students have headed off to on their annual end of year school trips: Year 3 enjoyed two days in Sinaia, Year 4 three days in Poiana Brasov, Year 5 five days in Moeciu de Sus, Year 6 a week on a PGL adventure in SW England, Year 7 a week in Madrid, and Years 8-12 a week in Berlin.

Term three was jam-packed with a variety of special days and events, but none was more popular than Healthy Schools Week, which took place this year from the 3rd – 7th May, involving students from EYFS to Key Stage 5. During this week the students had the opportunity to learn about healthy food and healthy living in a variety of fun, interesting, and tasty ways.

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro Contents · Editor’s Note 2 · BSB Charity Work Review 2009-2010 2 · Principal’s Report 3 · The Front Desk 3 · EYFS Gafencu Report 4 · EYFS Pipera Report 4 · Key Stage 1 Report 4 · Key Stage 2 Report 5 · Primary School Report 5 · Secondary School Report 5 · Student Spotlight 6 · Who are the People in your neighbourhood 6 · New Parent Spotlight: 7 · Snack Attack Open for Business 7 · House Competition Report 8 · Primary House Captain Reports 8 · House Point Race Finale!

9 · Student Council Report The First Ever Talent Show at BSB! 10 · IGCSE Art 11 · Visiting Author offers BSB teachers insights into the writing process 12 · Children’s Author Anthony Lishak visits BSB 12 · An interview with Children’s book writer Antony Lishak 13 · Secondary School Mathematics Report 13 · BSB students enjoy Royal Jubilee Celebrations 14 · Key Stage 3 Eco Bags Project 15 · Breaking News A newly discovered planet: Planet BSB 15 · BSB Sports Day, 2010 16 · Sports Day Practice from Gafencu’s Point of View 16 · Healthy Schools Week 18 · EYFS Healthy Schools Week 19 · KS1 Healthy Schools Week 19 · Healthy Schools Week Cha Cha Slide Assembly 20 · Emergent Writing 21 · The Primary School Handwriting Competition 21 · A BSB 10 Year Anniversary Retrospective 22 · The British School of Bucharest, Ten Year Anniversary 25 · Crazy Craze of the Month 25 · Summer Fair EYFS 26 · BSB Summer Fair Fun 26 · BSB Summer Clubs, Term 3, 2010 28 · In between the thunderstorms 30 · You know you’re on a Duke of Edinburgh hike when...

30 · Muy Buenas desde Madrid!

Journal Entry, Day 1 31 · Primary pupils sing ‘La Mer’ at the Summer Fair 31 · Year 3 trip to Sinaia 32 · Year 4 trip to Poiana Brasov 32 · Year 5 trip to Moeciu de Sus 33 · Year 6 Trip: Welcome to PGL 33 · Hier spielt die Musik!

34 · Secondary Students Celebrate German Reunification 20 year Anniversary in Berlin 34 · Interview mit Frau Weident 35 · Year 4 perform ‘Die vier Freunde’ in assembly 35 · Primary to Secondary Transition: Stages 2 and 3 completed 36 · EYFS transitions: looking ahead to next year 37 · Science Day 38 · Science Symposium 38 · KS2 Play Pals teach KS1 students new games 38 · EYFS Science Week: ‘aka Knowledge and Understanding of the World’ Week 39 · EYFS Water Day 40 · Learning to swim at BSB 41 EYFS Pipera Summer roduction · “Stars in their Eyes” 41 · Class Pages 42 · Crèche Gafencu 42 · Creche Pipera 42 · Preschool Gafencu 42 · Preschool Pipera 43 · Reception C 43 · A Sea of Sounds 43 · Reception E read some traditional tales 43 · Growth, Change and 44 · New Beginnings 44 · 1C 44 · Do 1T have green fingers?, 1W, 2P 45 · 2S 46 · 3T Visits Bucharest Museums 46 · 3W Assembly, 4D 46 · Enthusiastically Egyptian!

46 · 5L, H PSHCE, The 6U

47 · ‘Clear Water Challenge’ 47 · Learning and Play 48 · Parent’s workshop 49 · The BSB English 100% Guarantee 50 · A day in the life of a TA during Roman Week 51 · Working and Living in Bucharest 52 · School Events arranged by the PTA in Term 3 53 · PTA visit Asociatia Sindrom Down Bucuresti 54 · Secondary End of Year Social 54 · City Compass ‘Discover Little Paris’ City Tour.

55 · Romania through the Lenses of Expat Women 55 · Light into Europe 56 · Great Expectations in just a Few Minutes 57

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Editor’s Note

Looking through the pages of this issue and in deed back through the pages of the past four issues, it is incredible to think how much goes on in a single year at BSB. I doubt many of us, now the older generation, had a school year to compare. I think this is the advantage of being in an international school: the fact that so much is celebrated across the cultures of so many countries from which the students come. A clear and recent example of this is the Summer Fair, which saw no less that 10 stands celebrating the food and culture from various countries. It was truly a delight to walk about sampling the various dishes on offer and I for one am already waiting and looking forward to the next summer fair, as I think most are.

The variety and fluency of languages heard around the campus is another wonderful advantage offered to students attending school at BSB, for students learning French, German,

Spanish, and English, amongst other languages offered through clubs, have the opportunity to talk with their friends who speak these languages as a native language and in so doing help the students learning to develop a native fluency also. As a further support to language learning we offer students the chance to visit other countries where they can speak these languages and realise firsthand that the hard work and effort gone into their studies are of immediate and real benefit. This was always the struggle with learning languages in New Zealand: the fact that the chance of ever using the language seemed so very distant. In stark contrast to this reality, students at BSB this year have had the opportunity to join school trips to Austria, Italy, England, Germany, and Spain; several of which you can read about in this issue. In addition to these trips, the students also go on regular family holidays abroad as Bucharest is so central in Europe- most countries being a short cheap flight away- and make friends with students from other countries and so as a result often spend time abroad during the holidays visiting each other. They also write to each other over the internet. The sum of all this is that BSB is a wonderful place to learn languages and as such all of our students speak at least two languages, with many speaking three, four, or more.

I would like to thank everyone for all the effort that they have put into all five issues of Newsblast this year. It seemed like a tall order at the start of the year but the time has flown by and each issue has quickly gone to

print and so here we are with me now writing the final piece to complete this fifth and final issue for the year.

As you can see by the number of pages and articles, it has been a very busy end to the year with events such as BSB Sports Day, The Visiting Author, Healthy Schools Week, Science Day, Eco Day, EYFS Water Day, the various school socials and many other events, and the year is still not yet over. There is still the Key Stage 2 Production, The Midsummer Madness Party, Barnaby’s Picnic, and a number of other events to come in the week ahead- which you all will have enjoyed by the time this issue hits the news stands. So thank you to the BSB management team, the PTA, and teachers and students, and the various sponsors for putting such a wonderful calendar together and making it possible. I can only hope that 2010/11 will prove to be as good a year as this one has been.

Thank you also to everyone who contributed toward this issue of Newsblast. It is another large issue and a lot of hard work has gone into it. My special thanks to Daniela Mager, Ms Moorcroft, Ms Hussain, Ms Kemp, Mr Hamacher, Mrs O’Brien, Louisa, Bethan, Emma, and Mihnea, from Year 10, and Jennea from Year 8.

I would like to wish everyone a very relaxing, enjoyable summer break.

I look forward to seeing everyone returning in September.

Happy reading.

Mr Kendall Peet Kendall.peet@britishschool.ro

BSB Charity Work Review 2009-2010 This school year has seen some well established charity drives continued and has also brought new initiatives into life. We have had the chance to support new charities and meet exciting people with fascinating stories to tell.

Some of the highlights of our work, which stand out to me this year include: • Jeans for Genes Day • The Shoe Box Appeal • Guide Dog Association Visit • Visit from the Down Syndrome Association Donations of money, clothes and electronic equipment have been made to various groups in the community, including The Children’s Hospital –Inocenti Foundation, the Vasiliada Association, Remar, the Down Syndrome Association, and the Guide Dog Association.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the Charity Committee for their hard work this year, the members of the PTA for

Sampling pictures for the 10 Year BSB Charity Board, it was gratifying to see the continuity of our charity work through the years

their commitment and generosity, and all the students and parents who have supported our initiatives so openheartedly. I really feel like we have helped to make a significant difference to the lives of many people

in need and hope that next year will be as successful as this year has been.

Dorothea Draser on behalf of the BSB Charity Committee

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Friends of BSB, The summer is finally upon us and we can reflect on another fantastic year for BSB. There have been many highlights, and so many wonderful events organised by students, staff and parents that will ensure this is a year to remember.

Recently I spent a night away with our Year 4 students on their trip to Poiana Brasov, and I was

really impressed with the manners and attitude that the children displayed out of school. They were confident to speak to other people in the hotel and were polite at all times. In the morning they showed concern for one another, asking how they had slept, of course the first night away some had done very little sleeping, however the manner in which they expressed an interest in their peers was touching to hear. Before they boarded their coach for the day, I saw students helping one another with additional bags, checking that nothing had been left behind, and asking if their friends were feeling ok and did they want an extra glass of water before setting off. The care they were showing to one another was creating a wonderful atmosphere of safety and comfort, something Ms Hussain refers to in her comments. It was refreshing to see this while the children were out of school, as it has been something that I take for granted from the students on a daily basis. It is a regular occurrence to hear children taking the trouble to consider their friends in playtime and in the classroom, to politely respond to visitors and to be confident to ask questions and state their opinions when asked. So to be reassured that these skills practiced at school are being

taken into their lives out of school time was great to witness. Aside from academic ability, preparing students for life after school means that they must have healthy social skills, display empathy and understanding, be confident to represent their thoughts and argue their case diplomatically, make friends and be responsible for their actions. I am always very proud of BSB students and feel that they have a great balance of these qualities, and in the end this is where their success will lay.

As always we must say goodbye to students and colleagues alike, as another year draws to a close. Whenever a member of school leaves it is a BSB tradition for them to receive a map, a school teddy bear and a Romanian pot. The pot is to remind them of their time in Romania, the bear to help them remember BSB and the map so they can find their way back some day; it is lovely to hear news of our alumni and so we hope that if you are moving on this summer you will think of us occasionally and drop us a line to let us know how you are doing. We wish you all the very best.

Jo Puddy-Wells principal@britishschool.ro

The Front Desk

Pipera Office Staff: Ms Adina Suciu, Ms Madalina Cioc and Ms Alexandra Panait

Pipera

For admissions please contact Ms Madalina Cioc either by e-mail at:

If you need any in formation or help in regard to your child’s education and support at BSB, please do not hesitate to contact our office team during normal working hours, 8.00am-5.00pm, Monday-Friday.

Email: admissions@britishschool.ro Phone: 021 267 8919 Fax: 021 267 8969

Email: office@britishschool.ro Tel: 021 267 8919 Fax: 021 267 8969 For specific help relating to school transport and student lunches, please contact: Email: services@britishschool.ro Mob: 0728 133 432/3 Tel: 021 267 8919 Fax: 021 267 8969

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

Gafencu Mrs. Camelia Stoian Email: camelia.stoian@britishschool.ro Mobile: 0731 300 804

Mrs. Camelia Stoian, Gafencu

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

EYFS Gafencu Report The summer term of any school year is always bitter sweet. The children are thriving and relaxed with a strong sense of ownership of the building, the adults and their learning. The weather is sunny and warm, even hot, and so the children can free flow indoors and outdoors as they wish. The staff and children all know each other very well and all have a very clear understanding of how the day is organised and delivered and of the expectations we all have of each other. The staff are particularly thrilled as we see and hear the children involving themselves in everything that we have strived to encourage them in during the year. But as the case with all good things, it gradually draws to an end.

EYFS Pipera Report As the academic year draws to a close it is always a time of fun activities and reflection. I have just looked back over the past editions of Newsblast before starting to write this report and was reminded how much the children have grown and matured, and the vast array of activities that have taken place both in EYFS and the school as a whole.

There is a moments silence then “Ms Kath, you and Ms Alex and Ms

for all the children. It was wonderful to read all the positive comments about the children and the amount of learning that has been going on. Our transition programme has ensured that all children are ready and comfortable about moving onto their next class and teacher.

Recently the EYFS children received their reports and discs of photographs. As EYFS Coordinator I am lucky enough to read the reports

At the beginning of June EYFS Pipera hosted the Bucharest Early Years Group. This group meets each term to share ideas and Early Years issues. We had over 40 visitors from schools around Bucharest.

It was inspiring to hear all the positive comments about the EYFS outdoor areas and classrooms and we hope the other teachers found the presentation about the

Key Stage 1 Report

the summer production ‘Eddie the Penguin Saves the World’ and their singing is amazing- I’m sure many of you would have seen the production by the time you are reading this.

It is hard to believe that the end of the year is here! The summer term has sped by really quickly with a whirlwind of activities. The children were on top form for Sports Day and we can see lots of budding athletes.

The KS1 children were super keen and enthusiastic! The KS1 team would like to also congratulate the children who participated and won medals in the Mini-Olympics.

Science Day was a success with a variety of different activities and the children were determined to solve and discover new things. The children are now busy practising for

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I have just been called away by one of the boys in my class to look at the sand box where he and several of his friends are busy making “cement”. This activity involves copious amounts of water, sand and gravel from various parts of the garden, all being mixed in a deep hole in the centre of the sand box, invariably there are several sets of very dirty clothes, faces, arms and legs. The conversation, unprompted, is in English and punctuated by calls for more sand or water with several huffs and puffs to demonstrate the strenuousness of the work. The focus of the conversation is on the class identity next year. Their conversation makes it very clear that they understand that they, as the present Preschool will be the Reception class next year and that this is natural, as it is clear to them that they are ‘big children”.

We are also still looking forward to Teddy Bear’s Picnic we will be sharing with EYFS. This event is another opportunity for the Reception children to join KS1 to help with a smoother transition to KS1. The Reception children have also joined KS1 for a couple of assemblies as well.

The children have worked extremely hard over the year and they should be very proud of all their achievements. We are very proud of all they have accomplished. I have enjoyed being able to see the

Gaby will have the small children next year (crèche); they will be Preschool.” And so it goes, the transition from one year to another.

The above conversation and activity reflects a lot of adult time and input. It also says that staff were able to confidently allow this messy activity because of the excellent understanding and support of the parents, whose washing machines must have been non stop through out the year!

Several parents explained that after attending the various EYFS workshops over the year, they now had a clearer understanding of the “look” of child development, learning and achievement during these early years. This underlines the importance of the partnership between home and school. Thank you staff, parents and children for an extremely enjoyable year!

Mrs Kath Homer, EYFS Gafencu Coordinator

EYFS curriculum given by Mrs Kath Homer useful and informative. The feedback made me feel really proud to be part of such a dedicated team.

Finally, I would like to thank all the teachers, teaching assistants, specialist teachers and cleaners who work in EYFS Pipera. It is a rewarding and friendly environment to work in and this could not happen without the hard work of all the staff.

I wish all the children, parents and staff at BSB a wonderful summer holiday.

Ms Tiffany Moorcroft, EYFS Pipera Coordinator

children in different lessons. We are very privileged to have such bright, receptive, enthusiastic and caring children.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the parents for their support throughout the year. I would like to thank the KS1 team for all their hard work and the TAs for their continued support in the classroom. I have been honoured over the last three years to work with a great group of children, parents and staff and I leave this year with fond memories. I wish everyone a happy and restful summer holiday and wish everyone the best for next year.

Ms Justine Tyler, Key Stage 1 Coordinator

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Key Stage 2 Report

But we know they leave having had a real blast, When they focus on the years that have past

Twinning with other classes or in P.E having fun and a swim, Numeracy lessons on volume filling containers to the brim.

It is hard to believe that June is already here, As this signals the end of another school year.

There is no doubt the terms have just flown by, So I write this with a heavy heart and a sigh.

To list all the highlights - a near impossible task, For everyone mentions different ones when asked: Some say the trips, computer lessons or our Sports Day, Though homework for some reason, very few of them say!

Whatever your favourite memory of the year or the school, Be proud as you’ve all done very well and are pretty ‘cool’.

Whatever you do over the summer, just one thing to remember, Please take care and I can’t wait to see you all in September!

For as always we have some pupils moving on, And we will miss them all when they are gone.

Science Day, Music lessons or playing in the dome, Using the climbing frame or just having a break time roam,

Primary School Report

seeming to even falter for a moment were real moments of joy for me.

I think that children would need to feel truly safe and happy to be able to act like this at such a young age and it gave me great pleasure to think that BSB is providing this atmosphere. Then, what really impressed me more than anything else, was seeing the children in the semi-finals being so thoroughly supported and encouraged by their peers. From the oldest down to the youngest children, everyone was 100% committed to wishing their fellow students well. The cheering and applauding that accompanied every act was a pleasure to be a part of. I really enjoyed the sense of community that this event evoked and I would really like to thank the staff and children involved in making it such a success.

As I sat down to write my end of year report I was first of all rather thrown that Mr Davidson had written a poem for his! There was absolutely no way that I was going to be able to compete with such an impressive piece of work. Secondly, as always, I was finding it extremely difficult to summarise just how I felt about all the achievements, activities and general excitements of the last term. Having established that this is not possible, I have decided to instead focus on just a few aspects that have made me proud recently.

The competition for ‘BSB’s Got Talent’ has been one of my highlights of the whole year. I have been astounded by, not just the very obvious talent which the children possess, but more impressively, by their incredible sense of confidence.

Watching them performing in front of massive audiences, without

Secondary School Report It is hard to believe that I am once again writing my final summer message for the year. Time has flown by and so much has been achieved by our students. The last few weeks have been hectic and fun, and teachers and students alike feel exhausted by all the activities, trips, and event days. As always, the end of the year has made all of us aware of the international nature of the school, and students and teachers are preparing to say farewell to students who are leaving the British School to study elsewhere in Romania and in other countries. We wish success and happiness to all our friends who are moving on.

This term the Secondary School has hosted transition days, sports events, participated in the summer

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

I also wanted to acknowledge the current Year 6’s transition from Primary up to Secondary. These children were the first that I taught when arriving at BSB six years ago and seeing my tiny Year 1’s journey

fair, the secondary students’ dance and the debating and public speaking competitions. We have ended the year with the Year 7 trip to Madrid and the Year 8 – 11 trip to Berlin. Students remaining in Romania during this time were, however, not allowed to rest as staff prepared a hectic activity week where students went to the water park and Laser Quest among many other activities, with the week culminating in students preparing a picnic for the final day. Our Key Stage 3 students have taken their end of year examinations, Year 9 students have made their subject choices for the IGCSE courses next year, and our Year 11 students have also made important decisions about their AS/A2 courses for next year.

During our final week this term we will see staff and students enjoying the annual BBQ where once again Mr Peet will don his apron and as head chef oversee the cooking. On

Mr Iain Davidson, Key Stage 2 Coordinator

into capable, responsible and impressive young students has been one of the greatest pleasures of my teaching career. There is nothing quite so rewarding as watching children you have taught grow up, and I feel very lucky to be in a position to see this. I wish them all well as they journey onto Secondary School. I hope they all stay in touch, wherever their future lies.

My last comment is purely personal.

I want to thank students, parents and staff for all their well-wishes for the baby. Your support has been much appreciated during this exciting time. I will be back to work full time in November but until then I will be dropping by to visit you all and to see that everything is going well. So until then, have a safe and relaxing holiday and to those who are moving on, best wishes for the journeys ahead of you, and please stay in touch.

Ms Naima Hussain, Head of Primary

the 29th of June the Secondary School will hold its final assembly of the year where we will celebrate our students’ progress and achievements. This assembly and award ceremony is important to the students and teachers and as such we extend an open invitation to parents who wish to attend. Finally, our current Year 11 and 12 students will be waiting for their IGCSE and AS examinations results which will be out mid August.

This has been an eventful, busy, fruitful and exhausting year for students and teachers alike. With the prospect of sun, sea, family and friends, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and relaxing summer vacation and I look forward to seeing our returning BSB students on Thursday the 2nd of September.

Ms Jane Greenwood, Head of Secondary

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Student Spotlight

Who are the People in your neighbourhood

Mariam in a DT Lesson

David, 4H

David, 4H, was born on June 7th, 2001. He’s been at BSB since September. Before he came to BSB he was in Siberia. His house team is Arges. He likes Romania and his favourite thing to do in Romania is going to the parks. His favourite things about BSB are the teachers and house teams. His favourite subjects are Science and History. He plays football during break times. He enjoys lots of different food, but he doesn’t like Romanian food that much. He said if he could go anywhere in the world he’d like to go to Russia. His favourite movie is ‘The Mask’.

His favourite book is 100 Mile Hour Dog. His special talent is bike tricks and his favourite music is rock.

Mariam, Year 8, has been living in Romania for just one year. She says she likes Romania but wishes it was more organized like Germany. In spite of that fact, Miriam compared BSB to her other school as being nicer and greener, as well as having less people which leads to better learning – a statement which we all agree on, I’m sure. Miriam likes Pizza and Chinese food. Miriam likes to keep healthy, goes to the gym regularly and is glad that summer is here, because she is able to practice swimming as well. As much as Miriam likes summer, she is not the only person in her family enjoying it; her three cats by the names of Frechdachs, Tiger, and Findus are also enjoying the fact that they can play outside with her and her brother, Alex (who is also studying in Year 3 at BSB). Coincidentally, the day I interviewed Miriam it was her birthday, so my last words go to wishing her a Happy Birthday and thanking her for the cake.

By Mihnea, Year 10

“Who are the people in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood, yes, who are the people in your neighbourhood, they’re the people that you meet each day.”

In this final issue of Newsblast for this academic year I would like to introduce you to Mr Cristi Marinescu, who is currently the manager of all the BSB bus rides.

I am sure we all see him every day fixing the schedules for the buses or perhaps on a quest for students who are late for their bus (as if that ever happens) but what few of us probably know about Mr Marinescu is that he used to be a national table tennis champion in Romania.

During Romanian communism, Mr Marinescu was selected while at school at the age of 7 to play Table Tennis. Once Mr Marinescu had proven to the world he was a competent player, he was transferred to a Romanian sporting club named ‘Progresul’. When I asked Mr Marinescu whether he had any other hobbies apart from table tennis, he corrected me by saying table tennis was not only a hobby, it was a passion.

Mr Marinescu’s table tennis record is as follows: 1st place in the Junior League in 1987 2nd place in the Medium League in 1989 3rd place in the Senior League (also referred to as ‘Unirea Tricolor’ in Romania) in 1991 Unfortunately everything comes at a cost, and in order to become a national table tennis champion Mr Marinescu ended up missing a lot of school.

However, because there was no money or career future in the sport Mr Marinescu decided to quit table tennis at the age of 16 and return full-time to school, managing to obtain a High School diploma.

Currently, Mr Marinescu is focusing on his family life, having been married for 2 years, and is looking forward to his first child soon. Mr Marinescu told me that he enjoys his current job as he likes working with children and being a bus driver. I would like to thank Mr Marinescu for providing me with the opportunity to interview him and I wish him the best of luck at BSB and at home, with his family. Thank you, Mr Marinescu.

Hannah, 5L

Hannah, 5L, is a new student this year. She was born in 2000, and has been at BSB just this year.

She is in Mures. Her favourite thing about Romania is the street dogs and her favourite thing about BSB is the swimming pool- she says she wouldn’t change anything about BSB because it’s perfect.

During break time she likes talking to her friends.

Her favourite food is McDonalds. Her favourite movie is ‘Coroline’ and her favourite book is ‘The Illustrated Mum’ by Jacqueline Wilson. Her favourite joke is: “What do you call a blind dinosaur? Do you think he saw us!” Her special talent is singing and her favourite band is The Black Eyed Peas. She says she would like to visit Germany one day.

By Hassan, 5L

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Mihnea, Year 10

Isabel, Year 11

Isabel, Year 11 was born on the 19th August 1994.

She has just completed her IGCSE year. Some of her favourite school subjects include Geography, English and Maths and she wishes she was better at PE. Isabel comes from England and Spain and has also lived in Portugal and is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and English. In her free time Isabel likes to hang out with friends and listen to music- her preference is Shakira. Isabel’s favourite food is veggie lasagne and tortellini.

By Louisa, Year 10

Cristi with Jarod and Chi helping to hold his national champion certificate

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

New Parent Spotlight: Mrs Julia Armstrong When did you come to Romania, and why?

I came to Romania in February ago with my husband because he has a new job here

What class are your children in?

One son is in Reception with Mrs Claire O’Brien and my other son is in Year 2 with Ms Kristen Swanson

If you could be a teacher, what subject would you teach?

I think I would like to be a drama teacher

Do your children like BSB? If so, what do they like?

They like the school, the teachers and their new friends

Where did you live before moving to Romania?

I lived in the Netherlands

Did you go to the Summer Fair?

Yes, I went with my children and we all had a great time

What are your interests?

I’m interested in music, theatre and cooking What were your first impressions of BSB? The first day I came to BSB I said “Wow it’s amazing!”

What were your first impressions of Romania?

I arrived in February when it was cold and thought it was very busy, so I did not have the best first impression but now I like it here

Finally, what is your favourite movie and what music do you like?

My favourite singer is Lady Gaga and Florence and the Machine and my favourite movie is ‘All about my Mom’.

Alexandra 6H (Junior writer for the BSB Newsblast) A new parent to the school, Mrs Julia Armstrong

Snack Attack Open for Business

Mmmmm, what shall I have for lunch today

Year 11 students, Alexandra, Andreea, Edoardo and Denis relaxing after their French IGCSE exam

Ms Taylor and Mr McGowan enjoying a Snack Attack

Taking a hot toasted sandwich out for Mihnea, Year 10

Year 8 students Mariam and Naomi making an order

Why not check out the Parent’s notice board while you’re there

In Issue 4 we announced that the new cafeteria was about to open, hinting that you would be able to grab a ‘snack’. Well, we are happy to announce that Snack Attack is now open on the BSB campus and available for students, parents, and teachers

to enjoy, offering a wide selection of snacks and meals to enjoy at lunchtime and throughout the day. Parents are invited to come to school early in the afternoon and to enjoy a club of tea or a fresh coffee with other parents before picking their

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

children up at 3pm after classes finish, or 4pm after the BSB Club session. We look forward to seeing you there soon!

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

House Competition Report

Arges piecing their water pipe together

Danube runners

Mures with their first cup of water

Olt runners

Arges runners

Danube with a steady flow of water

Mures taking a break

Olt working together

It has been a very busy final term with several House events taking place.

Arges proved their might in the KS2 tug of war competition – they were even able to beat the teacher team!!

Sports day was a huge success with

the mighty Danube coming out on top in the end.

co-operative skills to transport water from a central area, down a set of pipes to a bucket. There was some excellent team work in all the houses, however Arges managed to collect the most water on the day.

It has been an exciting third term in the House Competition. At the time of writing Mures are in the lead with 4379 points, followed by Arges with 4290. Olt have 4194 points and Danube have 4114.

Recently the Houses undertook BSB’s first ever whole school water challenge where they had to use their

Primary House Captain Reports Awesome Arges

Danube is the Best!!!

Go Olt Go!

Mighty Mures

This term Arges has definitely tried their best in many different areas. We did the Cha Cha slide with DJ Casper.

The whole house team danced for victory and did their very best and came second just behind Mures.

Unfortunately we can’t always win. We also competed in a Tug of War battle and won (HOORAY!!!), but it was a tough battle against Mures. Arges gained 400 house points with the Tug of War, which probably took us into first place. Then Sports Day came and everything changed. I know we all did our best, but sadly we didn’t expect to finish third. However, I believe in my team and I know we are going to come first at the end. Luckily, there will be a competition coming up and hopefully, Arges will win. Thanks to everyone in Arges, it has been a great experience being the House Team Captain for Arges.

Danube has been achieving more than they were anticipating! Danube was so strong and powerful that we won the Sports Day with a very big difference. I knew this year Danube would win because I believe in my team and knew we could do it.

DANUBE ROCKS! BLUES NEVER LOSE! On Sports Day there were lots of events going on. Everyone had to choose an event and try their best. If they won they would get a medal and house points. One other competition I really enjoyed was the Cha Cha slide.

Everyone in Danube had a lot of fun!

Teaching my house the moves took a little time but that didn’t matter. Even if we came 3rd we had a lot of fun. At the end of the Cha Cha slide all the KS2 danced including the teachers.

DANUBE WILL ROCK FOREVER!!! It has been great being the House Captain for Danube. Thanks.

It has been a very exciting final term for Olt. We have all worked hard together, especially on Sports Day, which we all enjoyed. At the beginning of Sports Day Olt was in last place, but after the break we were able to move up to second place, which was incredible. Well done! Outstanding performances on Sports Day included the relay race, running, throwing and high jump. Our goal for Olt is to still try to win the end of the year House Team Cup. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful Summer Holiday.

It has been an exciting term for Mures, especially since we are in first place for house points in KS2! This shows we have learnt to cooperate and work together. I’m sad for the end of the year when we will have to say goodbye as some of the students in Mures will be leaving BSB.

Jarod 6H, Arges House Captain

Dilara 6H, Danube House Captain

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Eleanor, 6U, Olt House Captain

I am very proud of being in Mures because we aren’t just a few students in a certain house. We are hard working. We are tough. We are Mures, proud to be together battling it out for the top spot. There isn’t another house like it. During the long school year members of Mures have come to me saying how they earned a certain number of house points and that we have to be on top. This shows how much we care and love our house.

This is why we are Mures.

Thomas, 6U, Mures House Captain

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Primary House Point Chart

Secondary House Point Chart

House Point Race Finale!

The last term at BSB has been filled with many activities involving the whole school in house competitions.

The first major competition was Sports Day which was dominated by Danube who secured the top spot followed by Olt, Arges and Mures.

The win at Sports Day gave Danube an incentive to pick up the pace and achieve as many points as possible

during the last few weeks. This was followed by the Water Competition, with Arges the victors this time raising their house points tally. So what does all this mean? Well let me tell you.

Even though Danube and the other houses obtained scores of house points, it was still not enough to snatch the victory away from MURES, which shows you how hard Mures

have worked this year to build up such a commanding unassailable total! The final scores for the 2010 Secondary House Competition are: 1st Mures: 3934 2nd Danube: 3528 3rd Olt: 3524 4th Arges: 3353

Congratulations to Mures, who have liberated the House Competition Cup from Danube’s grasp!

Mr Pantella, Secondary House Point Coordinator

Mures showing the winning spirit that won them this year’s Secondary House Competition

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9

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Student Council Report The First Ever Talent Show at BSB! The Student Council worked extra hard this term to organise the first ever talent show at BSB. It was an exciting event and everyone really enjoyed it. It started with the preliminary rounds, where everyone was invited to come and showcase their talents.

We had an assortment of talents from balancing on one leg, art, and Scottish dancing to a display using Samari swords. In the end, 15 acts were chosen to compete in the quarter finals, where the whole school got to watch at an outdoor assembly. This is the list of talented students who made it through to the quarterfinal: 1. Francois and Stanislav from Year 5 with the song ‘Poker Face’ 2. Joana from Year 5 with ‘Potential Break Up Song’

by Aly and AJ 3. Megan from Year 7 with her guitar playing

‘Breath’ by Taylor Swift 4. Thomas, Eleanor, Elena and Benedetta from Year 6 with a ‘BOOM BOOM POW!’ 5. Gaya from Year 5 playing the role of a Chip Munk for her version of Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ 6. Max from Year 7 with his trumpet playing ‘Land, Hope, and Glory’ 9. Julia from Year 5 sang ‘Woman in Love’ by Barbara Streisand: Primary School Winner 10. Daniel from Year 5 recited a poem he wrote titled ‘Crazy Invention’ 11. Basil, Fillipo and Roberto from Year 7 performed a comedy sketch called ‘Who’s name?’

12. Lena from Year 3 (our youngest talent) offered a rendition of ‘Hot and Cold’ by Katy Perry 13. 6H Boys on the bongos played a piece they wrote themselves

14. Rhys from Year 7 sang ‘Valerie’ 15. May from Year 10 offered her rendition of ‘Hallelujah’: Secondary School winner From the Quarter finals something exciting happened; everyone did such an amazing job that all talent groups were selected to go on to the finals! The finals were held at the BSB Summer Fair on Saturday June 5th. It was a wonderful final but in the end the overall winner for Secondary was May from Year 10, and the overall winner for Primary was Julia from Year 5. Congratulations May and Julia and to everyone who participated. BSB does have Talent!

Maria and Aliss, 6H

Thomas, Eleanor, and Benedetta performing a dance

Francois and Stanislav performing ‘Poker Face’

May singing Hallelujah

Max playing ‘Land of Hope and Glory’

Megan, singing ‘Breath’

Jesus, Jarod, Finn, and Aaron from 6H

The BSB’s Got Talent Competition

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

IGCSE Art It has been a busy time for IGCSE Students. In September I was introduced to my Year 11 Art students and was immediately impressed by their focus, determination and creative flair. During the course of the year the students have filled their A3 sketchbooks to the brim with ideas, research and carefully constructed drawings and completed elaborate mixed media and sculptural pieces in a range of sizes for their mock and externally set examination. It has been a very exciting process and I have had the pleasure of witnessing each students skills and confidence develop during the course of the year. Each student should be very proud of their accomplishments and I hope they enjoy a well deserved rest this Summer! I also hope that you enjoy some of the photos of examples of their art in this issue

Research and Experimentation by Andreea

Alexandru uses mosaic to express his views on the theme ‘I, Me and Mine’

Alexandra delves into the world of dressmaking

Andreea works with oil and acrylic paint for her portrait study

Soo Min’s dramatic interpretation of Man Ray’s work

Andreea conveys her love of dance and Degas influence

Experimentation and Research by Soo Min

Soo Min’s wonderfully inspired final piece

Andreea expresses her wonderful drawing and painting skills in her portrait study

Senia expresses her understanding of cubism in her fragmented guitar composition

Alexandra experiments with architectural drawings and sculpture

Ms Martina Greaney, Head of Art

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Visiting Author offers BSB teachers insights into the writing process During Anthony Lishak’s visit he not only spoke to the children about his writing and his ideas but ran a workshop for the teachers to offer some advice about teaching writing.

In the past, he was a school teacher and also a stand-up comedian; both of which were noticeable during

his discussion. His main focus was to give the teachers some tools to allow children to access and use their own experiences as content for their own writing. He demonstrated a line of questioning he calls ‘Drilling Down’, where he asks the writer probing questions to find more

information about their experience.

From this deeper thinking about their experiences the writer’s work is more detailed and specific. Our classroom teachers can now take the ideas discussed at the CPD training session with Mr Lishak and use them in the classroom to help improve the

student’s writing practice. On behalf of all the teachers at BSB I would like to thank Mr Lishak for taking the time to discuss his writing experiences and love of writing with us. We look forward to your return.

Mr Dan Madsen, Year 5 teacher

Children’s Author Anthony Lishak visits BSB During the week starting Monday 10th May, BSB was proud to play host to another famous visiting author Anthony Lishak.

and Jessica and he writes in a garden shed.’

Alessandro from Year 5 had this to say about him: ‘This week an English author named Anthony Lishak came to our school.

He is a funny man and he really likes his job. He was born in Liverpool in 1958 and worked as a primary teacher for 15 years. He now writes fiction and non-fiction books, which he loves to do, but sadly only gets paid the equivalent of a Mars bar per book, which is not a lot! He dreamed of becoming a footballer when he was young but says he was not really that good at football. The first book he ever wrote was Coming Round.

He has 3 children named Emily, Sam

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Alessandro, 5L

Mr Lishak has indeed written a number of well-known titles such as Henri’s Boots and Clickety Clack – Something To Pack, and aside from being a teacher, he has also worked

as a comedian: the children certainly found his witty one liners and off the wall humour refreshing and there were many laughs during the class sessions.

During his week here, Mr Lishak worked with all the classes in both the Primary and Foundation Stage from both campuses. He also worked with Year 7. Activities varied across the age groups but included such things as dramatisations of his stories, written activities around creating characters and packing suitcases, to in depth discussions about the world and life as we know it.

Parents and children also had a chance to speak to Mr Lishak personally when he spent an

afternoon signing and selling his books. Many of us were thrilled to have a book with a personal message and signature from a famous author!

For his part Mr Lishak said that he was enchanted with our school premises and our positive school atmosphere. He found our children active, enthusiastic and engaging. He even said he wished he had a further day or two to spend with the Year 7’s, whom he said had incredible minds and whose conversations he had thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a fun and interesting week for all and I am more than convinced that we harbour a number of future authors in our midst!

Tiffanie French-Paris, Primary Literacy Coordinator

Mr Lishak speaking to Key Stage 1

Mr Lishak telling Year 4 students about what inspired him to write Henry’s Boots

Mr Lishak speaking to Key Stage 1

Mr Lishak signing a free book for Alexy, the top student in Literacy for the week

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

An interview with Children’s book writer Antony Lishak What do you find more pleasing to write, poetry or prose?

Although I write poems I see myself as a writer NOT a poet. Ideas come to poets as poems – they come to me as prose.

Which book did you find most hard to write and why? Is it the same book that brought you the utmost fulfillment?

I found the non-fiction book series “What’s that got to do with me?” hardest to write – because it far easier making things up than having to write “facts in an interesting way”. I can’t say that they were more fulfilling than the novels I’ve written.

You express a great amount of emotion in your books, how much of it is based on your own experiences and how much of it is fiction?

Everything anyone writes must have some root in personal experience – sometimes it’s more obvious than others, but it’s always there…

What is the hardest thing about writing and what are your aims after you finish a book? What about for the years to come?

The hardest thing about writing is constructing a believable world of words in which a good idea can come alive – because a good idea is not enough by itself…

If you could live one of the adventures from your books, which one would it be and why?

That’s an easy question! Henry’s Boots of course How will the future of children’s books look like in the years to come?

If I knew that I’d be rich! But I think things aren’t going to change that much – digital books will add a new dimension, but they’ll always be a place for paper…

Do you have any advice for the young writers of today?

Don’t give up!

Alex Cirtu, Year 4 TA

Antony Lishak with Mr Alex Cirtu, Year 4 TA

Secondary School Mathematics Report SATS If you’ve heard the gentle hum of busy minds at work, it is because Year 9 has been preparing for their Key Stage 3 SATs exams this term. After much work both in class and at home, the students were finally ready to take their exam. In all there were three papers:, calculator, non-calculator, and one mental maths paper. They are not all equally weighted; the mental mathematics paper is weighted 20% and the other two 40% respectively.

There were also three different tiers of papers, ranging from levels 4-6, 5-7 and for the students that wanted to stretch themselves there was the option of doing the 6-8 paper.

I would like to give a special mention to Shani who worked particularly hard completing practice papers during this period! I eagerly await their results and I wish Year 9 luck with their results.

IGCSE On Monday the 7th and Friday the 11th of June Year 11 students sat their IGCSE Maths Exam. There were two tiers: foundation and higher. The papers lasted for two hours and were set by the Edexcel exam board. Some found the first paper challenging but excelled in the 2nd paper. Different revision techniques were employed, some choose to revise in the comfort of their own homes while others where constantly in the Maths’ classroom by 8:30 every morning. I wish them the best of luck with their results in all their subjects.

Parents’ Maths Challenge I choose three numbers from this number square, including one number from each row and one number from each column. I then multiply the three numbers together. What is the largest possible product?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

A 72, B 96, C 105, D 162, E 504 Year 7 and 8 students completed similar questions in their UK Junior Mathematics Challenge this term. This challenge was aimed at developing mathematical skills to solve problems. The students worked hard and enjoyed the challenge, and although we are expecting good results from this

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

Ms Jenny Leay, Maths and Business Studies teacher

challenge, we would like to improve further next year. If parents also enjoy these challenges then practice papers could be provided for you to work

together to help your children prepare for next year’s challenge.

Mrs Jennifer Leay, Head of Mathematics

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

BSB students enjoy Royal Jubilee Celebrations

Prince Radu traditional Karate Federation demonstration

Royal Patron of the Romanian Traditional Karate Federation, Prince Radu, accompanied by a Royal entourage, as a part of his 50thAnniversay Celebration, visited the British School of Bucharest campus in Pipera to pay tribute to eight Romanian Karate Federation World Champions.

On Thursday the 27th of May Prince Radu, accompanied by HRH Queen Anne, HRH Crown Princess Margarita, HIRH Archduke Georg of Austria, HRH Princess Alexander of Belgium, HRH Princess Philomena of France, HIRH Archduchess Eilika of Austria, the Marquis of Trazegnies, the Count and Countess of El Abra, Ms Mira CottierLukas, Mrs Victoria McDonaugh, Dr Akkan, Mr Ruaidhri McDonaugh and number of diplomats, actors, and artists as a part of Prince Radu’s 50th Jubilee Celebrations attended a formal karate demonstration organized jointly by The British School of Bucharest and The Romania Traditional Karate Federation to honour eight recently crowned Romanian world champions.

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After a short welcoming ceremony, including the Romanian National Anthem, a short traditional karate demonstration was performed by students from the British School of Bucharest, lead by their coach Senpai Stuparu Marta, 3 DAN. This was followed by an impressive show of traditional karate skills, including a variety of hand weapons, by eight current world champions, including Stuparu Dan Jr., Benescu Ilena, Muresan Florin, Valceanu Camelia, Uruc Octavian, Lare Simona, Trandafir Romeo, and Danciu Manona, who were all presented with a Royal Diploma of Appreciation.

As part of the demonstration Romanian Traditional Karate Federation President Sensei Dan Stuparu, 7th Dan, also the European and Balkan Traditional Fudokan Karate Federation President and coach of the National Romanian Team of Traditional Karate, put on an impressive show of traditional karate fighting techniques splitting in symbolic tribute to the eight world champions, eight wooden boards in quick succession with a variety of hand, arm, and

leg kicks. Sensei Dan Stuparu was recently awarded Mihai I Medal for loyalty by the Royal Family for his achievements as both the President and coach of the Romanian Traditional Karate Federation.

Originally founded in 1993, The Romanian Traditional Karate Federation has managed place first in the European Traditional Fudokan Karate Championships every year since 1996, receiving the Royal patronage of Prince Radu in 2006 in recognition of the prestige and honour that the Federation has brought to Romanian.

As a part of his 50th Jubille Prince Radu also visited Comana Monastery and hosted a Royal Garden Party at Palatul Elisabeta, attended by royalty, diplomats, artists and actors, along with a number of other honoured guests, including Sensei Dan Stuparu, Senpai Stuparu Marta, and BSB Director Corina Adriana and BSB Principal Jo Puddy-Wells who very graciously offered to host the Romanian Traditional Karate Federation 50th Jubilee Demonstration.

Prince Radu and 1C

Sensei meeting the Queen and Princess

Sensei demonstrating fighting techniques

Marta Stuparu, 3 DAN preparing BSB students for the Royal visit

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Key Stage 3 - Design Technology - Eco Bags Project Mission Completed Key Stage 3 have finally completed their ‘Eco-Bag’ project. A big thank you to the PTA for the donation of the sewing machines! Their work is outstanding and they should be very proud of what they have accomplished. I am looking forward to more textiles projects next year and the students are definitely looking forward to actually using their bags for school. Not only have they put an enormous amount of effort into their work, they can actually use their work to send a message that BSB is committed to helping the environment and has a strong eco ideology. I am very much looking forward to seeing Key Stage 3 use their bags with pride, and cut back on using plastic bags which are harmful to the environment!

Andreea presenting her eco bag

Diana modelling her finished piece

Naomi presenting her finshed product

Sophie Yr 8 final design with added sophistication

Cezar’s abstract logo design

Fillippo’s final bag design celebrating 10 years of BSB

Ms Jen Kemp, Teacher I/C Design Technology

Jeannea’s intricate needwork

Breaking News:

A newly discovered planet: Planet BSB Houston, we do not have a problem…I repeat, we DO NOT have a problem!

Welcome to Planet BSB, a recently discovered inhabitable planet found orbiting the sun, just off the atmosphere of Earth. It is a relatively small site which can support life as many odd creatures have been found doing what they call ‘Learning’.

After spending some time investigating and monitoring their daily lifestyle and culture (which is rather a change from life here on Earth!), our visiting correspondent has provided us with an updated status report identifying the native population as eco-beings, dubbed “The Green Ones” owing to their respectable way of life, caring for the environment in which they dwell. We have acquired video footage of the native creatures classified as “Students” switching off unnecessary appliances powered by “electricity”; disposing of waste in odd containers known as “Distmins” (I apologize) “Dustbins”. They also have a peculiar tradition of devoting one day a year to dressing completely in green in order to raise money towards even further eco-friendly action. Planet BSB also supports a unique system known as the “Eco-Point” system.

These small rewards are distributed by the local eco-officers that are members of the eco-committee.

They are awarded for small acts that promote Planet BSB’s environment, performed by the students.

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On a yummier note, the green ones occasionally host a scrumptious event called a ‘Bake Sale’ where delicious treats are purchased in order to raise further money for the well-being of Planet BSB’s already astounding environment. Overall, we have profiled this odd location as very bizarre in comparison to planet Earth, but nevertheless, a marvelously clean and intriguing spot and we plan to use their way of life as a model for future life back on Earth.

Creatures performing a delicious ceremony

Eco-Bake sale

Final Note: More Breaking News: a rather odd creature has just been discovered but not yet classified by scientists. We are told that it answers to the name “Murchison, or The Mighty Green One,” (when asked if we could write this it was quoted as saying, ‘I’m not wearing green, GAAaaarrrhhhHH!)

By Jennéa (a Planet BSB Native) and Naomi (a visiting Astronaut), Year 8

‘The Mighty Green One’ scouting for school projects

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Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

BSB Sports Day, 2010 In partenship with Porsche Finance Group Romania, VW & Audi We certainly had no complaints about the weather for this year’s Sports Day. No wind and plenty of sun was just about perfect for all of our athletes young or old. In total there was three Sports Days taking place at the same time. EYFS and KS 1 were showing off many of the skills that they had been practicing throughout the year in their PE classes.

KS 2 had individual and team Athletic competitions to take part in and the Secondary School students were grouped together for their quadrathlon.

Each of the Sports Day’s had its own results and all scores were put together so that an overall winner could be announced. It was stressed that everyone from Creche to Year 11 who took part in an event was able to score points for their House. We feel that participation and effort in any sporting contest is just as important as winning and excellence.

Even though we, as a PE Department, know that all of our pupils tried their best in the events, a couple of people need a special mention. Olivia Spears from 7H, for winning 5 gold medals. Mihnea Rusu from 10 C, for his great effort in the 400m. Patrick Reynolds from 5M, for never giving up and winning the bronze medal for Olt in the 8 x 50m mixed relay race. Sarah Morgan from 2S, for showing us that if we practice hard in PE we can be rewarded on Sports Day and in her case well done for winning the Year 2 girls 35m race.

EYFS & KS1 Sports Day PLACE

TEAM

POINTS

1ST

OLT

367

2ND

ARGES

324

3RD

DANUBE

282

4TH

MURES

273

KS 2 Sports Day PLACE

TEAM

POINTS

1ST

DANUBE

324

2ND

ARGES

231

3RD

OLT

212

4TH

MURES

208

1W boys racing to the line

Secondary Sports Day PLACE

TEAM

POINTS

1ST

DANUBE

330

2ND

OLT

310

3RD

ARGES

304

4TH

MURES

297

BSB students enjoying a morning snack

Overall Sports Day PLACE

TEAM

POINTS

1ST

DANUBE

936

2ND

OLT

889

3RD

ARGES

859

4TH

MURES

778 Careful with that water

Sports Day Practice from Gafencu’s Point of View Preschool and Reception Gafencu were so excited when they heard that they were going to visit Pipera for a Sports Day Practice: Crèche Gafencu were looking forward to an afternoon of peace and quiet at Gafencu without the big children.

for a reason. With the sun and the almost party atmosphere we all had a great time preparing for and participating in Sports Day. A great end to a great year!

Ms Kellyanne Feeney, Reception Class Teacher

When we arrived we were amazed at the sports bubble and how many people we saw. We recognised siblings and it was nice to see people smiling. Some of us were astounded and some of us were raring to start. We had great fun talking to our friends at Pipera and also making new ones. It was interesting for the children to see people they knew already in different surroundings, such as Mr Mugur and Mr Jonathan. We watched with anticipation as the games began.

With adults rushing around getting organised and children chatting and laughing the atmosphere was amazing. It was scary being in teams with people we didn’t know but the teaching assistants helped us and we were soon put at ease. We really enjoyed the races and activities organised.

The day was a great chance for Gafencu to be a part of the BSB community and the day itself was glorious. Sports Day gave the parents a chance to mingle and chat and it gave us the chance to meet up with new friends again. Reception found it particularly useful as part of their transition to the Big School and it was a relevant summer trip

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Enzo ducking under

Jason from Pre School practising the ‘Balancing beam’

Sasha from Reception pratising the ‘Giant ball roll’

Ethan clears the bar by a long way

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Foundation are on a roll

Jennea on her way to gold

Snack time, “more please”

Good balancing Lenny

EYFS and KS 1 in action

Reception Year Boys Sprint

Good form Francois

Louis-Philippe concentrating hard

Yr 7 100m semi Final

Great jump David

Obstacles are no problem

Well done Danube, great effort

It’s going to be a close race

Oskar going through the hoops

The winners podium

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Healthy Schools Week 3rd – 7th May, 2010 PHCSE • To contribute significantly to the 5 National outcomes for the Every Child Matters initiative • To explore attitudes and values in a safe and supportive environment • To develop knowledge, skills and understanding to empower our students to make healthy and safe lifestyle choices • To develop positive relationships and respect difference and diversity in people HEALTHY EATING • To build confidence and learn new skills about healthy food choices • To ensure that healthy and nutritious food and drink is available across the school and especially through Healthy Schools Week PHYSICAL ACTIVITY • To provide a range of physical activities for all students to access • To educate children so they understand how physical activity can help them be healthier • To show children how physical activity can improve and be a part of their everyday lives EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING • To promote emotional health and well-being to help pupils understand and express their feelings, and build their confidence and emotional resilience and their capacity to learn

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Healthy Schools Week is a UK initiative with fun activities which focus on the four strands of Healthy Schools to achieve specific goals: What happened during the week?

During the week in May there were so many exciting activities which took place! In Secondary a representative from the yogurt company Danone visited our school to give a talk about healthy eating and to share some Danone products with the whole school! Nearly every student and teacher received a couple of yogurts as a healthy snack for the day. Our school nurse Mrs Camelia Ion also came along to a number of PHCSE lessons to show secondary students how to administer very basic first aid and what to do in case of an emergency at school and Year 11 were very lucky to take part in a cooking demonstration from a qualified chef.

There were also rowing competitions for KS2 and Secondary and friendship games were played in KS1. A highlight of the week for KS2 was ‘The Great Healthy Schools Race’ whereby each class had to create four targets for the four areas and try to achieve their targets by the end of the week and teachers even got into the Healthy Schools mood with a shared lunch consisting only of healthy foods! There are so many talented chefs amongst the secondary staff! The finale of the week was the Healthy Schools Bake Sale which the whole

school contributed to and all funds raised went towards healthy schools initiatives for the future!

A suggestion for the next Sports Day is to have sun cream stations to keep our skin protected during the hot day….keep your eyes out for more Healthy Schools Committee ventures and up and coming Healthy Schools Weeks next year!

Ms Jen Kemp, Healthy Schools Committee Secondary

The Healthy Schools Bake Sale

Dr Bogdan from Danone giving a talk to Secondary about Healthy Eating

Fillippo chosing a Healthy option

Miss Jones enjoying a Healthy Salad

Camelia Ion our school nurse outlining the objectives for the first aid session

Our chef Adam demonstrating the correct technique

The Healthy Schools display board in the Parents Room

Egor, Alex and Ana Year 7 working together to fit a bandage for an injured hand

The dessert vanilla flavoured yogurt with chopped exotic fruit

The main course grilled salmon on a bed of pasta

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Healthy Schools Week 1 minute Rowing Challenge Results KS2 Girls

Secondary Boys Tudor

334 metres

Raphaela

223 metres

Nikita

302 metres

Gaya

202 metres

Panayiotis

278 metres

Eleanor

199 metres

Ege

271 metres

Anisia

179 metres

Andrei

264 metres

Lena

178 metres

Robert

264 metres

Ana-Maria

178 metres

Alex P.

245 metres

Daria

176 metres

Antonio

236 metres

Hannah B.

176 metres

Max

204 metres

Alina

174 metres

Muhammad

200 metres KS2 Boys

Hyun-Ji

170 metres

Hyun-Jung

167 metres

Adam

230 metres

Alexandra

155 metres

Sacha

229 metres

Seo Young

155 metres

Matteo

215 metres

Arina

140 metres

Antoine

212 metres

Amelia

131 metres

Jesus

208 metres

Samaa

130 metres

Viktorija

Jarod

204 metres

Francois

203 metres

Alexander P.

198 metres

Jennea

261 metres

197 metres

Eda

239 metres

193 metres

Naomi

234 metres

Aaron

189 metres

Sophie

229 metres

David K.

187 metres

Andreea

204 metres

Jakob

183 metres 178 metres 160 metres

Salaar

153 metres

Ethan

140 metres

EYFS Healthy Schools Week During Healthy Schools Week, the EYFS classes were very busy thinking about how we can keep healthy. We began the week with an assembly on ‘being healthy’ where we identified healthy and unhealthy foods in some of our favourite stories and discussed ways we can keep fit, did some fun exercises together and thought about what we could do the rest of the week to show how we try to stay healthy in EYFS.

Francesco, Smruti, Luca and Sai from 1C playing ‘Helping Hoop’ for Healthy Schools Week

We also worked with a professional chef to do some food tasting sessions, sampling and guessing a variety of healthy foods, whilst blindfolded. The children thoroughly enjoyed this experience and learnt a lot about different flavours and textures of food and the way the palete works, thinking about sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes. Each class also worked hard to make some tasty healthy foods for the Healthy School Bake Sale which was held at the end of the week.

During the week we also thought about the importance of keeping active. Physical development is a big part of the EYFS so we are active and physical every day, but we took advantage of the lovely weather and the theme of the week to do some extra physical activities outside, including running races, team games, and balancing.

Preschool preparing a healthy snack for everyone to enjoy

Ms Claire Cowlishaw, Reception class teacher

Throughout the week, each class took it in turns to make a healthy snack to share with the other classes, and we met each day at a different place to enjoy our snacks. Reception C went first making homemade hummus with toasted flat bread; Crèche made banana smoothies, Reception E made fruit jelly; and finally Preschool made a selection of fresh chopped fruit and vegetables.

The children in EYFS are always encouraged to bring a healthy snack to school each day, and fruit and milk are also provided in their classes, but it was lovely to work together and share our healthy foods with each other.

Reception C keeping fit doing running races

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Ms Kristen Swanson, Key Stage 1 Healthy Schools Coordinator

128 metres

Matei

Philip

This year KS1 focused on both emotional and physical well-being for Healthy Schools Week.

In order to promote healthy relationships, KS1 students participated in several cooperative games, building friendships and self-confidence in the process. Much fun was had participating in the egg and spoon relay races. We also all learned to work together for ‘Helping Hoop’, a game in which students must hold hands in a circle and aid one another in passing a rope hoop without breaking the chain of hands. To promote a healthy lifestyle, the students were encouraged to bring in healthy snacks, and the healthiest students from each class won a Healthy Snack Award. Finally, each class worked together to come up with an idea for a contribution to the Healthy School Bake Sale. We particularly enjoyed eating up all the melon once we were at the Bake Sale!

Secondary Girls

Stanislav

Kristopher

KS1 Healthy Schools Week

Reception and Preschool working with the chef exploring healthy foods

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Healthy Schools Week - Cha Cha Slide Assembly One of the activities that the Healthy Schools Committee ran during the Healthy Schools Week was a KS2 school dance competition. The dance is called the Cha Cha Slide. The children were split into their house teams and given a limited amount of time to practice and learn the dance

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routine. The teams then all came back together and each performed the dance in front of the other teams and our panel of judges. The team were scored on the way that they moved and danced together as a unit and were able to synchronise their movements to the music. The

students and teachers had a fantastic afternoon with this activity and inevitably all involved ended up in a grand finale where all of the teachers and students danced together. The final results for the competition were as follows. First place Mures with 83 points, closely followed by Arges with

82.5 points, Danube had 70.5 points and OLT finished with 63 points. Very well done to all that took part.

Mr Clayton Burt, Healthy Schools Committee – PE representative

Arges performing & Mures looking On

Judging Panel May, Bethan, Emma, Mr Ellis and Ms Kemp

Teachers and students Cha Chaing together

Teachers Jump Up

Danube with hands on knees

Mures Criss Cross

Olt Hands On Your Knees and Get Ready To... Criss Cross

KS2 House Captain Demonstration

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Emergent Writing Emergent writing is a fascinating time in a child’s development. It actually begins when a child makes marks on paper; this can be drawing, scribbling, painting or squiggles. A child copies what they see an adult doing when they write and the child repeats the up and down movement that they see an adult do. These scrawls are very important as the practise gives children the opportunity to begin to hold pencils and mark making tools and they are able to attempt the physical movements that writing entails, such as anti-clockwise and retracing vertical lines. Making big movements in the air also helps the physical skills that children eventually refine into smaller handwriting movements.

was when Ambra was writing about what makes her happy. She said the sun makes her feel good and she therefore wrote her letters in yellow pencil.

This caused confusion to the adults as it appeared that Ambra had written nothing (it was pink paper.)

However, when she was asked to explain why she wrote in yellow she said because it was the sun. It is therefore important to give children the opportunity and time to explain their work.

Therefore, all mark making has its place in children’s development in writing. The Early Learning Goals of the EYFS states that a child only has to write some recognisable letters by Year 1. We should celebrate all of the creations that children make as they are all relevant.

Ms Kellyanne Feeney, Reception teacher, Gafencu

Children have their own reasons for writing and mark making in the way they do. One such example

Ambra explaining her writing

Calin painting a picture. Benji and Joost are watching him

Sanzi, Sasha and Tudor using chalk

The Primary School Handwriting Competition This year the results of the Primary School Handwriting Competition were a sight to behold! The children were given a simple piece of poetry to copy into their own best handwriting and displays of their work went up to be judged on Friday the 14th of May. It seems that everyone made an extra effort for this as we had a multitude of neat, beautifully written pieces to judge. Of course it was therefore no simple matter to choose winners from such a wide range of excellent work.

A group of four parents completed

the judging, which was all done anonymously. After much debate and a lot of praise for all the children’s hard work the following children were picked as the winner and runner up from each class. Congratulations everyone!

KS2 Winner, Ilinca T., 6U

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

6H – 1st place: Dilara 2nd place: Maria 6U – 1st place: Ilinca T KS2 Overall Champion 2nd place: Eleanor 5L – 1st place: Tudor 2nd place: Alessandro 5M – 1st place: Ana Maria 2nd place: Clotilde 4D – 1st place: Klara R 2nd place: Hithu 4H – 1st place: Filip 2nd place: Sophie 3T – 1st place: Viktorijia

6H Handwriting Class Display

2nd place: 3W – 1st place: 2nd place: 2P – 1st place: 2nd place: 2S – 1st place: 2nd place: 1T – 1st place: 2nd place: 1W – 1st place: 2nd place: 1C – 1st place: 2nd place:

Nina Irini Miruna Mattias Nicolas Ilyada Claudia Honzik Thomas Maria David Smruti Franceso

6U Handwriting Class Display

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A BSB 10 Year Anniversary Retrospective As this is the last Issue for the academic year, I thought it would be nice to consider the 10th Anniversary of BSB, looking back over the past 10 Years. We have contacted some of the teachers, students, and parents that have been a part of the BSB family over the last 10 years and ask them to share some of their thoughts and memories with us. Maybe some of you reading this will be in the 20th Anniversary Retrospective in 2020?

Jesse Student, 2005-7

Mr Simon Hill Year 5 teacher, 2005-7

Jesse was at BSB in years 2 and 3. He had Ms Alex as a teacher in Year 2, and Ms Moorcroft in Year 3.

Jesse celebrating his 8th birthday with his class at BSB

My favourite memory was the Year 5 trip to Sibiu.

Jesse enjoying World Book Day celebrations with his class

Simon Hill with some of his Year 5 students on their class trip to Sibiu

Ms Alison Loeper Year 2 teacher, 2007-8 I taught at BSB for one year. I was there the school year of 2007/2008. I taught Year 2. As far as a favourite memory... hmmm. That’s a tough one. I would have to say that the overall experience with my students was a blessing.

The quality of my students and relationships that I had with them have not been matched.

I was surprised by this connection as many of them struggled to understand me for the first few weeks due to the speed at which I spoke!

We had a wonderful time whether creating clay sculptures, learning about dinosaurs on the computer, building paper houses to learn about the London Fire or simply reading. The field days were also extraordinary!

Ms Alison Loeper and Sarah at the DHL finish line

The Year 5 students visiting the sites of Sibiu

Galadrielle Student, 2002-7 I was a student at BSB from Year 2 to Year 6: 5 years of wonderful experiences with people from countries all over the world: 5 years with delightful teachers and assistants: Mrs Santis, Mr Davidson, Mr Fogarty, Mr Hill, Mr Bennett, Mr Cooke, Mr Knesl, Ms Catalina, Ms Nicoleta, Ms Moorcroft, Ms Ramona.... 5 years filled with unforgettable moments: the Christmas plays, the Roman banquet with Mr Davidson; making carpets with Mr Hill; building a mountain and river model with Mr Bennett; Sports Day; being the Danube House-Captain; the trips to Sinaia and Venice...and lots more! I will never forget Shani, Priscille, AlizĂŠe, Ottilie, Ana-Maria, Tabitha, Vanessa, Carla, David, Rorik, Alexander, Akosh, Stavros, Sotiris, Ambroise, Sebastian.M, Sebastian.S, Kyung Mo, Jyungyan, Seung Yon, Nicholas...all these people I have grown with and Mrs Wells who was a fantastic Principal. To BSB, I wish a wonderful 10th Birthday!!

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Galadrielle on a field trip

Galadrielle with Mrs Jo Puddy-Wells

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Anton and Eugenia Students, left BSB in 2008 Anton: “One of my best memories was when I was waiting in the theatre before the play ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ in Year 3. I was a green devil and was all nervous. My friends, Antoine, Alex, Franciose and Tasos cheered me up a lot, though, and I relaxed a little. I had great friends at BSB. Oh yes! And in Year 2 with Mr. Williams we had the funniest art project ever! We were painting

a big picture of a man. Each time we had an art lesson, Mr Williams took a picture of one of the kids painting. In the end, the pictures formed a small video. It was one of the funniest art projects ever and Mr Williams put the video on Youtube.”

Eugenia: “My favorite memory is when we had World Book Day and dressed up as our favourite characters. One year I won first prize for dressing up as Eloise in Year 2. And in Year 5, Rhea, Appoline, Tatum and I dressed up as the four fairies in Stardust. World Book Day was a lot of funI hope it continues.”

Tanya Student, 2003-6

Tanya visiting the military museum with her class

All of my time in BSB (Years 2 to 4) was one big and very happy memory. I really enjoyed it there; the school is unlike any I have seen before or since: it was homely, all my classmates were friendly, and all the teachers are superb! As for particular happy memories..., Well, I really enjoyed the Sports Fair when Mures won, all the Summer Fairs, visiting the fish farm with my friends, winning the swimming competition (I still have the badge), having great clubs with great teachers (swimming, origami, cookery club, scouts), visiting a marzipan factory with the cookery club (I still can’t eat any marzipan, I had that much!).

Baxter Student, 2002-7

Anton and Eugenia

I’m really glad that for a short period of time when I was able to come back to BSB for the end of a summer term. That was one of my best and, at the same time, the saddest memories: coming back and understanding how much I love you all, but also how I miss you. Oh and I also participated in that year’s Summer Production “The Wizard of OZ” where I played one of the narrators (Yellow). I also really enjoyed the feeling of the place: it doesn’t matter how much people say that school should be like a second home, the only one in which I felt like I was at home was BSB. To all my friends and my teachers - a big Big BIG thank you! You made my life happier and better, I miss you all. So, Happy 10th Birthday BSB!

Ms Karine Renaudin French teacher, 2005-8

Baxter was at BSB from Year 2 to Year 5. His classes included Year 2 with Ms Wright and Mr Dickens, Year 3 with Ms Moorcroft, Year 4 with Ms Jackson and Year 5 Miss Alex. Baxter’s favourite year was Year 3, as it was the most fun, with a close 2nd being Year 5. He really enjoyed his class trip to Sibiu, as he got to go away with all his friends and enjoyed the pony ride! Baxter also really enjoyed the Extra Maths Club- they made a calendar which we still have. Other highlights were winning the sprint race on Sports Day, enjoying the House Competition and winning an ice-cream cake with Stergios at the Summer Fair, which melted in the car on the way home!

He also liked the Climbing Wall Club and the one book that he liked in the library - The Saint of the Dragons, which he read 7 times

I was at BSB for 3 years. I taught French to primary and secondary students and citizenship in the secondary school. My fondest memories are: the DHL marathon run in the mountains for charity and the Christmas shoe boxes trip to Rosia Montana in January 2007.

Happy anniversary to all!

I also have lots of lovely memories; especially the chaotic, fun task of getting Summer Fairs together.

I also enjoyed the Cookery classes organised by the mums - I learned proper sushi thanks to Juno’s mum and proper Mexican from Jonathan’s mum.

And just all the great people we met.

Claudia Baxter

Baxter on a school trip

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

Baxter enjoying lunch with his class

Ms Karine Renaudin

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Ms Melody Viczko EYFS teacher: 2004-2007 I worked at BSB from 2004 to 2007 as classroom teacher in Pre-school and in Reception, and was Head of EYFS at Gafencu. One of my favourite times of year at BSB was spring, when we would watch the garden at Gafencu come to life! We always planted seeds with the students so that we could learn how plants grow. The joy on the children's faces as they watched life change in front of their eyes was so rewarding.

Another fond memory that I cherish is when the children convinced me to open Fluffly's door so we could watch him hop in the Foundation Stage playground. Chaos ensued as Floppy hid under the playhouse and I tried to recapture him before Miss Hussain discovered that we let him out. The look on her face was priceless when she saw me and children trying to coax Fluffy out from under the structure. But it was so fun to watch a bunny hop!

It wouldn't be fair to write about memories of teaching at BSB without mentioning my

Ms Melody Viczko at her graduation

Ms Melody in the DFL marathon with Ms Corda

Mr Mark Knesl Teacher, left 2007 My best moment was when the children had their, "Eureka" or "Ah ha, moment", when something they found difficult became easy.

colleagues. In particular, I feel so thankful to have worked with the teaching assistants in the Foundation Stage. When teaching a course in effective learning environments at the university, I often refer to the good working relationships that we had at BSB as an exemplar of collegial planning and teaching resulting in meaningful learning for students. The leadership provided by Jo was so supportive of this work. This experience was a highlight of my time at BSB.

I loved computer club. The school has a fantastic atmosphere, and enthusiastic, hardworking and fun students. The trips were great fun and Sports Days were amazingthey really brought the students together. I also enjoyed raising money for different charities and the

Swimming gala, which was amazing.

I remember the many thanks and kind words of parents and students alike; having helped bring the students confidence to the forefront in ICT was really special to me. I loved seeing the smiling faces of KS1 and 2 students gain confidence

and understanding.I can honestly say that teaching at BSB is the happiest I've ever been as a teacher

Mr David Broadhurst Science teacher, 2008 Mr Broadhurst was a Science teacher at BSB in 2008-9. He is a keen photographer and took many photos while at BSB. Here are 4 of his favourite photos from his year at BSB.

Year 7, conducting a science experiment

3W students outside collecting samples for natural science�

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Year 8 students, Alizee, Noor, and Sacha in the science lab

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The British School of Bucharest, Ten Year Anniversary In order to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the school, we have set up in Crawford’s foyer a series of displays showing BSB over these years. There are various themes: a ten year timeline, sports days, charities, clothing, publications, trips and memories of their early years at the school by both Secondary and Primary children. This has been a collaborative project with teachers from every area of the school being involved in its production. We intend using it not only as a celebration of the school but as a historical source for history work over the next few final weeks of this term. We hope that you enjoy it.

The Coordination Team: Ms Jane Taylor 3T, Mr Ciaran Mc Gowan, Ms Tiffany Moorcroft

The BSBTimeline

BSB Trips

BSB, Making Sports History

Memories of BSB

BSB Uniforms

Crazy Craze of the Month The Craze of the Month has continued to be a big hit during our playtimes. Following 5T’s ‘Gutterball’ was 4D’s ‘What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?’ and then ‘Prison Break’ with 4H. ‘What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?’ was in total action on the black football pitch; in this game the hungry wolf tells the time, and when its lunch time the wolf chases and eats the people.

In Prison Break-another exciting fast-paced gamethe prisoners must pass the ‘line’ and then run back to the base. If you’re caught in the ‘not safe zone’, you go to the prison on the other side of the pitch and wait to be rescued; if you haven’t yet been caught and are brave, you can run and try to rescue the poor caught prisoners. All the prisoners must have one foot in the prison, but they can make a chain, which means that if one prisoner is saved, all the chained prisoners are saved too. You need to respect a ratio, however, of 1 catcher to 3 prisoners for the best results.

Next up, is the Year 3’s craze and I can’t wait!

Sacha, 6H

Alessandro runs, while Marcel, Andrew, Denis and Simon wait to be freed from jail during May’s Craze of the Month

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

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Summer Fair EYFS EYFS had a busy, but very enjoyable time at the Summer Fair. There was a vast range of activities and stalls being run including the very popular face painting, the exciting and challenging obstacle course and some classic favourites, such as the “hook a duck”. All the children and adults had a lovely time and the day seemed to fly by very quickly.

Face painting was very popular

The EYFS children also had the pleasure of being the first group of performers on the stage at the start of the fair. They started the day off by singing actions songs that they had learnt in their Music lessons- this was a great crowd pleaser- and there were even some members of the audience joining in. All in all, a great day!

EYFS singing at the Summer Fair

Mrs Claire O’Brien, Creche class teacher

BSB Summer Fair Fun On Saturday the 5th of June BSB enjoyed one of its favourite events of the year - the Summer Fair.

Thanks to the hard work of all the staff, children and parents, this year’s event was another scorcher!

Even bigger and better than last year!

The day was so jam packed with fun and action that we couldn’t possibly do it justice here in a single article. Let’s just say that if you didn’t make it to the fair this year, you missed a real treat.

The stage was enormous but it didn’t faze any of our wonderful performers. All the children did a marvelous job of singing and dancing their socks off- much to the audience’s delight. The final of

Veno Pillay and Jennea helping out on the tattoo stand

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BSB’s Got Talent, was definitely a highlight of the day. We also saw plenty of talent courtesy of the dance and karate clubs who both put on amazing performances.

At the back of the school the stalls and games were doing a roaring trade, with face painting and crazy hair being among the most popular. There was also lots of fun to be had trying to knock coconuts off their shys, putting some golf balls or having a go at beating the goalie. As always, for some reason, soak the teacher was as popular as ever this year.

Even Ms Tyler braved the hoards, brushing off her goggles for another splattering!

The pool climbing was a welcome splash for many trying to get away from the beautiful sun, and the children were a dab hand at shimmying up the climbing wall.

Summer Fair 2010

A petting zoo was a new addition this year, and proved very popular with the younger children.

The food and drink, was amazingly good and all the stalls did a roaring trade. People also enjoyed browsing the artisan’s stalls where they had the chance to buy some pottery, jewelry and other goodies. I think I saw Mr Peet trotting off with an indoor palm.

As always, a huge thank you to all the wonderful contributors to the summer fair - to our sponsors who provided such amazing prizes for the raffle, and to the PTA who did such a great job in organsing the day. We all had a lovely time! Unfortunately we now have to wait another whole year until the next BSB Summer Fair. See you there!

Ms Naima Hussain, Summer Fair School Representative for the PTA

A few helpers on the Crazy Hair stand

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Ms Greaney on the 'Message in a Bottle' stand

Summer Fair 2010

Students performing a musical piece on stage

The pool climb once again proved very popular

Tiger Woods, look out!

One of the many art and craft stands present

The Belgium Foodstall

BSB students putting on a Karate diplay

Anyone for Greek

Welcome to the BSB Summer Fair

Face painting was one of the most popular stands

Catalina taking a careful aim at Ms Tyler

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

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Reception/Key Stage 1

BSB Summer Clubs, Term 3, 2010 One on the many strengths of the BSB Curriculum across the school is our extra-curricular activities programme. BSB Clubs play an important function in providing the students the ability to choose from a wide range of activities not usually available during the 8.30am-3.00pm daily class schedule. Clubs run each day from 3pm-4pm, offering students the opportunity to take both native and non-native classes in languages such as Romanian, German, French, Spanish, and Turkish.

Students have the chance to enjoy a variety of fun sports, such as fencing, ballet, karate, and athletics, express themselves artistically in the various art and craft, music and drama clubs available, test themselves mentally in the Creative Maths and Debating Clubs, enjoy themselves in the great outdoors in the Nordic Club and Duke of Edinburgh Club, and try new things in clubs such as the Yoga Club.

Every half term the students get the chance to select a new club and are able to choose more than one club at a time if they so wish. In the table to the left you can see the clubs available in Term 3.

Plastic models and animation In Plastic Models and Animation Club we have made lots of air fix models and we planned to create the stop motion method to animate them. Stop motion is when you take a picture, move the model a little bit, take another picture and so on; we used fishing line and tied a plane to one end and the other to a drain pipe supported on a ceiling beam. We started taking the pictures but the plane would not stay still. We then switched the air conditioning on in the room and again it would not stay still. Arrgggghh!

Spanish Ballet Beginners Karate Outdoor Art Skipping Card Making

Parachute games Romanian Climbing Frame Games Computer Club

Beginners Swimming Arts and Craft Nordic Club Beginners Karate Dance - beginners Stretch Yoga

Key Stage 2 Monday Turkish Club Sewing Club German-Native Speakers Ballet Fencing – Beginners Karate Beginners Baseball Touch Rugby Tuesday Parachute games Advanced Karate Skipping Romanian for Native Speakers Girls Football Guitar for Beginners Wednesday Nordic Club French for Native Speakers Fencing – Advanced Computer Club Dance – beginners Stretch Yoga 39 Clues Kung Fu Romanian- Non native speakers Homework Club Thursday

Dance– beginners

Romanian- Native Speakers

Drama Fun

Gymnastics Advanced Karate Pop Idols Athletics Spanish Cooking for Native Speakers KS 2 Production Club Striking and Fielding Games Years 5-6 Friday Turkish Club Dance - advanced Private Fencing Club

Dance – advanced

Key Stages 3-5 Touch Rugby Duke of Edinburgh Art Club German- Native Speakers Baseball Plastic Models/Animation

Advanced Karate

Dodgeball Dress Making & Sewing Fencing - Beginners French- Native Speakers

Spanish Cooking- Native Speakers Gymnastics Advanced Karate Debating Club Creative Maths Kung Fu Pop Idols EAL Intermediate Turkish Club Dance - advanced Private Fencing Club

Dress-Making and Sewing Club Textiles and sewing have been a prominent feature on the Secondary Club Curriculum of late with the very welcomed sewing machines purchased by the PTA for the Design and Technology Department. Students have been very busy designing, creating and experimenting with hand-stitching and machine sewing. One of the most exciting things about the club is that there are a variety of students from across the Key Stages 3-5, so students have a chance to catch up with and chat to students from other years. All students from secondary are welcome and the club will definitely be running next year!

Looking forward to seeing you there….

Max moving his men

Ms Jen Kemp, Dress-Making and Sewing Club

The models attack

We then used a computer program called Pivot. It is a stick animation program that uses stop motion. It was great as we didn’t have to wait to get the model to stay still!! Another program we used was Scratch, which is a program that you can use to make games, animations and lots of other things.

Max, Year 7

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Naomi Yr8 has created the new Yr8 mascot in dressmaking and sewing club

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Algunas de las recetas que hemos preparado son: ‘Pan tumaca’ (plato catalán), ‘Gazpacho’ (plato andaluz), ‘Tortilla de patata’ y ‘Quesadillas’.

Dodge Ball Club

La más fácil ha sido el ‘Pan tumaca’, porque no se necesitan muchos ingredientes. La más difícil fue la ‘Tortilla de patata’, por eso hemos necesitado la ayuda de la señora Recasens. La receta que más le ha gustado a Marina fueron las ‘Quesadillas’ y a mi la ‘Tortilla de patata’. A Eda, Astrid y a Andreea les han gustado todas. Ángela, 5 L

Receta de las Quesadillas Dificultad: muy fácil 1/5 Ingredientes: jamón, queso, tortitas.

Preparación: ponga el jamón y el queso cortado en tiritas sobre las tortitas. A continuación doble la tortita a su gusto y colóquela en el horno. Cuando el queso esté fundido, sáquela y estará lista para comer.

Dodgeball, Team 1

Receta del Pan Tumaca Dificultad: muy fácil 1/5 Ingredientes: pan, aceite de oliva, ajo, jamón serrano y tomates.

Preparación: ponga el pan en la tostadora. Una vez que esté tostado a su gusto, debe rallar el ajo en el pan. A continuación, rallamos el tomate también sobre el pan, colocamos una o dos lonchas de jamón serrano encima y estará listo para comer.

Eda, Andreea (Year 8) and Marina (Year 9)

Astrid is putting the juice of the tomato on the toasted piece of bread. This is a very popular recipe for breakfast in Spain. These are all the ingredients needed. It is a very easy and tasty recipe!

Dodgeball, Team 2

Dodge Ball Club has seen a plethora of bright red sponge balls whizzing through the air for all students to Dodge, Duck, Dive and Dodge (yep, we have to dodge TWICE!). We have been improving our hand-eye coordination by having to catch the dodge ball zooming towards your foot or to dodge the ball heading towards your foot (don’t worry, though, because they are sponge and do not hurt- even when Mr McGowan pelts them at you!). Mr McGowan occasionally participates as well and has proved quite hard to hit!

Jennea, Year 8

Spanish club: Cooking in Spanish!

After tasting a very summery dish, Eda, Marina, Astrid, Angela and Andreea are writing the evaluation of the product. All in Spanish, well done girls!

After all the cooking, Miss Rocío, Eda, Marina, Astrid and Angela could finally enjoy an excellent Tortilla de patata. This recipe is probably one of the most famous dishes in Spain.

Ingredients for the Pan tumaca

In this picture we are cooking ‘Tortilla de patatas’ with Mrs Recasens. It was very tricky!

This term I wanted to do something more challenging with my students. Throughout the year, we have prepared horoscope ads for a magazine, we have made videos, been fortune-tellers and we have also been TV presenters for the weather forecast. This term, we decided to try some cooking.

I am not very talented in the kitchen so I would like to thank Mrs Recasens and Mrs Martínez for their help with the difficult recipes and also the secondary teachers for sharing their kitchen with us on Thursdays! The students have written some of the recipes below in Spanish. I am sure you could impress your guests with a taste of the Mediterranean diet! Enjoy!

Ms Rocío, Spanish teacher

Ms Rocío y varias estudiantes de Year 8 (Eda, Andeea y Marina) y Astrid (Year 4H) y yo (Angela Y5) hemos estado cocinando recetas españolas y latinoamericanas.

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

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In between the thunderstorms As all of you know the weekend of the 13th of May contained many thunderstorms and terrible weather in general. We know this better than most as we were in a group of students who ventured up the mountains to do our Duke of Edinburgh hike.

With fog, rain, thunderstorms and non-waterproof raincoats, we got pretty wet and even got to the point where the water was dripping off our eyebrows, nose and chin.

On our hike we encountered many obstacles ranging from giant boulders to half cooked rice, but we soldiered on and conquered all. You would think that half cooked rice for dinner would be rather

unpleasant but after two days with no hot food, the prospect of crunchy rice was heavenly. However, the biggest obstacle was not experienced by us; it was in fact experienced by none other than Ms Greenwood’s car, which unfortunately lost a few parts on the way.

As many of you know Mr Power enjoys telling jokes, not good jokes but none the less. We were all getting pretty tired of the endless stream of not very amusing jokes until aha! There was one. With the assistance of one member of the group Mr Power managed to get at least one laugh out of us. As we clambered through the high-walled gorge, Mr Power decided to state the obvious and point out the hard rocks all around us. A certain member of the group, who noticeably was very tired mistook the hard rock comment to refer to the café. Her realisation of her mistake was too much to bear but this made

it funny for the rest of us. We may have laughed at that poor student but we unknowingly got revenge on Mr Power. As Mr Power made the journey back to our previous night’s residence to exchange a dog for a raincoat, the kind Ms Moorcroft, Mrs Turkmen and Ms Greenwood took pity on us cooking in the rain yet again and decided to buy us papanasi for pudding. When Mr Power returned from his excursion and went to the restaurant, yes restaurant for dinner, he also decided and ordered papanasi for dinner. This however, was not available as we had eaten it all, so he had to settle for pancakes instead.

We may have been tired and achy at the end of it all, but I think I can safely say that we all enjoyed it and had a great time.

Emma and Beth, Year 10

You know you’re on a Duke of Edinburgh hike when ….

There is rain dripping off your eyebrows, nose and chin, AT THE SAME TIME. The plastic spoon melts on the gas cooker Mr Power’s odd jokes become funny A dog named Susie climbs a cliff face to follow you from the B & B to the Cabana And then three different dogs named Bob, Marley and Elvis follow you the whole way back. (We blame Sophie, she named them) Mr Power’s singing wakes up a lady staying in the B & B at six in the morning You wonder if your feet will ever be the same again You wonder the same about your hair, and your hips.

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Sheep run away from half the group Every tree you find to use for shelter has already been used by some animal.

McDonalds never tasted so good before.

Who takes the map? I’ve already had it, yesterday.

Either she’s asleep or she’s dead You’re so tired it’s too hard to speak English properly. (Or At all) What do you mean? We have to go up THERE????

You know you’ve been here before Little kids are giving you really weird looks when you return to civilization The track kills the car, and then Mr Power finishes it off.

You start naming the cows You tell people there was a sauna between the trees The smallest amount of sugar makes you hyper Every time you almost fall asleep, a dog howls waking you up again.

You get home, your jeans don’t fit. (swollen legs) It takes you 10 mins to get up the stairs, you realize you’ve forgotten something, and it takes you 15 mins to get back down DOE paticipants

Boots

Cooking lunch in the rain

The 3 Amigos

Fingers

It melted

The DOE team

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Muy Buenas desde Madrid! Journal Entry, Day 1 The longest day of the year turned into just that for the Year 7 boys and girls who awoke very early on Monday 21st June to check in at Otopeni Airport destined for Barajas Airport, Madrid four hours later!

picked up by her friends she laughed some, knowing all the while that this was going to be a holiday to remember! Next stop the coach ride to the hotel in Plaza Espana, south of the city and then some time to unpack and unwind after the journey.

All very excited and fully equipped with all the latest gadgets and gizmos the flight was a pleasant one even with the slight bumpy approach to the runway.

Basil, Robert, Egor and Ege were ecstatic when they realised they were getting on a mini train to reclaim their luggage at Terminal 4 and even more satisfied when their bags arrived out first! The whole group was high and bouncing around the airport when Olivia got caught up in Ms Kemp’s suitcase and flew across the floor of the terminal exit. Gracefully

Students were then given a choice of dining experience for lunch and some free time in a small plaza close to the hotel to relax in the sun before some more unpacking in preparation for our first activity laser quest! With the teams organised it was the blues who edged the led over the reds this year in a closely fought out battle. Some drinks to recover after the contest and a quick glance at the first half of the Spain vs Honduras match being played in South Africa. Most of the boys had relayed

the previous scores to the group for Portugal and Chile and were intrigued to get amongst the locals and get behind Spain! Two first half goals from David Villa separated the sides and it was a quick move to the buffet restaurant for our final meal of the day and the second half of the match. Even those not very interested in the football were entertained by the ‘oohhhhs’ and ‘wooooos’ from the Spanish supporters in the restaurant. Great food and good company enjoyed by all.

We’re off to Segovia tomorrow for a cultural day of sightseeing and a walk through Spanish history.

Signing off from Madrid….

Ms Kemp and Mr O’Brien, Madrid Trip Leaders

Year 7 students in Segovia

Primary pupils sing ‘La Mer’ at the Summer Fair Learning songs is a good way for students to learn new vocabulary and to learn more about the country and culture from which the song originates.

This term Year 5 and 6 learned the song ‘La Mer’, a French classic sung by the great French singer Charles Trenet.

In Year 5 we have been learning about music. We have learnt to say the name of many instruments and what we play and what another person plays.

Then we learnt what instrument we would like to

play. And then we learnt a song called ‘La Mer’. You can hear this song in the film Mr Bean. I hope we will sing the song well. Haris, 5M ‘La Mer’ is a beautiful song about the sea. We will sing it at the Summer Fair. This song is very popular and put in many films. I would recommend it to everyone. Julia, 5L This term in French, we have learnt many interesting things, such as saying the alphabet with many

strange sounds and pronunciations. We also learnt all about festivals and the old traditions of France.

But I think the true highlight for the students in Year 5 was learning the song ‘La Mer’ for the Summer Fair. ‘La Mer’ is a beautiful song about the true beauty of the sea. Kayla, 5M ‘La Mer’ is a song about the sea. It also talks about white birds, white sheep and dancing. Jakob, 5L Ms Manon Volliare, French teacher

Students performing La Mer on stage

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Year 3 trip to Sinaia Year 3 ended a very full year with a trip to Sinaia.

This was Year 3’s first ever overnight trip with the school, and for some children it was their first night away from their family on their own!

After arriving at school and taking the register, we set off for the mountains. We had a quick stop on the way before arriving at the New Montana Hotel around midday. After we had been allocated our rooms, and eaten some lunch, we set out to take a ride on the cable car to the top of the mountain. The view was wonderful. We captured it with drawings in our sketchbooks using a viewfinder for composition

and employing all our art skills. In the evening we split into two groups, the swimmers and those who wanted to go to the park. Later, after dinner we took part in a fun quiz and games activities with our teachers. By nine in the evening we were ready for bed. Lights went out, and we rose again at seven thirty in the morning.

On our last day we enjoyed a trip around Peles Castle, and took the opportunity to do more sketching of the art and sculptures. Having shopped for souvenirs at midday, it was time to return to the bus and head back to school to see our parents again.

Mr Mark Williams, 3W Class teacher

3W on the mountain

Year 4 trip to Poiana Brasov Everyone had been secretly counting the days until our departure for Poina Brasov and final it had arrived and so we bundled everything onto the bus and headed off. Our first stop along the way was the Brasov Zoo, where we had lunch in a nearby park and the students played on the jungle gym, swings and roundabouts and the Year 4H boys found a football and before everyone knew it, (together with the 4D boys) were playing a game called BSB football; a game that follows BSB rules, known only by BSB students, and which sometimes looks nothing at all like the football being played at the World Cup in South Africa. We then spent a couple of hours exploring Brasov Zoo and I think everyone agreed that it was a Zoo-per start to the trip. J After saying goodbye to the many animals, we headed off and arrived at our hotel, unpacked, took a little time out to relax and then headed down to dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. This was followed up by an evening of board games or watching a little television before bed- tomorrow was going to be a big day!

Simon, Vyctoria, Lena, and Veselina drawing on the mountain top

of matching the standard set by the students. The most popular attraction was definitely the zip wire over the lake. A 50 metre long thrilling ride etched that day upon each and every student’s memory.

The sheer excitement and grinning expression on their faces revealed that good time was had by all.

I’m sure they will all have fond memories of their visit to Parc Adventura.

After returning from Parc Adventura, we took the students to buy souvenirs to remember the trip by: there were a lot of wonderful hand-made traditional Romanian objects. Then later that evening, we all had dinner and watched Nanny Mc Phee in the hotel’s conference room: I’m pretty sure all the children enjoyed the movie, popcorn and juice.

Then as bedtime approached everyone was heard talking excitedly about the day’s events and many expressed feeling sad that the next day they would be returning home. Alas, all good things must come to end.

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Hard at work

In the morning, however, after eating breakfast, we did manage to go for a swim in the hotel pool and so ended the trip on a high note.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that it was a wonderful trip full to brimming with good memories.

Alex C, Year 4 TA

The next morning, after room inspection, we all went down for breakfast- everyone was told to eat a good breakfast as we would need the energy for Parc Aventura. The hotel offered an excellent selection of foods for breakfast, but after watching Sophie and Veronika eat 5 bowls of cucumbers, I said to myself that I wasn’t eating enough vegetables. So much for the smorgasbord.

At Parc Adventura, we wanted to prepare the children for the challenge ahead; little did we know that they were more than ready for it. We certainly saw some brave students on the different obstacles that Parc Adventura has to offer, and although I can’t speak for all the members of the staff, I think we all asked ourselves if we would’ve been capable

Alex in the cable car

A day at Brasov zoo

Fun at Park Adventura

More fun at Park Adventura

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Year 5 trip to Moeciu de Sus On the first day we left the school to go to Moeciu de Sus – a beautiful village in the mountains. The trip took us three hours. When we arrived we quickly settled into our rooms in the hotel, which was really nice. We looked around the countryside and in the evening went swimming. We always ate at the same restaurant.

We also went to Park Adventura where we had lots of fun climbing trees and sliding down zip lines.

We went on a hike up the mountain behind our hotel, which was amazing. We also had a BBQ and an Activity Day. On Activity Day we did some archery, made clay sculptures and painted pots. It was awesome. It was also Jorge’s Birthday whilst we were on the trip so we had a party! The trip was really fantastic.

Gaya and Matteo at Parc Adventura

Only a few ended up in the water during our canoe adventure

Calin, Aaron, Lucie, Bianca, Yasemin and Sacha take in some history at the Roman Baths

Raphaela and Jarod battle in Robot Wars, while Roberto laughs

Chira and Bianca

The chicken dance is a sure way to stay happy at PGL

Eleanor and Yasemin feel pure bliss on the giant swing

Now that’s team work!

Joana, Ethan and Jakob

Year 6 Trip: Welcome to PGL Finally we are free. Our Year 6 SATS finished; next stop PGL Liddington! We were very excited because we’d been dreaming of it all year. On Monday, May 31st we arrived at the Otopeni airport and boarded our British Airways flight which had been re-scheduled due to a strike. Then it was three long hours of sitting on our flight. No one knows how hard it is when you are a child. Finally, it was the end of our journey. We were exhausted, but looking forward to the up-coming adventure. We met our group leader named Arwen who was happy and fresh. Next stop was our beds. Now, Year 6’s love complaining, but if there was anything to complain about we were too tired to do it. We said goodnight, sleep tight and were off to the stars.

The next day we were pumped! Our first activities were abseiling and aeroball. After lunch we had survivor and canoeing. The English rain was upon us, but we laughed and smiled anyway. Next day, our morning activities were mountain biking and archery with crashes and bulls-eyes all around.

We also learned a new word from the instructors – “wicked”. Next activity was the Roman Baths in the beautiful city of Bath. We dressed as Romans, designed mosaics, learned about cookery, and toured the crowded museum; everything was super old. Then we went back to PGL just in time for Robot Wars. The last day of activities we had a low ropes course and zip wires. It was wicked! After lunch we had problem solving tasks and the giant swing, which took our breath away.

Our departure started at a very early hour of 5am.

We were sad, but also happy to see our parents again. Overall, PGL was an amazing experience.

We all tested our courage to challenge ourselves individually and within the group.

By Lucie, 6H

Year 5 Mountain Walk

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Hier spielt die Musik!

Year 5 interview their German speaking peers Year 5: Wie heißt du?

Jakob: Ich heiße Jakob Roithinger.

Year 5: Aus welchem Land kommst du?

Jakob: Ich komme aus Österreich.

Year 5: In welche Schule gehst du?

Jakob: In die Britische Schule Bukarest.

Year 5: Spielst du ein Instrument?

Jakob: Ja, ich spiele Klavier.

Year 5: Was ist deine Lieblingsband?

Jakob: Meine Lieblingsband ist die Beatles.

Year 5: Magst du Britney Spears?

Jakob: Nein, ich mag sie nicht.

Year 5: Hast du ein Instrument zu Hause?

Jakob: Ja, ich habe ein Klavier.

Year 5: Hörst du Madonna?

Jakob: Nein, ich höre nicht Madonna.

Year 5: Warst du schon mal auf einem Konzert?

Jakob: Ich habe auf einem Konzert gespielt .

Year 5: Magst du Queen?

Jakob: Ja, ich mag Queen.

Year5: Möchtest du ein Instrument lernen?

Jakob: Das Schlagzeug.

Year5: Dankeschön für das Interview.

Jakob: Bitte schön.

Tanzt du gern ?

Julia: Ja,ich tanze gern.

Musik-Interview mit Julia Welches Instrument spielst du?

Julia: Ich spiele Klavier und ein klein bischen Trommel.

Was ist dein Lieblingsinstrument?

Julia: Meine Lieblinginstrumente sind Klavier und Gitarre.

Was ist deine Lieblingssängerin?

Julia: Avril Lavigne ist meine Lieblingssängerin.

Was ist dein Lieblingssänger?

Julia: Ich habe keinen Lieblingssänger.

Wie findest du Techno-Musik?

Julia: Ich finde Techno-Musik gut.

Year 5 Musik Interview in progress

Kannst du Musik hören, wenn du Hausaufgaben machst?

Julia:Ja, ich kann aber meine Mutter erlaubt das nicht.

Hast du ein Instrument zu Hause?

Julia: Ja, ich habe ein Klavier zu Hause.

Was ist deine Lieblingsband?

Julia: Meine Lieblingsband ist Germono.

Magst du die Beatles?

Julia: Ja,ich mag die Beatles.

Wie findest du Rockmusik?

Julia: Ich finde Rockmusik sehr gut.

Welche Musik hörst du gerne im Auto?

Julia: Ich höre Mix Musik im Auto.

Year 5 Musik Interview

Secondary Students Celebrate German Reunification 20 year Anniversary in Berlin This year’s trip to Berlin represents a novelty on the list of Secondary Trip destinations and has proved very popular. 18 students from Year 8 to Year 11 are embarking on this adventure. During the seven days of their stay in Berlin they will have the chance to discover the manifold attractions that this vibrant city has to offer.

Berlin was a focal point of European history in the 20th century being at the heart of the East West conflict. This year, Germany celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Reunification of Germany which ensued after the fall of the Berlin Wall on the 9th of November 1989. We will visit sites of historical importance, such as the Reichstag Building (German Parliament), the Brandenburg Gate, the Anne Frank Memorial Centre, the Holocaust memorial and remains of the Berlin Wall. We will also visit the Pergamon Museum which hoards antiquities from Greece, Egypt and has the world’s best collection of treasures from the Ancient Near East.

Our first day trip to nearby Potsdam will be a chance to visit Sanssouci Palace and the Babelsberg Film Studios.

Another day trip will take us to the Mügelsee in the Havel National Park where we will do a ropes course and swim, canoe or play ball games.

Iulia and King Mihai of Romania

Pic of logo drawn by Andreea

Students taking a group picture using the street webcam

Everyone at the Brandenburg Gate

In preparation for the trip, the IGCSE Year 10 German class has put together a Student Travel Guide including important information for the participants and a basic language guide. Mihnea has edited the students’ research into a booklet with an appealing layout. The other contributors were Emma, Louisa, Iulia, Maria, May, Jasmina and Tudor from Year 10.

Andreea Prasacu drew the Berlin Trip logo. Thanks to you all for all your help.

Ms Dorothea Draser, German teacher and Head of MFL

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Interview mit Frau Weident Am Dienstag, den 7. Juni, hat ein wichtiger Gast uns im Deutschunterricht besucht. Sie heißt Kathrin Weident und ihr Beruf ist Photographin.

Wie haben dieses Semester über Berufe und Karrieremöglichkeiten in Deutsch gelernt und es war sehr nützlich, ein Interview mit einer professionellen Photographin zu machen. Es war ein freundliches Gespräch mit den Schülerinnen und Schülern aus Year 10, in dem wir viel über ihren Beruf herausgefunden haben und sie ein bischen näher kennengelernt haben.

Frau Weident kommt aus Bayern (Regensburg) und wohnt seit fünf Jahren in Bukarest. Sie spricht schon fließend Rumänisch. Sie hat hier ein Photostudio aufgemacht und ist sehr erfolgreich.

Sie photographiert meistens Kinder, Mode, Porträts und Schönheit im Allgemeinen. Außerdem arbeitet sie gerne mit Menschen. Freu Weident hat unsere Schulphotos gemacht, also ist sie in der Schule schon bekannt. Wir alle denken, dass sie sehr toll ist und das Interview hat viel Spaß gemacht.

May und Louisa, Year 10 Interview with school photographer

Year 4 perform ‘Die vier Freunde’ in assembly The Key Stage 2 Assembly on 9th June saw a group or Year 4 pupils performing Die vier Freunde, a German sketch about four friends working out together how to get an apple that is high up on the tree. The horse, the sheep, the rabbit and the mouse manage to get hold of the coveted apple and enjoy it together at the end: “Mampf, mampf, mampf! Lecker, lecker, lecker!”

Astrid as the narrator delivered her role with a smile and gave a good pace to the story. Diana played the apple tree and was very convincing about not wanting to render her apple to the little animals.

Ioana played “das kleine schwarze Pferd”, Arina “das kleine weiße Schaf“ and David “das kleine graue Kaninchen“ very successfully. Andrei (Year 7) jumped in at the last minute to cover for Gabi, acting “die kleine braune Maus“.

So my special thanks to Andrei for helping out last minute, and well done to all of the talented Year 4 actors for putting on such an enjoyable performance.

Ms Dorothea Draser, Head of MFL

German play Ks2 Assembly

German play Ks2 Assembly

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Primary to Secondary Transition: Stages 2 and 3 completed and, by the feedback they gave, are looking forward to starting a new chapter of their school lives with us Stage 2 19/05/10 Year 7 students to visit Primary in Crawford House in September!

Stage 3 9/06/10 Year 6 students to visit Secondary I hope they don’t think we always award hard work and effort with Stage 4 TBC Transfer of information candy though!!! Have a wonderful break Year 6 and we are looking With Stage 2 and 3 of the transition process now forward to ready for your arrival in September. successfully completed, we have just Stage 4 to goMs Jen Kemp, Assistant Head of Secondary, I/C of Transition transferring the student information!

Stage 1

31/03/10

Year 6 parents invited to Secondary

On Wednesday the 19th of May, Year 7 students visited the Newlands building and gave several presentations they had been working on in PHCSE inviting Year 6 to the Secondary School.

Mr Murchison also worked on some persuasive speeches in English with Year 7 to entice Year 6 to come to Secondary in September. Then on Wednesday the 9th of June Year 6 visited Year 7 for the morning and had a Science lesson with Mr Clowes, a History lesson with Mr McGowan, an MFL lesson with Ms Draser and Ms Vollaire, and they also did an interactive quiz about moving to Secondary with me. During this session we talked about feelings towards changes and making decisions! All Year 6 students were very happy to answer questions and to talk about their feelings Transition Stage 3 – Comments from some of the Primary students who visited Secondary “Today I have a better feeling about going on to Secondary than yesterday. I was a little scared but now I am excited. I’m looking forward going on to Secondary and having fun.”

Transition Stage 2 - Primary to Secondary Speech A massive red building towering over you, blocking out the sunlight, towering high above in the clear, crystal sky. A myriad of different classrooms to visit, momentarily confusing you, millions of books full of hard words entering your mind blocking your way to true knowledge. Teachers screeching, shouting, screaming ‘detention!’ Is that so? Is that how it is?

Is this what waits for you? Of course not!

Secondary always greets you with a warm welcome.

I am Robert a Secondary School student and I myself have found out that in Secondary, if you ‘Give respect, you get respect’- a commonly quoted saying by Mr Murchison, an English teacher over here in Secondary. No doubt most or all of you

“The Transition Day was amazing. It was awesome to be in Secondary area. I liked the science teacher because he explained to us how to survive without good food- just with insects snakes and more animals in the forest. I think I will love Year 7- its going be awesome.”

thought, ‘We are going to have to read millions of books, answer thousands of questions, complete hard exercises’. Well ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that you are wrong in thinking this.

It is not as bad as your imagination will have you believe.

One thing that is very different to Primary is the fact that in Secondary all your lessons are with different teachers: Maths with Ms Leay, English with Mr Murchison, History and Geography with Mr McGowan, Science with Mr Power, ICT with Mr Pantella, Art with Ms Greaney, PE with Mr O’Brien, Drama with Mr Kelly, and PSCHE with Ms Kemp.

It’s certain that you will get homework, and its also certain you will get marked, but you don’t need to worry because I can tell you now that everything is and will always be alright. I definitely recommend that you make it easy for yourself by listening to everything taught in class and completing all your homework so that you don’t fall behind.

I guess what I am trying to say is that when you do arrive in Secondary, there is no need to panic as the work is not that much more difficult than Year 6, and the teachers are nice and friendly.

Robert, 7H

Transition Day was Awesome!! It really helped me be more confident about next year. I was really worried about the homework and the schedule and if I get lost, but all my worries were resolved. My favourite thing about Transition Day was Mr Mc Gowan’s class. We did lots of fun quizzes and learned about Geography. Now I CAN’T wait till next year!! I am SO EXCITED!!!

Lucie, 6H

Alexandra, 6H

Maria, 6H

Basil and Robert talking to the Year 6 students about Year 7

Rhea and Olivia introducing the teachers in Secondary

Year 6 students listening attentively

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EYFS transitions: looking ahead to next year Looking back it seems like yesterday that we all gathered for the first time at Gafencu and began to get to know our new classmates and teaching staff.

It might be hard to believe, but we now have little more than a month to go until the end of the school year when we say goodbye to Crèche. So it was opportune that Sports Day rehearsals recently gave

us the chance to familiarise ourselves with where we are going to be next year.

While Preschool and Reception were out running and jumping at Pipera, we had the run of the eerily quiet Gafencu building. We were able to explore Preschool downstairs, where we will be spending next year. We took the opportunity to make our own imprint on the room by moving some things around.

We hope that Ms Homer didn’t notice her clocks had been put back differently. We also enjoyed dressing up and playing with the toys – generally making ourselves feel at home in the environment.

Crèche children enjoying what could be their new classroom next year

We then took a trip upstairs to Reception, which could be our home the year after and while there we had some fun putting pasta in Ms Feeney’s water tray.

Overall, it was exciting to explore the new territory.

We were glad to get back to Crèche but happy in the knowledge that in September we will be able to start a new year in our education in familiar surroundings.

Mrs Chris Stowe, Crèche teacher

Working with the building blocks and 3D shapes

Preschool Gafencu, ready to move on to Reception

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Science Day

wires and light bulbs. We also played some games using circuits on the computer.

Science Day for KS1 and KS2 was held on Thursday, May 6th. The day started with classes rotating through four science activities run by the teachers.

Some of the activities included ‘Water, Water Everywhere’, ‘Parachute Race’, ‘Our Surprising Senses’, ‘How Strong is Your Shopping Bag?’, and ‘Let’s Make Ice Cream’.

Our Surprising Senses! was an activity that dealt with smelling. We received some plates, which were covered with tin foil, containing different types of spices or food. Then we had to smell the plates and see if we could guess what it is on the plate.

During Let’s Make Ice Cream we, well, went to make ice cream. In order to make ice cream we had to fill one bag with the ingredients for the ice cream mixture and the other bag with ice and salt to lower the temperature so it would be cold enough for the ice cream to freeze. Then we put the mixture bag into the ice bag and tossed the bags back and forth until we had ice cream. The only problem was if you didn’t seal your mixture bag tight enough some of the salt could get in your mixture and your ice cream might taste salty. But in the end, everybody had a delicious cup of ice-cream.

Another activity was How Strong Is Your Shopping Bag? During this session we worked with partners to test how many kilograms it would take to make the shopping bag break. We tested the bags by adding different items that you might buy at a supermarket.

It’s Electric! was run by the year 5 teachers, where we completed challenges that involved electric

Science Symposium The Science Symposium, which was a great success, was held on Thursday, May 6th as a part of Science Day. Students who participated spent several months researching their own questions on a topic of their choice. All of the work they did preparing for the Science Symposium was done onin their own time. Presenters then shared their findings in front of students, parents and teachers on Science Day. Presentations took place in three locations so that everyone would have an opportunity to see a variety of research questions during the allotted time.

Below is a list of this year’s presenters for the Science Symposium and a blurb that they all wrote to advertise their presentation: A Weedy Experience – Anjelica and Janisa, 3T How long can a plant last without its needs? Let us find out for the poor little seeds.

Rocks of All Shapes and Sizes - Sara and Erin, 3T Crash! Crash! Do you know why rocks are different shapes and sizes? Need a hint? Crash! Crash!

KS2 Play Pals teach KS1 students new games Since the start of Term 3, the Play Pals have been heading over to KS1 during the first break to help out. It is our goal as leaders of the school to encourage the students in KS1 to play a game, which we will teach them. We have 5 different Play Pal groups who take weekly turns as leaders. In each group there is a Year 5 or 6 Play Pal leader who ensures that their team knows the game and is ready for any challenges that might arise. Here is a list of the groups, their leader, and the game they have taught:

At the conclusion of the science activities we had lunch and then after lunch we went to the Science Symposium where students shared their independent science projects.

The day was concluded with special guests from The University of Bucharest sharing information about their work. The three professors who visited are civil engineers and they spoke to us about what a civil engineer does and how their work relates to earthquakes. They showed us how to design a building that is strong enough to survive an earthquake using paper models.

So without a doubt, we can say that Science Day was GREAT fun!

Amy, Isabel, Bianca 6U

Alina and Clotilde scooping out their ice cream

Dolphins - Irini, Lena, 3T Dolphins are amazing animals. See all about how dolphins live.

Which chocolate melts the fastest? - Bianca, Ilinca O, Ilinca T., 6U Sweet Experiment! Find out which type of chocolate you can turn into soup the fastest.

Craziness in Space - Maxence and Noah, 3T Do you want to know how stars are born? Have you ever wondered how to get out of a black hole? Have you ever wondered if you could you be heard if you screamed in space? Ask us and you’ll find out.

Chewing Gum Mania! - Chira and Amy, 6U Chew! Chew! Chew! Come see how Chira and Amy determined which chewing gum holds its flavour the longest.

Do Vitamins Affect The Growth Of A Plant? - Astrid and Veronika, 4H It’s interesting and fun. Join Veronika and Astrid for a plant saving experiment by finding out if vitamins affect the growth of plants.

Making Crystals - Sophie, 4H Learn how you can make crystals out of only salt and water. You’ll be amazed by what you see.

Electricity Circuits - David and Matei, 4H Want to learn about circuits? You will learn how a radio works and how a light bulb lights up.

Soap Bubbles - Julia and Joana, 5L Do you want an adventure with soap? Then come to us. We’ll show you which soap makes more bubbles.

The Crazy Testers - Aliss, Benedetta and Lucie, 6H Have you ever wondered which chewing gum holds its flavour the longest? The crazy testers will show you how to explore consumer science in a completely new way.

All in all it was a great Symposium and I think everyone did a fantastic job! Even though it was hard work, we all had a wonderful time and were glad we participated. We’re now already looking forward to next year’s Science Symposium.

Ilinca O, Raphaela, Yasemin 6U

Group 1 - Hide and Seek with Benedetta Group 2 - Octopus led by Thomas Group 3 - What’s the time Mr Wolf? with Clotilde Group 4 - Tag led by Aliss Group 5 - Stuck in the Mud by me, Aaron.

Also, as a way for us to be recognised we have special Play Pal hats, which were kindly donated by Mr Petrescu.

Aaron, Play Pal Leader, 6H

A group of Play Pals and a happy bunch of KS1 students play together during break times

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Popcorn - Yasemin and Isabel, 6U Pop! Pop! Pop! What’s that noise? Popcorn! Come hear corn pop in the popcorn experiment.

Thomas with his new Play Pals hat assisting a few KS1 boys during playtime

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EYFS Science Week: ‘aka Knowledge and Understanding of the World’ Week Primary children recently took part in Science Week. In EYFS we carried out Knowledge and Understanding of the World Week. This week looked like any other week, with the majority of learning done through play. However, additional activities and investigative materials were set out with an additional focus in developing skills relating to Knowledge and Understanding of the World.

These skills are developed through Exploration and Investigation, Designing and Making and Information Communication Technology.

Preschool set about investigating a floating and sinking investigation. Samuel decided to find as many items as he could that would stay afloat in the water. This was extended by the other children who investigated what happens to the colour of the water when paint is added. This activity facilitated plenty of communication and interaction between the children as they confidently spoke to each other about what they could see happening, and were able to talk openly about what they saw.

The children in Creche were very busy investigating what would happen when they added different liquids to water. After a discussion about things that could be added it was decided that, olive oil and paint would be poured into a tray of water. The children were amazed to see how the paint and oil made lovely swirling patterns and were tricky to mix together. This enjoyable activity enabled the children to show their curiosity and begin to “gain an understanding of cause and effect relations” as they were trying to suggest why the paint wasn’t simply colouring the water.

Emile and Oskar carefully designed and constructed their own hats to shade them from the sun

The children in Reception E have demonstrated this through junk modeling and constructing outside dens and shelters, where they have needed to independently choose and select their own resources and materials. This was followed by them deciding how to assemble and join the specific items they chose. The children have also been busy finding out about their local environment, which consists of walking around the school grounds, listening to the different birds and the rustling of leaves under their feet. Denis and Omar found the hexagonal patterns on the floor very interesting and set about making their own patterns when they returned to class.

Preschool children finding out about floating and sinking Ms Claire and the Creche children investigating the effects of adding oil and paint to water

Creche children were also busy planting bulbs and seeds and watering them. This allows the children to develop responsibility, by taking care of the bulbs and seeds which they have planted. Planting also encourages children to show curiosity and take an interest in their environment and living things.

Timothee planting some seeds

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The EYFS tortoise Happy has been getting cleaned by the children in Preschool. Caring for Happy, enables the children to understand the characteristics of living things, and to understand what needs to be done to effectively look after them.

A significant aspect of Knowledge and Understanding of the World relates to Designing and Making.

Preschool children helping Happy to keep cool by bathing him in water

Information Communication Technology is an important aspect of Knowledge and Understanding of the World. In EYFS the children choose when they would like to use educational programs on the computer/ interactive whiteboard, “Tuff Camera” and Microscope. Thus enabling the children to access and complete simple actions independently and use the mouse and keyboard effectively.

Children in Reception C enjoyed using The Education City programme to investigate features of the weather through listening activities and selecting the correct answers.

Altogether we had a very successful Science Week in EYFS Pipera.

Kayleigh Evans, Reception Class Teacher

Children in Reception C learning about weather through the interactive whiteboard

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EYFS Water Day In EYFS Pipera we had lots of fun on Water Day. During Water Day, there were several water related activities set up, in which the children could choose from. Here are just a few of our exciting activities: Making Lemonade and Ice Drinks When discussing different things we could do with water, the children in Reception said that it is definitely a good idea to drink lots of it. Therefore, on Water Day the children made an extremely yummy drink. First they needed to look at diagrams of how we can make lemonade and follow them to produce their own drink. This required them cutting their own lemons and limes carefully into small segments and squeezing the juice into a glass of water, we then needed to add a small amount of sugar and then add an ice cube.

Slippery-Slide The children loved the slippery slide activity where the climbing frame slide led them straight into the pool. At the beginning of Water Day, the children

were told that they could make their games around the large pool, which encouraged the children to communicate with one another and cooperatively work together to decide where they wanted the slide, and how it was going to lead into the pool.

This quickly turned into a game of sliding down with a small ball and aiming to throw the ball into the bucket at the same time.

Water Maze On the large climbing frame the children designed and constructed their own maze of drainpipes so that they could easily transport water. There was one bucket of water at the top which needed to get into the bucket at the bottom; this posed a problem solving activity for the children as they needed to make a maze out of the drainpipes, attaching them together to ensure no water was spilt along the way.

Make Your Own Umbrella The children were encouraged to look at an umbrella and design their own. They needed to think about the different materials that they would

need to use and consider which would be the most water-proof. The most exciting part was putting these umbrellas to the test. In order to make their umbrellas the children needed to use a wide range of objects, and were required to think carefully when selecting their resources.

Floating and Sinking Children investigating Floating and Sinking were able to choose different objects and items that they found outside to investigate whether these were able to float or sink. This activity facilitated lots of communication between the children as they discussed their opinions as to whether certain objects would float and sink and why.

In hindsight I can say that Water Day was a very enjoyable day all round!

Ms Kayleigh Evans, Reception class teacher

Working as a team

Going down the slide

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Creche students transporting water

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Learning to swim at BSB There has been a lot of excitement in EYFS in Term 3 as the lovely weather has meant we can start our swimming lessons. Learning to swim is a very important skill to learn as it means that children can make safe choices in, on and around water, protect themselves and others and most importantly have fun.

Our swimming lessons focus on helping the children become comfortable in the water: we sing songs, pour water with watering cans, blow bubbles and move floating items around in the water. We also do lots of in-water practice, kicking our legs with either adult support or by using the floats.

When confident the children move onto using their arms and swimming on their backs. The highlight of the session for many of the children is when we jump in the water at the end.

We are very lucky at BSB to have such a lovely swimming pool; all you can hear from the pool during the sessions is the sound of laughter as the children play and learn together in the water. Safety is of utmost importance during the lessons so we always have extra support during the sessions and a qualified swimming teacher in the pool.

Happy swimming!

EYFS Pipera Team

Alexander learning to swim with Ms Tiffany Moorcroft

EYFS students swimming with the saftey of floats in the shallow water

Stephanie, Anya, and Arina practising with the floats with Mr Clayton Burt

By Year 5 the students at BSB are definitely strong confident swimmers

EYFS Pipera Summer roduction “Stars in their Eyes” Thunderbirds, Dinosaurs, Bob the Builder, A yellow submarine and some sea creatures all together can only mean one thing. Can you guess? Yes, it is the EYFS “Stars in their Eyes” performers. On the 16th and 17th of June was the spectacular EYFS production. Each class performed their acts and then the whole of EYFS joined together on stage for the grand finale, which included a collection of songs from the Children in Need 2009 songs. All the children preformed like real stars. Well done EYFS. Mrs Claire O’Brien, Production director

Thunderbirds are go!

Can you fix it? Yes we can!

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

Under the sea with Reception

Roar roar! Here come the dinosaurs

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Class Pages Crèche Gafencu This year has passed very quickly and it’s difficult to believe that we are now at the end of our final term.

Since our last update we have celebrated Easter, an occasion we marked by making Easter bonnets and putting our detective skills to work in a very entertaining Easter egg hunt. We’ve also enjoyed participating in Sports Day, where we had a great time putting the athletic abilities we’ve learnt from Mr Mugur to the test. Not only did we try out some new activities, but we had fun wearing our coloured t-shirts and hats.

Creche Pipera

Preschool Gafencu

There have been many favourites and themes throughout the year in Crèche, but one of the more constant interests has been the interactive white board. This has been used for many purposes and has linked throughout all of our areas of learning.

Crèche have used programs that have enabled them to draw and make big pictures, this in turn has helped to develop their pre-writing skills.

This term in Preschool Gafencu we have reached great heights and delved great depths. The term began with a huge interest in volcanoes, mountains and the different components of the sky. Many of the children returning from the Easter holiday were very interested in and quite informed about the ash cloud and how to deal with it. As a result of this we began cloud watching and had considerable fun identifying the various shapes- some of which were reproduced in paintings.

Helping each other out An intense discussion between Preschool boys

Creative work

Making music

We all enjoyed Healthy Schools Week which fitted very well with our EYFS Physical Development area of learning. The children contributed various healthy options to our snack table, with the greatest success being the watermelon, which was devoured as though it was the last watermelon ever! During the week we had sufficient food to have salad as a snack every afternoon, and it became a regular routine to set the table and then self serve themselves lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes.

Invariably the conversation at lunchtime led onto muscles and what food is good for them. During the week we also had several demonstrations of how fast they could run or how high they could jump.

From this there has been an interest by some of the children in building obstacle courses.

The Easter Bonnet Parade

Preschool children sampling salad during Healthy Schools Week Future Olympic runners at Sports Day!

We’ve also been having a fun time with our usual arts and crafts and creative pastimes, with a lot of painting and singing. We now have an impressive repertoire of songs, which have really helped our English improve in leaps and bounds. This is thanks in part to our music time with Mr Jonathan. This will be the last update from the current Crèche year group. We have really enjoyed looking after your children and look forward to seeing them next year in Pre-school class. We would like to finish by thanking both the children and their parents for a very happy year. Happy holidays!

Mrs Chris Stowe, Crèche Teacher

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Waiting patiently

We have also played musical instruments and designed our own dinosaurs! This is has been great for developing our creative interests as well as helping the children to acquire some basic skills in using ICT equipment. Using the board has assisted with the children’s social skills, and it has allowed them the opportunity to cooperate with each other and to gain an understanding of taking turns.

Claire O’Brien, Class teacher

This of course all led very well into Sports Day. Gafencu joined Pipera to enjoy fun and sport and cheer each other on it was, particularly exciting when children saw their siblings, or as their team moved around the various games.

This week as I write we have a pirate’s ship in our class room. This has come from our delight at reading The Night Pirates by Peter Harris and Deborah Allwright. We anticipate using this as the basis for our summer trip, by going on the boats on Herastrau lake.

This has been an incredibly busy term but also a very enjoyable one.

Ms Kath Homer, Class teacher

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Preschool Pipera As usual we have been very busy in Preschool M. One of our themes has been ‘People who help us’, which came about by us observing the children helping each other on a more regular basis. They have also been enjoying playing in our role play as vets looking after the animals - they have enjoyed playing the vet and writing down what is wrong with each animal and explaining what treatment is needed. Jan especially loved being the vet and was overheard saying ‘Your dog needs a plaster and you need to bring her back next Monday. Make sure you feed her good food’.

Reception C A Sea of Sounds Reception C went ‘under the sea’ for the first half of this term. We learnt all about the ocean, sea animals, boats and even the seaside, using books, video clips and the internet to find out new information. We read lots of stories about the ocean, the beach, life at sea, and much more.

Amongst other things, we used these stories to help us make our own ‘under the sea world’ in our classroom, as well as keeping busy writing about the things you might find under the sea, our favourite sea animals and seaside adventure stories. The children have been really interested and enthusiastic about their ‘under sea’ learning.

They have thoroughly enjoyed playing and learning both indoors and out, and have particularly enjoyed making use of their letters and sounds knowledge in their reading and writing.

itself to our summer work on seasons and we have been finding out new things about the season of summer and doing some summer writing, collages and activities linked to the seaside.

Some of Reception C students using individual whiteboards and pens during a shared carpet activity

Waiting at the vets

We asked the parents about what their children help with at home and were really pleased to read about them setting and clearing the table, cooking and even painting the garden shed.

As we developed the theme we went on a walk around the school grounds looking for as many different people who help us. We visited the school office and also saw Mr Vasile - the children have now decided he is ‘Bob the Builder’.

We met the ladies at the office who help us

The children have now decided that they want to help as many people as they can. We have started by washing lots of our outdoor equipment, including the bicycles. We have also invited our twin class 3T to join us for snacks. We are going to make them some biscuits and milkshakes to share with us.

This theme has highlighted to us how much the children have developed and matured and that they are now ready for the move into Reception.

Tiffany Moorcroft, Preschool M

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Vlad used magnetic letters to make some of his favourite words Reception C students reading aloud to each other in the outdoor reading area

All the children in Reception C really enjoy our ‘Letters and Sounds’ learning and ask each day what time we will do our phonics session. They love using the individual whiteboards and pens to practice writing the letters and words they know, and to write sentences. They also like using magnetic letters and boards and working with their carpet partners to select the letters they need to make our ‘tricky words’. It is fantastic to teach a class of such enthusiastic young learners as they are so eager to learn every day. Following shared carpet sessions where we learn, practice and consolidate our phonics learning, the children are quick to apply this learning through their play and choices of activities. The writing area in the classroom is rarely empty as the children love to write for all different purposes, whether it be menus, letters, lists, invitations, cards, or even their own short stories, and they take such pride in their achievements. Similarly, the reading corner is very busy, with children selecting their own choice of books in the morning and also frequently throughout the day, often using these to support their writing, or sharing them aloud with friends.

They also particularly enjoy their class reading books and are keen to read every day, using their phonic knowledge to support this.

Alongside our ‘under sea’ activities, we have continued our learning about the seasons and seasonal changes and began the term with a focus on spring, doing some lovely themed activities, including working together to think of vocabulary to describe spring and decorating flowers using our words to make our own springtime flower garden.

We thought about new life, for both animals and plants, and we read stories and poems all about spring. The second half of the term has so far lent

In addition, to begin the second half of this term we have made great use of the children’s love of reading, writing and stories again through looking at pirate stories, and writing all about pirates together as a class. We are linking our ‘pirate learning’ to making and using maps, developing our use of positional and directional language and having fun ‘treasure’ hunting.

Ms Claire Cowlishaw, Class teacher

Reception E read some traditional tales In Reception E, we have been having lots of fun reading many traditional tales. The favourite so far is definitely Jack and the Beanstalk. The children have been making their own “Giant Castle” in the outdoor area using a variety of materials to construct using the trees as their support. Arina, Stephanie and Thea worked together well to develop a plan of what needed to be done and who should be standing where to ensure that their castle didn’t fall down. Emile and Omar made enormous beanstalks and compared their heights, commenting on which is the tallest and shortest.

We have also read Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The children enjoyed this story as they were able to allocate different roles to each other when playing in the “Castle” in our classroom. Moritz, Efe and Oskar A made their own costumes, so that they looked like the three bears, and even discussed the heights of the children to decide who should be which bear. The children drew and painted their own large, medium and small bears- during this activity they demonstrated a great use of mathematical language whilst discussing size and shape.

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We then moved on to reading The Three Little Pigs, where the children put their acting skills to the test by performing our version of the story to the Preschool children. Arish and Oskar H made super wolves and were able to scare off all three of the little pigs including blowing down the house made of bricks. Whilst Denis and Anya were playing with the farm, they decided to introduce their own “Big, Bad Pig” to scare off the “Three Little Ducks.”

The children also built their own house outside, using various construction materials; they worked cooperatively to build their own houses of different sizes.

Arish and Oskar A. acting out The Three Little Pigs.

Oskar is pretending to be the Big Bad Wolf!

It has been lovely to see the children enjoy these stories so much, and reflect this in their play, often choosing to act out different roles around the classroom. They have become very interested in being authors themselves and writing their own versions of the stories. Remi decided that because we are becoming authors ourselves, “we should make an authors table.” Therefore, the children made plans and lists of what they needed on their writing table, and set about organising it independently.

The year is coming to a close and what a year it has been. I find myself looking back on our year together with a smile as both Ms Nicoleta and I can see how much progress the students have made. The children have all worked very hard with their Letters and Sounds and numeracy and have all tried very hard at their Personal Social and Emotional development. Their grasp of English has really improved and Tudor M and Ambra are always asking questions to clarify vocabulary and learn more. Alex C in particular has made a big effort to be well-mannered and do the right thing and Irina can always be found helping Ms Nicoleta to tidy up, along with Martina. Benji has also really impressed his teachers because he can now maintain attention during carpet times.

Reception at Pipera outside Crawford House

This term our class have been interested in pirates and characters in stories and our learning journey using maps and directions has continued. Sasha really enjoyed writing and reading notes to and from Captain Black. Alex M however decided he didn’t like pirates; he talked with me instead about monsters and dinosaurs, which he finds less scary and much more fun.

The weather has drawn the children outside and it has allowed us to talk about sun protection and how we can be safe in the sun. The boys have enjoyed playing with the sand and water and Calin always needs to get changed afterwards because he gets so involved in the activities. Ms Chris has also been running a gardening club this term and due to this the children have all taken a keen interest in growing and plants. Alma always gives the staff a selection of flowers chosen on her way to school every morning and Joost was particularly interested when we talked about animals and growing as part of Healthy Schools Week. He liked learning all about how we grow and he loved repeating newlylearned words like ‘teenager’. Cameron was very interested in how our bodies work and why we need blood and our organs to give us energy and keep us alive. Tudor S is always offering his knowledge on subjects and he is always so polite when he joins in discussions.

This term has been particularly important for the children as we begin to think about the transition to the next class and moving to Pipera next year. We have really enjoyed having the opportunity to visit the school and participate in Sports Day and we are looking forward to our swimming lessons. We have had a fantastic year and I would like to say thank you to Ms Nicoleta for all of her help and thank you to the children for making my first year at BSB a memorable one.

Ms Kellyanne Feeney, Reception Class Teacher

1C 1C have been learning about Moving Pictures in Design Technology this term, and have used levers and sliders to create beautiful moving images.

We have been using ‘2Animate’ in ICT to make our pictures come alive, and Ms Collins was very impressed with the animations we produced.

It has been a pleasure for Ms Andreea and I to watch the children grow in confidence and progress well in all areas throughout the year. We wish them all the best in Year One! Ms Kayleigh Evans, Class teacher

Growth, Change and New Beginnings Martina and Sanziana using play dough

The girls have enjoyed playing teachers this term and Niya makes a good impression of one. The girls have also been continuing to be creative with the materials and Sanziana loves nothing more than twirling around doing ballet wearing a selection of colourful and bright cloths.

Reception at Ringwood, Pipera

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Ambra at our first Pipera visit

Sai, William, Francesco and David in the Artmark Gallery

We have also enjoyed learning about Barnaby Bear’s travels around the world. This month, we have been learning about what Barnaby Bear did in Iceland, Canada and here in Bucharest and can now identify many of the important landmarks found here in Romania’s capital and know lots of information about their significance.

Francesco, Sai, Smruti, Anisia, Sebastian and Luca creating moving images

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We have been very busy for our class assembly, which has the theme of ‘Pirates’. We have worked to create a giant pirate ship and underwater objects as well as learning our difficult lines!

Some of our recent highlights have been learning to weave patterns using our own choice of colours.

We have also been experimenting with many other different patterns in Maths.

fun seeing what happened if we heated materials like ice, chocolate and jelly! (they melted!)

We enjoyed the Year 1 class trip to the University Greenhouses and the Artmark Gallery, where we looked at the conditions needed to help plants to grow as well as some famous nature paintings by the painter and biologist, Ion Tuculescu.

It has been a busy year for 1C and we are all looking forward to a relaxing summer holiday!

Ms Theresa Collins, Class teacher

Do 1T have green fingers?

Emi hard at work melting chocolate

Year 1T decided to test their growing skills in our Science unit ‘Growing Plants.’ We learned that plants need soil, water, light and warmth to survive.

We planned an investigation to test how important light was for plants to grow. In our investigation we put some plants in the light and some in the dark. Most of the plants in the light grew whilst the ones in the dark didn’t. We also put a couple of plants in a shoebox with a hole in it. The plants in the shoebox grew towards and through the hole in order to reach the light. However the plant that was in the shoebox did not look very healthy. We realised that this was because it did not get enough light.

Year 1W Weavers

TaeMin busy pushing and pulling his plasticine material Year 1W Weaving Assembly Line

Another exciting topic has been learning all about the seaside. 1W especially loved learning about sharks, octopuses and mermaids. We had lots of fun making a seaside scene by cutting out and making models of sea life to put into a shoebox to create a 3D setting. The children all designed their own work.

Mr James Ward, Class teacher

Year 1T is now starting to create information books on plants. We will make these books with moving parts as part of our DT lessons. The books will provide all the information we have learned about plants in class.

Ms Tyler, Ms Goncea, and all the 1T students would like to wish everyone a very fun, relaxing summer break.

By 1T and Ms Justine Tyler

1W 1W have worked very well this year and have grown up very quickly too! They have sailed through learning their top 100 Magic Words. They have all leaped through several stages of the Oxford Reading Tree and now they are more than ready for Year 2!

Shoebox Seaside

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2P This half of the spring term has simply whizzed past in 2P. They say that in the springtime everything goes a little mad or crazy and we went a little crazy with our Poetry Unit, called ‘Silly Stuff’. We listened to Tongue Twisters such as ‘Peter Piper’: ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, a peck of pickled peppers, Peter Piper picked….’ We then had to make our own version which was great fun. Even better was when we looked at Riddles and ‘Nonsense’ poems. For Nonsense poems you had to ….yes you guessed it - write nonsense! Here’s an example from Andrei in our class: ‘I went to the swimming pool tomorrow and I walked on water. I went to the school tomorrow and a pencil wrote with me and I played football with my hand.’

We have also really enjoyed our Geography Unit this term learning about things we didn’t have any previous knowledge of: we know now that many people in developing countries do not have glasses and so they are blind but if they had glasses they would be able to see. What’s more it only costs the price of a can of Coca Cola to buy the glasses for them. Thank goodness for a charity called ‘Vision Aid’ which helps people across the world to see again- we designed posters for them. As a part of this unit we also heard about the fascinating life story of Louis Braille who developed a system of reading by dots to help people who couldn’t see to read and write.

In Science, we have been learning all about materials and their properties. We particularly had

Theodre

Tudor working on his tile

In Art, we looked at buildings and their materials and thought about whether buildings could ‘speak’ to us. That sounds a little crazy again, but actually by looking at how old or colourful a building is, for example, you can work out quite a lot about the designer, or the period of history during which it was built. You can tell by looking at materials if the builders were rich or poor or if the house was built in a hot or cold country…many things!

We made our own wall murals in support of this topic from clay and then painted them. Our theme was ‘Our Playground’ and we communicated our feelings about our playtime and playground through our art work. You can see some examples in our photographs.

Ms French-Paris, Class teacher

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2S This term in 2S we have been exploring and celebrating the life of Florence Nightingale. We worked hard to learn songs and memorise lines for a play about her life in time for her birthday celebration. At our class assembly, we greatly enjoyed teaching KS1 and all of our parents what we had learned about her. Did you know that Florence Nightingale loved animals and had a pet owl named Athena?

Maxence and Deniz piecing together a jigsaw

Following on from our History topic on the Romans and our Science topic on Rocks and Soils, 3T visited two museums in Bucharest. Firstly we went to The Muzeul National de Istorie a României (National History Museum) to look at the amazing Roman jewellery and Roman tower, and sketch some of the friezes. Then we moved onto the Muzeul de Geologie (Geology Museum) where not only did we undertake two workshops: one related to Dinosaurs and the other on Rocks, but we looked at the fantastic rock and crystal displays. It was a wonderful day for all concerned, being both fun and educational!

Ms JaneTaylor, Class teacher

3W Assembly Darius, Finlay and Ali make sketches of the village

This term in Art we have been studying another very important woman - Mother Nature. We examined natural patterns that we found in the school garden and took great care photographing and sketching the patterns we liked the most. We are now working on making collages of scenes from nature. We have been experimenting with different types of paper and fabric to bring interesting shapes, textures and colours into our work. The results have been beautiful, naturally!

In English this term 3W have been looking at the features of persuasive writing. We decided to make our own adverts for the end of term assembly. It was a complicated process that involved lots of planning and editing. We began by brainstorming a product name, and then all the words we associated with that name. We then turned these notes into a voice over which we intended to use on our final video.

We used a Coomber Recording Device to record our voices and then uploaded this to our folders on the school server. Next we made our storyboards, which would tell us which camera shots to use when filming. After the filming we uploaded all our clips onto the computers and used Windows Movie Maker to add all the elements together. Finally we got to show our work in assembly. We think it went very well and we are very proud of our hard work!

Mr Mark Willams, Class teacher

4D We have been working hard in class this term. In ICT we used robotic cars and programmed them to make shapes and Clara P was the first to find out and make a repeating pattern. Some of us were able to make squares, rectangles and triangles.

Radu discovered that if you program it to make a square and you make it repeat 2 times it will make a rectangle. Rodney made an octagon and David made a hexagon but no one made a decagon.

In Literacy we looked at the key features of film trailers which were sound track, movement and the voice over. We looked at different film trailers then designed our own grading system and gave them a mark.

Daria in Aqua Apple advert

Ms Kristen Swanson, Class teacher

3T Visits Bucharest Museums Hyun-Ji, Vlad and Hannah working hard on the programming skills Enzo Lena in VIPEPSI advert

In Numeracy we looked at multiplication of numbers by two digits, consecutive numbers, mathematical statements and Venn diagrams.

In History we looked at Ancient Egypt and the ‘Beit El Wadi’ wall relief.

By Hannah and Radu, Year 4D

Enthusiastically Egyptian!

A not too scary dinosaur Irini in Aqua Apple advert

Erin checking on the scale

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Salman, Kristopher, Veselina, Ester in Hip Hop Hula Hoop Advert

In 4H, we have been discovering the magnificent mysteries of Ancient Egypt this past term. We started our journey by uncovering an ancient tomb, unveiling untold wonders about how bodies were buried and how these historical, architectural geniuses used to live. After wading through the gore of disembowelled pharaohs we discovered a strange set of jars that contained various organs from the old king’s body. While some were intrigued, others squirmed on and traversed through the hieroglyphic-lined tunnels until we found ourselves at the foot of the Great Pyramid!

The wondrous marvel with which we were now faceto-face filled our minds with a flurry of questions to which we were compelled to answer as best we could: ‘How were these masterpieces made, and why?’

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We looked at other wooden toys that have moving parts and planned a toy that uses a cam mechanism to provide movement in our toys.

We learnt how to draw a 3 dimensional plan of our design and once completed we began the building.

It was difficult to line up all of the moving pieces and we made a few mistakes, but we learnt what didn’t work so well and we then made changes to our plans.

Egyptian Exhibition

There is a lot more we could tell you about our travels but we don’t want to destroy your own voyage of discovery by revealing the facts we have unearthed. You may want to ask us about our expedition and will hear about dancers dancing, gods and goddesses conjuring up spells and hippos tipping boats in the Nile; however, to partake of the full experience, you must make this journey yourself – but you must ask your mummies for permission first!

Alina, Haris and Antoine working on their toys

4H Class

One of our exercises was a challenge called ‘Skipping Stones’, where we divided into 2 groups and had to race the other group to complete our task. The task seemed simple at first, but it tested all of us intellectually: standing on stones (mats) in a specific order, we had to reverse the order without stepping on the ground and without 2 members stepping on the same stone. It was very hard to communicate with each other because we were not in a circle and could not make eye contact. In the end, it took a hint from Mr Hamacher before we were able to successfully complete our mission.

We also played a game called the ‘Great Communicator’ where one person was chosen as the leader and had to instruct the others to make a special drawing. This was especially challenging because we could not ask questions and the communicator could not use certain key words like: circle, square, triangle, rectangle and arc. This was a great learning experience, as the leaders slowly began to use their hands to demonstrate, started to repeat themselves, and were using co-ordinates and a clock’s hands for directions. All in all, we can say that we definitely enjoyed our team building challenges.

By Finn, Jesus and Roberto

5L

The 6U ‘Clear Water Challenge’

In 5L we have been studying the famous poem, ‘The Highwayman’, in our Literacy lessons. This is a poem which was written by a man called Alfred Noyes in the 19th century. Here is how it begins: The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came ridingRiding-ridingThe highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

Hyun Jung’s completed toy

Once all the pieces were cut, sanded, decorated, and in the correct position, we began to glue our toys together. We needed to be very precise with our gluing to make sure they would work. There was a large variety of toys created and the class had some very impressive final products that 5M can be proud of.

Mr Dan Madsen, Class teacher

Bianca, Ilinca, Ilinca, Daniel and Yasemin attempting to clean their water by through evaporation and condensation

6H PSHCE Along with the many exciting things happening in 6H, we have been working hard on our team building skills to get ready for our trip to PGL, in England. This has been a part of our PSHCE lessons on communication and cooperation.

Tudor with his alternative Highwayman story

Then the Highwayman goes to landlord’s daughter, who is named Bess. Tim the Ostler, who is secretly in love with Bess, sees the Highwayman with Bess and wants to kill him. He goes to King George to tell him about the Highwayman’s plan to steal some gold. Then King George calls his army of red coats to go to Bess’s house. They capture her and wait for the Highwayman to return to the Inn. When the Highwayman comes, Bess shoots herself to warn the Highwayman of the soldiers waiting for him. The Highwayman wants revenge but one of the red coats shoots the Highwayman. The poem ends with both him and Bess becoming ghosts and living happily ever after.

6U using a filter to clean their dirty water

Finn taking the role as a leader, his team of Aaron, Maria, Elena and Roberto

Dirty water sample

Jesus, Benedetta, Dilara and Jarod working together to solve

As a part of our Science unit on dissolving, we recently had a class challenge where we had to obtain clear water from dirty water. Some of the groups were successful, others were not. Each group had to come up with their own procedure to try to make their water as clear as the control. Some groups used tablespoons to pull out the big pieces of dirt. Then they used funnels, coffee filters and one group even used rocks to clean their water.

Once everyone completed cleaning their water, teachers, teacher assistants and other students voted for the clearest water. The results were amazing! The group that used a coffee filter and then rocks had the cleanest water.

I really liked how Alfred Noyes described the setting and characters in this poem. This is the best poem I’ve ever read. After reading the poem we rewrote the story with a different ending.

Tudor, 5L

5M This last term 5M have been banging nails, sawing and sanding wood, drilling and gluing, during their DT lessons. We have been constructing moving toys.

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Fivos, Calin, and Adam, 6U

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Learning and Play One of the duties that a EYFS Teaching Assistant has is supervising the children’s play. Seeing the children playing, one can not help but see the difference between how girls and boys choose to play. We are not encouraging stereotypes, but it’s very easy to notice that the boys choose to involve themselves in more physical play than girls. Most of the times boys choose to play outdoors, climbing, exploring, chasing, playing superhero games or gunplay.

in the children’s play were there to be discovered.

During the autumn, I noticed some children’s preference in riding the bicycles. Later on, in one of their games, a boy put his arms on his hips and with a determined attitude demanded that the other 3 boys riding the bikes pay speeding tickets.

I immediately suggested to them to write them and brought paper and markers outside. Then, much to my surprise, I observed the 3 boys leaving their bicycles for the writing table. They all wrote their tickets in emergent writing and I found myself being fined by 4 policemen, who didn’t miss the chance to tell me while handing the “tickets”: “You have to pay!”

Akshay, Jason, Alex S. and Thomas writing

The game had repeated itself with the same pattern for some days. “The prison game” was highly popular and the adult went to a woodenbrick prison, much to some children’s cheer and to some other’s indignation. The children who didn’t want the adult “to go to prison” had to write their own note that set the adult free. The boys are still playing the game now, but amongst each other.

Having the warm weather has resulted in bringing more toys outside and it’s not big news that most of the things that boys play with, will eventually end up being a weapon. Gunplay has always been a sensitive issue bringing up numerous discussions whether to allow it or not. In reading more about this subject I found that gunplay can have an important role in boys’ development. Practice has shown that banning a game can only result in making it more desirable. There are numerous examples when the boys who are not allowed to play with guns are constructing their own and then pretend it is something else when an adult is around. This can only teach the boys the benefits of lying.

Akshay showing off his jumping skills

What I particularly found challenging was to overview the playground, as it is the place where children engage in exuberant imaginative games.

Watching the children being dinosaurs, chasing each other, jumping over obstacles, playing superheroes or seeing them climb in high places may cause a feeling of anxiety to any adult.

Children’s games that may seem rough have often led me to make the decision to intervene and stop the game; however, I wondered if there were other ways of dealing with this situation and so I decided to do a little research regarding boys’ play for my CPD (and for my emotional well-being, since more knowledge will probably reduce the anxiety).

It has been acknowledged that not only boys’ play is different to girls’ play, but so is their learning.

Boy’s learning in particular has been researched a lot lately due to the statistics which show that boys achieve lower in school than girls. With this in mind it is therefore especially important for EYFS to meet all the children’s needs. Being at a fragile age, we should make the best out of their first experiences with learning. Learning-time should be playful, but it shouldn’t mean only carpet-time. There are many opportunities for learning even during play-time.

The ability to tune into the child’s play to extend it further is the best thing that a practitioner can do during the child-initiated activities.

Having read the theory, opportunities to intervene

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Alex S. and Alex A. like climbing up high

Then winter came along and all the children were thrilled with the snow and the boys especially appreciated it not because we could make snowmen, but mostly because of the snow fighting.

Chasing, running, jumping, building snowmen and then crashing them, and playing imaginative games, we had a lot of fun outside while most of the girls chose to play inside. But being outside during the winter was also a learning opportunity for Knowledge and Understanding of the World since the boys noticed the changes in temperature, and all the things related to it. They discovered in the garden chunks of ice and they later on wanted to make their own ice, leaving the water outside overnight. While being outside they also extended their vocabulary by learning and using words describing ice. They also developed mathematical skills in holding the heavy thick ice and comparing it to the light and thin pieces.

In the spring, after all the snow had melted, the boys started to play as policemen in a game that was mostly about chasing one another. This time, they weren’t the kind of policeman that write speed tickets, but the ones that send people to jail. One day I found myself surrounded by policemen willing to send me to prison. But I wasn’t willing to go without a warrant. And so the boys started to write again, but this time they were forming recognisable letters. I was told, while being handed their writing: “You are going to prison!”

Swords or guns, boys choose to play with these toys (or make them) not because they are linked with violence, but because they are linked with action.

As practitioners, or parents, it is important to remember that gun play does not mean violent play, it is imaginative play.

This is what Guidance for practitioners in Early Years Foundation Stage: Confident, Capable and Creative: Supporting Boys’ Achievements recommends: “Images and ideas gleaned from the media are common starting point in boys’ play and may involve characters with special powers or weapons.

Adults can find this type of play particularly challenging and have a natural instinct to stop it.

This is not necessary as long as practitioners help the boys to understand and respect the rights of other children and to take responsibility for the resources and the environment.”

Children should be allowed to play with “swords” or “guns,” but an adult should always establish with them the rules of the game and make sure that the children follow them. It has been announced that this summer is going to be a very hot summer, so should we play with the water pistols? I will let you decide.

Ms Gabriela Ciofu, Gafencu TA

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Parent’s workshop We recently held our final parent’s workshop for the year- the theme was ‘The Great Outdoors’. Parents were firstly shown a presentation highlighting why we place such a large emphasis on outdoor play in EYFS. This informed parents that young children should be outdoors as much as indoors and need a well-designed, well-organised and integrated indoor – outdoor environment, preferably with indoors and outdoors available simultaneously.

Young children thrive and their minds and bodies develop best when they have free access to stimulating outdoor environments for learning through play and real experiences. Play is the most important activity for young children outside – it is a means through which children find stimulation, well-being and happiness, and through which they grow physically, intellectually and emotionally. The outdoor space and curriculum must harness the special nature of the outdoors, to offer children what the indoors cannot. This should be the focus for outdoor provision, complementing and extending provision indoors.

Our outdoor provision is planned for in the same way that we plan for indoor learning because it

is a whole classroom. We provide a balance of experiences that we as the practitioners plan and or create, naturally occurring opportunities linked to seasons, weather and nature, but also ensuring there is significant space and time for spontaneous activities that children initiate for themselves. We go outside in all weather and we often get messy.

The parents then walked round the crèche and Ringwood areas to see for themselves the wonderful activities going on outdoors. The workshop was rounded off with some flower shaped biscuits and a fruit salad made by the children.

Thank you to all the parents who have supported the workshops this year, we hope you have found them useful and look forward to the workshops next year.

Tiffany Moorcroft, EYFS Coordinator

John and Daniel in the snow

John, Esperanza, Mariam and Carmen paint our house

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The BSB English 100% Guarantee As an International School teaching the British National Curriculum, with all our lessons being taught in English by qualified, experienced Native English speaking teachers, it is essential that BSB has a excellent English support system set up to help students to adjust to life in an English language learning environment. We have students attending BSB from as many as 40 countries from various parts of the world at any one time, including Europe, America, South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. For this reason we have invested a lot of time and effort into establishing a professional, effective English support programme to help your children to attain the minimum level of English proficiency needed for each year group:

From the recent ISI Inspection Report: Section on: Quality of Education [website link to report here] 2.2: “Highly systematic procedures and assessments are used to identify pupils’ personal needs for support with English as an additional language (EAL) and, where appropriate they are supported by the outstanding and extremely effective provision.”

2.6: “Provision for pupils requiring learning support, including EAL is outstanding.”

The BSB English Guarantee We guarantee that your children will receive all the EAL support they need at BSB and will be able to communicate with their teachers peers with some confidence within 3 months.

Of the 72 students that started the EAL program this year, only 54 needed EAL support at the start of Term 2, and 31 at the start of Term 3. There were no students needing EAL at the end of year who had entered the programme at the start of the year.

4.4: “EAL is outstandingly well supported and managed and makes an extremely significant contribution to pupils’ development and learning.”

All students attending BSB are assessed before starting at BSB to ensure that they possess this minimum level of English.

Year 1-2 Years 3- 6 Years 7-13

Pre-intermediate Intermediate Advanced

Students assessed below the minimum level of English will be offered up to 5 hours EAL support in small groups within the normal student timetable.

Students are placed into specific programmes designed to help students at various ages and levels and variety of teaching methods and materials used to compliment the different learning needs of the students at various ages. The focus at elementary level is on oral skills, listening and speaking, to help the students to understand what is going on the classroom and to form friendships with other students.

As students become more confident users of English, the EAL focus shifts to reading and increasingly to writing, which are the focus areas at intermediate/ upper-intermediate level.

For the past 3 years we have had on average 70 students in our EAL (English as an Additional Language) programme at the start of the academic year receiving additional English support, including students with absolutely no English and those students who have acquired some level of English but need a little extra support to help them cope with their day to day class work and homework.

The primary function of the EAL department at BSB is to provide the necessary English support to help students with a low level of English integrate more quickly and easily into an English language environment.

Rares, 1T, working hard on forming his letters

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Mr Ellis providing some 1-2-1 EAL support

Nicolas, 1T, learning the alphabet

Mr Kendall Peet, Head of EAL

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A day in the life of a TA during Roman Week In the Primary School, which includes EYFS and Key Stages 1, 2, and 3, each class has its own Teaching Assistant working side by side with the teacher. As a TA I can tell you that each day is a new challenge for the TAs because our job is different everyday as we work to help, understand and interact positively with the students at BSB. For me, and I think for all the TAs, every day is special because of the students, as they always have such good energy and just being around them makes you feel younger and more alive. Everyday day is an adventure and at the end of each year we are left with so many fond memories.

dough and add a slight touch of originality to the traditional Roman bread by adding raisins, walnuts, nuts, rye, bran and Swiss cheese until their heart’s desire. As the bread rose, the children were very responsible and conscientiously helped to clean the kitchen, restoring it to its initial state. Then, after the outstandingly fun cook-athon, the children joined Ms Taylor, Mr Williams, Ms Ramona and Ms Daniela to enjoy a re-enactment of the Roman times, feasting on the astonishing bread that they had prepared with their own hands. They took a trip back in time and happily interacted with our ancestors’ traditions and customs.

the fact that they were overwhelmed by the idea of someone granting them the responsibility necessary for something of this proportion. And I’m also pretty certain that you appreciate something much more when you work for it yourself- not to mention the fact that it always tastes better.

As a TA I can say that we all like our job and are happy to help any of the teachers or students in anyway that we can. So if you need our help, don’t be afraid to ask and we will do whatever is within our power to help you, because we want to make a positive difference to school life here at BSB.

All in all, I think that they had the time of their lives. With regard to bread making, I can guarantee

Alex Cirtu, Year 4 TA

My aim in writing this article is to give you some idea of the life of a TA at BSB and to do this I thought I would tell you about a recent event which we celebrated at BSB- Roman Week. Roman Week was celebrated across the Primary School in a variety of ways. Apart from all the activities, such as making Roman weapons and the annual trip at the National History Museum, we also decided to organise a traditional Roman feast and had both Year 3 classes bake bread with Ms Daniela Tamas from 3T and with Mr Alex Cîrtu from 4H. I can say that the children really enjoyed this activity as it was not just educational, but also loads of fun. They learnt about the true origins of bread, how to read a recipe and balance ingredients, how to batter the

3T baking bread with Mr Alex and Ms Daniela, using a old Roman recipe

Ms Daniela Tamas getting ready to bake bread with 3T

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3T baking bread with Mr Alex and Ms Daniela, using a old Roman recipe

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Working and Living in Bucharest We have had a fantastic year at BSB. Bucharest is a beautiful city with a lot of history and culture to offer, as do the other parts of Romania. We have enjoyed the surprisingly sunny and warm weather and the culture of sitting outside on a nice afternoon with a cappuccino or a frappe.

Gafencu has also been a wonderful opportunity for us as we have really grown close to the other members of staff and we can often be found laughing at one of Ms Loredana’s pranks or helping to support each other when things need doing. Ms Adriana has been the fashion icon this year with a variety of lovely earrings and scarves which inspire us to want to go and shop…

There has certainly been some hard work done in our classes this year and we were glad to show this off to the parents in the Christmas Production. We had some funny moments preparing for it, with Preschool children falling asleep under the tables and pretending to be lions. The hard work has paid off though as we can all see the benefits in the children and the relationships that they have with us. We have also enjoyed specialist visits from Mr Mugur and Mr Jonathan as well as other visitors to Gafencu. We would have been lost without Ms Camelia there to keep us on the right path and Ms Alex to be the ICT and resources professional.

We are really glad that Ms Rodica is patient so we can make some mess sometimes… The great thing about Gafencu is that the children respect all members of the BSB staff community, not just the class teachers.

Participating in the clubs has been fun and a great opportunity for us to get to know the children better and to feel a greater part of the school. Ms Gaby has done a lot of research this year into children and how play is a crucial part of their development and her insights have been very useful (you can read about this in her article ‘Learning and Play’).

Ms Loredana with Nicholas

Ms Kellyanne and Ms Chris outside

Ms Adriana with Niya, Benji and Martina

Ms Nicoleta with Sanzi, Guilia, Alex C and Irina

Ms Alex with Ben, Alex and Jason

Ms Rodica with Laura

Reception have enjoyed their Transitional visits to Pipera and it has certainly helped to ease any stress that the children might be feeling. Ms Nicoleta has been a source of calm and organisation for Ms Kellyanne all year and her help has been great.

Crèche have a very happy team and Preschool has a very relaxed feel to it. The children have made great strides with their English and in other areas too.

Finally we would like to thank all of our parents for their support and contributions this year. You have been a big part of our experience here.

Ms Christine Stowe, Crèche Gafencu teacher Ms Kellyanne Feeney, Reception Gafencu teacher Ms Camelia

Preschool tying Ms Kath to a tree

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Ms Gabi with Akshay and Amelie

Ms Kellyanne and Ms Chris at the top of the Clock Tower in Sighisoara

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

School Events arranged by the PTA in Term 3

“It was a great night and we enjoyed ourselves very much and would love to repeat this experience again soon. Than you to the PTA for organising such a wonderful disco for us.”

Daniel and Ilinca T., 6U, on behalf of Years 5 & 6

One sunny day sometime after Easter, a mum who will remain nameless, approached the PTA to ask if they would consider arranging and funding various events for the school students. The PTA thought this was a great idea and asked me to liaise with the school to arrange events.

As usual, the first thing needed were some willing volunteers to help put our ideas into practice. It was not difficult to find eager recruits, especially when they were asked to join the newly titled “G & T Committee”. We sat down over a coffee and came up with a few ideas we thought the children might like. After a few more “G and T” meetings we met with Ms Hussain and Ms Greenwood, who agreed to the following events.

Barnaby’s Picnic taking place, Friday June 25th Unfortunately this event will take place after “Newsblast” has gone to print, but I am sure all the children will have had a good time at the picnic, where an entertainer will be on hand to keep everyone in good spirits and many activities for the children to do.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Teachers for their help and patience, the PTA for the funding, and Michael Fredholm for allowing us to use the cinema in World Class. Finally, a special thank you to the “G and T committee” without whose help these events would not have happened so successfully Year 3 and 4 Visit to World Class Cinema, June 13th and 16th On both days 3 mini buses pulled up outside Jolly Ville after the short hop from school, and 35 children from the BSB jumped out, all excited to be missing lessons and looking forward to watching the film. The children with their popcorn and juice sat down in the big blue comfortable chairs and glued their eyes to the screen to watch Ice Age 3 (Year 3) and Ratatouille (Year 4). I think on both occasions, with the amount of laughter heard, that is safe to say that the children enjoyed the film.

elegant dresses, and the boys in their trendy jeans and T-shirts partied till the pizzas arrived. After stopping for food the dancing carried on with DJ Eduardo mixing the tunes. The dance was a huge success on the hottest night of the year to date.

The event was also noteworthy for the debut of a new dance invented by the teachers and PTA, called “The Mosquito Hop!” You really had to be there.

BSB Year 5 & 6 disco

Senior School Summer Dance, Friday June 11th This event was co-ordinated by the school council and funded by the PTA. The dance took place on a glorious summer’s night in the beautiful front garden of the school. The girls dressed in their

Senior School End of Year Party

The PTA have made the following donations to charity in 2009-2010 Light into Europe, Guide dog for the blind 6232 Ron Asociatia Sindrom Down, Bucuresti 3000 Ron Fundatia Inocenti 2970 Ron Jeans for Genes 1000 Ron Money raised at the Summer Fair 15,940.00 Ron PTA contributions to the school: Selection of DVD’S for the school libraries Magazine subscription 5 Sewing machines 5 Tuffcams for EYFS 5 Microscopes for EYFS 3 Tripods for EYFS PTA organised and funded events:

BSB Year 4 PTS Trip to cinema

Year 5 and 6 Disco, Friday May 14th The stage was set and the room was ready with flashing lights, a smoke machine, a keen DJ, soft drinks and Pizza. What more could you ask for to have a good time? The children arrived in their best outfits and danced the night away to DJ Rhys playing the latest sounds. I have never seen so many budding “John Travoltas”(and some of them were teachers!). After 2 hours of exuberant dancing it was all over, and parents came to collect their tired but happy children from what had been a very successful event. I am sure they all slept well that night.

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

Year 3 and 4 visit to World Class Cinema Year 5 and 6 Disco Senior School Summer Dance EYFS and KS1 Barnaby Picnic The PTA would like to thank you for your continued support.

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PTA visit Asociatia Sindrom Down Bucuresti On Monday the 3rd of May representatives from the PTA visited the Asociatia Sindrom Down Bucuresti.

The visit was an opportunity to meet some of the association members and watch them have a dance lesson, and to present the association with a donation of 3000 Ron from the PTA.

The Asociatia Sindrom Down Bucuresti was founded in 2003 by the families of people with Downs Syndrome. At the moment there are 50 young people enrolled at the association. All the helpers are voluntary and the association works for an improvement in living conditions for people with Downs Syndrome in Romania and for their increased recognition in and by Romanian society.

The visit proved very worthwhile and was enjoyed by all who attended. We were made extremely welcome and look forward to reciprocating the hospitality when Asociatia Sindrom Down Bucuresti next visit BSB. Em Rowlands, PTA member

Down Syndrone members practising dancing

Secondary End of Year Social On Friday, June 11th BSB held its first summer dance. There was lots of music, food and laughter to be had. Organised by the school council, helpers, and the PTA, it was a great success for the students and I’m sure everyone had lots of fun. The Year 11s kindly offered to return to do the music and the Garlic pub went into overload with an order for 60 pizzas. The night was incredibly fun for all, but we did have an uninvited swarm of guests in the form of small flying bugs. As many people found out, mosquitoes enjoy legs and there were some pretty impressive bites to be seen at school on Monday.

There were some wonderful outfits and everyone looked amazing. We would like to thank the PTA most of all for their generous funding and planning without which the dance would not have gone ahead.

I’ve got a feeling...that tonights gonna be a good night

A little social mingling before the party

A great way to end the year

The mixing station

Alex, Alexandra, Alvario, and Andreea in the mood to party

They came in peace

Come on DJ play that song

Pizza anyone?

Emma, Year 10

May, Emma and Beth taking a break

Edi mixing it up

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City Compass ‘Discover Little Paris’ City Tour.

City Compass offer various services to help you get to know Bucharest and find the products and services you may need here. One of the tours they offer is called the ‘Discover Little Paris’ tour and the PTA and City Compass arranged for a group of mums from the school to attend. The tour began at the entrance of Cismigiu Gardens where we met our tour guide, Bogdan, a local historian. In the two hours that followed, we stopped by many interesting parts of Bucharest, including the Royal Palace, the Roman Athenaeum, Revolution Square and Stavrolopeos Church. Although I have been in Bucharest for two years and had already visited some of these places, from the tour I learnt a whole lot more about the history of these places from our knowledgeable tour guide. So this is a tour for those who have been here a while as well as newcomers to Bucharest.

Once the tour ended in Lipscani, the group headed off for a spot of lunch at Care Cu Bere before heading back to school - a lovely way to round off the morning! For more information on this tour and other services offered by City Compass, visit www.citycompass.ro.

we share our unique perspective on his country and so was born our exhibition ‘Romania through the Lenses of Expatriate Women’!

Word spread across the city’s expatriate community and ultimately 23 women from 16 different nations worked together to produce an exhibition depicting our unique perspective as expatriates living in Romania. Hosted first during May and June by the Clubul Taranului, Muzeul Taranului Roman, in the city, the exhibition will move to the French school in June and then in September to Grano, Dorobanti.

Other offers to host have followed and built on our initial idea, which has been so unexpected!

Enthusiasm for the project is immense and two of our exhibitors pooled their talents and produced a wonderful book of our exhibited works. The book, along with copies of exhibition photographs, are for sale with the proceeds going directly to support charitable causes here in Romania.

It has been a privilege to work with so many talented women on a project which has brought us so close to the country and the people of Romania.

Importantly it has allowed us to support some very worthy causes here in Romania. And so it is that ‘Romania through the Lenses of Expat Women’ is now an itinerant exhibition – how fitting for the work of 23 ‘expat wives’!

Photographer: Janie Meikle Bland

Mrs Janie Meikle Bland, Expat Exhibiter

Mrs Gwen Berry, BSB Parent

Photographer: Annie-France Charbonneau Photographer: Monica Ussia

Cismigiu Gardens

Romania through the Lenses of Expat Women A fresh perspective on Romania Expat life offers many challenges and many opportunities and as an ‘expat wife’ finding a purpose, a ‘raison d’etre’, can be crucial to ensuring our family settles well and gets the most out of our experiences of living abroad.

Photographer: Daniela Mager

Photographer: Tina Chee Slottorz

Expat life has offered me an opportunity to explore Romania and to develop my passion for photography. So last September, with my children settled in school, I set up a photo club with a number of other mums and a Romanian photographer, Mihai Constantineanu, as tutor.

Early in our course, I suggested we each build a portfolio to share with each other and perhaps exhibit to our families and friends. Perhaps - if we were feeling really courageous - we could auction our photographs to raise money for charity. We were inspired, the idea blossomed and Mihai proposed

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

The exhibitors

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Light into Europe Dear BSB, Many thanks indeed for the latest copy of Newsblast, I found it educational and interesting!!

I am sure you know of Chloe, the first guide dog in Romania, well a few days ago we flew in our charity aircraft to Zagreb to collect the second guide dog, Tally. She is a very special lady dog who we hope will become the mother of our Romanian line of guide dogs in the future.

On Monday the 7th we took her to meet her new puppy walking family, the Phillips, who have 2 children at BSB, they had met Tally on the previous Saturday at the BSB Summer fair and decided to

Irini, 3W with Midnight at the BSB Summer Fair

Hi, my name is Tally.

I was born on December 1st, 2009 in Zelina (Croatia). I am a small black Labrador with a pedigree (I don’t know what this is but people say it’s important). As a pup I had my friends, my brothers and sisters, and my mum who fed us. This she did for two months. One day uncle Darko came and said he needed a Labrador for the Association who teaches guide dogs for the blind and he chose me. So, I left my family and met a new one in Lučko near Zagreb.

They had two other dogs: Rio and Alex, with blond hai. In my family also are Jonatan, Selena, Renata, and Zoran. These are my human family. Renata became my human-mum, as my real mum stayed behind in Zelina (sniff, sniff). We have a big yard around the house and we can run and play as we wish. But all of us are happy to walk on the dike of the river Sava. Sometimes we come back dirty and wet and then we have to bath in a tub. I like that very much, and after this it is super to sleep.

Mum takes me to the city. For this I have to wear a special yellow waistcoat and the obligatorily collar and leash. In the city it is very exciting. Many people, cars and all sorts of scents. But mum

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rename Tally, Midnight. Midnight was very happy with the new arrangements and soon settled in at her new home.

I thought your readers would be interested in this story, so I am also attaching Tally/Midnights’s CV. It could make a nice news item for the next issue.

Kind regards, Stan

Light into Europe: Our mission is to develop programmes that will enable the blind and deaf communities to raise their aspirations and partake fully of life

Midnight with his former family in Croatia and the Light into Europe team

teaches me I have to walk by her, and before going on the other side of the street I had to sit down and wait. Each time I obeyed, I got praise and another biscuit. I was made acquainted with Aunt Mira and her guide dog Buzz. Aunt Mira and Buzz where very happy to meet me. He is a guide dog and helps Aunt Mira because she is blind and can’t move around alone. Maybe one day I will also be like Buzz, who knows? Maybe that’s the reason I have this yellow waistcoat.

My only defect (some say it’s not a shortcoming, you decide) is that I always get what I wish. That is so with Rio and Alex. I found out, if I wish to have the ball or stick, I have only to bark long enough and pester them and that’s it.

Mum is angry for that and she doesn’t like it, so she separates me sometimes from company to ‘’rest’’ a little bit.

I am happiest when mum takes some minutes only for me. We can cuddle, nibble, lick…its really great!

At any rate I love my family, my two friends and Jan when he visits us, but I suspect that a new parting is waiting for me. Am I right?

Maybe it must be so. They talked about my going to Romania (?). What is waiting for me there?! Please, when I go, don’t forget my family. Let

Midnight with Stan Platt

Midnight

them know sometimes how I am. Surely they will be happy, especially my mum because she spent the most time with me. And please, have patience with me. I am still young and sometimes I do some stupid things. But you have to acknowledge, you big ones do it also sometimes.

Mum says I am fast learning, and one day I will be a serious and well-behaved dog. And I would like to remind you, I am learning quicker if you give me Kudos when I do something good and reward me with a biscuit.

Yours, Tally

Visit the BSB website at www.britishschool.ro

Great Expectations in just a Few Minutes Have you ever picked up a thick volume and wished you could read it in minutes? Or have been faced with a stack of papers which are to be read for the next day?

Photo-reading, a concept developed by Paul R. Scheele in 1981, has now spread globally and is offered in 20 different languages, can offer you precisely this.

Photo-reading is not like Speed reading which enables you to read about 5000 words a minute but goes even further as to giving you the possibility of 25,000 words. You can learn and absorb any reading material 3 times faster and it has proven able to improve your memory, relieve stress and even promote your school grades from a C to an A ( of course you will still have to study, photo-reading may be an answer but laziness is not.)

Firstly, with Photo-reading you do not need any qualities or abilities other than to be able to read and understand the language the course is being taught in. In addition, Photo-reading is not recommended to children under 13 as it is very mentally stimulating. Secondly, It does not take long to learn but does require practice and it is

easy for anyone to learn to photo-read and it does not require a large commitment. Lastly, the course allows you to bring any reading material you like, from magazines to web pages to your history book.

• Broaden your knowledge.

• Lower your workload.

• Get better grades.

• Improve your job skills.

• Earn more money.

Those are the main improvements you will experience from Photo-reading. It’s a win-win course and everything will benefit you to do something different so that you may fit vast amount of information in a minimal about of time using five easy steps.

Overall, photo-reading is a course that will benefit anyone of any ag e (13 +) and as I myself have already completed the course, I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has a lot of read or is simply curious to find out more about it.

For further information please check out the site www.photoreading.com. Like the title says, Great Expectations in a few minutes.

Louisa, Year 10

Louisa, Year 10

Great Expectations

From September 2010, BSB is accepting registrations for children age 12 months.

For better details please contact BSB office.

Email: office@britishschool.ro Tel: 021 267 8919 Fax: 021 267 8969 ‘All done and Gone!’

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Most talked about training in Switzerland comes to Bucharest.

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The Club with a difference. With so many health clubs in town deciding which one is right for you and your family is a challenge. Le Club will take the difficulty out of that decision. We guarantee our support for you to live the harmonious healthy life style we all crave.

Starting this Summer you have the chance to become a member of our community, and a state of the art facility awaits you. If you have decided that this is the year you unveil a new year, then come along and let us talk about how we can help you accomplish your dreams.

A new future awaits you.

Contact: 0314329002; office@le-club.ro

The British School of Bucharest Magazine

59

Creativity

www.britishschool.ro

Friendship

Learning

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BSB: The only place to be!

42, Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190 Voluntari, Ilfov County, Romania T. +40 21 267 89 19 F. +40 21 267 89 69 E. office@britishschool.ro

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