BBIS Yearbook 2021-22
Letter from the Principal
There are so many things to say and be thankful for. Let's start by thanking you all for your continued encouragement and support of the students, our staff and BBIS. We are grateful to you all for choosing to bring your family to BBIS and for facing the recent global challenges together. Eleven months ago, after two years of work, we received the amazing news that the International Baccalaureate organisation authorised BBIS to teach the Middle Years Programme (MYP). This made BBIS the first and only MYP school in Hungary.
Now, we can share some more amazing news that BBIS has also been authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma (DP). After two years of work that built on the feasibility study developed by colleagues who have long since departed, Ms Clements and the BBIS teaching team achieved an incredible list of positive and congratulatory feedback. BBIS readiness to deliver the IB DP identified 18 aspects of the school worthy of commendation. Each of these is significant in its own right, but to have 18 together is remarkable and reflects the hard work, dedication and commitment of the BBIS team. We identified six aspects of the DP programme for development in the coming 5 years, which the authorising team have confirmed. All of this means that BBIS is the only school in Hungary to offer a continuum of IB programmes for students from age 11 to 18. As you can imagine we are all delighted - exhausted too - but delighted nonetheless to receive such prestigious recognition for our planning and professional work. We cannot wait to get started on the teaching and learning programme for the first cohort of DP students who start back at BBIS in August. BBIS Primary has continued to grow and develop throughout the year. We have been thrilled with the parent partnership sessions which you have so eagerly attended and have felt your support and flexibility during the worst days of The Pandemic. Covid-19 affected the Primary school much more than in the older years, given the smaller number of vaccinations. As cases rose and quarantine was required, we were all grateful to you for your continued support and help. I want to pay tribute to our teaching team as well. They were so flexible and resilient, handling the daily uncertainty with exceptional professionalism. Despite the challenges, students have continued to grow in their learning and development. Our data shows us that students are making more progress than we might expect in English and in Mathematics and that the standards they are reaching are increasing continually. Right across the whole curriculum children are making great progress in their learning. It was, therefore, great to connect with many of you at the three-way conferences and hear how successful the children are becoming. Our numbers are continuing to grow - so much so that we are opening new classes and expect to have the highest number of students ever in the new academic year, even though a number of our current families are returning to their home county or moving with their jobs, as the diminishing effects of The Pandemic allow. I've completed 25 years now as a serving school Principal in 6 schools and I cannot think of a more challenging year on the global stage. From Reception to MYP5 all of those challenges have been faced with dedication, humility, compassion and a lot of success. I wish our staff a great holiday in the coming weeks. I wish you all a very happy and safe summer - wherever you head to, do all you can to look after each other.
Primary School The song ‘Seasons of Love’ from the musical Rent talks about how to measure a year. The special moments that take place during those ‘Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes.' It is hard to sum up the achievements, highlights, and memories of the last school year in a couple of short paragraphs as there have been so many. We started a year ago thinking about how to redesign our curriculum to ensure it enables our students to be ‘future-ready.' The adoption of the White Rose Maths scheme and completely rethinking how we teach History, Geography, and Science in a more inquiry-based way that allows students to apply their knowledge and skills in real life are all changes that we have made in the space of only one year. Robin Sharma, a Canadian writer says that ‘change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end’. The last 12 months have certainly been a considerable period of change in the Primary School and I would like to send a special thanks to every member of the Primary Team for navigating this year with grace, resilience, and a positive mindset. Despite what the quote says, it was hardly ever messy! We are now seeing the ‘gorgeous’ results of the hard work of the team. This is evident in our recent NGRT scores and the way the students are using Mathematical talk, reasoning, and problem-solving in the classroom. We have seen the students thinking more about their responsibility in the world and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Examples of this are our work with the ’10 million trees' foundation and the community outreach working with Peto Institute. It has been wonderful to welcome our parent community back into the school and it has been a pleasure to work together through our Parents in Partnership sessions and working groups. We will not rest on our laurels and will strive to build on the success of this year and continue to provide the most real and relevant learning experiences to all our Primary students ensuring that everyone achieves their full potential.
Bowties, Pompoms, Buttons
Dear Children, What a busy year we had! We remember when you entered our classroom for the very first time. You were younger, shorter, perhaps a bit scared. Look at you now! You have learned so much. Writing stories, reading books, and performing in front of an audience. We had lots of fun together, going on trips, visiting the local forest, making pancakes, and many-many more. We enjoyed being your teacher this year and are very proud of you. Enjoy your summer holiday! Ms. Ellaby, Mrs. Wilks, Miss Tapodi, Ms. Kalafszky and Ms. Hatvani
Bowties
Pompoms
Buttons
Autumn Term
Spring Term
Summer Term
Dear 2VB, I cannot believe how incredibly busy this year was for all of us. I am so proud of everything that you have accomplished during this academic year and I am grateful for learning so much from you. I have become more reflective while watching you do self- and peer-check during Maths or using your ‘Have-a-go’ books during Literacy. I have learnt to be more resourceful while conducting Science investigations with you such as designing your own water filters to help others. I have enhanced my resilience when powering through the long miles with all of you during the BBIS Walkathon. I have seen relationships grow while building our Kindness Wall, brick by brick together with you. I have experienced how responsible Y2 students can be when they have to adjust to online learning overnight. Finally, I have also learnt that every recipe needs a pinch of magic while we concocted our marvellous potions. While writing this letter, I kept browsing through our photos on ClassDojo and all your work on Seesaw. Once again, I was astonished by how clever, brilliant and unique all of you are. We had so many adventures together, but my favourite class trip was our visit to the Vadas Park. I remember all of your faces light up when spotting bird feeders and bug hotels, petting the little furry squirrel and singing with the jackal. I hope that my classroom, both real and virtual, was a place where you learnt many things, made many friends and had lots of fun. Come and knock on my door and tell me all about Year 3. I wish you the most amazing summer holiday! Love, Ms Buzek
Dear 2VB, Let me start by letting you know how lucky I think I am that I got to meet you all. You made me feel so welcome right from my very first day at BBIS. We learnt so much about each-other day by day and soon I got to see what amazing students you all are. You always found a way to spice up every day with your uniqueness so we never had a dull moment together. At the start of the year, I was surprised how much you already knew about the world and that was just the beginning! As time passed by, you became wildlife activists, time travellers, scientists, experts on water and the list could go on! It made me so happy to see how you love reading about different topics and thanks to the continuous practice your reading levels have improved so much. Now, you are able to read more difficult books than before! That deserves a ‘’One, two, three, well done me!’’. Keep up the great work and do not forget to stay happy! Yours, Ms Tamás
Thank you for a brilliant year!
Dear 3CP, I would like to begin this letter by saying a big thank you to you all for having made this year such an unforgettable one. I consider myself very lucky to have had you as my very first class! I remember feeling nervous when I heard the bell ring on the very first day of school but quickly, that feeling turned to excitement and joy as I saw all your smiling faces. You should all be proud of your achievements as students and as individuals. Your resilience during Sports Day was inspiring and the way you all encouraged each other to do your best no matter which house you belonged to. You have shown me how to build meaningful relationships by caring for each other and supporting one another during your learning and paired work. You also impressed me with how responsible you all were when handling the snakes, bearded dragon and even the tiddly turtles! We have just enjoyed a fantastic residential trip to Balatonboglár and I could not have thought of a better way to end our amazing journey together; singing songs, toasting marshmallows and sharing jokes. I hope you have a lovely and restful summer and that you come back with the same energy and positive attitude next year! Enjoy! Ms Parish
Dear 3CP, It has been a wonderful experience watching you learn every day and to be part of your learning journeys. I have watched you work hard and despite all the challenges, you never gave up! You bunch ain’t quitters! You have shown resilience, especially when we were learning about time! It’s a hard one to master, but you nailed it! As I am leaving at the end of this academic year, I will not be able to see most of you grow into the talented, strong, hard-working and witty young adults you ought to be but it fills my heart with joy to have a class like you to remember as my last year here at BBIS. If I may give you a piece of advice: always keep the humour you have about things, see the world up-side-down and no matter what, as long as you’re kind, just stay true to yourselves! Warmest regards, Ms Lepi
Lev
Jack
Leo
Beni
Zlata
Kitti
Anabelle
Rozi
Shivay
Giulia
Milo
Eyrk
Otto
Miraya
Dear 3AKM
Dear 3AKM,
It has been an honour and a privilege to watch you all
I would like to start this letter with a huge thank you to
grow this past year.
all of you for your honesty, support and flexibility especially during Science lessons. This was my first year
I can't believe the time's gone so quickly. Well, you know
of teaching Science and I could not have asked for a
what they say - time flies when you're having fun! We've
better class as you were always excited and curious
had so many fun memories, from the classroom turning
about the topics we covered. I thoroughly enjoyed
into a forest, making croissants in literacy to making
hearing your thoughts, seeing you work together and
kaleidoscopes and messy art projects (sorry parents!). I
took pleasure in preparing the lessons knowing that we
have enjoyed all our adventures from the residential to
will have a lot of fun learning about the things together.
Balaton, visiting Matias Church to investigating the shocking amount of plastic packaging at our local
As I am leaving at the end of this academic year, I will
supermarket.
not be able to see most of you grow into the talented, strong, hard-working and witty young adults you ought
You make me smile every day and I am so grateful I had
to be but it fills my heart with joy to have a class like you
the opportunity to teach and learn with you.
to remember as my last year here at BBIS.
As you continue through life, never forget to learn, to
If I may give you a piece of advice: always keep the
keep having fun and always be kind! I am SO proud of
humour you have about things, see the world
you all.
up-side-down and no matter what, as long as you’re kind, just stay true to yourselves!
Miss Kasza-Martin Warmest regards, Ms Lepi
“I loved making “I liked the poetry unit. fraction pizzas! Pizza + I learnt that poetry is maths = winning an emotional combination,” rollercoaster,” “I will miss everything about Year 3! I’ve learnt so many new things,”
“I loved EVERYTHING in Year 3!”
“I loved going outdoor “Play projects are great learning because we because you can be do lots of fun creative and use your activities,” imagination,” “I loved when we made waterslides,”
“The BOB in Balaton was EPIC!”
“I thought the kindest recipes were really lovely,” “I can’t pick one memory because everything was fun,” “I loved making our music video for science,” “I loved cooking marshmallows and singing with my friends in Balaton,”
4 AB best memories
We loved visiting the pinball museum and then making our very own flipper games. This year, we made so many friends when new students joined our class! We remember having lots of fun when competing in our house teams, like the inter house football competition or the Science day challenge. We did so many fun things with food this year like making butter, Malva pudding, cupcakes, decorating cookies. We really enjoyed learning how to bake bread then sharing it with our buddy class. Playing in the snow during community time was so much fun! Especially when Ms Bellard let us try to throw a snowball at her! We learned about and celebrated special days that are important to our class mates such as Hanuka, Easter and Lunar new year. Africa day was so much fun! Especially when we made Malva Pudding. Mr Darling made us laugh so much! He once pretended to drink dirty water at the start of our lesson on human rights then he did a big pretend burp!
4LP, I’m not sure if I’ve quite got my head around the fact that it is the end of the academic year and my time with you as your class teacher. To say this year has been full of fun, laughter and learning for us all would be an understatement. You welcomed me, as a new teacher to BBIS, with open arms on the first day of school and the kindness hasn’t stopped since! We’ve been lucky to share so many experiences throughout the year, from publishing our very own book to our recent residential trip. Looking back through photos of this year has made us all smile and reminisce about how much we have progressed and achieved this year. It really is true what our memory book says, “We didn’t know we were creating memories, we just knew we were having fun!” Your enthusiasm for learning and life has been infectious and I loved coming to school everyday knowing that no day was ever going to be dull with all of you around. I will always be grateful that you were my first ever class at BBIS. An unforgettable year made special by each and every one of you. One of my favourite memories, the school trip to the Flipper Museum and a picnic in the park!
Always be yourselves, Miss Patchett
I always loved how uplifting you were, forever supporting and caring for each other.
“I loved going to the Flipper Museum this year. We got to play lots of different games which inspired our learning.”
“I really enjoyed Sports Day this year, particularly the running and the nerf throwing activities.”
“My favourite memory from this year was meeting my teacher, Miss Patchett.”
“I really enjoyed making my own pinball game. We got to share them in the art exhibition, too!”
“I loved Africa Day. We did many things such as making Malva pudding and dancing to traditional songs.”
“I really loved PSHE lessons this year as it really calmed us.”
“Our residential trip to Balatonboglar was amazing. We got to do fun activities such as the adventure park.”
“We loved no pens day! We got to go to the forest and produce films and we didn’t need to write!”
Dear Year 4, I would like to start this letter by saying how proud I am of everything you showed this year. Lots of new things you learned and a lot of challenges we managed to overcome together. It was a pleasure to see you all grow and develop, not just academically but also emotionally. Throughout my career in education, I realised that we, teachers, have as much to learn from children as children from us. This year, I learned a lot. I would like to wish you all an exciting, amazing summer holiday and I look forward to seeing you all around school next year. I wish you to continue to develop and grow as you did this year, on your way of becoming successful young individuals. Mr Aleksic
Dear 5AW! What an incredible year we have had in Year 5! There are so many memories that you have made together, so many brilliant lessons and so much laughter and happiness throughout. You have been such a great class, I couldn’t have asked for a better one! It is such a pleasure for me to come to school every day and see all of your smiling faces, positive attitudes and enthusiasm in everything that you do. We’ve been lucky to share so many experiences throughout the year, such as the Zoo trip, the Peter Pan production, having live animals in our classroom, investigating the bell thief and our recent residential trip. There is always such a great atmosphere in the classroom and that is because you are all such kind and happy children. I feel like I have become a better teacher through teaching you. I am sure that you will be superb role models for the Primary School in Year 6. From Mr Wolverson
I really enjoyed making the phases of the moon with oreos
The Zoo trip was great because I liked watching the animals
I loved making new friends and my teachers
When we made a parachute and dropped eggs off the balcony, trying not to let it break.
No pens day was one of my favourite days because we did other activities that we wouldn't normally do.
I loved singing and acting in Peter Pan.
When we modelled pollinating flowers with cheetos, it was really fun.
Finding out who stole the bell was a good memory because we got to go to the MYPscience lab and use microscopes
Dear 5AW, It has been a fantastic year working with you in Year 5! There are so many great memories I have to take away with me and I’m sure you do too. Every day one of you has made me smile and I have enjoyed so many lessons and projects we have done together. I also had a lot of fun on the trips we went on and experienced together, especially the residential at the end of this school year. It was so lovely to see how you looked after each other, your kindness and the sharing of all those snacks! I am very proud of you all and I wish you the best of luck in Year 6, keep up the good work. I know you will be awesome! From Mrs Wootton
6HJ
6HJ, Year 6 is one of the toughest year groups to go through. You are bombarded with reminders about how you should be representing the school, that you should be a model student to the younger classes and that your classwork should reflect the very best that can be produced in Primary. Then, teachers start talking about MYP and the high standards expected there, how you must be even more organised, cope with even MORE homework and suddenly mature into mini adults to face all the social and academic challenges in Secondary school! Every one of you, at some point this year, has met and at times surpassed expectations. In your own ways, you have shown you can be fantastic students - whether it’s when reciting a poem to the whole of Primary, achieving your Diamond reading certificate or teaching us about Minecraft - each of you have had your own WOW moments and that tells me that inside, you have what is needed for the next level of education. While I will truly miss finding old food in your lockers and listening to spontaneous singing about Barney, I am excited to set you free into adolescence as the new and better people you have become this year. Wishing you all the very, very best, Miss Johnstone
6HJ Memories These moments made us laugh the most and will never be forgotten! ‘Fluffy snickers’ in Circle time Dani: Can I wash my plate? in Science Oliver’s exercise video where we can’t see Oliver exercising ‘Hi my name is Yiram Park.’ ‘Hi my name is Yiram Park.’ The ‘Willie Madness’ (Wooly Mammoth) on Oliver and Niki’s Capcut video Niki: Miss, you’ll never be as useless as Flash’s car! 6HJ crazy dancing to ‘Barney is a dinosaur’ Matyi’s ‘orange-utan’ Yiram’s impossible quiz Ruby winning Sports day THE RESIDENTIAL TRIP!
Dear Year 6, It has been a wonderful year watching you grow into the young adults that you are and how much you have achieved since Year 5. I have so many memories to take away from this year. You have also shown great resilience this year adjusting to unpredictable schedules, challenges such as the 16KM walk, and your sense of community with the charity events you hosted. Keep working hard and I wish you all the best in MYP, you’ll be great! From Mrs Wootton
6JC, I can’t believe we are finally here. It seems like only yesterday that you started as fresh faced year sixes and now, you are all off to MYP! Over the course of this year, we have had some wonderful experiences together: dissecting cows' hearts, trekking across Budapest in hopes of raising funds for charities, setting alcohol alight and making vacuum cleaners, setting and surpassing our own targets; we’ve had a blast! You have all proven yourselves as charming, funny and talented individuals and have been one of the funniest (and cheekiest) classes I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. The rest of your academic journey will not be with me, though I hope you will take the organisational skills, public speaking prowess and wonderful humour you have developed and grown over this year with you. MYP will be challenging, but remember what my Mum said: “If you are stuck, someone else probably is too, so don’t be scared to ask for help!”. I am sure you will not miss me bugging you for your reading record, or asking you not to make the most bizarre sounds imaginable, though I do hope you keep posted on how you are doing. You are all going to go on to all do wonderful things and I wish you all the very best of luck. Yours truly, Mr Coupland.
Our favourite memories! My favourite time was when I ate the salted caramel ice-cream on the school trip! I loved it when we sang into the fan and it made weird sounds. I enjoyed bobsledding on our school trip and the tree top climbing! I enjoyed being the narrator in Peter Pan and the residential trips we went on. My favourite day was when we got to have Mcdonald’s on our sponsored walk When we become to relay champions on SPORTS DAY! I loved it when we dissected to cows hearts, it was so fun and disgusting.
Primary MFL - Spanish and German The Modern Foreign Language department at BBIS offers German and Spanish to KS2 students. Learning a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures, fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. Through the study of various topics students are able to ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others. They have used their knowledge to speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures. In September, for the European Day of Languages, we had for the first time our amazing Primary students leading the lemonade stand where they encouraged all BBIS pupils to ask for a drink using the foreign language studied in school. It was delightful to see all the risk-takers of the school community speaking in Spanish or German with enthusiasm. Being able to communicate in a foreign language provides opportunities for them to use the language for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and in the future read great literature in the original language.
Primary Visual Arts Primary Visual Arts at BBIS provides students an open space to explore ideas and record their experiences by producing creative work in a range of mediums. Individual expression is explored through projects that inspire and challenge students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Throughout the key stages, students continue to build proficiency in drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles, collage and additional interdisciplinary techniques. Students learn the language of art and design to evaluate and analyse the creative works of others, as well as to be able to think critically about the development and refinement of their own abilities. It is a highly cross-curricular subject, integrating knowledge of literacy, history, science and maths to engage students and open discussion on the global impact of art and design, and its contributions to shaping society and culture. The end of year Primary Art Show was a brilliant showcase of all the artwork produced by students from Reception to Year 6. The full range of skills were put on display in a visually stimulating and sensory experience. The exhibition demonstrated the high level of student engagement across a plethora of themes and topics that were explored across the year, from isometric video game concept art to cave paintings made from spice to functional pinball machines constructed from wood. We also had a special display of artwork by students from the Peto Institute and some of the students visited to take part in a workshop led by KS2 student representatives. The exhibition provided a fantastic opportunity for students to take pride in their hard work, and for the greater community at BBIS to see the culmination of incredible creativity, artistry and innovation. It was a real team effort to bring the show together and the positive feedback from the show made it a huge success.
Primary Hungarian Hungarian lessons at BBIS are aimed for native speakers, and it is quite popular: I can gladly say that above 90% of our Hungarian students are attending these lessons in the Primary school. I think that parents are really thankful for us giving the opportunity for their children to follow the Hungarian national curriculum in Literacy and Grammar / Spelling. The children can start learning Hungarian in Year 2, when they can already read in English at some level, so the different sounds do not confuse them, plus, children start school at the age of 6 or 7 in Hungary (Year 2 age group in the British system), so it’s a perfect fit. They have 3 lessons a week in Hungarian, plus there are after-school clubs we offer. The aims of the lessons are actually quite similar to the students’ English / Literacy lessons in general. The two main goals are to develop communication skills, (especially written communication as many families speak Hungarian at home) and reading, both fluently and accurately, while developing different comprehension strategies – I personally pay special attention to the latter as I love reading and want to show the joy of it! But I also find it very important to try to show how fun it can be playing with the language for example. There are quite some contemporary children’s poetry to help me with this! We put a huge focus on celebrating our holidays and traditions throughout the year, studying unique folk tales, talking about historical events and so on. I am really proud of how curious and creative my students are, as well as always being helpful to each other in the lessons. Some of their work that are on display in the classroom even caught the eye of a few non-Hungarian children being in the room and inspired enthusiastic conversations!
Primary Computing Computing in BBIS addresses digital citizenship, computer science and information technology. Through the six primary years, students are learning about the protection of personal information, netiquette, cyberbullying and selective searching to prepare them for an independent and responsible online life. We discover computational thinking in different ways, giving simple instructions to robots and using a variety of coding platforms from Scratch Jr to Code.org, reinforcing the understanding of algorithms and the importance of debugging. As part of Information Technology, students are introduced to a variety of applications through iPads and laptops for creating presentations, learning how to take photos and evaluate their quality, creating and editing audio and video, and learning ways of 3D design. Students are working on iPads or Chromebooks and with BeeBots or LEGO Robots during their Primary studies, with some activities for Micro:bits. Computing-based clubs also took place this year such as the Digital Art club, the 3D design club and the Digital Leaders club for students who show extra interest in working with computers. In November, as part of our Anti-Bullying Week, we held Digital Citizenship Week in Primary and Secondary as well, the theme for this year was Social and Emotional Wellbeing. As a tradition now, BBIS joined the Week of Code in December, joining this global event organized by hourofcode.org. Some eager students have participated in the COBIS Coding Challenge showing great individual effort for coding. We celebrated Safer Internet Day in February. Having fun, learning new skills or building existing ones at the same time is the ultimate goal for Computing in BBIS.
Welcome to MYP After receiving the confirmation of our MYP Authorisation at the end of the last academic year, the MYP programme has gone from strength to strength. Whilst I took over this position at the beginning of Term 2, I have been involved in this programme for 3 years now and the understanding, confidence and ability of our students has continued to flourish. We have been able to see our first MYP cohort undertake the rigorous process of the MYP eAssessments and the completion of the Personal Project and we look forward to receiving their grades at the beginning of August. We also undertook a fantastic service trip for the MYP4 and MYP5 students to Tenereife, organised by Miss Brunt. An amazing opportunity to work with marine life and develop an understanding outside of our own community. As these students move into the Diploma Programme, our remaining MYP Students move up with new possibilities. We have moved into allowing students an option system to help them tailor their program towards their strengths and interests in MYP4 & MYP5, as they focus towards the full range of eAssessments in May 2023. We are also excited to welcome our new Year 6s who move up into the MYP Program as well as extending a warm welcome to our new families joining us here at BBIS. For now, we wish you all the best for summer and look forward to you all returning in August. Neil Best MYP Coordinator
MYP1 By: Peti R, Mark P, Andras H, Luca G We went on our first trip of the year. We have done a lot of exciting things. We baked marshmallows, cooked soup and drew our team flags which was very interesting.
When we arrived we started painting our homeroom animal. Everyone had a different chosen animal but ours was the Topaz turtle. We had lots of fun setting up some fire and cooking Goulash. And this is the picture of us at the end of the trip. We also went to swim in the river for a bit.
We also played some sporty games like baseball and did a treasure hunt. “My favourite day trip of last week was in the wildlife park because I got to pet and feed animals. Also I got to face my fear of heights. I also saw some animals that I had never seen in my life like a lynx and a wolf.”
On Cyberjump residential, we had lots of fun and we did all kinds of fun stuff. After we had enough of jumping we went to Burger King. To be honest this was the best lunch of the week. Then while we were heading back we stopped by a river and saw some Turtles and Fish.
This year has been really interesting and fun with all the different things happening and all the new people coming to our class. I have gotten closer to a lot of different people and it feels like that we understand each other much better compared to last year. This year involved lots of different situations, some good, some bad but they were all fun to go through together. Overall this year has been one of the best years i have experienced and I hope I’ll see everyone next year. – Michelle L.
😼
This entire year has been a very good experience, I've had my ups and downs but all around, the year has been filled with very fun moments along with challenging academic activities that really made me think beyond what I was used to. The summatives themselves have been tough and creative and I never can tell what assignment we will get next. The other half of the year was filled with plenty of activities that got me to bond with the class and form new friendships with my fellow classmates in fun activities that we had never tried before - Leo A. I think that the most enjoyable parts of MYP2 have been the residential, filming the movie and going to Margit island during the second last week of school. I enjoyed the residentials and the field trips because what you're allowed to do in school is quite limited and during the residential and the field trips I was able to do a lot more with my friends and spend more time with them. - Leo W.
This year has been full of ups and downs, We faced challenges that we overcame such as covid and lockdown. And fun, enjoyable times such as the residential trips that we went on. This year has been very chaotic due to multiple things such as drama and arguments but we have always come out stronger. I think that work wise the year has been quite challenging as we had our exams for the first time and we also had a big change in timetables, but we all learned new things for next year, and that is the important thing. With all the different friendships and adventures that we have made, remarkable memories have formed that will never be forgotten, we got through the year, we showed that under pressure we will thrive. "Don't cry because it is over, Smile because it happened" - Dr Suess Emilia P. This year for me was an interesting, but good experience. It was fun but chaotic at times. I really liked my homeroom, because we always worked together well. There was always a joke that we could laugh at. We did lots of activities and we always had so much fun. - Anna J. This year was good and a lot better than last year because I have improved my English and made a lot of friends. I enjoyed most of the class activities because it wasn't just writing but we also looked at videos and did physical activities. Some of the things that were the most entertaining for me and that stood out are sports day and also the inter house competitions because I love playing sports and also they were team activities which made people that weren't friends a bit closer. - Lovre S. This year I have improved my English and my grades in general a lot. I also think that I have made a lot more new friends. I have had a lot of fun throughout the whole school year. My favourite part will definitely be the school residential trip as it was super fun and I could experience a lot of new activities that I have never tried before and probably won't try any time soon. The only time when I have found it not fun this year was in the beginning when I was feeling like I was still in the summer break. Overall this year was super cool and exciting and I hope next year will be the same or maybe even better. - Petar T.
My year was mediocre. I had a lot of troubles with friends and family but I also had a lot of fun. Even though there were constant conflicts for a small portion of the year, the rest was still enjoyable. I improved a lot on my academic studies and have seen great results. This year wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t horrible either, I’d say it’s an average year for me. – Minh From last year many of my grades have improved and simply because I think we all understand the IB. This year has had its challenges but its resolutions too. This year has been quite chaotic because of multiple incidents but that's what made the year more fun and interesting in some areas. With many new friendships during the year and new adventures this year has been managed to be fun in most areas. This year will be missed but I am excited for a new journey myp 3. -Ema C. When I came to school I saw a lot of people who were glad to see me. In my first week I had only one friend. After a month in school I started talking to people from different MYP. I began to have more than 4 friends. I got used to school. Also I want to say thanks to the teachers because they were kind to me. For me being in MYP2 was an amazing experience. I am happy that I am safe, that I have kind classmates and teachers. One of my close friends now are Lovre , Leo , Leonard , Srisai ,and Michelle.I want to talk about Residential trips: they were funny, I got a lot of good memories. There were a lot of funny moments. - Matvii P. Ever since the start of the year I have been excited about the new building and this has kept me going. The new building gave me many more opportunities to learn, for example the PA room has a light set which I have learned how to control. but many other things such as the school trips I learned how to swim and also how to kick bike. I have also learned many things in the time when I was making a movie and I learnt directing since I was the assistant director. So in summary my main goal of the year was to find learning opportunities and take whatever I can from those opportunities. - Srisai S.
MYP 3 was lucky enough to welcome new students from China, South Korea and Hungary this year adding a plethora of new cultures and insights to our international year group. We began the year with a residential with MYP2, getting the year off to an exciting start. During the residential we spent time hiking, exploring forests, team building, socialising and playing games- a fun time was had by all!!! As the year progressed, we started our service learning within the school community reading with other year groups, helping younger learners, preparing resources to improve and promote expectations across the school, and improving uniform standards. These experiences were invaluable in developing our sense of belonging in the community as well as sharing our strengths and interests with others Throughout the year we enjoyed taking part in a wide variety of sporting events and our year group saw some of the great participation rates. Members of MYP 3 took part in tournaments representing MS Girls’ Basketball, Volleyball Football and Netball. Not to be outdone, our Boys also represented the school in tournaments for MS Football, Badminton, Basketball and Volleyball. It was an honour to represent the school and we experienced some incredible successes individually and as teams. We’ve enjoyed making new friends this year and being supported by teachers. Thanks!!
MYP 4
This year was amazing and had a lot of fun and special memories. We have been on many adventures together and field trips which helped us work on our teamwork and collaboration. We went to Tenerife with the class which brought all of us much closer together and we got to know everyone's personality so much better. Overall in class our teamwork and attitude was great and we managed to study and expand our knowledge effectively. We took all of the tasks as challenges to complete and we always tried to bring out the best in everything. In MYP4 we all had to be more independent and organised and our class achieved all of these in this year which is very clearly shown in our results. This class always works together and helps each other out and we always support each other with everything. We are looking forward to the next academic year to have more memories with each other and get to know even more people and make new friends. Peace out :)
MYP 5 On World Book Day, MYP5 students enthusiastically recreated the most dramatic scenes from “The Great Gatsby”
We worked so hard all year to complete our Personal Projects, and were proud to share them with the BBIS community
We faced our first experience of sitting exams- 2 hours of focus, concentration and trying to remember all we had learned! Then we ended the year enjoying time together on Residential trips, and planning a trip ourselves for younger students.
BBIS Sports Teams This year has been the rebirth of our competitive sports here at BBIS. At the beginning of the year the Heads of PE & Athletics Directors met to discuss how we can rebuild our competition in the follow-on from COVID-19. Whilst these early games were played behind closed doors, it was fantastic to see our students back in action competing against other schools and teams and showing success and growth against much larger more established schools. For a small school, we have been fortunate enough to field multiple teams across a range of sports on offer. This year has seen us participate in: Boys Middle School Football Girls & Boys High School Volleyball Girls & Boys Middle School Basketball Girls & Boys High School Basketball Girls & Boys Middle School Volleyball Middle School & High School Badminton Year 5 and 6 Football As we now begin to leave COVID-19 behind us, we look forward to our continued growth in our competitive sports and the development of sport for all of our students. I personally can not wait to see our Sports Teams go from strength to strength in the coming years.
MYP DESIGN
MYP1 Students started off the year by working collaboratively to invent new board games while they learned to navigate the steps of the MYP Design Cycle. In the second term, MYP1s channelled their creative thinking into digital design by learning to film and edit their very own trailers based on their favourite books. By analysing existing products, interviewing clients and learning to code, MYP1s finished the year by creating computer games for a chosen year group. Students have proven themselves to be open-minded and creative thinkers while gaining experience and knowledge of what life as a designer might look like.
MYP2 We began the year by investigating and questioning the topic of sustainability and global change. Students embarked on a research trip to Tiny House Manufaktura and had the opportunity to experience what design can look like in a real-life setting. In the second term, students developed their digital technical skills through the creation of stop-motion videos relating to their bucket list items for the upcoming year. By the end of the year, MYP2s learned to work with clients to create a unique and personalised digital escape room based on the client’s needs. It is worth mentioning that some were perhaps a little too successful, and the client is still looking for a way out.
MYP3 The flashing lights and coding delights of the Flipper Museum and Micro:bits were what greeted students as they began their first unit in MYP3. The investigation into how can coding, technology and sustainable materials combine into an entertainment machine was a big step up in critical thinking. Students used their inquiry and initiative to create innovative game prototypes. In the second term, MYP3s developed their digital skills by learning how to create a GIF and applying their technical skills to creating a series of successful Google Banners for each school subject. At the end of the year, MYP3s learned to work toward a client’s specific need by conducting interviews and researching existing products, students successfully designed and 3D printed their products.
MYP4 As experienced designers, MYP4s began the year by redesigning their childhood bedrooms into something that meets their grown-up needs. By learning to measure spaces with precision and adding their own personal flair, students produced shoebox prototypes of their new and improved bedrooms. As the year progressed, MYP4s developed their digital skills through videography and Microbit coding. By learning how to film, edit and match imagery to the beat, students successfully created a series of school promotional videos, which communicate a unique student perspective. While coding and exploring sustainable development goals, MYP4s developed innovative products, which were entered as part of the International Microbit Competition, the ‘do your bit challenge’.
MYP5 They started the year by being each other's clients and creating a phone or laptop sleeve. They learned how to sew fabric, buttons and ribbons. They created the sleeve for each other, keeping in mind the criteria they have set themselves. The next project was more challenging with having the head of PR in the school as a client. They created marketing and branding products for schools. One group did marketing and created different videos and images to put on the new school website. The other group focussed on branding, by developing products with the school logo that the students in the school would want to see.
MYP – Hungarian At BBIS we believe that learning our mother tongue provides improvement in the communication skills of the native speakers, and helps them remain connected to their own culture. It is important for us that our students learn the accurate use of the Hungarian language – including syntax and a rich vocabulary – this will enable them to find their way and prosper in their present and future life. Furthermore, it is also important that native speakers get to know and celebrate their own culture, history and traditions in order to gain a more meaningful understanding of their identity. In order to realise these aims, BBIS offers the opportunity for Hungarian native speakers to learn Hungarian grammar, literature, creative writing, and for Year 6 and MYP, Hungarian history as well. Our lessons are based on the Hungarian national curriculum, but the emphasis is on helping to develop the skills needed to prepare our students to successfully participate in future Hungarian literature studies within the IB Diploma Programme offered by the school. In this academic year, the focus in Hungarian classes was on literature. The students were able to get acquainted with the classics of Hungarian literature, the ways and means of literary representation, and the various literary genres. Students were able to acquire this knowledge primarily through practical and creative group assignments. Group project assignments, theatre visits, and joint preparation for the March 15 Assembly were the most popular amongst the year groups. Through the classroom and school decorations, the students were able to give a taste of Hungarian culture to their non-Hungarian peers.
MYP - Hungarian
Individuals and Societies can be anything we want it to be, depending on the teachers’ and students’ interests. This includes a variety of subjects including political science, economics, art history, anthropology, and geology, with plenty of opportunity to make interdisciplinary connections. If you don’t like the current I&S unit, you’ll probably like the next one! The MYP1s had a full-on year, testing their ability to work with one another on group tasks towards a common goal. They set up museum exhibits based on their inquiry into how primary sources from different civilisations give us insight into their unique cultures. Following that, they presented their research to the current Year 6s, who then judged each group on which was the “best” civilisation. We also learnt how maps can give us a sense of time, place, and space; and how different projections can shape the way we perceive ourselves and our place in the world. With MYP2, we took a deep dive into students’ personal backgrounds with an interdisciplinary unit with Visual Arts on Culture and Diversity. In the unit, we explored how languages shape the way we think, and why our native languages are worth preserving. Our students then depicted different aspects of their culture – food, clothing, language, architecture, natural landscape – through art. It’s no surprise that most were centred around food! We also discussed the challenges of living with diversity, with student Matvii Prysiazhniuk stating that “in pluralistic societies I understand that membership is determined by knowledge and practice.” Historian Edward J. Larson has argued that “[i]n science, a theory never stands still. It either evolves with use and new findings or withers away through disuse or in the face of better scientific explanations.” As a transition year, MYP3’s learning took a different turn; we took a macro history approach to Individuals and Societies and explored the creation and evolution of knowledge through popular scientific theories, specifically Wegener’s Continental Drift Theory and Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection. Students learnt how to construct clear and nuanced arguments that are supported by robust evidence from credible sources.
Historical empathy, the ability to contextualise and emotionally experience a historical figure’s lived experience, allows students to connect with the past and gives them the tools to better understand how it has shaped our present. With MYP4, we found many opportunities to empathise with historical subjects: in Expansion and Interconnection, they used historical sources to write postcards from famous mediaeval world travellers – Ibn Battuta, Zheng He, and Marco Polo, to name a few; and in You Say You Want a Revolution, they inquired into the lives of revolutionary women from around the world to study of their continued influence across time, place, and space. MYP5s inquiry looked at how rapid change can create both opportunities and challenges that lead to dynamic cycles of scientific and technical innovation. We studied the ingenuity of the human spirit, our ability to preserve and create despite (or because of?) the odds, within the context of Britain’s Industrial Revolution. We also learnt of the different political theories – Capitalism and Marxism – that emerged as a result of shifting socioeconomic conditions. Students ended the unit with a creative role play (title “The Dead Talk”) that allowed them to consider how different prominent figures from the nineteenth century – Marx, Smith, or Dickens – would comment on the state of the world today.
MYP Language Acquisition - German and Spanish MYP Language Acquisition has challenged the students to make connections between the language concepts they are already familiar with and the ones they are just getting to know. A language lesson invites students to leave their preconceived notions behind and go on a journey of self-, and world-discovery every day. MYP1 students enjoyed learning new expressions to describe their school, families and homes as well as free-time activities, while MYP2 and 3 students expanded their knowledge of traditions and culture in German and Spanish speaking cultures. The more advanced students explored further traditions and typical activities that are connected to some specific German speaking and Hispanic countries. Students have taken their new awareness of these concepts and applied them in their writing of emails, postcards, surveys, brochures and posters, always considering the required structure and features of each text as well as in their dialogues and role-plays during lessons. Through further exploration of authentic audio materials, students have also been able to delve deeper into the diverse topics and hear more advanced verbal expressions, accents and dialects that make language learning so unique. Another new year with new topics, new expressions and more grammar discovery challenges awaits students in the 2022-2023 academic year. We hope that our subjects will continue to challenge and delight whilst giving students the opportunity to communicate in an expressive and exciting way! To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world!
MYP MATHS This year in Maths at BBIS, students have learned about the power of logical thinking to unravel a complex problem and organise it into achievable steps: the beauty and elegance of mathematical notation to communicate timeless truths; and the value of mathematical modelling as a way to solve real world problems. They have also developed as learners by facing difficult challenges with growing resilience, by collaborating to encourage each other to succeed and by improving their ability to focus and concentrate.
MYP1 students applied their learning from PSHE about healthy lifestyles to collect data about their own habits. Some were surprised by the data and others were challenged to make a positive change! MYP2 students used graphing and geometrical software on their computers to investigate logos, and have a go at designing their own. In MYP3, students learned about how trigonometry can help them measure the world around them, and made their own clinometers to measure angles around them. At the end of the year, they planned and ran mathematical art workshops which included rotation, reflection and sweets! MYP4 faced the challenge of learning new topics at more depth and with more rigour. They learned to make connections between different topics, and how to apply their knowledge to answer longer problems involving algebraic thinking. In MYP5, students prepared for their first experience of sitting a 2 hour e-assessment. They learned the importance of good preparation, and how to use all the knowledge and skill from their classes to answer unfamiliar questions.
Mathematical understanding is so important to learning across all subjects, from understanding growth and development statistics , listening to the beat of a piece of music or unravelling the relationship of force to mass and acceleration. Maths equips our students with numerical and algebraic tools to navigate the world around them, but also teaches them to become problem solvers, who will be able to use logical and critical thinking to tackle whatever they face in the future.
MYP Physical & Health Education This year has been a brilliant year in PHE across the school. Students have engaged in a range of topics across both their Theory lessons and Practical sessions. Being able to use the facilities at both MOM Sport and Czako Utca Sporttelep has really helped to enable the subject to build and grow. Within MYP1 we have covered a range of topics. In Theory lessons, students looked at the Olympic Games, Fitness, Nutrition and Yoga. Whilst in Practical lessons, students developed their range of skills in Track & Field, Volleyball, Yoga & Cricket. We had both the MYP2 & MYP4 students building on their leadership skills in different contexts. MYP2 designed a session that looked specifically at how they could change parameters of the activity to increase the difficulty. MYP4 took a bold step into leadership, collaborating and planning to lead a shortened PE lesson for the Primary School students, with the students selecting the age group they wished to work with. This opportunity was then used for developing reflective skills as the students engaged in a question and answer session with the teachers whilst considering the impact of the session they ran. MYP3 students dived deeply into creating a training program for an athlete, designing sessions and evaluating the effectiveness of their planned program. Whilst the MYP5 students make great progress in their research skills, developing an understanding of Performance Enhancing Drugs which finished with an open forum of presentations to the MYP4 students sharing their knowledge and research tasks. Whilst all of the above events are just snippets of the learning that has taken place across the year, I am extremely proud of the work and growth these students have made as they have worked through this range of topics. I look forward to working with you all next year. Mr. Best Head of Physical & Health Education MYP Coordinator
World Book Day was a great success this year with students across MYP reenacting famous scenes from their favourite novel, pitting their literary wits against other classes and creating visual representations of famous novels from history. It was a great opportunity for students and teachers to share their literary loves and inspire each other with book recommendations or shine a light on some new authors to explore. Students have also been turning their insightful, incisive minds to more esoteric, academic matters in the Immerse Essay Competition. Students from MYP 3-5 produced their own essays on subjects including Architecture, Economics and Medicine for a chance to Immerse Essay Competition to win scholarships at summer workshops taking place in Cambridge, Oxford and other leading UK universities. In the classroom, students engaged with challenging issues via Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah, a novel exploring the difficulties faced by an asylum seeker in the UK; The Arrival, a graphic novel following the journey of an individual who finds himself in a strange new world; Maus by Art Spiegelman, another graphic novel exploring the horrific events that befell Central European Jews as Hitler rose to power and World War Two broke out across Europe; Othello, Shakespeare searing exploration of racism, discrimination and jealousy. At times it was demanding, but students thoroughly enjoyed the rigour and maturity required to study these texts.
MYP Science!
In May this year, the MYP 4 and 5 students had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Tenerife in the Canary islands to participate in a marine conservation program. The team showed exceptional leadership skills and personal development throughout the week.
Hiking the Red Rock, overlooking Tenerife with breathtaking views of the sea. Far left: Enjoying the Atlantic ocean Left: Off to find pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins! Right: Recording boat traffic through the harbour.
Off on a morning beach clean-up
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