TIV Issue 1 - 2020-2021

IBSB News & Views by the students for the students

February 2021 Issue 1

The International Voice

WHITEBOARD pg. 11 Head of Primary School Message CAS pg. 44 CAS 12 Days of Kindness SCHOOL VIEWS pg. 97 Choosing a Dog

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Table of Contents

contents 1. SPOTLIGHT

7. SCHOOL VIEWS

3. CAS

Student Editor’s note

03

CAS 12 Days of Kindness

44

Head Girls’ Message

04

CAS Overview

45

A Term in Review

05

Back to School Collection

48

Glass Half Full

07

CAS Halloween

49

Bonfire Night Light into Europe

51

Head of Secondary School Message 09

Head of Primary School Message

11

EYFS

12

Year 1M

13

Year 2O

14

Year 3T

15

Year 4S

22

Year 5H

23

Year 6M

25

Year 6W

29

World Sight Day

30

Halloween

31

United Nations Day

32

Romanian National Day

33

Sports Day

35

House Captains

36

House Competitions

37

French

39

German

40

Spanish

41

High Performance Learning

42

IBSB Student Wins NAC

43

A New Year a New 6 Form

75

Moving to a New School

77

House Captains

79

Life in Corona Times

81

th

The Importance of Goal Setting

83

The Many Directions of Life

84

Which Career?

85

University Applications

87

Oxford University Application

89

Overcoming Fear

91

Shifting Sands

92

Study Strategies

93

Galaxies

95

5. SCHOOL EVENTS

Choosing a Dog

97

Carnivorous Plants

101

House Competitions

60

A Healthy Smile

103

PTF Review

61

German KS3

105

Duke of Edinburgh Expedition

63

CSMUN

65

ICHB MUN

67

4. SPORTS

2. WHITEBOARD

73

A New Normal

Motorbike Mayhem

53

We are Sailing

55

Catalina Channel Update

57

Tennis Success

59

6. ALUMNI Victor Popa

69

Mara Mellits

70

Andreea Stanescu

71

8. CREATIVE CORNER Black Sea Schools

106

Then & Now

110

A senator’s Diary

111

Molly’s Diary

113

Wave Goodbye

115

Rapping Astronaut

117

Cappucino Broad

119

S P O T L I G H T

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Spotlight

Student Editor’s Note With the first term of this academic year coming to an end, I think it is important to reflect upon all the things that have happened so far. So I am very glad to have played a part in putting this issue of the TIV together for all of you to enjoy.

When we had initially returned to school, we were faced with plenty of new safety regulations, which no doubt helped, however, in the end the closing of school was unavoidable especially in light of the rising statistics telling the story of the spread of the virus in Bucharest and Romania.

Thankfully, we returned to an online environment with lessons learned from the previous year, and as a result everything seemed to run smoothly from day one. We are very lucky to have had such a seamless transition, since we were all hoping and expecting it to some degree this time round.

It is really great to read all the articles that people have submitted on what they have been doing, whether it was an extracurricular activity, or learning a new skill, during these difficult times.

It is also really great to see this many contributions, especially considering the drought in the number of events following the pandemic.

Stay safe,

Melissa Aydogan Year 12S

Head Girl’s message

Spotlight

The end of 2020 is almost upon us. A very eventful year that we will no doubt tell stories about for many years to come. This pandemic has affected all of our lives in so many ways, and how we faced the challenges and set about making the necessary changes says a lot about how we are as individuals and a community. What is abundantly clear, is that the IBSB community is driven by innovation and perseverance, fostering a positive ‘Can do’ culture, educating its pupils into glass half-full, solutionorientated, future leaders.

Adapting to a fully online environment was the main goal

Although these weeks have been quite relaxing learning

this past term. Not only were we successful in achieving our

from within the comfort of our own homes, I must say I look

aim as school community, but we managed to achieve much

forward to hopefully seeing you all back in school after the

more: a greater number of House Competitions than ever

Christmas break, happy and healthy. Until then, enjoy your

before, more student contribution in assemblies, and even

lessons in bed and the joy of hidden snacks off camera.

coming up with new ideas such as the weekly news division.

“An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”Winston Churchill.

Congratulations to the students that participated in these events and won awards, and thank you to the teachers that organised them and went out of their way to keep the school spirit alive and well.

To the Year 11 students and my fellow sixth formers, good luck revising for your midyear mocks, keeping in mind that the end of year exams are just around the corner!

With all that said, I need to continue with my algebra revision. Have a great break everyone!

Your Head Girl,

Tamara Minea Year 13

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Spotlight

A term in review

Looking back over this first term, I am amazed at just how much we have achieved as a whole school community. It has been a whirlwind start to the year, with many ups and downs, beginning the school year with a hybrid programme and a staggered start, with most classes returning to in-school face-to-face learning in Term 1a, before eventually returning to online learning in Term 1b, and finally finishing with the introduction of an afterschool programme for the students in the primary school. It really has been a term in which we have needed to respond quickly to the world around us, and the ground moving beneath our very feet.

Throughout this entire time, we have benefitted greatly from

At all times, we have done our very best to keep everyone

the commitment and dedication of our teachers and support

informed, sending out regular emails and letters, and sharing

staff, as they have adapted quickly and adeptly to the

important information in the weekly online assemblies and

changing times, and from the hard work, agility, and empathy

newsletter. We have also actively sort feedback through

of our students, who successfully adjusted, adapted, and

student, parent, and staff questionnaires, arranging a variety

thrived, applying their High Performance Learning Values,

to parent meetings, including the traditional parent-teacher

Attitudes, and Attributes to ensure they continue to progress

coffee mornings at the start of the school year (online of

despite the challenges faced. We have also been extremely

course), whole class parent meetings, 1-2-1 parent-teacher

fortunate in having the full support of the PTF and parent

meetings, and a number of key meetings through the PTF,

body, to ensure a smooth start to the school year and

and in the Primary and Secondary schools (all online).

successful transition to each change in circumstance. It has not been an easy time for students, parents, or staff, but we have worked together in partnership and this has made all the difference.

We have also continued to provide our students with extracurricular opportunities, and in some cases have exceeded all expectations, offering no less than 13 House Competitions in Term 1, as pointed out in this issue in the House Competition article and by our Head Girl, Tamara Minea, in her contribution. A big thank you in this regard, particularly to our fantastic PTF, who have been extremely active online, organising a variety of successful events and competitions, including Romanian Day gifts for our students

Spotlight

Looking ahead to Term 2, there is much reason to be positive and optimistic. A number of vaccines are now readily available, with governments around the world busy organising national immunisation programmes, so it is only a matter of time before the coronavirus is relegated to a page in the history books. Let’s hope this happens sooner rather than later.

Just as spring follows winter, so too will we emerge from this

and Christmas treats for the staff to lift our spirits high.

pandemic, hopefully with some important lessons learned,

There has also be plenty of celebrate, with our MUN

wellbeing are paramount. After a period of lockdown and

students receiving awards of distinction and many of our Year 13 students receiving early replies from their university applications, which you can read about in a detailed review by our University Applications Officer, Jayne Baker. Special congratulations must go out to Christie Vernon and Max Mihailovici for having been shortlisted for a place at Oxford University – you are both thoroughly deserving of this formal acknowledgement of all you have achieved in your time at IBSB, and we look forward to receiving further news on January 12 when the final offers go out.

not least of which is that our family’s health and general restricted movement, it will be nice to celebrate important family events again in good company, to visit friends, to eat out occasionally, and simply to be able to move about without a face mask, unafraid of the people who pass us by.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue of The International Voice, which will stand as a public record celebrating everything we do and achieve as a community in the years to come.

Mr Kendall Peet Head of School

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Spotlight

Glass half full On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation declared a COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, with 118,000 cases of the coronavirus identified in 110 countries.

Now, in December 2020, the total number of confirmed

Focusing on the data and certain specifics is, however, like

cases worldwide has passed 80 million, with more than

placing a magnifying glass on an object or image, increasing

300,000 new cases confirmed each day, and as many or

the magnitude of the problem to the point that it can become

more unconfirmed cases. The fatality count stands at 1.8

completely overwhelming. Turning the television on or flicking

million, with the numbers steadily rising. In many countries,

through social media sites unfortunately does little to alleviate

schools are closed, restaurants and non-essential business

the problem either, as the majority of news stories focus on

are closed, and worldwide tourism has effectively come to

something negative - very rarely do we read or watch a news

a complete standstill. The economic and social impact is

story about something positive going on in the world.

far reaching, and likely to extend on into 2021, 2022, and possibly beyond. There is no denying that the situation right

It is therefore not uncommon, after a certain period of

now looks rather bleak.

exposure to this continual bombardment of negative input, to find yourself waking up beginning your day looking at the world as a glass half full. But does it have to be this way?

Spotlight

As parents and teachers, we have a duty to raise our children up to become health, happy individuals, which means teaching them to see the world as a glass half full. Yes, there is a lot going on in the world right now that is cause for concern, but there is also much to be thankful for in our lives. 2020 may not have been the greatest year in some regards, but there was and is still much to be thankful for. I’m confidant if you did the math, you would quickly see that even in times of hardship, life can still be an incredibly valuable, and indeed beautiful experience.

I was thinking about my own life, as an example, weighing

Everything I need to be happy in life is present, but most

up all the things that I have to be thankful for in 2020, and I

important of all is the final ingredient, being that I chose to

came up with a really long list, the top of the which was the

be happy, to look at life positively, because it IS a choice we

birth of my son Eduard, who has brought so much happiness

need to consciously make each and every day when we

into our family- this alone is enough to tip the scales

wake up. Just as we decide what clothes to wear, so too do

completely, easily outweighing the negatives by a country

we decide how to view life, and it is something we can teach

mile.

our children- in this day and age, it may just be the most important lesson they learn, ensuring their life is one filled

To this I can add the positive relationships I have with my

with positivity, friendship, love, and happiness.

other children, my wife, my friends, and my work colleagueswhich do not come without investing both time and effort.

I have also made a conscious commitment to being fit and healthy, which again does not come without considerable effort, rising at 5.30am every morning to swim, with several runs and sessions on the bike scheduled into the week, whilst doing my best to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. I also know that I am lucky simply to have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on the table, when there are many people in the world who don’t.

Mr Kendall Peet Head of School

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Spotlight

Head of Secondary School Message This year has been a little different, and also a little frustrating, as we began school face to face, with all of the required safety measures in place, but have had to deliver the whole of Term 1b online, due to the worsening situation within Bucharest. I am extremely proud of both the teaching staff and students, with how they have coped with the uncertainty regarding their schooling, as well as demonstrating great flexibility with dealing with concurrent learning.

The school year started with our annual Parent Coffee

The main community event of each week has been our online

Mornings for KS3, which took place online this year

assemblies, which started by being live streamed, but soon

for obvious reasons. They were a great success and

moved to being pre-recorded by yours truly in my office,

communication continues to be a strength of our school, with

with a script and further contributions from teaching staff

no reduction in opportunities for our parents to meet with

and students allowing for a smoother flowing event. HPL has

teaching staff, despite the social distancing measures that

begun to be a big focus in these assemblies as we continue

we all have to take. There were further parent meetings at the

on our journey toward becoming a world class school, with

start of term 1b, which, one member of staff was overheard

all pupils being capable of high performance, no matter their

to say, resembled “Speed Dating”, and although the amount

starting point.

of time available was for each meeting was short, the

HPL has truly been the major focus of this term, and despite

conversations that took place were rich in terms of the level

everything else that has been happening in the world, we

of feedback and support.

have continued to make progress on this journey. Teachers

This year, we have obviously not been able to participate

have started to work within their Professional Learning

in any face-to-face events, but this has not stopped out

Communities (PLC) as work together to support and

students, with a sizeable number participating in an online

encourage each other to try ideas out and develop strategies

MUN, as organised by Campion School in Athens. This was

for embedding the language and ethos of HPL. We will see

a resounding success for many of our students, and whilst

more changes as we continue through this academic year, I

it may have been a slightly surreal experience, it is one that

am sure.

they are very used to by now. Several of our older students

I hope that you enjoy what we have included in this first

will be participating in another online MUN in early spring,

edition of the TIV- it is a perfect snapshot showing the

organised by LSE (London School of Economics), and I look

outsider what we, in the secondary school already know, that

forward to hearing the feedback from this prestigious event.

IBSB has some of the most talented, and hardworking pupils of any international school in the world.

Mr Matthew Tansley

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Head of Primary School Message Welcome to the Primary School section of Term 1’s TIV. Thanks for taking the time to read about our exploits this term, created by Ms Alina Radu and our talented team of teachers and pupils.

But whilst it is only right to applaud our wonderful families,

I want to start by saying thanks to our parents for your

IBSB. We are taking our first steps right now, focusing on

involvement in many of the events and challenges you will see in our section. This term, more than at any time in the past, we have relied on our parents to support us from home as we have tried to keep alive the kinds of events we usually enjoy together in school.

This term many of these school events were completed within your families and then shared for the community to enjoy and this addition of TIV is full of such events. It is something we should be proud of as it builds our sense of community and trust. I know it is not easy being a parent at this moment and we appreciate you being involved in so many projects beyond their day-to-day learning, whilst juggling work and life. So, I want to say thanks. Thanks for getting your children to lessons on time, thanks for keeping up their morale, thanks for being involved, thanks for supporting us and continuing to build our community, even if we did not actually meet in person this term.

it is important to note that none of this would be possible without the dedication, skill, creativity, and commitment of our Primary School team.

The biggest highlight for me this term has been the launch of HPL at our school. It has started a journey that will benefit our pupils enormously as they progress through school at introducing the ideas, philosophy, and skills within the HPL Framework, being sure to provide the children and parents with a common language to set the scene. It will gather pace as the days flick by, and, before we know it, soon be common practice as our children learn the skills and attitudes to become High Performance Learners.

There is much to look forward to next term.

Let’s see what else we can achieve together.

Mr Alan Cornish

Starting Your Early Years Journey The moment a child steps into the EYFS building, the adventure begins!

Children in our class are remarkably busy little people. They have curious minds, hundreds of questions for the teachers, funny stories to share with their friends and, of course, they all LOVE playing games.

This is how they learn new things every day. By making mistakes, trying and trying without giving up, and having a go, even if, sometimes, things might look tricky at first.

We, the teachers, know they are all unique and that with our support they can grow to be the very best version of themselves.

No wonder they are all tired at the end of the day…

Ms Madalina Soare

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Year 1M Dinosaurs are ROARSOME!

Millions and millions of years ago… dinosaurs roamed the planet. So how can we find out about dinosaurs today?

We also became palaeontologists and had a go at understanding how careful they have to be when searching and working with fossils! We put on our scientist bows and started to think like detectives. We had a go at trying to dig out chocolate chips from some cookies, making sure we

Well, in Year 1 we’ve learnt that there are very special things called fossils that can give us special clues about these dinosaurs. They can sometimes tell us how big they were, maybe how they moved, or how many legs they had! Woah!

We all then became detectives online as we tried to match the dinosaur models to what they might have looked like and looked at pictures of real-life fossils! It’s amazing how these have survived!

didn’t scratch, squish, or break any precious chocolate chips!

We can tell you, it was pretty tricky! We were excited when we managed to pick even one out! So who could imagine how excited palaeontologist are when they find special treasures from millions of years ago!

We also had a go at making our own fossil imprints using some dinosaur models we had in class. We had to be careful with these too, not to change the imprints we made!

A real challenge…but worth the treasure we found in the end!

Ms Angharad Morgan

year 2 O Odd Socks Day

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This year as a whole school community we again showed our opposition to bullying by joining students, parents, and teachers around the world celebrating Odd Socks Day on Thursday, the 12th of November 2020.

As a part of this day, the children in Year 2 were encouraged

All of our students know now that they should always report

to wear odd socks with special meanings for them, relating to

a bullying action against themselves or their colleagues;

their personalities and life experiences. They also listened to

they can always rely on our school staff and community as a

the song of Andy and the Odd Socks - The Kids are United -

whole.

reinforcing the belief that kids are united by their diversity.

Although still very young, Year 2 acknowledged the importance of equality and stated their belief in treating all people with kindness and tolerance. They learned about these principles and promised to apply them by reacting against violent or demeaning acts in difficult moments.

All in all, the Odd Socks Day event was a fun day with some important lessons learned!

Despite celebrating it online, our children were engaged and ready to take the best out of it!

Well done Year 2!

Ms Alina Radu

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Year 3 - Study Ancient Greek Civilisation In Term 1B, Year 3 were learning about the Ancient Greek civilisation. In the introductory lessons, we focused on the who, when, and where aspects of this stage of history by looking at maps and timelines to provide more context. It’s really important to begin the study of ancient Greek society with a look at the physical features of Greece and also to generate discussions about archaeology and the study of Greek artefacts, before moving on to look at Ancient Greek life.

Students often wonder ‘How can we possibly know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived over 2,500 years ago?’

One of the early activities we did required students to look carefully at some Ancient Greek vases for clues in order to make deductions. The answers lay on the decorations painted on the pot! This was a fun and engaging activity, which encouraged ‘higher order thinking skills’, because the students were thinking deeply, laterally, and creatively to make plausible suggestions for what sort of events might have taken place back in Ancient Greek times. Our discussions about archaeology and artefacts really helped students understand how historians have worked out how we can be sure about what life was like there 2,500 years ago.

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Wherever possible, we endeavour to plan for cross-curricular

As well as reading and analysing some of the more famous

topic links between subjects such as literacy, maths, and

myths like ‘Perseus and Medusa’ and ‘Persephone and

science. This enables the students to use and apply aspects

the Pomegranate seeds’, we embarked upon some writing

of learning from one subject to another; it is useful because

activities. After learning about the features of narrative

it helps engage students in their learning, providing a

writing, we completed some focused writing on ‘characters’

mechanism for us to adapt activities so that all children can

and ‘settings’. The students really enjoyed reading about the

make good progress.

‘12 Labours of Hercules’ and so their first writing task was to write a recount of the labour ‘Hercules vs the Hydra’, in their

The Ancient Greece topic provides some wonderful linking

own words. I challenged them to use the best descriptive

opportunities with literacy because their traditional stories

language they could think of to ‘paint a picture with their

(myths) are so engaging for students. They are full of

words’ when they introduced the characters and described

fascinating characters, including Gods, Goddesses, and

the setting.

heroes; we meet terrifying yet captivating mythological monsters; we follow characters on their adventures and quests; and most stories provide us with moral lessons or

Ms Alison Tansley

explanations of how things work in the real world today.

Hercules vs Hydra “As one of the 12 tasks to become a god Hercule had to kill Hydra. She was a snake with nine heads out of which one was immortal. Hydra lived in Lake Lerna and she lived under water dark cave.

In order to kill her, Hercule put a fire in her cave. When she came out Hercule cut her head with a sword but two more appeared. Some of the heads spit fire and some spit magical water that made the enemies fly. More than this, Hydra called upon its friend, huge crab.

With the help of his nephew, Iolaus he removed and destroyed with flames Hydra’s heads. The immortal head was buried under a pile of stones and covered with a heavy boulder. Hercule defeated Hydra in the battle and returned to Eurystheus, but victory does not count as he had help from Iolaus.”

Erika Peet recount:

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Hercules vs Hydra “The story is happening in Ancient Greece, a long, long time ago in a time that nobody remembers. There lived a king who asked Hercules to do 12 labours, his second Labour was to kill the Hydra. Hercules took along with him Iolaus who was his nephew. The two of them arrived at the Hydra’s lair, it was living in a swamp and was scarring and terrorising everyone. Hercules was brave and strong and he felt he could defeat the Hydra which was a big scary Monster with nine heads and poisonous drool.

Firstly Hercules tried to get the Monster out of his hide by shooting arrows at it, then he tried to grab it. Hercules started attacking the Hydra’s heads but the creature was so strong that it grabbed Hercules by his leg. Then a huge crab appeared snapping its claws. Soon after Hercules killed the crab. With the help of Iolaus Hercules destroyed Eight heads of the monster and finally he chopped of the ninth head and buried it.

After he completed his task Hercules went back to the King who told him that because he had help this task will not count, making Hercules angry.”

Next, the students had to create their own mythological monster; this was a task they loved. It was a great opportunity to let their imaginations and creativity run wild and create a fun (mostly gruesome) creature. This creature then featured in a new and original myth that they had to write; a ‘13th’ labour for poor Hercules to complete. They had to come up with a plausible plot and think of how they could make the labour challenging for Hercules. Hercules is an interesting hero because not only is he strong, he was also very clever and cunning. I explained that students could plan intellectual challenges as well as physical ones. The students really impressed me with their creativity, producing great results that showcased their improving literacy skills.

Yasemin Cil recount:

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Sofia Matei recount:

Hercules vs the Goohor “A long, long time ago, in Ancient Greece there was a warrior whose name was Hercules. He was heroic, powerful and brilliant. He needed to do several labours.

King Eurystheus was a mean King. He thought another labour for Hercules! Hercules complained “this is not right” but King Eurystheus said “If you complain is not solving anything. Now the new labour is to exterminate the Goohor”.

The Goohor was a three headed monster that was strapping blood-curdling, inexplicable and Herculean.

The Goohor lived in a cave in India.

When Hercules arrived in the sunless and ebony rocks, he saw the monstrous creature. Hercules known that if he looks in the dog’s eyes he will be burnt so he didn’t look at the dog’s head. Hercules shot the Goohor belly with a poisones arrow. Feracious monster screamed thunderous. Hercules hit with his club at the three eyes of the bull head.

Goohor had fallen on the slimy ground then Hercules attacked atrocious monster with his sword and cut the other two heads. After that Hercules put Goohor on his back and go to King Eurystheus. The thirteen labour was accomplished.

Hercules has learnt once again, that it is important to trust yourself in order to succeed.”

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In science, we have been learning about nutrition in the ‘Animals including Humans’ topic. We learned about the ‘healthy plate’; balancing the appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables, protein, carbohydrates, dairy and fats. The students became Hercules’ fitness and lifestyle instructor; they created a ‘healthy plate’ of items for Hercules to eat, as well as planning a fitness workout for him to complete.

In Term 1B, all of our lessons took place whilst we were learning online.

It was really important to make sure that the learning resources I used were multi-modal to keep the students engaged. It was also an opportunity to embrace and try out some of the wonderful apps and educational learning platforms that are on offer. So, towards the end of the topic the students tried out FlipGrid; a social discussion video learning platform.

The students really enjoyed videoing themselves, sharing their opinions on which character in the Ancient Greek myths was their favourite and why.

Some of them were very adept at finding some emoji’s and pictures of their character to insert as images alongside them as they recorded. We had some very enthusiastic responses.

When we completed the creative writing task for the ‘Black Sea Schools’ Competition, titled ‘The Imposter’, the Ancient Greek stories had inspired Irene Sanduleasa so much that she used the story of Patroclus dressing up in Achilles’ armour in the Trojan War as the inspiration for her writing. It was really wonderful to see how engaged all the students were about the Ancient Greek topic.

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Irene Sanduleasa recount:

“The Imposter”

The army thought that they were led by Achilles, since

“In Greek mythology, Patroclus is the cousin of Achilles.

and impostor.

Patroclus is younger than Achilles and he idolised the great warrior.

Achilles loved Patroclus very much and even trained him since he was a child to become a great warrior. He taught Patroclus all his skills to move like him, to fight like him, but at the end of each training session Achilles told Patroclus that only he is unique and that Patroclus

his cousin moved and fought like Achilles, but it was still With this impostor who led them, Achilles’ army killed a lot of Trojans. When Hector and Patroclus met in the battlefield, they start to fight but Hector didn’t know he was fighting an impostor.

Only after Hector killed him and he removed the crest, he realised he killed Achilles’ cousin.

is kind of an impostor and that he still has a lot to learn.

This fact cost the Trojans the entire war, since Achilles

This is very important element in the story of Trojan war.

remain and fight.

When the Greeks attacked the Trojans the Greeks knew that their only chance to win was Achilles.

After seeing that this war was not good for his people, Achilles decided not to fight and to sail home.

The next day, while Achilles was sleeping his cousin Patroclus took Achilles’ clothes, his sword, his armour and crest and lead Achilles’ little army into battle.

wanted to revenge his cousin death and decided to He killed Hector first and then without their best warrior their prince, the Trojans lost the war.

All this because Patroclus made the biggest mistake to pretend he was someone else, tricked Achilles men faking his identity.

This cost the loss of many lives and changed the war’s faith.”

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Year 4’s Virtual Renaissance Students diligently researched different aspects of the Renaissance and chose to present four categories: Art, Clothes, Food & Drink, and Fighting & Weaponry. They learned many interesting facts about what life was like 500 years ago and would like to share their favourites with you: - Salt used to be very expensive.

- Rich women wore up to nine layers of dresses.

- Guns took over a minute to reload after one shot.

- Only royalty were allowed to wear purple.

In the end, the presentations came together beautifully.

Students coordinated their roles from both school and home and were able to present from their desks, the board, and even from their bedrooms. They finished on a high note, feeling, as Leonardo da Vinci did, that “Learning never exhausts the mind!”

Ms Aliviana Sanders

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To distance or not to distance? That was the problem. Year 4 wanted to put on a classic Renaissance Fayre to showcase their learning about the Renaissance, but social distancing measures made that impossible. So, what to do? The students put to work their new HPL values of Flexible Thinking and Enquiry and jumped online.

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Year 5h - Learning through Lockdown It seemed like forever since we were all together in school, but finally, August brought us back together. School looked different and not only because we had new turnstiles and a shiny new loc de joaca!

As students met their new teachers, excitement filled the air

Working online has been very different. We miss our teachers

and butterflies filled tummies. Along with the shiny, brand

and our friends on the playground. The work we do is very

new loc de joaca, we also had new procedures in place. Hand

different as well. We work a lot online, which can be fun, but

sanitiser, plexiglass one-way systems, separate breaks, and

we would like to have some normal school lessons again!

facemasks became part of the furniture. However, we were

When we’re in school it’s more fun and we get to work

back in school with our friends and that was king! Until the

together more. We do like that we can stay in bed for longer

inevitable.

though and that we can wear our PJs for lessons! (Cezar, Ana, Karina, Stefan & Ariana – 5H).

We lasted 7 weeks, before gates were locked once again.

We swapped the classroom for our front rooms and books

We would love to be back in school where we can play with

for our laptops. Online learning was here again! We’d been

our friends and have proper PE lessons! We miss everyone in

here before, though. We knew what to expect. The students

school like our teachers and friends from other classes. We

embraced their newly learned HPL values and persevered.

still have fun with our friends, but it’s usually on Whatsapp or Facetime. We talk to each other a lot; we think it’s important

Learning through lockdown has proved to be testing, but it

to still talk and have fun with our friends. (Eva, Diego, Matei,

has also offered opportunity to reflect. Year 5 would like to

Deva & Felipe – 5H)

share their learning through lockdown reflections with you here.

When we came back to school after the summer holidays, there was lots of things that were different. We couldn’t sit next to each other in lessons, we could only play with our friends in our own class, and we had to wear masks. We don’t like that last one, but we understand why it’s important! We did like some of the changes though! The new playground is AMAZING! And we think it’s a good idea that people are washing their hands more – we think we should keep this rule even after everything is back to normal. The extra break times are definitely the best change! (Fia, Iulia, Ioana, Victor & Tudor) We are glad that school opened in August. It was different, but it was still fun, even with lots of new rules. We are also glad we can learn online even when school is closed. If we were born a long time ago, like when Mr Hawkins was at school, we wouldn’t be learning anything! We can’t wait to be back in school though. We miss the fun lessons, like when we dipped paper in coffee to make it look old or having proper assemblies! We know that it won’t be forever and that we have to have a positive attitude and in the end everything will be ok. (Lisa, Noa, Matteo, Petru & Zinca).

Mr Lee Hawkins

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Personifying Poetry Perfectly in 6M

This term in 6M, we have been busy with countless different activities, including creating multi-media projects on both the Space Race and Electricity.

However, the subject that produced the highest level of

There are always surprises when listening to the poems,

quality work was in English, throughout our Performance

either in how well they’ve been written or how well they have

Poetry unit. Students used all their skills, tricks and mastery

been performed.

to create lively and imaginative poems using all sorts of clever stuff to do it.

Special mentions must go out to Andrei P., Victor, Maia, Luca, and Sofia for their simile poems.

Figurative language was the theme and for those of you uncertain that means, here are just of a few types we

However, it was in the world of personification that the talent

included within or writing: similes, metaphors, personification

in the class shone through. Poems were awash with imagery,

and hyperbole.

bringing objects alive, and Adelina and Daria were the masters of this.

Mr Rab Morrison

fear

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Fear, A feeling of being weak, A feeling of being afraid, A feeling that drags you down constantly.

No one can escape fear.

It is like a monster that burns your world.

No matter what we do, eventually, Fear will catch up to us as fast as a cheetah.

Fear is manipulative, It can tell people to make wrong choices, Choices that can affect others around you, Choices that are often irreversible.

But fear isn’t all bad, It can make you dodge bad things and decisions.

Fear is attached to your instincts.

With the right choices, you can dodge bad things as swift as a hummingbird!

Fear is inevitable.

Yes, even the bravest person that ever lived experienced fear.

If you let fear control you, it will use you as its puppet And make its own decision depending on your guilt and doubt.

Fear is like a seesaw.

It is ok to be afraid from time to time, But if you let fear control you, Your whole life can go downhill.

By Adelina Oltean

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The ghost

I have scared a million souls, I have patrolled all day long, I am the great ghost I have lived the most, It’s a myth for me to live in a haunted mansion, It should be a sanction, I only want luxury life, As luxurious as the King’s wife So at night Or at day Doesn’t matter what they say, I go to a mansion, like other ghosts might.

And I enjoy it It’s better than the graveyard, Which is as boring as a car being stuck in traffic So, for me it’s magic.

I don’t get caught, Normally, Because I am invisible, simply, “YAWN!” Goes Mr Moght And he goes on me, I don’t feel a thing, He shivers, strangely Maybe he can feel me I’ll just rely on my invisibility, For now at least, I can enjoy the feast I think I was famous back in the old days, A Lady Gaga doing everything the old ways!

By Daria Mititelu

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6W Science Projects The groups were given instructions and then used crosscurricular lessons to research and create a range of resources, including posters and PowerPoint presentations.

Some of the tasks that each group had to produce were: showing how a battery cell works, explaining how electricity is produced and how it then travels from a power station to our homes, and the cost/benefits of renewable and nonrenewable energy.

Each member of the group was also given the task of building their own working electrical circuit and as you can see from the pictures, they are very impressive! In order to present the projects, the groups made Flipgrid videos showcasing their work where they explained their posters and also how their individual model circuit worked.

Mr Tom Wilson

Over the last month, 6W have been working collaboratively online completing a Science project based on our topic Electricity. In order to do this, we have made full use of online technology using Breakout Rooms on Google Meet so that the children could work in groups in order to complete their projects.

Students @IBSB Celebrate World Sight Day On Thursday, October 15th, IBSB once again celebrated World Sight Day. The students arrived in school wearing sunglasses of various shapes and colours to mark this important day.

Throughout the day, each class learned about the fantastic work that Light Into Europe do on a daily basis, such as assisting people who suffer from severe visual impairment to gain mobility, freedom, and independence. We had fun in class playing sensory games and learning all about the braille alphabet. Each child also made a voluntary 10 lei donation for Light into Europe, which will be used to train guide dogs and provide canes. The message each child received is that a visually impaired person has the right to go anywhere with a guide dog and that sensory impairment must not lead to exclusion.

Ms Orla O’Dwyer

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Halloween with a Modern Twist Halloween happened, as it does every year, with a parade of truly gruesome, creatively carved pumpkins. The PTF resurrected this annual tradition, like a zombie from its grave, but with a modern twist – an online pumpkin parade!

But as always, it is great to see families working together to create something original and each year we are amazed with the artistic flair on display. This year was no different, have a look at some of the pumpkins below. Can you see yours?

Mr Alan Cornish

United Nations Day With more than 25 countries represented within our school community, IBSB continues to offer hope for the future that nationalities can live side by side in peace and harmony.

During the assembly we celebrated each community’s presence in a number of ways, beginning with the ‘International welcomes” in the languages of our multicultural community, and followed by a rich programme of songs and dance by students in their native costumes. We created a UN Day moment to remember with the help of some HPL competencies without even realising it! We showed perseverance, confidence, imagination, and resilience.

Our school community had the ability to overcome the disappointment of not celebrating UN Day in the traditional way, remaining confident, flexible, and optimistic, reminding us that we are all connected like one big family, working and learning together in solidarity.

Ms Orla O’Dwyer

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Although we may not have been able to celebrate Unite Nations Day in our usual colourful way in school this year with mouth-watering food and flags fluttering from every balcony, we certainly managed to capture the essence of this special day with our online UN Day Show.

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Romanian National Day

Romanian National Day has always been a very special event for us at IBSB, as we love celebrating cultures and learning about each other’s history and traditions. For me personally, this is a moment of reflection which makes me step back from the daily routine and think of the past with a sense of respect and gratitude. On the 1st of December, all Romanians celebrate the Great Unification, which happened in 1918, after the First World War, when we were in danger of disappearing as nation altogether.

As a teacher, I greatly enjoy teaching the Romanian lessons

Because he only had one daughter, who unfortunately died

based on this historical events and I am very happy to

when she was 4, the Romanian Crown was inherited by

notice how interested my students are in learning about

his nephew (his brother’s son), Ferdinand of Hohenzollern,

their country’s history. They ask lots of questions and make

another German Prince who devoted his life to Romania,

incredible connections between different ideas and events.

along with his wife, a British Princess, Marie of Edinburgh

They all find this part of history fascinating. To me it seems

(Queen Victoria’s grandchild). He came to live in Romania

almost untrue.

in 1889 as the Prince Inheritor of the Romanian Crown and married Marie of Edinburgh in 1892.

Prince Karl of Hohenzollern left Germany in 1866 to become the king of a small, unknown country. He travelled incognito

He became the King of Romania in 1914 under the name of

through Austria, risking his life as Germany was their war

Ferdinand the 1st. During the First World War he faced a very

enemy. He finally arrived in Romania and took his royal

difficult decision, which he made only thinking of Romania’s

position incredibly seriously: he adopted the name Carol the

biggest dream: The Great Unification with Transylvania,

1st, learnt Romanian, and became Romanian both on paper

Bucovina (conquered by the Austro-Hungarian Empire) and

and in his soul. He married a German princess, Elisabeth of

Basarabia (conquered by the Russian Empire). He chose to

Wied, who also passionately embraced Romanian culture

side with the Triple Entente against the Central Powers and

and traditions and supported many Romanian artists.

against his own country Germany. This led to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany removing his name from the royal house of

Carol was the architect of the modern Romania: he created

Hohenzollern. I cannot imagine a bigger sacrifice a person

the first Romanian constitution, minted the first gold and

could make: to choose his royal duty, the best for his adopted

silver Romanian coins, built many banks, universities and

country, against his own feelings for his family. And he was

high schools, inaugurated the first Romanian train station

not even Romanian…

(Gara Filaret), and build a third of the entire Romanian railway.

He built Peleş Castle, the Romanian Athenaeum, and the Botanical Garden as major landmarks. He reigned over the introduction of electrical lighting in public streets, the first telephone line and the first cinema, among many other developments. He ruled Romania for 48 years with great achievements in all areas of public life.

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Alongside him, Queen Maria of Romania supported the

Looking at my students, I can see in them the people who will

soldiers as a nurse in the military hospitals and visited and

be able to make a difference in our future lives.

encouraged them on the battle field. She also had a very

I was very happy and proud to see them greatly involved in

important diplomatic role. Due to her connections with the

all our Romanian National Day celebrations, happily wearing

most important royal families from Europe, she was able to

our traditional costumes and learning about their past with

attend private and official meetings in which she promoted

curiosity and respect.

the Great Unification and the recognition of Romania as an independent European state. She was greatly loved by her

Unlike previous years, we were not unfortunately able to put

people and she devoted her life to promoting Romanian

on a big show to mark the 1st of December celebrations,

culture and traditions in Western Europe and North America.

due to the pandemic restrictions in place. This didn’t stop

She and her daughters drew the world’s attention to the

us however from celebrating and wearing our colourful

beautiful Romanian folk costumes by writing about them and

costumes during our online lessons on the 27th of

also wearing them at different events.

November.

I was very impressed by all students’ performances: costume

After the war, on the 1st of December, 1918, the historical

presentations, poem recitals, songs and dances that were

region of Transylvania, following Bessarabia and Bukovina,

presented in our assembly dedicated to this special event.

united with the Old Romanian Kingdom (formed by Moldavia

This proved not only the talent and passion of our students,

and Muntenia). In 1922, Maria and Ferdinand were crowned

supported by their parents, but also the pride of being

in a specially-built cathedral in the ancient city of Alba Iulia, in

Romanian and the desire to honour an important page of our

an elaborate ceremony which mirrored their status as queen

history.

and king of a united state.

Congratulations to all the students and thank you for offering Today, we are not asked to fight in a war or make crucial

us such a special moment!

decisions against our feelings. Thanks to the simple soldiers,

Ms Ana Boiangiu

but also important personalities’, sacrifice, and patriotism, we are able to live in a free country and benefit from our rights.

What we must not forget is that we owe this to them and honour their memory.

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Our First Ever Virtual Sports Day The PE team of Mr Georgescu and Ms Maria put our pupils through their paces back in November when our sporty kids were asked to represent their house in the IBSB Virtual Sports Day Pentathlon Challenge!

There were 5 challenges to take part in with videos and instructions for each event. Pupils were encouraged to try all 5, practicing each event as many times as they wanted to try to beat their best score to submit on the google form.

We were very impressed with pupils showing the School Core Values of INTEGRITY in recording results, being BRAVE by trying their best, and showing RESPECT by following the instructions and rules of the games. And, of course they all looked very HAPPY too!

A big thank you to Mr Georgescu and Ms Maria for organising, your House Captains for encouraging their teams and all the families for enjoying our first ever Virtual Sports Day!

Mr Alan Cornish

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House Captains What a start to the year we’ve had! First there was the elections won by Ege and Andrei for Dobrogea, Dinu and Maia for Transilvania, and Tudor and Ioana for Muntenia.

The House Challenges have been hugely popular amongst the students. The House Captains have been inspiring and encouraging their teammates leading by example and demonstrating how to get involved or giving kind and enthusiastic support to everyone who has joined in.

And they have been hugely successful. From making cardboard kitchen appliances through to decorating funny breakfasts. From producing videos for International Day through to encouraging their teams to take part in the

Oddly enough, the House Captains have probably been busier online than they would’ve been in school. They have relinquished their old duties and have been motivating their teams on a weekly basis with loads of activities to do. Most of these have been art and craft tasks, as well as health and sports activities.

excellent Virtual Sports Day created by Mr Georgescu and Ms Maria. The House Captains have certainly been busy.

Their technical skills have been tested as well, having to make videos to announce the weekly winners in assembly every week. Bravo!

Ms Orla O’Dwyer

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House competitions We love a House Challenges in the Primary School. It gives our kids a chance to try something new and creative. It also gives them plenty of House Points and a chance to share them with everyone on Google Classroom and in assemblies.

This term we have had Virtual Sports Day, Kindness Week, Halloween, Romanian National Day, Friendship Bracelets, Rangoli patterns for Diwali, Cardboard Art, Christmas Trees and my personal favourite, funny breakfasts! Quite a diverse collection of challenges, I think you’ll agree.

A big thank you to the House Captains for supporting their houses and leading from the front each week. We could not do it without you!

Mr Alan Cornish

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Learning French through Projects This term, French classes were more focused on individual work, research, and projects.

This approach worked very effectively in Year 6. The topic we covered during our online classes led us around the world, talking about continents, countries, rivers, and the weather.

Despite the fact that online learning can be a real challenge, we made the most of it by using the tools we had at hand: creating slides, making videos, doing research, and using online resources.

The students had to present real information about continents, pretend they were broadcasting the weather report on TV, and create the map of an imaginary or real river.

They did great work!

At the same time, the Year 4 students challenged themselves and tried to use as much vocabulary as possible related to shopping for toys.

No matter where we are going to be next term, in class or in front of our screens learning from home, our focus will be to make technology a partner in learning.

Ms Dana Momîrleanu

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Enjoying this special cultural celebration and living like Germans for one day.

This year, because of the pandemic, the IBSB German Year 6 students couldn’t spend the National Germany Day outside school, but made a promise to each other that we would be creative and have fun.

The children made a video at home where they spoke in German and included German traditions or activities. The German flag accompanied them in this process and the result was great. All of the children did their best to make an authentic and interesting video. Some of their ideas really need to be mentioned: cooking and explaining a recipe, dancing ballet, talking about tourist attractions in Germany, and many others.

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Celebrating German National Day at IBSB We watched the videos during our lesson, commented, laughed, and thoroughly enjoyed the moment. I could see the happiness on my students’ faces.

And for their incredible effort, each received a diploma as a present, before going outside to take a nice group photo.

Luckily, we had the best weather in October that day – sunny and warm!

The other German groups also had a great time with fun and interesting activities during their lessons, such as singing or playing challenging games.

Congratulations to all our students learning German – it was a pleasure to celebrate the German Unification Day with you, united as a single German nation for a day!

Ms Lucretia Gabroveanu

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Year 4 y el mundo de los juguetes

Hola a todos! What is your secret method of staying joyful? The students from our Year 4 Spanish group have found the answer: A toy a day keeps the sadness away!

This term we focused on a much-loved topic - Toys/Los

No worries, the dog still got to stay with its real family and

Juguetes - and went on a journey through the vast universe

no real buying happened; however, the next time they go to

of toys: the children learnt a lot of new vocabulary, how to

Spain, we wish good luck to the parents as their children will

express their preferences, as well as basic lines they can use

be able to handle themselves in a toy store and go shopping

when going shopping at a toy store.

alone.

Even though we cannot physically go shopping, we can

I conclude by saying that I loved their contagious joy, the

still be creative and organize an online shopping spree…so I

time they took to get things ready, and the fact that no matter

welcome you to Los Juguetes - the online fair that took place

what happens, nothing can beat a child’s way of seeing the

during one of our Spanish lessons!

good in everything! I surely do believe we have so much to learn from them: the world can indeed be a better place if we

As most of you know, as a school we are on a journey to

decide to believe that!

embrace the HPL Pillars, so we took this opportunity to use

Until next time, when we will tell more about our adventures during the Spanish lessons, we would like to wish you Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año!

Originality, Creativity, and Creative Playfulness in order to complete the task of making your online store! The students were very excited to prepare their ‘’stalls’’, choosing which items to sell: toys, paintings, old books, and the most popular of all: a real dog!

Ms Alexandra Ivascu

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High Performance Learning is a research-based philosophy that sees everyone as a potential high performer.

It systematically develops the thinking skills, values, attitudes, and attributes needed to become a successful lifelong learner.

How do we become High Performance Learners?

Wel, firstly, it turns out that the brain is in fact much more plastic than was first thought. In short, we can make ourselves more intelligent. It takes good schooling, good parenting, plus dedication and hard work from the children.

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What is High Performance Learning?

Our children are heading into a world we don’t yet know.

The pace of change is rapid, and knowledge is no longer enough on its own. Our adoption of HPL enables us to teach our children the competencies, skills, values, and attitudes needed to succeed in life.

We focus on the 20 competencies to know how to think and the 10 competencies to know how to behave that they need to know to become great learners. These words will become our common language at IBSB and at home...

Mr Alan Cornish

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IBSB Student Wins National Art Competition The competition was set up to encourage and expand innovative and creative thinking among children aged 5 to 14 years old, offering them the opportunity to express their unique creativity and to give shape to their imagination through writing, drawing, painting, singing, rapping, or dancing. The theme for this year’s competition was to include Flaminia in the Christmas traditions of their country, with a variety of prizes offered, including a tablet + art private lessons for the overall winner. Well done Andrei! We are incredibly proud of your achievement!

Congratulations to IBSB Year 6 student, Andrei Urjan, for winning the 2020 Lukico Expressive Arts Competition.

Twelve Days of Kindness Christmas Food Collection for Touched Romania

At the beginning of December, we, the members of the CAS Club ‘Touched Romania,’ started to work on the 12-days of Kindness campaign. This consisted in participating families collecting 12 items (food, toiletries, daily use products, etc.), one per day to donate to the charity. We created online posters and sent out a school letter, with a list of recommended items as suggested by the staff at Touched Romania. IBSB’s families were extremely generous this year and helped us collect as many as 35 bags of food, which were donated to Casa Agar, by our team, with the school drivers’ help. Many of the packages also had many more than the 12 suggested items.

The staff at Casa Agar said that the large donation, delivered

by IBSB on the last day of term was a real blessing, will help to support not just the families living at Casa Agar, but many other families in the local community supported by Touched Romania.

Thank you to everyone for contributing to the Christmas spirt.

We are extremely grateful to be a part of the IBSB family and we thank you for your kindness and generosity!

IBSB Sixth Form Touched Romania CAS Club

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Community Action Service Term 1 2020 Our wonderful team of Key Stage 5 volunteers started the year with much confidence. The physical distance imposed by the global pandemic was not going to prevent us from doing good deeds. We were going to do what was always humanly possible in any challenging situation: adapt and grow!

We were very thankful to be able to use the online medium for our induction, the CAS Open Day, the recruitment process, and our planning meetings.

October The next emergency appeal was organised by Jaime Baker, a year 13 passionate conservation activist working with the Animal Rescue volunteers. You may remember Jaime’s enthusiastic article that appeared in the previous edition of the TIV and described her experience at the Juara Turtle

September

Project in Malaysia. This time, a plea for financial support

The first successful event of the year was the Back to

conservation projects underfunded, as their main source

School Collection, an annual event, with donations of school supplies and electronic devices being gathered for disadvantaged school children supported by Touched Romania and Punctul Nordic.

“Poverty is a plague. It erodes the life chances of the people who suffer from it; it ruins their self-esteem and shatters their

reached our community. The pandemic situation left many of revenue was from volunteer and tourist donations.

Raising awareness about the conservation of biodiversity is something that we do in our school assemblies and school media. Therefore, we invite all of you who love our living oceans to find out more about the JTP project and support them visiting their website at:

dreams. The only chance they have to escape is through education” says Cristina Capatan, the representative of Punctul Nordic Association.

Many of the families supported by the association do not have access to running water, heating, or electricity, not to mention the technology that would allow the children to continue their school courses online. These people are also the hardest hit by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

The donations you made will make a big difference to their lives.

We would also like to wish Jaime good luck with her application for a three-month internship at JTP before her undergraduate studies start as a marine biologist!

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November The Speranta pentru Tine volunteers prepared a

quarantine edition of the annual Halloween Party, which included spooky stories, quizzes, origami, a pumpkin

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decorating and contemporary art competition. All the activities were delivered by the Speranta volunteers and some younger colleagues who felt inspired by the cause (Medeea, Maria, Ioana, Patrick, Elian, Catarina, and Calin).

With a total of 4050 RON raised and donated for the needs of the children hospitalised at the Fundeni hospital, this was probably one of the most successful editions of our Halloween celebrations.

Also, the Paper Tree Project group introduced us to alternatives to single plastic use, hoping that our community will be receptive to at least some of the methods that would allow us to keep the planet cleaner and safer for the future.

December

The Light into Europe project volunteers continued to record audiobooks for the blind and create arts and crafts videos for the School for the Deaf. A brilliant idea by Ioan Cazacu had us decorating the Angiomedica Clinic for a substantial donation towards the Light into Europe charity. We couldn’t have done this without the kind support of the IBSB Office that lent the Christmas decorations for the job!

Thank you!

Another inspired thought by Ms Baker encouraged the Touched Romania volunteers to organise a Twelve Days of Kindness (or reverse Advent Calendar) Collection of nonperishable food in support of the families who left the Casa Agar maternal shelter.

And finally, the Shoebox Appeal delivered to the children supported by Punctul Nordic Corbeanca made the volunteers sorting the beautiful gifts delivered by the families of IBSB feel like Santa’s helpers. Being in that room overflowing with gifts for the poorest children of Corbeanca filled our hearts with a sense of purpose and gratitude.

We would like to thank the PTF who has offered enormous support to all our activities, to all the students and parents who got involved in all the acts of kindness that we have managed to achieve in 2020! May all the kindness that you poured into the world return to you in countless ways!

Ms Johanna Croci

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Back to School The first half term was a busy time for our sixth form students working on their Community Action Service projects under the support and guidance of their tutors and programme organiser, Ms Johanna Croci.

One of the CAS projects, working to support Touched Romania and Punctul Nordic, arranged a ‘Back to school collection’ for children affected by domestic violence, poverty, and social exclusion, collecting school bags, stationary, clothing, and digital devices.

Well done to Fibi, Daria, Armand, and Anusha, supported

by Ms Iona Tanguay, for making a positive difference to the lives of those in need. All items and money collected were delivered today to the Touched Romania children, bringing some welcomed happiness into their world.

The donation of electronic devices, much needed by the children that have started their online learning programmes, was delivered to the children supported by Punctul Nordic in the final week of Term 1a.

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Speranta Pentru Tine Halloween Activities

By Leo Ye, Year 13

One of the Community Action Service groups running this year, is Speranta Pentru Tine, working to support a charity dedicated to helping children with chronic health problems.

For Halloween this year, we knew we wouldn’t be able to organise the traditional Secondary School Halloween Party, due social distancing protocols in place. So, with our stockpile of decorations sitting there in front of us, we knew we needed an alternative. We put on our thinking caps, and eventually came up with Plan B, which was to have our CAS group members visit each year group from Year 1 to Year 9 to run one hour of fun in-class activities. But just to be sure, in case school was closed, we came up with Plan C. In the end, the inevitable happened, all schools closed, so we used Plan C, with all activities moving online.

As a result, we made two videos teaching students how to make Halloween origami, with students having the ability to choose between two origami options on offer.

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We also came up with a Kahoot activity, and for the smaller students we had story reading.

Screenshot during the story telling activity with a class of Year 3 primary school students.

For the Year 9 students, we prepared more challenging activities, such as the “Escape Room” Challenge!

Even though we had to do the activity online, it was still very successful! It was obvious that students enjoyed the activities we organised for them.

As a reward for the hard work of our CAS Group, we managed to raise 4050 RON through the Halloween activity; all the money raised will go to the children suffering from terminal illness, receiving treatment at Fundeni Hospital!

In the end, we would like to thank the SLT, the teachers, the primary school, and last but not least, the 5 year 11 students who helped us deliver the activities. We would not have had such a successful event without everyone’s valuable contributions!

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Bonfire Night Light into Europe On the 5th of November, we would normally be celebrating the Light into Europe Bonfire Night together with you all. This year, however, due to the COVID19, we experienced the event to you in a different way; with a virtual Bonfire Night- it was certainly a Bonfire Night to be remembered unlike any of those in the 415 years gone before!

We were also able to watch the ‘Virtual Bonfire Night’ via the

We of course really missed the opportunity to get together

Even if we did not manage to have Bonfire Night this year, you

and eat and drink around the bonfire in the presence of our life

can still support Light into Europe by donating to their worthy

changing Guide Dogs. However, we were able to enjoy a short

cause.

following link

video, narrated by our patron HMA Andrew Noble to remind us “Despite this event being virtual, our day to day work here in Romania is actual and goes on day to day, thanks to your what Bonfire Night is all about and why we do this event here in Bucharest each year

generous support! All the money we raise each year goes directly to the work of Light into Europe with the Blind and Deaf communities of Romania, particularly our Guide Dogs for the Blind programme. We hope to visit you with one of these wonderful dogs in training soon to say thank you!”

On behalf of the Light into Europe Team & Guide Dogs

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Sports

Motorcycle Mayhem

By George Boronea, Year 8

Going out with your motorcycle in the woods or at the track is generally considered an extreme sport. This is because you can hurt yourself or get lost, for example. There are many variables that can go wrong at any time.

On the other hand, there is also the thrill of the adrenaline that flows through your body when you’re going fast or jumping over an obstacle. As much as it is extreme, it is also amazing. There are beautiful views and lovely fields, and it is a really nice experience to own a motorbike and go out with it.

What is the difference between Enduro and Motocross?

What is the difference between Supercross and Motocross?

Enduro and Motocross are considered two different sports,

These are considered different, but not as different as

even though they appear to be very similar. Enduro is all

Enduro and Motocross, for example. Supercross events are

about patience and self-control. This is because in Enduro

usually held at night in a closed arena with artificial lighting,

you are usually in a forest, where there are trees. I would say

like the Monster Jam events. In Supercross, you need lots of

that Enduro is generally considered harder because you

skill to get the timings right because Supercross tracks are

need more skill to climb hills, to avoid trees, and to go down

full of rhythm sections which you have to negotiate perfectly

large descents. Motocross is all about ripping it down the

otherwise you lose your speed and fall back a lot. Motocross

track at high speeds on a specially made motorbike that has

is usually in an open track during the daytime. Motocross

an engine with very specific features. But you also need lots

usually involves 2-stroke bikes like 85cc, 65cc 125cc, and

of skill for motocross. As much as it sounds simple to speed

250cc. Supercross is racing with 4-stroke bikes which have

along a track, you also need to know how to go around

a lot more power, are heavier, and generally much faster than

corners with speed and accelerate from the start line.

the 2-stroke bikes.

Sports

Who is the best Enduro rider in the world?

What gear do you need to ride a motorcycle?

Graham Jarvis is generally considered to be the most

You need some special gear to ride a bike because your

famous and best Hard Enduro rider of all time, but Jonny

bicycle helmet and some knee pads won’t do the job. You

Walker is also really good and has won several Hard Enduro

need an off-road helmet. You have a special armor which is

events. But it’s not just Jonny Walker - there are a ton of

almost like a jacket because it keeps you warm and protects

faces who are up to beating Jarvis. Some of them are

you as well. You have special knee pads to fully protect your

Andreas Lettenbichler, Taddy Blazusiak, and many others

knees and a bit of your leg as well. You have thick boots so

who are surely up to the test and they all have a good

that little-to-no water goes in the boots and so your feet

chance of beating Jarvis one day. Jarvis is now much older

won’t be soaking the whole time. Last but not least, your

than the usual Hard Enduro competitor, so it will become

helmet is probably the most important part of your gear. It’s

harder and harder to keep up with the young ones who want

very important to get a good helmet so that if you fall you

to dethrone him from his world’s best Hard Enduro rider title.

don’t risk injuring your head.

Which of the three sports is considered more dangerous and extreme?

I hope this has helped to answer many of the questions you

I would say that all of the sports are dangerous and extreme

would be happy to your questions.

in their own ways. For example, in Enduro you really have to know the course if you aren’t going with a guide, because you might get lost and might not know how to get back to your camp or where your car is. Motocross and Supercross are very dangerous as well because you aren’t riding in a forest, but you are travelling at very high speeds on tracks and can get seriously injured if you aren’t careful.

In conclusion, I would say that they are all extreme and dangerous in different ways.

have about riding Enduro and Motorcross. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask me during a break. I

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Sports

Sailing with Aleksis Radu I started sailing three years ago. At the time, my mother was searching for a sport my sister and I might both enjoy, so she took us to the Bucharest Sailing Club. It was the Spring Cup Day and all the sailors were getting ready for the race. I decided to stay because I thought the activity itself was exciting.

Interestingly, my sister liked the sport too, so we are now both members of the Bucharest Sailing Club, but in different boat categories.

Sailing is a complex sport. It doesn’t only require strength,

I sail the Optimist boat, which can be sailed until the age of 15

it also requires planning and strategy. Heavy winds can be

years. The Optimist is only for one person, about 2.5 metres

problematic if one does not have enough physical training,

long and 1 meter wide. There are several basic components

but strategy is key. So we train a lot, on and off the water!

of an optimist sailing boat.

In spring, summer, and autumn we sail on Herastrau Lake every weekend for up to 6 hours per day. We also sail after school once or twice per week. In the summer we also go on sailing camps for 4 weeks or longer and race the National Championship on the Black Sea. Then throughout the year we go on sailing camps in Greece, usually once per month, where the sailing conditions are better. During winter, we only do fitness training at our base in Herastrau; this is very important because one needs strength and mobility for the various kinds of winds.

The sail is practically the engine of the boat, without which the boat wouldn’t sail.

The rudder is also called the steer; without it one wouldn’t be able to control the boat and it would capsize (flip over).

The centerboard is the part of the boat that helps the boat go straight ahead and not drift.

The hull is practically the base of the boat.

The mast, boom, and gaff rig are all the components that hold the sail: without them the sail would fly away.

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The sailing races are called regattas. A regatta can consist

Then, the direction of the wind needs to be checked and the

of two or three days of racing, with two or three races each

first mark (buoy) position needs to be identified, as this will

day. Racing demands a lot of focus and stamina. But it is

influence if the start should be closer to the race committee

also a lot of fun with my teammates and other sailors. I like

boat or closer to the pin end. If it is closer to the pin end, the

going to different countries with my team. Last summer I was

start needs to be taken from there and vice versa.

supposed to go to the World championship on Lake Garda,

Last but not least, if sailing on the ocean or sea, the currents

but it was cancelled because of the COVID-19 virus.

need checking (throw a bottle in the water and see which way it goes).

During a race, the boats sail from a starter boat and around at least two buoys placed on the water. The starter boat uses

My first sailing competition was with sailors only from our

loud whistles and raises various code flags to communicate

sailing club. It was quite complicated, as I was inexperienced,

with the sailors during the race, for example, to say if a storm

but I got third place in the boys’ category. Later I went to a lot

is coming and the race needs to stop.

of competitions that our club hosted. They were small races, but they were good training.

When racing, one needs to check a number of things: The power of the wind is important, because the sail needs

My first international competition was called Burgas Sailing

to be rigged specifically for the power of the wind.

Week. Some sailors were extremely experienced, but I still managed a good result in the silver group. I also went to

You must also check a lot of things before the start because

some competitions in Greece. There are also the National

the start is 80% of the race if achieved in a good position. If

Championships every summer; the places obtained in the

you make a strong start, then it really needs to go disastrously

various races decide the composition of the national team. I

wrong for you to lose a good place in the race.

have made the national team for a past couple of years and look forward to more competitions next year.

Although racing is a lot of fun, the best thing about sailing is gliding on the surface of the water and mastering one’s boat!

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Sports

Persevering in the Pacific

By Andreea Albu, Year 10

This year has been very hard for everyone, but one thing that affected my team was that we had limited locations in which we could train.

Because seemingly every sports club in Bucharest wanted to continue their swimming lessons in the Lia Manoliu outdoor swimming pool, we had to do our best to find a swimming lane that was not occupied at the time we usually had our swimming lessons.

At first, we had the luck to find lanes and were able to train 3

Two years ago, my team and I crossed the English Channel

times per week, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. But as

in 10 hours and 25 minutes, from Dover to the French coast.

the number of COVID-19 cases began to steadily rise, the

The team that crossed the English Channel was called

swimming pool introduced new rules and had to reduce the

“Romania” and we were proud to set 3 records:

number of swimmers in the pool, not letting coaches place more than 8 children in a lane.

• The first Romanian relay team to cross the English Channel • The fastest relay to cross the English Channel in 2019

Our swimming coach usually made us swim long distances,

• The fastest mixed relay team to cross the English Channel

like 3 km with a break every 30 minutes, so we get used to

in 2019

the boredom of long-distance swimming. This is because in 2021 we hope to travel to the USA to swim the Catalina

We were awarded a superb diploma signed by the president

Channel, between the Catalina Island and the city of Los

of the English Channel Swimming Association and two

Angeles, California.

other awards named the “Ray Scott Trophy 2019” and the “Garnet Martin Trophy 2019”, which are both in the shape of a diamond.

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The time it took us to swim the English Channel gives us

People often ask me if I have a certain diet that I have to

some idea of how long the swim in the Catalina Channel

respect. The answer is no, I don’t. Because we put so much

will take as it is approximately 33 km long. This is the same

effort in our swim training, we burn a lot of calories and also

distance as the English Channel, but of course we can’t know

to swim in the open water, we need a layer of fat so we don’t

for a fact how long it will take us because there are different

get hypothermic during the swim. The water temperature is

currents and marine animals - including sharks - living there.

between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius.

We are going to wear some protective bracelets that repel the sharks. There are also various types of jellyfish - I hope I

To swim the Catalina Channel, every member of the team

don’t encounter any because it’s a huge distraction when you

must be physically strong and determined. The swim is due

are swimming. You just get very anxious. Another challenge

to take place in August 2021, staying several weeks in the

we are going to meet is that we are going to need to swim at

USA so we can acclimatise to the water temperatures and

night as the strongest currents and winds occur during the

conditions. In the swim, the team and I will be taking 1 hour

day.

turns in the specific order the coach puts us in with the boat carrying the rest of our team and some other crew moving along next to the person swimming at all times. This will be a very fun, but hard experience requiring us all to overcome the challenges faced if we are to be successful as a team.

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Sports

Tennis Success!

Well done to Vlad Sandu for his 3rd place result in the 11 year old boys National Selection Team Trials. We hope one day to see you playing on the ATP circuit, following in the footsteps of Simona Halep, Ilie Nastase, and Horia Tecau, flying the Romanian flag high!

Many students have been in a competitive spirit this term, having taken part in any number of the thirteen house competitions that have taken place.

These competitions have been based upon a variety of themes, including designing face masks, making rangoli patterns to celebrate Diwali, and even a virtual bake-off. The quality of entries has been outstanding and massive congratulations should be extended to each of the winners.

At the time of writing this contribution, Transilvania maintains a slim lead of less than 200 house points over Muntenia, with Dobrogea trailing by 700 points in third place. Looking to next term, we have a host of competitions lined up, including competitions to celebrate the International Day of Education, a meme-making competition, a Valentine’s Day competition, and many more! House Captains will also be setting their own challenges, which will be a great opportunity for Muntenia and Dobrogea to close the gap!

If you have any good competition ideas that you would like to see happen, please email all suggestions to your House Captain or directly to Mr Varden, who would be most grateful.

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House Competition

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School Events

Parents, Teachers, and Friends

The IBSB community has always supported the PTF in showing that it is possible, even in a difficult period, to carry out many projects involving students from both our Primary and Secondary schools. The pupils have shown great enthusiasm and resilience, also teaching us as adults how to cope with these extraordinary months.

In recent months, the PTF team has challenged themselves to find new ways to involve families in the school’s social life.

October 9th was Teachers Appreciation Day, with the

children giving their teachers a note to thank them for their super hard work and the PTF delivering a sweet surprise to

Starting with the return to school in September and

each of them.

continuing on after the switch to online learning, the PTF has carried out several projects, demonstrating that if you have

Speaking of teachers, the PTF has started to present a

the will then anything is possible and that many things can

Teacher of the Week on the school Facebook page. Be sure

still be achieved online.

to check it out to learn more about the teachers teaching our children!

Carmen Peli (a Y4 and Y8 mum) about the PTF: “I admire and I am grateful for your positivity and endless effort to make the school feels more like a community”.

On October the 16th, for United Nations Day, the PTF

promoted a challenge chain on the Facebook Page: everyone could present his country with a collage or short video.

Another great success was our Halloween Pumpkins Carving Contest: many families enthusiastically participated by sending photos of their decorated pumpkins to the Facebook page, contributing to the PTF’s donation of 1000 RON to the non-profit organization Light into Europe.

On November 13th, the page was filled with rangoli-style

In December, the PTF sent all students a sweet gift for St.

Mona Opran (Y6, Y9 mum) about Diwali: “Diwali was

But the PTF is always looking to the future and is already

my favourite school event. It encouraged us to celebrate

working on the next year’s projects: Alumni Association

drawings by our students for the Diwali festival.

school diversity and to understand other cultures through activities and stories. I also believe that being on-line and sharing pictures from our homes, with our families, made the

Nicholas and also Hanukkah festival will be remembered.

and the celebration of the IBSB 20th Anniversary.

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and New Year.

celebration more special, more personal, bringing the children closer to each other.”

Another new idea for this year was to dedicate each

Madalina Georgescu Albu (a Y6 and Y10 mum and PTF

Vice-President): “Oh god, what a year… But you know what

month to one or two topics related to parenting.

people say: “What doesn’t knock you down, makes you

In October, we talked about dyslexia, with some articles and

I was glad to be able to take part in, even if some were just

Mental Health Support and Children’s Hidden

demanding too… I wish you all a happy, fulfilled holidays and

stronger!” In spite of COVID, we have had many events that

videos on the subject. In November, we dealt with Children’s

to help the children to get house points! Very funny and

Disabilities Awareness. During the PTF general meeting

2021 to be as you want it”.

Autism Voice organization, who presented the workshop

Daria Dietrich (a Y4 and Y6 mum and PTF President): “The

we had a special guest; Nicoleta Orlea, the coordinator of ‘Autism and Children around us’.

whole year and this term especially were remarkable for me

as it proved my idea that together we can make a difference, Between November 16th and 20th we celebrated World

not just for ourselves, but for others. I am very grateful to our

Kindness Day and asked our students to share with us their

families and to the PTF Team and of course in 2021 I want to

thoughts on what means KINDNESS to them, how they feel

wish you all to love and be loved always, to be healthy and

when someone is kind to them, and how they could show

emotionally strong, to have no limits to reach your dreams

KINDNESS to someone they know and someone they don’t

and goals. Happy Holiday season!”

know.

Sincerely Yours, PTF Team

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School Events

Duke of Edinburgh expedition

On the 25th of September, my team and I went on an adventurous journey, as a component of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Needing to wake up at 5.00am in order to get to Cheia early enough to avoid completing our trek in the dark, we were all wide awake with anticipation before the first rays of sunlight breached the horizon.

There were two teams going on the bronze journey. The

In all honesty, I only really struggled on the first hill and with

first, made up of myself, Maria Sticlea, Ioana Aizic, Melissa

the intense winds at the top of the mountains. The first hill

Aydogan, Ana Cristescu, Ioana Musetean, and Kathleen

was a monster, but it got us warmed up and in the mindset

Hughes. The second included Medeea Constantinescu,

to continue. We all wanted to collapse on the plateau, but

Andrei Vernon, Nichita Rosca, Calin Constantinescu, and

knew this was only a small part of our future achievement.

Oskar Atas.

It was, however, only the beginning, as our journey lasted The week prior, our teams had gone on our practice journey

about eight hours or so. We traversed the yellow line, the red

in and around similar areas, so we knew what to expect.

triangle, and the red cross routes (not to be confused with

What surprised us all were the views. As we reached the

the charity of course), pushing onward and onward. ‘The

plateau of the first hill, I turned and was stunned. The forests

Dancing Peanuts’, not my first choice of team name, but

of Romania are truly beautiful. With lush green pine trees,

better than nothing, all found this second journey to be far

sheer rock faces, and a river intersecting them both, it looked

easier than our practice journey.

more like a classical painting than real life.

The thought of the achievement to be had wasn’t the

Speaking of Mr Hudson, all of us highly responsible children

greatest of motivators though. What really kept us going

were supervised by Mr Hudson, Ms Croci, and our mountain

were the pair of Cabana Dogs that followed us up the

guide, George. I was impressed by the fact that Mr Hudson

mountain. They were beautiful, incredibly friendly, and

appeared to be in his element, he looked as if he could hike

somehow even supportive- you could tell that they were

while blindfolded!

willing us to keep on going! By the end of the trip, we were referring to them as Marian and Ioana, although that

Overall, the journey was tough, and is arguably the most

changed multiple times throughout the eight hours.

physically demanding thing I have done in years, but that didn’t stop me from having the time of my life while doing it.

What caught a few of us off guard was the descent of the

I would recommend the trail to anyone, just beware of the

mountain. The mix of steep descending paths and the fact

pebbles!

that they had millions of rocks and pebbles all over them wasn’t the most enticing; as you can imagine, this was the least popular segment of the journey. In a certain section, the path itself fell away from the cliff and forced us to traverse horizontally using a chain attached to the cliff to keep us from falling, Mr Hudson with his rock climbing skills was the best at this.

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School Events

CSMUN

By Maria Sticlea Year 11P

MUN stands for Model United Nations, and it is a simulation of the main organs of the UN, hoping to show students how this important body works and what it is like to become a delegate for the UN. It is not a competition (even though awards for the best delegates do exist), just a conference where young people seek to find solutions to the many problems that afflict our existence today. For example, I was a judge in the International Criminal Court together with Catarina, and we debated the issue of the Prosecutor v Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti, two Ugandan war criminals, to decide whether they are guilty of the charges they were accused of (spoiler - we found them not guilty).

We were originally trying to gather enough people to go to the conference physically, but because of the COVID-19 situation in Romania, we had to cancel the trip; when we found out that we could attend in the end (albeit online), we were ecstatic. And it turned out to be an incredible experience, especially since we won 5 awards, a record for our school!

Many extra-curricular activities have had to be postponed or even cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic engulfing the globe, but luckily for me, MUN is not one of them. Whilst physical MUNs can certainly be a health and safety risk, thankfully online ones cannot, and it is in this spirit that 12 students from IBSB attended CSMUN 2020 - from the comfort of our own bedrooms.

All of the award winners have kindly agreed to tell us a bit about their experience: “This was my first ever MUN. Although it was held online, it was a very interesting and exciting experience. I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it and will, for sure, be taking part in many more MUNs” - Catarina Freire, Honourable Mention in ICC.

“I was expecting it to go horribly wrong, since it was being held online, but I’d say that quite the opposite happened: we experienced the same quality of debates and interaction, without having to leave our homes. I genuinely really enjoyed it, and even though it was my first time in one of the Courts, I think I can safely say that it won’t be my last.”

- Maria Sticlea, Best Judge in ICC.

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“It was my first conference and I really enjoyed it. It was an incredible experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about participating. It was a really mind opening experience, which blew away any and all expectations. The people in the committees and the chairs were absolutely incredible. I met a lot of new people and have been able to make lots of friends. And although there was an error of some sort, one of the chairs clarified to me afterwards that in the Junior Forensics Group 2 I won best delegate.” - Vlad Nedelcu, Best Delegate as Austria in Junior Forensics Group.

“I think it was a very interesting experience to adapt to a new MUN model while also working online for the first time, but overall found the experience very enjoyable and helpful.”

- Rares Sas, Honourable Mention as UK in Security Council.

“It was really great to be in a committee with such active and dedicated members. Despite having many newcomers, we managed to pass three resolutions and had very fruitful debate. This was my first award, despite attending 4 MUNs before, so I’m very proud of myself for this achievement.”

- Melissa Aydoğan, Honourable Mention as UK in Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (GA4).

Overall, just like all of the above testimonies shared, it was an amazing experience, and we all had a lot of fun and made new friends.

I would definitely recommend MUN to all my fellow students, because it can become very addictive very quickly, and truly change your life (as it has for me).

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ICHBMUN 2020

By Melissa Aydogan Y 12S

This was an outdoor MUN hosted by ICHB (in case you couldn’t tell from the name) at Casa Universitarilor. The organisers split the conference over four days. Two for Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC), UN Security Council (UNSC), and Social Humanitarian (SOCHUM). And two for Crisis, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This way, the number of participants present was significantly reduced -a great idea, given the COVID-19 issues.

As my first physical MUN of this academic year (and most likely my last), I was very excited to be back in a physical committee and be able to physically debate topics. This was also my first MUN where I got to meet fellow MUN passionate people from, not only Bucharest but Romania as a whole. I represented the delegation of the United Kingdom in UNSC. The way the Security Council works is that there are 5 permanent members (China, France, Russia, UK and USA) with veto power and 10 non-permanent members which changes every 2 years, without veto power. Our topic for this conference was the question of Iraq, which is a very open question with lots of different points to be tackled.

We debated a range of things, from counter terrorism to Kurdish independence. In the end we had two resolutions, constructed by two different blocks, the Russia-China-IranSyria block and the second block consisting of everyone else. Due to the nature of these blocks and the strong opinions held by all nations, especially the veto nations, we did not end up passing any resolution… which is not that surprising for the Security Council.

Upon hearing the words Model United Nations, our minds immediately rush to big halls, crowds, and tense atmosphere. I never thought that MUN could be synonymous with nature, the outside… or freezing during committee sessions. However, in light of the pandemic many formal events and activities, such as MUN, had to move either outside or online and thus, ICHBMUN became a reality. Maria Sticlea in year 11 and I both attended this MUN, with high hopes and expectations of fruitful debate.

here’s what she has to say about it. “We debated the issue of self-determination, and since I was representing Israel, I had a lot to say on the topic. Throughout the twoday conference, we discussed individual issues such as Catalonia and Hong Kong, and then managed to write and pass a resolution on this topic. The irony in my opinion, was that we didn’t have Palestine to stand up for themselves while I was blatantly disadvantaging them, however at one point one of our chairpersons stood up and delivered a speech in their name, attacking me with every trick in the book. At the end, I was given the honour of receiving the Best Delegate Award, which made me really really happy.

Overall, it was definitely an incredible experience and I’d love to go again next year.”

When it comes to describing this experience from a social point of view, I can easily say that it has been a very fun event and that I got to meet many new people. I am very excited to meet more students who are as passionate about MUN as I am, and to further strengthen my friendships with the ones I have met.

Overall, I think I speak for both of us when I say that this was a very memorable event and that we urge everyone to try MUN, even just once.

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In Maria’s committee, SOCHUM, things went a little different,

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Alumni

Victor Popa Life @ Erasmus University Rotterdam

When I arrived in Rotterdam on the 15th of August, I had no idea what the upcoming two weeks before the start of my classes held in store for me. In a year where we were rattled by restrictions, had limited contact with others, and received depressing news almost constantly, I was relieved that to encounter so many new people (in a safe manner, of course), and that I made friends right off the bat. What I thought would be a challenge, ended up being a smooth and fun transition from high school to my university experience.

As with most universities around the world, mine managed to offer a blended style of learning to start the year, so that the first years like me would be able to settle into our new environment properly. This helped me by quite a margin, as I was able to frequently interact and study with fellow students, which helped to further cement my relationship with them.

I was amazed by the fact that my current level of knowledge, which I gathered at IBSB during my A-Levels, was more than enough to be able to tackle the beginning week or two of each of my six courses until this moment. I possessed a solid understanding of the foundations of each subject encountered, allowing me to tackle the later stages of the course when the topics became more complex and challenging. This also allowed me to enjoy what I was being taught, and made me sure that I had made the right choice in pursuing Economics.

I also found that I adjusted to living in The Netherlands quite quickly. I explored the centre of Rotterdam and its surrounding areas in the first couple of weeks, and then and so it started to feel like home. Even though the city and the country itself are both beautiful, I sometimes feel quite saddened by the Dutch weather, which consists mostly of grey clouds and rainy days (except in the summer months, when it is as hot and sunny as Bucharest!). So, if there were one downside to this experience, it would be that my expenditure on waterproof clothing has dramatically increased in the past months.

I do not believe I could have made a better choice of university though, and I am forever grateful and thankful to everyone who helped me along my way here. I cannot wait to visit IBSB when I return, to say hello to some familiar faces.

Until then, Victor Popa Head Boy, 2019-20

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Alumni

Mara Mellits Switching from a massive state school in America to a small international British school in Romania was a big change for me. Every single spoken and unspoken social rule from my previous life was now gone. I felt like ten years of schooling evaporated the instant my feet touched the pavement on Strada Agricultori at the gate of IBSB because my whole world changed. Everything I thought I knew about school was completely turned on its head.

Even though the British system was initially unfamiliar to me, I adapted quickly. I took full advantage of the opportunity to study with teachers from all over the world, selecting classes that enriched my learning, but also fuelled my love and quest

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My Experience at IBSB

With a smaller class, all the unsaid social rules I was used to also diminished. I arrived at IBSB at the beginning of Year 11, when the students have already typically made friends and established their groups. At my previous school, cliques existed and groups were hard to break into, so I arrived thinking it would be hard to make friends- why would anybody want to welcome a new girl who didn’t know anything about her new environment? Maybe the students took pity on me, or maybe it was simply the way life is at IBSB, but I was surprised by how easily I found a new group of people who all loved and accepted me as I was. It was a completed unexpected surprise, but equally a very welcome

for knowledge.

one.

The first big difference I noticed at IBSB was the smaller

I was extremely grateful to discover at IBSB a loving and

classes in Year 11, where instead of having up to 25 kids in a classroom, I had less than 10 in many of my elective classes.

These small class sizes helped to improve my learning greatly, because with fewer students in the classroom, I was more inclined to ask questions without having to fight for the attention of a teacher in a larger classroom. I was also able to create stronger relationships with my teachers, even after only a few months, which compared starkly to the situation back home where I was used to having teachers for an entire year who still struggled to remember my name. Not only did I create meaningful relationships with the teachers from IBSB, I also was introduced to a new type of student-centred learning. Teachers treated me with kindness and respect from the very beginning, without me having to somehow earn it from them, as was the case in my previous school.

accepting community. Even though I had moved halfway across the world, I was welcomed with open arms by a rich multicultural community of people from around the globe who happily accepted and embraced the differences of others.

IBSB also stands out because of its unique mix of school events, including iconic events such as UN Day, Romania Day, and the CAS Christmas Fair to name a few. The rich community of support from both students and parents is what allows IBSB to thrive.

The community at IBSB is like no other I have experienced.

Enriched with key values of respect, dignity, and acceptance, it offered me a home like no other.

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Alumni

Andreea Stanescu My First Semester at Warwick University

Transitioning to university has been a pleasant experience for me. Even though this year is a little different to that usually experienced due to COVID-19 restrictions in place, the blended learning approach that most universities offer has still enabled students to have a somewhat normal university experience. Thankfully, despite the restrictions in place, I have still managed to make friends within my course, my accommodation hall, and the university in general.

When I applied to universities in September last year, I had a totally different opinion about which option I would choose as my firm choice. Warwick was probably 4th on my list. However, after I went to visit the campus and the business department, I knew that this was the better choice for me. Therefore, I strongly advise all students to visit the universities they want to attend because you will develop a completely different opinion once you are there.

The A Level courses I completed at IBSB definitely helped me more than I would have imagined, with at least half of my modules being composed of exactly those topics already covered at A Level. I think this has been very helpful, since this was a pretty busy term overall, so having previous knowledge of the subjects I had to learn has made everything much easier, making me more confident and better preparing me for my final exams in January.

My university currently uses a mixture of online and faceto-face teaching, with lectures being offered online and seminars in person. I think this has actually been beneficial for most students, since they can watch and re-watch the lectures at their own pace and whenever they want.

Moreover, there are no distractions in comparison to being in a crowded lecture hall with hundreds of other students.

However, there is also a negative side to the restrictions in place and that is that all the societies, sports clubs, and events have not had the chance to properly start. The ones that I have joined have continued organizing online sessions during the UK national lockdown, making it a more enjoyable experience that it would otherwise have been, especially for first year students like myself. Warwick has over 250 societies, so there is definitely something to fit everyone’s interests. I have joined 5 societies and 2 sports clubs this year and I think the first year is when there are the most opportunities available to you, since the rest of the years are busier with study and because students don’t live on campus anymore, making it more difficult to be present at all the events and activities on offer.

Overall, I am enjoying university very much and cannot wait to return for Term 2.

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A new normal

Of course, it is important to keep the elderly safe. Has

by Tamara Boaca and Mia Opran Y9O

Yes, because I’ve dabbled in different activities I thought I

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Mia Opran, my new colleague. I asked her a few questions about our new normal, in a global pandemic, and here are her answers to my questions.

Have you and your family gotten closer during this

There have been a lot of myths of how it all started.

What do you think led to this huge situation?

Well, people didn’t wear masks all the time and they didn’t look after themselves. Because of that, the cases increased.

That’s a very interesting answer. Were you or anybody you know in contact with the virus?

No, I wasn’t in contact with anybody that had the virus.

You were very lucky. Have you started healthy habits during lockdown?

Yeah, I tried different types of food, like healthier snacks, vegan burgers, and it was really fun.

Do you have any worries about returning from school and interacting with your family?

Well no, because we keep our older relatives in separate homes, so that we don’t spread something to them.

this online learning schedule caused you any stress?

Well not stress, but I am always tired. We always have lots of homework every single day.

That is kind of hard. Has this pandemic affected you in a positive way?

would never do.

pandemic or has it affected your relationship?

I spent a lot of time with my family during this global pandemic. I bonded with my sister more, I played with my pets more: Luna, my dog, and Grigore, my cat.

Being in quarantine for many weeks, have you discovered a new skill or passion?

Yes, well I only really knew how to cook omelettes before quarantine, but discovered I wanted to be the cook for the family, so I have learnt to cook a lot of different types of foods during quarantine.

Me too! Do you think this pandemic will affect the future in any way? If yes, how so?

Well, I think it will affect it. We sometimes say things will go back to normal, but I think this is the new normal.

I also agree. Do you think there will be any changes to the way politics work after the pandemic?

Well, yes. People want a leader that can protect them, help them, make them feel safe, and also to make for them a safe environment.

You’ve truly kept yourself safe. And lastly, do you think Of course. Do you think the pandemic has a bigger impact on kids than adults?

No, because kids can still learn and have a safer chance, but adults can lose their jobs, houses, and money.

Yes, it is a harder time for adults. Are you excited to

see what the future holds and if anything is going to change?

Well, yeah I’m excited to see what the future holds, and to get out of this pandemic.

I agree with you. Did you use public facilities (such as malls) in this pandemic?

No, I kept myself safe. I only went to the tennis court when I had lessons.

you have gained any benefits from this pandemic?

Yeah, I’ve learned to cook new things, bonded with my

family, and done lots of homework, which will help me in the future.

Also, we learned to take more care of ourselves, like

cleaning our hands more frequently, wearing masks, keeping ourselves safe. Right?

Yeah, that is very important.

All right, I think we covered all my questions. Thank you so much Mia for your time, have a great day!

Yes, thank you!

After talking to Mia about our new normal, I’ve realised that many of us have had the same experiences. Mia is a very open person, with a very big smile. I look forward to our next interaction.

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A New Year, A New Sixth Form Campus

STUDENT QUOTES Irina - The new sixth form college building has so far been my favourite learning environment in during my 13 years of

school at IBSB. The space is very welcoming, and there is a variety of study areas - my favourite being the garden (if the weather is good).

Tamara - Our new sixth form college building allows us to

enjoy some much-needed privacy to work and revise during our last year, whilst also creating a home-like environment for us to be closer to socialise and take part in activities together. I am especially fond of the fact that we can leave our own mark as a class on the building and personalise it.

Christie - I love the new sixth form college building because

The sixth form students and teachers had a welcome surprise waiting for them when the returned to school for the start of the 2020-21 academic year. Little did they know, the Senior Leadership Team had been busy over the summer preparing a new campus for them, complete with their very own kitchen facilities, common room, a two metre long aquarium, and perhaps most exciting of all, their very own sixth form outdoor area with trees, tables and benches to be able to study and work outside, and a large fish pond with 10 Koi Carp and a waterfall to add a nice touch of feng shui to their new learning environment.

Now a term in, we asked some of our students and teachers for their thoughts and reflections on the new campus and here’s what they had to say:

for the first time it feels like we have our own space. The

study rooms aren’t crowded and noisy, since there’s so many spaces for people to work, and there’s so many quiet places to socialize and relax in-between classes. And, like Irina said, I especially like the garden!

Minoru - Everyday knowing that we have our own college

building for studying has increased my motivation to study.

The fact that we also have our own outdoor garden area where we can study or relax has been great.

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TEACHER QUOTES The current Year 13 students have been so happy to use the new sixth form college building. The sense of calm as you walk around the building is evident, reinforcing their very evident motivation to succeed in their studies. The garden and the aquarium are wonderful additions that create this calm atmosphere. I feel very blessed to work with such amazingly dedicated students and the college building has certainly enhanced the zen, family feeling.

Jayne Baker, Y13 Form Tutor I think it’s important that the sixth formers have their own space, and this campus definitely provides this, with plenty of study room options in addition to the classrooms, a large kitchen and common area to socialise in, and ample green area outside to get some fresh air and revive between lessons.

Kendall Peet, Head of School

The new IBSB college building is definitely a more spacious, complete with a lovely outside garden area where the students enjoy studying and socializing. The other big attraction is the new kitchen, which is well-equipped and spacious enough for the students to prepare and eat their lunch in, if they’re not eating over in the new school canteen on the main campus.

Iona Tanguay, Sociology Teacher It is a unique place for sixth form students to enjoy, providing a calm and studious atmosphere, which the students all seem to enjoy very much.

David Cooper, Computer Studies We turned a house into a school, and a school into a home (for fifty energetic teenagers, and several courageous teachers!). Kitchen conversations, classrooms with ensuites, alfresco lessons and wardrobe offices: there’s a great sense of community starting to form and lots of good learning still to come!

Michelle Gourley, Head of English

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Moving to a New School

by Anushka Laha, Year 8D

These actually work, surprisingly. When I used to live in India, I made friends by literally sitting at my desk and starting really awkward conversations which slowly turned into enjoyable ones.

Anyways, here is a pro tip: If you do embarrass yourself, don’t worry about it because it’ll all be history in a few hours.

You should also talk to your teachers, so that you can know

I think I can speak for a lot of people, when I say that moving to a new school can be terrifying. It’s like you are forcefully putting yourself into a bad situation. I, unfortunately, have moved schools about 5 times (and no, it’s not because I’m a delinquent!). This article is a list of things that may help you if you’re moving to a new school.

1. How do I find my class?

This question is usually answered by: “Just ask”, or “Someone will show you!” These answers generally come from people who are really good at directions or have stayed in one school for the entirety of their lives.

Sadly, “Just ask” is actually the only solution. If you think of it like this, you are actually giving the person a favour. You are letting them skip a few minutes of their class so that they can help you (which is a good deed). When I moved to IBSB, I didn’t even need to go to school because of the coronavirus pandemic. I have actually never set foot in the school. So, I hope I’m going to be able to follow my own advice and that I’ll be able to “Just ask” when I finally attend school in person.

2. How do I make friends?

Generally, making friends comes naturally, but if you’re like me and rely on other people to start the conversation, then I would suggest the following conversation starters: • Nice shirt (this won’t work if you have a uniform) • Have you ever eaten - insert your favourite food - ?

• Do you know - insert a singer or actor - ?

them beforehand. Trust me it helps.

I moved to IBSB during the pandemic, so my first day of school was online. I had actually never done online school before, so I was positively freaking out. One thing I would suggest for moving to a new online school schedule is to have your tabs open before the class starts, and don’t be afraid to join the meeting early. Also, you can use the Google Chats function to talk to people in your class.

Group projects are really helpful too. Try talking to people who are in the group- maybe you can make friends from there too.

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3. What is the first day of school actually like?

The first day of school is always difficult. In India when I entered the classroom, I was greeted with a bunch of unfamiliar faces staring at me. It’s nice to make friends with someone who knows their way around the school. You should definitely keep your timetable with you and learn how to use a locker if you have one.

My teacher made me introduce myself to the whole class and I felt like I was going to throw up my breakfast. I thought introducing myself meant telling everyone all about me. But you just have to say a few lines, like what your name is, if you have any hobbies or interests, and which school you came from.

The other students already had cliques and I was the odd one out. When the lunch bell rang, they all rushed out like wild animals and since the lunch room was packed, I just sat at the first random table I found. Then I decided to get up and sit at one of the other tables which had a lot of people in them. At first it was really awkward and we didn’t know what to talk about, but soon we found out that we had a lot of things in common. This was probably one of the best decisions I made because those people at that table are still my friends.

So in conclusion, I would say that you shouldn’t be scared of taking chances when you move to a new environment. Explore the place and you’ll definitely find people like you.

Just relax and trust yourself!

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School House Captains Introducing Your New Secondary School House Captains for 2020-21 Every year as part of our student leadership opportunities, we invite students to apply to become House Captains. In the Secondary School, the role of the House Captain is to support the House Leaders, to help to organise events, and to encourage participation in all of the House Competitions that take place.

This task has been a little more difficult this term due to the restrictions that we find ourselves under, but as you can see in the article from Mr Varden, we have had a wide variety of competitions taking place, all we need is a few more Dobrogeans to participate!

As a means of introducing you to this year’s house captains, I have taken some quotes from their letters of application, where they were asked as to why they wished to be selected for their role: Dobrogea – Filip Stanciu “I would like to be the House Captain as I consider that it not only fits my aptitudes and personality like a glove, but also that I can use it as a selfdevelopment tool and way to give back to IBSB’s community. I truly wish to be more involved in the activities that take place in our school, such as house games, especially now since I am in year 12 and there are younger students that I could help and hopefully inspire as a role model, with the help of this position.”

Transilvania – Maria Lin “Throughout my years at IBSB, I’ve always participated in sports-related events, such as the Lumina Cup, Autumn Cup, and Sports Days, and as a result of this, I wanted to try to encourage others to get involved as well. I will try my best to help come up with ideas for the annual and weekly house competitions as we will not be able to hold our usual house games and Sports Day” Muntenia – Mara Constantinescu ”I wanted to be a House Captain to give something back to the school. I have always been sporty, and want to get into a career in sports science, so I thought becoming a House Captain would help me along the way” Thank you to all of you who are involved in the house competitions, and I wish the captains, and their houses, all the best for the rest of the year.

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Ioana Ivașcu PwC România cyber team member during a class

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Life in the time of Coronavirus

By Alexandra Sandu and Ana Nanau Y9O

Being in quarantine for many weeks, did you try out a new skill that you didn’t know you could do?

I didn’t try necessarily new things although I did try to learn some new card tricks, played some more guitar, and tried new video games that I hadn’t played previously.

How have you been keeping calm during this pandemic?

I have a few things that help me disconnect from the world, for example playing video games which I really enjoy, painting, reading, playing guitar, and also playing board games with my family.

What books have you enjoyed lately and do you have any recommendations?

Well, one of the books I read recently was ‘Chestnut Man’, which was a surprisingly good thriller/horror book. I also read ‘Surrounded by Idiots’, which is a psychology book that helps

In September, Ana Nanau answered questions related to the topic of Covid-19 and how it has affected our lives.

you determine types of people. I definitely recommend reading

Is online school more efficient?

I do think that it was useful protecting us from COVID-19,

Well, it can often be quicker than physical school although I find it harder to concentrate and learn.

Did you manage to concentrate during lessons online, and is it more difficult to work in this way?

It is harder to concentrate online especially since sometimes the connection doesn’t work or I get distracted by other things.

Has this pandemic affected you in a positive way?

In some points of view I feel like it has affected me in a positive way, and I feel that it is possible for me to do more things since I know that I survived through this and I am capable to do it.

both.

Do you think that lockdown and quarantine were useful in protecting us from COVID-19? especially since we had to take those slips to go out.

Although, once we were allowed to go outside it was useless because so many people got the virus afterwards.

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What do you think the government should do about the

If you had the responsibility to choose how kids will

current and future situation relating to the pandemic?

learn in the future, what would you suggest and why?

For now, I think that rules are still being reinforced.

I believe that younger kids should be permitted to go back

Nevertheless, we are allowed to do more things that I think

to learn at school since they have a lot less probability of

the government should attempt to keep under control.

getting sick as they have a good immune system. College

For example, they should not let people travel outside the

students and older students should be kept in an online/

country or inside the country for no reason.

offline schedule.

Over the past 6 months, has your idea changed of this

When do you think the cure will be found or the vaccine

situation since it started?

will be finalized?

Well, it has. Since the first time we entered quarantine and

Well, I don’t think there will be a cure that will fix it since it

found out about the virus I was happy that I was staying

is an evolving flu-like virus. I think that there will just be a

home, but afterwards I was sad that I couldn’t go out, even

vaccine that will have to be something similar to the annual

though I acknowledged it was for my own good.

flu vaccine. I hope it will be found in the next 1-2 years.

If you had the responsibility to choose how kids will learn in the future, what would you suggest and why?

I believe that younger kids should be permitted to go back to learn at school since they have a lot less probability of getting sick as they have a good immune system. College students and older students should be kept in an online/ offline schedule.

When do you think the cure will be found or the vaccine will be finalized?

Well, I don’t think there will be a cure that will fix it since it is an evolving flu-like virus. I think that there will just be a vaccine that will have to be something similar to the annual flu vaccine. I hope it will be found in the next 1-2 years.

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The Importance of Goal Setting

At the meeting, he gave each student a sheet with the statistical breakdown from the previous exam year, asking each student to circle the subjects they are taking and the grades they hope to achieve.

This informed the students what percentage of the world they need to be in to achieve that grade: “You don’t need 80% to get an A in Business Studies, for example, you need to be in the top 13.1% of the world, based on the 2019 exam results.”

A full review of grades awarded from previous exam session

This year our Head of School once again had the opportunity to join some of the Y13 students in their Sixth Form garden area for his traditional start of year pep talk.

is available on the Cambridge website

Mr Peet then went on to discuss the university applications process and to congratulate the Y13 students on both their work ethic and their results achieved to date, saying that they are very likely to achieve our best exam results ever, with 50% of the students currently on target to achieve an A-A* average in their final year.

Mr Peet also spoke with the Y12 students, to ensure every sixth form student has a clear goal in mind- because, as he said to the students, it is much easier to achieve a goal when it is clear in one’s mind from the outset.

No one else is going to pursue your dreams, but yourself. I know that when thinking about dreams we all look back at when we were kids and dreamed of becoming a firefighter or a dancer. Why stop dreaming? Age is just a number. It means nothing when we know what we want> You are never too old to dream!

Moreover, think of the rewards of succeeding. Regret is a dreadful thing that can follow you all of your life, and giving up on your dream is powerful enough to cause you regret if you don’t take the chance and at least try.

My great grandad used to say that if you choose a job you love, then you will never work a day in your life. Let that sink in.

The future? Why are we so stressed about it, especially as students? What should we do in life? Which university should we choose? How are we going to succeed in life? Should we pursue money or happiness? The pressure of school and the uncertainty surrounding our lives can really affect us and at times make us feel lost. But pause all these thoughts and questions and read this article!

There are many paths in life which we can take. We are so privileged that we actually have the choice of which direction we take in our lives because, unfortunately, others do not. Students, you can decide who you become, where you want to go, and how you want to live. No one defines your career path except you. You have the freedom to experiment, the independence to choose your passions, and the flexibility to be resilient. There are multiple paths, ways, and answers to try. The most important thing is to remember your passions that will give you the motivation and determination to succeed in your own way. Society says we should do what makes us happy. Have you ever truly considered doing that? I believe going after what you truly desire is the best direction in life.

Kathleen Hughes Year 12

Pastoral Care Prefect

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Which Career?

“What do you wanna be when you grow up?” “It’s medicine you wanna study right?” “Oh no, they shall be an architect”.

These are all statements and questions we have all most likely been confronted with.

Undeniably, there are students who have known what career they will go for since they started secondary school, but this is not who I am writing about. I am writing about students who only have a few more years left of high school and still do not know where they are headed. There are so many thoughts racing through their minds (mine included), such as: Will I be happy if I choose this career path? Can I be financially

SURPRISE! I still do not have a clear answer...and I am almost 17...and have started my A Levels...and I need to know what universities I will apply to next autumn! Is it stressful? The simple answer is yes.

independent? Is it a career that is looked down upon? Can I

I am strongly convinced, that this problem of not knowing

to be an ‘influencer’ doing a mukbang while reviewing TV

what to do in life is more frequent now than it was before.

shows.

actually become that?

The question about happiness is a big one nowadays: they say doing what you love is the most important factor. But if what you love the most is sitting in bed every day bingewatching Netflix while eating a tub of ice-cream... Well you cannot exactly build a career upon that, unless you want

Partly because back in the day, many children would usually end up having the same job as their parents, but also

The bottom line is, choosing a career is now more stressful

because there was a smaller variety of careers available. With

than ever and no matter how many Buzzfeed quizzes we do

the accelerated advance of technology, a whole new other

about it, making this choice requires us to take a closer look

category of jobs has been created.

within ourselves to figure out what we actually like and want to do; not what our family or the people around us want.

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So here are some tips I have come up with: • Write down activities you enjoy doing.

• Think about what your favourite subjects in school are.

• Make a list of any personality traits that you like about yourself and you think may be helpful in your future day-today life.

• Research (and not TV shows). Look for more information on careers and perhaps what are the most suitable places for you to go to.

• Apply for any courses or seminars about a certain field and deepen your understanding of them.

• Ask other people about how they figured it out or any advice they have.

• Be patient with yourself, take your time and don’t stress yourself too much about it; small steps.

• Lastly (and the most important): do a Buzzfeed quiz!

Oh, and don’t be scared of what career you may ‘click’ with, because am told that we all eventually find it or at the very least stumble across it in the end.

Ana Cristescu, Year 12 Science Prefect

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University Applications Update

By Jayne Baker, Year 13 Form Tutor

The crushing news that hit us in June was the fact that all EU students applying to the UK would now be classed as international students - this increases the fees significantly, starting at 15,000GBP per year, but also removes access to the Student Loan facility previously on offer. This has now made the UK a more expensive proposition for many of our students now searching and applying to more countries than they would have done before. So far, applications have been sent to the UK, Ireland, USA, The Netherlands, Spain, Hong Kong, and Italy. The world is our student’s oyster and I am sure many more countries will appear on the list before the academic year is over.

The applications to the UK and the USA have to be completed by 15th of January, 2021. Most of the students

This has been an unusually busy application season and there are many reasons for this, and also many reasons to celebrate. Although the buildup is ongoing from Year 11, I changed the system for this round of applications.

Usually the application process starts in earnest once we come back after the summer break, however, back in May/June of 2020 I ran a series of 4 university application seminars for the then Year 12 students. This was timed to coincide with my attendance at the UCAS virtual conference for international advisors, so that the most up-to-date information could be shared with the students. The seminars that I ran in the summer were optional, but half of the current Year 13 students attended, meaning that they had the opportunity to set up some of the application portals, ask questions, and have their mind on universities over the summer.

have completed their UK applications, with just a couple more after the winter break, the first week back in January.

Of all of the students that have applied, everyone has already received offers, with some receiving offers from all of their five choices.

Jaime was the first to apply, choosing to study Wildlife Ecology and Conservation - she has received all 5 offers and her first choice will take her back to her home city of Bristol.

Max and Christie both put in early applications, as they have both applied to Oxford to study History and Life Sciences respectively. They have successfully made it through

the very competitive first stages, with final interviews for Merton and Magdalen, and second interviews with St

Hughs and St Peters. Max has also received an offer from Warwick and UCL, whilst Christie has received an offer to follow in her father and Prince William’s footsteps from St

Andrew’s in Scotland, along with offers from both UCL and Durham.

Mario has received three offers so far - UCL, Bristol and

Queen Mary, to study Economics and Management. He is also in the process of applying to The Netherlands and is considering an application to MIT and Stanford.

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Tamara has opted for one of the most prestigious courses at any university - Politics, Philosophy & Economics. She has been shortlisted for Stanford University in The United States, has received an offer from Exeter, and is awaiting offers from Kings College London, LSE, UCL, and Warwick.

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Vlad wants to study Product Design - he has received offers from Bristol UWE and the University of Nottingham.

Ioan is destined to become a counsellor and has received an offer from Bishop Grosseteste University and the University of Northampton, the University of Brighton and the University of Bolton.

Matei is one of the two budding computer scientists and has received 4 of his offers – Bath, Birmingham Loughborough, and Manchester. Minoru is the

other, having received offers from Braford, Leeds, and

Leo has applied to study a finance related degree at four

London and Bath.

with an offer already back from Manchester University, with

Andrei and Diana have applied to the same universities

the process of applying to various universities in Spain,

Loughborough, still waiting to hear from Kings College

in The Netherlands and the UK to study Business and Psychology respectively. Andrei has received an offer from Exeter and Diana has offers from Exeter, Newcastle,

universities in Hong Kong and applied recently to the UK, more sure to come in the weeks ahead. Orel has started and Theo is also hoping to study business there, with offers received from the University of Roe Hampton and

Greenwich in the UK, with three others yet to reply.Rares is

Maastricht, and Groningen.

close to completing his science related applications to The

Away from the UK, Isabelle is overjoyed with her offer to

study economics and maths, Maria (business) and Anusha

study Biomedical Sciences at the University of Las Vegas, and Milena with her incredible academic profile has a confirmed place at The Hague to study European Studies.

She is attending their virtual open day, as a day as a student, which I know she is very excited to experience. Milena is one of the students that is also applying to Spain, Sweden, and Ireland, but the process regarding these countries means that we will need to wait a while longer to find out.

Netherlands and Ireland, along with Hyeonsoo to the UK to (aerospace engineering) to The Netherlands and the UK. Valeria is hoping to return to Milan, but intends to study her business degree in English there and has now completed her entrance exams. And even though Irina is taking a gap year, we have been working together in discussions with SCAD in the USA regarding scholarship opportunities for our future budding animator.

This group of students are exceptional and have been an absolute pleasure to assist with their applications. I wish them all every success in their final academic year with us.

More information about each student will be shared on our social media pages in the weeks and months ahead.

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Oxford University Applications

We are very proud to inform you that both Christie and Max have made it through to the final stage of the application process; an incredible achievement, and even more so considering they are applying two of the most prestigious

This year, two of our students Christie Vernon (Deputy Head Girl) and Max Mihailovici (Head Boy) applied to study at Oxford University, one of the oldest universities in the world and arguably one of the most difficult to gain admission to, being No.1 in the World University Rankings 2021 | Times Higher Education (THE) in 2017, 18, 19, 20 & 21.

colleges: Christie is applying to study science at the Magdalen College www.magd.ox.ac.uk, with an impressive list of alumni, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Oscar Wilde, and 5 Nobel laureates (3 in medicine, which is Christie’s current career choice); Max is applying to study history at Merton www.merton.ox.ac.uk, with an equally illustrious alumni, including Walter Scott, Sir Roger Banister, T.S. Eliot, and J.R. Tolkien, to name just a few.

On behalf of the entire IBSB Community, we would like to congratulate Christie and Max on their tremendous achievement, making it through to the final interview stage.

The application process itself takes approximately three months, requiring students to complete a UCAS application

by October 15, with an expected A-A* average at both IGCSE and A Level, followed by a tough subject specific Oxford University Aptitude Test, and the submission of written work, which the student has worked on independently.

From approximately 23,000 applications, around 10,000 students are selected to attend a series of final interviews on a single day, from which 3,300 students will receive a formal offer.

You are both wonderful ambassadors of high performance learning and role models for the generations of IBSB students to come. We wish you the very best as you wait to receive final feedback on January 12.

School Views

The Oxford Interview

For those of you who are not aware, the Oxford tutors

I hesitantly approached the computer. This was it – the

application:

culmination of several months’ hard work, condensed into a mere half-hour. The clock ticked ominously in the landscape, as if to jeer at my futile attempt to strike the right impression.

The needle struck quarter past; my paranoia momentarily taking over – it was all but a blur in retrospective time. Time is relative to each object individually, scientifically speaking, but mentally time is relative to one’s personal, subjective outlook.

And so, without further notice, the interview began, much to my surprise.

How many successful people had once traversed this drawbridge? I could count several just off the top of my head.

No, great men aren’t always top academic material, but it sure helps in decomplicating a great many things. Then the questions rolled in, one by one, but to my disappointment – dear reader – I am tightly bound by a non-disclosure agreement, so I am unfortunately not able to share the secrets that guarantee you a place. I’ll leave you speculate and infer how it progressed – a narrator’s job, after all, is only to provide the details, not to shove them down your throat however they may please.

I would however very much like to wish my fellow colleague, Christie Vernon, the very best in her Oxford interviews- yes I did apply the ‘s’ correctly, as Christie was interviewed for not one, but two Oxford colleges: Magdalen and St. Hugh’s.

Hopefully we’ll both have some good news to share with you on January 12.

will make their final decisions based on all aspects of our

• our personal statements • the academic reference from the school • IGCSE and AS Level examination results and predicted A2 Level grades • the admissions tests and any required written work submitted • the interview

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How to overcome your fears

By Daria Raducu, Year 12

Fear is one of the most powerful feelings generated in our minds, dependent on genuine or unreal danger. Take a moment and think about how easy life would be if you knew how to overcome it.

In my opinion, it is the most significant barrier that prevents

Another way to take over your fear is by reciting positive

individuals from reaching their maximum potential. Hence,

statements. This way, you train your subconscious mind and

everybody could become the best version of themselves

make it attract whatever you want. Instead of saying “I am

without it. Honestly, fear varies from person to person. Some

afraid that I will fail this test,” go in front of a mirror, look at

people are simply good at handling it by pushing it away;

yourself and say out loud, “I have studied for this test, I will get

others get stuck and let the anxiety overwhelm them. In some

a very good mark.” In time, you will become better at this and

cases, it can hold you back from doing day-to-day activities,

you will start to see those situations differently, with positive

such as sleeping, eating, traveling, or socialising. In other

thoughts instead of a negative mindset.

words, it can affect your mental health and lifestyle.

Learning relaxation techniques also helps to defeat your The good news is that there are ways to overcome your

fears. Try things like yoga or meditation, so that you can

fears, as the only thing that stops you from defeating them

destress yourself from time to time. You could also try to

is yourself. You are the cause; therefore, you also need to

reduce caffeine intake as much as possible as it may increase

be the answer. The first thing and most important thing to

anxiety levels. As a final measure, if you are in a phase where

do is to precisely identify your fear, as you may be afraid

you simply cannot help yourself, a therapist may just be the

of something, but did not pay enough attention to realise

answer for you.

why. After, find out what exactly causes it, so you can take measures and face it. The key to overcoming it may be to

The next time you are afraid of something, perhaps you might

expose yourself to your own fears, as living in your comfort

like to try following some of the advice I have given you and

zone will not take you anywhere.

pay attention to any changes in your thinking. The key to success is in your hands, or rather your mind!

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Shifting sands...

By Alis Aydogan, Year 8 The Sahara Desert has an area of approximately 9.2 million km2. Deserts are home to 25% of the world’s animals.

According to a new research made by the University of Maryland scientist, the Sahara Desert has been expanding at a fast rate and still is. Researchers suggest that other deserts might also be expanding as well. The researchers have different theories on why it is expanding and how it might affect us. The study was published online on March 29, 2018 in the ‘Journal of Climate’.

The researchers suggest that climate change is partly responsible. In the study, researchers examined all the rainfall data collected all across Africa from as far back as 1920! The researchers noticed how the changing conditions had affected the regions around them. They have proved that the desert is expanding due to climate change as well as natural climate cycles. Like a volcanic eruptions or ocean currents, natural climate cycles cannot be controlled by us humans.

Over the past century, the Sahara has expanded more than 10%! It is expanding at an alarming rate, which at some point one day we won’t be able to stop it anymore. The Sahara Desert has grown 8,000 km2/year during 1950–2015. It is expected to expand 6600–6900 km2 per year between 2015-2050. The fact that it is still expected to expand so much should be alarming us because it might end up affecting us in ways we don’t yet know.

One of the effects of the expansion is that the desert is growing over lots of fertile land. Regions around the Sahara will become very dry, making it harder to grow crops and also affect the people living around it. It is drying all their water up as well, making their harvesting impossible. The Sahara expanding can cause the populations around it to starve or suffer droughts. The researchers have pointed out that the desert will keep on expanding and that at some point the population living on the borders of the Sahara will end up living in the middle of the world’s largest desert.

The first idea to stop the Sahara’s expansion, proposed in 1980, was building a ‘Great Wall of Africa’ which would use tree roots to help distribute water into a region’s soils. Sadly, this idea was not taken into consideration. In 2011 different countries decided to try and find different solutions on how to stop the Sahara Desert from expanding. Since 1978, the Chinese government has planted billions of trees and is hoping to have many more planted by 2050 as a border to defend against the growth of the Gobi Desert. Many other countries are also taking this idea into consideration. This project is so massive that it is thought that it would increase the amount of forest in the world by 10%. Let’s hope it works!

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study strategies that work!

By Ana Mihaiescu, Year 10

3. Mock tests: Research shows that taking a practice test

before your actual test improves your results. All around the internet past exams are available, and most teachers take advantage of them and use them to prepare their students for the actual exam coming up.

4. Elaborate: Psychologists use the word elaboration when referring to ‘making meaningful associations to a particular concept’, which also refers back to the theme of schemas,

Throughout the years, pupils of all ages have been studying or trying out new and improved revision strategies for better grades. For example, some believe that learning for a longer period of time is more effective, which according to the latest research is not quite the right way to go about it. More, as it turns out, can sometimes be less.

Since revision and study are the biggest part of school life, here are a few simple tips and strategies to help you improve your grades: 1. Old fashioned is better: as the years pass, we have slowly moved away from using physical books as our main source of information and focused on devices such as ebooks or laptops. However, a psychology lecturer discovered that students required more repetition to learn new material if they were reading on a computer screen versus reading printed material. Therefore, the recommendation when studying is to use books and notes, rather than a digital device.

2. Switch settings: It is believed that switching up the places you study is very effective at remembering information.

Psychologist Robert Bjork suggests that simply moving to a different room to study could increase both your concentration and retention levels.

where we associate questions or situations with past personal experiences. When receiving a piece of information try to elaborate or analyze, and try linking it to special personal memories or real life examples or examples from your life. This will help you to remember the information for a longer period of time.

5. Music: Most experts believe that listening to music while

studying can be effective and can help students remember certain information. This, however, is not always true, so it’s usually left up to the preference of each student. Some people believe that listening to music will simply lighten up your mood, therefore will give you more motivation to work. What you listen to is important, and so easy listening background music is best, rather than music that is likely to distract you.

6. Attention and the “Multi-store model of Memory”:

Psychologists Atkinson and Shiffrin came up with something called the “Multi-store model of Memory” which helps us understand how we remember things better. One of the main factors of remembering is attention. If we do not pay attention when receiving information we automatically cannot send it into our short term memory and then transfer it effectively into our long term memory. After receiving sensory input, such as sound or smell, it goes into the sensory register. For it to be able to move onto the short term memory and then into the long term you have to pay attention when receiving the information. Therefore, always pay attention in class or when studying at home.

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Even after so many years of research done on memory and rehearsal, some students still aren’t able to discover a good

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method of learning. If this is you, then here are some things you should definitely NOT do when studying.

1. Don’t multitask: We tend to multitask when studying,

especially after long hours of doing it. We lose patience or attention, and end up doing other things, such as scrolling through social media or watching unrelated videos.

According to researchers, so-called “multitasking” extends your study time and ultimately may damage your grades.

An article published by Edutopia in 2019 said that “Highly successful students have generally learned to avoid multitasking. Instead of spending a lot of time doing lowintensity work with numerous distractions, these students work for shorter periods at higher intensity, without any distractions from email, social media, etc. Their studying is more effective and leads to greater achievement gains.”

2. Stop overlearning: A very common mistake we make while studying is to block our practice and overlearn things about the same subject. You should learn until you are happy with your ability, and always try to maintain a sense of balance between the detail and the larger picture.

3. Massed practice: One of the most common studying

techniques is crammed practice, where we read information and try memorizing it perfectly for our exam in a short period of time. Sometimes the technique can be useful for an upcoming exam, however, in the long run this is totally ineffective. It is proved that soon after the exam, most of the information memorized by the student was recalled imperfectly and in the end forgotten. Massed practice is not effective if the information needs to be remembered for a long period of time, so organise a study plan that start in January and carries you right up to exam day without stress.

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School Views

Galaxies

By David Cernea, Year 8D

What are galaxies?

Galaxies are separate bodies of the universe and can vary in sizes and shapes. Believe it or not, they can also vary in age and even in colors. There are many different types of galaxies, with billions discovered so far and more to be found. Some of them can be as small as 10,000 stars or as big as 100 trillion: that is 50 times the size of the Milky Way, our galaxy.

When was the first galaxy formed and how?

What are black holes?

The universe is everything that exists right now. Every single

A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong

thing in this world is part of the universe, including this text.

that not even light, the fastest thing in the universe, can

There are lots of different factors that build up the universe

escape. In a black hole, space, time, and the laws of physics

and the next largest thing after it is a galaxy. You might

don’t apply. Scientists theorize that there are different types

have heard about the Big Bang. About 14 billion years ago,

of black holes, the 2 most common being the supermassive

the universe was created and galaxies were formed. The

and stellar black holes. Supermassive black holes can

Big Bang Theory is one of the more believable theories. It

measure millions the size of our sun and some even billions.

all started in a supercharged black hole that was infinitely

Stellar black holes form when a star is dying and collapses.

dense and extremely warm. One of the more fascinating

These are typically 10, and up to 20 times larger than our

things about it is the fact that it was a few millimeters wide.

sun. Scientists cannot theorize the exact birth of black

When the black hole exploded, it was then that time, space,

holes, but what they know is that at the centre of every

energy, and matter was created. In time, the explosion has

galaxy lies a black hole. For example, the Milky Way’s black

been cooled down and protons and neutrons bounded

hole is called Saggitarius A, a supermassive black hole

together to make the first element in the universe, helium.

that has a mass of roughly 4 million suns. Black holes were

200 million years later hydrogen was created, dotting the

largely unknown until the 20th century; Karl Schwarzchild

universe with atomic clouds. Within those clouds, small

discovered the first black hole using Einstein’s theory.

pockets of gas had enough gravity to cause the elements to collect and form the first galaxy.

What Sizes And Shapes Are Galaxies?

What are The Milky Way’s secrets?

Galaxies are vast collections of stars, dust, and gas. They

The Milky Way is the elliptical galaxy that we live in. In 1620,

come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most common

Galileo Galilei was responsible for the discovery that the

being the spiral-shaped galaxy. These are traced by bright

galaxy’s band of light is made by stars, but later on Edwin

stars and dark space dust. Some have many spiral arms

Hubble discovered the true shape of the Milky Way as well

whilst others have just a few. These arms are all in a very thin

as the existence of more galaxies outside the Milky Way.

disc around the black hole in the center. Many of these spiral

Andromeda, another spiral galaxy, and the Milky Way are

galaxies have an elongated straight region in the middle.

now closing up about 130km per second and will collide

These are called barred galaxies. Elliptical galaxies are

about 4 billion years from now. But that is a very long time in

dominated by the stars and have very little gas. These are

the future!

genuinely sphere-shaped galaxies. There also are irregular galaxies that have irregular patterns. The largest galaxies of all are giant elliptical galaxies, which are usually found in the

Could there be life in other galaxies?

core of giant clusters of galaxies. The smallest galaxies are

There is always a possibility that life could exist on other

called dwarf elliptical galaxies that can be found as satellites

planets. There are 200 billion galaxies in the universe and

of giant elliptical ones. The dwarf galaxies can have around

it is quite hard to think that life only exists on Earth, in the

10 million stars, while giant elliptical galaxies can have up to

Milky Way. NASA suggested that life could exist on Mars

1 trillion stars.

since they have discovered a ball on its surface, but that is not in another galaxy. Some theories support the fact that there could be a living planet in every galaxy, some say that only the spiral galaxies can support life. For creatures to be able to live on a planet, it needs a few characteristics. First, it should have water; secondly, it has to be positioned in the “habitable zone” of their system; and thirdly, there shouldn’t be huge and dramatic changes in temperature from day to night. Thinking about it, this means that all a planet needs is a warm star somewhere near, just like our sun is to our planet.

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Choosing a dog: all you need to know!

By Anastasia Iortoman, Year 8D

Why are dogs a person’s best friend?

You might wonder about this famous saying “A dog is a man’s best friend”. How did people reach that conclusion? Well dogs always lived side by side with people because of their loyalty. There are cave paintings of dogs on prehistoric rocks.

They help us in hunting, shepherding, and most importantly

Dogs. They’re the best company to be in. As Roger Caras (photographer and writer) said, “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” Dogs are the perfect companions if you live alone, want someone to protect you as you would protect them, and help you when you’re in need or just want somebody to be there with you through thick and thin!

Studies have shown that dog owners have a stronger immune system and that doggies provide us with a sense of emotional wellbeing due to the fact that they love us unconditionally the way we love them.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”

(Josh Billings)

in saving lives; it can be because they found you buried under rocks or it can just simply be due to the way they’re always there for us in times of need. Guide dogs are perfect examples of heroes; they help blind people live their lives as best as they can, helping them do daily tasks, such as crossing the road when it’s safe or going to the grocery store.

Your dog’s origin The dawn of the dog, how did it occur? There are more than 500 million domestic dogs on the whole globe that all have some relation to each other. They all trace back to the grey wolf from an estimated 14,000 years ago according to more than one archaeological source. It is said that they were the first animals to be domesticated. There are now approximately more than 420 breeds in the world, but why do they all look different if they all have the same ancestor?

Natural selection is one part of how dogs shape and size has differed along the years but it’s very small. The main part of why there are so many types of breeds is due to us humans.

If you were to go back in time, you would see what dogs were used for particular jobs, like guarding property, kind of like today. Dogs have been bred to suit their roles better, meaning that their legs started to become longer or shorter or their noses started changing shape to suit their task better.

Let’s take Yorkshire terriers for an example: in the north of England, Yorkshire terriers were used to catch rats and mice in mines and woollen mills. That’s why their noses nowadays are flattened because they changed shape to adapt better to their circumstances back then.

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Becoming a dog owner To become a dog owner you will need a safe home that can provide good shelter, food and love. You need to provide your dog with toys to entertain, bowls to put food in, collars, leads, and name tags with your phone number on it in case

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something happens to your pooch. Your dog needs to stretch their paws and exercise; if you live in a house with a garden you could let your dog outside but you would still want him/ her to go and explore places and meet new friends. A perfect example of that would be in the park. For people who live in apartments you have to think about their needs like going outside to pee so you could either make them a corner in which they can pee anytime or take them outside and let them see the sun and grass they so much love.

Dogs need a balanced diet meaning they need to eat a variety of foods: moist foods, dry foods and natural foods.

This will help their fur coat and health. They need proteins, fats, fibres, vitamins and water just like us humans. It will be a good idea to feed your dog a healthy balanced diet from when they are small so that they get all the nutrients they need to grow and they learn to eat a variety of healthy foods.

Your dog’s age also influences when and what they should eat. When they are smaller, they need to eat four times a day whereas adults can eat only two times per day. You also may need to change your dog’s diet when they become sick, older or pregnant - you should contact your vet about this. You also need to monitor their feeding levels so that they are at a healthy weight. If they are overweight you will need to change their diet and let them exercise a lot more even if they don’t want to. You have to push them so that they can get better.

If you want to train your dog, treats would be very useful.

Some examples are: cheese cubes, bite-sized treats or cooked sausage. You will want to train your dog from when they are small so it’s easier for them to comprehend your commands. Use of hand signals is a very important part of training as this will tell them what to do along with your voice; if they do it right then offer them a treat and congratulate them!

Your dog will need regular baths and brushes to untangle their fur. You need to take your dog in for grooming checks to clean their ears, teeth and claws. They will also need medical checks so that you can be reassured that they are healthy and happy and don’t have parasites or diseases. Dogs have the same needs as humans, never forget that!

Your perfect match Do you want to find out which dog is perfectly suited for your life? You need to think about what you need your dog for: to be a sporting champion or your best friend? There are nine types of groups: primitive, working, spitz-type, sight hounds, scent hounds, terriers, gundogs, companions, and crossbreed dogs!

Primitive dogs, which are rare, have more of a wolf-like look than other dogs due to some of their characteristics haven’t been bred as much, so they look more like their wolf ancestors. They come from various parts of the world. Some “famous” breeds from this group are the Basenji which are 40-43cm in height and may differ in colour, but most of them have white spots on their bellies. There are only 12 breeds in this group - the New Guinea Singing Dog is endangered and more likely to be seen in zoos than in homes!

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Working dogs might just as well be called hero dogs as they’ve been guarding homes, rescuing people from the verge of death, helping in war, looking after the sick and disabled and performing many other tasks in the thousands of years since they were domesticated! These dogs are large in general but they can also be small. They’ve been bred to

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have strength, stamina and they can stay outside in any type of weather! These dogs are very useful in “battle” but they would also make an excellent companion. Working dogs are very intelligent, easy to train and have great senses and skills in agility, perfect if you want to take your companion to compete in canine competitions! Some famous dogs in this group are: the German Shepherd Dog, the Schnauzer ,Border Collies, Corgis, Komondor, the St. Bernard, Shepherd dogs, Rottweiler, Boxer, Bulldogs, the Tibetan Mastiff- which is the world’s most expensive dog- and many more breeds!

Spitz-type dogs are the type that pull sleds over icy wastelands or are used in hunting, guarding and herding.

There can be large and small types of dogs in this group and the small types are used more as pets. These dogs’ characteristics make them look almost like a wolf, with the shape of their head, their fur coloring and an alert expression.

The ancient history of the spitz group is still uncertain today.

There are many theories of where they originated, one theory being that their earliest origins came from Asia. The more modern breeds originated centuries ago in the Arctic Regions. Some examples of these dogs are: the Siberian husky, the Samoyed, the Akita, the Chow-Chow, all the types of spitz, the pomeranian, the papillon and many more!

Sighthounds (or gazehounds as they’re sometimes called) are hunting dogs as they locate their prey very easily and follow it due to their amazing eyesight. These hounds are streamlines, lightly framed, powerful, they move quickly and have great flexibility. Archaeological evidence sustains that these dogs have been hunting alongside us humans for thousands of years! Sighthounds were kept by the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. Hounds are easy to spot due to their look.

Breeding has developed their characteristics to promote speed: strong supple backs, an athletic body so that they can stretch out in full, long striding elastic limbs and powerful hind quarters. Some examples of these dogs are greyhounds, which have been recorded reaching top speeds of around 45mph(72km/h) and are classified as one of the fastest living animals. Other examples include the Whippet, the Saluki, the Borzoi, the Irish Wolfhound, the Afghan Hound and more.

Every dog has a sharp sense of smell but the scent hounds’ noses are the sharpest of the sharp. They also go hunting like the sighthounds but they rely on their sense of smell rather than sight. These dogs usually hunt in packs and they can pick up day-old trails and follow them easily. Scent Hounds come in all sizes but they all have substantial muzzles with odour-detecting sensors, loose, moist lips that also help scent detection and long ears that fall down. They’ve been bred for power rather than speed like sighthounds; they are strong-bodied especially in the forequarters. Some examples of scent hounds are: the Bloodhound, the Otterhound, the Basset hound, the Beagle, the Daschund, the Dobermann, the Rhodesian Ridgeback and more.

Terriers take their name from the latin word terra (earth),

All dogs can provide companionship, but they’ve been bred

referring to the original types of small dogs as hunters of

for other things too, whereas companion dogs have been

underground creatures. However, there are larger, more

bred only as pets! Most of the companion dogs were bred

modern terriers that have been bred for different purposes.

to sit on laps, look decorative, and entertain. Therefore, most

They’re tough, fearless, self-confident and energetic.

of these dogs are small. In the 19th century, companion

Almost all of the breeds in this group of terriers originated

dogs were the pampered pets of the wealthy and were often

from the UK as hunting dogs for the working man. Some,

painted in portraits. Some examples of these dogs are: all

like Yorkshire terriers, Lakeland Terriers, Norfolk terriers,

the Bulldogs, Pug, Pekingese, Bichon frise, Shih Tzu, Maltese,

are named after the regions they first lived in. Others are

Russian Toy, Poodle, King Charles spaniel, Chinese crested,

named by what they were used to hunt, like the Fox terrier

Chihuahua, Dalmatian and more.

and the Rat terrier. Terriers are quick to react to things and

Crossbreeds are the offspring of two different breeds of

have great persistence. They are individuals and stand their

dogs. Some designer hybrids (a crossbreed with its parents

ground around larger dogs. Some other examples of terriers

being recognized breeds) are now extremely fashionable

are: Cesky Terrier, the Scottish Terrier, the Australian terrier,

and are given fancy names, such as the Labradoodle

the Parson Russell terrier, the Bull terrier, the Airedale terrier,

(labrador and poodle) or the cockerpoo (cocker spaniel

English toy terrier, Staffordshire Bull terrier, Kromfohrlander,

and poodle). A main reason why people want to combine

the Miniature Schnauzer and more.

breeds and produce as crossbreed is because they want to mix the desired characteristics from one breed with other

Hunters used dogs to locate and retrieve prey; these dogs

characteristics from the other breed. Some examples are: the

are in the gundogs group. Gun Dogs were bred to do specific

Bull Boxer, the Goldendoodle, the Labradinger, the Puggle

tasks and to work close to hunters. The breeds are split into

and many others which lack names, but still provide the same

different categories based on what type of work they were

amount of love and entertainment.

bred to do. They all hunt by scent like the scent hounds but the breeds are split into three main categories: the pointers and the setters, which locate the prey and tell the hunters where it is; the spaniels, which chase the prey out of their hide-outs; and the retrievers which collect the fallen prey and bring it to the hunters.

There are some breeds that combine all these categories and they’re known as HPR (hunt/point/retrieve). An example of a HPR breed is the Weimaraner. Some examples of gundogs are: all the spaniels, the poodle, the Spanish Water Dog, the Irish Setter, the German Pointer, the Golden Retriever, the Labrador Retriever and more.

Word of advice I personally think that any type of breed you get will provide you the same best companionship, but you need to think about what type of dog would fit you best - what you will need him/her for. You need to think about the size of the dog and the circumstances in which the dog would live. In my opinion, once you’ve figured out the breed or breeds that you would be the most comfortable with, I suggest letting the dog pick you!

If you do decide that a dog is the right pet for you, then please remember that there are thousands of dogs in Romania who need to be homed. They may not be dogs of a discernable breed but they would still provide lots of love and fun in a new home.

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Carnivorous Plants

By Anushka Laha, Year 8D

What are carnivorous plants and where can you find them?

There are at least 583 different types of carnivorous plants,

some famous and many less famous or not very well known at all. A plant is termed as ‘Carnivorous’ when they attract, capture, and absorb nutrients from animals or insects. They are some of the most unique plants on the planet and literally ‘turn the tables’ on their animal predators. They trap insects because most carnivorous plants live in places where the soil is thin and poor in nutrients. There are some species are on every continent, except Antarctica, but are mostly found in

You must have heard of carnivorous plants. You might have wondered if there are carnivorous plants that can hurt you.

You might even have watched some documentaries on National Geographic. If you haven’t, or perhaps just want to know more about them, then this is the article for you!

North America, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Carnivorous plants typically survive the best in wet conditions that are open and sunny, with poor soil containing high acidic pH.

How do they eat and catch food?

Carnivorous plants derive most of their food from insects; this is different from receiving energy. They receive energy from photosynthesis. They typically consume insects and arthropods using five basic trapping mechanisms: 1. Pitfall traps (pitcher plants) trap prey in a rolled-up leaf that contains digestive enzymes.

2. Flypaper traps that use a sticky gluey material called mucilage.

3. Snap traps that use rapid leaf movements.

4. Bladder traps that trap or suck in prey with a bladder that is actually an internal vacuum.

5. Eel traps that force prey to move towards the digestive organ with the help of inward-pointing hairs.

The venus flytrap in the picture has leaves that can open wide. On top of the leaves, there are short and rigid hairs that are sensitive and can feel when an insect has landed on it.

When anything touches these hairs enough to bend them the two halves of the leaves snap together trapping the insect under one second. The Venus flytrap is an example of a Snap trap.

The Heliamphora chimantensis show here is an example of a pitcher plant. The insect lands on the slippery surface of the plant and falls into the pitcher-like shape which is full of digestive enzymes and fluid. They dissolve the prey and take the nutrients from them. These plants release sweet nectar on the rim of their pitchers to invite prey.

Origin of Carnivorous plants

You will need to provide your plants with:

flowering plants (angiosperms), so they must have evolved

work.

about 60 - 125 million years ago. They must have evolved

• A humid environment like inside a terrarium with some

after insects, because insects are associated with the plants

airflow

as pollinators or as prey. The first fossilized specimens were

• A place away from direct sunlight. Be careful not to

found on the swampy Baltic coastline 35-47 million years

overheat the plant if they are in a terrarium.

ago. Now, these fossilized specimens are helping scientists

• Purified water in order to prevent the plant from dying.

figure out the evolution process of carnivorous plants. The

• Food given in the form of a variety of insects. Hamburger

fossils were found a long way away from where the plants

and animal meat are way too high in protein for a carnivorous

normally grew which was in Africa. The plant fossil was found

plant, so DO NOT feed them that.

All known carnivorous plants/insectivorous plants are

in Europe.

Taking care of a Carnivorous plant

• Unique moist soil that’s highly acidic, normal soil won’t

The easiest plants to grow are: • Asian pitcher plants

Now in case you were wondering if Carnivorous plants can kill

• Bladderworts

you, the answer is no. Well not yet. They are capable of eating

• Butterworts

insects and small mammals like frogs and rodents.

• Tropical Sundews

Now if you are thinking of getting a carnivorous plant here are some tips:

You should consider getting one of these before opting for a

Yes, Carnivorous plants can survive indoors, but they are a lot

bigger plant like the Venus flytrap.

more challenging than your average house plant. If you are

Happy Gardening!

a beginner at planting, then you might want to get a bit more practice before deciding to care for one of these plants.

Extra Facts:

• The biggest carnivorous plant is Nepenthes also known as Attenbourg’s pitcher plant. It’s about 4 foot 9 inches tall with pitchers the size of 30cm. They can easily digest small mammals.

• The smallest Carnivorous plant is Drosera brevifolia. They are the smallest species of carnivorous plants in the world found in the United States.

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A Healthy Smile

the power hidden behind your mask

In this period when our lifestyle has changed radically and we need to cover our faces with masks in order to interact with each other it is easy to forget how powerful a smile can be.

A smile can change us, as well as the world around us. Every time we smile at each other, a relationship is created, we are more relaxed and confident.

As parents, we naturally want the very best for our children, and ensuring a good oral health and educating them, from a very young age, on the importance of proper dental hygiene must be one of our priorities.

As children, it is essential to be aware that our actions today can change our future, and a visit to the orthodontist is one of the steps that can provide us with a solution for a pathbreaking smile.

Orthodontists ensure and create healthy, beautiful smiles because only they are able to recognize possible dentomaxillary anomalies that can influence the right development of the child.

Monitoring the healthy growth of the jaws, detecting dental malocclusions in their earliest stages and guiding the growth of permanent teeth are some of the benefits that the child will enjoy following the visits to the DENT ESTET dental clinics.

Timing is everything even when it comes to the child’s orthodontic treatment. The goal of early check-ups (age 7) is to detect the developing problem, eliminate the cause, guide the growth of facial and jaw bones, and provide adequate space for incoming permanent teeth.

Studies sustain that, around the age of 12, the jaw bone is 95% developed, so there is less chance for a treatment to stimulate bone growth.

Also, orthodontic treatments have the role of correcting problems such as mouth breathing, which negatively affects general health causing tiredness and difficulties in concentration, ultimately influencing the results on school activity.

Orthodontic treatment is a complex biological process. It involves changes in jaw bones, facial bones and soft tissue as teeth are moved into their new positions. In some cases, the orthodontist will be able to achieve results that may not be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing.

Through an early orthodontic evaluation, you’ll be giving your child the best opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile.

As dentists, we witness the power behind a smile every day and, as parents, we aim to grow wings for our children through education and a healthy lifestyle so they become adults who have the power to conquer the world with a smile.

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KS3 German Literature

By Ioana-Miliana Anghel They say it is never too late, but not ‘never too early’. For it is never too early to experiment with literature in a foreign language, although you might be afraid that the challenge is too big for you.

In Term 1b, our KS3 students studying German had the

Year 9 had the most complex job, learning about the

chance to experience German literature, either by creating it

historical background within the literature they read. Nina

themselves, like the students in years 7 and 8, or by reading

Culea went the extra mile, reading an entire novel in German,

a literary work consistently each week and researching

using her analytical and linking skills in order to make a

the various historical aspects to better contextualise the

presentation on the historical background presented in the

situations.

novel. In a planned, but at the same time creative manner, she displayed and explained aspects of German society

Year 7 were courageous in displaying their creativity

during Hitler’s time. She identified examples of National

when writing their own story. Their writing was executed

Socialism, anti-Semitism, life in exile, and the life of Jewish

specifically to appeal to their fellow colleagues. Each student

people before and after Hitler’s election. Written from a

illustrated their story and personalized it by including

child’s perspective, especially aiming to make this part of

members of their family as characters and objects from the

history accessible to children’s understanding, the novel Als

house within the scenes of their stories. Lucian came up

Hilter das rosa Kaninchen stahl was presented by Nina in a

with the most interesting and best illustrated ghost story.

poster, accompanied by a video presentation.

Year 8 are masters at making theatrical plays out of daily

One of the enriching experiences of learning a new

routines that happen at their homes. Mara managed to

language is being able to access the literature in that

illustrate her work so suggestively, that we could picture the

language. It is an experience that opens up a new world of

entire scene exactly.

possibilities to our students and is an experience that every student at IBSB can look forward to, as every student learns at least one foreign language at IBSB, with most of our students being trilingual or polyglots, which is something we are all very proud of.

Prior to commencing the task, all the year groups from Year 3 to Year 6 had a creative writing focus; this enabled the students to learn or have a refresh on the key components of a good piece of writing such as hooking the reader with a powerful ‘start’, using description to build up atmosphere, using dialogue to enhance a character, ‘show don’t tell’ and so forth.

The students really impressed all their teachers, producing great results that showcased their creativity and literacy skills. The Primary School asked the IBSB Secondary School English teachers to judge the writing from each year group and choose which 3 stories we would submit into the competition to represent IBSB. The winning entries were:

Sofia Matei, Year 3, Andrei Popescu, Year 6, & Daria Ghioca Mititelu, Year 6

As a Black Sea Schools member school, we were invited to highlight our students’ creative talents by submitting some entries into their second Black Sea School Creative writing competition 2021.

The task of the competition was to write a short story or the opening to a novel connected to the theme ‘ ‘The Imposter ‘. Students were permitted to interpret this theme in any way they wished, but this message had to be reflected in each piece of writing.

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The Imposter

by Sofia Matei Aged 8, Year 3

In 1920, during the last days of the year, in the Meanbelly Kingdom, King Edward the fifth organized a contest of voices.

Many people from his kingdom wanted to participate in this challenge.

The King asked the detective to find out what happened.

The King put an admirable stage in front of the castle. All

above’. The detective investigated from who had the girl this

the gardens of the castle were full of decorations with many

song. She remembered that the song was from the servant.

lights; it was like in a fairy tale.

The detective put the servant to sing the song and he

The King’s daughter, Stella, who was a young girl, angelic

realised that the servant had the most wonderful voice.

and with a wonderful voice, wanted to participate too. The

He asked the servant how he changed his voice. The

best servant of the King, also, wanted to enter the contest.

servant recognised that he had stolen the voices. He

The King and the servant grew up together from childhood.

admitted he was dishonest. The detective forced the servant

The servant was very tall and very skinny and looked like

to return the voices. The song contest was won by Stella, the

a scarecrow. His voice was also ugly, very grave. At the

daughter of the King. Everybody was happy that everything

preselection, the servant wasn’t admitted. He was miserable.

was like normal again.

He wanted to be in the finale; he asked the King’s daughter to take him to be her assistant in the finale of the contest. He begged her to sing a song he had. The song was about our voices; ‘Voices from above’ was the name of the song.

In the finale, when Stella sang the song ‘Voices from above’ all the public were hypnotised. After this, everyone had very bad voices, like a crow.

The detective was a clever, remarkable, young man. The detective asked everyone what they did before the problem started. Everyone told that the last song was ‘Voices from

Aged 10, Year 6

Jump.

I look backwards, the Tarantulas are getting closer. Lir already jumped and now it’s my turn. Every Snake is looking at me so I jump. I take a step backwards and prepare for flight. I run forwards and jump. I don’t really make it. I am hanging on a rock by one hand, so now I’ll have to climb. I see everybody’s

“MOVE! GO! GO! GO!” yells Dad. The alarm is making my ears bleed and the chaos around me isn’t helping. I cover my ears and close my eyes. For a second, I am actually calm, but then I can feel someone’s arm grasping mine. They are running, I am running… all this with my eyes closed. Then, I hear a whisper which might’ve. been a shout but I don’t realise the difference: “ I think you should open your eyes.”

I open them.

First thing I see is Lir. Her black, silky hair blowing in the wind.

I take a moment to look around. I look backwards and I see the Tarantulas (our enemies, not the spiders) about 100 yards away. Then I look forward. A cliff. On the other side I see the other Snakes ( our team, not actual snakes). And then I look down. If we don’t make the jump we’ll fall into the 100 meter pit and most probably...die. On the other hand, if we don’t, the Tarantulas will get us and they are 50, we’re just 2. So, there is only one clear way…

eyes looking down so I try. I struggle to climb to the top where I am embraced by my sister, Lir, and my Dad. We see the Tarantulas, but they are on the other side of the cliff. They looked as confused as a child that has been spinning all day. I couldn’t help but giggle. Lir looked at me and started giggling too. Then, we saw the face of our dad which was as hard as rock and we put on straight faces as well. Later that day, when we made camp in the woods, a feast was prepared.

We were sitting at the table, eating, when I couldn’t help noticing a guy. He was standing at the far side of our camp.

His face was hidden by the darkness of his hood and he was quite cross (I could tell by the movements his arms and feet made). I nudged Lir and discreetly pointed at that guy. Our thoughts were the same, however, they were interrupted by our dad, The RattleSnake (That is what the snakes call him).

He was giving a speech about what happened today: “We all have experienced losses during the fire and we are all worn out by the chase… The Tarantulas clearly have a spy that is located in our camp. We all need to stay cautious because we... have an impostor among us!” Lir and I look at each other because we have a feeling we might know who it is...

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The Imposter

by Daria Ghioca Mititelu

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The Imposter

by Andrei popescu Aged 11, Year 6

It all happened on Christmas Day. I was with my other crewmates in the spacecraft, heading towards the new planet. We just finished our daily tasks and so we were taking a break in the cafeteria. My friend Larry was sitting next to me. Larry had a lime suit, (he loved that colour) and for that reason, everybody called him Lime.

“Hey, how would you name the new planet if you were the

“Hello? Is anybody there?” the voice asked.

“Yes, it’s me, Cadet Bruce” I said.

“Cadet Bruce, we just got a report that two aliens infiltrated into your spaceship. They killed two of your crewmates and are now disguised as them.” He said.

“Ok, we will find them and eject them.” I said.

head of Mira?”

After I put the phone down, everybody exploded with He would always ask that question. Mira was the company

questions. I couldn’t believe that aliens were among us. I told

that we were working for. When we first got into their HQ,

everybody about the situation and then headed towards the

we were amazed by how big it was! They had so many

Meeting Table. But as I was about to press the button, the

laboratories, offices, and even training areas!

lights turned off. I couldn’t see anything. I am sure I bumped into some walls and boxes. By the time the lights were

When we finished eating some of us went to sleep while

restored everybody was gathered in a circle at a corner of

others were busy with tasks. However, right when I was

the room titled “Navigations” (where we navigate). I made

ready to sleep, an alarm started shrieking throughout the

my way through the circle of crewmates and what my eyes

rooms. We all headed to the room titled “Communications”

saw next I will never be able to forget…

to see what was happening. I ran to the desk and picked up the phone. A familiar voice started talking.

To be continued...

Then and Now

Now

By George Platt, Year 7V

stores. The only shops open are Harwoods of Essex

Connaught Avenue is an almost empty street. People rarely go there and would only go there for shopping. Shops are having to fire employees to make money and are worrying about the cost of rent. There are probably 10 visitors a day, looking through dusty windows, trying to find a special offer since the prices have gone up. Here, the skies are cloudy and it always rains. The fish and chip shops have closed down, so have the cafes, restaurants, and the clothing and Sainsbury’s. It’s like everyone died. Because of the emptiness, you can feel the tears of the shops and the cries

Then

Connaught Avenue is the busiest street in Frinton. Hundreds of shops make their profit off the popularity of the street.

There are probably 1000 visitors a day, looking around inside shops, buying the typical touristy items: fridge magnets, local arts and crafts, and postcards to send home.

There, the skies are always blue and the clouds never rain.

The shops on Connaught Avenue are typically fish and chip shops (which smell horrible), clothing stores, cafes and restaurants. The food at the restaurants tastes like it was made by your favourite chef who adds your favourite spices; it’s simply delicious. The other shops though, are a tourist trap, luring unknowing punters inside for hours on end. In short, Connaught Avenue is like a mall on a street.

Connaught Avenue’s visitors are always a friendly sort of people, taking their dog for a walk, going to Sainsbury’s to get some milk, or possibly looking for some furniture for their new house (Harwoods of Essex is the place for them!).

In Frinton, we mainly have elderly people who enjoy fresh air and a walk on the freshly washed beach. These people always wear sandals and light clothes, always colourful, with a hat and sunglasses. They enjoy striding up and down the street, showing off their newly-bought clothing. To me, they don’t look like the type of people best suited to show off their clothes, but it’s their choice.

Connaught Avenue houses my father’s department store.

You might remember me mentioning the name: Harwoods of Essex. Harwoods of Essex is Frinton’s only furniture store.

It’s a family business which always has a customer or two inside. If no one comes in for a while, it’s still alright because Harwoods also has its own flats above the store which people rent to live in. In the back, there is a storage area and a showroom.

of the clouds. You can hear the quietness like it’s screaming in your ear and can taste the bitterness of the rain drops.

Connaught Avenue’s quietness and the lockdown has made everyone suspicious. It’s like being in a room where everyone has a horrible secret. People wear face masks, grey raincoats, and keep their head down to not be seen. These people only come here if they have a good reason. After doing their shopping, they walk briskly past their neighbours’ houses, watching the people suspiciously looking out of their windows, as they walk on with their anemic looking shopping bags. They are all now cold, bitter, jealous people.

They like to be alone maintaining their facade, falsely and unbecomingly displaying their wealth to the world. No-one is fooled.

My father’s store, Harwoods, needs help. Barely anyone comes in and the sales have slowly fallen to none per day.

The people in the flats stay inside knowing that eventually something terrible will happen. At the moment, I’m trying to make an online shop. I’m learning programming at the moment, so I thought it would be helpful to do that.

Harwoods is just an empty building now. An emotionless shell where several people live and a family work. It’s like someone has cut the store off from the world. It’s an abandoned building, waiting to come alive.

Honestly, the people left out there, on Connaught Avenue, have abandoned Harwoods. It’s something that nobody needs and is going to stay like that for a while. This is what happened to Frinton. This is what quarantine has done.

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A Senator’s Diary

By Aditi Rawat, Year 10C

A shock, a surprise, a bolt out of the blue; I am left speechless. The things I heard and saw today should never have happened. Oh, the things I witnessed!

Today, in the council-chamber, we senators along with the Duke were having a consequential discussion upon where to send our troops. Our decision could have been the rise or fall for all of Venice. We were told that the Turks had set off to attack either the island of Rhodes or the island of Cyprus.

Amid the discussion, a message was delivered to us by a sailor, saying that hundreds of Turkish ships were headed towards the island of Rhodes. By God, if the Duke would have acted upon it, we may have had to pay a heavy price!

The Ottomans, those scum, tried to fool us into sending our men towards Rhodes, but the words of Signior Montano, the Duke’s most trusted and valiant servitor, delivered his advice to us by a messenger, that the Ottomans were changing their course towards Cyprus, and so we should send our men there too.

‘Twas then the Moor - Othello - and Signor Brabantio arrived with some other men in the chamber. We were all pleased to see Brabantio, as we lacked his council and help, but upon entering the room Brabantio cried upon his grief. He mentioned his daughter - Desdemona - being taken away.

Everyone stood stunned. We had all thought Desdemona had died, but thankfully ‘twas not so. However, what happened was just as unfavourable; It seemed that Othello had laid hold of Desdemona’s heart.

‘Twas unbelievable to hear at first, but soon I realised that what Brabantio said was not for laughs. Othello and Desdemona had married. The poor Brabantio begged to the Duke that his daughter be freed from the Moor’s witchcraft, but the Duke seemed to have been bound under a spell too.

By nature ‘tis obvious- this kind of relationship between the Moor and Desdemona - ‘tis unacceptable! But ‘twas a painful sight to watch as the Moor was asked for his say in this, and the robbed Brabantio just stood, incapable of doing anything.

The Moor justified his love story with Desdemona being no witchcraft, but his pitiful past and her pity for him. I must confess, there is no doubt that Othello is capable enough to marry that maiden: he has fought many wars, escaped the cage of cannibals, and been bound by the chains of slavery at youth, which he managed to break apart. His stories of battle are a delight to listen to, but tales remain tales. The truth being, after all, he is just a Moor.

Creative Corner

I do not agree with the Duke’s decision. If I were

I cannot blame Desdemona for her foolish heart - for falling

Duke, I would certainly not have let this happen. A

in love with and marrying the Moor, but also wanting to be

marriage between a Moor and a fair maiden of Venice -

alongside him on the voyage to Cyprus, yet I dare to blame

unquestionable! Impossible! In fact, I would have imprisoned

Brabantio. The man should have fathered his daughter

the Moor. His poor behaviour could lead to more young

better. She is disobedient toward her father? And when her

people making this kind of irrational decision and assuming

husband, a man, tells her to stay behind as he, the man, goes

this is acceptable. It is not. Without doubt a father knows his

to war, she defies the words of her husband, a man, and

daughter best - a maiden never bold Brabantio said; Of spirit

pleads to go? Brabantio fathered no maiden, but a young

so still and quiet that her motion blushed at herself; and she

man as I see it! Disobedience doesn’t suit a girl! What was

would fall in love with someone she feared to look upon?

he doing all along when his white ewe was being led astray?

The Moor’s words are lies! All lies, I say! But in the chamber,

Where was he? Not one father is unaware of his daughter

I didn’t say a word. I dare not let my position come in danger

leaving the house - let alone falling in love with and marrying

for someone else’s daughter.

a Moor!

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Molly’s Diary (based on the novel Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo)

By Nina Culea, Year 9O

Dear Diary, You don’t know me yet, so let me introduce myself; my name is Molly and I’m currently really ill, which is the reason for which I’m starting to write in you. Ever since I got infected with Scarlet Fever, I’ve been stuck inside the house, which wouldn’t be that bad if my parents were nicer.

I used to love school- learning about new things excites me-

My parents have always been very strict; the smallest

constantly talking about what a disappointment I am and

mistakes throw them off and I’m constantly required to be

about how I should’ve been more careful not to become ill.

perfect. Having to be something completely unachievable-

They didn’t know I could hear them; they didn’t know I could

or more to the point nonexistent- like perfect, is harder

hear all those mean remarks and things they said about me,

than you might think. You have the constant pressure to

but I could, and everyday those remarks hurt worse than a

act lady-like or to always pay attention to the little details

knife stabbing my heart.

and I was lucky to have Miss McAllister as my teacher this year. Unfortunately, because of my sickness, I haven’t been able to go to school, so I’m stuck at home listening to my parents complain about their imperfect daughter.

Since the first day I missed school, I have heard my parents

to make sure you make no mistakes, but after a while that pressure starts getting to you. You start believing you need

During times like this, I want to just let go, but I continue

to be perfect and you never take a moment to analyse that

fighting for them.

thought because you’re too scared that would throw your perfect schedule off, so your perfect route through your

Charlie and Thomas are my best friends. We used to go

perfect life would imperfectly fall apart.

poaching together or run as if there was no tomorrow. I once even threw rocks in a lake to predict our future, and that was

Since being quarantined, I haven’t been able to call myself

that we would all be together forever. Who would’ve known

perfect anymore, which was fine by me, but not by my

that the people supposed to love me the most would cut

parents.

that dream into little pieces?

Creative Corner

I remember this one time, I was lying ill in my bed and I heard Charlie’s and Thomas’s voices. I was happy, too weak to show it, but happy, though the moment I heard my mom telling my friends to leave, I got overpowered by a certain wave of sadness and despair, and without even thinking I vehemently started moving my finger. It hurt, it hurt so bad, but I was desperately trying to give them all a sign, any sign that I was awake and that I wanted them to stay, but that didn’t work, my plan had failed, and soon enough I realized that attempting to move something like my arm, to manage to draw attention on myself, would be futile and since then, they haven’t visited me again.

Charlie and Thomas are very lucky to have such an amazing family. A caring mother working as hard as she can to provide for them and take care of them, and their bigger brother, Big Joe, who I always find a little odd, but to be honest I quite like that about him. Of course, the Peaceful family (the way my dad calls them) isn’t perfect. Their dad died one or two years ago and the mother’s aunt, also known as ‘Grandmother’, is the incarnation of evil, but despite all of that, I’ve always felt more comfortable with them than I ever have or ever will around my own family. I feel as if they actually care for me, and see me as perfect despite all my little flaws.

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Wave Goodbye

By Rex Cooper, Year 9O

“Much better since you guys arrived!” I replied.

“Well, thank you for that compliment! Now we know that you said no presents, but I guess we just couldn’t follow that rule.” he said chuckling.

“Thank you1 Even if you did break a rule. Is this from all of you?” I asked.

“Well, if you ask me it isn’t, but if you ask Emily and Jake, it definitely is.” he said laughing.

I walked down the battered, splinter-ridden boardwalk, stepping off onto the sand. As I walked on the cold wet sand, I could see plastic bottles and wrappers cemented into the sand. I looked everywhere, but there was no-one to be seen.

No clouds are scattered in the sky, except the dark grey clouds closing in like a burglar in the night. I looked out at the sea and could see waves crashing down on the sand below.

Then zoomed back out again, as the sea leaves behind a trail of foam. What seemed like a brisk breeze, turned into a vigorous wind, sweeping salty sand into my face. As I wiped the sand off my face, I could see figures in the distance. They started to move faster and faster until they were close enough to see their faces.

“Hi!” I screamed! It was my friends! “What are you guys doing here?”

“Well, we couldn’t not celebrate your birthday with you!”

We headed up the boardwalk, walking up the decaying stone stairs, back toward the hotel. After a few hours, the sun came out and so did everyone else. We walked down to the beach again where there were now tons of people laying on white plastic sunbeds with colourful umbrellas protecting them from the strong sun. The waves were now minuscule, crawling gently towards the shore, dousing the sand with water.

I laid my towel out neatly on the sand; I could see drops of condensation slowly dripping down the cold water bottle I was soon to drink from. “So how’s your birthday so far?” Ryan asked me.

“Hey!” Emily said hitting Ryan. “We might have not bought you a gift, but I think the best gift is a kind and thoughtful friend.” she said, lookin grather pleased with herself.

“Ok then, for your birthday I will say the same thing,” I said in a sarcastic manner.

After 30 minutes of laying in the sun, we all dived into the water. The water was so clear, I could see the bottom. Being June, the water was now warm enough to swim in, but still cold enough to give you a brain freeze if oyu dived under. As I came up from under the water, I could see the sun shining off the gently rolling waves. I could see the enormous cargo ships slowly making their way across the bay.

“I could stay here forever,” I said to Lily, who was floating peacefully on top of the water.

“I know, right? This is the life! All I need now is a cocktail and we are good to go.” She said.

As the sun slowly started to hide behind the horizon, people began to make their way back to their hotels, and so did we.

We unpacked our bags, leaving half the beach on our hotel room floor, and quickly headed down to the beach terrace.

We sat down admiring the view, scanned through the menu and ordered. The sun was about to dip down below the horizon.

“A toast!” I said. “Thank you to all for a wonderful day! I’m sure tomorrow will be even better!”

plates started to rattle like a train had just gone past. The hanging lights started to violently swing up and down.

“Earthquake!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, realising what was happening.

Without a second to spare, we all ran out from the terrace onto the beach. I stopped in my tracks, feeling like I was glued to the ground. I could see the hotel swaying from side to side as the earthquake shook iit around violently with all its might.

I started to run, and looked to my left to see Emily and Lily running for dear life also. We stopped abruptly at the top of the hill, the ground still shaking beneath us. I could see small and large cracks starting to appear, as the earthquake tore the road apart. We all looked back and saw something we would never forget. I could see the sea rapidly disappearing into the horizon. Emily’s eyes starting to tear up, before she

After that, everyone one was silent.

As I put my left hand on the cold iron ladder, I knew I couldn’t turn back.

Half way up, I stopped and looked down. I could see the raging sea and billowing waves far below me. I could see the fear in everyone’s eyes. I looked out to the distance at a sight not to be forgotten, as a faint white line on the horizon slowly, but surely, became bigger. I knew that I had to speed up.

“Climb! Quick! It is closing in!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

As I was climbing for dear life, my foot slipped, leaving me hanging on by a single hand. I could feel my hand slowly slipping away from the rusty handlebar. There was no

wiped them dry with her now dirty sweater.

strength left in my body. I thought that maybe it would be

Before we had time to prepare ourselves for the next

below. But somehow, I found the strength deep inside and

obstacle, an ear-piercing, blood-curdling siren sounded off.

better to just let go and plummet down into the violent waves managed to pull myself up onto the hand bar. We all clung on

We all knew what was coming our way… a tsunami!

for dear life to the spire.

We all started to make our way up the high roads of San

As the wall of water headed towards us at tremendous speed,

Francisco. I didn’t know where to go; I tried to keep a straight face, but they could see right through me. I could see the remarkable Golden Gate Bridge’s lights flashing away like mini stars against the dark skyline.

We walked onto the bridge and could see the enormous poles holding the bridge together. But then I noticed something: I could see a narrow iron ladder leading up to the top of the bridge, where the spire stands and where the strong thick steel cables join together.

“Ok, this might sound crazy, but we need to climb up that ladder, and fast!” My voice filled with the sound of fear.

“Yeah, you are crazy! Jake, we could die! Plummet to our death!” Emily said raising her voice.

“Wouldn’t you rather die trying, than not try at all?” I said.

filled with boats and rubbish, we all looked at each other knowingly, without saying a word.

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The Rapping Astronaut Princeps Publishing launches the children’s Fantasy Collection with a book signed by Year 8 student Sonia Marta, from IBSB, illustrated by Ioana Rusu.

Princeps Publishing launches the Fantasy Collection with The Rapping Astronaut, my first book in English, and my second editorial experience.

Throughout the project, I looked back and saw that I have learnt so many things from these two editorial experiences.

If I were to mention a few of the lessons that will remain with me, it would definitely be the power of commitment, the importance of finding people to support me, and what it means to have passion for what you love, and, of course, to stay true to your dream.

My editor, Ioana Craciun, encouraged me a lot and I am grateful to her, as well to Mr Oldham, my year 6 Teacher as both supported me in finalising the story of Austro until the point that we eventually manged to print it.

“It is a joy to read a story about courage and inner confidence and to be able to do that with a child’s eye and soul. As soon as you begin reading the story, you easily fall in love with Austro. It is also easy to identify with the setting and the scenarios within the story as they are easily relatable, especially for children. Austro is not a superhero, nor is he untouchable; he is one of us, with habits and reactions that are normal and genuine; he has questions and doubts that any child has in today’s day and age. This ongoing process of the ‘young generation’ is tackled here with humour, frankness, and optimism.” Ioana Craciun, book editor.

I am an avid reader and I love the world of books, especially fiction. My first book was published when I was 10 years old, on Children’s Day in 2018. Since then, I have met more than 1,000 children on my journey, visiting schools and kindergartens talking about the importance of reading and developing one’s creativity. I have a few more projects under way, alongside writing for the International British School of Bucharest magazine, The International Voice. My favourite free-time activities are reading, writing, and - besides these - travelling, watching movies, and cooking. I am thankful to my teachers at IBSB who have nurtured my talent and supported me, as I have been a student here since I was 4 years old.

I plan to have book workshops with the The Rapping Astronaut book and I encourage you to join the book’s Facebook page to join me on our journey. If you would like to check out my book in an audio version please check on Audible, Narrated by Shane G. Casey and a digital EBook version on Kindle Unlimited.

The illustrations complementing my story are suggestive and genuine, created by Ioana Rusu, a graduate of UNArte in Bucharest, bringing the magic of childhood worlds to life rising up from the pages of this book, transporting you to the fictional universe of Austro. She has a particular interest in illustrating children’s books. This is the second collaboration for us. Ioana’s enthusiasm and creativity has always been much appreciated.

Here are a few quotes from readers of The Rapping Astronaut: “A story about courage and inner confidence. Written with humour. Unputdownable.” Jack Oldham, International British School of Bucharest Teacher

“Austro inspires us not to give up; to keep trying until you achieve your full potential. A lovely, motivating read for any child embarking on new experiences in a new school or country.” Alison Tansley, International British School of Bucharest Teacher

“You don’t need words to speak your mind, but once you’ve found them, along with the right music, you can change the world; you can change yourself. A very, very, very smart and funny story for all ages about courage and passion” Diana Enache, PRO TV Journalist.

If you would like to be involved in one of my next projects, please reach out to Claudia Marta Email: claudia.marta@ibsb.ro Mobile: +40 757 071 416

“Sonia’s creativity is an opportunity to discover new ideas and new ways of thinking. If today is hard, and tomorrow is even harder, the day after tomorrow will definitely be sunny! And creativity in any situation will find its way and will comfort your soul” Adriana Repede, Founder and Creative Director of Adria Arte.

I hope you will enjoy my story together with your little ones- I am more than happy to offer you a personally autographed copy!

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Cappuccino Travels

By Carla Dumitru, Year 7V

He was looking at me as though he had never seen another cat before.

His eyes looked so… somehow empty. I could smell the arrogance in the air. I ignored it. I tiptoed forward and mewed: “Hello? May I stay here? What’s your name? I’m

I woke up all of a sudden and realised I was in a shelter under a rock. I looked around and saw everything covered in snow. The wind was roaring in my face and I could feel myself shivering. I make myself even smaller, so I don’t feel the cold anymore and start thinking about how I ended up here. I then remembered, I lived in England, at Oxford University, that’s why I knew about all of these words. The professors there always talked with grand words (another word I heard from them).

After a while, I decided to get out of there, to find out where I was and make my way back home. I walked out of the bush and found myself near a house with a frozen, clear lake behind it. This reminded me of how the teachers always went ice-skating in winter. I walked towards the house. It was so hard to head through the heavy snow and walk on the slippery ice. Finally, I got to the house and sniffed the air.

It was really difficult because even though the wind wasn’t as strong as an hour before, the smell of snow hadn’t gone away. My nose was skilled in the art of picking up scents, quickly realising the house was empty, but for the scent of a cat. I went inside to explore.

As I pushed the rotten wooden door open, the wind rushed inside. Everything looked frozen, dust everywhere. There was a wooden desk with papers piled up on it and ink stains on the papers. In the corner I could see a spiral staircase heading upstairs.

Upstairs I detected the scent of recently cooked food. It smelled great. I looked around and saw a fireplace and a little sofa. On the sofa there was a blanket and… a cat. A cat. It was a black cat with a white spiral on it’s tummy.

Cappuccino.”

Then, the cat answered: “Hello. I am Nebula.”

I stared and asked again: “May I stay here?” Nebula nodded affirmatively, so I sat next to it on the warm sofa, thinking this cat was somewhat peculiar.

Nebula then asked: “Are you an English? Your voice is different to mine.”

I answered: “Yes, I live at Oxford University in England.

Where do you really live, this house doesn’t entirely convince me it is yours.”

“That’s right, this is not my house, I live in Florida, at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) if you didn’t know,” mewed Nebula. When he said that, I was sure I had heard of it at the university. We talked a little longer and I found out that he was lost too.

I spent the night in the house. It was the worst sleep of my entire life. The wind had grown even stronger outside and I could feel myself shivering. On top of that, I could hear the creaking of the wooden roof and doors.

In the morning, I woke up next to Nebula, who was still asleep. This was really queer because at Oxford the teachers and staff woke up at 06:30. I’m not exactly sure what that is, but I understand it’s pretty early. “Americans!”, I thought. I slowly crept to the kitchen and found some chicken with parsley. That was exactly what Ms Lilacwood always gave to me as a special meal. She was definitely the best teacher in the whole college. She taught English Literature.

As I thought about my past memories, I found myself taking

Since we were somewhere at the edge of the city, I thought

the chicken back to the sofa. I woke up to Nebula, who

it was pointless to go searching for the falls when we were

seemed really upset, and invited him to eat with me. After

so tired. Instead, we found a little shelter next to some trees

our meal, we headed out of the house, ready to find our

and grass and slept that night there.

homes again. I asked: “Do you know where exactly we are?”

To be honest, I thought that this sleep was way better than “I’m not exactly sure, but I think we are somewhere in

the one in the abandoned house. There wasn’t that much

Canada judging by the weather”.

noise, only a few cars and the wind. Since I came from a country where it was already cold, I didn’t find it that cold,

Canada was one of the countries I had never heard of.

even if it was pretty chilly. Nebula did. He was constantly

Despite that, Nebula and I decided to start walking, thinkng

trying to get warm, but it was really hard for him. In the end,

we would eventually find our way home.

he gave up and we went to sleep feeling cold.

After a few hours, we stopped for a break. We had advanced

In the middle of the night, I heard a loud meow and woke up

a lot and I could feel the temperature getting warmer. By

all of a sudden. I got on my feet and saw a little light brown

now, I was really tired and my feet hurt a lot. To be fair

cat being chased by two dogs. It looked scared, so I ran

though, I was pretty used to taking long walks because

towards it and called Nebula, who immediately sprang into

in the summer holiday, Ms Lilacwood and some other

action, taking hold of the dogs, getting into a fight with them.

teachers took me on long walks to the park, monuments

He bit them and scratched their tummies; I could tell he

or restaurants. They said “It’s just so Cappuccino stays

looked like a skilled warrior. I could hear the howling of the

fit”, although I would never get fat like other cats in the

dogs and the scratching of Nebula’s claws. I could feel the

neighborhood did.

pressure in the air and see their bloody red on the pavement.

I started to feel dizzy, and tried to focus on calming the

Anyway, it wasn’t something very special for me, but I knew

scared cat down: “Are you okay? What happened to you?

it would get worse as we moved further and further through

How did you end up with these dogs chasing you?”

the country. After a while, Nebula told me: “Just saying, I think that we left Canada. We’re most probably somewhere

The cat answered: “I’m sorry I woke you up. I’m Bamboo. I

near the Niagara Falls. They are probably somewhere quite

got lost and couldn’t find anything to eat. Finally, I managed

close to here because I can hear the loud noises of water

to sneak into a Chinese shop and a really kind waiter offered

falling. Perhaps we should go there? We might find another

me some pot stickers. Then, these dogs saw me eating the

cat there to help us.”

food and started stealing from it. I ran away with it and they started chasing me. And here I am.”

I looked curiously at him and said: “I thought you live at NASA, and from what I know, the people there only work

“I’m sorry. If you want, you can stay with Nebula and

with stuff to do with space?”

I; we got lost too and are trying to find our homes. I’m Cappuccino, I forgot to say,” I meowed.

Nebula then replied: “That’s true. Actually, before I lived at NASA, my home was in a geography teacher’s apartment. I

I told Bamboo I had better go help out Nebula with the dogs.

must say, I’ve heard a lot about the landscapes in this world

I wasn’t really a skilled fighter, but I wanted to help in some

and other important geographical notions.” I completely

way. I told Bamboo to stay aside while we got rid of the ugly,

didn’t get this whole bunch of nonsense he was meowing

scary, bloodthirsty dogs.

about geographical terms. I nodded and told him we could go see those falls the next day.

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I rolled in a puddle of mud, to hide my smell, then crept

I told him this and he told me that it was not the reason

behind the dogs and jumped on one of their backs,

he wanted to get there. Nebula said that there are many

scratching it as hard as possible while they howled in the

ways of transport from Florida (where his home is) to any

night. The two creatures jumped backwards, allowing

part of the world. After about an hour, I found that we were

Nebula to get underneath them and scratch their tummies.

getting lower, and at one point crashed into a forest. But not just any forest. It was a rainforest, where some of the most

In the end, the dogs were defeated and ran away. We sat

dangerous creatures in the world lived.

together and rested.

A group of humans started shouting and tried to fix the Afterwards, I introduced Nebula to Bamboo and invited her

balloon. It was pointless. We descended down, down, down,

to join us. We talked and ate from the meal Bamboo had

until eventually we reached the forest floor. I scooped up

brought and then eventually went to sleep.

Bamboo, and called out to Nebula. He immediately rushed over and jumped out of the balloon to examine the forest

The next morning, we set off again, with our new

around us. He waved his tail and I ran towards him with

companion. We walked through the busy, crowded, and loud

Bamboo on my back. She was so hopeless. Just a little kitty

city for about five hours. Eventually, we stopped at the edge

from China, lost in America. Nebula and I explored this new

of the city and by a field. We walked onto it and saw a big

wild place.

basket with a huge round thing on top. It seemed like the

It was extremely different to anything I had ever seen: the

perfect shelter to rest beneath.

grass was really wet like it had just rained three minutes ago and the trees were really bushy and extremely close to each

“Are you sure this is a good place?” asked Bamboo. She was

other. I could hear the screaming of some weird animals, the

always scared.

fluttering of wings, and the rustling of the leaves. It was also really warm, the forest standing over us oppressively, making

I was really curious about her past, but I knew she wasn’t yet

us feel small an inconsequential.

ready to tell me about it.

There was nothing else to do, so we kept walking. Bamboo had almost fainted from fatigue, as Nebula and I grew ever

“Yes, I’m pretty sure it’s safe, plus there’s some warm air

more tired. We stopped near a huge river and found a tree

inside, so that should be nice,” I explained. We got into the

near which there was a rock shelter where we slept for a few

basket, cuddled up, and soon fell asleep.

hours.

The next thing I knew, I was up in the sky looking at one

Suddenly, I woke up. There was a hissing sound close by. I

thousand fluffy, white clouds. I was so scared, I almost

looked behind me and saw a snake, no, a rattlesnake coming

screamed. Luckily, Nebula was there and made me shush. I

towards us slowly in a threatening, menacing manner. I woke

asked him: “What are we doing up here? I’m pretty sure we

Bamboo and Nebula up, alerting them to the danger.

were on a field before we fell asleep.”

“I have an idea!” screamed Bamboo.

He then answered: “Well, you see, I knew that the basket with the round thing on top as you call it was actually a hot

“See that branch over there? It has almost fallen, so we can

air balloon. I didn’t say anything though because I know that

use that to capture the snake. Cappuccino, go and distract

this one belongs to NASA. See, it says it on it.”

the creature, make it come this way. Nebula, come with me on top of the branch, you are really heavy and this should

I looked at him and couldn’t believe my eyes. He had

help. Also, take a few rocks with you.”

been so nice when he saved Bamboo from those terrible

I realized that even though she was really small, Bamboo

creatures, but now he only cared about himself.

was really good in quick situations. I ran towards the snake and started yelling:

“Catch me if you can, ugly, hideous snake! Are you

Nebula told us that we were now somewhere in India. He

ssssscared of me?” The rattlesnake was now furious, he slid

said we would have to take a plane to get to China if we

towards me on the grass. I sprinted towards the tree branch,

wanted to get Bamboo home first. We travelled through

only slowing down as I got closer. Then, at the last moment,

the village behind the buildings to avoid meeting humans.

I went aside and watched the branch on which Bamboo and

After many more hours of walking, our legs grew weak and

Nebula were proudly sitting fall on top of the ugly beast.

trembled as our tummies grew empty.

I ran towards them cheering. We were really happy. I

Nebula led us toward the faint scent of food. When we

congratulated Bamboo on her quick thinking and thanked

reached the source, we discovered it was someone’s house.

them both for helping me throughout my journey.

We crept inside watching the human closely. There was an old lady cooking something which smelled delicious. I

The next day, we continued along our path, until possessed

walked towards her and meowed. She was really kind and

by hunger, and only then stopped to hunt. I didn’t know

gave us some slices of chicken (I think it was chicken - it

how to hunt, but had watched other cats for a long period

was cooked in a delicious sauce!), which we devoured

of my life. I sniffed the air, detecting a bird sitting on a low

quickly.

branch, reached towards it, and jumped, catching it between my claws. Elated at my success, I showed the other two

We all purred thankfully, then left. We walked for a while,

beaming a big chinchilla smile from ear to ear. Bamboo had

realizing at one point that we were once again walking

also caught a squirrel, so there was enough food for the

through a field. We found a tree, sat, and rested.

three of us.

Suddenly, I awoke to find myself in human hands. We were We continued walking and hunting for three more days

up in the air in a small vehicle. I saw a man with goggles who

until we found a city. We crossed it like we had crossed

was driving it and a woman next to him. They seemed pretty

many others, until we eventually reached a port. I explained

nice, so I didn’t do anything. After a few hours, we reached

to the other two cats that it was a place where ships were

our destination. It was a bushy forest next to which I could

anchored.

see a huge wall made of stone.

I told them it would be great if we could jump on one.

The shape of the construction reminded me of the

I boarded a large white ship and beckoned to Bamboo and

rattlesnake we had fought, but the difference was that

Nebula to join me. The ship soon became crowded, a large

it stretched for miles and miles through the dark, dense

sound bellowed out and we departed amidst an atmosphere

forest. The two humans scooped us up and left us. Bamboo

of excitement and agitation.

couldn’t believe her eyes. She couldn’t help screaming and started jumping around in a circle with delight.

Bamboo and I fell asleep under a bench, whilst Nebula remained awake and on guard. When I woke up, he was

“This is my home!! I can’t believe this! I’m actually back

next to us asleep. I wandered in the boat in search of food,

home!!” Bamboo yelled.

discovering the kitchen, where a lady very kindly gave me some food. She said it was noodles with chicken and

Nebula looked around and said: “From what I remember

veggies. I thought it tasted really good, even though cats

Professor Greenwood saying, this must be the Great Wall of

don’t normally eat noodles.

China. Stretches for…hmm I think I forgot.”

I took some with me and returned to Bamboo and Nebula.

Bamboo told me that her owners from China feed her

“21, 961 kilometers, I know this,” I said. For the first time on

noodles all the time, and was happy to be eating noodles

our journey, I knew something Nebula didn’t. He was a very

again.

wise cat, despite his arrogance.

At one point, the boat stopped. We got off and found ourselves in an unusual village.

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“Anyway, Bamboo, we are really happy to see that you have

I took Bamboo with me and asked her to show me a place

found your home, but also sad because we will miss you a

where I could find bamboo. She showed me a corner of the

lot,” I said, trying to hold back my tears. Cats don’t exactly

meadow where the plants grew and I sprinted towards them.

have tears, but I heard that that’s what you say when you are

I bit the stems of the plants and bent them so that they

really sad.

formed a sort of cage. I worked for about ten minutes on this together with Bamboo. We looked to see how Nebula was

Bamboo announced that to get to her home, we just had to

and saw he was really struggling. I told Bamboo to take the

walk a little way through the forest and somewhere there

cage inside the lair. Also, I screamed to Nebula and told him

we should find a small house which smelled like food. We

to run into the cage. I also told him to get out of it through the

quickly walked through the forest until we found ourselves

holes when the dragon was inside it.

in a meadow with more sunlight and birds chirping. There was a little stream flowing through the meadow with golden,

He nodded and ran into the cage. The dragon chased him

shiny fish in it. I could feel the soft grass beneath my paws

into the cage, and while at the back Bamboo and I closed

and see blue, clear sky above. In the corner of the meadow

the cage with a few other bamboo branches. We were now

was an immense rock, underneath which I saw a shiny red

safe.

creature with hard dry scales and two huge nostrils. It had black, beady eyes and a gigantic mouth.

After two days…

I looked at Bamboo, feeling frightened, and she whispered:

Nebula and I left Bamboo’s house, thanking her for joining us

“It’s the Red Dragon, from the antique Chinese tales. It is

on our journey. She thanked us too and we left.

said that once, before humans, there lived dragons, and on the territory of China, this one was king. All the other

Back on the Great Wall, Nebula led me to a place where

dragons were scared of him, so they refused to see him. But

he knew we could get a plane to our homes. He said it was

one day, a brave, rebel dragon, thought he would go and

called an airport. We both found a plane to our countries

fight the dragon. He was called Xiu Pai. On his way to the

and jumped onto it. I hid in a woman’s bag while Nebula got

Dragon’s Lair, he started to see that many of the dragons

into a man’s trolley. We bid each other goodbye and parted

were passing out. This was because The Red Dragon was

company.

angry with him. But Xiu Pai was determined. He had flown a very long way and was ready to fight the dragon. But the

The next thing I knew, I was back at Oxford in the English

young dragon’s secret was that he never fought the dragon.

room near Ms Lilacwood’s chair.

Instead, he gave him a potion from holly leaves that was supposed to make him sleep forever. Now as the legend goes, the Great Dragon sleeps the whole year except for one day, when he wakes up. That day is always the day when someone is in the Red Meadow.”

When I heard Bamboo’s words, I started shivering. I was so scared that the Dragon might wake up that I wanted to run away. I sprinted towards a bush so that I could hide and accidentally stepped on a branch. There was a creaking noise and I felt like the world was moving in slow-motion.

The dragon suddenly jumped out of the lair and spat flames.

I moved away and thought what to do. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. I told Nebula to try and keep the dragon away for a few minutes while I worked on my plan.

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Student Editor: Melissa Aydogan

IBSB Staff Roxana Anghel Ioana-Miliana Anghel Jayne Baker Ana Maria Boiangiu Alina Caldes Alan Cornish Johanna Croci Peter Ennion Lucretia Gabroveanu Aliviana Hawkins Lee Hawkins Alexandra Ivascu Dana Momirleanu Angharad Morgan Rab Morrison Orla O’Dwyer Kendall Peet Madalina Soare Alison Tansley Matthew Tansley Anthony Varden

IBSB PTF

Tamara Minea

Daria Dietrich

Adelina Oltean

Ana Nanau

Madalina Georgescu Albu

Mia Opran

IBSB Students

Lucian Popa

Andreea Albu

Daria Raducu

Alis Aydogan Melissa Aydogan (Student Editor) Tamara Boaca George Boronea David Cernea Rex Cooper Ana Cristescu Nina Culea Carla Dumitru Daria Ghioca Mititelu Kathleen Hughes

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TIV 1 2020-21 List of Contributors

George Platt Aleksis Radu Aditi Rawat Alexandra Sandu Maria Sticlea Patrick Tansley Leo Ye

IBSB Alumni Mara Mellits Victor Popa Andreea Stanescu

Anastasia Iortoman Anushka Laha Sonia Marta Ana Mihaiescu Max Mihailovici

Tom Wilson

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