Community Update - 03 May 2024

COMMUNITY UPDATE

DIRECTOR’S UPDATE

Dear Community Members,

Trying to capture and convey all the amazing things our students have as a part of an ISB education can be difficult sometimes, given the breadth and scope of our offerings. Therefore, today I want to take the opportunity to highlight a couple of events with you, taken from opposite ends of our school, and to showcase what a diverse international education entails at ISB

On 25 April, the Early Childhood Centre organised a Home Language Day for our youngest learners Our ECC students wore their countries’ colours and traditional attire to celebrate their heritage and to practise their home languages together Our ECC team arranged for close to two dozen parent volunteers and teachers to provide educational activities in the 21 different home languages spoken within the ECC community! These activities included telling stories, singing songs, and playing games in the languages our students speak at home Furthermore, our English-speaking students learnt new ways to communicate with others using sign language, Google Translate, and through greetings from around the world We believe that finding ways to connect children's home language with their school life supports students’ unique identities, improves their language skills, and strengthens their sense of belonging

In the High School, as students look to their future beyond ISB, we are excited to be hosting over 60 universities from across Europe (including KU Leuven, University of St Andrews, Leiden University College, and ESCP Business School) for the annual European University Fair on Monday, 13 May Over 300 students and parents, both from ISB and from other schools in the region, will attend this event As we are seeing more and more of our graduates attending European universities, hosting this major event is not only important for our students, but it also highlights ISB’s recognition as a top school by acclaimed university representatives who chose ISB as a venue.

ISB is a place with many different types of learning opportunities for its students, and these two events are excellent examples of what makes ISB stand out from others in the world of international education.

James MacDonald ISB Director

AIDEN AND JOLENE ABOUT OPERATION THERMOS

The ISB Communications Team had the opportunity to interview Grade 6 students Aiden and Jolene about their Service Learning Project Operation Thermos.

What can you tell us about yourselves as a short introduction?

My name is Jolene and I am in 6th grade. I like drama and I am in the ES Student Council. My name is Aiden and I am a human �� I’ve been at ISB for 7 years, and I love recess, the cafeteria, dessert day, and gaming.

What can you tell us about Operation Thermos?

Aiden: Operation Thermos is a non-profit organisation that started in the 1980s. It was founded by scouts who went to the train station and saw many homeless people, and the next day they came back to give them food, for example soup in thermos bottles. They started a routine of going every night and helping more and more people In this project we fed around 200 people

Why did you decide to participate in this service learning opportunity?

Jolene & Aiden: We had many choices as part of our Human Rights studies Operation Thermos is connected to Human Rights because homeless people are not receiving the right to housing and property To choose a group, we rated all the options on a scale from first to least wanted option, and Operation Thermos was our first choice Then you got placed in a group with other students who also chose this project and with one or two teachers who instructed us about what we will do to help people. The other options were the KIVA project, a project about girls’ involvement in sports, a project helping people coming from abroad settle in Belgium, and one project giving sanitary aid to homeless people (which was also quite similar to Operation Thermos).

Jolene: I chose this particular project because I like cooking and you had to prepare food for people who need it I thought it was inspiring to physically go to a metro station and give it to them in person For me the direct interaction was very important and very rewarding I liked that you could go to the metro and meet the people you were helping and they could meet us too When we went to other metro stations afterwards, we saw some of the people again and they recognised us and were happy to see us again The only sad thing was that we couldn’t help more than 200 people. I think more of these initiatives are needed to help more people

Aiden: I liked that we could learn how to cook different foods, because I did not know much about cooking. And I wanted to help the community and to share with others the things we are very lucky to have but sometimes take for granted.

Why do you think it is important that students participate in community engagement initiatives?

Aiden: I think it’s important to participate because you won’t learn unless you try new things. It’s good to learn about the outside world and about the things that could go wrong We learned about some of the things that can lead to homelessness and what options there are for people who become homeless, for example where they can go for meals or to sleep

Jolene: Once you do it you get a different perspective on the world, because you see how easy it is for everything to go wrong It shows you how sometimes life is not really fair, and it teaches us what we can do to help.

Do you feel that these experiences influence your education and learning at ISB? How?

Aiden: This experience really taught me a lot about homelessness, by giving us practical examples of how people live from night to night not knowing when their next meal will be. It made us more aware of people and how we can take initiative, instead of just ignoring the homeless people we see in the city. Also, learning how to cook is a very good practical skill to have as an adult.

Jolene: I think it also reminds us that other people have less than us It’s good to have that reminder because it helps you see how lucky we are to have access to important things like our homes and our school

Do you think these experiences will influence your future studies or choices after finishing school?

Aiden: I think such experiences help us consider how to build our future careers to continue helping people.

Jolene: This is something I would like to continue to do in my free time because it is very rewarding These types of experiences can make the people you help want to help others as well, once they manage to make it out of the homelessness cycle and can afford to help others to get out of homelessness too

JENAMI & SKYLAR ABOUT KIVA

The ISB Communications Team had the opportunity to talk with ES students, Jenami and Skylar, about the KIVA Project – their Grade 6 Service Learning Project The Kiva platform enables users to provide microloans to people in need of financial support Each year, ISB 6 graders get a total 1000 EUR to lend through the KIVA initiative

What can you tell us about the KIVA project and your involvement in it?

The KIVA project was our Service Learning Project We had to research people on the KIVA website and we could lend money to them and eventually, in our case after one year, they would pay us back. We could decide who we wanted to lend the money to, depending on their situation and what they needed the money for, and how much money we would lend to them, between 25 to 100 EUR

Why have you chosen the KIVA project as part of your Human Rights Project?

At the beginning of this Social Studies unit, we got to vote for our favorite topic, and both of us had the KIVA group as our first choice We thought it was really cool to learn about how crowdfunding and microfinancing can be used to help people It was interesting to learn how to handle money and we had to make good decisions regarding our funds It’s something that we might want to do when we grow older, to have a KIVA account and use our own money to help people directly

Can you give us some examples of some of the initiatives or people you chose to help with your loans?

You can decide to finance an initiative or an individual person, based on your preference For example, if you wanted to support a farming project, you could search for food initiatives and see a list of people in need of funds for farming projects You can read through everyone’s story and choose one that you think is good. We could also help individual people, for example single parents who needed money to pay for day-to-day things like their bills

Is there anything else that you think people should know about KIVA?

KIVA is something that everyone can do very easily. Anyone can open an account and can decide where their contributions can go, and since it’s a loan, everyone gets their money back You are helping people without having to make a personal sacrifice, because the money gets paid back to you (and you can use it again to help someone else!) By browsing through people’s profiles and stories, you can see for how long they need the money, so you can even choose when you would like to receive your money back We had a limit of one year, so next year the 6 graders can reuse the money they lent this year.

Fedasil Rixensart

Fedasil Rixensart is a shelter providing support for asylum seekers during their application process Many of the asylum seekers bring children with them in the hope of giving their child a better life. We plan activities for the children who live at the Fedasil centre, making sure they are still able to enjoy their childhood in a new and unfamiliar place. We organise activities, such as crafts, baking, and outdoor games and challenges The centre aims to create a safe space for the children who live there, and through personal growth and interaction with others, to create lasting friendships and bonds

“For me, being involved in this project is deeply educational By participating in the project, I have grown and learnt to appreciate the strength and resilience of these children. Children need a stable and secure environment for optimised personal growth, and I believe that Fedasil Rixensart offers this. These children deserve a childhood as much as anyone else, and our activities help them maintain a sense of normality and give them something to look forward to during challenging times. The work at Fedasil Rixensart is a testament to the strong community here in Brussels.” Ava Furst, G11

ATHLETICS

The Special Olympics Send Off Assembly will take place on Wednesday, 8 May. All of our students will attend the Assembly to cheer on this year’s Special Olympians.

Lee Rosky - Director of Athletics and Activities, Kristen Schroeder - Director of Inclusion and Challenge, and James MacDonald - ISB Director will be present to introduce the event and to celebrate our Special O’s team with our students, teachers, and coaches

A kind reminder that the Special O’s Send Off will be a RED OUT DAY, so please remember to wear red to show your ISB pride!

This July, ISB collaborates with PPI Recruits to offer top athletes an outstanding Elite Camp. The camp will take place on the ISB campus and will run everyday between 8 to 12 of July, from 8:30 until 17:00.

This is a unique opportunity for elite student athletes to be exposed to NCAA coaching and to be provided with training in strength and conditioning, fitness, nutrition, and sports psychology

We are looking for the best student athletes from across Europe, who are between 15 and 17 years old, and who practise Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball, or American Football. This camp is intended exclusively for elite student athletes in each of the four chosen sports, who are serious about taking the next step in their athletics career This camp is not suitable for beginners or for those looking to improve their game in a general way.

Selected student athletes will receive an invitation link to register for Elite Week via our website (See “How can I register?” and click on the applicable registration link). Interested athletes who did not receive an invitation should fill out this interest form. Our partners from PPI Recruits will evaluate all registrations of interest and will get in touch with the athletes who meet the appropriate level for this camp

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, our Middle School main stage theatre production is taking place on 3 and 4 May 2024, from 19:00 (show duration 70 minutes) Tickets are available at https://isbarts.simpletix.be/.

Huge congratulations are due to the 48 students across our Middle and High School who have been working hard to make Shakespeare’s beloved and absurd black comedy come to life.

Wishing all the cast and crew huge success!

Parents and carers can support the Arts@ISB programme by becoming volunteer members of CAST To sign up, please contact our Arts Council Chair, Rachel Reiner

STEM @ ISB

IB Design Technology Project Exhibition

Experience the Grade 12 IB Design Technology Project Exhibition at the Marble Gallery Witness the inventive approaches of our student designers as they identify design opportunities, navigate the design cycle, and use technology to propose solutions. Turn the pages of each student's design portfolio and discover the models and prototypes they've thoughtfully developed, tested, and evaluated. Explore each designer’s creative journey. The exhibition opens its doors to all starting Monday, 6 May.

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Did you know that the FA has a number of clubs for ISB families? From photography to cycling, and from sustainability to socialising, there is something for everyone All ISB parents are welcome to join these wonderful opportunities to learn something new while making new friends

Join an FA Group this Spring

Photography Club

The photo team gets together every other Friday at lunchtime They share and discuss photos, create challenges for the group, and sometimes go to exhibitions. For more information, contact Torunn Hjorthol on WhatsApp at +4798649843

Green Team

Our very active Green Team works together on new ideas and efforts to become more sustainable There are also weekly forest walks on Monday. For info or sign-up, please contact the Green Team at greenteam@isbfa.be

ISB Dads Group

The FA Dads Club comes together for sports or a drink, and supports the school in various events and activities. All ISB fathers are welcome to join. Find out more at isbdads@isbfa.be.

FA Cycling Club

The Cycling Club is a great opportunity to get together and to make the most of our amazing surroundings. Parents can reach out to cycling@isbfa.be for information.

Interested to learn more about the FA, our events and our clubs? Read the latest FA Community Compass Newsletter.

GENERAL IT REMINDER

ISB CENTRAL LEARNING PLATFORM

Set up your ISB Parent Account

In order to access ISB’s digital resources, you will need to set up your unique ISB Parent Account. To do so, please follow the instructions below.

Go to isb.be/portal and enter the credentials that were sent to you in the email 1 When prompted for your email, re-enter your username, NOT your personal email. 2 When prompted for your password, enter your temporary password. 3.

Log in to the ISB Learning Platform

Once you have set up your account, you can access the ISB Learning Platform (PowerSchool) This is a centralised space for all ISB digital resources.

Access all ISB Digital Resources

In the left-hand menu of the ISB Learning Platform (PowerSchool), you will find links to the digital resources below. Please use your ISB Parent Account to log in.

ISB Information Hub (ISB Community Portal) : For all relevant resources such as the ISB Calendar, the ISB Directory, and our New Families Page ISB Digital Learning (Schoology) : For information on your child’s classes, learning materials, upcoming assignments, and more.

ISB After-School Activities (SchoolsBuddy) : To register your child for the ISB after-school activities To log in, please click on the button ‘Azuread’

Should you need help to reset your login credentials, our IT team is available via email at IThelpdesk@isb.be and will happily help you.