DIRECTOR’S UPDATE
Dear Community Members,
I am very happy to welcome our students and faculty back to our campus after the Spring Break.
Before heading off to a well-deserved break, our students and teachers bid farewell to our High School Seniors, who will be focusing on revising for their upcoming exams in the coming weeks. Their last day on campus was filled with fun, games, music, and colour to celebrate their cherished friendships and accomplishments. I wish the Class of 2024 the best of luck, and we are all very excited to see them back together for their Graduation Ceremony on 7 June!
As we are approaching the final two months of the school year, we look forward to the events that will take place on campus before the summer holidays. On the weekend of 8 - 9 June, our campus will host a two-day celebration of diversity and excellence at ISB Summerfest, on 8 June, will see one of the biggest alumni reunions, bringing together past students, teachers, and staff from all corners of the world, to reconnect and to reminisce about their time at ISB We hope many of them will also join us for the International Festival Taking place the following day, the festival is a celebration of our international community. Organisers from many of the nations represented at ISB will share their cultural heritage and culinary treasures with the rest of our community Thank you to all the volunteers who are already working hard to make this happen Family and friends are invited too!
On a daily basis, we strive to educate our students about diverse cultures, religions, and lifestyles, without promoting any singular one as superior to others. Our school's strengths lie in our diversity of cultures and richness of perspectives and, in line with our Equal Opportunities and Inclusion Policy, we see, treat, and support each other as unique individuals – with distinct cultural experiences and distinct potential. The International Festival is a way of showcasing our community and of appreciating that, over its 70+ year history, ISB has created a space to respect and to learn from one another’s different perspectives.
James MacDonald ISB Director
COMMUNITY UPDATE
A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY AT THE ECC
The Early Childhood Centre is the introduction to a child’s education and the place where they take their first steps into knowledge, curiosity, and discovery. At ISB, we ensure that these first steps map a comprehensive itinerary covering the most important skills and character traits to allow children to develop into well-rounded individuals with exciting passions and commitments.
Before the Spring Break, we had the opportunity to discuss with Alex Daintry, mother of Charles and Thomas Charles is currently in Grade 2 at the ECC and Thomas will be joining ISB in the upcoming school year.
Your elder son Charles started with ISB in kindergarten. In your view, what has been his experience so far?
From his first day of school in kindergarten until today in 2nd grade, Charles has thrived at ISB. He wakes up every morning excited about the day ahead, and comes home every afternoon filled with stories and anecdotes about what he has been up to. He genuinely loves his time in school, has made lovely friendships along the way, and has had excellent and encouraging teachers
Recently you just enrolled your younger son, Thomas, in the upcoming school year. What motivated you to make this decision?
Currently Thomas goes to a local French-speaking school, and although that has been amazing for his language abilities, I don’t feel as though he has ever found his ‘place’ in the school I really want Thomas to get the chance to also experience ISB and all that it has to offer, and to feel part of this great international community that ISB creates so well.
This is Charles’ last year in the Early Childhood Centre. What are some of the things that you have valued about his time in the ECC?
Most importantly, I have been really impressed by how his teachers have kept tabs on his learning developments, have really encouraged him, and worked with him on areas he has struggled with (such as reading) It has been done in such a way that it has not knocked his confidence, rather it has made him more determined to keep up. As someone with learning difficulties myself – I have been very impressed with their approach.
I really appreciate that although ISB is such a big school, the ECC manages to keep and foster a very ‘small school’ and personable atmosphere Charles not only knows his own teachers very well, but he knows the admin assistants, the Head of ECC, and the support staff; and they also know him For kids who lead this rather international lifestyle, this sense of ‘belonging’ is very important
I also appreciate that ISB does not just focus on the academic side of learning, but puts a lot of effort and time into developing well-rounded and respectful children, by emphasising the Big 4 –Safety, Fairness, Kindness, and Respect These kids will hopefully grow up into respectful and well-rounded adults.
What are some of the things you look forward to as he continues his journey at the Lower School?
Naturally, I hope that he will continue to receive the support and encouragement that he has been shown so far with his learning I hope that his confidence in himself and his abilities continue to be nurtured
a parent, what does your children’s cess at school look like? How does contribute to your definition of cess?
me, it is very important that my dren are happy and confident at ool, that they feel part of a community, have established meaningful ndships with their peers and tionships with their teachers If that is starting point – which has been the e for us at ISB – then any future culties or learning challenges they may e will be so much easier to conquer
What advice can you give to families who are considering ISB?
I believe that ISB has provided a fantastic foundation for Charles' schooling and career, and I am confident it has set him up with the right attitude and tools for learning, on which he can rely long after we have left Belgium
A sense of community is not only important for the children, but also really important for us as parents, especially for those of us whose home is not originally in Belgium ISB has been instrumental for me in making friends and connections with other parents. It has allowed me to settle into life in Brussels very quickly and to really enjoy our time here
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
GET INSPIRED BY THE ES STUDENT COUNCIL
The ISB Communications Team had the opportunity to sit down with G6 ES Student Council members Skylar, Jolene, and Valentina, to discuss the importance of student leadership and to tell us about some of the studentled community-building initiatives they organised on campus.
What can you tell us about yourselves and why you think it is important to be in student leadership?
Skylar: This is my first time in student leadership and it has been a really good experience. We have been able to start some of our own initiatives that have proven successful!
I think it is important to be in student leadership because we can help people in our student community By being involved in the Student Council we can also inspire other students to get involved with good initiatives The Student Council offers a good opportunity to gain leadership skills and to learn how to be an upstander – by stepping up and helping others whenever you notice that they are in need of support It’s an opportunity to encourage others to follow the Big 4 – Safety, Fairness, Kindness, and Respect
Valentina: I’ve been involved in student leadership for three years in total, for one year at my old school and for the last two years here at ISB. I think the Student Council is very important because students often notice issues that may not be obvious to teachers and parents, for example bullying or conflicts on the playground, and we can bring these issues up and help parents and teachers come up with the best solutions.
Jolene: I joined the Student Council because I thought it was very inspiring I have been involved in student leadership for two years in a row, in 5th grade and now in 6th grade, and I think it has improved a lot from last year Last year we did not have as much time for it and our ideas were not always implemented The teachers were mostly in charge of selecting and implementing the initiatives This year, however, students’ voices and student involvement are stronger, and the Student Council benefits from more freedom and accountability to implement student-led initiatives on campus
In your opinion, if someone is interested in getting involved with the Student Council, what are some of the characteristics they should have?
Jolene: Confidence is important because Student Council members have to do speeches in front of the class, and sometimes in front of the entire school You have to be open-minded and flexible to other people’s opinions and also because sometimes plans can change and you have to adapt To be in the Student Council you have to be willing to help others, to be an upstander and to step in if you notice that something is wrong, and to uphold the Big 4 Character Standards.
We believe every Student Council member should be kind and respectful to the teachers and to other students, and should act to promote fairness and safety in our school Dedication and perseverance are important as well, because many activities happen after school or during recess, so you have to be able to give up some of your free time Lastly, you have to keep your academic discipline, so that Student Council activities don’t affect your grades
What can you tell us about some of the Student Council initiatives for this school year?
Valentina:
One of our initiatives was the International Week of Kindness, during which we organised activities to motivate students to be kind with one another We had a Kindness News channel in which we talked about events taking place at the school and ways in which to be kind, and we also had Kindness Tickets to appreciate students who are kind, not just because they have to help someone or because that person is their friend, but for random acts of kindness.
Another initiative is Bin for the Win, which aims to motivate students to throw things responsibly in the bin and to clean up whenever they see littering, instead of just walking past it.
Raider Community Builders is an initiative to bring highschool students to the playground during recess, in order to ensure that everyone is safe and respectful It’s a way to build a stronger community and to create stronger relationships between students from different school sections The participating highschool students and student athletes met with our Student Council and told us about some of the things they have observed during recess It is also an initiative to encourage more students to be part of Athletics.
Put Your Name On It is an initiative that started last year to encourage students to put their names on their possessions so that they are easier to find in lost-andfound and to return to their owners When we see someone’s name on their jacket or water bottle, we know who to give it back to
We’ve also been working on a new Student Help initiative for the students who are new at ISB We help them settle in, adjust to the new environment, and make friends.
What can you tell us about the Equity Movie Night that you co-hosted?
Skylar: We co-hosted a screening of the movie Zootopia in the HS Theatre. The tickets were free but we asked people to make 1 EUR donations, and we sold food during the screening to raise money for the Student Council and for community service projects The food was prepared by the Student Council members in the kitchen, which was really fun! Approximately 100 people attended and we raised around 300 EUR
Skylar, Jolene, and Valentina: At the movie intermission, we asked students questions about the movie, about how people were treated in the movie, what they found to be fair and unfair, and what they thought the message of the story was We had a conversation about stereotypes, prejudices, and about the racial divide in the movie between predators and prey and the moral of the story We invited the whole community to have a conversation about the importance of these issues and to reflect about our roles within this conversation.
ATHLETICS
On Sunday, 14 April, some of ISB’s Cross Country Team, including coaches Julie Deegan and Donald Bain, took part in the 15th edition of the Uccle 10 Km run. Out of over 3000 entries, our team came in second!
Summer@ISB is back!
Organised by several valued partners, ISB Summer is the place to get active, design, express yourself, get messy, be creative, and develop new skills while making friends! In addition, ISB Summer offers several Sports Camps and a Theatre camp
Most activities are run in English and are open to both English and non-English speakers from inside or outside the ISB community
Discover our summer camps offers at here
As we bid farewell to our wonderful Board VP, Jennifer Medeiros, and her family this summer, the Brussels Sports Association (BSA) will be looking to fill this position as of 1 July
If you are interested in joining the BSA as Board Vice President / Strategy & Advancement Director, and would like more details about the role, please email us at office@bsasports.org
Serve the City
Serve the City is a global movement of volunteers showing kindness in practical ways to people in need. They partner with homeless shelters, refugee centres, and other associations offering help and support. Serve the City creates events that mobilise many volunteers to help in simple ways – through sports, music, arts and crafts, meals, friendship, and more They are the connection between the good intentions and talents of people who volunteer and a meaningful opportunity to get involved Many of our HS students find their volunteering experiences through Serve the City!
Serve the City is currently partnering with Z Zurich Foundation, who are organising the “Donate Your Lunch” fundraiser to raise money for 40 000 meals. For every euro raised, the Z Zurich Foundation will match it with another euro, thus doubling your donation so that double the number of people in need can be helped
Donate your lunch here before 15 June!
Learn with the FA
Each year, the FA offers a wide variety of classes on everything from language learning to fitness, and from wellness to discovering new cooking and creative skills. All ISB parents are welcome to join these wonderful opportunities to learn something while making new friends
Language Learning
French Class
English Class
Fitness & Wellness
FA Yoga Class
Group Fitness Class with Sylwia
Cooking
Moroccan Cooking Class – 26 April (FULL)
Korean Cooking Class – 3 May (FULL)
Creativity
Flower Arranging Workshop – 23 April (FULL)
with the ISB FA
For event details and registration, connect
HEALTH OFFICE
The Red Cross, in collaboration with the Watermael-Boitsfort municipality, is organising blood-donation drives, and we would like to take this opportunity to share the following information with you:
The next collection is scheduled for 2 May 2024.
For this campaign, the Red Cross wants to raise awareness amongst different communities, so that they can collect diverse blood types to meet specific needs. More information can be found here.
The great diversity present within the ISB community seems to be a great opportunity to meet these specific needs!
MOBILITY
Due to the renovation of the Leonard Tunnel and roadworks around the Brussels ring in the next few months, we foresee increased traffic congestion and disruptions. Due to the scheduled works, Avenue de la Foresterie will become an alternative route for getting into and out of Brussels, creating more traffic in our area in the mornings and afternoons. The works will divert traffic to the routes some of our buses are using, thus affecting total travel time.
As these planned roadworks are out of our control, we appreciate your understanding We are trying to do everything possible to minimise the disruptions. Any specific changes to school-bus routes will be communicated in due time to the registered families.
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.
