February Newsletter 2023

NEWS FROM THE EXECUTIVE HEAD

Home Languages at I SF

ISF's motto is ´Rich in Diversity, United by Values´. We continue to live up to our motto with 52 nationalities represented in the student body between our two campuses, ISF Tervuren and ISF Waterloo. The language of teaching instruction at ISF is English, but we

are proud that many of our students also speak at least oneother HomeLanguage.

ISF Tervuren students speak 24 different Home languages

ISF Waterloo students speak 35 different Home languages.

As oneschool, wehave 43 different languages!

We recently conducted a survey about the languages our students speak at homewith their parents, and theresults showed that:

Recent research shows that a strong foundation in a child's home language facilitates the development of a second language making the process of learning faster and easier.

NEWS FROM THE EXECUTIVE HEAD

February 2023

Take a look at the languages our students speak! Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Dzongkha, English, Tagalog, French, German, Hausa, Hindi, Hungarian, Ibibio, Igbo, Italian, Japanese, Jola, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Maltese, Marathi, Oshiwamboo, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Samoan, Singhi, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Yaruba and Wollof.

At ISF, wevalueand embracemultilingualism.

We recognise that children who see that their home language is valued build a positive and healthy self-identity, self-esteem and a stronger sense of pride in their cultural and linguistic heritage.

Belinda Yates Executive Head

Afterschool activities are very important for students. Whether wecall them extracurricular or extramural activities, these clubs and societies are a crucial part of the development of young people. There are numerous benefits for students who engage in spots and clubs outside of school, but we can summarise them into three categories: health, social and intellectual benefits.

Clubs and societies which are based outside and involve sport are extremely important for physical development. Not only does partaking in a sport build muscle, but outdoor activities also aid in mental well-being. Regular practice for sport keep students fit, active and engaged, and also aids mental well-being.

The social benefits of afterschool clubs and societies, especially those which involve some kind of team sport or group activity are key to developing future skills. These activities

encourage students to make friends outside of school, and interact with people from different backgrounds and walks of life. The ups and downs of competitive teamsports and activities also develops character building in a safeenvironment.

Students are able to learn that losing or failing is part of the process, and they develop crucial coping mechanisms for later in life. There is also an

FROM OURLEADERS -DEPUTY EXECUTIVE HEAD

added benefit of developing leadership skills. Then, there are the intellectual benefits. Outside clubs and activities greatly help students to develop problem solving skills and develop resilience. As these activities are based outside of the classroom and normal curriculum, students develop different skills and knowledge sets to enhance their intellectual repertoire.

The Sonian Explorers Scout group make use of our gymnasium every second Tuesday to host their meetings.

As part of British Scouting Overseas, they offer fun and social activities for young people.

They also provide the International Award for Young People. This is an excellent opportunity for students to engage with afterschool activities. The International Award is also a well-rounded programme with a focus on developing skills, community engagement, physical fitness and developing a sense of adventure in students. If you would like to know more about this, please do not hesitateto contact me.

Cobus Steyn Deputy Executive Head

FROM OURLEADERS-HEAD OF PRIMARY

And it is onwards for ISF as we continue our journey to becomea Green Flag Award Eco-School!

So what is an Eco-School?

Eco-Schools is a programme from theFoundation for Environmental Education (FEE) which encourages young peopleto engagein their environment by facilitating them to protect it actively, and that synchronises strongly with our school's corevalues.

This holistic initiativeempowers students to lead changeand experienceactivecitizenship within the school and in their wider community. Through this programme, our students will experiencea senseof achievement as they becomeableto raisetheir voices, makea differencein theenvironmental management policies of theschool and help ISF receivetheprestigious and internationally recognised

Green Flag Award, just oneof the tangibleresults of their action!

Becoming an Eco-School would mean that ISF is ableto:

- involveour wholeschool community and our wider Belgian community to connect globally to tackleenvironmental issues

- enhancetheschool environment by reducing our environmental footprint

- createfinancial savings through theefficient useof resources

- integratesustainabledevelopment principles into thecurriculum

- improvethewell-being of children and staff

- engagestudents in taking action against current environmental problems

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- improvestudents?attitudes by developing a senseof responsibility and commitment, sustainablemindsets, confidenceand motivation

- improvestudents?skills and knowledgein all relevant subject areas

Our next step is to createan Eco-School Committee which will beour driving force, representing the ideas of thewholeschool family and thelocal

community.

If you would liketo join us on this exciting and relevant journey towards changeleading to a more sustainable, less costly and moreresponsibleschool milieu, do not hesitateto let us know, wewill gladly welcomeyour ideas, skills, knowledgeand participation!

Together we can make our world, be it locally or globally, a better place. Join us!

Analida Anguizola Head of Primary

FROM OUR

EADERS-HEAD OF PRIMARY

FROM OURLEADERS-HEAD OF SECONDARY

?Tell meand I forget, teach meand I may remember, involvemeand I learn?- Unknown

This quote is sometime attributed to Benjamin Franklin, although thereis no evidence that heever said these words. Other people attribute it to a Chinese philosopher. Regardless of who said these words they hold a profound implication to learning. When students work on projects, they get a lot more than by simply hearing someone say it to them, or reading it from a book.

When working on a project, students involve all of their senses. They physically engage their body. They collaborate with other students which helps them develop social and emotional skills.

They also haveto think creatively to solveproblems as they arise. They experiencesetbacks and so must learn perseverance and resilienceto see theproject through.

Thethemeof this year?s ScienceFair was Toolsand Machines.

Human though havetaken their tools to a whole new level. In fact from a simplepencil to thevery complex computers, wehavedeveloped and heavily rely on complex tools and machines on a daily basis to navigateour environment.

During theScienceFair, students presented the projects they havebeen working on sinceSeptember. They wereasked to think of a daily activity and design a tool or a machinethat can help with that

FROM OURLEADERS-HEAD OF SECONDARY

activity. They could either improvea devicethat already exists or they could invent a new one. Students needed to consider global issues and weregiven extra credit for using recycled material.

Therewere8 tools and 13 machines developed by thestudents. Therangeof projects demonstrated the creativity of thestudents. Theprojects included simpletools for a very practical everyday challenges, apps that thestudents developed themselves, and proposed solutions for morecomplex problems like generating electricity from rainwater in high-rise buildings, to nameonly a few.

Thesecond half of theday was a STEM house competition. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students had to competein their houses in oneof thefollowing competitions:

- BridgeBuilding

- Egg Drop

- Spaghetti Tower

- Balloon powered car

It was a real pleasureto welcomeso many parents to theScienceFair this year. Welook forward to next year?s event wherethetheme will beSpace.

Nadim Bayeh Head of Secondary

SCHOOL COUNSELOR

Getting a good night's sleep is crucial for everyone, especially for secondary school students who areat a decisivestagein their academic and personal development. Lack of sleep can negatively impact a student's mental and physical well-being, leading to fatigue, decreased academic performanceand even depression. On theother hand, getting enough sleep can boost a student's energy, mood, and overall health. Herearesometips to help ensurea good night's sleep:

1. Establish a routine - Going to bed and waking up at thesametimeevery day, even on weekends, helps regulatethe body's natural sleep-wakecycle.

2. Create a sleep-conducive environment - Keeping thebedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Investing in a comfortablemattress and pillows to ensurecomfort whilesleeping.

3. Limit screens before bedtime - The bluelight emitted by electronic devices can interferewith natural sleep patterns. Try to avoid using screens for at least an hour beforebed.

4. Exercise regularly - Regular exercisecan help students to fall asleep faster and sleep moresoundly. Is recommendableto finish the workout at least a few hours beforebed.

5. Avoid caffeine and heavy meals before bedtime - Caffeineand heavy meals can disrupt sleep, so it is advisableto avoid consuming them in theevening.

6. Relax before bed - Develop a bedtime routinethat helps to relax and wind down. Effectiveways to achievethis

SCHOOL COUNSELOR

includereading a book, practising deep breathing exercises, or listening to calming music (60 bpm).

Moreover, sincetheweather in thenorthern hemispherewill start to get warmer and some holidays arecoming up, it is important to remember that getting exposureto natural light in themorning has been shown to havea positiveimpact on mood and cognitivefunction. Furthermore, research has demonstrated thebeneficial impact of consistent, adequatesleep on academic performance, particularly with regard to memory consolidation and information retention.

According to medical professionals, the recommended hours of sleep per day in relation to theagegroup arethefollowing:

In conclusion, getting enough sleep is essential for students to perform well academically and maintain good physical and mental health. By following thesetips, students (and anyone) can ensurethey get therestful sleep they need to function at their best.

Juan Francisco Betancourt School Counselor

PRE-SCHOOL

During our IPC unit, welearned about thedifferent types of bears. We had fun in theden and spent oneday likebears.

children enjoy crafts, baking, scienceexperiments or outdoor activities. This gives thechildren an opportunity to try new and fun things. Last timewemadefantastic homemadepizza. Thechildren loved to cook and eat their own tasty food.

Look at theboard wemadeabout Opposites.

Pre-school 2 had great ideas on how to usepictures and transform them for thestory we learned. Thechildren started learning letters, which is a great opportunity for teamwork activities. Becauseeverything is always easier with good friends.

Every Monday morning, wehave Enrichment activities, wherethe

February is a month of Valentine?s crafts, so Pre-school 2 madegifts for their parents. They learned how to use clay and madehandprint gifts from love. You should haveseen thehappy faces of theparents. Handmade gifts arealways liketreasures.

Thehighlight of our Pre-school lifewas thetrip to the forest. Weexplored so many new and interesting things. Of course, thepicnic with homemade goodies was inseparablefrom our fantastic day!

Areyou ready for a tasty and healthy adventure?Our Pre-Primary class has been cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and wefeel you'll loveit! Werecently madesomedelicious pizzas, but unfortunately, our class puppet Anna wasn't feeling so great after eating them. Werealised that not all foods makeus feel our best, so weareon a mission to find healthier food options to help us all feel good in our bodies and help us grow. Welook forward to continuing our journey to discover new and tasty foods that will fuel our bodies and makeus feel amazing. Together, we exploredifferent fruits and vegetables, learn how to make yummy and healthy snacks, and even try out somefun recipes.

During this month, thestudents of Year 2 became story tellers for our IPC topic ?Stories PeopleTell? .

They studied great tales from thepast, such as fables, myths and legends and in order to do so they took on theroleof historians, actors, geographers and artists.

During our Entry Point thestudents worked together in groups to invent their own imaginative stories.

They chosetheir costumes and props and created fantastic characters, Princesses,pirates, fairies, knights, bears and foxes all starred in numerous story settings creating fairytales that will pass from generation to generation.

What an amazing experience it has been for these promising young actors and actresses!

YEAR4

Year 4 recently started their new IPC unit ?Temples, Tombs and Treasures?with a visit to a ?tomb?set up in the classroom. They had to crawl through thetunnels and find pyramids, a death mask and a mummy! They havesince learnt how theEgyptians devised hieroglyphs to record important texts and how a form of writing known as cuneiform was originally created by theAncient Sumerians. The students tried making their own cuneiform markings on clay tablets and then recreated papyrus, theancient typeof paper used by theEgyptians. This is certainly an exciting and informativeunit and thereis still much moreto learn!

Year 6 had a fantastic start to term 2. Wehave started our new IPC unit, ?Existing, endangered, extinct?and learned all about endangered species. In February, wehad a guest visit from Nicolas Tubbs, theDirector of International Programs of the charity WWF Belgium who gavea workshop about theillegal wildlifetradeand answered all our questions, ranging from ?How do dolphins sleep??to ?How cometheRed List measures both turtles and rhinos as critically endangered and yet their numbers in terms of population in thewild arevery different??

Year 6 also co-organised a Valentine?s bakesalefor WWF to help saveendangered species, and it was a great success! Wealso had a great Scienceweek about thetopic ?Tools and machines? , and welearned about kinetic energy and gravity. Wetried to make our own marbleroller coaster however, this turned out to betrickier than expected!

HISTORY GEOGRAPHY

In year 7, the students moved from Scandinavia to China: they discovered the daily life and the world of the Vikings, then began the journey that will take them to China, via the Silk Road. Year 8 students crossed the Atlantic with the Mayflower settlers and discovered the different Native American tribes who inhabited the New Continent. They were interested in their way of life, their beliefs and their customs.

As for Year 9 students, they looked into the consequences of the First World War, in Europe and around the world, between the Roaring Twenties and the Hungry Thirties. Doing so, they were offered 3 different levels for the same challenge: writing an essay about the consequences to the Great Depression.

A-Level Geography students havebeen studying Atmosphereand weather in their lessons. As a part of their studies they haveengaged in somegames and created models to develop their understanding of theGlobal atmospheric circulation system and the Earth?s energy budget. Oneof thegames they played was with pennies as their counters, 100 pennies representing solar radiation.

Students had to follow instructions to create stacks representing units of energy as it travels through the atmosphere to the Earth?s surface. Each penny was then placed and moved around the diagram to represent the energy transfers that occur in the atmosphere. Calculations were made with the aim of balancing theenergy budget.

GEOGRAPHY

Students also created 3D models of theglobal circulation system. Themodels indicated the movement of warm and cold air around theglobeto show how they influenceweather. air around the globeto show how they influenceweather.

They also added the Hadley cells, Ferrel cells and Polar cells to their models. Alongside that they wrote information to explain the processes taking placenorth and south of theequator.

After the half term break the students will be teaming up with Year 7 students to carry out weather observations using our school weather station.

CHEMISTRY

Year 8 students were invited to be a forensic scientist investigating thekidnapping of Kevin Bacon.

To discover the culprit, students have to perform a chromatography on markers collected from 4 different suspects and compare it with the ransom note left behind. This activity frames itself in the unit ?Property of Materials? , specifically in the objective ?Describe how paper chromatography can be used to separate and identify substances in a sample.? , as well, in the objectives of carrying out scientific enquiries, their analysis, evaluation and conclusion.

CHEMISTRY

In the Unit of Acids, bases and salts, IGCSE 1 students took the lab home in the form of pH strips, blue and red litmus paper, and used them to test the acidity or basicity of different products they usedaily.

Red litmus paper will turn blue in the presence of bases, and red litmus paper will turn red in the presenceof acids.

The students realised that acids and bases play an important rolein our daily lives with this activity.

This challenge frames itself in the ?Unit 7 Acids, bases and salts? from Cambridge syllabus, which includes describing acids and bases in terms of their effects on litmus paper.

CHEMISTRY

Year 7 students are learning about elements, compounds and mixtures. Mixtures are two or more different substances that can be separated. We investigated this by separating salt from rock salt. Salt was once a precious commodity and Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. Our word ´salary´ comes from the Latin word for salt, ´sal´.

Weground down therock salt, filtered it and then evaporated thefiltrateand left it to crystallise. Theresulting salt crystals wereexamined under a microscopeto seetheregular latticestructureof this compound.

BIOLOGY

We are almost done with our IGCSE syllabus for Year 11. Their mock exams are coming up in the next few weeks and we wish them the best of luck. In Biology, we have been looking at the nervous system. This included dissecting a cow's eye to learn the different parts. Nerves are too narrow to see so rather than looking at real nerve cells, we acted out the transmission of a nervous impulse across a synapse. One group of students played the postsynaptic membrane, another played the presynaptic membrane. Other parts being a neurotransmitter, a receptor and a vesicle.

BUSINESS

IGCSE Business Studies students researched factors that motivate people to work, by interviewing more than 50 people with varying professions - most of them parents and other family members. In five teams they collated their results, presented their individual and team results and summarised them on a poster. The key finding was that financial factors only play a minor role compared to other motivators such as increased variety of tasks, recognition for work well done, improved work environment and chance of promotion. The best three posters selected by A-level Business students arenow on display in the Business room.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The students in our Middle Years are busy planning their projects. Carefully outlined proposals have been created and submitted with a fair amount of them already approved. Those projects which have not been approved yet are being tweaked as we speak. Action plans have been updated and some groups will soon be putting their latest projects into motion.

Some excellent projects are already on the table and in the final stages of planning. These include an inter-house alternative dodgeball event, raising funds to save the whales, a pizza lunch day, a recycling project that revolves around art, a school newspaper, a ping-pong tournament, collecting books to supplement our library, but to namea few.

Please give our students all the support they need in order to execute their projects successfully. Project management involves a crucial skill set that they are going to need in their respective futures.

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

The Travel and Tourism students have been working extremely hard in completing their coursework. Coursework gives learners the opportunity to work as part of a team to plan, carry out and evaluatea real project in theform of a travel or tourism event. Undertaking and completing a coursework investigation allows learners to work in a very different way from the traditional didactic teaching and learning style often adopted in preparing learners for an external assessment. Coursework investigation is particularly relevant when studying the travel and tourism industry as the industry is customer-centred, requiring a high level of practical skills. The students have successfully hosted their event at Brussels Kart which was filled with lots of excitement, they learnt a lot of skills, gained a lot of knowledge in working with

clients and problem-solving. The students received a lot of positive feedback and will now complete the final stage of their project which is Evaluation.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

The IGCSE 1 students have recently developed the skills of conducting proper and effectiveresearch.

They have been provided with a set of tools to assist them on their research journey.

For the students to showcase their newly developed skills, they have been tasked with the assessment of creating a slidepresentation on a worldly topic.

It's been a busy first few weeks for the students in Lower Secondary. Year 9 is starting to see the consequences of sacrificing one's conscience and sense of what is right for blind ambition in Macbeth, Year 8 has travelled through the old America´s with two friends, Lennie and George, and the students in Year 7 have seen how a girl their age can save the life of her father with strength of character.

well-written memoirs and autobiographies, what is around us have been described in vivid detail, not just awakening our own senses, but also bringing it to life for others who read what we have written. We have furthermore been able to let our imaginations run free, sharing fanciful stories, and creating our own myths and legends in well-written narratives.

There have been good debates on important, everyday issues, as well as solid and convincing arguments, presented on topics that concern us all. Memories and experiences have been shared in

A good amount of students in Lower Secondary are starting to see the rewards of increased effort and dedication, a state of affairs that will hopefully become reality for each and every one.

FRENCH

French language 1 in Primary was a real blast theselast few weeks!

In Pre Primary, Students learned about Food and read Pop?s story. Pop is a dinosaur who eats all kind of colours. After reading, creativity took place as each student had to create and present their own Pop! It was funny to listen to all the favourite things each dinosaur loved to eat!

PrePrimary also made Carnival masks with fruit and vegetables!

Year 3-4 discovered lots of celebrations around the world : they researched Hanukkah, Ramadan, Diwali, Christmas, and presented their work orally. It was really interesting to learn about different cultures.

Students of Year 5/6 researched, presented and built an invention or a discovery from their home

country. Many interesting inventions were talked about and some of them were really surprising!

ART

The Year 7 students have recently concluded the ?Working with Colour? unit where they learned about primary, secondary and tertiary colours.

They experimented with mixing colours and creating different tints, shades and tones of a certain colour. Moreover, they learned about the power of colours, their meanings across different cultures and how marketers and designers consciously make decisions about the colours they use.

Across this unit, the students have done multiple artworks with a particular goal in mind, whether it was to convey a particular emotion, to show how dynamic colours are or by creating thematic schemes.

They also learned that with a basic understanding of colour, they can better analyse, evaluate and understand a pieceof art.

To round off theunit, theYear 7 students weretasked to createa visual learning poster in which they highlighted key things they learned and demonstrated their understanding by writing about the significanceof colour in art usage.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Ahead of the invasion games unit in Physical Education, ISF Waterloo welcomed the British Junior Academy of Brussels for two basketball games.

Unfortunately, we lost both, Year 5 and Year 6 narrowly lost 13-10, and Year 7 and Year 8 lost 18-8. However, the opportunity to work together as a team showing resilience against stronger opponents and displaying sportsmanship and respect following thegamewas not lost.

All participants represented the school well and can be proud, we will work hard to improve and look forward to improved results next time!

MULTISPORT CLUB

In Multisport club, we pick a different sport each week and play! It's all about fun, expending energy and tiring out thechildren beforethey go home!

SCIENCEDAY

We were happy to be able to invite friends and family back to Science Day after the Covid restrictions of thelast coupleof years.

Theday was filled with energy as students showed off the tools and machines that they had been inventing sincethebeginning of theschool year. There was a large range of projects providing solutions to various global or domestic issues. Several groups looked at solving the problem of access to clean water and others looked for solutions to theenergy crisis.

Oneproject developed a devicethat promotes mental health and another to help migratory birds.

Someother issues weremoremundanebut the solutions allowed for creativity in thought and design such as an automatic tooth cleaner or a deviceto clean whiteboards.

Theafternoon was devoted to housecompetitions in theform of engineering challenges. Students competed to build thetallest tower from spaghetti and marshmallows, a balloon-powered car and the strongest bridge. Thefinaleof theday was throwing raw eggs off thetop balcony in thegym in a device that had to protect them but beat thesametime, as light as possible.

ECO-SCHOOL

Tuesday February 14, we organised our first Eco-school committee with the children from Year 1 to Year 6. Everyone had the opportunity to share their ideas in order to conserveenergy within theschool.

A report was written and the next step will be to go around the school with the list of points raised during our meeting in order to discover our strengths and weaknesses. Afterwards, we will organise a meeting with the parents who wish for it, in order to see how each of us can be useful in implementing a change and using our energies in a moresustainableway.