BFIS Annual Review 2021-2022

Governance

Letter from the Foundation Board

Letter from the Head of School Child Protection

Building Character Leadership Opportunities

Student Voice

Counseling Services Service Learning Extracurricular Program

Honoring our Traditions

Curriculum

Through the lens of coaches Enrichment Program

IB Results 2022 Class of 2022 University Acceptances Career and College Guidance Outdoor Learning

Inclusive and Engaged Community Students Profile Teachers Profile Welcoming New Families School-Home Partnership Parent and Teacher Association Parent Gatherings

Facilities

OUR MISSION IS TO ENGAGE OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY IN THE PURSUIT OF EDUCATIONAL

AND SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS

GOVERNANCE

LETTER FROM THE FOUNDATION BOARD

A POSITIVE SCHOOL YEAR

Emily Kunze President of the BFIS Foundation Board

The 2021-2022 school year has been very positive in the life of the school. We returned to a post pandemic school experience and welcomed a new Head of School, Rachel Hovington.

A visionary leader, Ms Hovington directed a comprehensive strategic plan with the stakeholders of our community This plan includes a long-term facilities design with

a new innovative high school building and special spaces dedicated to the Arts, Design and Sciences Outdoor learning has also been made a priority for all grades as we look at how to take advantage of both spaces on campus as well as off campus connecting students to our local community.

The BFIS approach to learning continues to focus on equity, inclusion, and student learning where we young people can continue to thrive in their education

During the post pandemic school year, we have also seen a renewal of our community

activities, with much thanks to our volunteer PTA members.

The community has always been strong asset to BFIS and a source of pride for all of us The collaboration and partnerships among the teachers, administration, support staff, students and families create common goals in our students’ futures.

We are committed to the work ahead and look forward to serving our students, staff, and families in the school year ahead and beyond

Sincerely,

Emily Kunze

President of the BFIS Foundation Board

BOARD

Giovanni Garcea

GC Katie Stana

Daniel Ripley

Paul Schulz

Emily Kunze President

John Erceg

Luís Seguí

Luca Venza

Claire Williams

Renate Wuebker

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

COMING BACK STRONGER

Rachel Hovington Head of School

The juxtaposition of the gradual removal of health restrictions and the development of our new Vision for Learning (strategic plan) in the 2021-21 school year lifted the community as we spent the year looking to the future with excitement and anticipation.

The Catalunya Sant Jordi celebration in Spring 2022 was an amazing release of the community's energy. My favorite memory of the year remains 9th and 10th graders dancing with staff around the auditorium smiling with Sant Jordi roses between their teeth and when they fell out, lots of laughter With parents back on campus for Parent Gatherings we raised a glass of champagne to the future of BFIS and set a new course With a new Head of Elementary in place in 2021-22 and New Head of Secondary set to join in August 2022 we looked ahead to a future with the hopes of leadership and teacher stability and a clear direction.

The Vision for Learning 2022-25 was built by the whole community. We began with over four hundred students sharing what they valued about the school and what they wanted to see for their futures Staff input, followed by Board and parent session input followed What emerged was a strong community need for real world experiences, authentic assessment and contextualized learning experiences The community valued the arts more than it was experiencing them and saw technology, innovation, design and entrepreneurship as top priorities Outdoor learning came through strongly as a way to connect students to self, to others and to the world around them Students wanted teachers to know them well and to bring out their full potential They wanted every learning minute to count in the classroom and for us to engage them in more modern and varied teaching methodologies

It was easy to see three strategic pillars emerging namely Experiential Learning, Creativity and Innovation, and Individual Potential As we crafted our vision for learning we also knew that some of the next steps we took needed to be built on some fundamental foundation stones. indicative of an excellent school These structural, operational and change management considerations thus cemented our foundation goals

We step boldly into the future this year We are coming back stronger and ready to do the work of an exceptional school and we have a plan to propel us forward to that end. The next three academic years towards 2025 will be exciting ones

Rachel Hovington Head of School

CHILD PROTECTION

Lila Jorge Associate Head of School

The United Nations adopted via the General Assembly, the Convention of the Rights of the Child in 1989. It is an agreement where over 195 countries have committed and promised to protect children's rights

The United Nations affirms that children are entitled to special care and support due to their physical, mental, and socialemotional vulnerabilities. As such, schools must serve as a safe haven for children.

At BFIS, we have a duty of care to protect children, prevent them from harm, and act with a sense of urgency if a child is at risk of harm As a school, we need to weave into our daily practiceprocesses, procedures, and training that empower the community and hold all of us to account for our student's safety and well-being In the Fall of 2021, we examined our policies and processes and identified a vital flaw in our reporting procedures. We found that often the lens used to report came from a place where only conclusive evidence could be passed on to the Leadership team versus an understanding that a small concern or unsettling feeling could equally (and

perhaps be more important) to share The recognition of this practice and the need to shift it was critical. By encouraging staff and students to report low-level concerns, we exponentially lowered the stakes for reporting, took the ones for proving or disproving facts off of the person reporting, and opened the door for reporting all types of concerns that could potentially reveal bigger issues or prevent a situation from escalating. Our charge then became to revamp and create more meticulous and well-communicated policies and procedures that were student and adult friendly and accessible

CHILD PROTECTION TEAM

The first step taken was to assemble a Child Protection Team and create a process to handle reporting with a laser focus on students and their safety needs

Our Child Protection team engaged in professional learning led by the Council of International Schools (CIS). This training involved all of our counselors, deans, heads of sections, our IBDP Coordinator, and Human Resource Manager We normed and set agreements for our work as a team, became the faces to lead and launch this work, and coordinated to respond to any concern that came our way

As the Child Protection Team, we retreated, dialogued, questioned, and probed, which led to the establishment of how we work, respond, and reflect as a team By November, we updated our Code of Conduct, created a rough draft of our Child Protection Handbook, connected with local agencies, revamped our procedures, and identified where within our physical learning environment, we could add greater measures of protection (i e toileting practice in Early Childhood and tutoring guidelines). More importantly, we revised our reporting procedures to empower staff and students to raise low level concerns

We knew that our next step was to communicate our recently updated policies and procedures and introduce our

Child Protection Team. We first trained the BFIS Board and by January we led professional training for our entire instructional and operational staff, partner organizations ( that directly work with our children), and our After School Extracurricular staff so that they understood the role they hold in keeping children safe, which includes being able to recognize the signs and indicators of abuse and knowing how to report and ultimately follow our safeguarding and child protection procedures By the Spring of 2022, we trained our student body and parents to report or speak out when they have a concern about their own or another child’s well-being

GOALS

Our goal for this year was to and is to create a culture where:

Children feel confident to speak out if they have a concern about their own or another child’s safety

Adults feel confident to recognize and respond to safeguarding and child protection concerns.

All community members have a shared understanding of the signs and risks of child abuse

All staff has an understanding of ageappropriate, healthy relationship education for children and young people based upon new UNESCO and WHO guidelines

As a Child Protection Team, we made gains, and recognize that we are just beginning to peel the onion As we closed the year in reflection, we celebrated the achievements reached and engaged in an audit, which allowed us to identify the process we had in place, not in place, and in progress What became evident was that this year, we tackled our policies, increased our communication and partnerships, laid the foundations for our curriculum to be launched, provided training to all community members, and streamlined our reporting process, recruitment, and selection process We gained more traction than expected and our greatest learning and understanding that stood out is that Child Protection and Safeguarding is everyone ’ s business, concern, and responsibility

BUILDING CHARACTER

LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Charo Rodríguez Director of Marketing and Communications

STUDENT CLUBS

buildabetterworld

Studentleadershipopportunitiesand student-ledactivitiesareanintegralpartof thecultureatBFIS.Wesupportstudentsto driveactivity,buildnetworks,develop partnerships,influencedecisionsand contributetochange.Ourroleistocreate therightconditionstohelpthemdoso successfully

HISTORY BEE AND BOWL TOURNAMENT

In April 2022, our Varsity History Club received first place in the Pan-European History Bee and Bowl Tournament and were invited to the international competition in Switzerland in May 2002 Our students travelled to Basel and participated in the finals They were ranked in third place. Such a great achievement for the first year of the club! Well done team, Ms. Schuller and Ms. Gilmore!

FIRST BFIS MUN CONFERENCE

In April 2022, the first BFMUN Conference took place at our campus, attended by more than 40 students from BFIS and other international schools in Barcelona.

Participants were involved as they took on the roles of diplomats from different countries, representing their nation in discussions on the conference’s topic Promoting Harmony in a Globalized World. This conference got off the ground thanks to the enthusiasm, passion and commitment of Carlota Figueroa, Grade 12 student, and Social Studies teacher, Isid Spaho

4 VOICES PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

Our grade 11 student, Nanthan Nan, won First Place in the final round of the 4Voices speech competition in Barcelona Nanthan’s impressive speech entitled, ‘Comprehensive knowledge leads to diversity’ which ended with the line, "while diversity makes us different, the differences makes us the same" With composure, grace, humor, and a big smile, Nanthan delivered a moving and thoughtful presentation The 4Voices Founders called Nanthan ‘ a star’ Nanthan represented

ISMTF MATH COMPETITION

In March 2022, 16 students from G9 to G11 participated in the International Schools Mathematics Teachers Foundation (ISMTF) competition One of our Junior teams was a winner, getting first position (out of 91 teams) and another one got the 23rd place, which makes the team among the best 20% In the individual competition, one of our G11 students got a welldeserved 4th place out of 289 participants, four of our students ranked among the best 20% and all of them ranked among the best 50% of total participants

Congratulations to all of the participants and their fabulous coach, Isabel Vives

As one of the Math Club members said "( ) It has been a great experience for all the members as we have not only learned a lot about maths, but also developed teamwork skills"

STUDENT VOICE

Rodríguez, Director of Marketing and Communciations Kristy Csensich, Head of Elementary

Giving students some say over what happens in class promotes engagement and a strong sense of community.

Elevating student voice is critical for many reasons: to strengthen relationships, foster a sense of belonging, increase engagement, develop selfesteem and create more respectful relationships.

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCILS

A Student Council is a group of elected and volunteer students working together to provide a means for student expression and assistance in school affairs and activities, and gives opportunities for student experience in leadership and encourages student-faculty-community relations

During the school year 2021-2022 our Middle School and High School Student Councils did a great job creating and promoting activities to bring together our community of teachers and students, after

Charo

BUILDING CHARACTER

two years of restricted contact during the pandemic. Some of these activities were: to organize candy grams for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Kindness Week, organize student activities during Spirit Week (Pajama Day, Tweens Day, Halloween Contest, Talent Shows, The MS Dance Evening, leading student assemblies or running the Student Store among other things

STRATEGIC PLAN

Strategic planning is an activity designed to articulate the future direction of an organization in the pursuit of its mission and vision. The momentum for this was driven by the arrival of our current Head of School, Rachel Hovington The strategic planning process is as important as the final plan itself and we had no doubt about involving students in the process. Our students are intelligent, engaging and destined to change the world. Their voice is crucial in creating a comprehensive plan for student success. We carried out various sessions with our MS and HS students who pointed out what we should improve as an International American school, as well as implement or remove from our programs and learning environment.

STUDENT CLUBS

Clubs are a great way to help develop students' character and skills that will benefit them in school, career and in life. At BFIS, students take an active role in creating clubs and engaging other students to participate For them it is a way to discover new passions or further develop a current one. Through clubs

students learn that their voices can be powerful instruments of learning for themselves and others

PASSION PROJECTS

Passion Projects were born at BFIS during the school year 2021-2022, thanks to the dedication and engagement of our Enrichment Coordinator, Jenna/Rae Warne. Passion Projects or Independent Projects are a student centered, inquiry/based learning experiences that allow students to initiate, manage and direct their own investigation in an area of interest Students work independently under the supervision of the Enrichment Coordinator and an internal or external mentor if they would like

COUNSELING SERVICES

Students learn best when they are safe and supported At BFIS we support students with any social emotional issues they face within or out of school While short-term support is provided at school, we have a strong network of providers for outside care

Although teachers and students were back on campus during the school year 2021-2022, the habits of a regular daily school experience continued to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions As widely reported in the news throughout the world, the pandemic adversely affected the mental health of young people and the repercussions are still being felt

All of our teachers and counselors help students develop understanding, knowledge and skills that suport self-awareness, promote respectul relationships and builds students capacity to recognize and manager their emotions.

Julie Rainer, ES Counselor, Brooke Fezler, MS Counselor, Anita Kleijn, HS Counselor, Rhonda Leshman, IBDP Counselor

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused learning losses, but it has also impacted complementary interactions that were part of being at school Loss of daily structure, diminished social group interaction, fear of getting sick, uncertainty of the future, social distancing, amongst other factors, have affected and are still affecting the wellbeing of students Studies in the US, Germany, Spain, Argentina, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Brazil show an increase in anxiety levels, stress, and depression symptoms

Our priority as an educational institution has always been to provide a safe, supportive and equitable learning environment for our students That is the essence of our work as educators; especailly during these unprecedented times

More than ever, we gave special attention to our students' mental health and wellbeing and addressed difficult situations such as fear and anxiety: fear of returning to school, of getting sick, and of isolation

Our BFIS educators have a multi-tiered system of support which provides frameworks for solving problems and managing challenging situations by utilizing both preventative and responsive strategies, including classroom instruction, our social and emotional curriculum, small-group and individual counseling and indirect support through external consultation with mental health providers

"

PARENT COUNSELING

Our counselors were available to support parents through individual meetings focused on how to support their child through new and unique circumstances We believe strongly in the power of working as a team: parent, school and child We believe parents, and partnership with parents, is critical for student success, especially during difficult times

One of the most important ways our teachers and counselors strengthen their relationship with parents, in a time when they were not able to enter our campus, is through online meetings and workshops, which were offered frequently; regular communication with parents providing feedback on how their child is doing in their approaches to learning, through the use of tools such as Class Charts (MS) and SeeSaw (ES)

PARENT WORKSHOPS

September

Third Culture Kids & Adjustment Cycle

Supporting your child with online learning I

Supporting your child with online learning II Head of School Coffee with Counselors

November

Student Parent Teacher conferences

Substance Abuse Prevention (4 online sessions for parents)

March

Student parents teacher conferences

Parenting in the Digital Age Substance Abuse Prevention (in person sessions for G6-12)

April May June

Digital Posture Child Protection

Relational Aggression (ES)

Transition meetings: Grade 5-6 Grade 8-9 Families leaving BFIS

Water Safety (ES)

SERVICE LEARNING

Karina Jackson Service Learning Coordinator

Service learning connects student learning in the classroom with real-world experiences in the community. Students who participate in it are more deeply engaged in their local communities, gain practical skills, develop their career and personal interests, and are usually happier engaged citizens.

Creating opportunities for young people to service their community increases their involvement and it instills the habit of performing a service for others. Students who engage early on often continue service work for the rest of their lives.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

At BFIS Elementary students work in teams and with the guidance of faculty and older students, they take on projects designed to improve the school community. Projects include helping younger students to read, recycling, landscaping, and painting, and participating in the BFIS Buddy Program during the summer and at the beginning of the school year

MIDDLE SCHOOL

For the first year, we had a few MS lunch clubs! Several very enthusiastic students decided to join the clubs to make the community a better place We raised awareness about social issues, organised some fundraising events and debated We are looking forward to more initiative next year!

We also launched the first Service Learning programme during advisory. This year was a pilot year Grade 8 students led raising awareness campaigns on inequalities and presented their project to the Grade 6 and Grade 7 advisories.

HIGH SCHOOL

2021/2022 has been a pilot year for the new Service Learning programme during Advisory G9 worked on three projects, based on the Sustainable Development Goal The objectives of those projects were to give the students a better understanding of Global Issues through role play, research,

Pre-K students cooking for Esperança Walk, to bring food to homeless people in Barcelona

MS students writing Christmas cards for the homeless

PRE-CAS

B DIPLOMA CAS

s part of the IB Diploma Programme, he students were engaged in the CAS rogramme throughout the school ear Via their experiences in the reativity, Activity and Service strands, he IBDP students developed new skills, ft their comfort zone, worked ollaboratively, took initiative, solved roblems, got challenged and reflected n their learning Our goal in the oming years is to ensure that moving o action and service is for all students

The BFIS Esperança Walk Project

This project is led by Karina Jackson, the CAS coordinator, who is also the president of Esperança Throughout the year, HS students did the BFIS Esperança walk several times to distribute food and clothes to the homeless in El Raval, Poble Sec and Th Aquarium This experience is very valuable as it allows students to see the reality that many people have to live in understand their life a bit more as well as dispel all those negative clichés about homelessness. BFIS ES Families have also contributed to providing all the food for the monthly BFIS Esperança Walk

OTHER CAS EXPERIENCES

Creativity

Dance and choreography

Photography

Creating an App Creating a website Kindness project with G7 Ceramics

Coding

Playing an instrument (violin, guitar, drums, piano, ukulele and saxophone)

Singing HS musical MUN Debate Club

Cooking classes

GSA club Feminist Club

Dungeon and Dragon Club Investment Club

Sewing classes

Learn a new language (French, German, Italian, Dutch, Albanian, Mandarin and Russian)

Creating a food blog IB subject videos

Short movies

Cooking with the refugees

Art Therapy Club

Maths Club Podcasts

Writing short stories

Chess tournament

Fundraising half marathon for Ukraine charity

Writing letters to prisoners

The entrepreneurship Club

The Investment Club Crochet Gardening

Graffiti workshop with Konair

Activity

Tennis Yoga

Padel Basketball Football Gym

Swimming Hiking

Running Biking Surfing Sailing Volleyball

Horse Riding

Field Hockey

Ice Hockey

Skiing

Snowboarding

Boxing

Taekwondo Badminton

Handball

Enduro

Half Marathon Rowing Wakeboarding

Football with refugees

Service

Running the Debate Club

MUN Executive members

GSA Club

Feminist Club National Honour Society

Tutor BFIS students

Volunteer at BarcelonActua (soup kitchen in El Raval)

Going Green Club Beach clean up

Esperança Walk (providing food and distribute to homeless)

Yearbook team

Running the Buddy Programme

Student Council

Summer camp monitor Football trainer for children

Mental Health Awareness on Social Media

CosmoCaixa Explainers

Teaching Spanish to refugees

Animal cruelty raising awareness to the G6 students

Volunteering at a bike rental place as a mechanic

Volunteering at a skateboard shop

Volunteering at a Korean School Teaching sewing

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAM

Bea Zimmermann Extracurricular Coordinator

ASA PROGRAM

BFIS continued to offer our most popular activities, Mini Tennis, Multi Sport, Taekwondo, Swimming, Music and Movement, Musical Theatre and Math club among others

The Secondary Musical Theatre group performed three shows of their Spring Medley in April, 2022 The Elementary School Musical Theatre Workshop consisted of working with students to write their own songs that expressed their feelings through music and in their own words. They performed their original songs in front of friends and family in June 2022

LEGO Robotics was re-introduced as an after-school activity in the Elementary School and students enjoyed learning the basics of coding and programming.

For our 5th year in a row, BFIS partnered with the Concertante Music Academy to offer high quality instrument lessons on campus BFIS offered piano, guitar, electric guitar, drums, violin, flute, and voice lessons

ATHLETICS

Team Sports returned with a flourish and our Soccer, Basketball and Vollleyball teams continued to train in excellent offcampus facilities such as Egora Olimpics for volleyball and Meiland Teixonera for soccer teams

Our teams continued to compete in the BISA and Iberia leagues and to travel for compet

Egora Olimpics

Egora Olimpics

Meiland Teixonera

Meiland Teixonera

Meiland Teixonera

For the first time, BFIS introduced Boys Volleyball and we proudly sent our new High School Boys Volleyball Team to several friendly games and the BISA League Boys Voellyball Tournament held in the Spring

With the goal of building up our Athletics offerings, BFIS introduced the MS Running Club which competed in the 2nd AAS Moscow Penguin Pumpkin XC Run in which 30 international schools in 26 countries participated BFIS won 1st place in the MS Girls 3K, 1st and 2nd Place in the Female Coaches 3K, and 2nd place in the Male Coaches 3K BFIS also organized the first Annual BFIS Run at a track near campus for students, parents, and staff

BUILDING CHARACTER

SUMMER PROGRAM

Our Summer School Day Program

offered morning activities on different science topics each week and in the afternoon students had the choice of Sports or Puppet Theatre In addion to continuing to offer our Science and Adventure Overnight Camp, BFIS also offered our first Water Sports Camp in L’Escala for ES and MS students, which was a huge success

HONORING OUR TRADITIONS

Charo Rodríguez Director of Marketing & Communications

When our students, families and teachers join a 36 year-old school in Barcelona, they can expect to become part of many traditions and celebrations

If you ask BFIS students what they value most about BFIS traditions, it is the community experience being a part of something that not only connects them with their classmates and fellow BFIS students but also forges a bond with generations of BFIS students that came before them and those that will come after As we think about what inclusion means at BFIS, we will continue to lean into how we uphold the spirit of our local

traditions while also cultivating a sense of belonging for our international students and families

After two full years of restricted access to our campus due to the pandemic, we were very happy to open our doors again to the BFIS community and reinstate some of our most beloved traditions, such as Colonias, Carnival, Sant Jordi Festivals, Library Used Books Fair, Field Day and the Parents' Spring Party.

Although it was too soon to bring back our most cherished festivals such as Halloween and the International Food Fair, we expect to enjoy them again in the 2022-2023 school year.

CURRICULUM

THROUGH THE LENS OF COACHES

Coaching work includes:

Using data to inform goals and show growth in student learning Goal setting and planning conversations with teachers Modeling and co-teaching alongside teachers in classrooms Documenting, reflecting and celebrating learning

Here is some of the work our coaches have engaged in with teams this year:

Tammy Westrick worked with grades 1 and 3 in determining student needs in writing through the collection of student ondemand writing She modeled teaching strategies and together they used conferring data to differentiate instruction

In Grade 5, again data was used to determine student needs in informational reading Research based strategies for small groups were utilized to best meet student needs In grade 2, the data showed particular needs of students and Tammy & the team worked together to develop systems and determine differentiated strategies to meet the students where they were as readers

Jillian Zappia, Technology Coach

Tammy Westrick, Literacy Coach

In grade 4, the data showed that students needed support in grammar and conventions Resources were researched and a structure where students received daily grammar & conventions instruction in an inquiry based manner was put into place.

Jill worked with K-5 teams to integrate technology to empower learners to be researchers, problem-solvers, global collaborators, creative communicators, and innovative designers in order to be change makers in the world

Grade 1 students used Puppet Pals to bring their Reader’s Workshop “sneak peeks” to life with animated characters, backgrounds and voice-overs

In Grade 2 , students included a claim and reasoning in their market day multimedia advertisements using Apple Clips Grades 3 and 4 both focused on the research process, learning how to do keyword searches, evaluating sources, and how to responsibly source media when creating presentations to share their learning Grade 5 engaged in computational thinking using Lego Robots to solve challenges using block coding. All grade levels teach digital citizenship to make sure we are balanced, safe, and collaborative members of our in-person and online community.

Kindergarten had the benefit of working with both Jill & Tammy simultaneously in a coaching cycle In literacy, they used Story Workshop, within the context of Fairy Tales, using loose parts to create and ‘tell’ stories. Then they brought in an app called Codeable Crafts which built on the “loose parts ideas” and allowed the students to create their own digital characters with loose parts

used block coding to make their characters move and talk Through both activities the students told fairy tales.

ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

Jenna-Rae Warne Enrichment Coordinator

Ideally, every student’s education should be personalized and authentic It should take full advantage of all the student’s potential (academic and non-academic), passions and interests, strengths, struggles, and preferences

The goal for this year

students.

In Fall 2021, much time was dedicated towards educating parents and the school community on what enrichment was and what it was not

This meant detangling outdated terms such as Gifted , Talented , Bright , ¨Average¨ and ¨High Achiever¨ It involved educating stakeholders on the different profiles of such students and how their unique abilities come with educational strengths and challenges In order for this work to be purposeful and successful, it was imperative that our school community shared a common understanding of what Enrichment Learning entails. Enrichment Learning is for all BFIS students, not few, and not some.

was to create a foundational system that would provide an enriched and differentiated curriculum for all

The next step was to become a member of the School Learning Support Team and TIP Intervention Team. At the time, there were no existing policies and procedures for identifying students in need of enrichment support, thus a referral process was established with the goal of being a comprehensive, cohesive practice This document is called the Designation Flow Chart and was shared with the BFIS Faculty at a Professional Development Workshop on Enrichment and Differentiation in October Staff were trained on how to identify students, how to make a referral to the TIP team and given strategies for how they can support these learners in their classrooms.

In the month of October, much time was spent having individual meetings with students and families who had an existing Talent Development Plan from 2019. Students completed Preferences for Learning Surveys while meeting with the Enrichment and Differentiation Coordinator to better understand their educational needs and goals for the 2021-22 school year.

All Talent Development Plans were transformed into Individual Education Plans with the purpose o designing interventions that are based on effective research practices and to provide accommodation for learning differences that develop cognitive and

Group

STAFF WERE TRAINED ON HOW TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS, HOW TO MAKE A REFERRAL TO THE TIP TEAM AND GIVEN STRATEGIES FOR HOW THEY CAN SUPPORT THESE LEARNERS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS

non-cognitive abilities to support growth and achievement. These goals were cocreated by students, their parents, and the Enrichment and Differentiation Coordinator Individual Education Plans are constantly reviewed with the classroom teacher and the ED Coordinator to ensure the needs and goals of the student are being met They are also reviewed with families during Parent Teacher Conferences throughout the year

In November, an Enrichment Website was published for both students and families It includes a Student Page with Weekly Challenges, Riddles, Ted Talks, Passion Projects, Geek Out Blogs and MakerSpace Activities There is also a section for parents that includes a list of extracurricular activities, challenging games, resources for social-emotional support and opportunities for mentoring BFIS students

Later in the month, the Middle School Passion Projects Club launched and meets every Day 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 at lunchtime in the MakerSpace The purpose of this club is to invite students into the MakerSpace to explore their passions and pursue a project that feeds their curiosity and joy. Currently, there are 38 Middle School students attending Passion Projects club.

STUDENT INDEPENDENT PROJECTS

In December, a new initiative, High School Independent Projects began An Independent Project is a student-centered, inquiry-based learning experience that allows students to to initiate, manage and direct their own investigation in an area of personal interest. Students work independently under the supervision of the Enrichment and Differentiation Coordinator and an internal or external mentor if they would like. The student and Ms Jenna-Rae agree on the scope of the project and on assessment and evaluation. An IP project can incorporate various mediums to achieve the outcomes - visual, written or experiential The project will be viewed as an extracurricular activity and cannot take the place of a course required for graduation

Information sessions were presented to all Grades 9-11 CORE classes in January 2022 Currently, there are 23 students pursuing an Independent Project under supervision of the Enrichment and Differentiation Coordinator and some, who are also working with an external mentor Throughout this process, the ED Coordinator has connected with the parent and Barcelona community to find suitable experts willing to mentor a student’s project and provide guidance throughout their journey The goal for the 2022-23 school year is to network and expand this mentor community and grow

in the area of providing experiential learning opportunities to students. This might include an internship, short term work placement, volunteering or job shadowing

INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING

The ED Coordinator has many responsibilities, another being an Instructional Coach They provide ongoing professional guidance for school staff with the design and implementation of a differentiated curriculum that supports inquiry and project based learning practices. Throughout the 2021-22 school year, the ED Coordinator has worked closely with school staff to design unit and lesson plans that are student-centered, inquiry based, and project based

This has also involved the ED Coordinator modeling SDL in their classrooms and providing them with the resources to implement these practices in their classrooms

The ED Coordinator also provides one-on-one coaching sessions for students who are interested in developing their intellectual potential, personal efficacy, and psychosocial and social-emotional skill development.

Themes of coaching sessions can include: managing academic perfectionism, asynchronous development (social interaction), growing leadership skills, developing grit, and building towards selfactualization.

It has been an exciting first year for Enrichment Learning at BFIS We have worked hard to create environments of empowerment that focus on student agency and ownership. We succeeded in giving students opportunities to own their learning and be self-directed learners. Moving forward, we will continue to inspire possibilities, support students in recognizing their potential and guide them in the pursuit of their passions Enrichment Learning looks forward to contributing to the development of Experiential Learning, Creativity and Innovation, and Individual Potential found in the 2022-2025 Vision for Learning

IB RESULTS 2022

Laura Blair IBDP Coordinator

On July 6th, 2022, thousands of International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP) students across the world received their results from the May 2022 examination session This year, our tenth year of IBDP graduates, we had 55 diploma candidates and 4 course candidates We pride ourselves on being an inclusive school and the percentage of students taking the full IB Diploma Program (96 5%) Thanks to the unfailing support, encouragement and tenacity of teachers and parents, many of our graduates reached their full potential.

96% of BFIS graduates taking the full IBDP sucessfully achieved the diploma, a number far above the worldwide average of 85,6% pass rate.

BFIS’s average score reached 35 points and 71% of BFIS IBDP candidates scored at or above worldwide average (32 points) BFIS’s highest score was 44 points, and 10 students (18%) obtained 40 points or more It is also worth mentioning that 33 BFIS

IBDP candidates (60%) were awarded the bilingual diploma and that 15 (27%) students scored an A on Theory of Knowledge or their Extended Essay

CLASS OF 2022

Rhonda Leshman IBDP Counselor & College Counselor

The year started on a high note with the return of the Colonias trips Students were glad to have some time off campus to bond with each other, welcome three new members to the class, and be in nature Students continued to be resilient and understanding about the face mask requirements and the need for social distancing A sense of normalcy returned later in the academic year after the face mask mandate was lifted in the spring of 2022 Fortunately, the milestones marking the end of their high school career returned including prom in late May before graduation

Graduation continued to take place outside on the lawn with a greater number of family/guests invited per student than in the two prior years The Consul General, Katie Stana, joined us for graduation and Foundation Board member, Claire Williams spoke as well as six student speakers. Isid Spaho was selected by the class as faculty speaker and two members of the class, Riya Nanthani and Zoe Davis performed at graduation This lovely event was live streamed around the world. The Resilience Award named in honor of the Class of 2020 was awarded to Juana Albiol and Olivia Patanella

UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCES

Rhonda Leshman IBDP Counselor & College Counselor

the Class of 2022 did very well with university acceptances. 89% were admitted to their top choice university.

Students had offers to some of the most prestigious and selective universities in the world including: The University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University of St Andrew’s, University of Warwick, New York University, University of Southern California, Northeastern University, Leiden University and many more One student

University/Sciences Po studying both in New York City and in France Another student was admitted to the World Bachelors in Business program at ESSEC in France and will study in multiple countries including France and Singapore. One female field hockey player was recruited by Miami University Ohio to play on their Division I team with a significant scholarship.

UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCES

(Number in parenthesis indicates the number of students admitted. Bold indicates intention to attend the university)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Bard College (2) Boston College Boston University (3) Clemson University College of William and Mary George Mason University Georgetown University Hamline Univ

Loyola Marymount University Marymount Manhattan Miami Univ of Ohio New York University (1) (3) Northeastern University (2) Northwestern University Ohio University Savannah College of Art & Design (2) Trinity College (CT) University of Cincinnati University of Colorado Boulder University of Mary Washington University of Michigan University of Minnesota University of Southern California Virginia Commonwealth Univ

UNITED KINGDOM

Aberystwyth University Bath Spa University Bristol, Univ of West England (3) Brunel University London Cardiff Univ (2) City, Univ of London (2) De Montfort Univ (2) Durham University (3) Heriot-Watt University Institute of Contemporary Music Performance King's College London (4) Kingston University Lancaster Univ (2) Leeds Conservatoire Liverpool Hope Univ Liverpool John Moores Univ London School of Economics (2) London South Bank Univ Loughborough University (3) Manchester Metropolitan Univ

UNITED KINGDOM (cont.)

Newcastle Univ. Oxford Brookes University Queen Mary, Univ. of London Queen's University Belfast Royal Holloway (Univ of London) Univ. of Bath (1) (5) Univ. of Birmingham (3) Univ. of Brighton (2) Univ. of Bristol Univ. College London (UCL) Univ. for the Creative Arts Univ. of Dundee Univ. of Edinburgh Univ. of Exeter (3) Univ. of Glasgow Univ. of Hertfordshire Univ. of Manchester (5) Univ. of Nottingham Univ. of Oxford Univ. of Plymouth Univ. of Salford Univ. of Sheffield Univ. of Stirling Univ. of St. Andrews - (2) (1) Univ. of Strathclyde Univ. of Sunderland Univ. of Sussex Univ. of Warwick (1) (8) Univ. of West London

SPAIN

ESADE (4) IE (Instituto Empresa) (1) (2) Univ. of Navarra (3) UCM-Univ. Complutense Madrid (1) La Salle (1) (3) IQS, Institut Químic de Sarrià (1)

UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCES

NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam Fashion Institute

Univ of Amsterdam (3)

Breda Univ of Applied Science (2)

Leiden University College

NHL Stenden Radboud University TU Delft Tilburg University College (1) (2)

Univ of the Arts (Art EZ)

Univ of the Arts Utrecht

Univ of Groningen (5)

Univ of Leiden (1) (5)

University College Roosevelt University College Maastricht

Univ of Maastricht (6)

Univ of Twente Utrecht Univ (3) Vrije University (2)

OTHER EUROPEAN

Science Po/Columbia University, France and USA Paris College of Art ESSEC Business School Macromedia Institute of Applied Science, Germany

AROUND THE WORLD

Duke Kunshan University, China University of Toronto, Canada, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE

UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENT BY COUNTRY

CAREER AND COLLEGE GUIDANCE

Rhonda Leshman IBDP Counselor & College Counselor

The high school counselors at BFIS made good strides in developing a four-year career and college guidance program to help students appropriately plan for their future including strong support for applying to universities around the world This program is largely delivered during Advisory and CORE meeting times with students

In order to keep parents informed, there is a comprehensive schedule of parent and student evening programs to outline the program and timeline Students are encouraged to attend evening programs to supplement what they have learned in Advisory and CORE.

September

IB and College Night for Grade 12 Presentation on US University Admissions by Shawn Abbott, Vice President of Temple University (for Grades 9-12)

October

IB and College Night for Grade 11

November

IB Choices Fair held on campus (Grade 10)

January

University Kick-off for Grade 11 Exploring University Options Around the World For Grade 11 Career Conversations (Grade 10)

BFIS Club Fair on Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday

Career Conversations (Grade 10)

Career Conversations (Grade 10)

IB and University Future Planning for Grade 9

Final Stretch Meeting for Grade 12

OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND AND DEVELOP INTERESTS

We aim to support students to identify their character strengths, understanding their place in the world, and career fields aligning with their personal interests and personalities The effort also focuses on increasing opportunities for students to get involved in school clubs There are now 14 clubs, in addition to Student Council and Model UN

These clubs span a variety of academic, career and affinity group interests. Some clubs including the History Club and Math Club are participating and doing well in regional tournaments Also, BFIS hosted its first Model UN conference at the school in April as well as again attending conferences in person

Numerous research studies show that students who are engaged in their school activities are more likely to perform better in school Involvement in activities allows students to interact with other students with mutual interests to work towards a shared goal. School spirit and connection is cultivated through involvement as well Also, students develop organizational and leadership skills through club involvement Finally, extracurricular activities are looked upon favorably in university admissions

This year, each high school student has an account in Cialfo, a college-readiness platform to which BFIS subscribes. In Cialfo, students complete exercises to understand their learning styles, multiple intelligences, and the youth division of Myers-Briggs personality assessment called ‘Do What You Are ’ Cialfo is also used for university research The College Counselor uses Cialfo to submit transcripts and recommendation letters to many universities around the world.

CAREER CONVERSATIONS

The career program was designed to align with activities students did in class. Specifically, through exploring Holland codes which classifies careers and personality types, students learned what career fields match them Collaborating with the PTA, the counselors identified parents in six career areas to come to campus to speak live to Grade 10 students in an interview format This new program is called ‘Career Conversations’ and took place on specific Wednesdays from January to March 2022 for Grade 10 students Parents and professionals from a broad range of career fields spoke to students in an engaging and conversational format

In addition, the Grade 11 and 12 Counselor/College Counselor promotes enrichment programs in the summer, and super curricular opportunities for students to further academic interests or explore academic interests not covered with traditional academics As a result, students are cultivating their interests and preparing themselves to be strong university applicants

COLLEGE VISITS

After a quiet few years when university admissions officers did not visit BFIS due to the pandemic, we welcomed the retu of visitors to campus We hosted admissions officers from the UK, The Netherlands, Spain and Italy In addition, virtual university information sessions continued to be widely promoted In late March,

BFIS was one of the schools in Spain to sponsor the Spanish International Schoo Virtual Fair with university admissions officers from nearly 100 universities aroun the world meeting our students and parents online for individual conversation This event will be repeated in the Fall of 2022.

INTEREST OF GRADUATES

ACADEMIC

OUTDOOR LEARNING

Rachel Hovintgon Head of School

At a time when Covid has so disproportionately affected the nation's children, outdoor education has a unique role to play in helping to restore and rebuild their confidence and mental health

Andy Robinson, chief executive of Institute of Outdoor Learning

As we recover from this pandemic, outcomes associated with high quality outdoor education such as increased selfconfidence, enhanced peer to peer relationships and strengthened teacher/student trust and understanding,

have never been more important

COLONIAS

Outdoor education and adventure are engrained in our DNA It is part of an International American education Every child’s first trip away from home is such an important and formative experience

We all eagerly awaited for the return of our overnight trips at the beginning of the school year And finally the day came when all the students from Kindergarten to 12th grade could go out for three days and two nights to explore new places, learn a little more about our culture and have fun together with old friends, new friends and their teachers

FIELD TRIPS

From the strictly academic benefits of school trips to the advantages of school trips for personal development, we believe passionately that school trips are an essential part of the school experience for students

Little by little we re-introduced field trips for our students to experience any given subject in the ‘real world’ Here are some of the field trips during the school year 202122

G5 Field trip to Cosmocaixa

G4 Field Trip to Collserola

G5 Field trip to Sarrià market

G4 Field trip to Botanic Garden

G6 Field trip to Catalunya en Miniatura

Kinder Field trip to the Chocolate Museum

G2 Field trip to Sarrià

G5 Field trip to El Poble Espanyol

HS Field trip to Saló de lÉnsenyament

G3 Field trip to Cosmocaixa

G5 Collserola hike

G10 Field trip to Cinemes Verdi

G9 and 10 Field trip to La Casa del Cine

G2 Simon Coll Chocolate Factory

G6 Field trip to el Remolar

G1 Field trip to Can Sala

INCLUSIVE ENGAGED COMMUNITY

WELCOMING NEW FAMILIES

Serena Washburn Director of Admissions

We know that arriving in a new city and joining a new school can be a daunting experience for students and their families That’s why we provide a comprehensive range of support to students and parents to help them settle into their new life in Barcelona and at BFIS

BFIS provides a Welcome Program designed to help new students and their families make early connections within our friendly and inclusive community and make them feel at home as soon as they arrive.

For many years our Welcome Program included a buddy summer program, buddy trips, outdoor barbeque on our campus, and an orientation morning at school to meet our staff and faculty and get all the information they needed to start with confidence the new school year.

In September 2021 we started the school with fewer COVID restrictions than the previous year However, the recommendation of local authorities was very restrictive regarding visitors and parents access to school campus As

we did in 2020, we had to carry out our Welcome Program online

BUDDY PROGRAM

The Buddy Program has become a staple here at BFIS. It really makes a difference for new students to integrate easily into BFIS The program helps students to build confidence and strengthens the sense of belonging to an inclusive school community

Fortunately, this year we were able to carry out the buddy trips and on Friday, August 27th we had around 120 students with their buddies in our campus Grades 6 to 10 went to different locations in Barcelona to enjoy some city games and team building activities to get to know each other, Grades 11 and 12 spend some time on campus with the IB Diploma Coordinator and the College Counselor to talk about the year ahead and afterwards they all went to the Sarrià neighborhood to enjoy Spanish tapas

ORIENTATION MORNING

We carried out our orientation morning program in virtual format On Monday, August 30th, 2021 we held a virtual orientation session for Eartly Childhood and Elementary School at 9:00 am and had another session for Middle and High School students and families at 10:30 am

During those sessions parents and students had the opportunity to meet online with BFIS teachers and staff and to learn more about the academic year ahead. We missed having families on campus making positive connections with current families, teachers and staff.

" "

The entire community was so welcoming Great communication, the buddy system was perfect, and the teachers are super engaged and communicative

MAKING BARCELONA AND BFIS HOME

Sinclair Family

SCHOOL-HOME PARTNERSHIP

Lila Jorge Associate Head of School

Studies show that a family’s school engagement has a direct positive impact on a child’s learning success

When families are engaged in their children’s school lives, students have the home support they need to develop a lifelong love of learning.

Encouraging family engagement is one of the best strategies to create a positive learning environment for all students.

At BFIS we like to nurture this homeschool partnership and to do this we create various opportunities for families to get involved

WORKSHOPS & INFORMATIVE SESSIONS

ES Overnight Trips Orientation- Sept. 14

G6 Parent Orientation- Sept 16

MSHS Colonias Orientation- Sept 21

IB Diploma & College Planning- Sept 21

Enrichment and differentiation- Sept 23

Head of School Coffee- Sept 28

Head of School Coffee- Oct 5

G11 Parent IB Night- Oct 4

WORKSHOPS & INFORMATIVE SESSIONS

Class Charts Parent Meeting- Oct 14

Exloring US University Options- Oct. 19

Map Test Parent Session- Oct 28

Head of School Coffee- Nov. 8

Substance Abuse Prevention I- Nov 9

G9/10 IBDP Options- Nov. 15

IBDP Course Choice Fair- Nov 17

Substance Abuse Prevention II- Nov. 30

Substance Abuse Prevention III- Dec 13

Head of School Coffee- Dec 15

Head of School Coffee- Jan 18

G11 College Kick Off- Jan 27

Exploring University Options around the world- Feb 1

Head of School Coffee- Feb. 22

G9/10 Parent Meeting II - Feb 23

Parenting in the digital age I- Mar. 8

Parenting in the digital age II- Mar 15

Head of School Coffee- Mar. 22

Parenting in the digital age III- Mar 29 K/I Colonias information- Apr. 7

G12 Final Stretch- Apr 5

Spring Forward Parents Meeting- Apr. 25

Spring Forward Parents Meeting- Apr 27

Spring Forward Parents Meeting- Apr 28

Child Protection- May 3

Head of School Coffee- Jun 7 Seminar for departing families- Jun. 16

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED

Foundation Board Board Committees

PTA Board

PTA Volunteer Opportunities Library Helpers

Family Buddy Mentoring Students Career Day Presentations Answering school surveys

Our experience with BFIS at the Elementary School level was wonderful All our children's teachers were caring, inspired them to love learning and fostered a positive learning and social environment in their classrooms

BFIS Departing Family

PARENT AND TEACHER ASSOCIATION

The BFIS PTA embodies the collaborative spirit and school-home partnership we so value as a school. Their support and involvement at both, the administrative and social level, is vital to our sense of community, diversity, and open communication.

During the 21-22 year the PTA added new members and a new Board Thanks to the end of the strictest COVID restrictions, we were able to return to enjoying some PTAorganized events on campus and many others that took place online until the restrictions were fully lifted towards the end of the school year.

Our most sincere gratitude to Nadja Borovac, PTA Chair, and the PTA Team

Parent and Teacher Association

PTA Events

PTA Parent Summer Party

PTA Tour to Montjuic Women Self-Defense Workshop

PTA Tour Glòries and Poble Nou Sant Jordi Decorations

Hot Cross Buns for Spring Break

Help organizing Ukraine Help

Spring Hat Day

Dougnut Day

PTA Tour La Barceloneta

Frosty Friday : Hot Chocolate for all divisions

Cookies at the Club Fair.

Celebrating Benjamin Franklin’s birthday

Holiday Gift Drive for Sant Joan de Déu Children’s Hospital

Gingerbread House Decorations Workshop

Cocktail Party (Cancelled due to COVID-19 new wave)

School Winter Decorations

Teacher Appreciation Day

Halloween Guessing Games Fall Pumpkin Sale

Halloween and Christmas Decorations

PTA Modernista Tour

PTA Tour Ramblas and Raval

PTA Gothic Tour

Moderate PTA Coffees with Head of School

Making Barcelona Home Seminar

Graphic Design

PTA Welcome Coffees

PARENT GATHERINGS

Sandra Miranada Director of Development

Despite the challenges of the last two years that prevented our families entering our campus, in April 2022 we were excited to welcome in the warmer weather and winds of change at our BFIS Spring Forward Parent Gatherings These were our first parent gatherings at BFIS since 2019 We provided an opportunity for BFIS parents to join together in raising a glass to the future of BFIS as we vision it, to tour the facilities, and to take a sneak peak at plans for our new buildings. It was also an opportunity to mingle with old friends and new, and to reconnect as a BFIS community

Attendees

FACILITIES

SUMMER WORKS

Belén Bravo Facilities Manager

As eager students await summer break, our facility manager and maintenance team prepare for a full summer of work improvements in our facilities. In the education realm, summer is the peak time for construction projects and maintainance work

With four buildings on our campus, there is always a long list of maintenance and repair work to do during the summer. These are some of the main works done during summer 2022:

Improvements in the Elementary and Middle School Art classroom Improvements in the restrooms of the auditorium.

Elementary hallway storage Flooring in a room on the third floor of the Main Building Fireproof upgrading of the metal beams of the Main Building Improvements in the kitchen area: installation of a new bain-marie equipment to keep food warm Painting works

Although it is not part of the works carried out by BFIS, this summer the Barcelona Town Hall made some improvements on the Torras i Bages Passatge, which has become a pedestrian street Without a doubt, this is a big improvement in the safety of our children, especially during drop-off and dismissal Benches and plantings will be added later in the year

FINANCIAL REVIEW

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

Ana Royo

Director of Finance

Year 2021-2022 Non-Audited

ASSETS

Non Current Assests Fixed Assets Financial Fixed Assets

Current Assets Receivables Short-term Financial Investment Cash Short-term Accruals Total Assets

NET WORTH AND LIABILITIES

Net Worth Foundational Fund Reserves Year Results Grants and Donations

Non-Current Liabilities Long-term Provisions Long-term Creditors

Current Liabilities Short-term Creditors Trade and Other Payables Short-term Accruals

Total Networth and Liabilities

OPERATING RESULTS

FINANCIAL RESULTS

FINAL RESULTS

16,172,741 16,169,347 3,394 5,369,248 222,541 500 000 4,525,637 121,070 21,541,989 14,142,074 3,005 10,225,360 1,761,253 2,152,456 4,287,359 310,277 3,977,082 3,112,556 630,457 755,790 1,726,309 21,541,989 1,879,622 -118,369 1,761,253