Term 1 Issue 10
Thursday 13th November, 2014
BSB Seniors
Newsletter
Thought for the
week:
“Don’t worry about
failures, worry
about the chances
you miss when you
don’t even try.”
This week has seen, many of us, not just trying—but succeeding.
Our commitment to anti—bullying was reinvigorated this week
as Miss Jones led assemblies to remind us of how terrible bullying can be. Students made their pledge to support anti-bullying
and wore orange wristbands today to demonstrate their commitment. On Wednesday, the School held its first ever Open Evening which was a huge success. It showcased our students, staff
and the school facilities. I wish to say a HUGE thank you to both
our students and staff who worked so hard to demonstrate what
a wonderful school we are. Today we had our first reward trip of
the term out to see the BIC, this was an exclusive invite to see
behind the scenes; pictures to follow in next week’s newsletter.
The new, revamped BSB canteen and Paddy’s Bite Café will start
from 16th November. Menu on Page 9 of the newsletter.
In January 2015, the British School will be celebrating its 20th
anniversary. All these are clear milestones for our school and I
am proud to be a part of this school. Please don’t forget to join us
next week, Friday 21st November, for our International Family
Fair. I wish you all a wonderful weekend.
- Khalil Ahmed, Head of Seniors
Important Dates for
the week:
Key dates for the term on
Page 2 of the newsletter
**Note for Parents:
At the BSB, we really appreciate that you take the time
to inform us by email (not by
phone please) when your
child is sick or needs to miss
school for an appointment.
The email address is:
[email protected]
British School Bahrain 2014 - Key Dates for this term
Meeting
Standardised assessments for Year 12 in
lessons
Tuesday ,
18th November
Tuesday,
2nd December
Year 13 Full Parent Evening
3.15 pm - 5.15 pm
Wednesday,
3rd December
Year 9 Parents Afternoon 3pm –
6pm
Sunday,
7th December
Year 12 Invitational Parent
Evening 3pm – 5pm
Monday,
8th December
Tuesday,
9th December
Focus this week
Year 9 Options Evening
Submission of Year 9 GCSE Options Forms
Options Enrichment Morning
(Lessons 1—4)
Yr10 & 11 Invitational Parent
Evening 3pm – 6pm
Submission of Year 11 A Level Option
forms
Other important dates
GCSE and A Level Certificate Presentation Evening – 5pm – 7pm
1st December 2014
POPPY APPEAL—REMEMBRANCE DAY—CHELSEA PENSIONERS’ VISIT AT THE BSB
The red poppy was chosen as an emblem of Remembrance Day because red poppies bloomed across
some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour
being an appropriate symbol for the blood split in the war.
This week , we had our guests of honor, the Chelsea Pensioners – 72-year-old retired Warrant Officer (Class Two) Patrick
Teegan, 71-year-old retired Corporal Peter John Caiger and 70-yearold retired trooper Samuel Cameron, who are residents
of the famous Royal Hospital Chelsea home for veterans in London. The former servicemen, who are being hosted during
their visit by the BBBF, visited the school. They also went into classrooms and interacted with the students. The British
School of Bahrain donated a total of BD 425/- to the Chelsea Pensioners’.
The Big Draw will be held at the BSB this year on
the 26th of November 2014. The theme will be on
the lines of—”Our World—Giant Map”. More details to be sent out soon!
NEW STAFF AT THE BSB
Ayub Qureshi
(Mr. Qureshi teaches Science & Physics to KS3 & KS4 at the BSB)
Ayub Qureshi is an Honours graduate in Applied Physics from the University of South Bank, London.
He is primarily a teacher of Physics and Mathematics. However, he has over 10 years experience of
establishing Design and technology, Graphic Design and AutoCAD as Head of Faculty at Ludlow
Sixth Form College, Shropshire. His D&T student won two UK National Awards for D&T.
He has experience at A-Level, IBDP, ILC and IGCSE. He is a strong advocate of links with Industry/
Business community so students of Physics and other subjects can see the relevance of their subject
in the wider world. He has taught in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Muscat and Tripoli before coming to
teach at BSB. He would like to promote the introduction of Design and Technology into the curriculum where our bright and
gifted students can learn in depth about the changing and evolving technological world we live in today.
SIXTH FORM HALLOWEEN MUFTI DAY
On Thursday October 30th the Social Committee organized a sixth form mufti day in the spirit of Halloween. Not only was it a fun opportunity for the students to dress up but the money raised went towards
a very good cause. The committee has donated all of
the mufti day’s proceedings towards the Chelsea pensioners who visited the school in commemoration of
their duty and service.
Head of Social Committee
Beatrice Dimarucut
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS:
http://www.gulfweekly.com/Articles.aspx?articleid=32952
Floris, our student featured in the Gulf Weekly. Click on the link for more details.
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Bahrain Marathon Relay
On Friday 31st October 2014, twelve members of staff
and sixteen students took part in the annual Bahrain
Marathon Relay. We ran in temperatures approaching
40 degrees, taking turns to run 3km (and some of us
more than once). The sun was hot, the desert unforgiving and not a single one of us found the run what you
would call easy. Some of us were seasoned runners; others of us were fairly new to the delights of desert running. But we all did our best and, as always, the camaraderie and joy of working together to get to the finish won
through. The teacher team came in a very respectable
45th position overall out of 174 teams and in under four
hours with a time of 3 hours, 57 minutes; our student
team also did well, coming 78th with a time of 4 hours
and 16 minutes. We are grateful to our sponsors, Geant
and Gama Hotels, for supporting us and helping to make
it happen. As always, we look forward to next year!
On the subject of running and things physical, I would
like to take the opportunity to mention the Cherry Tree
Trot run by the American Women’s Association. This is a
bi-annual event and we have traditionally tried to get as
many participants from BSB as we can to get involved.
This year, the event takes place on December 13th 2014
at BIC. The Cherry Tree Trot is a fun day out and one of
the oldest and largest charity events in Bahrain, raising
money for 35 Bahraini charities that the AWA supports.
There is a 2km, 3km, a 5km and an 8km run as well as a
3km walkathon. It is, if nothing else, a great opportunity
to run on the actual circuit at BIC, not something you get
to do every day. It is for a worthy cause as well as being a
fun day out for the whole family! 100% of proceeds go
back to the Bahrain community.
Link: http://awabahrain.org/?page_id=567
Students, parents and staff are all welcome to join us for
this event; we hope to see you there!
Rob Gauntlett
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Teacher Learning Communities
Good teachers recognize that they never stop learning. Although, as a school, our primary focus is educating our students, we
also have a responsibility to ensure that our teachers continue to learn and develop. It is this development that strengthens
our staff and ensures that they are well-equipped to get the most out of our students.
As part of the school’s commitment to continuous professional development, we have created ‘Teacher Learning Communities’. A teacher learning community is a small, group-based form of professional development in which each participating
teacher develops a specific plan for what he or she wants to change in his or her classroom practice. The groups meet regularly to support team members in carrying out and refining their plans. This supports teachers in their commitment to continual improvement of practice as well as focuses on those things that make a difference to students. As a professional body, we
need to create time and space for teachers to reflect on their practice in a structured way; we need to provide an avenue for
teachers to progress in their teaching by honing their skills through a mutually supportive process.
Improving practice involves changing habits, not adding knowledge. That’s why it’s hard. And the hardest bit is not getting
new ideas into people’s heads: it’s getting the old ones out. That’s why it takes time. It doesn’t happen naturally. If it did, the
most experienced teachers would be the most productive, and that’s not true.
Education in the modern world is no longer simply about learning a set of facts and then regurgitating them in an assessment: "It's not just about looking and copying, it's about feeling too" (Paul Cezanne); “Children must be taught how to think,
not what to think.” (Margaret Mead). Although common assessments, benchmark assessments, interim assessments, and the
like play an important role in monitoring student progress, there is no evidence at this time that such assessments increase student achievement (Popham,
2006). Instead of putting our faith in such solutions,
we need to implement the kind of formative assessment that research clearly supports. Education in the
modern world is about learning behaviours and qualities. These behaviours are sometimes referred to as
‘Key Competencies’ (an example of which is Guy Claxton’s ‘Qualities of a Magnificent Learner’) and are the
set of skills or qualities that are often generic to learning, no matter the subject, and must be the key focus of
modern education.
As we move towards becoming an IB School, we endeavour to explore the key competencies recognised as
being an integral part of learning as well as exploring
the role they play alongside formative assessment techniques. This is as true for our teachers as it is for our students. Our Teacher Learning Communities are a vehicle for teachers
to develop their own ‘key competencies’ as well as have professional conversations about education and its delivery in the
modern world. And that can only benefit what happens in the classrooms with our students!
Rob Gauntlett
Assistant Head – Teaching and Learning
6
Washington—here we come!!
Finally after months of planning and drive of the BritMUN team are now ready to spread their wings abroad. A delegation of 10 students are going to Washington DC to show off their diplomatic and debating skills to a conference that
boasts 3000 delegates.
The British school delegation have been invited to the fifty-second annual North American Invitational Model United
Nations (NAIMUN LII) to be held Thursday, February 12 through Sunday, February 15, 2015.
Founded in 1963, the North American Invitational Model United Nations is the largest exclusively student-run Model
United Nations conference in the world, with over 3000 delegates and 200 Georgetown University student staffers.
After fifty-one successful years the Model United Nations hopes to continue the conference’s tradition of substantive
excellence, intellectual rigour and delegate engagement for at least the next fifty years. From large General Assemblies
to small cabinets, NAIMUN’s simulations provide an unparalleled substantive experience. Outside of the committee
room, NAIMUN LII will continue to draw upon the resources of the nation’s capital and tie lessons learned in Model
United Nations to the real world through embassy visits, government tours and our Social Justice Roundtable. Finally, through programming like Hilltop Madness, campus tours, and the delegate dance, the conference hopes to make
for an enjoyable out-of-committee experience.
To students from year 9 to year 13 – Parents are also welcome to attend.
Visit to school by M. Vincent Mériaux from the French Embassy Cultural and University Affairs
office.
On Monday 17th of November, Mr Vincent Mériaux from the French Embassy Cultural and University Affairs
office will visit the British School of Bahrain. Mr Mériaux will present information about the French higher education system and the possibilities and advantages of studying in public universities, institutions, specialised
schools of management, engineering, art or architecture, in France. Numerous study programmes are also
taught in English, so may be of interest to students whose first language is not French.
The presentation will be held in room C10, during second break from 12:40 to 1: 20.
Relevant information can also be found on the Campus France site: http://www.campusfrance.org/en/video/
testimonials-campus-france-bahrain
A bientôt
Roselyne Brault
French teacher
7
Parent Representatives 101
As parent rep. we like to be the link between the parents and the senior school management.
The topics discussed in our monthly meetings ( the next one will be on the 30th of November) might range from Security Issues, Parking problems, the new school website to the International Family Fair.
We will provide you with an update from this last meeting in the newsletter the week after.
If you feel there is a problem related to the school in general, or you think you have a brilliant idea for us to share with
the management…
Please contact us on our new email address:
[email protected]
Ellen van Manen
Manal Al Sarraf
Farina Imran
Donate your old digital devices & computer hardware to support students learning;
Do you have any of the following at home / at work which you no longer use;
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Computers
Monitors
Laptops
Tablets
Printers
Scanners
Cameras
Games consoles
GPS device
Mobile phones
Routers
Web-Cams
Musical devices e.g. (Walkman (Tape or CD), Mp3 players
Storage devices e.g. floppy disk, USB, external hard-drives etc.
If you do then the Senior ICT Department would love to take them off your hands. They can be broken or
operational and be from any year ranging from an Atari-Computer to a Floppy disk to a Nintendo DS we
would love to have the lot.
Why do we want them: As part of the new curriculum in ICT & Computing students need to understand the hardware and processing involved computers as well as examine a range of digital devices and what better way to do this than to actually take apart
and handle a range of ICT devices.
Confidential documents: Before any student has access to the devices we will ensure that they are cleared of any documents /
data before they are given to students.
Where to donate: Junior & Senior Reception or B20 first break.
Any questions: Please contact Mrs Nicola Taylor (Head of ICT, Senior School) at [email protected]
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Revamped—Refurbished—the all NEW BSB Canteen. 16th November onwards...
Paddy’s Bite Café / Breakfast Club at the BSB / New Menu for Lunch!!
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