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Term 2 Issue 2
Thursday 22
nd
January, 2015
BSB Seniors
Newsletter
Thought of the week:
“You can’t do anything unless you
want
to.
It’s
the
desire
and
passion that counts”
An outstanding school such as ours needs
to constantly ensure that standards of
achievement are being maintained, this
week saw the Leadership Team conduct a
Year 12 and Year 13 review. The main aim
of the review was to assess the teaching and learning in the sixth form
and also measure progress being made by students. There will be a
series of reviews throughout the next two terms to ensure that we are
benchmarking against very high standards of teaching and learning
amongst our school community in line with QAA and Ofsted criteria.
Last weekend the British School participated in the BritMUN at Bayan
school which was attended by 33 of our students. This involved 19
hours of continuous debating, and lobbying. Our students won the ‘best
delegate’ and ‘most diplomatic award’ and also the ‘most likely to end
up in the UN’. Our students are wonderful ambassadors for our school
and I am very proud of their achievements.
Our gifted and talented programme is continuing with Mr. Ridgway
leading this superb initiative partnered with the University of Warwick.
I am really pleased to see a large number of our students on this list
indicating clearly that there are many students who deserve to be fast
tracked. This is our first year and I envisage this programme to be
expanded over the coming years.
Wishing you a pleasant and relaxing 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
m i ss sc h ool f or a n
appointment.
The email address is:
attendance
@thebsbh.com
British School Bahrain - Key Dates for Spring Term Jan 2015 – April 2015
Date
Meeting
30th January 31st January
World Challenge Training
Weekend
30th – 31st January
Bronze Camping Trip
Timings: 10am Friday to 3pm
Saturday
29th - 31st January
Silver Camping Trip
Timings: 4pm Thursday to 3pm
Saturday
Tuesday 10th February
Washington MUN Trip
10th – 14th Feb
Wednesday 11th Feb
Wed 11th – Senior School Sports
Day
Thursday 12th Feb
Thursday – Half Day (INSET)
Lesson 1-6. Students leaving
12.40.
Thursday 12th Feb – Non
Uniform Day
Silver DofE Trip
HALF TERM
Friday 13th Feb to Tuesday 17th
Feb 2015
Focus this week
We are Programming!!!!
This half-term in ICT will see all of KS3 learn how to Programme;
Year 7; are using Scratch and Small Basic this half-term, Scratch is a visual programming
language in which has been developed to help simplify the process of creating and
programming animations, games, music, interactive stories and more.
It is designed to teach computational thinking using a simple but powerful building-block
approach to software development that focuses more on problem solving than on specific
syntax.
Students can access scratch online at; http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tip_bar=getStarted or downloaded for Mac and
Window’s operating systems from; http://scratch.mit.edu/scratch2download/
Microsoft Small Basic – is a simplified version of Visual Basic programming
language, developed by Microsoft and intended as an easy programming language
for beginners. The language itself has only 14 keywords, and the environment is
beginner-friendly, with a straightforward interface.
This can be downloaded for free from;
http://smallbasic.com//
Year 8 and Year 9 are using Python. Python is a high-level language which is
written using codes that are similar to human read language for example we use
statements such as print (), input () to print and input from the user respectively.
Python is an open source programming language and is therefore free to use. We are
using version 3.3.0 in school which can be download for both Windows and Mac
operating systems from;
https://www.python.org/download/releases/3.3.0/
If you have any questions regarding programming please contact Mrs N Taylor (Head of ICT) [email protected]
New Head of Phoenix House:
We would like to welcome Miss Khurshid as the new Head of Phoenix House. Welcome, Miss Khurshid, to the House Team
and congratulations on your new appointment. Thanks to Mr McHugh for all your hard work with Phoenix - you've done a
fabulous job.
Senior School Drama Department Update
The Drama department at BSB is back at full strength and extends a very warm welcome to
John Holmes who will be teaching both Key Stage Two and Key Stage Three lessons. He brings
with him, a wealth of experience and enthusiasm.
This term sees the start of rehearsals for our Dinner Theatre performance of 'An Inspector Calls'
by J.B.Priestley. Parents and students alike will get the opportunity to enjoy this classic play
whilst dining on fine food in a sumptuous setting. Scheduled for March this year and with a cast
of year ten and eleven students, the play is a three-act 'drawing room' drama, which takes place
on a single night in 1912, focusing on the prosperous middle-class Birling family who live in a
comfortable home in Brumley, "an industrial city in the north Midlands". The family is visited
by Inspector Goole who questions the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman,
Eva Smith. The family are interrogated and revealed to have been responsible for the young
woman's exploitation, abandonment and social ruin, effectively leading to her death.
The play is being studied by GCSE English students and will provide a fantastic opportunity for them to experience the text live
on stage. The performance will be co-directed by Mrs Charles and Mr Squire and tickets will be available from the school from
the beginning of March.
This term also sees the return of the ever popular Key Stage Three Drama Club hosted by Mr. Holmes in C10 from 3pm every
Wednesday, and a GCSE booster club for Years Ten and Eleven as well as those wishing to study GCSE Drama next year; this
activity begins after the current mock exams finish.
Add to that work-in-progress evenings, break-time performances and the inter-house drama competition and it is clear to see
drama is alive and well at the BSB.
Mr. John Holmes BA, MA, PGCE
EAL/Drama
John Holmes has been teaching since 1999. He was Head of Religious Studies and Head of Autism
Provision at a school in the UK, as well as Senior Leader for Autism Bedfordshire, a respite
charity.
“I see my role as being a facilitator for learning. This means acknowledging that every pupil has a
unique style of learning, and planning lessons and schemes of work that reflect this fact.
I am looking forward to two roles at BSB. The first is working closely with the SENCo and the School
Counsellor to identify and help pupils who do not have English as a first language. The aim is to
maximize each individual pupil’s potential by structuring resources and classrooms that set up each
pupil to succeed. As well as helping individuals, I hope to be part of a process that leads to a whole-school approach to the use
of English as an Additional Language that will involve teachers, parents and fellow pupils.
The second role is working as part of the Drama team. As a discrete subject, I see drama as being a way of learning dramatic
and theatrical techniques, but it is so much more than that. It is a powerful tool for investigating contentious and
thought-provoking topics and as a method of improving understanding through sound and movement of cross-curricular
subjects from Science to History. I can see a time when BSB alumni will make us proud when they grace the stages and
cinemas of the world!”
4
Cyber Bullying
‘Cyber bullying is when someone uses technology (such as the internet or
a mobile phone) to bully others’.
Websites like Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Snap chat, Instagram, Whatsapp and
gaming forums can be great fun and very useful. But what do you do when things go
wrong? Cyber bullying is rife on the internet and most young individuals will experience it at some time.
Being a victim of cyber bullying can be very distressing for a person as most of the time they don’t know who is bullying them.
Cyber bullying includes things such as sending nasty text messages, emails, or setting up a hate group on a social networking site.
The bullying may be happening 24 hours a day and the victim is often targeted even when they are in the comfort of their own
home.
The internet is an amazing resource and can be used in a number of positive ways. However, content posted
online can be easily misunderstood by others and taken out of context. It is important for young people to
recognise the importance of 'thinking before you post' and the need to respect their friends' and
peers' thoughts and feelings online. What is considered morally right and wrong offline must also be
thought of in the same way online, and treating others with respect on the internet is a good way to
ensure that online situations are less likely to escalate into cyber bullying situations.
If you feel you are being bullied online:
Don’t reply: most of the time the bully is looking for a reaction when they’re teasing or calling someone nasty names. By
replying, you’re giving the bully exactly what they want.
Save the evidence: save the evidence of any emails or text messages they receive. This is so you have something to show
when you report the cyber bullying.
Tell someone: tell a trusted adult/teacher if you are being cyber-bullied and tell them as soon as you can in order to
minimise your upset.
What can I do to help as a parent?
Understand the tools: be aware of the reporting mechanisms on different sites and services so you can support your
children in making a report.
Discuss cyber bullying: be proactive in discussing cyber bullying with your children: how it occurs, why it occurs, and the
consequences of such behaviour.
Know who to report to: ensure that you are aware of whom to go to in school if you have concerns about cyber bullying
incidents. This may be a form tutor, Head of Year or a member of the senior leadership team (Head of Pastoral).
If an individual posts abuse about anyone else on the internet, whether it's in places like Facebook or Ask.fm, in games forums or
message boards, or if they send threats in chat rooms or on IM like Whatsapp, then this person can be traced by the appropriate
authorities without any difficulty. Every time an individual visits a website or makes a posting, the internet service provider, i.e.
Batelco, has an electronic note of their activities. Even if this individual creates an anonymous email address like Gmail, Hotmail
or yahoo, it can still be traced. But most importantly don’t forget that nothing is secret in cyber space and something someone
writes now might damage their job prospects in the future because many employers search the internet before they employee
someone.
At the BSB, we have zero tolerance on any forms of bullying and take any incidence of bullying very serious. Therefore, ‘THINK
BEFORE YOU POST!’
Miss Lucy Jones
Head of Pastoral
Head of Sixth Form report—Scott Colton
Exam Success
Huge congratulations to those students who received their re-sit grades for Business Studies and
Geography. They were extremely pleasing and a result of hard work and effective teaching and
learning. I am sure this will now be the springboard required to achieve the multitude of
university offers our students have received.
Mock Week Two
In order to measure the progress which has been made this year, a second round of exams will take
place between 11 – 19th February, 2015. As a school, we expect mock results to closely match those
targets set at the start of the year. The Sixth Form team shall be in touch should they not.
Additional Help
Maths is offering additional lessons during the day for all students who wish to attend. I fully
urge all students to consider participating to support their own efforts before and after mock
week two.
Miss Khurshid is also running an AO3 class for all Psychology students. How Science Works is a
common assessment objective across all experimental subjects and is an opportunity for
scientists from each discipline to compare notes and swap thoughts.
Please feel free to contact any of the Sixth Form team:
Mr Colton (Head of Sixth Form)
[email protected]
Mr Sheikh (Head of Year 12)
[email protected]
Coming Soon…
Psychology and English combine to bring you…
The Great Psychology Debate
Update from the History Department—Shabana Jabine, Head of Department
Year 7 History
Year 7 students created some fabulous castles as
part of their studies on the Middle Ages. They
spent lesson time discussing how and why castles
evolved over time, starting from the basic Motte
and Bailey castles to the concentric castles. They
wrote fantastic spy reports, identifying their key
defense features, and used medieval siege
weapons to attack them. Well done Year 7
historians! A big thank you to Mr. McHugh and
Mr. Barker for leading these projects!
Year 12 History
“Collectivisation was a terrible disaster for the
Russian people.” Students got into role as Kulaks,
peasants and members of the Politburo vociferously
defending and attacking the collectivisation policy
instigated by Stalin. Genuine passion and emotions
became evident as the discussion came under way.
Ten million dead, a similar number in exile, but
grain production was up by a significant 24 millions
tonnes, and Russia was well on its way to catching
up to its western neighbors. Was it really a terrible
disaster? What are your thoughts?
Mini – MBA Trip to London
Travel Dates: 17th July 2015 – 23rd July 2015
Trip Leader: Khalil Ahmed
Year Groups involved: Years 10 to 13
Cost of the trip: BD 835/Anticipated no. of students: 30
Additional costs likely Spending money – plus money for dinners and
shopping for the week
Advance Deposit: BD 150/Deadline for advance deposit payment: 5th February 2015
IB @ the BSB
The IB learner profile is the IBO mission statement translated into a set of 21 st century student characteristics. The attributes
of the profile express the values of the IB continuum of international
education: these are values that are critical to the culture and ethos of all IB
World Schools. The learner profile provides a long-term vision of education. It
is a set of ideals that can inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools and
teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.
IB programmes promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing
intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth through all domains of
knowledge. By focusing on the dynamic combination of knowledge, skills,
independent critical and creative thought and international-mindedness, the
IBO promotes the principle of educating the whole person for a life of active,
responsible citizenship. Underlying the three programmes is the concept of
education of the whole person as a lifelong process. The learner profile is a
profile of the whole person as a lifelong learner.
IB learners strive to be:

Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and
show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their
lives.

Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire
in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex
problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one
language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the
individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany
them.

Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the
perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a
range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal
commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the
independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being
for themselves and others.

Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and
understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
Over the next few weeks I hope to explain more about how each of these characteristics will be encouraged at the BSB and
share the ideas we have about nurturing our students to become ‘lifelong learners’.
Daniel McHugh
IB Coordinator
8
Gifted & Talented @ the BSB—Update from Wayne Ridgway, G & T Coordinator
A very big thank you to the parents of our Gifted and Talented cohort who came along to the information afternoon on Tuesday
20th January. The aim of the afternoon was to introduce the programme and explain exactly what it means to be Gifted and
Talented and what is expected of these students. It is vital to the success of the programme that parents are involved in the process to help us ensure rapid progress. Each student is currently meeting with their Head of Year to set challenging targets and
offer guidance on how to develop their talents even further. We are extremely lucky to have such a wonderful group of students
at the BSB which makes working with our Gifted and Talented cohort a true pleasure. Congratulations to the following students who form part of this group:
Ali Abdulla
Fatima
13D
Al Sharif
Azim
Sohaib
Tarif
Hassan
Adenwala
Farooqui
Orme
Perera
Naser
Manal
Rida
Dana
13G
13D
13MC
13G
13M
12J
12SA
12SA
12SA
Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry
Sajid
Yasin
Abdulrahim
Hamza
Kiran
Jalal
Hasan
Nasr
Adenwala
Howe
Illyas
Khan
Panagis
Abbas
Ahsan
Al Majali
Al-Ahmad
Arslan
Dawani
Galal Aly Fahmy
Mohammed
Ng
Panganiban
Perois
Rahman
Skurovski
Al Ameen
Barnes
Blyth
Wang
Wall
Ahmed
Ahmed
Al Hashemi
Alawadhi
Alhassan
Annovi
Fayyaz
Hassan
Manjlai
Rooke
Vincenzini
Whitlow
Abrar
Tala
Ammar
Amy
Muhammad
Rai Saad
Yannis
Husain
Iqra
Shouq
Oday
Muhammad Salaar
Husain
Sara
Hanan
Laura
Sarah
John William
Ahnaf
Mihail
Alia
Callum
Angus
Lihan
Benjamin
Eman
Daniya
Fatema
Aysha
Zahra
Diego
Leena
Zuhair
Shahzeb
Samantha
Carlo
Sadie
12J
12J
12SA
12M
12M
11M
11YM
11M
11YM
11KM
11YM
11YM
11KM
11YM
11KM
11M
11M
11YM
11S
11M
11S
11KM
11KM
10B
10S
10SL
10S
10MC
10B
10B
10B
10B
10S
10S
10MC
10B
10SL
10MC
10S
10MC
Maths, Economics, Business, G&P
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths
Business, Economics, Physics
Maths
English
Maths, Science, Geography
English, Science
Maths, ICT, Business
Maths, Biology
Maths, ICT, Music, Business, English
Business
Business
Arabic
Science
Maths, Business
Arabic
Arabic
Business
English
Business
English
Maths
Maths
English, Maths, Science, Art
Maths, Science
English, Maths, Science
Maths, Science
English, Maths, Science
Drama
Drama
Business
Arabic
PE
PE
English, Maths
Business
Maths, ICT
English, Drama
PE
Drama
Marwan
Ali
Hasan
Kevin
Pathirage Kevin
English, Physics, Chemistry
Physics, Chemistry
Accounting, Economics, Business
Maths, Psychology, Economics
PE, Psychology, Geography
Arabic
Biology, Chemistry, English, History
Economics, Physics, Business, Maths
Economics, English, Biology, Psychology
9
Zajaczkowski
Bahnemann
Dizon
Rahman
Sheikh
Cho
Cox
Dawani
Gosain
Iqbal
Ramesh
Turkomani
Abdulnabi
Abou Melhem
Abou Melhem
Al Khalifa
Mukhopadhyay
Panganiban
Abou Melhem
Chellamsetty
El Sayed
Moes
Nasir
Rafea
Sharma
Skurovski
Sollberger
Taheri
Waniarachchi
Watson
Zainalabedin
Al Khawaja
Ansari
Govind
Hasan
Javed
Kapoor
Kazerooni
Fletcher
Muir
Sztukiewicz
Ziqulhaque
Maciej
Ingrid
Julia
Mahdi
Julia
Sion
Hayden
Ali
Rhea
Fariha
Shruti
Deema
Dana
Karim
Leen
Lana
Neel
Marvin
Ghia
Jahnavi
Waad
Lucas
Imran
Ghayah
Smayan
Elena
Saija
Mohamed
Shakya
Thomas
Mashael
Talal
Saniya
Bianca
Radia
Muhammad
Krish
Layan
Charlie
Robyn
Maria
Aysha
10MC
9H
9T
9R
9A
9M
9A
9T
9T
9R
9R
9H
8M
8SB
8C
8SB
8SB
8C
8JS
8S
8SB
8S
8JS
8M
8C
8C
8C
8S
8S
8C
8JS
7AC
7KA
7A
7C
7C
7MC
7AC
7A
7K
7DW
7DW
Geography
Eng, Maths, Geo, Hist, ICT, Drama,
Eng, Maths, Art, ICT
Maths
Eng, Maths, Sci, Geo, Hist, ICT, Art, Languages
Drama
Music
PE
Food Technology, Drama
Languages
Drama, Languages
Drama
Eng, Maths, Sci, Geo, Hist, Drama
Eng, Maths, Sci, PE
Maths, Sci, Hist
Eng, Maths, Sci, ICT
Eng, Maths, Sci, ICT
Eng, Maths, Sci, Hist, ICT
PE
Science
Art
Food Technology
Languages
Art
Drama
ICT
Art
Art
Art
PE, Food Tech
Science
Eng, Maths, Sci
Eng, Maths, Sci
Maths, Sci
Maths, Sci
Maths, Sci
Maths, Sci
Maths, Sci
Drama
PE
Geography
Science
10
Year 8 Update from Head of Year 8—Wayne Ridgway
Term 1 was an extremely successful one for Year 8 and, as Head of Year, it made me very proud to look through the exceptional grade cards. As a Year group, there are some excellent things going on in terms of attainment, effort and extracurricular
involvement. I would like to make a special mention of the following students who have really stood out for a variety of
reasons:
Attainment; Level 7 achieved:
Elena Skurovskii (ICT, Science)
Dana Abdulnabi (Arabic)
Jahnavi Chellamsetty (Maths)
Karim Abou Melhem (Maths)
Leen Abou Melhem (Maths)
Mashael Zainalabedin (Arabic)
Naba Al Mukhareq (Arabic)
Azhan Gilani (Maths)
Nikola Milivojevic (Maths)
Neel Mukhopadhyay (Maths)
Marvin Panganiban (ICT)
Omar Abdelrahman (Arabic)
Ali Abdelrahman (Arabic)
Above target level:
Elena Skurovskii (Science)
April Steffek-Vogel (Science)
Pavle Ognjenovic (Science)
Orla West (Science)
Naba Al Mukhareq (Science)
Zehra Abbas (Science)
Amritansh Choudhary (Science)
Ghalia Mohamed (Maths)
Humairaa Mohd Raznan (ICT)
Johnny Rush (Science)
Saija Sollberger (ICT)
Mariam Tarek Said (PE)
Yasmeen Toorani (Science)
Yara Al Kurdi (PE)
Rahul Dev Royce (Maths)
Waad El Sayed (Science)
Year 8 Recycling Campaign
As part of Year 8's PSHE Pollution course and part of our Eco-Schools project, Year 8 classes will be starting a recycling
campaign. Each Year 8 class must collect as many plastic bottles and metal drinks cans as they can. They must think of the
best way to collect cans and bottles - perhaps going into assemblies in the lower school, designing posters or setting up
collection points around the school....the possibilities are endless! Good luck Year 8 - may the best class win!!!!
11
Fashion Design Trip to a Fashion Fair at the Diplomat Radisson,
(Syndicate rooms). It’s a competition and the students will be
competing with other schools. Students will learn how to Draw in
Fashion and Design workshops, enjoy making clothes and draping
on mannequins, sketch with the Lights Camera Fashion students youngest being age 9. Creativity like never seen in Bahrain by
renowned fashion Designer and expert in creative thinking Hamra
Alam from England. Allproceeds go to the Autistic Kids. School
Bookings @ BD 3/- Deadline for entry: 26thJanuary 2015.
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