Admissions to BISC August 2024

We have received a significant number of applications for Foundation Stage 2 and are about to declare this full for August 2024. Any parents wishing to place an application are encouraged to contact our Admissions team within the next week.

Post 16 Education Workshop – Year 11 Parents and Students

There have been some questions posed, by parents and students, about the various post 16 education options. This is of course quite natural and timely, as Year 11 have just completed the mocks and will be receiving their results this afternoon. 

We appreciate that this can be an anxious period for many students. In my discussions with students, there are also some misconceptions which we would like to address, to support students in making this important decision.  

I will be holding a workshop for Year 11 parents and students on ‘Post 16 Education’ on Tuesday 6th February from 15:30-16:30, in the IB Meeting Room.

The aims of this workshop will be to:

- Explore the main differences between the A-Level and IB Diploma programmes.

- Provide further information on the IB Diploma Programme at BISC.

I will be leading this workshop, with the support of our Director of IB, Mrs McGinley. We hope this workshop will also support parents in advance of the Year 11 IB Options Evening, which is scheduled for Monday 12th February.

Key Upcoming Dates

The Hague International Model United Nations Conference

We are very happy to share Abdelrahman's success as Secretary-General of The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) 56th annual conference. Abdelrahman is the first Egyptian Secretary-General of THIMUN. He served as an excellent Secretary-General and THIMUN recognised that his Secretariat was one of the most impressive in recent years. Reaching this position has required hard work, dedication and consistency in the MUN programme at BISC and beyond. Looking forward to having Abdelrahman as Secretary-General of BISCMUN XI. 

The BISC delegation to THIMUN comprised of twelve Sixth Form students who represented our school in an excellent manner, both in terms of behaviour and contributions to their committees. The delegates made an effort to engage in meaningful debates on a variety of topics such as maintaining international peace and security, gender equality and environmental concerns. Students visited the Peace Palace, the seat of the International Court of Justice, and had a chance to reflect on the value of MUN. More photos here.

Year 7 English

This week, Ms Watkins’ English class brought their class novel ‘Coraline’ to life. Students combined their creativity and analytical skills, recreating different settings from the novel, while other students worked as a group to produce an in-depth character analysis of their story’s protagonist. They used their skimming and scanning skills to extract suitable quotations from the text which supported their artistic choices. Well done to Mansour, Ali and Rasheed who went the extra mile and created 3D interpretations of the novel’s setting. The English Department is thrilled with the enthusiasm and commitment they showed towards the task. Photos

UK Maths Trust Challenge

On Wednesday, students in Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the UKMT Intermediate Challenge to test their knowledge against peers around the globe. The multiple choice questions tested students' abilities to reason mathematically. Those who progress will be invited to attempt the Mathematics Olympiad later in the year. More photos here.

An example of the types of questions they get asked is below:

Easier:

Trickier:

Year 7 History

In Year 7 History lessons this week, students were tasked with replicating a diagram of a Motte and Bailey castle. They worked in small groups where each student was tasked with a role: scribe or informer. The scribe had to draw the Motte and Bailey castle without seeing the diagram, following the instructions of the informers. The informers had to describe the diagram to the scribes but were not allowed to use their hands or touch the pencil. This activity was enjoyable and students had a lot of fun learning how to communicate with each other in different ways. It was great to see students challenge themselves so that they could develop their communication skills. Students reflected on the importance of being clear with instructions and recognised how these skills could be transferred to other scenarios. More photos here.

Secret Student

In order to raise the profile of positives in School, we introduced a scheme last term to encourage students to take more responsibility for their own attitude and approach to learning, and improve the culture by striving for a positive learning environment in our classrooms and around the School.

The winning secret students this week are:

7JI - Charlie D - 59 points
8RM - Laila S - 58 points
9RT - Maya AK - 59 points
10JW - Sasha W - 54 points
11CS - Lamisse AH - 57 points

Stars of the Week

Year 7 - Nour G - For her continued hard work and dedication to studies.

Year 8 - Ahmed K - For having excellent work ethic and gaining 8 positives last week with no lates, in addition to 100% attendance!

Year 9 - Maria S - For showing resilience and excellent work ethics. 

Year 10 - Maya S - For gaining 6 positives and having 100% attendance.

Year 11 - Zahra A.H. - For her amazing resilience and always being friendly, respectful and helpful. 

Year 12 - Nadia El Fas 

Year 13 - Yassin El Shazly

Year 11 Student Voice Session

Working with the Year 11 Student Leaders, Mr Holder and Ms Walker, in an interactive and lively session, provided students in Year 11 the chance to share their opinions on ways to improve School life. Photos

Book Week

In the first week back after half term, we will be holding our annual Book Week celebration. Khadija S, Safiyya M, Ynes H and Hana C from Year 12 have been working hard to implement fun and engaging activities throughout the week. More information about what will be on offer will come in the next few weeks.

One event that is always exciting is our dress up day, which will take place on Tuesday 27th February. Only KS3 students are involved this year. KS3 students who wish to participate must come to school with a physical copy of the book from which their character originates. Students who do not wish to participate should come to School in normal School uniform.

Readers of the Week

Charlie D has already gained almost double the amount of reading points required to meet his March reading target. He is continuing to enjoy new books during reading lessons and helping to increase the word count for his class. Well done, Charlie!

Harun A.H. is also well ahead of target and is enthusiastically reading contemporary science fiction at great speed!

Hussein A.E. completed his reading target the day after it was set. This shows how much reading Hussein completes independently, regardless of any target that we set in School. It is great to see such enthusiasm for reading. 

Here are our latest 100% Accelerated Reader quiz takers:

Year 7

Ibrahim AK, Maria AK, Yosif AK, Charlie D, Khalifa H, Selim H, Karma I, Maryam K, Krystof, Mohamed M, Ali M, Hala S, Layal T.

Year 8

Sereen B, Amina E, Lina EN, Nouri E, Youssef F, Zainab F, Lilian F, Omar G, Yassine G, Mohamed G, Dacil H, Valentina, Lara I, Laila M, Farida M, Laila S, Ali S, Ryan S, Mia Y, Tamara Z.

Year 9

Hussein AE, Maya A, Hebatalla B, Ahmed E, Malak E, Hassan E, Nelly E, Amina G, Tamara K, Adham N, Mostafa S, Laila Y.

In order to ensure that a wide range of reading material is available to everyone at BISC, it is vital that library books are returned to the library as soon as they have been read. Please check your bookshelves and School bags to make sure that there are no forgotten BISC library books in your homes. There is a waiting list for many of our overdue library books so we need them as soon as possible!

Key Stage 3 Arabic

Our Years 7, 8 and some Year 9 students made penpals as part of a collaboration with The International Community School of Amman, Jordan. Last term, our students put significant effort into writing cards in Arabic and selecting images that encapsulated Egyptian culture. They were delighted to receive their replies. More photos here.

كجزء من مشروع تبادل البطاقات البريدية بالتعاون مع مدرسة الجالية الدولية في عمان، استقبل طلاب الصفوف السابع والثامن وبعض طلاب الصف التاسع البطاقات المنتظرة من أصدقاءهم بالمراسلة. خلال الفصل الدراسي السابق، قام طلابنا ببذل جهد كبير في صنع البطاقات لطلاب من نفس الفئة العمرية واختيار صور لتمثيل الثقافة المصرية بعناية والتعبير باللغة العربية عن أفكارهم حول مواضيع مختلفة تتعلق بدراستهم

Upcoming Events 

BSME Trip

Our U11 BSME athletes competed in a football competition in Bahrain this week, battling it out against top teams from other schools in the region.

The BISC teams roared through the competition, reaching the quarter-finals with exceptional skill and grit. We are incredibly pleased with their performance and cannot wait to see them conquer even greater heights. 

Safer Internet Day 2024

Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest awareness campaign of online safety. Each year an online issue or theme that speaks to the things young people are seeing and experiencing online, is covered. Created in consultation with young people, this year Safer Internet Day focuses on change online, this includes covering:

• Young people’s perspective on new and emerging technology
• Using the internet to make change for the better
• The changes young people want to see online
• The things that can influence and change the way young people think, feel and act online and offline

Across the Junior School, pupils will be partaking in various activities to address some of these issues.

We are committed to working with our community to ensure our pupils are safeguarded online too. This also includes gathering information from parents; therefore, we would like to invite you to complete this survey: BISC Online Safety, Parent Survey 2024

Furthermore, Mr Roomee and Mrs Bukhari will be hosting an Internet Safety session on Zoom, for parents, on Tuesday 6th February, at 11:00. Zoom Link.

Year 2 Trip - Grand Egyptian Museum

The Year 2 pupils were delighted to explore the recently inaugurated Grand Egyptian Museum on Monday. Their experience was memorable, as they not only engaged in a challenging pyramid-making activity, but also delved into the treasure trove of knowledge about life in Ancient Egypt, presented for children within a dedicated section of the museum. More photos here.

Year 4 Science

This term, pupils in Year 4 are exploring the digestive system and dental hygiene. They used plaque revealing tablets post-brushing to observe plaque buildup, recording results scientifically. They compared findings and suggested improved brushing techniques. More photos here.

Buddy Reading Session

Classes 6F and 3O joined together this week for a Buddy Reading session. Our older pupils supported the younger ones to improve their storytelling and build their confidence with the English language. More photos here.

Year 2 Arabic

Pupils in Year 2 were visited by a guest speaker this week, Mrs Malak Yassin, expert on Ancient Egyptian life. She shared her wisdom on their style of writing and recording history, including the story of the Rosetta Stone. She also explained how the Ancient Egyptians made their clothing. Our pupils were really engaged and asked many questions. More photos here.

Start of the Day - Reminder

We have noticed that many of the pupils are starting to come to School later each day. Please be reminded that all pupils should be in School by 07:55 at the latest each morning, to ensure they are ready to start lessons at 08:00. 

Upcoming Events 

Foundation Stage One

As part of our Looking After Myself topic, the children in FS1 have been learning all about their emotions this week. Through circle times, class discussions and activities, the children learnt what the different emotions are and the importance of expressing their feelings. Throughout the week, we reflected on simple strategies that can help us regulate our emotions.

Foundation Stage Two

As part of our Sea, Land and Sky theme, the children in FS2 read the book Elmer the Elephant. This story teaches us that everyone is unique and has something that sets them apart from everyone else. We learnt to embrace our differences and always be true to who we are.

Next week, the children will read the book Owl Babies as they learn about day and night. Children who have a torch at home can bring it to School on Sunday.

Upcoming Events

Keeping our students safe online is a priority at BISC. We are happy to share advice from the National Online Safety, to enable parents to understand the pros and cons of various social media, games and digital trends.

This week we are sharing tips about how to use technology to make a better world.