Half Term Break 

It has been a busy half term, with mock examinations, progress reports, parents' meetings, music concerts, a Luxor trip, Foundation Stage Sports Day and three major BSME and MUN trips, to name but a few. It is certainly fair to state that there have been many achievements and celebrations.

It is now time to rest and recharge batteries for the half term ahead, which launches with Book Week. For students in our GCSE and IB years, the focus will be on intervention and examination techniques, as they head towards the final leg of their courses. 

Wishing everyone a restful and peaceful break. 

Year 6 Entrance Examinations

Year 6 will be sitting the Year 7 Senior School assessments on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th February. Those are skills-based English, Maths and Science assessments and CAT4 test, designed to measure a pupil’s progress through Junior School. The assessments will be provided and marked externally, so they are standardised against the UK national average results.

There is no need to revise or prepare for these assessments, and they only form one part of the overall profile of the pupils’ academic and personal progress through the Junior School.

More details were shared with Year 6 parents earlier today in a letter from the Principal. We wish all our Year 6 pupils the best.

Key Dates Ahead

Book Week

In the first week back after half term, we will be holding our annual Book Week celebrations. Khadija S, Safiyya M, Ynes H and Hana C from Year 12 have been working tirelessly to implement fun and engaging activities throughout the week. 

Dress-up day will take place on Tuesday 27th February and will only involve KS3 students this year. KS3 students who wish to participate must come to School with a physical copy of the book from which their character originates. If they do not wish to participate, they should come to School in normal School uniform.

We Will Rock You

We are delighted to provide further information about our highly anticipated Senior School production 'We Will Rock You'. This show highlights the talents of some of our hard working students across Years 7 to 12.

The students and teaching team have spent endless hours preparing for this show since September, not only during but also out of School hours. Students involved in the performance, technical aspects, costumes, props and make-up; each member has made a huge contribution to the final show. 

The 'We Will Rock You' show runs from Monday 4th March to Wednesday 6th March inclusive, starting at 18:00, with a running time of approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes including an interval.

Please click the link below to let us know when, and how many guests, would like to come and see the show:

UKMT Winners

Earlier this term, students in Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the UK Mathematics Trust intermediate competition. Congratulations to Farah ED (Best in Year 9), Tony M (Best in Year 10) and Laila W (Best in School), along with all those who took part in the competition. Photographed below are many of the certificate awardees from Years 10 and 11. Photos

Secret Students

The winning Secret Students this week are:

7SI - Malek Z - 58 points

8DD - Jessica N - 55 points

9LS - Seif AH - 57 points

10TM - Lamees D - 58 points

11MA - Selim N - 56 points

Stars of the Week

Year 7 - Ahmed G for taking ownership of his own learning and being prepared to push himself academically.

Year 8 - Olfat D for consistently getting a high number of positives and no AFIs. An excellent role model for the School.

Year 9 - Alia A for getting the most positives in the year group, for two weeks in a row. An excellent role model!

Year 10 - Maya S for getting the most positives in the year group and no AFIs, all with a smile!

Year 11 - Omar YA for being an outstanding role model in School and when representing the School.

Year 12 - Haya K for leading on the wellbeing initiative to deliver roses and Valentine's Day cheer around the School.

IB Options Fair 

This week, Year 11 students met with teachers and student representatives to help make choices for their IB studies in the Sixth Form. More photos here.

Valentine's Day

To celebrate Valentine's Day, the Student Leaders responsible for Wellbeing were out delivering roses and kind messages to excited recipients this week. More photos here.

Valentine's Day Lunchtime Concert

Ms Clarke and the Swing Band played for the Senior School during Valentine’s Day, performing some of their best hits with a romantic theme. More photos here.

Trinity College London Music Examinations

Our students are given the opportunity to take Trinity College London examinations in November or in May each year. We are very happy with our musical tradition at BISC and proud to have so many wonderfully talented musicians.

The following students passed the November exam session. A huge congratulations for their hard work and dedication:

All their photos are here.

U15 and U18 Netball

The netball courts were buzzing with excitement this week, as BISC welcomed MES for a friendly round-robin tournament!

MES brought two talented teams and our BISC players rose to the challenge. They engaged in exciting matches, filled with skillful plays and fierce competition. Each team secured victories, showcasing their passion and dedication to the sport.

This friendly tournament was not just about winning and losing, it was an incredible opportunity for our students to:

• develop their skills: both teams learned from each other's strengths and weaknesses, pushing themselves to grow and improve.
• experience competitive netball in Egypt: playing against strong opponents challenged them to strategise and adapt, providing valuable experience.
• build connections and sportsmanship: the friendly atmosphere fostered camaraderie and respect between players from both schools, promoting the true spirit of sports.

We are incredibly proud of our BISC netball players for their outstanding performance and sportsmanship. This tournament was an experience that will undoubtedly contribute towards their development and success in the future.

Library News

This week, we have paused our Readers of the Week awards as everyone was working hard for the assessments. It was fantastic to see many students using the Library this week to revise. Whilst we are all used to thinking of the Library as a place for reading and finding books to enjoy, it is important to remember that the Library is also a study space which is always open for everyone to use at break time. 

Another reminder to please return read books to the Library. We have a long waiting list for many of the books that are on loan.

Upcoming Events

KS1 Assembly

Class 1N performed on stage at the KS1 assembly last week. Their assembly was about 'Respect'. The children sang a song about respect and shared their ideas about how they can show respect. They ended the assembly with a very impressive rap R-E-S-P-E-C-T! They delivered an important message in a very fun and entertaining way and parents and pupils really enjoyed it. We also handed out awards for Stars and Mathematicians of the Week. More photos here.

KS2 Assembly

Class 5B presented a wonderful assembly on being a risk-taker.  Parents and children alike were competing to push their boundaries and be risk-takers. Class 5B pupils took feedback from parents, pupils and teachers in the audience to survey their understanding. As usual, Star of the Week and Mathematician of the Week certificates were presented to pupils who worked particularly hard in the various learning areas. More photos here.

Year 1 Trip to Fagnoon

On Tuesday 13th February, Year 1 pupils went on their School trip to Fagnoon Mall of Arabia. They had a wonderful time exploring different materials; using them to create pottery and picture frames. They also had the opportunity to feed the animals and learn how to care for them. We are proud of how the pupils were Ready, Respectful and Safe throughout the day. More photos here.

Year 5 Trip to Luxor

This week saw Year 5 pupils travel to the historic city of Luxor for three nights. This much anticipated annual trip is always a memorable experience and this year was no different. The pupils sailed the Nile, explored the Valley of the Kings and took a walk through history in the Temples of Luxor and Karnak. An enjoyable time for all those who went! More photos here.

Book Week 2024

Dress-up Day: Tuesday 27th February 

Pupils are welcome to come to School dressed as a character from a book or, as we have done in previous years at BISC, to dress as a word to help develop pupils' vocabulary.

Parent Reading Session:  Wednesday 28th February 

Parents are invited to attend a reading and tea party session on the field from 14:15. This will be a lovely opportunity for families to share their love of reading and we look forward to seeing you all there.  

Book Fair: Tuesday 27th - Thursday 29th February

Parents are welcome to attend the Book Fair at the allocated times with their children. In KS2, money can be sent to School with pupils if parents are not available. Please ensure the money is in a labelled envelope.

Book Fair Timetable

Book Week Competitions

Our House Captains were excited to announce three Book Week competitions during the KS1 and KS2 assemblies.

1- Writing Competition: Children are invited to take part in a creative writing competition. All information will be posted on Google Classroom. The deadline for entries is Sunday 3rd March. 

2- Bookmark Design Competition: Pupils are asked to design imaginative and useful bookmarks at home. They need to remember to write their name, class and House on their bookmarks.

3- International Fact Trail Competition: All pupils will be participating in an exciting International Fact Trail around the School, where they can use their powers of deduction, as well as their worldly knowledge, to figure out which country each fact belongs to. Winners will be announced on Thursday 7th March and will earn points for their Houses as well as some special House awards.

Reading Success

We recently celebrated the pupils who have achieved 100% in an Accelerated Reader quiz so far this term by adding them to the Hall of Fame. It is amazing to see their enthusiasm for reading. 

Nour in 4B has been enjoying a range of challenging texts since the beginning of this academic year. Last week, she passed yet another Accelerated Reader quiz to achieve over one million words. This is a superb achievement.

Safer Internet Day

Last week, we proudly marked Safer Internet Day. Comprehensive online safety lessons were delivered to students across all key stages, fostering awareness and responsible digital citizenship. Sessions offered in-depth discussions, while informative workshops equipped parents with essential knowledge. You can see the presentation from the parent’s workshop on the link below. 

U11 BSME Trip

Our talented U11 athletes are gearing up to compete in the prestigious BSME games in Dubai after half term, from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd March.

Across three action-packed days, our boys and girls will display their skills and sportsmanship in various exciting events, including boys’ basketball, girls’ netball, football, swimming and athletics. Good luck to all involved.

After-School Activities Information

Term 2 ASAs will end when the Ramadan timetable begins. The last day of Term 2 ASAs will be on Monday 4th March. We intend to share information about Term 3 ASAs with parents and pupils to review, well in advance of the Parent Portal opening. Please note that we limit any requests for change to the first two weeks of each term. 

Sporting Achievements

Sharifa in Year 1 recently competed in the Rhythmic Gymnastics National Tournament at New Giza Sports Club. As part of the Under 6 team, she achieved a 1st place ranking and won 6 gold medals. Bravo Sharifa!

Raouf in Year 2 and Ramzi in Year 4 took part in the Sakkara Pyramids Run last weekend with their mother. Well done boys, great work.

Year 4 Arabic 

In Arabic, Class 4E presented their work to support the topic of 'Recycling'. Some beautiful models and thoughtful enrichment! Photos 

Upcoming Events

Sports Day

The children in Foundation Stage had a fantastic Sports Day last Thursday, 8th February. Following a cold start to the week, even the sun came out to make the weather conditions perfect. It was the first time that we had combined FS1 and FS2 for this event. This meant that there were seven stations, each requiring the children to compete using different skills. The children were thrilled to participate in front of their parents and were encouraged by the enthusiastic support. The 'Tug of War' was an especially popular competition, enjoyed by both the children and the parents. The relay race for the parents was also huge fun. Super effort by all. All photos here.

Foundation Stage One

Foundation Stage 1 reached the end of their 'Looking After Myself' topic. This week, the children visited an ambulance as they have been learning about key people who help us within our community. 

Foundation Stage Two

Another busy week in Foundation Stage 2 concluded the 'Sea, Land and Sky' topic. The children enjoyed participating in more Chinese New Year Celebrations. They made beautiful Valentine’s Day cards for their families which you will have received by the time you read this Bulletin. 

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 managing screentime.