It is always apparent that the term is fully underway when students are responding to deadlines being given and teachers are providing that extra support beyond the classroom to ensure that each BISC student can take advantage of the opportunity of receiving more personalised and individualised learning from their teachers. Particularly for students engaged in the IGCSE and IBDP, there will be even more deadlines to meet but support is available. It was delightful to see the response of Sixth Form students to the additional support from the Maths Department with IAs this week. There are many additional learning opportunities for BISC students and I urge parents to support us in ensuring students take up these.

Academic attainment at the highest level is taken for granted at world elite universities and on its own will not enable students to gain places at these institutions. Competition for places is immense globally and students need to ensure that they stand out! Therefore I urge students to focus on using their time wisely and ensuring that they build up a portfolio of evidence of what else they have been involved in such as sustained service activities, innovative and entrepreneurial practices and a demonstration of their global awareness and responsibility. This should be beginning from the moment they enter BISC!  ASAs are now underway for example, and this gives students some opportunities to branch out and develop in new ways.  

I hope that we will welcome more parents on the campus in the next few weeks as they attend workshops as well as parent consultation evenings. It was delightful to meet with our new parents again this week to find out how their children are settling in after a few weeks now. We hope that we can hold more events where parents can get to know each other as well as gain a better understanding of what a BISC education in 2024 means.

Message from the Head of Senior School

It has been wonderful this week to see students engaging with ASAs; exploring their interests and trying out new activities. We know that BISC students thrive when engaged in their extracurricular pursuits, as evidenced by the success of our Injaz participants, who came first and qualified for the Middle East finals in Dubai. It is fantastic to see our budding entrepreneurs coming up with innovative products to change the world for the better.

A key characteristic of the IB Learner Profile is that of being a risk-taker. While "risk-taker" might sometimes have negative connotations - suggesting recklessness or carelessness - it is actually a crucial skill for students to develop. Risk-taking helps students become well-rounded, decisive, and confident adults. We want our students to be risk-takers who step outside their comfort zones, trying new things to gain knowledge and skills. They should be comfortable with challenges and welcome opportunities to explore new ideas. Our teachers constantly challenge our students in lessons to be more independent, to research ideas, and to try out new tasks they may not have tackled before. Please ask your children when they return each day how they have been challenged to be an even better learner.

We want to work closely with parents to keep you informed and make you a part of your child’s educational journey. Our vision includes shaping young people into independent thinkers and learners. It was wonderful to see parents engaging in revision sessions and learning how to support their children in Spanish last week. More opportunities for involvement are coming up, including pastoral workshops scheduled for Tuesday 1st October and Parents' Evenings the following week. These events will allow you to meet teachers, discuss how to best support your child's learning, and for parents of Year 13 students, understand the intricacies of university application processes. I strongly encourage you to attend all these events so we can collaborate to secure the best academic outcomes for our students.

INJAZ Success

Teams from BISC entered the finals of Injaz Egypt, a national business simulation competition, held at Cairo English School, last week. Students collaborated in teams and worked closely with Injaz mentors to come up with business ideas to pitch in front of a panel of distinguished judges.

Team GlareGuard (in green T-shirts) won the Most Innovative Product category award and Team PowerPod (in dark blue T-shirts) won the award for the Most Scalable Product.

Proud winners of the main prize of the event, the Company of the Year 2023-24 award, went to Team FilterIt (in white T-shirts). They will be representing Egypt in the regional competition to be held in Dubai at the end of October.

Well done to all the Injaz teams and thanks to Mr Jones-Alleyne, Ms Shahi and Mr Gurung for their support.

National Coding Week

To celebrate Coding Week, the Computing Department set a series of exciting technological challenges for our Senior School students. During lunchtime sessions, students dove into robotics, coding games and algorithm puzzles.

Pastoral Workshop Evening

SparxMaths

Students of the Week

Congratulations to the following students, who were nominated as Students of the Week by the Pastoral team:

• Year 7 - Malika 
• Year 8 - Ghalia 
• Year 9 - Tatiana
• Year 10 - Seif T
• Year 11 - Mariam Z 
• Year 12 - Omar I
• Year 13 - Hana 

News from the Sixth Form

Year 13 students will receive their exam reports on Engage on Thursday 26th September. These reports will provide invaluable insights into their academic performance, helping them identify areas for improvement and celebrate their successes. Lessons in the following week will be dedicated to discussing progress and offering personalised feedback to students. 

For Year 12 students, the upcoming release of the assessment calendar is a significant milestone. This comprehensive document will outline all internal assessments and key dates for the IB course, ensuring students stay organised and prepared throughout the academic year. To provide parents with a deeper understanding of the IB curriculum and their child's progress, a Parent Workshop will be held on Tuesday 1st October.

Beyond academics, the Sixth Form is committed to fostering a supportive and engaging environment that prepares students for their future careers. One of the key initiatives in this regard is the weekly meetings with Mr Menghis. These sessions serve as a platform for sharing important notices, celebrating student achievements and providing guidance on career pathways. By participating in these meetings, students are actively building the foundation for their professional success.

Message from the Head of Junior School

This week has been a delight, with students eagerly participating in our After School Activities (ASAs), exploring their interests and trying out new skills. Additionally, we have been processing numerous applications for the various roles and leadership responsibilities available to the children. The experience of applying and interviewing provides invaluable learning opportunities, irrespective of the outcome.

We deeply value our partnership with parents and strive to make you an integral part of your child’s educational journey. Our vision is to cultivate independent thinkers and lifelong learners. This morning, it was a pleasure to welcome new parents and hear from our Chairman, who reaffirmed the school’s rich heritage, its holistic approach to education, and the unique benefits of being a not-for-profit institution. Your trust in the school and our experienced, dedicated staff, who are wholeheartedly committed to nurturing your child’s development, ensures that every decision is guided by their well-being and best interests.

ASAs are Back

Junior School pupils began a new cycle of after school activities this week, including sewing, mindful colouring, online chess, football and basketball.

Year 3 Science Class

Class 3F took to the Science lab this week to test which objects are able to make shadows. We used torches and a variety of intriguing materials to build an understanding of transparent, translucent and opaque objects.

Arabic and Middle East Programme Meetings

Humanities Competitions 

At the start of each term, each year group has a Key Question that they base their learning around in their Humanities topic. A great way to start a new topic is by creating an introductory page in the children’s book. In the past, we have seen some really colourful and creative intro pages. This year, we made it into a little bit of a competition. Below are some winners from each year group, congratulations to Lara (3M), Ghaly (3F), Adam (4F), Amina (4W), Osama (5C) Sharifa (5S), Malek (6F) and Tabitha (6i).

Last Week’s Assemblies

In last week's Key Stage 1 assembly, we celebrated the following Stars of the Week:

Layan (1E), Majed and Anja (1H), Moshira (1T), Malak (1N), Kenda (2F), Noura (2L), Naod (2B), Salma (2S).

In last week's Key Stage 2 assembly, we celebrated the following Stars of the Week:

Amina (3O), Hana M (3M), Nuray (3B), Hassan (3F), Divit (4D), Ahmed (4B), Bailey (4W), Nadia (4F), Khadija A (5S), Osama (5C), Mourad (5B), Omar W (5D), Ovidiu (6F), Maya A (6I), Omar (6M).

Congratulations to these Mathematicians of the Week:

Soliman (3O), Larry (4W), Karim S (5B), Ismail (6I).

Pupil Leadership Roles 

Our pupils have been busy applying for leadership roles within the Junior School, and over the past few weeks, we have been inundated with impressive applications, videos and speeches. Well done to every applicant who took the time to apply for the roles; we are extremely proud of your efforts. 

We would like to congratulate and announce this year’s Pupil Councillors and Assembly Leaders. We look forward to your valuable contributions and invigorating ideas. 

Pupil Council

Oli and Sina (3B), Dima and Solly (3F), Sare and Jalila (3O), Lara and Nadine (3M), Yehia and Noor (4B), Maya and Ossama (4D), Omar and Nour (4F), Layla and Seif (4W), Mourad and Layla (5B), Ellie and Osama (5C), Hassan and Sarah (5D), Sharifa and Sonny (5S), Zayd and Amina (6F), Maya and Mustafa (6I), Omar and Tamara (6M).

Assembly Leaders 

Magda (3B), Laila (3B), Mark (4D), Malak (4D), Yousef (5S), Hassan (5D), Nicole (5S) and Tamara (6M).

SODIC Run

Well done to Ramzi in Year 5, Ms Fellows, Mr O'Connell and all the BISC runners who participated in the SODIC Charity event in Beverly Hills last week.

Upcoming Events

Message from the Head of Foundation Stage

Music plays a very important role in a child’s development. Right from the start, music and sound patterns are important to children. Studies show that newborn babies, and even infants in the womb, can recognise and respond to music; some parents find that after birth, their babies are soothed by the songs they heard during pregnancy. This early sound recognition ability helps infants to identify their parents’ voices and later, to pick up on words and learn to talk.

It is no wonder then that music can help your child with their communication and language skills. The repetition of those familiar lullabies and nursery rhymes supports word and pattern recognition, while singing together encourages the listening and responding that is needed for communication. For older children, music is also a natural way to learn about rhyming and counting, letters and their sounds.

If you have ever watched young children who respond to music, you will have seen that it comes to them naturally to sing, play, do the actions if there are any, and move along to the beat. These are all valuable forms of self-expression that allow your child to recognise, explore and express their emotions. Participating in music at school can support children to use their imagination, respond to stories and understand the world.

Music in the Foundation Stage classrooms is also a social experience: singing together is a great way for children to come together and enjoy a shared culture with their peers. Children connect music with movement, seeking out others to share this experience.

One of the ways music is used in Foundation Stage is to help develop physical coordination. Encouraging children to dance to the music, or do the actions along with a song, helps their bodies and minds to work together. Music and movement helps children to develop their skills and to practise balance and motor skills.

Dancing supports children’s developing spatial awareness and their dance etiquette (not bumping into your neighbour or treading on their toes!). It also allows the introduction of vocabulary for gross motor and fine motor movement along with mathematical concepts that can be experienced physically – “that was a big jump, let’s do an even bigger jump!”

Alongside the music that takes place daily within the Foundation Stage classrooms, the children have separate music lessons. Their music teacher is Tsvetelina Krasteva and she will be introducing the children to a range of musical instruments during the course of the year as well as teaching singing. Later in the year, she hopes to invite you to come and watch each class demonstrate their musical skills.

Ms Krasteva has been associated with BISC for over 20 years, and some BISC alumni may remember her teaching violin lessons in Zamalek. She may also be familiar to any of you who enjoy attending the Cairo Opera House, as for many years she was the Concert Master.

SODIC Run

Finally, congratulations on an amazing achievement from Viren, who recently joined FS1B. At age 3 years and 4 months, he successfully ran the Sodic Charity 3K run with his brother Divit from Y4B. What an achievement!

Upcoming Events