As a British International School in Egypt, our ethos is values-based, as seen in the vision and mission of the school, where we encourage our students to be independent learners and global citizens who will play a responsible role in society. As you will see below, we have been ensuring that our young prospective leaders and the community participate and understand their roles. Well done to the newly elected leaders in all areas of the school.

In education today, the focus is always on the quality of learning in the school. 'Behaviour for learning' is an approach to understanding and developing children and young people’s behaviour that focuses on the relationship with themself, with others and with the curriculum, and promotes readiness for education. The term ‘behaviour for learning’ reflects the key principle that the priority of a teacher is to promote learning and that the planning of a teacher ensures consideration of its contribution to the development of learning behaviour. Therefore we focus on:

• engagement 
• collaboration 
• participation 
• communication 
• motivation 

This is to ensure progress and success for all our students as they undergo their journey at BISC from the Foundation Stage through to the IB Diploma Programme and Year 13, and to thrive in their university careers and life.

Understanding the requirements of university admissions is very important and we are pleased to welcome parents to our Seminar with Ivy Plus: Strategies for Admission to Top Universities and Colleges. This event has been organised by our University Guidance Department.

This event is for students in Years 10 to 13 and their parents, with a presentation by Ivy Plus consultant 'Kent Fernandez', who worked in Harvard University Admissions. 

It will be held on Saturday, 2nd November, in the Theatre, for: 

• Year 10 and Year 11 - from 11:00 to 12:30
• Year 12 and Year 13 - from 14:00 to 15:30

A letter has been sent to parents of students in Years 10 to 13, but I encourage you to register and confirm your attendance using this link. 

On a separate note, a reminder to the community that Egypt will apply the winter time change tonight. At midnight, the clocks will be brought backwards by one hour; from 12:00 am Friday to 11.00 pm Thursday (from GMT +3 to GMT +2). 

Message from the Head of Senior School

This week, our Senior School students exercised their democratic right to vote for their Student Leaders. We kicked off the week with an election assembly featuring excellent speeches from the candidates. First, our current leaders, Nour and Haya shared their journey and learning points, offering advice to the incoming leadership team. We would like to thank them for their hard work for the BISC community, enriching the lives of the students as they move into the final stage of their BISC life and preparing for their IB exams. We wish them all the best!

We then continued with candidate speeches. All staff and students were impressed by the vision and action points shared. Our Year 12 candidates carefully considered the responsibilities of their desired roles and how they could improve BISC through leadership, and crafted persuasive speeches to make their case.

We encouraged all students to listen attentively, think critically about their proposals and adopt a global mindset when making their choice. We were thrilled to announce our new leadership team during this morning's Flag Ceremony. Our Leadership Team for 2024-25 is as follows:

Head of Academics: Omar YA

Head of Community: Natalie K

Head of Wellbeing: Giselle K

Sports Ambassador (female): Karma EH

Sports Ambassador (male): Ammar K

Head of Earth: Jude M

Head of Fire: Laila W

Head of Air: Aisha BA

Head of Water: Layan M

Congratulations to all the candidates for their performance and to the winners in particular! We look forward to watching our Student Leaders grow in confidence and expertise as they make their impact on the BISC community.

Stars of the Week

• Year 7 - Leyla
• Year 8 - Ahmed K
• Year 9 - Tia
• Year 10 - Tia M
• Year 11 - Omar AH 
• Year 12 - Abdelaziz S
• Year 13 - Dima EZ

Secret Students - Key Stages 3 and 4  

To raise the profile of positives in the school, we have been encouraging students to take more responsibility for their own attitude and approach to learning. Choosing a Secret Student takes into account: attendance, where students are automatically awarded 5 points for being in school each day; punctuality, where students automatically receive 1 point for each lesson they arrive on time to; and behaviour, where students receive 1 point for each positive they are awarded with. 

The Secret Students selected this week are:

Malek - 7JSA

Masa - 8LSY

Tatiana - 9KSA

Hassan - 10HHA

Alessandro - 11AST

11AST is the first form to reach three wins and was rewarded with a Casual Clothes Day today,

MEDCUP U18 Football Tournament

We are proud to announce outstanding performances from both of our school teams at this weekend's tournament. The teams showcased remarkable skill and determination throughout the 3-day competition.

Friday saw both squads qualifying for the prestigious Elite section, setting the stage for an exciting weekend of competition. The momentum continued into Saturday, with both teams maintaining winning records and advancing all the way to the Elite Gold semi-finals.

Though fatigue may have prevented our teams from reaching the finals, they showed true resilience on Sunday morning, with both securing victories in their final matches to claim Third Place trophies.

Special recognition goes to Leilah R, who was awarded Best Goalkeeper of the tournament - a well deserved honour reflecting her exceptional performance throughout the competition.

SparxMaths

On the day we broke up for the half term holiday, we were notified that pupils at BISC had answered over 100,000 questions correctly on SparxMaths so far this year - an incredible achievement given that we started using it only five weeks earlier!

Congratulations to our XP Champions for the last half term:

A huge congratulations to our first student to reach Level 10: Amer G in 7MathTTA!

Year 9 Athletics

The Year 9 girls were on the track this week, learning the principles of relay running and passing the baton at speed. 

Year 13 Guest Lecture

محاضرة خارجية عن التطورات الدولية والإقليمية من الدكتور محمد كمال

في إطار سلسلة المحاضرات الخارجية التي ينظمها برنامج "مصر والشرق الأوسط"، تم هذا الأسبوع تنظيم المحاضرة الثالثة للعام الدراسي الحالي، حيث استضاف طلاب الصف الثالث عشر الأستاذ الدكتور محمد كمال، أستاذ العلوم السياسية في جامعة القاهرة، ومدير معهد البحوث والدراسات العربية بجامعة الدول العربية، والأستاذ الزائر في عدد من الجامعات المرموقة مثل جامعة كاليفورنيا - بيركلي وجامعة شيكاغو. تطرق الدكتور محمد في محاضرته إلى ما يتم من إعادة تشكيل النظام الدولي الحالي، والتنافس التكنولوجي الصاعد بين الولايات المتحدة والصين. تناولت المحاضرة أيضًا تحليل للصراعات الدائرة في الإقليم المحيط، وكذلك التبعيات السياسية والاقتصادية التي أثرت على مصر. وجه الطلاب عدد من الأسئلة، وفُتِح الباب لنقاشات أعمق، منها تأثير فوز أي من مرشحيّ الانتخابات الرئاسية الأمريكية على مصر، وكيفية قيام مصر بالتنمية في ظل الحروب الإقليمية

In the third guest lecture of this term, organised by the Egypt and Middle East Programme, Year 13 students enjoyed a visit by Prof Mohamed Kamal, Professor of International Relations Science at Cairo University, Director of the Institute for Arab Research and Studies at the League of Arab States. Professor Kamal has also been a visiting scholar at a number of renowned universities, such as the University of California Berkeley and the University of Chicago. 

In his talk, Professor Kamal provided insights on the current global changes affecting the post-Cold War world order, where the US is withdrawing from a number of regions to focus on the more important rising competition with China - which is not just a political rivalry, but a technological one as well. The lecture also included an analysis of the ongoing regional conflicts, and their political and economic impacts on Egypt. In the Q&A session, students asked interesting questions about the impact of the US elections on Egypt and the region as well as how Egypt can navigate the current regional dynamics to continue its modernisation process.   

House Chess Competition

IVY Plus Seminars

On Saturday 2nd November, BISC will hold the Strategies for Admission to Top Universities and Colleges seminar, for Year 10 to Year 13 students and their parents. Sessions run from 11:00 to 12:30 for Year 10 and Year 11 students, and from 14:00 to 15:30 for Year 12 and Year 13 students.

Ivy Plus admissions expert 'Kent Fernandez', who worked in Harvard Admissions, will enlighten participants about the university/college admissions process to top higher education institutions and provide strategies for helping BISC students obtain offers to these. Parents and students are kindly requested to RSVP via the invitations that they received. Following Saturday’s seminar, Kent will spend Sunday to Thursday at BISC advising students in Years 10 to 13.

Student Achievement 

Congratulations to Seif in 8EHU for winning 3rd place at the Egyptian Cup for fishing this week, held in Gouna under the supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. We wish Seif and his team good luck in the IGFA Championship 2025 in Costa Rica.

COBIS Art Competition

Junior and Senior School students have been working hard on their entries for this year's COBIS Art Competition. The theme is ‘Magical Moments’. An exhibition will be held on the lower ground floor of the Arts Quad from Thursday 7th to Thursday 14th November. Please go along and look at the incredible artwork produced by students across the whole school.

Important After-School Activities Dates

Due to the Year 11 Parent Meeting, ASAs will be cancelled on Monday 11th November. 

Please note that this will affect transport arrangements on the day, with all students taking the first bus home unless involved in parent meetings. 

Message from the Head of Junior School

It has been a joy to see the children return from half term, re-energised and fully immersed in their learning. The classrooms have been abuzz with creativity, curiosity and a spirit of collaboration. I want to extend my deepest thanks to all the staff for their dedication and hard work this week, ensuring a warm and welcoming environment for every pupil.

Our Junior School pupils have also been making strides! Year 3 embraced history with hands-on activities; such as learning about mummification with tomatoes, while Year 6 pupils honed their practical science skills through data collection and analysis. 

We are also reaching out to families for any spare Lego that could be donated to our Lego Club. This valuable resource supports children in developing social and collaborative skills in a creative, hands-on way. If you have any pieces or sets to spare, kindly drop them off at the Junior School office.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the upcoming Maths Workshop, where parents can gain insights into our approach to mathematical learning and how best to support their children’s growth in this subject. As we approach November, we are also gearing up for Kindness Week, with pupils exploring the theme "Choose Respect" through activities like Odd Socks Day, a 'Kindness Wall' and Buddy Class sessions. We hope to see many of you at the Art Workshop in the Junior School Quad - save the dates for an inspiring session with your child.

In addition, the Halloween pumpkin-decorating competition has brought out the creativity in all; with some truly “spooktacular” results!

Pumpkin Halloween Fun

Classes have been partaking in 'spooky surprises' this week by decorating pumpkins for a competition. As we all know, these are taken very seriously by both staff and pupils, and they have certainly been busy and extremely creative this year.

The overall winner will be announced next week, so watch this space! Here are some of the entries:

Year 3 Experiment 

Year 3 pupils have been learning about Ancient Egyptian Gods. We discovered how they prepared for the afterlife through mummification. We then tried the process ourselves by mummifying some tomatoes!

Year 6 Practical Science

Year 6 pupils are enhancing their practical skills in Science. Earlier this year, they learned about fair testing and reliability. As they progress in the curriculum, they now concentrate on data recording and ensuring accuracy in their collection methods. Well done to our young BISC engineers!

Stars of the Week

We celebrated the following Stars of the Week in the last Key Stage 1 assembly:

Alexander (1E), Gamila (1T), Nadia (1N), Ali (1H), Faris (2F), Farah (2L), Ellena (2B) and Kenza (2S).

We also celebrated great achievement in PE for the pupils photographed below:

Congratulations also to the Key Stage 1 Mathematicians of the Week:

Meanwhile, in the Key Stage 2 assembly, we also celebrated great achievements in PE.

We also awarded Star of the Week certificates to:

Jalila (3O), Zak (3M), Abdulkarim (3B), Leila (3F), Hassan (4D), Noor (4B), Roshdy (4W), Mark (4F), Farida (5S), Adam (5C), Aisha (5B), Talaat (5D), Hassan (6F), Lara (6i) and Tamara (6M).

Congratulations also to the Mathematicians of the Week:

Oli (3B), Adem (4F), Ellie (5C) and Nadia (6F).

Kindness Week 2024 

Kindness Week will be celebrated across the school on the week beginning Sunday 10th November, and the theme this year is 'Choose Respect'.

As usual, we will be holding various events and partaking in numerous activities on this subject on a daily basis. These include Odd Socks Day (Tuesday 12th November), 'Kindness Wall' messages (in conjunction with the Senior School), creating videos, Buddy Class activities, Parent Workshops, and more.

Following on from the success last year, we are pleased to invite parents along to an Art Workshop, which will take place in the Junior School Quad, so please save the date! We look forward to seeing you there:

Launching "Arabic Language Camp" Activities

'إطلاق أنشطة 'معسكر اللغة العربية

في إطار أنشطة برنامج مصر والشرق الأوسط والحرص على تطوير مهارات القراءة لدى التلاميذ، يسعدنا إبلاغكم بقيام قسم اللغة العربية بالمرحلة الابتدائية بعقد أنشطة "معسكر اللغة العربية". وذلك خلال حصص اللغة العربية الأسبوعية للصفوف من الثالث إلى السادس، في الفترة من 27 أكتوبر وحتى 14 نوفمبر 2024

سيتم خلال هذه الفترة تقديم نصوص معدة مسبقًا؛ تتضمن مجموعة مختارة من المفردات الأساسية، وذلك لأهميتها في بناء المخزون اللغوي لدى التلاميذ. وتهدف هذه الأنشطة إلى تكرار استخدام هذه المفردات وترسيخها لدى التلاميذ، مما يسهم في تعزيز مهاراتهم القرائية وتحقيق الطلاقة اللغوية

As part of the Egypt & Middle East Programme activities, and to develop the pupils' reading skills, the Junior School Arabic Department is pleased to announce the start of "Arabic Language Camp" activities, which will be held during the Arabic lessons for Years 3 to 6, from 27th October to 14th November 2024.

During this time, pupils will be introduced to pre-prepared texts that include a selection of essential vocabulary with the purpose of building linguistic repertoire. These activities aim to reinforce and integrate such vocabulary through repeated use, thus boosting students' reading skills and achieving language fluency.

Pick-Up ID Cards

Message from the Head of Foundation Stage

Our ‘spooky’ story week culminated in Thursday’s dress-up day and you will see from the photos and video below how much this theme was enjoyed by everyone in Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2.

Thank you all very much for your efforts in making this event so successful, with some wonderful outfits on show.

You may have wondered why many children enjoy stories about witches, ghouls and ghosts. In the Foundation Stage, teachers will read books that are not just enjoyable but demonstrate to the children that their feelings are universal. As children grow they begin to understand that there will be times when they feel challenged or scared. Stories about 'Meg' the likeable witch and 'Room on the Broom', allow them to feel fear in a safe environment. There is the opportunity to experience the thrill of the adventure without the imminent threat of danger. They know it is not real, but to experience the excitement they must engage their imagination and lose themselves in the story. Not only are scary stories entertaining, but they can show children that it is okay to be afraid and that they can use their brains to solve problems, even when frightened, or use their natural survival instincts to safely escape dangerous situations.

Childhood and adolescence can be scary times for children, but children flourish when given the appropriate tools and experiences. It is particularly helpful for children to have the chance to explore scary stories through books in a safe environment when the threat is imaginary. Reading age-appropriate books to children, that allow them to feel scared but not ​​terrified, can help them build emotional resilience and teach them different ways to cope with their fears and overcome the feeling of helplessness.​​​ Anyone interested in learning more about this; here is a link to a research paper from the Society of Research in Child Development "Scaring the Monster Away".

Obviously, the stories the Foundation Stage teachers choose have to be age-appropriate, and at BISC, great care is taken to ensure this is the case; even between Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2, there is a difference in the books that are available to the children.

Finally, this week Foundation Stage 1 began their tennis lessons with the coaches from Teddy Tennis - Wimbledon 2044 here we come…!

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