The British International School, Cairo eNewsletter

School Times During Ramadan

The school times for students during the holy month of Ramadan will be from 8:00 to 13:45. The adjusted times will start on Sunday 2nd March.

There will be no ASAs running during Ramadan except after school academic interventions for Year 11 and Year 13 students.

With our wishes for a blessed month.

Senior School News

Senior School Buzzes with Activity and Community Spirit!

Despite a shortened week, the Senior School has been a hive of activity, showcasing the incredible energy and community spirit that defines BISC.

The air has been filled with excitement as our talented students put the finishing touches on their Musical during dress rehearsals. Their dedication and passion are sure to result in a spectacular performance! Meanwhile, our IB students have been diligently preparing for their upcoming exams; participating in focused booster sessions and supporting one another in their academic journey.

Our commitment to Global Citizenship was evident as thirty students proudly represented BISC at HIAMUN, engaging in thoughtful debate and diplomacy. Year 9 students embarked on a cultural adventure, immersing themselves in Egyptian history with a visit to the magnificent Abdeen Palace. Looking ahead, our Year 12 students are eagerly preparing for their much-anticipated trip to the French Alps, forging lasting memories and strengthening their bonds as a year group.

This week's diverse activities highlight the rich and vibrant experience offered at BISC. We are incredibly proud of our Senior School students for their dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to both academic excellence and community engagement.

IB News

We are incredibly excited to be hosting IBWISE at BISC this weekend for the first of three revision workshops. IBWISE, a leading provider of IB revision support, offers intensive revision sessions in key subjects to Year 13 students.

IBWISE is based in Vienna and has been helping IBDP students excel since 2006. They are known for their small group workshops and expert teachers – many of whom are also IBO examiners – with 15 to 30 years of IB teaching experience. These experts know the IB syllabus inside and out and are passionate about helping students reach their full potential. They will guide students through in-depth subject reviews, answer their burning questions, practice real IB exam questions and help them master the skills needed to ace those exams. IBWISE's track record speaks for itself and we are confident these workshops will make a real difference in our students' IB results.

This weekend focuses on Economics HL/SL and English A Language & Literature HL/SL.

Book Week

Book Week is next week, from 23rd to 27th February. Our events for the week will include:

Whole Senior School Quiz - taking place during PSHE time. Can you match the literary pairs? Can you guess the book title from the badly written plot summary? Can you match the teacher to their reading library? Make sure you sign up for this via your English Google Classroom.
Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R) - where students are asked to read outside their comfort zone to expand their horizons.
Dress Up Day - taking place on Thursday 27th February. Students should come to school dressed as their favourite literary character; they should be able to produce the book where their character is described.
‘Caught Reading’ Competition - students to take pictures of themselves reading in unusual places and email these to Ms Quinn; more information via tutor time next week.
There will also be a variety of activities taking place in KS3 English classrooms and across other departments.

Messing with Musicals

The Senior School is excited and happy to invite you to join us for our special performance “Messing with Musicals” on Monday 24th February, at the BISC Theatre, at 18:00.

Students will be showcasing a selection of songs from musicals such as School of Rock, Fame, Matilda, Annie, Rent and more.

This is a fantastic opportunity to support the hard work and talent of our students and we hope you can make it to cheer them on.

زيارة طلاب الصف التاسع لقصر عابدين

في إطار برنامج "مصر والشرق الأوسط"، قام طلاب الصف التاسع بزيارة قصر عابدين، الذي شُيّد عام 1863 وافتُتح عام 1872، واتخذه ملوك أسرة محمد علي مقرًّا رسميًّا للحكم حتى عام 1952. ظلّ القصر المقر الرئيسي للحكم الملكي خلال تلك الفترة من تاريخ مصر، ثم أصبح مقرًّا للحكم الرئاسي في عهد الرئيس محمد أنور السادات.

يُعد القصر شاهدًا على عقود من الأحداث الاجتماعية والسياسية التي شكّلت تاريخ مصر الحديث. زار الطلاب المتاحف الملحقة بالقصر، حيث تجوّلوا في متحف الأسلحة، ومتحف الأوسمة والنياشين، ومتحف الفضيات، وأخيرًا متحف هدايا رئاسة الجمهورية. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، شاهدوا فيلمًا وثائقيًا يحكي تاريخ بناء القصر وأهم قاعاته.

Year 9 Visit to Abdeen Palace

As part of the activities run by the "Egypt and the Middle East Programme”, Year 9 students visited Abdeen Palace, which was built in 1863 and inaugurated in 1872. The palace served as the official residence of the rulers of the Mohamed Ali Dynasty until 1952. It remained the main seat of the monarchy during that period of Egypt’s history, and later became the presidential residence during the era of President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat.

The palace stands as a witness to decades of social and political events that shaped modern Egypt. The students explored the museums attached to the palace including the Weapons Museum, the Orders and Medals Museum, the Silverware Museum and finally, the Presidential Gifts’ Museum. They also watched a documentary film about the history of the palace’s construction and its most significant halls.

Pupil Perspective

One thing I learned which interested me was that they had large mirrors all over their houses which was a necessity at the time as their only light source during the night was candles, the mirrors were reflecting the light rays of the candles making rooms brighter. Natallia E - 9RCH

Pupil Perspective

The information that I didn't know before was the information about King Farouk and Queen Farida. I didn't know that Egypt made so many alliances with other countries making peace with most of the world. I knew this information because the palace was filled with gifts from different countries. Lilian F - 9RCH

Pupil Perspective

I liked seeing the weapons at the museum. The information that was new to me was the wedding of the Iranian Shah to an Egyptian princess. Ali A - 9KSA

التصفيات النهائية لمسابقة القراءة باللغة العربية

عُقدت التصفيات النهائية لمسابقة القراءة باللغة العربية بالمدرسة اليوم، الخميس 20 فبراير، بمشاركة من طلاب مدرستنا و طلاب من مدرسة الألسن والمدرسة الأمريكية الدولية. استعد الطلاب ومعلموهم لهذا الحدث من خلال القراءة والتلخيص والتدريب على الإلقاء والمناقشة.

تألفت لجنة التحكيم من الكاتبة رانيا حسين، ومسؤولي المسابقة في المرحلتين الابتدائية والإعدادية، وممثلين عن المدارس المشاركة.

فاز طلابنا بالمركز الأول في المنافسة مع المدارس الأخرى على مستوى الفصل الدراسي الخامس والسابع.

تحية لكل المشاركين وذويهم الذين دعموا أبناءهم وتعاونوا مع المعلمين للوصول إلى نتائج مشرفة.

The Final Round of the School Reading Competition

The final round of the school’s reading competition was held today, Thursday 20th February, with the participation of our students and students from El-Alsson School and the American International School. The students and their teachers prepared for this event via reading, summarising and practising public speaking and discussions.

The judging panel consisted of the Author Rania Hussein, the competition coordinators from the Junior and Senior Schools, and representatives from the participating schools.

BISC students came in first place in Year 5 and Year 7.

A heartfelt salute to all the participants and their families, who supported their children and collaborated with teachers to achieve honourable results.

Sports Achievement

Massive Congratulations to our Year 7 and Year 6 boys who participated with two teams from Sodic Club in the national water polo tournament for their age group - Team 2013.

The first Group won first place and the second group won third place.

Year 7: Osman G, Omar K, Hassan K and Hussein N.

Year 6: Hamza N and Zayd W.

Flowers of Kindness in Senior School

Our community leaders wanted to continue to spread kindness by giving each student a rose to celebrate our fantastic community.

Ramadan Hours

Below are the Ramadan hours for the Senior School. Please note that ASAs for Y11 and Y13 will still run from 13:50-14:30.

Sunday - Wednesday			Thursday
Period 1	08:00-8:40	40	Flag + Registration	08:00-8:30	30
Transition	8:40-8:45	5	Transition	8:30-8:35	5
Tutor Time	8:45-9:15	30	Period 1	8:35-9:15	40
Transition	9:15-9:20	5	Transition	9:15-9:20	5
Period 2	9:20-10:00	40	Period 2	9:20-10:00	40
First Break	10:00-10:25	25	First Break	10:00-10:25	25
Transition	10:25-10:30	5	Transition	10:25-10:30	5
Period 3	10:30-11:10	40	Period 3	10:30-11:10	40
Transition	11:10-11:15	5	Transition	11:10-11:15	5
Lesson 4	11:15-11:55	40	Lesson 4	11:15-11:55	40
Second Break	11:55-12:15	20	Second Break	11:55-12:15	20
Transition	12:15-12:20	5	Transition	12:15-12:20	5
Lesson 5	12:20-13:00	40	Lesson 5	12:20-13:00	40
Transition	13:00-13:05	5	Transition	13:00-13:05	5
Lesson 6	13:05-13:45	40	Lesson 6	13:05-13:45	40

Upcoming Events

CISSA U14 Volleyball	Friday 21st February, at BISC, from 8:00 to 13:00
Year 11 Parents Meeting	Sunday 23rd February
Senior School Annual Performance 'Messing with Musicals'	Monday 24th February, from 18:00 to 20:00

دعوة لحضور حفل تكريم الطلاب المشاركين بمسابقة القراءة باللغة العربية

يتشرف برنامج مصر والشرق الأوسط بالمدرسة الدولية البريطانية بالقاهرة (BISC) بدعوتكم لحضور حفل تكريم الطلاب الذين شاركوا بمسابقة القراءة لهذا العام 2024/2025، للمرحلتين الابتدائية والإعدادية، وذلك يوم الخميس الموافق 27 فبراير 2025 من الساعة 12.00 ظهرًا حتى 2.00 ظهرًا بقاعة الـ Multi-purpose Hall.

يأتي هذا الحفل تقديرًا لجهود أبنائنا وتشجيعًا لهم على الاستمرار في القراءة. كما نأمل في استطلاع آرائكم لتطوير المسابقة في الأعوام القادمة.

Honouring Ceremony for the Arabic Reading Competition Participants

The Egypt and Middle East Programme at The British International School, Cairo is pleased to invite you to attend the honouring ceremony for students who participated in the Arabic Reading Competition this academic year, in both the Junior and Senior Schools. The ceremony will be held on Thursday 27th February, from 12:00 to 14:00, in the Multi-purpose Hall.

This celebration comes in appreciation of our students' efforts, and also to encourage them to continue reading. We also hope to get your feedback on ways to develop the competition in the coming years.

Junior School News

Parent Conferences

Thank you for taking the time to attend our parent-teacher conferences. Your involvement and support play a crucial role in your child's education, and we truly appreciate the opportunity to discuss their progress, achievements, and goals.

We value our partnership with you and look forward to working together to help your child succeed. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to your class teachers.

Book Week

Book Week starts on 23rd February, and this year’s theme is Reading Through Time, celebrating books from various decades. The details can be found below:

Book Fair - Tuesday 25th, Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th February

The Book Fair will run throughout the week, offering a wonderful selection of books for pupils. Parents are welcome to attend and pupils can bring money in named envelopes to make purchases. The fair will also be open after school for families to browse together.

To ensure all pupils have a chance to visit, each class has a designated time slot. Please refer to the timetable below to see when your child’s class will be attending.

Time	Period	Tuesday 25th	Wednesday 26th	Thursday 27th
8.00 - 8.35	1	2F	3M
8.35 - 9.10	2	2S/2L	5D
9.10 - 9.45	3	3B	3O	4D
9.45 - 10.10	BREAK
10.10 - 10.45	4	5S		4W
10.45 - 11.20	5	3F		1H
11.20 - 11.55	6	2B	4F	5C
11.55 - 12.35	LUNCH
12.30 - 13.10	7	1E		5B
13:10 - 13:45	8	1N		6M
13:45 - 14:00	BREAK
14:00 - 14:35	9	1T	6F
14:35 - 15:10	10	6i	4B

Costume Day - Thursday 27th February

One of the most exciting highlights of the week is Costume Day, where pupils can dress up in creative ways including:

- A character from a book
- A word
- An outfit inspired by any decade

We can’t wait to see the imaginative costumes that celebrate our love of reading and storytelling.

Parade and Parent Event - Thursday 27th February - 14:00

We invite parents to join us for a special costume parade on the field at 14:00, beginning with Year 1 through to Year 6. Afterwards, pupils will sit with their parents to enjoy reading together. At the end of the day, parents will be invited into school to view pupils' work on display.

Attendance and Late Arrivals

We kindly remind you of the importance of regular attendance and arriving on time to school each day. Consistent attendance is key to your child's academic success, helping them stay engaged and make steady progress in their learning.

Pupils are expected to arrive by 8:00 daily. On Thursdays, arrival time is 7:50 to ensure participation in the flag ceremony. Late arrivals can be disruptive to both your child and the classroom. Arriving on time ensures they start the day prepared and ready to learn.

If your child is running late or unable to attend school, please notify the office as soon as possible. Thank you for your support in fostering good habits that will benefit your child now and in the future.

Arabic Reading Competition

اليوم، وخلال تحية العلم، تم توزيع شهادات التقدير على جميع المشاركين في مسابقة القراءة باللغة العربية من المدرستين الابتدائية والإعدادية، تكريمًا لهم واحتفاءًا بالجهود الكبيرة التي بذلوها في الاستعداد لمسابقة القراءة بين المدارس. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، تم الإعلان عن أسماء أفضل ثلاثة طلاب في الصفوف من الخامس وحتى السابع، وأفضل طالب على مستوى الصف التاسع في القراءة باللغة العربية ومنحهم جوائز تقديرًا لتميّزهم.

أسماء الطلاب الفائزين فى مسابقة القراءة الداخلية:

الصف الخامس: رقية أ (فصل 5D)، عبد الكريم د (فصل 5C) وحسن ت (فصل 5D).

الصف السادس: منى م (فصل 6i) وثري د (فصل 6M).

الصف السابع: أحمد م (فصل 7GWA)، عمر أ (فصل 7GHO)، نازلى د (فصل 7GHO).

الصف التاسع: آدم ع (فصل 9CQU).

Today, during the flag ceremony, we celebrated the great effort our students from Junior and Senior Schools put into preparing for the interschool Arabic Reading Competition. Certificates of appreciation were distributed to all participants to congratulate them on their dedication and hard work. The names of the top three students in each class were announced and they received prizes to recognise their achievements.

We are thrilled to support our U11 BSME Games team as they head to Abu Dhabi for their competition! We wish them all the success as they showcase their hard work, dedication and team spirit.

Good luck to our young athletes - play hard, have fun and make us proud!

Go BISC U11 Team!

Upcoming Events

U11 BSME Games in Abu Dhabi	Friday 21st - Tuesday 25th February
Book Week	Sunday 23rd – Thursday 27th February Book Fair: Tuesday 25th - Thursday 27th February Costume Day: Thursday 27th February Parade and Parent Event: Thursday 27th February, at 14:00
Class 1T Assembly	Thursday 27th February (please be seated no later than 08:20)
Ramadan Timing effective from	Sunday 3rd March (8:00 - 13:45)
Class and Individual Whole School Photography	Tuesday 4th - Sunday 9th March
Y1H Class Assembly	Thursday 6th March

Foundation Stage News

Stay & Play

If you know any families that are interested in joining Foundation Stage at BISC next year, we are delighted to invite them to a Stay & Play event on Saturday 22nd February. Families can meet the leadership team and enjoy a walk around the School, while your little ones are entertained by our teachers. They can register here: https://shorturl.at/Bxydo

Ramadan Timings

As we are approaching Ramadan, the school will close earlier during this holy month. The children can be picked up between 13:30 - 13:40, the children's buses will depart at 13:45 and the start time will remain the same at 8:00. These timings will be in effect from Sunday 2nd March until Thursday 27th March. We wish everyone a blessed month…Ramadan Kareem

Foundation Stage One

FS1 continues to thrive; painting, tracing, cutting and sticking. Lately, they have been looking at Palaces and Castles. To link to this theme, they are invited to come to school as Princes and Princesses on Thursday 27th February for the annual Book Week dress-up day.

This week, we have introduced our new topic 'Growth'. We are reading the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Book Week dress-up day is on Thursday 27th February. Your child can come to school dressed as a favourite book character. Please ensure your child is wearing sensible footwear and has a change of clothes if needed.

We have learnt about Human Lifecycle, and the children have discussed how they changed since they were babies. Children particularly enjoyed measuring each other and comparing heights.