Secondary School Updates (27 May 2022)

Key Dates | Pastoral Update | Learning Showcase

Weekly update from Head of Secondary

Dear Parents,

This week we proudly say farewell to our Year 13 students. Their time with us culminates with the Graduation Ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel.  

We are of course sad to say goodbye. It may not be commonly known that this time of year is always incredibly emotional for teachers. There is a sadness as we say farewell to the students with whom we have established warm and nurturing relationships.  

Overall, however, there is excitement, as we wonder about the exciting futures the students have ahead. We hope and encourage our students to stay in touch with us over the years, and we, as an institution, will always be here to support them on their journeys.  

No doubt, the last few years have been transformative. We have faced many challenges together. I am personally immensely proud of our Year 13s for the way they have handled themselves in extraordinary conditions.  

Please join me in wishing them well for their bright futures and thank them for their outstanding contributions to our school.  

Chris Newman

Head of Secondary

Key Dates

• Tuesday 7 June: Year 10 Parents’ Evening 

• Tuesday 14 June: Year 12 Parents’ Evening 

• Friday 24 June: Final Day of the School Year 

Pastoral Update 

It has been a week of contrasts for the Sixth Form. Year 13s are feeling a mix of emotions, ranging from elation to despondency, with the end of their IB exams marking the conclusion of their time as students here at BIS. However, it has been fantastic to see so many come in for the past two days for their Springboard Days – two days planned with sessions designed around the theme of independent living. The culmination of these days was the traditional "Cooking to Combat Home-Sickness" and it was great seeing the students experience what shared kitchen resources are like. Their dishes even received some professional judging. 

The highlight of the week will be Graduation, where we formally say goodbye and good luck to these students who have had such an unusual and challenging two years in the Sixth Form. The ceremony will be a formal and exciting affair, with no doubt another smorgasbord of emotions. Joining the Year 13 students and performing for them and their families will be Hanh Linh from Year 12, and we are all very grateful for her offering to do this on behalf of the graduates. 

For Year 12s this has been a highly emotive week also. As one year group reaches the end, the other is finding the pressure building. This has been an intense week of internal exams for the Year 12 students, resulting in a lot of them coping with high levels of stress. It is important that they get some time to relax over the weekend and refocus themselves, so that they are ready to continue with their other challenges, such as the Extended Essay and Internal Assessments. 

Many of our Year 12 students have begun their forays into student leadership. We now have, in Gia Han and Khanh Hoang, our excellent new Head Students, ably aided by their deputies, Sehoon and Linh Dan. Behind them is a large team of excellent prefects, each focusing on their own portfolios for leadership, from House Captains, through Mental Health, to Student Voice. The next two terms are going to be a very exciting period of student-led initiatives and campaigns. 

Rob Airdrie

Head of Sixth Form

Learning Showcase

Sport | Korean | IGCSE Art

Sport

The swimming squad has been training in the morning and in the afternoon. Students are working hard to get fit and ready for next year. The swimmers will have the opportunity to set times for their events on Friday, May 27 at BIS for the Nord Anglia Swimming Meet and on Saturday, June 4 at UNIS for a sprint gala. This is a great start for the swimming programme, and we will build on this foundation for next year.

We are excited to announce that the Sport and Wellbeing podcast will go live on Friday, May 27th at 9am. It is a podcast by students for the BIS community. Please click on the link and listen to the new podcast. This will be a bi-weekly podcast to share and celebrate sport and Wellbeing in the community.  

Salome Airdrie

Whole School PE Leader

Korean

During the Korean lesson, students learned about ‘caring’ by planting a flower from seeds. They have chosen their seeds to grow and cared for them during break time and lunch time. Students enjoyed watering frequently enough to keep the soil moist. Students also recorded observations according to its growth. It will improve their caring skills and observational skills so that they can carefully look at something with great responsibility. Moreover, students enjoyed sunny days outside of the classroom to plant a seed in the pot.

Ms Song and Ms An  

Korean Teacher  

IGCSE Art 

Our Year 10 Art students have been busy developing their coursework boards. Their latest focus was to use lino printing and mono-printing to explore and develop their media. The results are stunning, and we are very impressed with the diligence and creativity the students exhibited.