Dear Parents

This week sees the Senior Leadership Team, Programme Coordinators and the Board working together on Saturday to shape the strategic plan for the school and review the ongoing work on the vision and values. The work on this so far has identified the importance of community which will be no surprise to those who have been involved with BIS for some time. The community spirit at BIS is one of the strongest I have seen and is one of the things that has helped the school weather the ups and downs over time. The Principals and I really value our interactions with parents; your feedback and the constructive way you work with us ensures there is a team around each child. 

This collaborative approach really supports our students and I would like to thank all of you who have supported the BSSA tournaments this week by either giving time to the PTA stall or supporting from the sidelines. Our staff and students appreciate your support. Well done to all our footballers who have done BIS proud this week through their dedication, team work, skill and enthusiasm. Well done too to all our Stuco candidates. It takes courage to put yourself forward to lead others and I commend all the students who were brave enough to do so. Learning is not just about the result or the outcome, the process is equally important and each student will have gained something by taking part. 

Next week sees us hosting the Head of School candidate who will be meeting all stakeholders and participating in numerous panel interviews.  We hope several of you can join the parent presentation session and share your feedback. There will also be an opportunity to mingle more informally during the 40th Anniversary Potluck dinner. Thank you to everyone involved in planning this event, it is a real opportunity for the community to form more connections and build even more community spirit. 

Talking of community spirit we are introducing How can we help?. Thank you to the parents who have shared the need for a platform for parents to be able to ask questions. This Google Form is designed for parents to ask general questions directly to the school's Senior Leadership Team. It is not the place to ask personal questions regarding your own child or a teacher and it could be used to request content for parent workshops or to find out more about our procedures or policies. SLT will respond by email if your question is time sensitive or they will share responses at a PTA or other meeting. We genuinely want to engage with you and hope this platform enables you to ask SLT any questions that are on your mind. 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend

Best wishes

Dr Heather

Head of School

Calendar Reminder - Please note Wednesday 30th September is a Professional Development afternoon for staff. Students will be released early at 12pm on that day and school will resume as normal on Thursday 1st October.

Our student-athletes have been busy competing across different age groups in the BSSA Football tournaments, with plenty of great performances, teamwork and memorable experiences along the way.

As BSSA continues to grow as an association, this year saw the Senior Football Tournament hosted across two venues for the first time. The Senior Girls’ Tournament was hosted here at BIS, providing a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together. Our younger students had a great time watching the games, cheering from the sidelines and supporting our Senior Girls’ team. A big thank you also to our PTA, who supported the event by running a food and drinks stand, helping to create a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere for players, families and supporters.

And what a way to finish the day! Our girls secured the championship with an impressive 4–1 victory in the final, bringing the trophy home to BIS. Our Senior Boys also put in a fantastic effort at AIS, finishing as runners-up after a very competitive tournament.

For our Senior teams, these tournaments are also an important part of our preparation for IISSAC in October, giving students the opportunity to compete, sharpen their skills and continue developing their teamwork ahead of the tournament in Bandung.

Our younger student-athletes also enjoyed some great experiences throughout the football season. The Boys’ 9–10 team, hosted here at BIS on Wednesday, finished their tournament as B Division champions, adding another trophy to a successful football season.

A big thank you to all our coaches, staff, families, the PTA and supporters who helped make this football season such a positive experience for our students. And, of course, congratulations to all our student-athletes for their commitment, sportsmanship and hard work!

Next up: Volleyball!
The volleyball season will get underway as soon as we return from the October break.

Supporting Our Student-Athletes

Looking ahead, some of our student-athletes will be representing BIS at IISSAC in Bandung this October. We are currently exploring sponsorship opportunities to help support the students with their team uniforms and tournament travel costs.

If you or your organisation would be interested in supporting our student-athletes and getting involved with BIS Athletics, we would be very happy to hear from you. Sponsorship can be a great way to support our students while also connecting your organisation with our school community.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Albert Colet, at acolet@baliis.net.

Albert Colet Garcia
PHE Teacher, Athletics and Activities Director

As we conclude our reflection on the service elements of the EOTCs, we now look towards Service as Action Rotation 1, where students will form groups and choose issues they would like to engage with.

To inspire ideas and opportunities for community partnerships, we welcomed three NGOs to present to students in Grades 6–11. 

Pak Zach and Skyler from Mission Pawsible shared practical ways students can support street dog sterilization in their neighborhoods. Ibu Gusti from Bali Children’s Project spoke about literacy projects, including rebuilding school libraries and providing books. Pak Nic from Ragam shared their many initiatives, including a Kerobokan kitchen preparing over 450 lunches each day, water dispenser projects and women’s empowerment programs.

The session concluded with Youngmin and Priscilla presenting Ragam with funds raised through last year’s Battle of the Bands, a great example of student action supporting our community partners.

A big thank you to our visitors for sharing their inspiring work. We look forward to seeing where these partnerships lead during Rotation 1.