Children, teachers and parents entered into the spirit of Reception Sports' Day with energy and enthusiasm this morning. Team games and obstacle courses were fresh and exciting for the children and I thank Ms Hana for her thoughtful planning of the event. Thank you too to parents and the team of GCSE PE students for their support, applause and encouragement. Huge credit to all parents and teachers who, much to the delight of the children, participated in the adult races.

It was Team Nursery's turn to get out and about this week. The aquarium at the Mall of Dilmunia brought the children's learning about the sea to life. They saw sharks, stingrays and real deep sea divers, who were happy to point out sharks' eggs and demonstrate their diving equipment. The trip provoked some lovely rich discussion, but only after a much needed nap as the bus returned to school. I could not resist adding the clip of George, who only joined Reception this term and is proving to be a hit in performing arts lessons.

It is interesting to see how various units of learning evolve and develop over the years. 'Ocean Explorers' has always been a popular topic in Year 2 but the lines of enquiry pursued by our current cohort of children are concerned with marine biology, ocean pollution and the threats posed to the environment rather than explorers from the past. Even this year's Explorer's Day felt fresh and exciting. Costumes were a magnificent creative mix of recycled clothes and shop bought pieces teamed with homemade accessories. This is certainly a generation of children who are happy to take risks, secure in the knowledge that originality is good. The highlight of the day was in informative presentation and demonstration by Mr Maguire on the wonders of scuba diving. He was delighted with the relevant questions children asked and we thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule.

It was good to see so many parents at the Infant School coffee morning organised by the PCA. The popularity of these events is undoubtedly increasing and a sense of community is growing by the day.

Congratulations to the next group of students who completed their activity passports. Children have until the end of the month to earn their certificates, if they wish to do so.

We are excited for our different families to showcase their countries and for our guests to learn more about the many different cultures within our BSB family. If you are interested in getting involved and representing your country at the International Family Fair, please fill in this form: BSB International Family Fair Registration Form

I suspect this week may have broken all BSB Infants records for having the largest number of events over a five day period! Learning continues as usual as children in Year 1 visited Jasra House as part of their Kings and Queens topic. They returned full of information about the 112 year old dwelling being the birthplace of Sheik Isa, about the way dates were pressed and how a long time ago, before there was air conditioning people climbed on raised platforms where the air circulated to keep themselves cool. Meanwhile, Year 2 was full of news about the efficiency of hydroponic farming in a desert country, after their visit to Peninsula Farm. They enjoyed comparing this method to more traditional methods and concluded that traditional methods were definitely harder work.

Many thanks to team Year1 for preparing the magnificent medieval banquet for their royal guests. The children certainly made the most of the outstanding service provided by their adult servants and courtiers.

It was lovely to welcome so many families from Nursery and Reception to the Winter Showcases. The children sang and danced magnificently and thoroughly enjoyed completing art activities with their families. The intimacy of the classroom venues added to the warmth of the occasion and the confidence of the children. We very much look forward to welcoming you to KS1 singalongs next week.

There was a party atmosphere in the school today as children in Reception concluded their learning on celebrations around the world with Celebrations Day. Thank you to parents who provided some exquisite examples of national dress. The varied samples of traditional foods from around the globe provoked some excellent discussion. All were in agreement that there were common themes in different celebrations - organisation, invitations, food, dancing, music and games. One thing for certain, as R4 put it, "Celebrations make us happy!" Many thanks to Mrs Biard, Ms Lowri, Ms Hana, Ms Claire, Ms Clarke and Ms Hall for taking to the stage and leading children in traditional dances from around the world.

We are looking forward to the Hour of Code next week and thank Ms Rasha Ashkar for preparing the children in assembly this morning. It will be nice to see the blue bots and bee bots getting some exercise next week.

Thank you to parents of children in KS1 who have already completed the health check form for the Ministry of Education. We look forward to receiving more next week.

We hope to see many of you at the Festive Night Market tomorrow. Wishing you a happy Bahraini Women's Day.

Now that the weather is cooling down a little, children in Year 2 have been enjoying spending time in nature. Many thanks to Ms. Andrea at Roots and Shoots organic farm for the warm welcome and informative tour. Children learned about plants at different stages of development, the materials required for a successful compost heap, and irrigation systems. Limes, pumkins and aubergines looked all the more appetising while still attached to the plant and the horse, cows, goats and chickens were fun to observe.

The first of the Reception trips to Artly Gallery in A'ali also took place this week, and R3 had the opportunity to experiment with brushes of various thicknesses and textures on canvas. They relished the opportunity to express themselves in a new medium and managed to wait patiently for their efforts to dry before adding the final touches. The other Reception classes are looking forward to their trips next week.

The corridors in Nursery and Reception have been buzzing as children enjoyed playing with words for Nursery Rhyme week. Thank you Team Nursery for making the Nursery Rhyme Messy Day such fun. It was good to see the children's confidence growing as they spent time in unfamiliar classrooms.

Staff members also went back to school for training on barriers to learning, either verbal or sensory, that some children experience and ways that adults can support. Many thanks to 'Steps' for the practical, very useful workshop.

It was also a pleasure to welcome Mrs Alex Welford, the founder of the British School of Bahrain to campus and show her the wonderful legacy she has left to us.

It is fitting that having learned about the qualities and characteristics of super heroes such as bravery, strength, kindness and resilience, children considered real life acts of heroism in assembly this morning. There was thoughtful discussion on how many professionals such as police, paramedics, firefighters and the miltary often have to act heroically, putting themselves in danger to keep other people safe. We were delighted to welcome guests from the Royal Hospital, Chelsea and applaud them for their participation!

Many thanks to Ms Meadhbh Linden, Infant School Maths Coordinator for organising such a practical and memorable Maths Day today. Capacity, time, shape, space and measure were all explored in competitive relay races and creative challenges. All agreed that the day was 'super fun'. Well done to the children too for their original ideas for the maths hat challenge.

A special well done to the four students in Year 2 who attended the through school trip to the Papal mass. Their patience, behaviour and reliability as the represented the school with the older children was exceptional.

September in infant schools is often a month of heightened emotions, particularly for children transitioning into a new environment. New faces, new teachers and a new classroom can be a lot to cope with! It takes time for very young children to be able to identify their emotions, to name them and then, where necessary, to regulate them. After enjoying a wealth of stories illustrating how different colours can represent different emotions, today Team Nursery celebrated the first ever BSB Mixed up Emotions Day- hence the rainbow coloured children this morning! It was exciting to hear new vocabulary such as 'frustrated', 'worried' and 'proud' being bandied around as children learned different techniques to return to the Green Zone, happy, focused and ready to learn. Stomping feet on the floor, drawing volcanoes and loud music proved helpful in managing angry feelings and all were happy to cool down with counting, soothing music, deep breathing and yoga.

Mr Maguire and the Infant School Leadership Team have enjoyed a week in classrooms observing lessons, with a focus on teaching and learning. It was reassuring to glimpse some excellent attainment, examples of child led initiatives and experiential learning. We look forward to welcoming parents to online parent teacher meetings during the week beginning Monday 10th October and sharing insights into your child's progress.

A very warm welcome to all new and returning BSB families. As always at the start of the year it is fun to see the flashes of recognition as children, parents and teachers are reunited and exciting to see the seeds of new friendships being sown.

Well done to all children in Key Stage 1 who completed their first full day today with gusto and enthusiasm. I was also delighted to hear that the induction days for Nursery and Reception have been successful and we are very much looking forward to transition week next week.

Parents of children in Year 1 and Year 2 will receive an email this evening, outlining the after-school clubs available for children this term, along with your School Cloud login details. Please also find the list of Infants after-school clubs HERE. This will give you the chance to discuss the options available with your child, ready for sign-up online at 10am on Sunday morning. After-school clubs begin on Sunday 11th September.