Archived News 201920T1:2

Bahrain National Day

Term 1 came to a spectacular red-and-white conclusion today as we marked this year's National Day. The celebrations began at 7:45am with the arrival of our distinguished guests, HE Mr Roddy Drummond, HM Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain; Dr Shaikh Khaled bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Isa Cultural Centre, and Mr Nejib Friji, Director of the UN Information Centre in Manama. The VIPs were welcomed by the Head Student Teams from juniors and seniors, after which they proceeded to view the National Day Exhibition and the various sideshows. Here is a Google photo album of the day. Don't forget to check out the PCC blog page, which has more photos and news.

Winter Concerts

The whole-BSB Winter Concert took place yesterday evening, with performances from all sections of the school. Tuesday afternoon saw the Year 3 Winter Concert, which was postponed from Monday because of the holiday declared by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, following Bahrain's victory in the Gulf Cup on Sunday evening. Please enjoy the videos - selected clips and and full version of the Y3 concert, and the finale of the whole-BSB event. Here are some photos of the junior choir in action at the whole-BSB concert.

The Hour of Code

Report from Mrs Drennan

We live in a world surrounded by technology. And we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works.

But only a tiny fraction of us are learning how technology works. Only 45% of all high schools teach computer science.

That’s why our entire school is joining in on the largest learning event in history: The Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15). More than 100 million students worldwide have already tried an Hour of Code. Our Hour of Code is making a statement that British School of Bahrain is ready to teach these foundational 21st-century skills. To continue bringing programming activities to your students, we want to make our Hour of Code event huge. I encourage you to volunteer, reach out to local media, share the news on social media channels and consider hosting additional Hour of Code events in the community.

This is a chance to change the future of education in Bahrain.

To win a chance to invent and design a controller for your Hero game with a Makey Makey device simply log in to Google Classroom for competition instructions.

Check out our Hour of Code Photographs.

Try some of our students' games:

See http://hourofcode.com/us for details, and help spread the word.

Year 6 Dibba Camp

Seventy-three students and eight staff set out early on Friday morning, 6 December, for Dibba Adventure Camp in the UAE, returning the following Monday afternoon. They had mixed weather and the children learned a range of skills including survival, rock climbing, abseiling, archery, mountain biking, problem-solving, kayaking, raft-building and team work. Many thanks to all who made the trip possible.

• Photos from day 1, day 2 and day 3

Year 4 Ancient Egypt Day

Year 4 spent an entire day in the ancient world, amid pyramids, pharaohs, mummies, queens, slaves, high priests and other assorted Ancient Egyptians. Their day began with a dazzling concert, full of historical facts and super tunes. Many thanks to everyone who made the day possible - mums and dads for the amazing costumes (and for coming to the morning concert), teachers for organising everything, and the young 'Ancient Egyptians' themselves. Here is a Google photo album of the day.

DELF Awardees

Four students from last school year's Y6 proudly received their DELF certificates from Monsieur Pierre of the Alliance Francaise. They studied after school over a number of weeks for the DELF exam, and they all passed. Well done, everyone! The DELF is a recognised qualification in France, valid for a lifetime. It can open up exciting opportunities. Madame Charlotte is planning to run a DELF club again this school year - watch out for more news. Here is a Google photo album of the certificate presentation.

Sports News

We were honoured to be visited by a spectacular line-up of sports stars today - Chloe McCardel (international swimmer), Jan Frodeno (Olympic triathlon gold medallist), Daniela Ryf (4x Ironman world champion) and Javier Gomez (Olympic silver medallist). The four inspired our World School Games squad and swimming team to strive for glory in their own sporting endeavours. Here's a Google photo album of the visit.

Students of Logic

While waiting for classmates to return from a trip, Nour, Abdulrahman and Rameen solved a set of Strimko puzzles that many adults like me find challenging. I was extremely impressed by their quickness of thinking, their tenacity and their articulateness in explaining their thoughts. If you've never tried Strimko, have a go. It's like Sudoku, with a few differences. Each Strimko puzzle has an unique solution, so never guess while solving, or you head into the rocky waters of insolubility. Check out this site for Strimko puzzles.

Special People

Class 4.06 treated us to a colourful spectacle this afternoon at assembly time. They had two important messages for us. The first is that everyone in the world is human, regardless of race, colour, nationality or anything else. The second message is that we all have special people in our lives - our families and our friends. The show's grand finale included some extra actors - the mums, dads and other relatives who had kindly come along to see the show and found themselves performing in it. Well done, everyone - a super way to end the week. Here is a video of the super assembly.

Visiting author - Coryn Middleton

We were honoured to be visited by Coryn Middleton, a children's author who lives in Bahrain, on Tuesday this week. Coryn has written a book called Sara and her Magic Abaya, about a magical tour of the world. A group of Year 3 students interviewed Coryn and had this to say afterwards:

• "I liked that she gave us some tips about how to make stories more exciting." - Khadija, 3.06

• "It was her first book and I thought it was really good" - Sargam, 3.03

• "Meeting Coryn Middleton was a great experience." - Abdulrahman, 3.05

• "It only took her 1 month to write the book called Sara and her Magic Abaya." - Lila, 3.04

• The author shared with us how she was inspired to write her first book. Her book was about Sarah. Sarah closed her eyes and went to the country she wished for. If I was to write a book, I think it would be about a girl just like me, next to a unicorn. When I close my eyes, I think of me with a unicorn on a cloud! - Wiam, 3.01

Last Thursday's Gaelic Football Festival

Report by Mr Travers with photos by Mrs Hassett

Last Friday saw three BSB teams – and 23 players - in action at a Gaelic football tournament held at Bahrain Rugby Club.

In recent years, the BSB have been the dominant force in Gaelic football in Bahrain and successive BSB “A” teams have set the standard to which everyone else aspires!

A total of 6 teams took part in the under-12 division, representing: BSB, Nadeen School, the Arabian Celts and Tekkers.

With two pitches on the astroturf in use, each team had 5 games and were very busy.

A great deal of very skilful play and effective teamwork were in evidence and as a result, despite plenty of scoring, many games were actually very close. We have to congratulate all of our players for their commitment and enthusiasm throughout the tournament.

At the end of play, BSB “B” team came in a very commendable third place and, despite winning all of their games, BSB “A” were narrowly squeezed into second place on goal difference by the tournament winners – Tekkers.

Many thanks to Bahrain Rugby Club for hosting this event and well done to Mr Doyle for coaching the teams to such a high standard.

The next Gaelic football tournament will be held in February and BSB “A” will be looking to resume their position as the premier team in Bahrain. Well done boys – and good luck! Here is a Google photo album of the festival.

Get ready for Sports Day! - message from Ms Gray

Save the Date!

Year 5 & 6 Sports Day: Monday 25 November at the Rugby Club

We hope to see as many parents as possible at our annual Sports Day for Years 5 and 6, to support our students who have been working so hard to improve their athletics. It promises to be an action-packed day with fun activities in addition to the athletic events, so please bring yourselves and a colourful banner to support your child's house! Please feel free to wander around the pitches at your leisure, but could we ask that you keep back from the teams so the activities can run smoothly and also keep off the tiered seating area, which for safety reasons is for students only. We look forward to seeing you on Monday! Don't forget to wear your sports clothes for the hotly contested parent/ teacher races!

Our Friends in Class 4.01

Class 4.01 performed admirably for us this at this afternoon's assembly. Many thanks to the 4.01 parents who came along to watch. We learned about random acts of kindness and the wonderful effect they can have on both the receiver and the giver. Enjoy the video.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Primary Maths Challenge

Report from Mr Drennan

Some of our most talented Maths students in Year 6 and Year 5 have been taking part in the Primary Maths Challenge - an exciting challenge aimed at students in Junior Schools in the UK and across the world. The PMC is designed to make pupils think outside the box. The questions, which can be on any area of maths, are a great starting point for discussions throughout the year. The questions are not heavily reliant on formal mathematical knowledge, and can be solved by logical reasoning. Here is an example of one of the questions from this year’s paper:

If I count down from 2019 by first taking away 20 and then 19 and then 20 and then 19 and so on, what is the last positive number I will reach?

Year 4 Sponsored Scurry

This morning, Year 4 students scurried around the astro pitch during the first lesson of the day. Here is a Google photo album of the scurry. Every step they scurried helped Wein Wa village school in Myanmar, which provides education to dozens of rural village children and would not exist without the kindness of the BSB community. The motto of United World Schools, the charitable organisation that built Wein Wa school, is 'Teach The Unreached'. Many thanks to all who supported the scurry, and thanks to the Year 4 team for organising it. You can find more information about Wein Wa school by scrolling down to by blog post of 31 October.

Award-Winning Junior Choir

Many congratulations to the Junior Choir who, after working hard through the day's lessons, came valiantly back into school yesterday at 5pm to perform in the grand final of the Bahrain Young Performers' Festival, held here at the BSB. We were overjoyed when the adjudicators announced their decision that the Junior Choir were the winners of their section. Very well done, everyone! Thanks also to the music teachers who made it possible. Here's a video of the children's heart-warming performance.

Bahrain Young Performers' Festival

Report from Ms Carter

This November saw the return of the fantastic Bahrain Young Performers Festival; an all inclusive inter-schools competitive festival featuring enthusiastic performers as young as 5 years up to 18 years.

The aim of the festival is to champion the diversity, talent and passion of our young performers through the medium of music, drama, public speaking and dance whilst bringing together schools and performing arts institutes across Bahrain to celebrate each other’s achievements.

Last night was the culmination of the event, the Grand Final, held in the BSB Multi Purpose Hall where students from BSB and a host of other schools and institutes including St. Christopher's, the Philippines School, Inspire, Harmony Music Centre and Life in Music competed for 6 trophies.

Results were as follows: (click here for the full results list)

Prep Category:

GOLD MEDALISTS: Xavier Martin Carter, Annabelle Thoppil who performed in the final as the only Prep WINNERS

Novice Category:

WINNER - Layan & Haya Abdulla Al Hamad (Life in Music/Kanoo School)

Runner-up - Sarah Kanoo (Ballare/St. Christopher's School)

Intermediate Category:

WINNER - Ambrielle Marie Ombao (Philippines School)

Runner-up - Deena & Lilo Al-Dahwi (Life in Music/St. Christopher's School)

Advanced Category:

WINNER - Karma Alami (Bel Canto/St. Christopher's School)

Runner-up - Donggeun Han (British School of Bahrain)

Primary Choir:

WINNER - BSB Junior Choir (British School of Bahrain)

Runner-up - Little Stars Infant Choir (British School of Bahrain)

Senior Choir:

WINNER - Jawhara (St. Christopher's School)

Runner-up - PSB Chorale (Philippines School)

Chelsea Pensioners

In-pensioners Peter Henry and Roy Palmer, from the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, honoured us with a visit on Tuesday morning. The Royal Hospital is a home for retired soldiers who might otherwise be lonely. Each November, around the time of Remembrance Day, representatives of the Chelsea Pensioners visit Bahrain and spend a morning with us in school. We enjoyed some well-known songs from the twentieth century, performed by some of our musically accomplished students. Here is a Google photo album of the morning.

Year 5 IMAX trip

After their 3D movie experience in low Earth orbit on Tuesday this week, Year 5 students made the following comments:

• ‘It was a very good trip and the 3D glasses made the film amazing because everything was so close to us. The best part was when the rocket took off and it looked like there was glass and dirt flying towards us!” Preston (5.05)

• “It was really cool because we could see the inner workings of a real space station. I liked it when a sweet came flying towards us. Lots of people got out of their seat to try to eat it!´ Charbel (5.09)

• “I liked hearing about the history of the space station. The 3D glasses made everything so realistic. You could see everything and it really felt as if you were actually there!” Alfie (5.09)

Y6 trip to Al Fateh Grand Mosque

Year 6 students and their teachers visited Al Fateh Grand Mosque on Tuesday, learning about the features of the mosque, understanding the significance of its various parts, and admiring its beautiful architecture. The teachers took some superb photos which you can browse in this Google album. I am always fascinated by the way the sunlight reflects from the beautifully coloured walls and fills in the shadows beneath the exterior domes. The expert guides in the mosque always make us welcome, explaining how each part of the building has something to contribute to its purpose. The mosque can accommodate seven thousand people at a time, so there was plenty of space for our Year 6 students, who divided into two groups in order to get the most out of their tour. Many thanks to everyone who supported the trip, and to Ms Assali and Mr Doyle for making it possible.

Class 6.10 learn about World Diabetes Day

Today is World Diabetes Day, the birthday of Frederick Banting, the discoverer of insulin. My Year 6 PSHE class and I spent our lesson this morning learning about diabetes. We know that it's no-one's fault if someone has diabetes. We know that people with diabetes can live a perfectly normal life. We know that diabetes affects the amount of sugar in a person's blood, and there are a few things they need to do each day, to keep their blood sugar at the right level. I am impressed with the students' knowledge, and their ability to see things from others' points of view.

Seniors' Green Week 17-21 November

Juniors are proud to be supporting the seniors' Environmental Committee, an eco-aware group of Sixth Form students, in running their Green Week initiative from Sunday 17 to Thursday 21 November. Year 3 and Year 4 students have been invited to a movie show (The Lorax) on Wednesday after school - a Google permission form has been emailed to Y3 and Y4 parents. We shall aim to reduce of electricity during Green Week.There will be a green non-uniform day on Thursday 21 November (wear as much green as possible) with an optional contribution of 500 fils. All funds raised during Green Week will be used for student-initiated environmental projects around the school, such as providing recycling collection bins and refurbishing the school's eco-garden.

Bahrain First Festival

An excited group of junior and senior students, accompanied by teachers from the junior and senior sections, spent yesterday afternoon at the National Stadium for the Bahrain First Festival, when HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced today's holiday. Here is a Google photo album of the event.

Celebrating super learning

Shreya in class 4.07 showed me some lovely pieces of work she had undertaken on her own initiative, in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities. As well as producing beautifully presented, neatly written, factually accurate, carefully illustrated pieces, Shreya demonstrated a sound background knowledge in each area while explaining her work to me. Well done, Shreya!

Junior Head Student Team at work

Here you can see Mason, Adam, Hajar and Jesse at work in my office during their weekly meeting, planning for the Chelsea Pensioners' visit next week. The HST has a packed schedule that day - they'll greet the three visitors from Chelsea after morning registration and spend some time talking with them, before they head off to Al Fateh Mosque on the Year 6 study trip.

Year 5 prepare to orbit the Earth (virtually)

We are pleased to announce that, as part of the Science topic on Space, Year 5 students will be going on a trip to the IMAX Theatre, Muharraq on Tuesday 12th November 2019. They will watch the educational 3D movie 'Space Station', the first ever 3D live action film to be shot in space.

Students will leave the BSB at 8am, travel by bus to Muharraq and return to school at approximately 11am.

The cost for this trip will be BD5 including cinema entry and transport.

Please can you ensure that the form below is completed and correct amount of money is sent in by Sunday 12th November 2019.

Year 5 IMAX Trip Permission Form for Year 5 parents (also emailed)

Students will be asked to bring a small healthy snack, their water bottle, a hat and a jumper for this trip.