Juniors Archived News Term 2:1 2020-21

Headteacher's News Thursday 11 February 2021

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Click the image, with all the names on it, to go to the performance index.

Look carefully and you'll see many of us have 1940s 'evacuee names' instead of our real names.

Spitfire by Zainalabdin 4.09

Spitfire by Yasin 4.09

The Blitz by Isa 4.09

Digital Art Competition

The standard of entries was incredibly high. The Winners and Honourable Mentions were chosen by the students and staff of BSB, in a secure ballot with names removed from the work, to ensure everyone voted for the work on its merit, not because it was done by their friend. Click here to browse through the Hall of Digitally Artistic Fame. Remember, a competition needs everyone, including those who don't win, to be a success. If you entered, you supported everyone else who entered. Well done, and thanks to Ms Hooper for making the Digital Art Competition part of the BSB's standards-raising events.

Safer Internet Day was on Tuesday 9 February, 2021

Report from Mrs Drennan

The global theme is ‘together for a better internet’ and this year we have put the focus on how young people can tell fact from fiction, and work together to create an internet we trust.

Everyone has their part to play in making the internet a better place!

Check out some Top Tips from this year and some conversation starters for parents and their children.

Click to see the Safer Internet Day Slides 2021

Head Teacher's Awards

I think we have a record number of head teacher awards this week. Many congratulations to all.

Please have a safe and happy half-term break. School is scheduled to resume on Sunday 21 February. We will be in touch before then, with more information.

Headteacher's News Thursday 4 February 2021

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Year 4 'Victory in Europe' Day

27,673 days after the actual VE Day, which was 8 May, 1945, Year 4 students will commemorate the end of the second world war by holding a special Remote VE Day as part of their online learning. The remote event will take place on Thursday 11 February.

Year 4 students are strongly encouraged to wear an item of clothing that an evacuee would have worn during the second world war, and to have some 'street party' food ready to eat as part of the day's immersive 1940s experience. We know it is not easy to get costumes in the current circumstances. Any suitable hat or prop the students can find will add to their sense of participation. Wishing everyone a happy Virtual VE Day!

TIMSS - Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

Every four years, BSB and other Bahrain schools participate in the international TIMSS study, when groups of Year 5 students, selected by the Ministry of Education, sit a special assessment to measure attainment in Maths and Science. It can take a while for the school to receive feedback, as the assessments are marked externally, with scores collated from all over the world.

A special shout-out goes to the following students, who were in Year 5 in Juniors when they achieved commendable scores in the TIMSS assessment:

Zara Rehman - now in Year7
Leena Altaf - now in Year7

Safer Internet Day - 9 February, 2021

We all use the internet, every day, especially when we are on remote school. However, the internet can be a hazardous place, just as the highway or the ocean can be dangerous, if we do not take due care. That means we should respect the age limits on social media, games and applications. A lot of unhappiness arises when young people break rules about how to use the internet. Grown-up people then have to spend a long time trying to undo whatever harm has been done. Safer internet day is on Tuesday next week. You can find out more in the video on this page. Don't worry; it's a safe link!

Head Teacher Awards

What a week of super effort, cooperation and attainment! Plenty of well-deserved awards this week. Congratulations to all. Keep up the great work.

Headteacher's News Thursday 28 January 2021

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Remote school continues, as we prepare to welcome visitors

I remember, many years ago when I was a small boy, my father taught me to swim. We would go to the local swimming pool and he would stand about half way across, in the water. He was tall enough for his feet to reach the bottom of the pool; I was not. I would struggle to swim over to him, and he would let me hold onto him while I caught my breath after the exertion. However, if he thought I could swim a bit further, he would walk backwards, increasing the distance I had to go before I could reach him. I have vivid memories of opening my mouth, as I struggled to stay afloat, to shout to him to stand still, swallowing a lot of of pool water as a result. My lasting impression is of a test of endurance, that went on and on as the gap yawned ever wider between pool side and father. (I am glad he taught me to swim, though, because it is a very valuable skill. He is ninety years old now; we still share a laugh when we remember those swimming lessons from half a century ago.)

This global situation, with its trials and its tragedies, can seem endless, as we are once again faced with a spell of remote school. I am confident that we shall not only get through it, but we shall emerge from it even stronger, through the forward-looking positivity that is the trade mark of BSB's students, parents and staff.

We are looking forward very much to welcoming our special visitors from BQA, who will be joining us in online school for the five days of next week. I feel confident - much more confident than I remember feeling when battling across that vast-seeming pool - that everyone here will do their level best to impress, and to aspire to the success that all at BSB so richly deserve.

Mahatva shines again

Last week, we congratulated Mahatva in class 3.02 for his success in the worldwide online Speed Maths Challenge competition. Well, guess what - Mahatva has been busy again, and this time he's achieved third ranking, in Speed Maths Challenge Aces. Extremely well done, Mahatva! Scroll down to find a well-deserved Head Teacher Award.

Adhvik builds for the future

Adhvik in class 5.11 sent me a video today, of a Lego project he made, on his own initiative. Not only has he created a fine model, he has also made the accompanying video, using clear and expressive spoken language to describe the product and its development. The model contains over 250 pieces of Lego, a testament to Adhvik's patience and determination. Check out the advice Adhvik gives in the last minute of the video - wise words indeed. What a super example of self-driven success. A Head Teacher Award will be on its way to Adhvik next week - sorry we didn't manage to include the award in today's batch.

Head Teacher's Awards

Another well-deserved set of awards this week. Well done, everyone. Have a safe and restful weekend.

Headteacher's News Thursday 21 January 2021

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Rising to a challenge

At the end of Sunday this week, we were catapulted into fully remote school. Did that wipe the smiles from the junior students' faces? Not a bit. It seems that whatever this global situation throws at us, the children of BSB take it in their stride, deal with it and carry on. Learning has gone from strength to strength this week, not only in an academic sense, but also in the grown-up, human way we respond to things we can't avoid. It is truly a pleasure to work with such a fizzingly positive and resilient group of young people, making 953 reasons why my staff and I come bouncing into school, blended or remote, with such enthusiasm every morning.

Zahraa

Aditi

Mohammed

Musa

Head Student Team 2.mp4

Head Student Team

Many thanks to Vismaya, Jack, Lina and Taha for being the first Junior Head Student Team of the school year. Having done a splendid job, they have now handed the baton of responsibility to the incoming team, pictured here. As I'm sure you remember, voting took place last term, to decide which of the eager candidates would become part of the academic year's three Head Student Teams. Those results have yielded our new team, Head Boy Mohammed, 6.01, Head Girl Zahraa, 6.08, Deputy Head Boy Musa, 6.05, and Deputy Head Girl Aditi, 6.06. The new team made a super job of their first set of assemblies this afternoon. We all look forward to working with them for the rest of this term. To make it as fair as we can, each of this school year's three teams will be in their posts for approximately 50 school days. Check out the newsflash to see the first team of the school year handing over the reins to the second.

Bahrain Young Performers Virtual Festival

It is with great excitement that we are now able to announce the first ever Virtual Bahrain Young Performers’ Festival, hosted by the British School of Bahrain. As in previous years, the event will be a competitive festival with a variety of opportunities to celebrate the diverse talents of young performers across Bahrain.

Entry to the competition will be by video submission via the online Google Form. The 1st and 2nd Rounds your videos will be judged by international performing artists and teachers with experience in each category and age group. We are pleased to state that the virtual format will make it possible for each entrant to receive a short written critique of their performance from the judges.

The Grand Final will be a live, socially distanced event for participants and their families only. Prizes will be awarded to the winners alongside digital certificates for all those involved.

To promote social distancing and COVID-19 precautions, this year’s competition will involve only individual performances with various categories for singers and instrumentalists, actors, public speakers/poetry recitalists & dancers. We are also delighted to be introducing a Musical Theatre category, especially for those talented stage performances!

Here is a letter with full details of the Bahrain Young Performers Virtual Festival.

Speed Maths Challenge Champion

Congratulations to Mahatva in class 3.02 for achieving a spectacular 1st place in the worldwide online Speed Maths Challenge competition recently. What a splendid performance, of which I am sure Mahatva is rightly proud. Being able to answer mathematical questions quickly and accurately is a very valuable skill. If you have instant recall of times table facts and number bonds to ten, it makes it far easier to cope with the more involved mathematical processes you will meet in senior school. Quadratic equations, highest common factors and lowest common multiples sound hard, but they are much more accessible if you know your tables and number bonds really well. Mahatva has built the foundations of a solid future in Maths. Well done indeed!

Primary Maths Challenge

Five of our junior Mathematics enthusiasts, who entered this year's Primary Maths Challenge, have qualified for the Bonus Round, scheduled to take place on Wednesday 3 February. The first round was an extremely challenging paper, according to our Head of Y5/6 Mathematics, Mr Drennan. Well done to Mohamed 5.03, Ahmad 5.05, Sahar 5.11, Bhargav 6.02 and Miki 6.06. Wishing you every success in the next round. Keep practising your mathematical skiils.

Head Teacher's Awards

Be it blended or remote, BSB junior students just keep on achieving and progressing. Sometimes they really excel, in attainment and/or motivation and that's when Head Teacher's Awards come into play. Congratulations to this week's award winners!

Headteacher's News Thursday 14 January 2021

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Drama Enrichment Programme Taster Class

Message from Ms Kristina, Head of Business Development

The Elements @BSB (formerly known as BSB Academies) is inviting BSB Junior School parents to sign up for our taster class for our Drama Enrichment Programme. The taster class will be conducted in school, following COVID safety protocols. Our drama coach, Ms Gail Knappett, will give them a drama sampler class and will be available as well to discuss a suitable programme with you before you enrol. If interested, please fill in this Google Form and a member of the Elements @BSB team will be in touch for confirmation. Alternatively, you may email your interest to elements@thebsbh.com

Follett Destiny Online Library

Message from Mr Hesham and Mr Venter, School Librarians

The wonderful world of books just became more accessible. What better and safer way to enjoy our reading, in these unprecedented times, than to borrow and read electronic books, from wherever we are? Electronic books cannot get lost or torn; they never have missing pages just when you get to the exciting bit, and they are safe from being scribbled on by little brothers and sisters. The BSB Librarians are proud to announce that we have implemented a new online library catalogue throughout the school. Follett Destiny Library Manager provides students and teachers with convenient single sign-on access to multiple resources from anywhere in the school, and from home, on any web-connected device, including tablets and smartphones.

Students and teachers can now seamlessly search and access all print and digital content from just one location, including all of our school’s library resources, such as eBooks, digital databases, and content-rich, safe websites.

Go to http://thebsbh.follettdestiny.com for more information or contact your school’s librarian. You can log in using your BSB Gmail, by clicking on Sign in with Google. It's really easy, and you'll be reading the online books within seconds. Give it a try right now!

Adhvik excels in Maths

Adhvik in class 5.11 has been working hard on his Maths outside school - he received the Advanced Student Honor Roll -1, for Mathematics from Kumon Bahrain. The award indicates that he is solving Maths problems at 1 level above his school year level. He received a certificate and medal in a drive-by awards ceremony. Great achievement, Adhvik!

Headteacher's Awards

Congratulations to the awardees this week. Once again, determined effort has led to success, with everyone trying their best. People often ask me to tell them the secret of getting Head Teacher's Awards. There are lots of ways - trying super hard at something you don't find easy; thinking of others before yourself without expecting awards for doing so... the list could go on and on. Teachers are always on the lookout for students, in school and remote, who have done things that merit an award.

Headteacher's News Thursday 7 January 2021

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Term 2 begins

The second term of the school year is under way, with more students attending school than we had last term. Hence, many students are helping us all by taking a remote day each week, which allows us to give classmates a chance to come into school too. Some students have kindly moved class, within the same year group, for a limited time, to create space for classmates. This is because some classes have an especially high number of students who wish to come into school. I am heartened by the sense of team spirit, with everyone helping supporting one another, that abounds at times like this. It is one of the things that make BSB special.

A number of staff and parents are joining the vaccination programme that is going so well in Bahrain. I am looking forward to my second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine tomorrow. When I had the first dose, I didn't even feel it, and I did not experience any side-effects at all. I am told that it takes two weeks after the second dose for antibodies to be present, giving a substantial degree of immunity. Of course, after vaccination, it's still important to maintain distancing, wear a mask and have good hand hygiene. However, when enough of the population has been vaccinated, the virus will find it harder to spread and we hope to see an improvement in the global situation. Stay safe, everyone and, if you are over 18, think seriously about getting vaccinated if you haven't done so already.

'Seek' Magazine

Science is about finding out. This week, we received the 'Space Education Endeavour for Kids' magazine, from the National Space Science Agency, here in Bahrain. The magazine is packed with astronomical facts and figures, to set young minds soaring beyond orbit, out into the galaxy. Here you can see Michal, Lina, Kaan, Hala and Paula receiving their glossy copies of the magaziine, as did everyone who was in school this week. If you are studying remotely and didn't get one, we do have spares, so please send your teacher an email if you didn't get one. Did you know that one day on the planet Mercury is twice as long as its year? I didn't, until I read page 24 of the magazine. It really is bursting with fascinating information.

Digital Art Competition

Get your tablets and styluses ready - Ms Hooper is about to launch a truly 21st century Art competition. As you can see, the closing date is 3 February. Ms Hooper will be sharing all the details of the competition, which is open to all students in Years 3 to 6, from Sunday onward. I'm looking forward to seeing the fruits of the talent and dedication that I know are out there among our students.

Headteacher's Awards

Congratulations to this week's award winners, who have started the new term as they mean to continue. Keep doing your best, everyone! Looking forward to seeing more awards next week.

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