Seniors Latest News
Current House Standings
Phoenix: 4411
Griffin: 3643
Pegasus: 3563
Dragon: 3279
Thursday 8th December
Beyond BSB
Next Tuesday sees the first of a series of University Workshops led by our very own 6th form leadership team to help prepare, relieve and motivate students in their university preparations. Held after school in the 6th Form collaboration area, please use this link to sign up and attend. Open to years 10 to Upper Sixth. Come along and get a head start on the rest to make YOUR application stand out!
Year 8 Chicken Burgers
Having learned about modifying dishes to make them more balanced, students shaped seasoned chicken patties and served them in a toasted wholemeal roll with a salad of lettuce, tomato and onion. You can see some of the students couldn't wait to try their dish!
Chocolate Galore!
Adam in 8C had a special invitation into the kitchen this week. He worked hard to make this delicious cake to share with his friends and teachers.
Giving back to the community
Well done to 6F08, who collected 13 shoeboxes this week for the Migrant Workers Protection Society, fully embracing our values of kindness and community. We will, of course, be asking for more from the entire community next term as part of our own annual shoebox appeal.
Sustainability Lectures @ AUBH
Today, seven Seniors students attended the Sustainability Day event held at the American University of Bahrain. Here we heard talks presented by Kai Miethig, a sustainability expert and proponent of MNMLSM (a minimalist movement) who spoke about reducing the clutter around us to reduce our waste, and Nidukki, a waste management and recycling company that detailed how recycling works in Bahrain. Nidukki gave us a crash course on exactly what is and what isn’t recyclable and Miguel Contreras even won the speed-sorting competition against two of the university students!
One of our favourite quotes from Kai was “Minimalism and sustainability are the opposite of convenient”, pointing out how reducing our footprint might not be easy, but that it is extremely important to think about our long-term impact on the environment around us. The mention of the UN Sustainable Development Goals also reminded us that together with a goal in mind, we can achieve the change needed for a sustainable future.
In between these talks we also went on a tour of the beautiful AUBH campus, saw a few familiar faces of BSB Alumni, and even got to sit in on a Modern History of Bahrain class! A well-rounded day enjoyed by all.
Badminton Tournament
The U13 and U15 Badminton Squads made the journey to Bayan School for the annual BSSL Badminton Tournament. This year a record number of entries from 6 private schools, meaning the boys would have to be on top form if they were to advance beyond the pool stage.
The U13’s made a great start with opening wins from Saleh and Aakash, however new player Ammar was finding it difficult in his first ever competition. Aakash would eventually qualify for the semi final, going unbeaten in his 3 games, whilst Saleh narrowly missed qualification, dropping only one game out of his 3. Ammar made improvements throughout his 3 games but ultimately, the standard proved a little too much for the newbie.
Aakash started the semi final well, taking an early lead, however basic mistakes cost him in the long run, losing 15 - 13 and heading for the 3rd place decider. Again, after taking a narrow lead, mistakes cost the youngster, eventually losing 15 - 12. A 4th place finish from 20 was the best BSB could achieve and it’s certainly an achievement we are proud of.
The U15’s started in similar fashion with Atharv and Zuhair commanding early wins and new players Vishrut, Raoul and Matthew all suffering losses. The fortunes change however in the following games, with all 3 newbies securing wins in their 5 pool games. Zuhair proved a force to reckon with winning all 5 pool games, whilst 1 defeat for Atharv saw him miss qualification to the quarter finals.
Zuahir continued to impress, knocking out his IKNS 2nd seed opponent in a thrilling 15-13 victory. Zuhair advanced to the final against one of the tournament favourites from St Christopher’s in a repeat of last year's final. Whilst Zuhair played brilliantly, he just couldn’t get ahead in the game and was always playing on the backfoot. Just like last year, Zuhair placed 2nd overall from the 24 entries and received his silver medal with pride.
Overall a great evening of badminton, enjoyed by the players, teachers and spectators. BSB are extremely proud of the players' efforts and look forward to seeing the players and teams develop in the future.
Cricket
Cricket has returned to BSB and over the last 6 week period it has grown to 15 players, beat St Chris in a fixture, trained on the Rugby Club batting nets and entered in the U16 Bahrain Schools Cricket Cup! The boys have already come with the skill set to play cricket and the experience of National Team players such as Aryan and Vish has bolstered the team.
After only 3 weeks off indoor training and gameplay, BSB ventured to St Chris for a friendly (if there is such a thing!) match. The boys demonstrated some great cricket and batted for 71 runs, losing only 2 wickets and giving St Chris a hard target to chase from the upcoming 60 bowls. Some expert bowling and fielding, BSB ended victorious, giving up 67 runs and taking 6 wickets before the final ball had been bowled.
The Key Stage 4 team now look to the future, with their attention firmly on the Bahrain National Schools Cup.
Thursday 1st December
The Monthly - November
As we complete the month of Movember, The Monthly strives to rewrite the story on stigmas and taboos plaguing society in an edition focused on breaking the status-quo, with a theme of ‘Changing The Narrative’.
In linking Movember with our theme, the writers of The Monthly have produced fantastic articles ranging from shattering mental health stigmas to analysing the change in the narrative of global politics, whether with the recent election in Italy or the assassination attempt on Imran Khan. Our interviewers grasp BSB’s reflection on Movember itself, and our advice writers provide vital tips and critiques that one may take away to apply in our own lives, helping those we love with their own struggles. With such a wide variety of articles we hope that all readers will take away how narratives we may be accustomed to - and comfortable with - may change, even without realising it.
Our editor’s choice for this month goes to an incredible talent, Loay Kaid. Joining as a Trending writer just this month, and despite writing his very first article, Loay eloquently described the way fashion trends coincide with real world events. By metaphorically establishing links that left us astounded, we are left greatly looking forward to reading Loay’s future work.
Lastly, if you wish to contribute to The Monthly, then keep updated with us on The Monthly Instagram: @themonthly_ and email themonthly@student.thebsbh.com with any questions. Thank you for your continued support in bringing high quality student-led and composed journalism to your screens every month!
Editors,
Manaal Khan, Dia Nanda and Callum Laing
The Monthly- November Edition .pdfGirl Up Event
On 24th November, under the umbrella of the Beyond BSB lecture and event series, the female students of Year 9 were invited to a special event to promote the importance of female empowerment, respect and tolerance. This event was organised and hosted by the Girl Up BSB club.
Girl Up was founded by the United Nations in 2010. It was started to promote activism, advocacy and encouragement to girls around the world in order to secure their rights and for those with the privilege to take action for those unheard. Today, Girl Up has 3500 clubs around the world in 120 countries.
The Girl Up Bahrain, based in the British school of Bahrain, is a student-led initiative spearheaded by two students: Jood Al Awadhi and Safia Abdiwahab who are currently Year 12 students. This club's main aims are to educate and empower all young girls within our school community and beyond, of the legislative rights they have, and to shed light on important events and issues impacting women around the globe.
During the morning students took part in a series of discussions and activities linked to a variety of key topics. This is the first of many events that are being planned and organised by our student led forums in the 6th form throughout this academic year. Thank you to all members of the 6th form BSB Girl Up Society and Diversity group who took part in this event. A special mention must be given to the Heads of the Girl Up society, Safia and Jood, for their organisation of this event.
Elf the Musical
Congratulations to Olivia Van Der Nest and Amber Allen, who have been selected to appear in the professional production of ‘Elf - the Musical’ at the Cultural Hall in the next few weeks. They join a number of students from juniors in the cast. We are very proud of them all.
Evening of the Arts
Last week saw the first inter-house art competition consisting of a fantastic selection of artwork as well as amazing musical and drama performances all from across the whole school. The judges had a very difficult time working out the winners but in the end Phoenix came out on top and so have extended their lead at the top of the house standings. We look forward to the event returning next year with even more talent on show.
Curriculum Update
A summary of some of the wonderful things going on in classrooms around the school.
International Astronomical Union
Minhaj recently participated in the International Astronomical Unions's campaign for hunting asteroids.
"The campaign is the biggest campaign in the world hunting for asteroids. It was an amazing opportunity and I got to learn about using software and analytics to search for near-earth objects and asteroids. My team and I discovered 9 new preliminary asteroids altogether in the campaign, under the name: Bahrain Stargazers. "
Minhaj Adnan
Bahrain Stargazers -4.pdfSustainable Initiatives
Members of the Environmental committee were helping Juniors with their preparations for the Festive Fair and helped make flower pots from reusable materials as part of our sustainability initiative. Students showed their excellence and modelled responsibility to our BSB environment.
Music Update
With one more day to the Festive Night Market, the excitement is building here in the music department! Performances start when the Festive Night Market opens at 4pm with Infant and Junior School choirs. This then leads the way to an array of instrumental and vocal performances including a staff piano trio! Many of our extra-curricular clubs are making their debut at this event with students rehearsing around the clock! These include the Jazz Band, Beginner String Ensemble and Ceilidh band. We look forward to seeing you there on Friday for an evening of festive music!
We will be ending our musical term 1 with a wonderful Winter Concert. This will take place on December 12th from 5pm to 6pm in the MPH. Entry is free and we look forward to seeing you all there. Santa hats are essential!!
Sports Festival
Last Thursday, Year 2 were treated to a sports festival that was created, led and managed by our Year 13 BTEC Sport students. The sports festival involved a range of different stations for students to enjoy with music playing which added to the sporting atmosphere. Jose Cohen in Year 13 commented “It was fantastic to be a part of this event and interact with Year 2 students, seeing them so happy was a great experience. A Lot of effort went into the planning of this event, something that I didn't realise”. Year 10 BTEC Sport students assisted the Year 2 students at each station, which was a new experience for them. Leah Al Ojaimi in Year 10 said that “I really enjoyed the morning, Year 2 has so much energy and enthusiasm!” It was certainly a great event and all students involved should be very proud of their efforts.
BSCAA - Bahrain Students & Collegiate Athletics Association Competition
Mrs Belcher has been training the Running Club and U13 and U15 BSME teams for a variety of different distances over the recent weeks in preparation for Bahrain Students & Collegiate Athletics Competition that was held at the National Stadium last weekend. For many of our students this was their first experience racing on a full size track and against students from elsewhere in Bahrain. We had so many successes with students overcoming their nerves of this ‘first’, supporting each other and overall having a great day at the track and some students were even lucky enough to experience running under the floodlights! Although we are still awaiting official times to see if we have any P.B’s there were four students who achieved podium places in their individual events - Well done to Yahia, Heidi, Pleun and Ariana! For some students this event was preparation for BSME and has been such a positive experience for them,we’re excited how this will translate to the event in January. Thank you to Mr Macmillan and Mrs Winstanley who also came along to the event to help coach and marshall the students.
Cross Country
Monday 28th November saw BSB runners back at Nurana Island for the 2nd cross country race of the season. After a great start in the first race, the U13 and U15 age groups were sitting in 1st place with the U19’s in 2nd overall. BSB entered this race with confidence high and hoping to improve PB’s on the 2.6km and 4km courses.
The U13’s were missing some important runners but the team were in high spirits. Jack Jones was the first through the line in 12th place followed by Sophie Maguire (18) and Evie McKenzie (19). A missing runner meant BSB had to accept a last place finish to complete their race. Overall the team raced very well but the missing runner does mean they moved to 3rd place in the team competition.
The U15’s were in a similar position, with key members of the team missing. The girls ran the 2.6km course, with the boys tackling the 4km , long course. However, this did not deter the runners and impressive running from Heidi Edelmann secured her second 1st place finish of the season. Habiba (6), Fernanda (10) and Muneeb (11th overall, 2nd in the boys race) completed the team event, with the team remaining in 1st place overall, going into race 3. An impressive run for Yousif A (14) saw all BSB runners place inside the top 15 of the 30 strong field of runners.
The U19’s continue to grow and develop their confidence in distance running with Yousif F (7) and Ali A (12) finishing their 2nd race of the season and builiding on their efforts from race 1. Late register, Marina (16), also completed the 4km course to the delight of Ms Belcher and Ms Williams, as it was Marina’s first ever competitive race. Overall the U19’s sit in 4th place of the team event.
BSB still lead in the overall, combined team event and hopefully can keep building momentum in the next 2 races to secure a BSSL championship. Lastly, a big shout out to Ms Williams and Ms Watson for their support and we hope to see them at future events.
House Sports Finals Evening
We will be holding our annual Senior School Sports Finals Evening (Football, Table Tennis, Netball, Volleyball and Basketball) on Wednesday 8th March from 4pm until 6:30pm. There will be music and food just like last year with everyone watching/cheering so students need to do their best to qualify for it. This is a great opportunity to take part in front of family and friends.
To qualify to play in this event, matches will take place next term during school time. All senior students can choose to take part in table tennis plus one other sport next term. The other sports available are Basketball, Netball and Volleyball. Only the players/teams that qualify will be able to play in the finals evening.
Please encourage your son/daughter to sign up. To sign up - students need to make sure that they are signed into their school email account on google and then click here to complete the sign up form. Students will be assigned a team.
This message has also been in the student daily notes and we look forward to seeing who qualifies.
Thursday 24th November
Pearson Excellence Awards
I am delighted to announce that a number of our students have been rewarded by Pearson with 'certificates of excellence', for their A Level and GCSE results. Students with 5 or more GCSEs at grade 8/9, or 3 or more A Levels at grade A/A*, have been recognised. Furthermore, we can announce the achievements of some of our students in terms of the marks they achieved, which for some were the Highest in the World, Highest in the Middle East, or Highest in Bahrain. A truly phenomenal effort from all, we are so very proud of them.
World Scholars Cup
Welcome back to our team, who had a fantastic trip!
Arabic Reading Challenge
“The first book maintained Students write the first line in the future” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
The Arab Reading Challenge is a literacy initiative, launched in 2015, which aims to establish a culture of reading among young Arabic speakers across the globe as well as to highlight the importance of knowledge in shaping their future as well as the future of their communities and countries.
The Arab Reading Challenge challenges students to read 50+ books at a specific time during the academic year. They will also each be given a ‘passport’ in which they must summarise what they have read. The first booklet is the Red Passport, and once this is complete the students will move onto the Green Passport, followed by the Blue Passport, Silver Passport and Gold Passport.
The Arab Reading Challenge is aimed at students in KS2 and KS3 (years 3-9 ). Currently, 64 students have registered for the challenge. If you would like any further information about how to register your child, please contact your child's Arabic teacher, Mr Attia attiam@thebsbh.com (KS3-4) or Ms Mansour mansours@thebsbh.com (KS2).
((أول كتاب يمسكه الطالب يكتب أول سطر في مستقبلهم )) "محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم"
تحدي القراءة العربي" هو أكبر مشروع عربي أطلقه صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، نائب رئيس دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة رئيس مجلس الوزراء حاكم دبي، لتشجيع القراءة لدى الطلاب في العالم العربي عبر التزام أكثر من مليون طالب بالمشاركة بقراءة خمسين مليون كتاب خلال كل عام دراسي.
بعد التسجيل، يستلم كل طالب مسجل جواز المرحلة الأولى ذي اللون الأحمر والذي يحتوي على 10 تأشيرات قراءة بواقع 10 صفحات. يقرأ الطالب الكتاب ويلخصه في صفحة واحدة ليحصل بذلك على تأشيرة القراءة
يكمل الطالب عشرة كتب ويلخصها في عشر صفحات حتى ينهي المرحلة الأولى وينتقل للمرحلة الثانية والجواز الأخضر ثم الأزرق و الفضي ثم الذهبي
يستهدف تحدي القراءة العربي الطلاب من الصف الثاني إلى الصف 11 . حاليًا ، سجل 64 طالبًا في التحدي. إذا كنت ترغب في الحصول على مزيد من المعلومات حول كيفية التسجيل ، يرجى الاتصال بمعلم اللغة العربية لابنك/ ابنتك ، السيد عطية attiam@thebsbh.com أو السيدة منصور mansours@thebsbh.com
BAYMUN - Friday 18th & Saturday 19th November
"BAYMUN was so much fun. I had a spectacular experience as I met lots of new people and talked to people I haven’t seen for such a long time. I learnt how THIMUN procedure works and it was an amazing, cooperative and innovative writing resolutions for a full day experience with learning many new things and knowing the pros and cons of fake news. The second day we had to debate about the resolutions which made us dig in deep to why the resolutions may not work or how they would work. I made new friends and interacted with them throughout the two day experience in BAYMUN".- Malak Alsayegh 10C
"BayMUN was such an amazing experience, and I loved debating issues with students from schools from all over Bahrain. I also enjoyed the resolution writing and cooperating with other delegates to help solve different issues from around the world. It is really great and I recommend it to anyone who loves debating".-Hussain Mayoof 11E
Drama Update
Congratulations to Layan Esfahani, who has been offered a place at the University of the Creative Arts in the UK to study Acting! We are all very proud as she is the first BSB student to be going to study Acting.
Music Latest
With the Festive Night Market taking place next weekend, our talented BSB music performers are very busy getting their performances up to scratch! Throughout the Festive Night Market, we will be showcasing lots of our Junior and Senior music students on the main stage. Our Jazz Band, String Club and Ceili Band will also be making their debut so be sure to get your tickets to what is guaranteed to be a festive, musical, fun filled evening!
Instrumentals Programme
Our instrumental lessons here in BSB have been in full swing with two new teachers joining our music team - Mr Rodolpho (guitar and bass guitar) and Mr. Mohammad (drums and percussion). They have certainly added a cool new rock element to our music corridors and we are loving it! We have two weeks remaining in this instrumental term. Don’t forget to sign up for term 2! Any questions, please contact egane@thebsbh.com.
Tennis Success
Saturday 19th November saw the first BSSL Tennis Singles Tournament at Riffa International School. BSB had entries in all age groups and were hoping for a good showing against a strong field of players from our rival schools.
In the U13’s Atif Saquib and Charbel Fihani got the tournament under way in a game against each other which saw Atif secure a first win and establish a foothold in the competition. Charbel secured his first win in his second game against strong opposition from the American School Bahrain. Both boys progressed through the rounds with Atif eventually being crowned CHAMPION.
Following the U13 boys, the U15’s got underway, with Hajar Zaidan representing BSB. Hajar was impressive in the whole competition, dropping only 2 games across 5 matches. Hajar quickly established herself as the top seed and continued to impress in all her games, leading to her sealing victory and the CHAMPIONs medal.
Lastly, the U19’s got their opportunity to take to the court and after some last minute changes, Ali Hamad was there to fly the flag for BSB. Ali played really well against some very strong opposition and earned himself a BRONZE medal, finishing 3rd of 6 players.
Overall, 3 medals for BSB, 2 gold and 1 bronze rounding off a great day of tennis enjoyed by all.
U13 BSME Preparations
The under 13 BSME boys travelled to Choueifat school in Amwaj to play football. In an end to end game Choueifat took the early lead but only to be pegged back straight away by BSB, with Omer Bakri applying the finish after some dancing feet allowed him to beat two defenders and score. Choueifat once again took the lead, meaning that BSB were losing 2-1 at half time. An early goal in the second half for BSB from Omar Badr made things level at 2-2. Once again Choueifat took the lead and once again BSB pinned them back to make it 3-3. With less than 5 minutes to go BSB finally took the lead after a fine swift move was finished off by Imrane Hadjouti. Just as BSB had done three times before, Choueifat went up the other end and scored to make it 4-4. The game finished at 4-4 so it would be decided by penalties. Clinical penalties from Alvaro Delgado and Imrane Hadjouti meant that BSB were victorious 2-1 on penalties. A special mention to man of the match Uddhav Menon who was outstanding in the first half making some great saves to keep BSB in the game and managed to save two penalties out of three in the shootout. Well done to all that took part.
BSA Series 2 Swimming Competition
Last Saturday our swimmers, led by Ms Gray, took part in the Series 2 short course event at the BSA pool in Isa Town. There were 29 events over the course of a long, hot humid day at the pool and our swimmers once again worked incredibly hard to achieve some fantastic results, including PB's in the majority of events, which is a clear indicator of progress being made. Well done to all BSB Bulldogs & Elements swimmers who took part, as listed below:
Laura Tjoonk 8D- Gold medal in the 50m freestyle and silver medal in 100m breastroke
Liv Zuidwijk 7J -Silver 100m backstroke medal
Sabian Williams 9B -two bronze medals in backstroke and breastroke
Konstantina Bograkou 11A -200m Freestyle bronze
Heidi Edelmann 10H
Benjamin Wilding 9D
Malik Ahmed 9B
Paula Valentina 7G
Yahia Elkomy 11C
Elissa Fihani 8D - Bronze 100m Breastroke
Evie MacKenzie 7G
We also had other BSB swimmers taking part in the event as part of the BEST or BSA teams:
Nyall Thoppil 10E- Silver 50m Butterfly/ bronze 50m Freestyle/ Gold 50m Backtroke/ Silver 100 IM
Congratulations to all swimmers who took part.
24N visit
We had the absolute pleasure of meeting Sean and Paul from 24N on Sunday who put the girls in Years 7-9 through their paces for football. Each session had a variety of different drills and activities based on the girls’ experience and age. The sessions were exceptionally well planned and all the girls commented on how much fun they had during the sessions. The effort and enthusiasm was fantastic from both the coaches and the students involved. The students were given information about coaching sessions after school with 24N and I hope some of the girls take them up on this as there was a lot of interest!
24N run sessions after school at BSB - please contact Elements if you would like to book a session with them, it is open to boys and girls from infants through to 6th form.
Thursday 17th November
Remembrance Service
The school heads and Head Prefects attended the annual remembrance service at the British Embassy on Sunday, to pay our respects to those who have lost their lives in conflicts around the world. Heba contributed a verse of the poem 'In Flanders Fields', by John McCrae, alongside peers from St Christophers and Nadeen School, and Mohamed laid a wreath on behalf of the BSB community. It was a lovely service which concluded with readings from a number of different faiths.
Anti Bullying Week 2022
This week we have been pledging our support for kindness and a zero tolerance stance on bullying. Students have been going out of their way to do something kind for others as we develop the important values of respect and kindness. We hope that the message of this week remains in the forefront of all students minds throughout their school journey.
BSB Founder
We were delighted to welcome the original founder of BSB, Alex Welford, and her husband Robert to see how the school has grown and developed since the early days. They were treated to lunch with the head prefects and Junior Head Students, followed by a tour of the campus. Robert then offered his experiences of graduating from Cambridge University to a group of Year 11 students eager to follow the same path, while Alex addressed the Junior school in their weekly assembly. They were blown away by the school and how much they felt it still strongly resembled the family feel they hoped for when opening. We hope to welcome them back again soon.
World Scholars Cup
Our World Scholars have had a wonderful week in the USA, at Yale University. The competition was intense, the schedule demanding, but they have had a wonderful time and are a credit to the school. We are proud of every single member of the group for their exploits. They now head off to enjoy New York before the long trip back to Bahrain. A few notable mentions:
Zahra - 2nd overall for individual writing
Zahra & Haniyah - 9th place overall (1st in the Middle East), 3rd place overall for team bowl.
Dia, Vyas & Ayaan - 17th place overall (2nd in the Middle East)
Food Tech Latest
Year 7 have been putting their knowledge into action. After starting this year looking at health and safety in the kitchen and the Eatwell Guide they have been demonstrating their knife skills and oven safety to make a delicious baked halloumi and vegetable dish. The smells have brought staff and students from around the school to request the recipe. Some of the students have also been making the dish at home again for their families to enjoy.
Well done Year 7, keep up the practical work.
International Badminton success
Ahmed Hasan in Year 11 was selected for the U19 Bahrain National Badminton Team. In his singles matches he reached the quarter finals and came up against a strong opponent from Iraq (number 4 seed) resulting in a very narrow loss. In his doubles matches Ahmed again reached the quarter final and played against the present Arab Champions from Jordan. In a tightly congested match, he again narrowly missed out advancing to the semi finals. This meant Ahmed finished 4th in the Middle East singles and Doubles Championships, a fantastic achievement! Well done Ahmed.
Beyond BSB
Last Thursday, the Business forum welcomed guest speaker Shuhad Mughal of ICAEW, to speak to students about his career in accountancy. It was a great opportunity for students to ask questions to an industry leading professional. We thank Mr Mughal for his precious time!
Y7 Newsletter Unit 2.pdfY8 Newsletter Unit 2.pdfY9 Newsletter Unit 2.pdfLanguages
As language teachers, the most common question we get asked by parents is: “I don’t speak language, so how can I support my child at home?” Little and often is the name of the game in languages, and we recommend doing a little bit of language learning every day, on top of what they cover in the classroom with their teacher. This can take place using a number of different tools. Firstly, we have subscriptions to an array of online programmes at the BSB, which you can ask your child’s language teacher about.
Secondly, Youtube is a wonderful source for songs, cartoons and child-friendly programmes and with parental supervision, it can be a very fun way to consolidate what is covered in class or to immerse a child into the foreign language for a short period of time. There are also programmes available on streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ etc. We would recommend you check the content first, and your child’s language teacher will often have a list of recommended programmes which they can share with you, should you be interested.
Thirdly, an easy way to support your child in a foreign language is to take an interest in what your child is learning in class. You can ask your child to teach you what they have learnt, which offers them a wonderful opportunity to review what they have covered in class. Please do not hesitate to email me if you would like any further information or if you can recommend a great programme in a foreign language, which your children have enjoyed, you can email me: menhinickl@thebsbh.com.
Community & Volunteering
Our Duke of Edinburgh Award is growing across the school with BSB introducing the Gold Award to participants this year. This prestigious and globally recognised Award is perfect for students to learn life-long skills and ready them for their future. Through this Award, our young people are participating in exceptional volunteering initiatives. Part of our core values at BSB is ‘Embracing Responsibility’ and our students couldn’t embody that more than they already do! Our volunteering initiatives so far this year are wide ranging from Eco-gardening, volunteering with BARC, Reading Support Scheme for Years 7 to 9 students, GCSE Maths Support A new project initiated by our Sixth Form students is supporting our EAL learners. Our Senior students will volunteer to help EAL learners with homework or improving conversational skills. All these initiatives are set up and run by our students.
Thursday 10th November
Visti of the Chelsea Pensioners
We were delighted to welcome the Chelsea Pensioners to a Lower 6th History lesson today as part of their whole school visit, before they were joined in the boardroom for lunch by the Head Prefect team. They were a joy to be around, sharing their tales and anecdotes of their lives both in serving the military and within the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Beyond BSB Visiting Speaker
BSB was excited to host award winning Chef Tala Bashmi of Fusions with Tala this week who came in to talk to our Sports, Health and Nutrition forum students as part of Beyond BSB. Chef Tala discussed the challenges and the successes of the career she has chosen and the hard work and dedication it has taken to get her to where she is. An inspiring session for all and we look forward to inviting her again in the future.
BSB Masterchef
Yesterday, we were delighted to host BSB’s first MasterChef for KS3 students. We saw an extremely talented group of students take to the kitchen and were very impressed to see how everyone worked incredibly well under the time pressure of an hour and still managed to plate some stunning dishes. It was also interesting to see how everyone incorporated sweet potato or yoghurt into their dishes, putting their own spins on dishes from different cultures and cuisines.
The dishes were ultimately judged on nutritional value, use of the required ingredient, creativity, presentation and taste. The scores were very close but meant that Leonie Giard (Year 8) with her delicious sweet potato pancakes won and took home the prize and Jude Qambar (Year 9) who cooked some divine salmon and cauliflower rice was our runner-up.
Congratulations to everyone who participated - you should all be very proud of yourselves. Thank you to all the parents that have helped them, Ms Jones for coming to support and judge and also Ms Reid and Mr Belcher for allowing us to host and helping us create this experience and we hope that this continues in the years to come. We hope to hold some more competitions in the coming months.
Your Co-Leaders of the Sports, Nutrition and Health Forum,
Aqdas Manjlai and Mariana Armengol Rodriguez
BSB Big Night Out
Last Thursday we were treated to a truly special community evening of performances at the Big Night Out. A combination of students and staff, and a variety of acts kept everyone entertained throughout with some stunning performances. Here are a few photos of the contribution to the event from the senior school.
Red Arrows STEM Talk
Mr Weeks-Barnitt took a grou of enthusiastic 6th form students to the British University of Bahrain on Monday, for a Q&A session with members of the Red Arrows, who are in Bahrain for the air show. All enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about aviation from a STEM perspective.
Friendly Matches Taekwondo Tournament
Congratulations to Adam Bin Jamal and Ali Ali, who won a gold medal in the recent Taekwondo tournament at BarBar Club for their weight categories. Over 165 players from 12 Taekwondo schools took part, with Adam coming out on top after some hard fought contests. Adam is a second black belt holder, which means he now qualifies for further tournaments in the near future. Congratulations, Adam!
Speed Cubing
This week saw the first ever inter-house 3x3 speed cubing competition. All of the students that took part did an amazing job with some incredible times. Special congratulations to the top three results:
1st Place: Laura Tjoonk - Year 8 - Griffin - 23.13s
2nd Place: Alexandra Collot - Year 8 - Griffin - 24:53s
3rd Place: Shaheer Khalid - Year 9 - Dragon - 31:90s
Inter House Football
This week saw the football competition begin for the remaining 3 groups; girls, Year 7&8 boys and Year 11 & 6th form boys. Both Dragon B and Griffin A won their opening girls match, whilst Dragon A are setting the early pace for the senior boys with two wins from two. In the Year 7 & 8 boys, both Griffin A and Pegasus A have won their opening fixtures. Full fixtures, results and league tables can be viewed on the BSBH Sport website.
Cross Country
We had an outstanding first race at Nurana on 7th November, the excitement was high as we headed onto the sand for the start of the race! There were plenty of nerves as the group of 15 runners headed to the start for the first of 3 races. Running under new rules making the event a team event we had to make sure we had enough ‘counters’ for each age group. The U13 Girls and Boys and U15 Girls running the 2.1km course and the U15 Boys and Senior Boys running a 4.6km course. All of the athletes put in an outstanding performance making it back for their team. For the U13’s Yahia and Omer stormed the course finishing first and second overall with Jack finishing in 6th place for the U13s. For the U13 Girls Evie and Sophie ran the course together but Evie just crossing the line before Sophie for 4th and 5th position. After one race this puts the U13’s in first place, hopefully they can increase their lead in the second race on 21st November.
The U15’s had an equally exciting race with Heidi crossing the line 1st in her age group and 3rd overall closely followed by Pleun in 2nd place. Nina was next to cross the line for the girls in 4th place, closely followed by Hajar in 5th and Fernanda completing the course in 14th place. Yousef added to the score sheet finishing in 8th place for the U15 boys. Meaning that the U15’s have taken a clear lead after the first event. Our U19 Boys were running in this category for the first time with Oliver finishing in 7th, Yusif in 9th and Ali in 14th. All in all a fantastic run for all the students involved to compete in a group of 75 athletes is an amazing experience.
BSME Golf
The BSME golf tournament was held this year in Abu Dhabi at the prestigious Saadiyat golf club. Two students took part in the event Jacob Ingham from 11B (11 handicap) and Iria Sela from 7G (21 handicap). Both players were competing in the competition for the first time as well as playing the course for the first time. On day one of the competitions both competitors started the competition well with Jacob producing some great shots to go through +3 through 5 holes. From this point on Jacob kicked on and produced some excellent shot to deal with the extremely difficult course. After 9 holes Jacob was +6 over par but this is when he kicked into gear, he went on to get two pars, a birdie and even an eagle on the 15th hole which is considered one of the hardest holes on the course as he produced a laser accurate put on the green from 10 feet away to secure the eagle. That left Jacob with a score of 79 for the day +7 over the par and a score of 68 with minusing his handicap putting him in joint 4th place.
Iria showed from the start how good a golfer she is and word started to spread as people started to talk about how this 11 year old girl could hit the ball so far off the tee. With these excellent tee shots she was able to make these long holes a lot easier for herself. This was evident as she got pars on the 5th, 12th, 13th and 16th which were all long holes. This left her with a score of 104 for the day and with her minusing her handicap she ended the day on 84 putting her in joint 13th place.
Day 2 brough some different challenges as there was an increased amount of wind on the second day to deal with. Jacob started the day knowing that a good round would get him into the medals. He had an amazing start as he went +1 over par after 5 holes which at one point put him in second place. On the back 9 he carried on this great form and recorded pars on the 10th, 13th, 14th and 15th, 3 pars in a row. He ended the day on a score of 82 and with misusing his 71. This meant that Jacob finished in 7th place with 4 points separating 3rd place to 7th place.
Iria started the day with a brilliant par on the 1st hole with an amazing chip from 80 yards to land it 2 yards from the pin. She followed these up with pars on the 6th, 9th and 18th and a birdie on the 15th. A more consistent round on day 2 meant she ended on 93 and a score of 72 minus her handicap. This put Iria in 10th place.
Both competitors played brilliantly and did the school proud.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has been cast and rehearsals have started for the January performance.
Character name Actor
ASLAN Thinula Gedora – 9B
WHITE WITCH Martina Reyes Castellano – 7G
LUCY Amber Allen – 7A
EDMUND Billy Swick – 7H
SUSAN Vismaya Nair – 8E
PETER Yahia Aboukhatwa – 8E
Mr Beaver Alex Doig – 9G
Mrs BEAVER Vanya Makker-Puri – 9C
Character name Actor
UNICORN Advik Ramkumar – 7B
CENTAUR Gayatri Vohra – 9B
Mr TUMNUS Khalid Al Khalifa – 7F
FENRIS ULF Rayan Mustafa – 7B
DWARF Rashaan Kapoor – 7F
Father CHRISTMAS Ammar Alali – 7F
Elf Nicole Estanom -8H
WHITE STAG Beren Odabasi – 9A
Aslan’s Followers – Mishaal Bakhrji 7H; Beren Odabasi 9A; Josephine Kruglov 9E; Ammar Alali 7F
WITCH’S ARMY – Shriya Polavarapu 7E; Nora Mohamed 9F; Joud Jaffar 8E; Saanjh Balpande 8A; Marina Oliveira 7H
Inspired Ski Competition
The Inspired Ski Competition will take place at Verbier Resort from the 27th to 29th of January 2023. If BSB is to enter we need a minimum of three skiers. To take part in the races, skiers must be of a Red King or Queen Swiss Ski School standard. The video shows what this means but students will need to have the competence to perform the following:
1. Parallel turns with various radii on a versatile red run
2. Skating step in the plane
3. Single ski turns on the outside ski
4. Short turns on an easy slope
If you fit this criteria, please contact Mr Macmillan (macmillanj@thebsbh.com) by Thursday 24th November 2022.
Diwali in RE
Making Rangolis is an important way that Diwali is celebrated within the Hindu culture. Year 7 and 9 RE students enjoyed creating the bright patterns and it opened discussions around the purpose of Diwali. Special thanks to Anagha Patil of 7B for planning and arranging the Year 7 display so beautifully.
Calling all swimmers!
There is an open water swim event being held on Friday 18th November at Hamala Beach Resort. This is for very competent swimmers that can swim in the sea without support. If you would like your son/daughter to take part, please find more information and register them via this link (click here).
Smart Brain Bahrain
Congratulations to Ali Ali, who won a gold medal at the 3rd Smart Brain Bahrain competition.
Innovation & STEM
Abdulrahman Seyadi explains the tablet he created in computer science, using Raspberry Pi, an old screen and a power pack, a project far beyond the expectations of a Year 8 student!
RaspberryPi4 at Y8 V2.mp4Thursday 3rd November
UKMT
The results are in and students were rewarded with their UKMT certificates today. Congratulations to all who took part, with special mention to Pratham Mehrotra, who achieved a gold award.
Halloween Mufti - 31st October
Enjoy some photos of our Halloween mufti day, where all proceeds collected will be donated towards the Pakistan Flood Relief. Aasir Khan (6th form) also produced this 'spooky' video montage.
Halloween Video 2022.mp4Y7 Halloween Disco
Year 7 enjoyed a halloween disco, expertly supported by the 6th form social committee and Year 7 pastoral team.
NMMUN - 28th & 29th October @ New Millenium School
Awards winners
Feras Hassan- Best Speaker
Younis Ashraf- Outstanding Delegate
Callum Laing- Best Delegate
Aadya Raju-Most Likely to end up in the UN
Darsh Bhatia-Most Likely to end up in the UN
Student Reflections
"NMMUN was a formative and overall incredible experience. Firstly, it was certainly educational in a plethora of ways. From debating, to writing, to even just enhancing my knowledge on current events I certainly left the competition far more educated and well rounded. But more than that NMMUN also proved to be a great social and overall a very fun experience. Not only was working in a council an exhilarating experience but I also found myself leaving with a smile on my face and a few more friends as well. Overall I loved NMMUN and would love to take part again!" Callum Laing 6F14
"NMMUN was a really great first experience and it was really enjoyable, especially in HCC".- Hussain Mayoof 11E
"I was extremely nervous about doing NMUN but it honestly was great! The people are great and there are so many interesting debates!" - Younis Ashraf 6F12
"NMMUN was very fun! We had lots of debates, there was lots of shouting, lots of challenges, and A LOT to talk about! It was a really rewarding two days! I got the best speaker award for my council (IMF)!"- Feras Hasan 11D
"NMMUN was a lot of fun, honestly going especially participating is more fun rather than just watching, the debated are fun, and there’s always things to talk about and especially meeting new people is so much fun."- Celine Ghazal 9J
U19 Boys Football
The U19 Boys football team played in the Naser Bin Hamad Football Championship in partnership with The Ministry of Education. This is a national football tournament with the team having to qualify for it. In their first match they lost a close game against Jabrya School 4-2 with Mahdi Toorani voted player of the match by the watching officials for an incredibly creative midfield performance. In the second match BSB bounced back from this defeat with a 3-2 win against Abdulaziz school during half term. Mohammed Al Mudhaweb was voted man of the match by the watching officials for his outstanding work rate in midfield. The team needed a win in their final game to qualify for the knockout stages but unfortunately lost this final game 5-4. All players represented the school with passion and should be proud of their efforts.
BSME Games
The U13 Team has now been chosen and are looking forward to starting training next week. With the school football team trials starting in January, this provides us with a golden opportunity to have dedicated BSME training for the team this half term, preparing them in advance for this International competition. The BSME U15 trials are happening this week and next so we look forward to announcing this team shortly!
BSME Golf
We would like to wish Iria Menendez from Year 7 and Jacob Ingham from Year 11 good luck as they represent BSB in the BSME Golf Championships in Abu Dhabi next week.
Inter House Football
This week has seen the return of Inter House Sport. Students have been enthusiastically signing up, ready to represent their house over the coming weeks during break times. In the Year 9 and 10 boys category, results have seen Dragon B take early command of the group with 2 wins from 2. Griffin A are the only other team with a winning streak, having only played their opening match so far. From the standard of football on show, to the supportive and passionate support from the sidelines, it promises to be an exciting half term of sport!
Extension Beyond the Curriculum
The student led Engineering forum gathered for their first after school session this week, working with the equipment to create various circuits with different functions. Krish Khullar, forum leader, expertly led the group through their tasks, pairing 6th form students with lower school students, to broaden the experience for all.
Staff First Aid Training
Members of BSB staff across the whole school have spent some of this week brushing up on their first aid skills and knowledge, in order to continue to provide a safe environment for all our students. Whilst the course itself is essentially important and includes a final examination of each participant, colleagues enjoyed all that the course had to offer.
Thursday 20th October
Think Pink
There has been an explosion of pink on the BSB campus today. The School community came together to not only to raise important funds for Think Pink Bahrain but to also raise awareness of Breast Cancer.
Thank you to all involved, especially the 6th Form Charity Committee and volunteers, who without their tireless efforts, commitment and organsisation the day would not have been the success it was. The sense of Community shown by the whole school today is what makes this school so special.
In the senior school there were two successful winners of the raffle prizes.
The winner of the Nintendo Switch was Muhannad Al Agha from Upper 6th
The winner of the Think Pink Arsenal Football Shirt was Mohammed Azhar from Year 10. Congratulations to you both.
On behalf of the 6th form Charity Committee we thank you for all the support you have shown today.
#BSB Think Pink 2022
Girl Up Panel Discussion
At Girl Up Bahrain, we advocate for women across the globe, promote female empowerment and augment our voices. Our method of doing this, along with the United Nations, is striving in promoting social change for girls. We learn that social change in this day and age can come in many forms; pushing for equal and universal health coverage and quality of treatments across the globe is one of the social changes Girl Up Bahrain is emphasizing. Especially for equal health treatment quality and opportunities to combat Breast Cancer globally.
Our project for October was to do exactly that, in the form of a panel of powerful and delegating women in an array of fields relating to Breast Cancer. We found the panel to be incredibly insightful and enlightening, through providing our BSB community with methods of preventing breast cancer, research data and moving anecdotes. It was a truly remarkable experience, and we are incredibly appreciative of the school’s continuous support.
Think Pink Swimathon
All week our swimmers have taken part in the Think Pink 1KM Challenge. Each squad has taken part in two of their afternoon sessions and have smashed their target, including senior swimmer Konstantina clocking up an amazing 6km total in her two attempts, with another senior swimmer Pleun not far behind her totalling 5km.Our junior swimmers have achieved a total of 33.7km - an amazing distance! Mark Tjoonk swam 1.7km in one session and Rumeysa Vanisor 1.6km. Coaches have also done their part, I have completed the challenge and so has Mr Isaac!
We have all thoroughly enjoyed taking part and feeling good about what we can achieve as a team to raise awareness for this cause as well as raising money for the Bahrain Think Pink Charity. Congratulations to all of our swimmers who took part, we have totalled 71.7 kilometres, and raised BD44.5 for the Bahrain Think Pink Charity, which is a fantastic achievement!
The Monthly: October Edition
The Monthly’s October 2022 issue is here! As we break for half term after an extremely productive period of transitioning back into the full swing of a school year, the month where the cool winds of autumn blissfully blow is finally ushered in. This ‘spooky season’ we focus on the theme ‘ An Era of Mystery’.
Our writers have produced a fantastic blend of articles; embodying the frightening spirit of October, whilst also not neglecting the importance October holds such as the importance of breast cancer awareness. From exclusive interviews with founder of Think Pink Bahrain, Dr Julie Sprakel and Head of Houses Mr. Poole, to the case of Adnan Syed and the legacy of the British monarchy - this edition has something for everyone. For fans of the horror genre, we explore representation of women in horror, and the scientific reasonings behind our favourite foes, vampires.
This month, in the stead of our traditional editor’s choice, we have decided to instead thank the group of talented individuals who have taken our small publication to the next step. Marketing. Our saviours in disguise, who use their intimate knowledge of social media to project our work across the country. We are incredibly grateful to our marketing team, who work tirelessly all year long to constantly bring out engaging and inspiring content.
Lastly, if you wish to contribute to The Monthly, then keep updated with us on The Monthly Instagram: @themonthly_ and email themonthly@student.thebsbh.com with any questions. Thank you for your continued support in bringing high quality student-led and composed journalism to your screens every month!
Editors,
Manaal Khan, Dia Nanda, Callum Laing
The Monthly - October Edition .pdfParkour Tag Tournament
Billy Swick, 7H, came second in a parkour tag tournament at Big Up Sports last Friday. He played 3 x 5 rounds of parkour tag to get into the final, before narrowly losing 2-1 to a former BSB peer. Billy has been going to parkour once a week for less than a year but really enjoys it and has been demonstrating to other students during their PE lessons. For coming second, Billy won a medal, cash, a water bottle, skipping rope and two T-shirts. A great achievement, we are all very proud.
Competitive Swimming
Last Friday the BSB Bulldogs (proudly wearing their new BSB Bulldogs swimming hats) and BSB Elements teams took part in their first competition of the season. A large number of our swimmers were competing in their first ever competition and it was a great experience for all. Our swimmers achieved personal best times (PB's) in over 80% of the races, which is a great start to the season. This was especially commendable as so many of our swimmers were affected by illness prior to and during the event. Whilst improving times in events is the most important element to a swimmer's progress, it is always nice to win some medals in the process, so well done for Liv Zuidwijk (7J) for her bronze & silver backstroke medals, and Pleun Kwaaitaal (9E) for her breastroke bronze. We look forward to building on Friday's success in training ready for our next event.
U13 BSME Training
U13 BSME team have got their training underway this week with the start of some running training. They joined running club in completing ‘club 100’ 200m efforts and finished the session with 200m races. They will be training over a variety of distances over the next half term in preparation for travelling to Dubai in January.
U15 Boys volleyball
After 2 defeats, the U15 boys were looking to right the wrongs of the previous fixtures and pull together their first win of the season. The boys took only a short while to assert their dominance in the game and quickly took an early lead, finishing the first game 25 - 20 winners. Taking confidence and momentum into the second game, The American School of Bahrain couldn’t find an answer to BSB’s relentless pressure and would eventually crumble 25 - 18. The boys were very happy with their performance and were glad to have seen all their hard work eventually pay off with a win.
The B team also made the trip to ASB, riding the coattails of a victory over St Chris B. The B team started very well, finishing 25 - 14 winners in game number 1. The second game was a more close affair with ASB finding their groove and taking the game by a narrow margin 25 - 23. The third and final game was also action packed with a fantastic performance from both teams. ASB would again take the game and the match with a 15 - 13 victory.
U15 Girls volleyball
The Under 15 Girls took part in their last match of the season against the newly added school to our league American School of Bahrain (ASB), coached by Mrs Winstanley. The first game saw the girls quickly settle into the match taking an early lead with outstanding serving from Haja and Hala. ASB fought back, however BSB held them off to win the first game 25-19. The second game started full of excitement and eagerness to win, the whole team worked in harmony, with outstanding teamwork and communication. They won the second match 25-16. Thoroughly deserved victory. What a great performance.
U13 Boys volleyball
The under 13 boys took on the American school of Bahrain in volleyball, coached by Mr Gibson. In the first set the u13 boys dominated the early exchanges with Khalid Mohammed producing some excellent play on multiple points to take BSB into a 15-8 lead. With BSB in control of the set Alvaro Esteban Delgado stepped up to serve and saw out the rest of the game with some set winning serves, BSB took the first set 25-12. In the second set the dominance continued with some great play from Emre Ayturk and Omer Bakri and Jack Jones adding some jump serves to the game BSB ran out 25-10 winner. It was an excellent performance from all who played and a good way to see out the season.
U13 Girls volleyball
Coached by Mrs Belcher, there was lots of joyful singing on the bus on the way to ASB and this enthusiasm was carried on to the court. As the first set got underway it was clear that we were going to have to work hard and they certainly tried their best. The first set was lost 25-13. Moving into the second set the girls felt the pressure and serves were missed and sadly digs went astray. Again a huge learning curve for the girls but their spirits were not dashed and their sportsmanship was fantastic! A huge well done to the whole team for their efforts this week. Mrs Belcher has thoroughly enjoyed taking the girls this season!
Physiotherapy for Recovery
The A Level PE class have been lucky enough to have a zoom call with James Phillips, a physio who works for the NHS but also for England Touch Rugby. We opened up the invite to attend the talk to the Medicine and Health Sciences forum and Sports, Health and Nutrition forum and were joined by some of their members. The students previously learnt about methods to promote recovery, not only from injury’s but also heavy training sessions. They then compiled a list of questions to ask James to deepen their understanding. Once on the call the students were able to have a very fruitful discussion with James around these questions and get an insight into how Physiotherapy works for professionals and elite athletes as well as those accessing physiotherapy through the NHS in the UK. James finished the talk with advice on the routes students can take into physiotherapy and how to enter the world of sports physio by starting volunteering and coaching now. A huge thank you to Mariana and Aqdas for all their help in coordinating the forum attendees.
Art Update
Year 7 have created a tonal drawing of spoons in a glass and saucer from a secondary source. They created a line drawing and then applied a full tonal range, reflections and fine detail. Year 8 created a charcoal portrait of the person sitting next to them in their Art lesson. They included shadows and highlights in their drawing to make it look 3D. Year 9 created a figure drawing of many from a secondary source. They applied the method they learnt last week to create accurate proportions in their drawing. Year 10 has been working hard and experimenting with new materials. This week they have been creating their first oil pastel drawings of a pomegranate. They started by first practicing in their sketchbook using pen and oil pastel. The results are fantastic. Year 11 have been investigating their own personal themes. This week they experimented with coloured dry media to create large scale drawings of different subject matter such as; fish, sea life, still-life objects and lanterns. Well done to them for their efforts!
Drama Update
Both key stage 4 and key stage 5 have been working on their component one - devised unit which has produced some very pleasing results. Preparations are underway for our showcase on the evening of 29th November. Further details to follow soon.
Languages Latest
An important part of language learning is having the confidence to speak in a language that is not your own. This week, students across the Senior school have been preparing and presenting in French or Spanish on a specific topic.. Year 8 Spanish students presentated on the topic of holidays.
Ministry of Education Competition
Muhammed Sarfaz 10G, Feras Hasan 11D, Youssef Koraitem 11D and Bedoor Ahmed 11D, were chosen to represent the BSB in a national competition hosted by the Ministry of Education in which they were invited to make a short film (in Arabic) about the activities they can do here at the BSB. The best film will receive an award. Good luck!
Beyond BSB
Dan Grimes, a lead coach at Juventus Academy will be coming in (in person) to do a talk on coaching (psychological and social models) to speak with our Sports, Health and Nutrition forum. This is taking place during break 2 on the 31st November. A sign up has gone to students via their blogs.
Ms Reid and Mr Belcher are extremely excited with a new connection which they have made with Tala Bashmi. This inspiring award winning chef of the year has been inspiring women in the areas of business and sport (as a previous member of the Bahrain national football team) and we can’t wait to hear her words of experience in the coming month.
Volunteering & Duke of Edinburgh Update
Our Duke of Edinburgh Award is growing across the school with BSB introducing the Gold Award to participants this year. This prestigious and globally recognised Award is perfect for students to learn life-long skills and ready them for their future. Through this Award, our young people are participating in exceptional volunteering initiatives.
Part of our core values at BSB is ‘Embracing Responsibility’ and our students couldn’t embody that more than they already do! Our volunteering initiatives so far this academic year are wide ranging from Eco-gardening, volunteering with BARC, Reading Support Scheme for Years 7 to 9 and Juniors students, GCSE Maths Support and more to come. All these initiatives are set up and run by our students.
Year 11 English
For 'My Setting', Year 11s brought in objects from their rooms today to see what their classmates could infer about them from the objects, drawing parallels with the objects in the bunkroom in Of Mice and Men. They focused on using precise and varied adjectives.
Thursday 13th October
BRITMUN VIII
BRITMUN is back! In March 2023, BRITMUN VIII will open it's doors to all of Bahrain. We cannot wait to once again to welcome students to the school for such an important event. Further details will be announced in due course, through the newly formed leadership team:
Khaled Sayed- BRITMUN Student Director
Samira Abbey- BRITMUN Secretary General
Veda Varma- BRITMUN Deputy Secretary General
We look forward to the work of all 3 alongside Ms Gitonga to put on a fantastic weekend.
Music Latest
Ensembles and Music Clubs are a great way to learn new musical skills with others and are a free supplement to the weekly music class and instrumental/vocal lessons. Please speak to a member of the music team to find how to join one of our many ensembles or choirs. Playing with others, be it in a class, band, ensemble or an orchestra, can deliver a number of benefits to a musician and offer transferable skills to the students academic studies.
It is great to see the Woodwind and String sections of the new Training Orchestra taking shape and flourish. To see a students' first steps as musicians and perform together with joy and excitement is wonderful. We also look forward to the 18th October for the Beginners Concert in A14.
Soloist Concert
On 11th October, we had our first Soloists Concert of the year which was a fantastic fusion of Classical and Rock n Pop performances. Even for those who were not performing, there was a real sense of community at the concert and BSB students assisted with stage management and AV Technicians. This was a celebration of the many hours students and their BSB music tutors dedicate to their musical studies.
Swimming Squad
I would like to wish our swimming squads the very best of luck in their first competition this Friday, October 14th. Some of our swimmers are competing for the first time so we look forward to seeing their results after all their hard work in training so far this term.
Next week our squad swimmers will be raising awareness of the Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign by seeing how many kilometres they can accumulate during their afternoon training sessions. Photos and their total number of kilometres will be reported next week. Ms Gray, Mr Isaac and Mr Burns will also be doing their part to 'clock up' the kilometres in the pool during their staff swimming sessions, whilst Mr Williams has opted to do his by running! How far will we all go?
BSME U13 Games
Congratulations to the below students that have gained a place in the BSB U13 BSME Sports Team!
Layan Al Mahmood 7J Omer Bakri 8A
Mayan Al Mahmood 7D Imrane Hadjouti 8H
Sophie Maguire 7G Mohammed Al Wazzan 8C
Evie MacKenzie 7G Mcgoodwin Ventura 8J
Ariana Javeri 8F Jack Jones 8A
Farida Selim 7A Alvaro Esterban Delgado 8C
Sama Dahduli 8H Selim Hassan 8C
Rafa Migueis 8E Uddhav Menon 8B
Nouran El Shamy 8E Yahia Aboukhatwa 8E
Fernanda Cohen 8H Omar Badr 8G
U19 Boys Volleyball
It was a case of a game of two halves against a strong St Christopher’s volleyball side. Coached by Mr Macmillan, the team started the first set very well, taking a 5-1 lead. Unfortunately BSB couldn’t quite keep up this momentum with the first set finishing 25-15 to St Chris. In the second set the team showed some amazing talent and fantastic skill. The players worked as a team, were more focused and committed. The score was 22-22 with St Chris just edging out our boys. The BSB team has plenty to be proud of and our next game is at home against ASB on Wednesday 19th October.
We also brought a B Team to St Chris to give our boys game time. They had two really good games against St Chris and although they didn't win, every team member should be really proud.
U15 BSME Games
We are excited to announce the details of our trials for the U15 BSME Games! The BSME Games for Years 9 and 10 this year will take place in Abu Dhabi at Al Yasmina Academy on Friday 10th March - Sunday 12th March. This is a prestigious International Sports Competition against other schools in the region. The sports played will be Football (boys and girls), Athletics (boys and girls) plus Netball (girls only) and volleyball (boys). The games are played over three days with a celebration event on Sunday evening. The trial details are below and any student wanting to try out must attend all trials.
Tuesday 1st November - First break in the sports hall - Netball (girls only)
Wednesday 2nd November - 3pm - 4pm (meet in the sports hall) - Athletics (boys and girls)
Thursday 3rd November - 3pm - 4pm (meet on the astro) - Football (boys and girls)
There will be one boys team and one girls team. More details regarding the cost to the student will be given to successful team members. If any student has questions regarding this, please come to the PE office at any break time.
Volunteering with BARC
Volunteering at the BARC animal shelter, our students had the opportunity to experience all the hard work required. We were all touched with all the heartbreaking stories of animals such as Satin the dog and his timid nature due to dogfighting. Nevertheless, we are all inspired by success stories, like that of Mojito the cat who is on his way to New York. From aspiring veterinarians, to parents, the BSB community’s values shone through, and I couldn’t be prouder to have been a part of something so special.
Mohamed Al Saie, Head Prefect
BTEC IT
BTEC IT level 3 students engaged today with real life Data Modeling using the expertise of our Finance department. This was another opportunity for our students to see practical use of their IT skills in real life situations, such as modeling school trips, Bus transport and more.
Curriculum
Lot's going on over the last week, from dissecting hearts in biology, to preparing speeches and acting out Of Mice and Men in English, the classrooms have been coming alive with enthusiasm for learning.
Thursday 6th October
Senior School Student Council 2022-23
We are delighted to introduce the senior school student council for the academic year. Each form representative was given the opportunity to stand for election, presenting a video to their peers on why they should represent them on the council. The students should be very proud to be elected by their peers and the Head Prefects are excited to start working with them all.
Year 7
Muhammed Motara
Ben Mckenzie Ross
Year 8
Motlalepeo "Nadia" Moelele
Alkhattab Alkhateeb
Year 9
Hesham Mohammed
Leon Huggins Cooper
Year 10
Nyall Thoppil
Sayed Yousif Almousawi
Year 11
Mia Kazerooni
Abdalla AlRefai
Anything but a bag day 2022
As a light hearted morale boost, students in Years 10-13 were invited today to attend school carrying 'anything but a bag'. Some weird and wonderful creativity ensued and we were all left chuckling at the lengths some students went to. All proceeds will be put towards social events for students over the course of the school year.
Teddy Bear First Aid
On Wednesday, the student led Medical and Health Sciences Forum teamed up with the Infant School to offer 'teddy bear first aid'. They took their emergency first aid skills learned during their Summer term course and put them to the test with the infants students and their teddy bears. The children were both excited and intrigued to learn about the different ways in which they can look after their most treasured, furry little friends. It was a true highlight of the school calendar to see our oldest and youngest students working together for mutual benefit. A big thank you to all who were involved in making this special event come to life.
Please join us for the Soloist Concert at 3:15pm Tuesday 11th October in the MPH. We have students performing instruments such as Violin, Electric Guitar, and Saxophone. We look forward to seeing you at the concert.
Food Technology
Year 9 students have been in the kitchen making Tomato Pasta. They've been boiling pasta and testing for readiness, measuring ingredients for a tomato sauce and simmering it before tasting for seasoning. This is a great basic recipe that can then be adapted to include other flavours such as mushrooms, capsicum or ground meat. Well done Year 9, the kitchen smelled delicious.
U15 BSME Games
We are excited to announce the details of our trials for the U15 BSME Games! The BSME Games for Years 9 and 10 this year will take place in Abu Dhabi at Al Yasmina Academy on Friday 10th March - Sunday 12th March. This is a prestigious International Sports Competition against other schools in the region. The sports played will be Football (boys and girls), Athletics (boys and girls) plus Netball (girls only) and volleyball (boys). The games are played over three days with a celebration event on Sunday evening. The trial details are below and any student wanting to try out must attend all trials.
Tuesday 1st November - First break in the sports hall - Netball (girls only)
Wednesday 2nd November - 3pm - 4pm (meet in the sports hall) - Athletics (boys and girls)
Thursday 3rd November - 3pm - 4pm (meet on the astro) - Football (boys and girls)
There will be one boys team and one girls team. More details regarding the cost to the student will be given to successful team members. If any student has questions regarding this, please come to the PE office at any break time.
U13 BSME Games
Details are being finalised and we will announce the team next week on Monday 10th October 2022. Well done to all students that came along to the trials, the PE department were very impressed with the standard!
U13 Girls Volleyball
The first set the girls were a bundle of nerves and as a result were making mistakes both when receiving and serving. After losing the first set 10-25 the girls were feeling disappointed but after a quick team talk the second set started with a positive frame of mind and what a difference that made to their performance There was some fantastic rallies between the two teams and with some consistent serving from the girls, Annumita in particular, we were able to win the second set 25-10! This meant we had to play a 3rd game and nerves were high as the girls felt they were playing on their ‘unlucky side’ but this wasn’t the case! They were able to hold their nerve and played as a team communicating and moving well on court meant that it was to their total surprise that the final whistle was blown at 15-11. It took the girls a few moments to realise what that meant and that they had actually won overall! The squeal of excitement was electric but what was even more special was that our girls asked to have a photo with the St Chris team and spent time with them after the match telling their players how good they were and how well they’d played and this made me extremely proud of them! We’re now very excited to see how we play against ASB on 17th October! A special mention to Yusuf Abdulnabi in Year 12 who gave up his own time to score the match.
U13 Boys Volleyball
The under 13 boys travelled to Isa town to face St Christopher's school in their second fixture of the season. A slow start and lack of communication meant they fell to a 25-12 loss in the first set. A small improvement in the second set and a late flurry of accurate surviving from Alvaro Esteban Delgado allowed us to narrow the gap with St Chris eventually winning 25-18. The under 13’s will next face the American school of Bahrain on the 17/10/22. The 2nd team made their presence felt, missing out marginally 25-21 to the St Chris 2nd team. However, the team put together a fantastic performance in the second game and won 25-21 despite being down by 6 points earlier in the game. A stand out performance from Akash in attack, helping secure the win.
U15 Girls Volleyball
The best we have played this season so far, in our first home game. After a very nervous start, the team soon calmed down and got into a good rhythm on the court. Fantastic serving from the whole team, particularly Hala, put the team in good spirits with a positive mindset. Working together on the court played to our advantage, there were some amazing digs from Hajar and set shots from Maya. It was a tough game but I could not be more proud of the teamwork and dedication that the team displayed. Unfortunately, St. Christopher’s just managed to win both games 20-25 and 23-25.
U15 Boys Volleyball
The boys went into this week's game looking to right the wrongs of the previous fixture. Up against St Chris, the team knew it was going to be hard but were confident they could pull together a solid performance. The first game was a cagey affair, with a mixture of long rallies and basic unforced errors. St Chris looked comfortable winners at 20 - 15 but the BSB team made them work for the win with the game finishing 25 - 23. The second game, BSB knew they had to win to stay in the contest and produced their finest performance of the year, taking the second game 25 - 17. The third and deciding game would prove a little too much for the BSB lads as unforced errors and decisions not going in our favour saw them lose the game and match 15 - 11. The team walked away with their heads held high and proved that with some fine tuning they have the potential to achieve success in the future.
ASIA Cup Update
Mahdi Toorani (number 10) claimed an assist in Bahrain's 1-1 draw with Qatar in the football, while Aryan Ashwin put in a man of the match performance with a sublime half century in the cricket. Bahrain play in their semi final today.
VID-20221004-WA0008.mp4Art Latest
KS3 - Year 7 have been learning about tone and have created tonal bars and 3D shapes in lessons this week. Year 8 have been learning about portraits and learnt how to break the face up into accurate proportions in lessons this week. Year 9 have been learning about the human figure and learnt how to created a figure drawing with accurate proportions this week using rulers.
GCSE - Year 10 students have started their Natural Forms project and created some fantastic first responses of peppers. Year 11 have been working on personal projects and have started to create some large scale colour responses
A Level - Year 12 have started working in colour creating large scale pieces on A1 paper. Year 13 have continued to produce highly detailed large scale drawings in colour.
Languages Latest
Many parents often ask how they can further support their children in languages, and we are pleased to tell you that the school has a subscription to the award-winning platform Linguascope (https://www.linguascope.com). Linguascope is a website offering interactive resources in Arabic, French and Spanish, as well as other languages. It is organised in topic areas and the materials are presented via a host of immersive multimedia activities. The site covers all topics encountered in lessons throughout the year and also includes printable worksheets. As part of our licence, all our students can access the Linguascope website from home. All your child needs is our username and password, which you can get from your class teacher or you can email menhinickl@thebsbh.com. The website can be used independently by students to consolidate what they have learned in class or in their after-school clubs, revise or even get a head start learning new vocabulary. The interactive activities are also tablet-friendly, with free iPad and Android apps that students can install on their mobile devices: https://www.linguascope.com/apps/.
Years 7-9
One of the most difficult elements of the French language is the passé composé (perfect tense). Over the last two weeks, we have been learning (year 8) or revising (year 9) this tense and it has been wonderful to see the students’ excitement as they begin to understand how to form the tense and when to use it. Here are some photos of our students learning and discussing the perfect tense in French! Maybe you can ask your child to explain the tense to you!
Students delighted to complete the UKMT maths challenge competition.
Engineering students experimenting with transistors and operational amplifiers.
Thursday 29th September
University Fair - 1st October
Last chance to sign up! It promises to be a fantatsic day, with exclusive BSB access from 10-11am. Don't miss out on a chance to find out more about potential Universities or courses on offer.
Uni Fair Flyer Final.pdfBeyond BSB - October 4th
The Successful Journey to University and Beyond. This will include a brief lecture, followed by an open discussion between the panel (Mr. Weeks-Barnitt, Dr. Andreas and Ms. Kakkar) and the audience. The lecture and discussion will focus on how students of all years at BSB can ensure their work and activity are aligning with their dreams and goals.
Please register here
Academics: Examinations & Assessments
Assessment in Key Stage 3 is nothing to fear. It is simply an opportunity to demonstrate understanding. It also prepares students for the rigours of examinations in the future.
If any Year 11 student sees a clash of exams on the mock schedule, they must inform the exams office immediately.
Mock exams will be conducted exactly like the external GCSE exams. Therefore, students must take the time to read the attached guidance so that they are aware of the rules and guidelines they must adhere to during internal and external exams. Failure to follow any of the outlined exam rules will constitute as malpractice.
The Monthly - September Issue
After a warm welcome back into the blue and white tinted halls of BSB, our year ahead is finally in full swing, and an exciting journey awaits us all. In similar fashion, our issue covers many of the influential and momentous events that have occurred over the summer break and throughout the month of September, everything from the disastrous floods in Pakistan, to Saudi Arabia’s The Line. We share an exclusive interview with Mr Weeks Barnitt who shares insight into the new and remodelled sixth form, and where it's going in the future. With this being the first month back, our talented writers have also shared a few tips and tricks to help make the most of this academic year.
We would like to congratulate and applaud Desiree Menezes, our talented leader of Current Events Journalism, who has been chosen as Editor’s Choice for this month. Desiree perceives journalism to be integral to raising awareness and communicating truthful information about events worldwide, a sentiment that is evident in her gripping expose upon a controversial internet personality.
Lastly, if you wish to contribute to The Monthly, then keep updated with us on The Monthly Instagram: @themonthly_ and email themonthly@student.thebsbh.com with any questions. Thank you for your continued support in bringing high quality student-led and composed journalism to your screens every month!
Editors,
Manaal Khan, Dia Nanda, Callum Laing
The Monthly - September Issue - 'Start Of A Journey'.pdfCurrent House Standings
Griffin: 816
Phoenix: 804
Pegasus: 663
Dragon: 612
House News
Congratulations to the following students, who have been named as house captains for 2022-23.
Dragon
Year 7: Yashal Fatima, Aly Zahran
Year 8: Igne Bartret Grigaliunas, Rafaela Migueis
Year 9: Hajar Zaidan, Jed Baker
Year 10: Malak Alsayegh, Mohammed Khader
Year 11: Rania Bangash, Aalyan Mirza
Griffin
Year 7: Billy Swick, Minal Kalim
Year 8: Nouran Elshamy, Abdelrahman Omera
Year 9: Haya Khattab, Mason McBain
Year 10: Carlos Bousquet , Atharav Menon
Year 11: Natasha Rashid, Sai Satyan
Pegasus
Year 7: Nooh Mayoof, Aedyn Ephraim
Year 8: Faye Kayani, Haider Tahir
Year 9: Daniel Alsaie,Thinula Gedara.
Year 10: Stokie Moloele, D'Angelo Al-Awar
Year 11: Mariam Hasan, Hussain Mayoof
Phoenix
Year 7: Hamad Ismail, Sameha Farheen
Year 8: Lamiya Bandukwala, Fatima Sammak
Year 9: Gayatri Vohra Abdulla Alkawari
Year 10: Vishrut Sunil, Shradha Thampi
Year 11: Darcy Gorick, Mohammed Aleser
Cricket World Cup
Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF) recently announced the team for the ICC U19 MEN'S CRICKET WORLD CUP DIVISION 2 - ASIA QUALIFIERS tournament to be held in MUSCAT, OMAN between 27th September and 8th October 2022. We are delighted that Aryan Ashwin (11B) has been selected to Captain the team representing Bahrain in the tournament. As you may be aware, he has been representing Bahrain in age-level cricket over the past few years, having played in various tours in the UAE, Singapore and India. He has previously been recognised as 'the best batsman’ and 'player of the match’ in the tournaments he has played previously. Aryan will be joined in the team by Vishwaesh Gurumurthy (also 11B). Good luck Aryan and Vish!
Asia Cup Football
Year 12 student Mahdi Toorani has made his way to Oman with the Bahrain national football team, to play in the Asia Cup. Mahdi has been a long term member of the Bahrain squad, and this latest call up continues his impressive development. We wish Mahdi and the team well for the tournament!
U13 BSME Trials
PE staff were impressed with the fantastic numbers of students that attended the BSME trials. The trials got off to a great start with netball being led by Mrs Winstanley and Mrs Belcher. The students have really impressed and it will be a hard decision to pick a squad. The names of successful students will be announced next week. Don't panic if you have not been selected, there are still plenty of opportunities to represent the school!
Ministry of Education U19 National Football Tournament
The U19 Boys Team were asked to take part in the Ministry of Education National Football Tournament. The Tournament includes 20 local schools and BSB were drawn against Al Rawabi School in the first round. Coached by Mr Macmillan, BSB made a strong start and were winning 4-1 at half time. All players played as a team with captain Matheus Migeuis commenting “We started strongly due to our strong team spirit and I was really impressed with how well we came together as a team”. Due to the heat, five substitutions were made at half time with all players keeping up the pressure with the final score being 9-1 to BSB. We look forward to receiving details about the next round of this prestigious competition.
U19 Girls Volleyball
The U19 Girls went head to head against Riffa Views for their first volleyball fixture of the season being coached by Miss Gay. The girls started strong and managed to take the lead in the first game with some excellent serving and team play, however, the RVIS team came back and the two teams were neck and neck at 24-24, and an error under pressure saw the opposition take the lead 1-0. RVIS gained confidence and ran away with it in the second game to win 15-25, despite moments of excellent team play from the BSB side. The girls battled hard to come back in the final game but unfortunately, with some very strong attacking play from the RVIS team, it was a final game score of 18-15 to make it a 3-0 loss.
U19 Boys Volleyball
The U19 boys made the travel to Riffa views for there first fixture of the year. A slow start saw then lose the first set 25-19. After a team discussion and change in tactics the team looks far improved in the second set. After a string of dominating serves from Abdul Khan and improved team cohesion BSB took the second set 25-17. It all went down to the final set to decide who won the fixture. In the third set early on BSB were able to dominate above the net with some killer spikes from Yusuf Abdulnabi and Rayyan Amin. BSB were in control of the set with the score 21-17, but a late fightback from Riffa meant the game was tied at 25-25. After this BSB twice had a one point advantage but were pegged back both times by Riffa to make the score level again at 27-27. Then it was the turn of riffa to take the lead only for BSB to make it level again. BSB took the lead once again through some excellent team combination and eventually managed to hold out and prevailed as the winners winning 30-28. A very hard but deserving victory.
In the curriculum
Some great collaboration this week within maths and engineering. Engineering students were experimenting with Bipolar Junction Transistors, while maths students were joining forces across classes to teach each other some advanced problem solving skills.
Art latest
KS3 – KS3 students created a vibrant ‘name page’ in the front of their sketchbooks. Using bold lettering they created their own typography and illustrated their hobbies using colored pencils. Here are some visually exciting examples from Year 7 and Year 8 students.
GCSE – Year 11 have started on their first large scale drawing, using black and white dry materials (charcoal, conte stick and chalk). Working from their own photos they have produced personal outcomes they relate to their chosen theme.
A Level – Year 13 are working on their personal investigation and have produced some excellent ‘Colour Study’ pages in their sketchbooks. They have also started their first large scale piece, working in colored media on different A1 papers (white, black and brown).
Instrumental and Vocal Information Afternoon
It was great to see students and parents enjoying the Instrumental and Vocal Information Afternoon on 27th September. Students watched expert performances by Zain (Guitar), Rania (Violin), Jania (Violin), as well as our very own BSB teacher, Mr Pearson on the Drum Kit. Also as part of the event, Ms Egan talked about the importance of music in schools and Mr McBirnie gave a demo lesson on the Trombone. It was exciting to see children trying instruments and there was particular interest in Brass instruments and the jSax! If you are interested in joining the Instrumental and Vocal programme, please email the team on instrumentalmusic@thebsbh.com.
New Instrumental and Vocal Parent Portal
A warm welcome to the new Instrumental and Vocal portal. Here you will find timetables for your Instrumental and Vocal lessons as well as latest news, information regarding concerts, and events. If you are a member of the programme, please sign into the portal using only the email address you registered with.
Extra Curricular Opportunities
We are looking for students who can play the Violin, Viola, Cello, and Brass & Woodwind instruments to form ensembles. Please visit the music department for more information.
Thursday 22nd September
Arabic Reading Challenge
The Arabic Reading Challenge is an Arabic reading competition with participating students from Years 1 to 12 from schools across the Arab world. The competition starts every year in September until the end of March. Students work through five stages of the competition, reading ten books and summarising their content in their Challenge passports.
2022-23 Arabic reading Challenge Competition.pdfInstrumental and Vocal Information Afternoon
Please join the Music Department to learn about our Instrumental and Vocal Programme.. You will be able to try out instruments including the Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Saxophone, Bassoon, Violin, Viola, Cello, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, Guitar and Percussion (Drum kit). The Music Department will be available to answer any question and to sign up your child for lessons.
Ensembles at BSB
Ensembles and Music Clubs are a great way to learn new musical skills with others and are a free supplement to the weekly music class and instrumental/vocal lessons. Please speak to a member of the music team to find how to join one of our many ensembles or choirs. Playing with others, be it in a class, band, ensemble or an orchestra, can deliver a number of benefits to a musician. And, one of the most important of all, the joy of creating music together!!
Duke of Edinburgh Trip
Mr Yunus and 9 excited students jetted of forthe UK last Thursday to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh expedition. This is an important and essential element of the Award that tests their physical capabilities in an unknown setting. Students have had training in navigation, first aid, tent building and other relevant areas that will help them on their expedition hike. The trip has also featured some Adventure Activities like kayaking, canoeing, zip line, leap of faith, bushcraft, rock climbing, and much more. It looks like they are having a wonderful time. They even found time to pay a quick visit to Leeds University for a tour and discussion about courses such as Engineering, Sports Science and International Business.
If anyone is interested in joining the Duke of Edinburgh International Award scheme, please contact Mr Yunus.
Art Department news
Y10 have completed an observational drawing of shells as part of their baseline assessment. This fits in well with their theme ‘Natural Forms’. Y11 have completed a still life drawing as part of their baseline assessment.
Y12 have completed a still life drawing as part of their baseline assessment. They have now chosen their own personal themes to explore and have started their initial research.
Year 13 have started their personal study that leads them onto their final coursework unit. Students have chosen areas of art that really interests them to explore and develop. This week students have been working on their observational drawings based on their own photographs.
Please enjoy a selection of student works.
Year 7 and 8 Girls Volleyball
The first ever fixture for some of our U13 girls and they represented the school very well away at Riffa Views. The first game the nerves and away court got to us a little but the girls continued to show resilience and continued to try their best, developing their game play as the match progressed but lost this game overall 25-16. The second game the girls found their confidence with some fantastic digs, controlling the ball when receiving the serve resulting in a much closer final score in the second game losing 25-20. Although the final score didn’t go in our favour their were lots of positive moments to take away from this first match!
Year 7 and 8 Boys Volleyball
The under 13 boys took part in their first volleyball fixture of the year against Riffa Views. This showed in the first set as we trailed 16-2 at one point in the set. A late resurgence and some great surviving from Ethan Howie we narrowed the game to 25-16. In the second set the game was much closer but in the end Riffas superior serving prevailed and they won the second set 25-23. The under 13 boys will look to bounce back in two weeks time against St Chris.
Year 9 and 10 Girls Volleyball
Year 9 and 10 girls travelled to RVIS on Sunday for their first match of the season. It was a close game with the BSB girls working hard to return the serves from a quality RVIS team. After a shaky start we battled back with fantastic serving from Noor, unfortunately losing 20-25. In the second match it was a much closer game showing better teamwork and communication. We took an early lead, however RVIS came back with vengeance beating BSB 20-25.
Year 9 and 10 Boys Volleyball
The new Bahrain School Sport League kicked off this week, with BSB travelling to RVIS. The U15 boys started well but small mistakes with serving quickly saw momentum shift in favour for the hosts. BSB would eventually go on to lose the first game 25 - 23. The second game started in the same vein with BSB taking an early 3 pt lead, but the same problems started creeping in and soon BSB were on the back foot. With a score margin too big to close, Riffa came out on top 25 - 21 and winners of the game. The U15’s were clearly frustrated with the outcome but have already made steps to erase the costly mistakes.
BSME U13 Trials (Years 7 and 8)
The BSME trials are next week for our Year 7 and 8 BSME Team. The trial information is below and we encourage all interested students in Years 7 and 8 to try out for this fantastic experience. There will be one boys team and one girls team, each with 10 students.
Tuesday 27th September - First break in the sports hall - Netball (girls only)
Wednesday 28th September - 3pm - 4pm (meet in the sports hall) - Athletics (boys and girls)
Thursday 29th September - 3pm - 4pm (meet on the astro) - Football (boys and girls)
International sporting opportunities
The international sporting opportunities continue to be offered to our students. If any student is interested in any of the opportunities below, please ask them to come and see Mr Macmillan in the PE office at any break time to discuss this further with regards to dates and costs.
Inspired Ski Competition - There is an Inspired Ski Competition in Verbia, Switzerland. The competition will consist of downhill ski races for skiers of different abilities. Cost will be approximately BD215 plus flights. The dates will be 25th - 27th January 2023.
Inspired Golf Competition - In addition to the BSME Golf Competition, there is an additional golf opportunity further afield in Sotogrande, Spain. This competition is for any golfer between 14-18 years of age. The dates will be 14th - 17th March 2023.
Karting Success
Ali Baqer has been making waves down at the BIC in recent months, collecting the following accolades:
FBR Fastest learning driver
BIKC Monthly Record Breaker
Fastest time on old tires for July
We wish Ali well for his upcoming events.
Breakfast Club
Welcome back to our keen breakfast chefs. The kitchen is happy to have you. Let us keep on making breakfast a priority in the morning.
Houses
Senior House Captain Applications have now closed. The successful applicants will be informed next week. Also the first ever house bands are now being formed in the senior school ready for our battle of the bands event. Senior students can sign up on the form HERE.
House points are now being collected at a rapid rate and the current standings are:
Griffin: 220
Dragon: 149
Pegasus: 211
Phoenix: 216
Big Night Out.pdfThursday 15th September
HM Queen Elizabeth II
It has been a reflective, but also celebratory week in seniors, focused on the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II. We have looked at her values that she lived by and reflected on key moments within her reign. We were also very fortunate to be invited to the residence of HE Mr Roderick Drummond, British Ambassador, to sign the official book of condolences. Mr Maguire was joined by Mr Howe, Miss Jones and members of our Head Prefect team.
Welcome Information Afternoons
This week, we completed our welcome talks, with Year 8 and Year 9 via zoom. We thoroughly look forward to our next opportunity to welcome parents to the campus, in person, in order to cement the important home-school relationships that are so key to a child's success. The slides from the two presentations are attached to today's blog, along with the form for any questions.
Heads of House
Another year of house competition is upon us and the Year 12 students are already competing to be Head of their House. After an incredibly competitive selection process involving some brilliant interviews the following students have been chosen as student Heads of House. Massive congratulations to them, I am sure they will all do their house proud. Applications for House captain roles for the other year groups are now open and students will be selected at the end of next week.
Griffin: Nicole Agulay, Junbeom Han
Pegasus: Zainalabeen (Zain) Zainal, Retaj AlAnsari
Phoenix: Dia Nanda, Shiza Simuyemba
Dragon: Iman Jafri, Callum Laing
Update from the English Department
Please see below our termly KS3 newsletters, outlining our key topics and assessments for the term ahead. Please feel free to contact your childs English teacher if you have any questions or for any further clarification.
Y7 Newsletter Unit 1.pdfY8 Newsletter Unit 1.pdfY9 Newsletter Unit 1.pdfHoliday Greeting Card Contest!
Do you have what it takes to design the most creative greeting card?
Submit your best BSB winter holiday greeting card design for the first ever BSB greeting card contest!
The winning design will be used for the official BSB holiday greeting card 2022, and the winner will be awarded 10 house points!
The design must be
- winter holiday themed
- original creations only (hand-drawn or digitally drawn on tablets)
- in landscape format
- able to fit or shrink to a 5x7 inch size
How to submit:
Submit an electronic copy of the design. This can be a scanned copy OR a digitally drawn design
Designs must be uploaded HERE:
Deadline for submission: Thursday 29th September
Volunteering
Our Duke of Edinburgh Expedition trip to the UK left in the early hours of this morning. This is an important and essential element of the Award that tests their physical capabilities in an unknown setting. Students have had training in navigation, first aid, tent building and other relevant areas that will help them on their expedition hike. Our trip will also feature some Adventure Activities like kayaking, canoeing, zip line, leap of faith, bushcraft, rock climbing, and much more.
If your child is in Year 10 and above and wants to join the International Duke of Edinburgh Award then please ask them to email Mr Yunus or visit B15 any breaktime and sign up to this prestigious and purposeful Award.
Students interested in volunteering with a local animal shelter should contact Mohamed Al Saie and Ibrahim Yunus to register their interest. We will have many exciting opportunities coming up like this and more!
Update from the PE Department
Year 7 and 8 BSME Games Trials - We are excited to announce the details of our trials for the U13 BSME Games! The BSME Games for Years 7 and 8 this year will take place in Dubai at Deira International School on Friday 20th January - Sunday 22nd January. This is a prestigious International Sports Competition against other schools in the region. The sports played will be Football (boys and girls), Athletics (boys and girls) plus Netball (girls only) and volleyball (boys). The games are played over three days with a celebration event on Sunday evening. The trial details are below and any student wanting to try out must attend all trials.
Tuesday 27th September - First break in the sports hall - Netball (girls only)
Wednesday 28th September - 3pm - 4pm (meet in the sports hall) - Athletics (boys and girls)
Thursday 29th September - 3pm - 4pm (meet on the astro) - Football (boys and girls)
There will be one boys team and one girls team. More details regarding the cost to the student will be given to successful team members. If any student has questions regarding this, please come to the PE office at any break time.
BSME Golf - We are looking for any students in Years 7-13 who would like to enter the BSME Golf competition. The competition will be held on Monday, 7th and Tuesday, 8th of November 2022. The tournament will be held at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi. Can all interested students please come to see Mr Macmillan in the PE office at any break time before Thursday 22nd September. If you are a parent and have any questions, please email macmillanj@thebsbh.com
Around the campus
Lots of variety this week across the campus, in both curriculum and extra curricular activities.
Thursday 8th September
Welcome Information Afternoons
It has been a pleasure to host parents for our first information afternoons in a number of years. Whilst the pandemic opened up new opportunities for virtual meetings and communication, it has been wonderful to get back to the more familiar social settings and face to face conversations that are so important for building positive parent-school relationships. For anyone who missed the talks, you can click the links below to see the presentation slides and associated links within them. You can also submit any questions you have via the appropriate link.
Bright Spark!
Congratulations to Year 9 student Ali Ali, who took part in and won the recent Smart Brain Gulf competition, held in Dubai. A fantastic achievement that we are all very proud of.
Ali Radhi Ali Ahmed.pdfDrama News
A warm welcome from the Whole School Drama department. Lots of new opportunities will be presenting themselves shortly for students to become involved in Drama outside the classroom such as plays and festivals. LAMDA lessons will also be starting soon to give students the opportunity to develop their Drama and/or Public Speaking skills.
PE News
Trials for senior student volleyball teams started this week with a brilliant number of students attending. All students need to keep checking the PE Google classroom for the team lists and any information. Next week is our final training week before competitive volleyball starts for the 22-23 season. In addition to this we have a range of other clubs starting next week such as table tennis and running club. We look forward to seeing you all there. Please check school cloud for any remaining availability to sign up.
Music Update
A warm welcome from the Whole School Music Department. We are so excited about what we are offering in music this year through the Music Curriculum, Events and Concerts, and Instrumental and Vocal lessons.
The Whole School Music department's aim is to enable all children and young people to learn to play an instrument and create music together, sing, and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.
We offer an array of Instrumental and Vocal Lessons and there will be future demo’s for Woodwind, Brass and Vocal. These individual and small group lessons run separately to academic class lessons, and are optional. We have a team of specialist tutors who are regularly trained.
Instrumental and vocal lessons are subject to availability, and some popular instruments may have a waiting list. It is encouraged to sign up for lessons as soon as possible to ensure a spot in our programme.
Lessons are available for the following:
Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Saxophone, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone, Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano, Voice, Guitar, Percussion, Arabic Oud
Performing with others, be it in a class, band, ensemble or an orchestra, can deliver a number of benefits to a musician, and is a social and fun activity.
If you would like your child to join, kindly fill the following Instrumental and Vocal Music Registration Form. Should you wish to know more about our individual instrumental and vocal lessons please email us at instrumentalmusic@thebsbh.com or visit the Elements office.
For those who have already started instrumental and vocal lessons at BSB last year, I hope that your child has enjoyed the opportunity to have individual lessons and that they will continue for many years to come. The registration form is still required at the beginning of each school year, but there is no need to fill in a registration each term as the programme runs for 30 lessons.
Calling all space enthusiasts!
PARENTS EVENT BAHRAIN.pdfThursday 1st September
Trips 2022-23
A holistic all-round education is at the core of the British School of Bahrain. Educational visits form an integral part of this experience, and we are delighted that we are once more able to offer so many trips and activities. A live document listing all trips for this year can be found here. Trip organisers have provided an estimated cost for each trip, however, exact dates and costs will be provided once finalised.
Welcome back!
It has been a wonderful two days welcoming students back to the campus for the new academic year. First, we welcomed our new students and sixth form back to the campus, ahead of the full arrival of all students today. It was an absolute pleasure to see the joy on the faces of students as they reconnected with their peers and teachers. There was a real buzz of excitement and optimism as timetables were scanned and new classes discussed. It has been a fantastic start and has set a high bar for the year ahead. I look forward to welcoming parents to our Year group welcome talks over the coming week.
Wishing all families a peaceful weekend.
Mr Ridgway
Welcome talks
All parents received an invitation to their specific welcome talk earlier this week. Please contact the Head of Year for any questions or clarification.
Monday 5th - 6th form & Year 10
Tuesday 6th - Year 11
Wednesday 7th - Year 7
Monday 12th - Year 8 & 9 (Online)
Extra curricular clubs
Sign up for extra curricular activities for this term will go live at 1000 on Sunday 4th September. Below is a full list of seniors clubs that you will be able to select and sign up for on school cloud. If you have not received a personalised email with log in details, please contact us to let us know.