Hey everyone, Welcome to a new decade. Sticking to your new year’s resolution? Or made any new goals  to accomplish  this  year?  Have  you  been  watching  2012?  The  end  is  nearer. According to the prediction made out by astrologists, it’s to be said that 2010 would be a year of success and opportunities. It has also been said that all horoscopes have a good sign of health and we are all likely to get extra pocket money. Out of all this year’s horoscope says  that all secrets that were hidden would be unveiled. So enjoy the  New Year  2010!!  And  to  start  this  year  we  already have  new  exciting  events taking place in our school.

BISS UPDATES!

DO THIS DO THAT TEACHER AUCTION!!!

End of this month is the Teacher Auction on January 29th during lunch time!!

A chance for students to own their teacher for an hour to a whole day!!!

During this time the teachers have to do whatever (within reason) you want them to. You can get anything from

homework extensions to brownies!!

So save up your pocket money for Jan 29th.The good ones always go for a high price!!

EDITORS- IN-CHIEFZ a i n a b S a m a dV a s u d h a M u k h e r j e e

BISSKITIssue no. 10.01January 2010

-Teacher Spotlight: Ms. Lindsay

-Guide to a new year’s resolution

-Dog winter wear fashion

-Places to visit

- Sports for the disabled

- 90210 Review

-BISSache

-BISS Update

In this issue ...

HAPPYNEW

YEAR

Editor’s note:

Hey guys! We’re back again this year with a new issue for 2010! Hope all of you had a fun and relaxing holiday. Thanks to all those who wrote for T’s advice column for this issue, we appreciate it greatly. If you have any questions or want to contribute to our issue submit them to the BISSKIT editors Zainab Samad and Vasudha Mukherjee or to the teachers, Ms. Mercer and Ms. Laing or to any other BISSKIT member. Your contribution will be greatly valued! Thank you! :D

http://bisskit.biss.wikispaces.net/

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

BISSKIT’s the first teacher interview in 2010 is Ms. Lindsay. As she was in Bali for her holiday, our entire interview held through online e-mail chat. Let’s have a look on how her IT life had been through.

How did you get interested in IT?The first half of my teaching career was in music. During the 1980’s I piloted basic computer composition and sound recording in the classroom using a Yamaha computer. In those days we saved data onto a tape recorder. In 1990’s I started using Apple computers and bought my first Apple LC II desktop PC in 1993. At the time of purchase we ‘upgraded’ to 4 MB RAM and 40 MB of hard drive (yes, megabytes, not gigabytes!). In 1994 I bought my first Apple laptop and have never been without a laptop since. My real interest in educational technology across the curriculum came in the mid 1990’s with the development of the Internet. How amazing to be able to send and receive emails! How wonderful to join mailing lists and discussion forums and find out things from websites! I have always loved libraries and books and research, but the Internet as a resource and a communication tool added a whole new dimension to education. My keen interest in information technology, online learning and eventually mobile computing inspired further study, culminating more recently in another Master of Arts degree in educational technology leadership.

Can you introduce the project ‘Flat classroom’?The Flat Classroom is a series of award winning global collaborative projects as well as pedagogy for teaching and learning. Throughout this project, I want to let students feel education is not isolated but shared as we are using technology together. This can be as simple as a Skype call with another classroom in a different country for the students to learn about food choices, or through the development of digital portfolios where students share their learning through uploading artifacts and reflections for others to see.

I saw that you were playing piano for the musical Grease. When did you learn piano? Can you play any other instruments?I started learning music when I was about 10 and studied jazz piano (performance and composition) at university. For many years as a music teacher I led various jazz ensembles. Unfortunately I do not play another instrument, unless you count the recorder. I did play Baroque recorder in an Early

How are your holidays going on?We are having a very relaxing time in Bali. Having been here a few

times before we have seen most of the tourist places so we concentrate more on having a rest and recharging for the next

semester at school.When was your happiest moment?Probably when my daughter, Violet Rose was born in 1994.

How did you become a teacher in an international school?Well, I always wanted to experience working in an environment that was different to the one I was used to. I could started at Simba School. From there, I realized that I was truly enjoying living and teaching internationally. So since then I have worked in Kuwait, Bangladesh, Qatar and now China.

What's your plan for 2010?In 2010 I am looking forward to working with students and teachers at BISS to consolidate and extend the 1:1 and online learning pedagogy. Also, in February BISS are participating in the Flat Classroom Workshop in Mumbai and 5 students will be coming with me to the American School of Bombay to do this.

Interviewed byHyun Jin, Grade 12

B I S S a c h e - T e e n a c h e

T’s Advice columnFor your daily troubles in and out of school

*If you have any questions you would like answered, submit them to BISSKIT editors Zainab Samad and Vasudha Mukherjee or to the teachers, Ms. Mercer and Ms. Laing. They will be handled appropriately by trained professionals with great care. Your queries will be in good hands.

Dear T,I know you’ve already addressed the stress we are all put under, but I have to ask. Is there a productive way to deal with all the stress we get?-Also Stressing

Dear Stressing,Since I am not a medical expert in the field of stress, I’m not really certified to dispense advice that is guaranteed to work. The problem with stress is that when you try to take time off from work to decompress, your work starts to multiply out of nowhere, which leads to more stress, which leads to more taking time off, which leads to all kinds of crazy freak-outs. The only real thing to do is to try to budget your time. Allot maybe thirty minutes to an hour every day, depending on your workload, to do something fun. Watch TV for quite awhile, or take a nap. Maybe read a book. Whatever you like. However, since you are setting a limit for yourself, you’d still have time to get some actual work in.Hope this helps!

Dear T, As you may know, we are getting our report cards this semester. I know that most of my grades are low, I’ve already talked to the teachers and they said that I was doing fine, but my parents don’t seem to understand this. They think that I am not working hard enough and that I spend too much time with my friends. What should I do?-Poor Soul

Dear, Poor SoulFirst of all you should know that dealing with parents can be very complicated. They have their own ideas about how you should be doing in school and a lot of this comes from their own experience of growing up. Also, unlike them you are probably more privileged, by being in an international school and having so much awesome technology around you. All I can say is that you need to balance your activities more and let them know that you are doing so. Let them know about your work schedule, so they can understand that you are committed to school. Also, try asking for their help sometimes. Parents are really smart!! this will let you spend more time with them and they’ll have a better understanding of you and your school. For the time being, you should probably have your parents talk to your teachers. Tell your teachers a little bit about your problem so that they can explain it to your parents better.Hope you find this helpful!!

90210 - Personal review

Sorrowfully, it’s the end of a drama filled season of 90210! Though certain episodes and events were predictable, I did enjoy the whole season (though not as much as Gossip Girl). As some might remember, my review of the first episode of 90210 was very critical. I typically wrote about the climax being a disappointment and I loathed about the sisterhood between Adrianna, Naomi and Silver. However, mid-season, this new ‘surfer chick’ brought a twist to the story. Un like the other girls, she was boyish, cool and rarely had any drama constantly revolving around her. She was my ‘favorite’, which brings me to the character I disliked MOST: Teddy Montgomery. This unpleasant, shrewd and crafty character broke Navid and Adrianna’s relationship. I particularly disliked his appearance, as the actor was too old to play a role of a high school student. Eventually everything went well, and by and large the season was pleasurable and undoubtedly held a content audience! I’m getting excited for the next season~~ :D

Sports Day at Schools For Disabled

Recently, some BISS students helped out with a sports event for various schools of the disabled in Beijing. BISS students helped the disabled children to participate in relay races, tug- of war, musical chairs and so on. However, there was an exception in these games, the ropes used for relay races were made of lead as some of the children were blind. At the end of the day, students won medals and prizes which filled their hearts with joy. DJ and Joseph were regularly helping this school for their Grade 10 project, and are planning to eventually arrange a sports day in these schools on their own. - Abhishek Singh

GUIDE TO NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONSWOOH! 2010 is here! So I guess you all know what you’ve got to do………yes? Well, surely it’s the time for making your New Year resolution! It’s the time when you make a decision of improving one of your habits, and strongly follow it throughout the whole year. But most people tend to break it, and just stop following their resolution. But do not worry, because I’ve got for all of you people who want to follow your new year’s resolution, a NEW YEAR RESOLUTION GUIDE (Cool isn’t it?!?) This guide will tell you how you can follow your New Year’s resolution.

THINK AND CHOOSE THE RIGHT RESOLUTION: Remember whenever you’re making your resolution first make a list of all the bad habits you have, then think and choose one habit you really want to change. Then once you have decided your worst habit, think about how you can change it, and try to set goals that are difficult so that you can try harder to achieve it. Once you have set your goals, make your resolution water tight by making fix dates like “by 15th September I will be a genius in math”. By making such dates, it will inspire you to really follow your resolution.

PLANNING TO MAKE YOUR RESOLUTION WORKOnce you know what your resolution is, and you have written all your dates and you need

to make up your chart of how you are going to improve every year. Then you should make a small plan which tells you what you can do to improve, example “Every Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I will go to a Maths tutor, where I will study Maths for 2 and a half hours”. By making such a plan it is likely you will achieve your goal, because if you do not make a fixed plan you can follow, you might go out of routine after some days and then you will completely forget about your resolution. When you make a resolution you should make it compulsory to follow it. Nothing happens without a PLAN. For example, a military general needs to have a strategy to win the war. Just like this you need to make a plan to achieve your goals.

BE FOCUSED ON YOUR GOALAfter you’ve done the planning and added your changes to the new routine, with

punctuality and discipline you can start following your new year’s resolution. At first you might find it a bit difficult. But once you do it regularly you’ll start enjoying it and by following your plan you’ll progress and improve as the months go by. Remember, if you do not follow your resolution you might never change that bad habit of yours, and you might just go on in life with those habits, so you should always be focused and never let your mind slip :D

I assure you, by using these three steps you can follow your New Year resolution and you won’t forget it. So, people what are you waiting for? Choose your New Year resolution and remember to follow these steps and once again HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

- By Sana Samad

* BISSFa!ion Police*

What your fellow classmates thought about these BISS outfits

Yellow house pride Striped jacket Graphic T-shirt Mini sweaterand hotel slippers and white jeans

****! ! ! ***!! ! ***!! ****!

*Out of 5 stars

Hey! This is what you thought about fashion at our school. Quick Summary: Looks like at BISS, hotel slippers are considered cool, or it's just the yellow house vibe?! Jeans seem to be very popular in school and we love 'em. A mini sweater seems to be pretty popular too (4.5 stars! NICE!), so since it's getting cold, why don't you start wearing clothes like that too? Anyways some advice? Have fun with your clothing selection, don't be boring. Plus, Halloween's coming up, get a crazy costume, and wow everyone. Maybe then YOUR picture might come in the BISS Fashion column? Anyways, remember to dress up for Halloween and for a regular school day. Don't let the fashion police catch you in an awful outfit!

- The BISS Fashion Police

As you all know, it's been freezing in Beijing for the past few weeks. But in this cold weather, we are not the only ones who need coats and jackets to keep us warm. Dogs need them too!! For a change, we'll talk about dog fashion in this issue. Specifically, dogs with less fur are

the ones who require clothing to stay warm. The coats I've seen in the market have not only been doing their purpose of keeping their pooches warm but have been stylish too. Many dogs

as seen here are sporting little jackets or sweaters. Stripes and plaid seems to be a recurring trend in these outfits.

So here is some advice to all the dog owners.⁃ Dog clothing must be simple, don't

make them wear outfits which are overly complicated.

⁃ Keep their clothing loose, so that they feel comfortable.

⁃ Specifically, male dog shirts should be fairly short in length.

⁃ Make sure your dogs shoes are light so that they don't make it hard for them to walk. Don't let your dog wear heavy boots.

So, from the Dog Fashion Police, we advise all of you dog owners to keep your dog stylish yet warm this winter.

- The BISS Fashion police

* BISS Fashion Police *

B e i j i n gA t t r a c t i o n s

Please note that all the places have a student discount

available !!

Tian An Men Square 天安门广场

The Tian An Men Square is definitely the most representative monument of China. Lying in the heart of Beijing City, it is the place for massive parades and gatherings. It boasts of the largest square of such kind in the world.

Tiananmen Square: FreeTiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace): RMB 15The Great Hall of the People: RMB 15

Beijing Aquarium 北京海洋馆

Located at the northern end of the zoo, the Beijing Aquarium is state-of-the-art and well equipped. The facility is home to thousands of freshwater and saltwater fish from around the world, as well as an enormous tank containing an entire coral reef. There are several Sea World-style shows every day, featuring seals and dolphins.

Address: 18 Gao liang qiao xie Street, Haidian DistrictHours: Nov 1- March 31: 9:00-17:00 April 1- Oct 31: 9:00-17:30Ticket Fee: RMB 105

Winter Palace (Bei Hai Park) 北海公园

Beihai Park was once a winter palace for emperors in the past. It is located just to the northwest of Forbidden City. Among many things to see, there are now two important things not to be missed here: the park itself and the round city. The round city has a jar, which is believed to be the only thing left from the great Khan that reigned China in Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 A.D)

1 Wen Jin Street (northwest of the Forbidden City) Hours: 09:00-16:30Ticket Fee: April 1-Oct 31: RMB 10

Nov 1- March 31: RMB 5

By Annie