BSB VOX Issue #1

ISSUE 1 3 SEPTEMBER 2010

Welcome Back!FS All about me

KS2 Food Heroes and Explorers

3 SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSUE 1

From the Head of Secondary

Welcome backI hope that you are all rested and recuperated after a long summer holiday and are eager to get back to school and start working.

I will be starting my first term at the British School so it will be very useful if you can come and tell me as much about yourselves and your lives in the School and the city of Beijing.

The School has grown an awful lot over the summer vacation and we will be welcoming over two hundred new students to the school as well as registering our first year 13 class. So please be especially helpful to newcomers to the School.

There are three main areas that I will be asking you to focus on this year and they are:

Happiness SuccessBeing good citizens and ambassadors for the School.

Clearly there is a lot of hard work to do both inside and outside the classroom this term, but let us also make sure that this is balanced by fun, enjoyment and plenty of sport and other activities

I look forward to meeting you all over the first few days on the Autumn Term

Robert Hewett, Head of Secondary

The Sixth FormerIssue 1 | August 2010 | Page 1

University Application Update• 1st September 2010 - Applications

for 2011 entry begin• 15 October 2010 - Deadline for

Oxford, Cambridge, Dentistry, Medicine and Vet Science

• 15 January 2011 - Closing date for 2011 applications

• End March 2011 - Majority of decisions made

• Early May 2011 - Deadline for applicants to make replies to offers

USASATOctober 9th November 6th December 4thJanuary 22nd

PSAT/NMSQTOctober 13thOctober 16th

Uniform ReminderBusiness attireSuits with shirt and tie for boysSuit, dress or skirt/trousers and blouse for girls

Leather shoes for boys and girls. No sandals or flip flops

Dates for your DiarySaturday 4th December

Christmas Shopping Trip

Important Notice Upcoming Events

From the Executive Principal

Dear Parents

We have had a great start to the new school year. One or two minor teething problems to work out as well but these will soon be fixed!

New teachers spent their first two weeks preparing for the new school year and receiving intensive professional development as part of our continued move towards an integrated marking/feedback and assessment scheme for our students. This frame work is called Assessment for Learning (AfL) and has been key in our stunning external examination results in secondary school. AfL is in use throughout the school now and as parents you will begin to notice a different form of feedback being given to your children in their books. This is supplemented in class by “learning conversations” with the teacher in which the pupils work and development Is discussed.

Much of this sounds like simple common sense, which is precisely because it is! Then again in some areas the teaching profession like many others had mired itself in so much red tape or outmoded ways of thinking that we consider ourselves lucky to be able to forge ahead in this manner.

I’d like to thank our AfL team for all their hard work over the past year. Mrs. Ng (Who has gone on to lead a new Nord Anglia project to improve learning and literacy across the whole of Malaysia), Mrs. Armstrong, Mr. Bishop, Ms. Azeem, Ms. Thomason and Mr. Hewett and Mr. Young. Their contribution to our success cannot be overstated.

We will shortly be announcing a new family centred venture in conjunction with Beijing hikers. Essentially the British School will look to help with family centred walking/picnic weekends to that families don’t get stuck in the Shunyi/Sanlitun bubble but actually get to see a little of China. More on this to follow.

I would urge you all to complete the family data forms that have been sent home as well. These are vital so that we have up to date contact information for all students in the event of any emergency but also for the regular communication within the school.

Finally an appeal. If you come to school to take your child home please do let us know. We have had some buses delayed while we have tracked down children who have been taken home directly by parents without informing our bus team or their teachers.

Welcome to BSB.

Best regards

Michael EmbleyExecutive Principal

The Sixth Former Newsletter Sanlitun PE Circle GamesOur new newsletter for Sixth Formers has just been launched! It contains helpful information on university deadlines, up and coming events at the School, a spot light on a different university each month and much more.

Sanlitun Students play football on the newly renovated pitch!

Key Stage one in Shunyi have got to know one another through games.

SANLITUN

September

ISAC Try outs: Aqua bears, U19 Soccer, and U19 Volleyball

Sanlitun Foundation Stage Curriculum Evening 6pm

FS Curriculum Evening Shunyi, 6 - 7pm

Shunyi Foundation Stage Curriculum Evening 6pm

Sanlitun Primary Curriculum Evening (Year 1 & 2 only)

KS1 Curriculum Evening Shunyi, 6 - 7pm

Sanlitun Primary Curriculum Evening (Year 3-6 only)

KS2 Curriculum Evening Shunyi, 6 - 7pm

Year 7 and New Parents Evening (6pm)

Sanlitun Cheese and Wine evening for all parents in main campus.

Sanlitun ASAs begin

Shunyi Parent Meeting with Eurest caterers

Yr 10 and new Year 11 to 13 hike on the silver Pagoda loop

International Day and United Nations Day of Peace

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SHUNYISHUNYI


Changes toOverseasPassportServices

www.fco.gov.uk

documentation and fee. If you are applying for apassport for the first time you should allow at leastsix weeks. For more information see the FCOwebsite www.fco.gov.uk

Will there be any additional cost?Yes. You will need to pay to send your application(and any supporting documents) to the RegionalPassport Processing Centre and for the return ofyour new passport and supporting documents. Wewill keep our customers informed of any futureprice changes.

What should I do now?> Continue to look after your passport. Identity

theft, passport fraud and related crime are on the increase. This is a precious document

> Check when your passport expires and planahead

> When you need a new passport allow plenty of time to renew: Did you know you can renew your passport up to 9 months before it expires? The extra time will be added to the validity of your next passport

> Check the local British Embassy/ High Commission/ Consulate website for details on how and where to apply

What if I need a new passport urgently?Should you need to travel urgently and you do not

have a full validity passport (including if you haveapplied for a new one and have not yet received it)the local British Embassy/High Commission/Consulate will be able to provide you with anemergency travel document to allow you to travel.

What if I lose my passport?You should contact your local British Embassy/HighCommission/Consulate for assistance. If you need totravel urgently the Embassy/Consulate will be ableto provide an emergency travel document andadvise you on the new process of applying for anew full validity passport.

What other options are there?If you travel frequently to the UK and have a UKresidential address, you can also apply to renewyour passport by post or at your nearest IPSRegional Office. Details about how to apply whileresident in the UK can be found at www.direct.gov.uk.

Alternatively if you travel frequently you can applyfor a second passport. For details please check yourlocal British Embassy/High Commission/ Consulatewebsite.

Where can I find more information now?www.fco.gov.uk

The Identity and Passport Service are working withthe Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensurethat these changes are introduced seamlessly. Welook forward to welcoming our overseas customers.

passport change edit jr 30/6/10 18:03 Page 1

Regional Passport Processing Centre. In a fewcountries, however, customers will still have theoption to submit their application via their nearestEmbassy, High Commission or Consulate reflectingspecific local circumstances. You can find out whereand how to submit your application by visitingyour local British Embassy/High Commissionwebsite.

In 2011, all passport printing will be sent to acentral production facility in the UK, shared withIPS. Most customers will receive their new passportdirectly from the UK, but some will need to collecttheir new passport from their nearest Embassy,High Commission, Consulate or courier depot.British Embassy/High Commission websites willcontain clear guidance on local delivery andcollection options.

There are longer term plans to move all passportapplication processing back to the UK. We willinform customers as soon as we know when andhow this will affect the service.

What will this mean for me?As a British national living overseas you will stillhave the ability to apply for your passport overseaswhether it is a renewal or you are applying for thefirst time. When making your application you willneed to allow time for the passport to be returned.In line with the service in the UK, for customersrenewing a passport we aim to return your newpassport within four weeks from receipt of correct

theft and passport fraud; protecting you and international borders

> Integrating the two passports services into IPS will reduce the cost of maintaining a passport operation overseas, allowing us to continue to offer secure passports to overseas customers

So what’s changing?> A new emergency travel document available in

most British Embassies by November 2010. If you don’t have a valid passport and need to travel urgently, this will provide a fast, secure and readily available way to do so

> Regional Passport Processing Centres in place bythe end of 2010

> All passport printing centralised in the UK in 2011

> In the longer term all passport application processing will also be moved back to the UK

By the end of 2010 we will have created 7 RegionalPassport Processing Centres, based in Düsseldorf,Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, Pretoria, Washington,and Wellington. These Centres will process all thepassport applications for customers overseas untilthat work is centralised in the UK.

The majority of overseas passport applicants will beable to send their passport applications direct to a

If you live abroad the way you obtain a passport,and where you need to apply, will change over thenext three years. This leaflet explains what’shappening and why.

After more than 20 years of running separatepassport services, the Foreign and CommonwealthOffice (FCO) and the Home Office have agreed thatfrom April 2011, the Identity & Passport Service (IPS- an agency of the Home Office) will become thesingle provider of full validity passports for Britishnationals at home and overseas.

Why is this happening?> By taking this action now, customers overseas

will still have access to a passport service

> In October 2010 IPS will introduce new style passports containing more sophisticated securityfeatures. They are required to do this to continue to meet international quality and security standards. It is not affordable to print these new passports overseas

> The UK remains one of the few countries still printing passports in Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates overseas. This is expensive to do and transferring blank passports around the world presents a greater security risk

> New designs and new processes are being introduced to reduce the likelihood of identity

passport change edit jr 30/6/10 18:03 Page 4

An important reminder from the British Embassy


Making new friendsDear ParentsI can’t believe that we have only been back a week. The children have settled so quickly and made many new friends already.

In our Early Years Campus our youngest children are coping well with coming to school and although a few tears at first they soon stop and join in with the activities of the morning. The classrooms already have some lovely work up and the children are enjoying learning and playing. At the weekend a company is coming in to spray the playground and outside areas for mosquitos. It would be lovely to see as many of you as possible on Monday at 6pm for our Curriculum Evening when your child’s teacher will talk you through the curriculum and teaching strategies we use at the BSB.

In our Main Campus our new children look like they have always been at the school and have settled into our routines very quickly. Everyone has enjoyed using the new climbing frames and being able to play football on our newly surfaced roof pitch. We have a new Chef and an expanded kitchen and it is great to see so many children going back for seconds as they are enjoying the food so much.

If your child is in Year 1 or 2 it would be lovely to see you on Tuesday at 6pm for our Curriculum Evening. If your child is in Year 3,4,5 or 6 it would be lovely to see you on Wednesday at 6pm. This is a good opportunity to understand more of our curriculum and how your child’s classroom works.

Enjoy your weekend,

Janet BrockHeadmaster, Sanlitun Campus

From the Headmaster, Sanlitun

The next Sanlitun Parent Society Meeting is on September 14th at 9am


Sanlitun Campus Only


Welcome to an exciting year at the Foundation CampuslWe have had an exciting

week in Foundation Stage meeting our new teachers and also the new children who have joined us at BSB. All the classrooms are so bright and fresh after our renovations over the summer holidays. It has been very busy in the mornings with Pre-nursery and Nursery slowly filling up with their staggered starts and very quiet in the afternoon as Reception children have the whole campus to ourselves.

Pre Nursery children had a great first day when their parents came to school with them. For the rest of the week, we have been busy painting, playing musical instruments, playing with playdough, exploring the playground, singing songs and reading stories. We will

continue with the topic ‘All About Me’ for the second week and help everyone settle in and make friends. We are looking forward to week two already!

Parents and children both enjoyed a morning together in Nursery this week. It was lovely to meet our class parents and for the children to show them around their classroom. We have begun to learn how to sit nicely and listen. We are also learning some new songs and rhymes. We have met our new specialist teachers and found it exciting visiting all the different areas in our school.

Reception have been discussing all about ourselves and our families this week. We were very brave and in groups talked about the things we like such as food and activities. We have been busy exploring all the different areas in our new classrooms and playing nicely.

By Sandi-Rae KeatingFoundation Stage Coordinator Sanlitun

Foundation Stage, Sanlitun


Monsters and the seaside!What a great start to a new year at school! This week we have welcomed back to the Key Stage 1 corridor BSB: 120 superb students, 5 terrific, new teachers (and 2 excellent existing teachers), as well as 7 lovely teaching assistants! Year 1 have been settling in to life at the Sanlitun campus; taking a tour of the school and finding their feet in the playground as well as playing lots of get-to-know-you games. The children have made some ‘busy bee’ classroom agreements and have decided to try to be careful, kind, helpful, friendly, caring and good listeners. They have also been making some colourful ‘aspiration kites’ where the children collaged tissue paper into some beautiful colours and wrote about what they would like to be when they grow up. Here are some lovely examples: ‘ I would like to be a pop star with rainbow coloured hair’‘I would like to be a pilot and fly for Malaysia airlines’I would like to be a jewelry maker’.‘I would like to be a star citizen!’ Some great ideas also included firemen, artists, teachers and superheroes! Year 2 have settled straight back in to their new classrooms with ease and have enjoyed getting to know their new teachers and classmates with plenty of team-building and problem-solving games and activities. They have drawn self portraits of themselves and made some beautiful frames for their drawings using collage and pattern. They have also been flaunting their artistic talents making bright and colourful monsters to decorate their classrooms. They blew and splattered paint to make a ‘monstery’ effect, weaved paper to make springy legs and animated their monsters with bulging eyes and wobbly mouths. As well as this year 2 have been getting back in to the swing of academic work by writing about their summer holidays, practicing lots of ‘mental maths’ games and thinking about their new topic ‘The Seaside’. Children came up with plenty of questions about things they’d like to find out in their new topic such as: ‘Where do waves come from?’‘How deep is the sea?’‘Which oceans to sharks live in?’‘What are beaches like in different countries?’ 2M have also been making and colouring flags to show which countries they come from and encourage the children to talk about their nationality. The children in both year 1 and 2 are an extremely charismatic bunch who the teachers are really excited about getting to know and teach this coming year!

Key Stage One, Sanlitun


EALThe EAL department would like to welcome all the new students to the school and welcome all the exisiting students back. We would like to thank the parents of EAL students for their support over the summer holidays. Almost all of our existing EAL students have improved significantly at English during the holidays as a result of the support they have been given at home. This week we have been busy assessing students and placing them in groups for their lessons which will start next week. We are looking forward to helping all the EAL students and seeing their English improve over the course of this term. We hope you have a great weekend and look forward to teaching all of you next week! A piece of advice: English may seem to be very difficult at the beginning. All the class teachers and EAL teachers are here to help you, so don’t be afraid to ask questions in class or in the playground. This is a friendly school-everyone wants to help you!

Kaz Michalak and Jake Fromer

ExplorersIt has been a great first week back for all in 5Y. To get a good understanding of each others’ home countries we conducted interviews and used the information to create a fact sheet about our friends’ country. These will be displayed on our class map. This term we will be learning about explorers in our topic lessons and our class map will be very important as it will evolve and change as the weeks go by and we learn more about this topic. We can’t wait to start plotting the routes of famous explorers as they made their daring voyages to find new lands. Feel free to pop into our class to see how our map changes over the term.

Food Hero vs. Food VillainIt has been an exciting first week in Year 3. We have spent time getting to know our new classmates and teachers by participating in a variety of team building activities and fun games.

Another activity we did focused on how we can help ourselves to learn. We learnt how to check our own writing for things that work well and areas that need improvement. We also created our first success criteria which helps us to follow steps to achieve a successful outcome. This is going to be a focus throughout the year and is very important in turning us into independent learners.

Our topic focus for this half term is healthy eating so we completed some food related tasks. We created a world cuisine classroom map by researching our home country’s national dish. From this we then completed a fact file about our favourite food. Our next activity was to draw a food hero or villain. The heroes were made from healthy foods while the villains comprised a variety of junk foods. On Friday we took part in a food tasting experience. We all had to wear blindfolds to touch, smell and taste a range of foods and guess what they were to help our team win.

We are looking forward to the new year ahead!

Key Stage Two, Sanlitun


PEOnly one week into the new term and already lots has been happening in the world of sport at BSB Sanlitun!On Wednesday, we took a group of keen swimmers up to our Shunyi Campus to try out for the BSB AquaBears Swim team. All swimmers put in brilliant performers and swam out of their skin, in what were exceptionally competitive times to reach the final BSB squad. In the end 12 of our pupils got in, which is a fabulous achievement! No need to fear for those who didn’t as it is only the start of the term and our fitness will improve (through PE lessons!) and there will be more chances throughout the year to compete for

AquaBears and FOBISSEA teams.Also, next week will be the chance to sign up for the ASA of choice. A letter will go home on Monday6th explaining the different ASAs and then on Curriculum Evening nights there will be sign up sheets for parents to put their child’s name on. The sign-up session for KS1 clubs will be on Tuesday, and KS2 clubs will be on Wednesday, at 6.00pm for both. In PE lessons this

week, pupils have been working exceptionally hard and demonstrating bags of enthusiasm, which is fantastic! Can parents ensure that their children bring with them water bottles and apply plenty of sunscreen or wear a hat (it’s a hot time of year out there!) to go alongside their PE kit and trainers.

BSB ClubFootball Academy at our Sanlitun CampusDevelop your football skills and have fun with courses at the BSB ClubFootball Academy! Coaches are FA/UEFA qualified and courses run afterschool and at weekends at the Sanlitun Campus. Registration flyers will be distributed soon! Or see www.clubfootball.com.cn or call 5130 6893 for more info.


Haven’t We GrownIt was with great pride that our teachers and existing pupils welcomed over 170 new pupils into the Primary School this week. The teachers had planned a programme of induction into class with “Buddies” being assigned, tours of the school and ‘getting to know you” activities all ready all of which worked very well. However it was our existing pupils who really made the difference and helped their new classmates settle quickly. I saw pupils of all ages showing new children how to hold open doors for others, how to say Good Morning to each other, where to get a second dessert from, where to put empty water bottles etc. They were so kind and helpful that new parents I have spoken to have said their children have settled with us very quickly indeed. Many thanks again to all staff and children for getting us all off to a flying start at BSB for 2010/2011.

The Primary Garden has grown too over the summer with towering sunflowers its main feature. The children have been checking out how their crops of beans, parsley and other veggies have shot up during July and August too. Mrs Kyle in Y6 has asked to get involved in the school garden and her Scottish ‘green fingers’ will surely make a difference to future crops.

Our teaching staff has increased over the holidays with a total of 14 new staff in the Primary School – class teachers, EAL staff, an extra Chinese teacher, SEN teacher and PE. More information about our fully qualified and experienced staff will be out soon and presented at next week’s Curriculum Evenings.

The KS1 and KS2 girls have been swishing around school in their new BSB summer dresses, enjoying being cooler than in their wool kilts. They have given us feedback on the design already and as a result all new dresses will have 4 buttons instead of the current 3. The new PE uniform is also a big hit with both boys and girls with its strong colours and large BSB Bear logo. Pupils may wear old or new uniform items all through this year, but from August 2011 all should wear new uniform only.

Wishing all a peaceful weekend ready for week 2 at BSB.

Jane Smith HoP

[email protected]

A Message from the Head of Primary, Shunyi


Perfectly Uniform

Please could we politely ask parents and ayis to help us keep the children looking super smart by ensuring

that the following are worn as part of the school uniform in the Primary School:

In KS1 and KS2

• plain white socks for girls

• plain black socks for boys

• black leather shoes for boys and girls

• navy blue cardigan or jumper for cooler days

Spotty, patterned and sparkly socks are best kept for home, as are Crocs and sneakers (sports shoes are

only allowed with PE uniform).

In Foundation Stage, we ask that children don’t wear Croc shoes are they are unsafe on wet floors near

sand and water trays, and restrict children’s ability to climb and run which is so important at this age.

Many thanks for your support.

Jane SmithHoP

Curriculum EveningsNext week, Shunyi Primary School warmly invites all parents into school for our annual Curriculum

Evenings in the Shunyi theatre at 6pm on the following evenings.• Foundation Stage parents (Teddies Pre-School, Nursery and Reception classes) on Monday 6th

September;• Key Stage 1 parents (Years 1 and 2) on Tuesday 7th;• Key Stage 2 parents (Years 3-6) on Wednesday 8th During their presentation, the staff will outline the curriculum for your child’s year group for this academic

year, including how we teach literacy and numeracy, topic and science. We will explain our reward systems,

target setting, and timetables. Information on trips, special events, Gifted and Talented programmes, and

other enrichment will also be given. Specialist teachers from EAL, music, PE and Chinese will also be on

hand to answer any questions you have about those programmes. It is a wonderful opportunity for parents

to meet the teachers and other parents, learn about the BSB curriculum and gain insight into their child’s

daily routines and our high expectations. We do hope to see you there.


Welcome!Foundation Stage has been off to a great start! We are very excited to welcome our new teachers, Mrs. Wykes (Reception), Mrs. Ren (Reception), Mrs. Campbell (Reception), and Ms. Valdes (Teddies 1). We have also welcomed back Miss Pouncey (Nursery), Miss Melillo (Nursery) and Mrs. Oak (Teddies 2). There have been some big changes, such as the addition of the Teddies program for children ages 1-3 and the enormous growth in enrollment this term. The Foundation Stage team has met this year with great enthusiasm and this week we have finally met the children!

In Teddies 1, Ms. Valdes and Miss Williamson have been very busy settling the children into the classroom setting. The children enjoyed the staggered entry and eased into their routines. The classroom is “new and sparkly” and the two teachers spent the week getting to know their children. There is a new sand and water tray, soft play area and even small tables for drawing and painting! Each child in the class is assigned a “key person” to provide support to them and make their transition as easy as possible.

In Teddies 2, Mrs. Oak, Miss Rollason, and Miss Xiang have also welcomed many new children. They are very excited to have such a full and energetic class this year. Teddies 2 children also enjoyed their staggered entry, giving them the time they needed to adjust to their new classroom! The children have been exploring the activities in the classroom such as: painting, construction, sharing stories, small world toys, singing, and sand and water play. They are looking forward to starting their specialist lessons next week!

The Nursery children have spent the week transitioning into the new Nursery classrooms. Miss Melillo and Mrs. Bourne and Miss Pouncey and Miss Grace have been exploring the topic of “ourselves.” They have made self-portraits using mirrors and collage materials and have started reviewing parts of the body. The children in both classes came together for some ring time singing, which will also continue throughout the year!

Reception children have also been exploring the topic of “ourselves.” They have been creating self-portraits and talking about their families. The children have also been getting to know where their special classes like music, PE, and Chinese are located. The children are also working on their cutting, drawing and counting skills! Reception children have been welcomed by Ms. Wykes and Ms. Sinclaire, Mrs. Ren and Ms. Naugle, and Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Jones.

Foundation Stage, Shunyi


Holidays and KitesIt has been an exciting first week in Key Stage One! On Monday we had a special Assembly to welcome all the new children and staff. Teachers and Teaching assistants all told the children something funny about themselves. It was lovely for everyone to get to know each other in our expanding key stage.

Since then, Year One have been talking about their holidays. They have discussed their new class rules and made amazing bees to display the rules on. The children have been telling each other about their favourite toy and are making special ‘Aspiration Kites’ about what they want to be when they grow up. Children and staff are excited about the year ahead!

Year Two have been getting to know each other this week. We have been playing fun Circle Games to find out each other’s names and listening to stories from our new book corners. Year two have also been talking about their holidays, writing in their new Literacy Books and painting pictures of themselves. All the children have impressed their teachers with their cheerful faces and willingness to learn.

The EAL department has had a busy week. We’ve had the opportunity to meet all of the new faces who will be joining the EAL classes at BSB.

Both key stage 1 and key stage 2 have had the chance to demonstrate their English ability by completing a small assessment. Overall, the children did very well. They had an extremely enthusiastic attitude towards improving their English.

From next week the children will be ready to go with their EAL studies. We’re very excited to be teaching such motivated children at BSB.

Key Stage One , Shunyi


Key Stage Two , Shunyi

Smiles in Key Stage TwoThis week has been fantastic. It has been great to see so many new and familiar faces, all with beaming smiles. The children have looked super in their new uniforms and have truly brightened up their classrooms. Classrooms are slowly filling with creative material produced by the children and I’m sure they will all be vibrant, celebratory learning spaces in a very short time.

This week the children have really getting to know each other as well as their new teachers. They have all got involved with team building activities and group work which has ensured they have interacted with all their peers. They have also been given their new folders, books, and lockers to mention a few.

Curriculum evenings take place next week for all year groups, please come along to find out about your child’s new year group, its curriculum and things that make it special. It is also a great opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have, so please do pop in.

Congratulations to those children in Key Stage 2 who tried out for the swim team this week. It is a huge honour to represent the school and there was a great many of the children there to try out. I was very proud that so many of the children participated and would like to say well done to all for having a go.

Have a lovely weekend,Mr. Bishop

SwimmingWe had a swim team trial and we were overwhelmed by the huge turnout, 70+ students came to try.Unfortunately it is not possible to take everyone, simply because of the space. Congratulations to the children who met the qualifying standards. We are making mailing list and you will be receiving email from us shortly.

Swim team practice starts next Monday after school. Please make arrangements to collect your children from school at 4:45 pm.

For those who were not successful this time and still want to swim, we are looking into organizing mini-squad training on Friday afternoon after school 3.30-4.45 pm. If you are interested, contact [email protected]


Learning an instrument at BSBInstrumental lessons are very popular at BSB and our team of peripatetic music teachers provide excellent tuition on a one-to-one basis. We are able to provide ten individual lessons per term, each lasting for half an hour, at the cost of 1300RMB per term. As much as possible, these lessons are rotated throughout the school day to limit disruption to academic lessons. Lesson times are arranged for the term in advance and are displayed on the music notice boards; each pupil is given a copy of the timetable in their first lesson. In addition, a copy of this timetable will be given to the primary class teachers. Parents will need to provide a suitable instrument for the child to practice on at home and sometimes extra sheet music will need to be purchased. All pupils will be required to bring a home/school communication book to lessons. This will be provided by the school and is a way for you to exchange messages with your child’s teacher. Lessons are available in the following instruments: Drum Kit Flute CelloAcoustic Guitar Clarinet PianoElectric Guitar Saxophone ViolinBass Guitar Trumpet Voice (Available for Years 5 - 13 only) If you would like your child to have instrumental lessons at The British School of Beijing, please fill in the application form attached to this letter and return it - along with 1300RMB - in an envelope marked Individual Music Programme. This envelope should be handed to the Receptionist on either campus who will add your name to our records and issue you with a receipt. The envelope needs to be received no later than Wednesday 8th September. If your child is a music scholar, it is important for them to re-enrol onto the Programme to avoid missing out on their instrumental lessons for this term. If an application is not received by the given date, we will be unable to provide your child with instrumental lessons this term as the timetables will already be set up and running. Lessons will commence on the week beginning 13th September. Paul EnglandAssistant Director of Music


Chinese“Ni Hao!” is the word we heard frequently from all the students coming back from summer holidays. It’s so exciting to hear their Chinese greeting after the holidays. We enjoyed hearing the stories the students told us in Chinese class, the places they went, the things they did, the people they met. Some classes had wrote them down in Chinese after the discussion. In the Chinese department we assessed all the students about their listening, speaking, pinyin reading, character reading and writing ability. We make sure all the students go to their proper ability group and next week we’ll start teaching the new lessons. With such a good start, we are sure it will be a fantastic school year.

Melody Dong, Primary Chinese

EALThe EAL department has had a busy week. We’ve had the opportunity to meet all of the new faces who will be joining the EAL classes at BSB.

Both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 have had the chance to demonstrate their English ability by completing a small assessment. Overall, the children did very well. They had an extremely enthusiastic attitude towards improving their English.

From next week the children will be ready to go with their EAL studies. We’re very excited to be teaching such motivated children at BSB.

Mr. Jonathan ChattersPrimary EAL Teacher

EAL

PEPrimary PE has started well this week. The children have all been very enthusiastic in their lessons and this has given the PE staff a great start to the year. We were impressed to see a large number of children try out for The Aqua Bears and look forward to seeing the team compete throughout the year. Year 1 and 2 began swim lessons and all enjoyed their time in the water. We are covering a range of sports this term and will be practicing hard so that the children are prepared for future house events. Sports being covered in the first 5 week module are listed below.Key Stage 1 - Games Skills & SwimmingKey Stage 2 - Athletics We understand that not all children have their BSB PE kit yet, if you are able to send your child with shorts, t-shirt and trainers until their proper kit arrives we would be very grateful. Katie RobinsonHead of Primary School PE, Shunyi


SecondaryDear Parents,

I hope that you are all rested and recuperated after a long summer holiday.

I have started my first term at the British School of Beijing and it will be very useful if you can come and tell me as much about yourselves and your lives in the School and the city of Beijing.

The School has grown an awful lot over the summer vacation and we have welcomed over two hundred new students to the school as well as registering our first year 13 class.


Happiness

Success

Being good citizens and ambassadors for the School.


Kind Regards,


The year 11 (and indeed some year 10) students celebrated outstanding IGCSE results. IGCSE stands for; International General Certificate of Secondary Education, it is managed by Cambridge University in the UK and accepted around the world.

We’re very proud on behalf of our students who scored a total 71% A* to A (A Star marks exceptional performance) vs. a UK average of only 22.6%. Our total scores also included a very pleasing 89% A* to C grades vs. a UK average of 69%.

The fine academic tradition of The British School of Beijing is sometimes taken for granted. However a rate of top grades more than three times the UK average is worth celebrating and will stand our young men and women in fine stead for their future.

To all of our students I extend my personal congratulations, and to their dedicated and skillful teachers, my thanks.Mike Embley


“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Albert Einstein.

Design and Technology has arrived to KS3 at BSB!Under the guidance of new teacher Mr Coulstring students will now be given the chance to explore the world of Design. Initially pupils will be shown the discipline of Graphic Design, where they will explore the use of colour and imagery to enhance their ideas. As the year progresses, we hope to complete our Technology Workshop and we will then introduce Resistant Materials; this will give pupils the chance to work with woods, metals and plastics to create innovative and exiting new products. It really is an exciting time at the school and this new subject will undoubtedly enrich the curriculum at BSB.

Mr CoulstringDesign and Technology

The Sixth Former

The British School of Beijing has launched its new Sixth Form Newsletter, "The Sixth Former". This will go out each month to the Sixth Form College students and Parents. It contains helpful information on university deadlines, up

and coming events at the School, a spot light on a different university each month and much more.

Make sure you don’t miss the next edition!

From the Head of Secondary

Welcome backI hope that you are all rested and recuperated after a long summer holiday and are eager to get back to school and start working.

I will be starting my first term at the British School so it will be very useful if you can come and tell me as much about yourselves and your lives in the School and the city of Beijing.

The School has grown an awful lot over the summer vacation and we will be welcoming over two hundred new students to the school as well as registering our first year 13 class. So please be especially helpful to newcomers to the School.


Happiness SuccessBeing good citizens and ambassadors for the School.


I look forward to meeting you all over the first few days on the Autumn Term


The Sixth FormerIssue 1 | August 2010 | Page 1

University Application Update• 1st September 2010 - Applications

for 2011 entry begin• 15 October 2010 - Deadline for

Oxford, Cambridge, Dentistry, Medicine and Vet Science

• 15 January 2011 - Closing date for 2011 applications

• End March 2011 - Majority of decisions made

• Early May 2011 - Deadline for applicants to make replies to offers

USASATOctober 9th November 6th December 4thJanuary 22nd

PSAT/NMSQTOctober 13thOctober 16th

Uniform ReminderBusiness attireSuits with shirt and tie for boysSuit, dress or skirt/trousers and blouse for girls

Leather shoes for boys and girls. No sandals or flip flops

Dates for your DiarySaturday 4th December

Christmas Shopping Trip

Important Notice Upcoming Events


Head BoyI would like to wish a warm welcome to all our new students in Secondary. I hope everyone had a great summer. Here’s a little introduction about myself. My name is Tommy, I’m sixteen and this is my sixth year in BSB. To my surprise I was elected Head Boy on the very first day of school, but relish the opportunity. This year my aim is to ensure that all students feel comfortable being themselves in school.

Head GirlMy name is Min Jung Kang, currently in Year 13. I am from Korea, but have lived in Beijing for more than 13 years, this being my fourth year at BSB. I am currently studying A Levels in Art, Chinese, Maths and Spanish. I have participated in sports teams and represented BSB at basketball and swimming. From a young age I have always enjoyed taking photographs of scenery, painting and swimming.It is a real honour to become the Head Girl and I will do my best to support all of our students.

A message from our Head Boy and Head Girl

Hannah Jiang, Randy Zhang,Rachel Machio,Prateek Pandy

Film Vichienthong,Tom Cho,Nurazlin Mohamed Khalit,Ryder Kin

Prefects


SportsU19 VolleyballThere was a good turn out for the volleyball try-outs last Wednesday. I am very pleased to announce that there will be both boys and girls squads this year. Training starts tonight (Friday) and will continue on Wednesdays and Fridays. The teams will play their first game next week.

Year 11 Business StudiesThis week the students looked at the reasons why people work and how to motivate staff. They all agreed that the main reason why they would work is financial gain, however it was very pleasing to see that some students put job satisfaction and promotion high up on their lists. Over the next few weeks the students will take part in a project which will involve producing a job advert, description and specification and then creating their own curriculum vitae to apply for the advertised position. They will then attend an interview for the position they have applied for, developing their interview skills.

Tim BrightwellKey Stage 4 Coordinator

It’s a Marshmallow World!To start off his English lessons this year, Mr Robinson has been feeding his students marshmallows. While this may not sound like it has any connection to English or learning, scientists and educators have been using marshmallows to build students’ co-operation and teamwork skills and as a method of making students aware of the importance of homework. In one activity, students are challenged to build a tower from spaghetti and marshmallows in 10 minutes. The highest tower wins but ,more importantly, students then reflect on the roles they played in the construction which helps them to consider how they can work more effectively during group activities in all their academic subjects and any extra-curricular teams. In another activity, students are given a marshmallow at the start of the lesson and told they can eat it now or wait until the end of the lesson where they will receive an additional marshmallow. This activity makes students aware of the importance of deferring gratification if they want to fulfill their potential in life. In these days of I-phones and PSPs, it is all too easy for students to neglect their studies at home and look for a ‘quick fix’ of fun. This activity makes them aware of the long term implications of poor choices at this important stage of their lives. Both activities were inspired by talks by Tom Wujec and Joachim De Posada from the inspirational TED talks website which can be found at http://www.ted.com/. Mr Robinson


BSB is pleased to widen the scope of our newsletter by including a parents’ page, items for this page should be in keeping with the ethos of the School and should be submitted to our Publications and Liaison Officer on [email protected] before 4pm Wednesday on the week in which they are to appear. Please note we cannot advertise

businesses, the aim is to promote charitable events and personal ads.

NORMANS SAXONS VIKINGS ROMANS

Sanlitun House Points Shunyi House Points

Normans

Saxons

Vikings

Romans

Normans

Saxons

Vikings

Romans

House points begin next week!

House points begin next week!

Secondary Merit Awards

Key Stage 3

Key Stage 4

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Two beautiful Guinea Pigs need a new home!

Twinkle and Tom are two extremely cute, friendly Guinea Pigs but due to a house move we can no longer give them the room they need. They have a cage but we also let them run around in a pen and unfortunately we will not have room for this when we move into a small apartment.

We can give you a cage, food bowl, water bottles and any information you may need if you can give them a loving home with a bit of space to run about in.

They are very used to children!

For more information, please call: 13552999060 Or email: [email protected]

Thanks! Belinda


PARENT EFFECTIVENESS TRAINING

Hassles over issues like bedtimes, chores, rules, TV & TV programs, homework; tantrums, scenes etc. Are these situations familiar? P.E.T. offers skills to resolve these problems together with your child.

P.E.T. is an 8-session course specially designed for families to learn a time-tested model of communication that offers skills, which gives you

Better two-way communication Establish successful discipline Children who become self-disciplined, more responsible and solve

their own problems Children who are more self-reliant, resilient, independent, and self-

motivated Children who are more open to parent’s ideas Warmer feelings, closer relationships and more FUN in the family

Course starts: Wednesday 13th October, 9am- 12pm at BSB Shunyi

For More Information or a course outline contact: Susie Havas: [email protected] or 13910024146

Mum, can I have …

I’m very confused!

Help!

All I want is some peace and quiet!

Lookout! They’re arguing again!!


THEDEVILS

WANT YOUR

BODYBEIJING DEVILS RUGBY CLUBAUTUMN REGISTRATION 2010

www.beijingdevils.com

SATURDAY 4th SEPTEMBER, 7pm - 9pm@ THE DEN, 4 GONGTI DONG LU (opposite Hooters)

Join the Beijing Devils as a men’s contact, women’s contact, touch or social member

For more information contact: Josh (men’s captain) 15811100430

Jeannie (women’s captain) [email protected]

Free flow beer and pizza for all

new and existing members plus a

feast of tri-nations rugby from 11pm:

South Africa v Australia

BSB VOX Issue #1

Documents

Transcript of BSB VOX Issue #1